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Swedish retailer H&M, one of the brands that has arguably come to typify the notoriously wasteful fast-fashion industry, released a new sustainability performance report this month pledging to use 30% recycled materials by 2025.
It also announced a new initiative, Innovation Stories, to showcase “innovation, sustainable fabrications and design” throughout the year. The first collection features “fabrications of the future,” like a yarn made from castor oil and a plant-based leather alternative made from cactuses.
Jessica Ching, senior principal analyst for Gartner for Marketers, noted that material sourcing is a big theme in the sustainability movement now—and alternative leathers are particularly hot: “Consider H&M’s cactus leather, but also Hermes’ mushroom leather [or] Stella McCartney’s mushroom leather,” she said.
Environmental toll
While Ching noted H&M is among the few mainstream brands leading the charge here—and H&M itself said it “has long been dedicated to making positive change and to drive progress within sustainable fashion”—it’s no...
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