Fashion giant H&M Group explores greener transport options

The H&M Group is addressing its transportation strategy, as part of its plan to become ‘climate positive' by the year 2040.

The Swedish fashion conglomerate, whose brands include H&M, & Other Stories and Cos, is backing greener commercial transport initiatives in a bid to become more environmentally friendly.

The company has announced a collaboration with the transport giant Maersk to champion its new, carbon-neutral ocean product -- a biofuel-blend that incorporates fuels such as wasted cooking oil that has been tested to propel vessels, showing promising results in reducing the emissions from the ocean shipping.

The fashion giant has also formed a coalition dubbed ‘Pathways Coalition' alongside the corporations Scania, E.ON and Siemens. The organization aims to achieve a fossil-free commercial heavy transportation system by the year 2050.

"Our high ambition to become climate positive by 2040 requires cooperation and engagement from all parties in the supply chain," said Helena Helmersson, COO of H&M Group, in a statement. "We want to use our size to be a force for good and enable scaling innovative solutions, such as the carbon neutral ocean product, for a greener commercial transport."

Earlier this month, the luxury fashion brand Ralph Lauren revealed plans to set science-based greenhouse gas reduction targets by 2020 and 100% renewable energy targets by the end of this year, as part of its fiscal year 2019 report. May saw PVH Corp., the parent company behind Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, unveil ‘Forward Fashion,' the evolution of its corporate responsibility strategy that aims to reduce its negative impacts to zero, focusing on eliminating carbon emissions by using more renewable energy sources and cutting waste to zero by avoiding landfill solutions.