Leather, prized for its durability and versatility, plays a crucial role in various products, including shoes, bags, accessories, and clothing. Despite constituting only 0.1% of our sourced materials, it carries significant environmental and social implications. At H&M, we are committed to enhancing our leather sourcing practices to mitigate these impacts.
Our animal welfare policy encompasses leather sourcing, addressing concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, animal welfare, hazardous chemical usage, pollution, and labor rights across the supply chain.
In 2023, 83% of our leather products were manufactured using chrome-free tanning methods, such as vegetable-tanned and metal-free leather. We have set a target to achieve 100% chrome-free leather sourcing by 2025.
By 2030, our aim is to procure all leather from farms adhering to high animal welfare standards and practicing deforestation-free and conversion-free methods.
To realize these objectives, we are actively involved in various projects and initiatives:
Leather Working Group: We are proud members of the Leather Working Group, a collaborative community dedicated to fostering a more responsible leather industry. All leather utilized by our brands must originate from LWG-certified tanneries, ensuring adherence to stringent environmental and social sustainability standards.
Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather: H&M has pledged support to the Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather, a coalition led by Textile Exchange, LWG, and WWF. By signing this commitment, we pledge to source bovine leather only from supply chains that do not contribute to deforestation or ecosystem conversion by 2030.
Leather Impact Accelerator: As part of Textile Exchange’s Leather Impact Accelerator (LIA), we participated in the Impact Incentives pilot program in 2023. Through this initiative, we financially supported a program partner to assist Brazilian cattle farmers in achieving independent verification as deforestation and conversion-free entities, certified to an LIA-approved animal welfare standard within a three-year timeframe.
Textile Exchange’s Leather Round Table: H&M actively contributes to Textile Exchange’s Leather Round Table, a platform facilitating dialogue among stakeholders in the leather and related industries. This forum focuses on critical issues such as animal welfare enhancement, fair treatment of workers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
By prioritizing sustainable leather sourcing practices and engaging in collaborative efforts, H&M is committed to fostering positive change within the leather industry, ensuring ethical and environmentally responsible practices across our supply chain.
