Waste Not

I was absolutely shocked to read this article in the New York Times about the fact that H&M throws away tons of old stock that hasn’t sold. Not only do they throw them away, but they also cut them up, so they are sure that the clothing cannot be worn. Apparently Walmart does the same thing. The article goes into full detail about this, and apparently they contacted H&M eleven times for comment, but no one has responded.

I guess its not unusual that companies get rid of their stock this way, but its upsetting. We all know that there are tons of people who would be desperate for this clothing. I was pretty shocked that H&M were doing this, more so than Walmart. Although H&M is a very big company, they are Swedish and as a brand, they tend to have a generally good reputation. It was very unwise of H&M not to comment on the situation, as requested by the New York Times. In a situation like that I feel it is much better to fess up and announce that you are changing your strategy, rather than avoid saying anythingt, which generally means you are guilty of something.

H&M: Not as cool as we thought.

This brings me to a subject that has been on many people’s minds in recent years: the subject of ethics and sustainability. I would not consider myself to be as ethically-conscious as I should be, aside from food and beauty products, but that is for more selfish reasons. However, I have changed my ways significantly in recent years, and I imagine many people have too. I have always been very against wasting food, but now I am even more careful about wasting anything, and I try and buy fairtrade and organic where possible. The problem of course is transparency, how do you know which brands are genuinely good, labelling is often complicated, sometimes you don’t know what is good and what isn’t.

I am certainly not a model citizen when it comes to buying ethical, eco-friendly, or sustainable goods, but I do support and applaud a few brands that I know are doing some good things. Here is a short list, I am very open to recommendations if you have any other great brands to suggest.

American Apparel: A lot of people don’t like American Apparel, and I can’t understand why. Yes, I know their founder is a bit of a pervert, and his advertising is often pretty controversial, but let’s look at the facts. They do fantastic basics that can be transformed into whatever look or style that suits you, they have a huge selection, and everything is made in the US. They are one of the only companies that actually gives their factory workers healthcare and paid holidays. What’s not to like?

Dr Haushka: Aside from my hair products (see below) I am pretty much loyal to Dr Hauschka. Their holistic products are amazing, its not over priced, and I love the company.

I swear by this stuff.

Barefoot Botanicals: This British company makes the best shampoo and conditioner for problem scalp, as part of their aptly named SOS range.

Marks and Spencer: Marks and Spencer is setting the standard for high street retailers by earmarking 200 million pounds to their Plan A program (Maybe H&M and should read through it…) “We launched Plan A in January 2007, setting out 100 commitments to achieve in 5 years. Through Plan A we are working with our customers and our suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, use sustainable raw materials, trade ethically, and help our customers to lead healthier lifestyles.” It’s very long and detailed, but basically they are opening sustainable factories in the Far East, charging for plastic bags, not putting any crap into their food, and generally doing a lot of good things. Plus they do amazing hosiery, great basic lingerie, and I have a crush on the chief executive, Stuart Rose. He is SO charming.

Noir: Not your typical eco fashion brand.

Noir: I have yet to buy anything from the Danish brand Noir, since it is pretty hard to get ahold of, but I like them because they have been doing “ethical” fashion long before it was cool, and they make “ethical” fashion look cool. From their website: “The mission is to provide fashionable apparel that is created based upon Corporate Social Responsibility principles in all links of the supply chain that are meant to, at a minimum, do no harm, and, at a maximum, do good in the communities, cultures, societies and environments in which the companies operate.” Sounds good to me.

Osklen: Osklen is this amazing Brazillian brand that for some reason is barely known outside of Brazil (I am DYING to go to Brazil!) “The brand represents the lifestyle of contemporary women and men in a world where urban and nature, global and local, organic and technological live together. It is precisely this perception of the integrated nature, culture and society, with refined aesthetics, that makes Osklen to be considered one the the ten most influential and inspiring brands in the world by WGSN.”

—-UPDATE—-
Thursday January 6th at 2pm

H&M has finally responded to the New York Times article, and is now saying it will no longer destroy unworn garments. It is explained in this follow-up article, which basically says that H&M claims it was their policy to donate the unwanted clothing, and that they didn’t know why they were being thrown out. I’m still pretty upset that this happened in the first place…and I don’t believe it wasn’t orders from head office. They say they will now donate the old clothing. I really hope they enforce this, and other retailers follow suit.