Swedish fashion brand brings “recycling system” to Cebu

CEBU, Philippines – The entry of Swedish fashion brand Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) will not only give Cebuanos another global option but also to help educate the market on "circular economy."

With this strategy, H&M will encourage Cebuano shoppers to participate in the growing community of "circular economy" contributors, which means donating used and "for garbage" garments for recycling, said Fredrik Famm, H&M country manager for South East Asia.

A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.

H&M has been doing this recycling system for years in all of its 3,900 stores worldwide. In fact, in its product lines, from garments to home furnishings and accents, there is a growing inventory collections for green tags.

In other economies, Famm said there is a rising interest for "green tag" products, which means that the product is processed and made from recycled materials, such as used (donated) garments.

A customer who will donate their used garments to any H&M store, will get a discount or any perk from the brand.

At present, H&M is carrying a growing number of "green tag" products, such as denims that are made from recycled fibers from old and worn-out garments.

According to Famm, H&M hopes to bring this sustainable shopping lifestyle to Cebuanos, as the new breed of shoppers are starting to become aware about "circular economy" trend.

H&M is one of the largest buyers of organic cotton in the world. As a company, Famm said, it targets to use 100 percent organic cotton in its total requirement by 2020.

The company recently opened two stores in Cebu, located in Ayala Center, and SM Seaside City.

The brand commits to strengthen its Garment Collecting initiative in the Cebu stores. where customers can donate their used clothes and get a discount voucher to use for their next purchase.

H&M was founded in Sweden in 1947 and is quoted on Nasdaq, Stockholm. The group includes the brands & Other Stories, Cheap Monday, COS, Monki and Weekday, as well as H&M Home. (FREEMAN)