H&M Group is a Swedish multinational fast-fashion retailer founded in 1947, headquartered in Stockholm.
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H&M reports comprehensive climate data with verified Scope 1+2 reductions, but Scope 3 emissions rose 3% year-on-year in 2024 despite headline 24% baseline improvement. Fast fashion fundamentals remain linear: 1.5 billion items produced annually, circular sales at 0.6%. Multiple credible reports document greenwashing and supply chain deforestation linked to the company's cotton sourcing.
H&M scores 40/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Fees pay for the review, never the result. Last verified May 2026.
That places H&M joint 366th of 847 companies scored, and 1st of 21 in Apparel (Fast Fashion).
H&M is the highest-scoring apparel (fast fashion) company we've rated.
Among the 21 major apparel (fast fashion) brands we've scored, H&M sits 1st of 21.
Its three lowest-scoring questions, and what the evidence didn't show.
Absolute Scope 1+2 down 41% since 2019, but absolute Scope 3 rose 3% in 2024 despite 24% baseline reduction, driven by increased material weight and air freight.
However, circular business models represent only 0.6% of sales.
Multiple greenwashing lawsuits filed 2022 over misleading Higg Index scorecards were dismissed or withdrawn, but underlying Quartz investigation found over 50% of H&M scorecards misleading.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Evidence that isn't public can count through an evidence review.
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Get in touch →Strongest on Carbon Footprint — Operations and Energy Source (8/10, 8/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Resource Use & Waste (4/10, 5/10).
H&M leads its sector. These are the next 3 down.
Primark reports strong operational carbon cuts (71% Scope 1 & 2) but masks a fundamental problem: supply chain emissions account for 97.5% of total impact and have declined only 4%.
See the breakdown →Gap Inc. operates a fast-fashion model with serious emissions backsliding: Scope 1&2 reductions fell from 77% (2022) to 74% (2024), and absolute emissions have risen recently despite long-term baseline improvements.
See the breakdown →River Island has validated net-zero targets but shows no evidence of tracking toward them.
See the breakdown →The formula and all 14 sources.
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × Scale14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
7 of 14 sources are independent of the company.
If you believe a source has been misread or a newer version exists, submit a challenge.
H&M Group is a Swedish multinational fast-fashion retailer founded in 1947, headquartered in Stockholm. With 177,000 employees and €23.3 billion revenue (FY2024), it operates over 4,700 stores in 75 countries, selling apparel and accessories to mass market. The company is among the largest clothing retailers globally.
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