H&M Singapore will take extra charge for plastic shopping bags that will be donated to environmental initiative. (Getty Images/Reedle)

In Support of ‘Sustainable Fashion’, H&M Will Start Charging for Shopping Bags in Singapore

Kinanty Nadia Putri
Business & Industry
Retail & Food Services
Jul 17, 2019
2533
Heading to shop at H&M Singapore today? Better not to forget bringing your own bag, since the giant fashion retailer will soon charge you extra S$0.10 for plastic shopping bags. But all is for a good cause in support of a more sustainable environment.

H&M announced the initiative on Monday (7/15) and it will take effect starting from July 25 in all H&M stores in Singapore.

The fashion industry—especially fast fashion like H&M—is in fact, the second-largest polluter in the world just after the oil industry. Many criticisms have targeted the industry for bringing disastrous damage to the environment, such as water pollution, textile waste, and the use of toxic chemicals.

However, the Swedish fashion company wants to play an important role in the issue by focusing on boosting its impact on the sustainable future of the industry.

In Singapore, all proceeds from the plastic purchases will be donated to WWF Plastic ACTion (PACT) initiative—a business initiative to reduce plastic pollution. The proceeds will then go toward research into plastic pollution, conservation projects, and innovations to find sustainable alternative materials.

By joining the PACT, H&M will be committed to eliminating unnecessary packaging as a time-bound goal, as well as transitioning to reusable materials and recycling its packaging by 2025.

H&M also expects to encourage customers to bring their own reusable bags or purchase them from the stores in support of the initiative.

Earlier this year, H&M in its home country Sweden launched a pilot project to sell second-hand garments on its website and run a recycling initiative by providing recycling boxes in stores for customers' unwanted clothing.

According to the company, H&M is also the first fashion retailer signatory of the WWF PACT initiative.

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/h-m-shopping-bag-charge-plastic-paper-shops-11720700

H&M , Fashion , Business , Retail , Asia , Singapore , Environment , WWF , PACT