The Swedish brand H&M has signed a line of hoodies, sweatshirts and joggers using recycled plastic, tranformed from water bottles wastes collected from beaches in Indonesia.

By Ludmilla Intravaia

In this article :

• H&M and its kidswear collection in recycled polyester, available since the end of December 2020

• H&M's Bottle2fashion initiative, in collaboration with Danone Aqua, in a circular economy approach

• The advantages of recycled polyester, according to H&M

• Eco-friendly, recycled polyester? Changing our consumption attitudes

"It's time to revolutionize fashion, little by little." It is in these terms that the press release of H&M, published on the website of the Swedish clothing brand last Wednesday, introduces its new kidswear collection using recycled polyester, from the Bottle2fashion initiative, launched in 2017. Fruit of the collaboration of the fast fashion brand with the Indonesian subsidiary of the French food-products group Danone, Danone Aqua, producing Aqua mineral water, leader in its market, the Bottle2fashion project collects plastic bottles abandoned on the shores of Indonesian islands to transform them into recycled polyester fibers. These fibers have been blended with sustainable cotton to create the kidswear collection hoodies, sweatshirts and joggers, now available in stores and on H&M website.

Involved in a circular economy approach, Danone Aqua is committed to collecting more plastic waste than it produces and to making all of its packaging 100% reusable, compostable and recyclable by 2025, while  supporting the Indonesian government's goal of reducing 70% of plastic waste in the ocean by the same deadline. In 2018, the company launched the Bijak Berplastik (be wise in using plastic) movement for consumer recycling education, product packaging innovation, and the development of a waste collection infrastructure. Danone Aqua also produces Aqua Life, the first water bottle in Indonesia made from 100% recycled plastic (see video below).

According to H&M which aims to achieve 100% recycled and sustainable production means by 2030, "this season, bottle2fashion will collect and recycle around 3.5 million plastic bottles," notes the press release which adds : "It is better to use materials that already exist - waste that would otherwise end up in landfills or the oceans - rather than conventional polyester. In addition, turning plastic into recycled polyester reduces energy consumption and generates less CO2 emissions than producing conventional polyester.”

Thus, for consumers who have not turned their backs on clothing made from polyester derived from petroleum processing, opting for recycled polyester instead of virgin polyester may be a step in the direction of a more sustainable fashion, since it gives a second life to polluting materials already in circulation. Nevertheless, recycled polyester remains polyester, namely plastic which, in particular, disperses microplastics in the environment that are harmful to all sentient beings. In fact, in parallel with initiatives such as Bottle2fashion, a real eco-responsible awareness of the need for a change in our overconsumption behavior is required : the best way to fight against plastic remains above all to drastically limit its consumption, while favoring sustainable materials alternatives.

* The H&M kidswear collection using recycled polyester has been available since the end of December 2020 on the brand's website.

* Continue reading with the following articles from Le Boudoir Numérique :

- Green Machine and Looop, the recycling machines of H&M with HKRITA

- Mickey Mouse T-shirts in recycled plastic