The fashion and furniture industries are both heavily reliant on natural resources. November 19, two of the giants in the field – H&M and IKEA – were awarded the “Beautiful Homeland” prize for their efforts in sustainability by World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF). Consul General Lisette Lindahl delivered the prize.
H&M has cooperated with WWF since 2011 through Water Stewardship, which tackles management of water resources in the textile industry, engaging decision makers, all steps of production including the end consumer. One of the projects in China focuses on restoring the Yangtze river and protecting the river dolphin.
Since 2013, H&M has installed 4500 garment collection boxes in stores worldwide, where the customer can return old clothes – no matter what brand – for recycling and get a discount on their next purchase. Out of all the materials used in 2017, 35 % came from recycled or sustainable sources. H&M has set the target of reaching 100 % recycled or organic materials in 2030.
IKEA has cooperated with WWF since 2002 in managing and protecting forests, tackling threats such as forest degradation, combating illegal trade in timber and helping consumers to buy and use wood wisely. IKEA and WWF:s projects have contributed to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of around 35 million hectares of responsibly managed forests. 90 % of the bamboo used in IKEA is grown in China and almost 100 % is FSC certificated. Along with the certification of Chinese forests the natural habitats of animals have been protected, such as the amur tiger in north eastern China and Inner Mongolia. IKEA:s target is to reach 100 % FSC certificated wood in 2020 and at the moment they have almost reached 80 %.
WWF was founded in 1961 in Switzerland. Since then it has grown to the world’s most well-known and respected foundation within the environmental field. Their aim is to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Today WWF is present in more than 100 countries, supporting around 1300 projects.
