H&M began its global garment-collecting initiative in 2013.
The program invited customers to bring unwanted clothes and home textiles to participating H&M stores, regardless of brand or condition. Collected textiles could be reused, resold or recycled through specialist processing systems, while customers generally received a small incentive for participating.
The initiative formed part of H&M’s broader efforts to address clothing waste and develop more circular textile practices. It was promoted as a way to keep unwanted garments out of landfill and encourage customers to think about the entire life cycle of clothing.
Garment collecting is not the same as H&M’s garment-to-garment recycling technology. Collection gathers used textiles from customers; recycling technologies process fibers into materials that can potentially be used again. The initiative also predates H&M’s later repair and care programs.