On Thursday 27th April, H&M proudly accepted the Freedom House Corporate Award – an acknowledgement by the American organization Freedom House that recognizes businesses for their principled policies and strong leadership regarding human rights. H&M is awarded for their leadership in advancing global supply chain transparency.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, 2017-May-01 — /EPR Retail News/ — “H&M was among the earliest adopters of the UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights, one of the first global fashion companies to make its supplier factory list public, and the first to disclose the names of its second-tier suppliers. Its principled corporate policies not only strongly incorporate international human rights standards but, as one of the world’s largest producers of clothing, their actions carry exceptional weight that set an example for the fashion industry”, says Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House.
Stefan Persson, Chairman of the board, accepted the award in Washington on behalf of H&M. In his speech, he empathized the importance of world trade for lifting nations and people out of poverty and exemplified how global companies can support a positive development worldwide. In this work, supply chain transparency is essential.
“To create decent jobs in the supply chain, transparency is crucial. I hope that our commitment to transparency will lead to a healthier fashion industry, but also to more informed customers pressuring companies to act sustainably,” says Stefan Persson, Chairman of the board H&M group.
For H&M, a global company present in several countries around the world, it is important to contribute to fair jobs lifting individuals and nations out of poverty. To be able to do this, a continued presence of long-term, responsible buyers is vital, also when it comes to the development of democracy and strengthened human rights. In this work, supply chain transparency is fundamental. That is why H&M was one of the first fashion brands to publish its supplier list, promoting transparency in the industry, but also to globally apply the newly developed UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights Reporting Framework. H&M is continuously adding more information to the supplier list which now covers not only first tier suppliers, but also more than half of the second tier supplier factories. The list can be found here.
Read the press release from Freedom House.
About Freedom House:
Freedom House, founded in 1974, is an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world. They analyze the challenges to freedom, advocate for greater political rights and civil liberties, and support frontline activists to defend human rights and promote democratic change. Freedom House was the first American organization to champion the advancement of freedom globally.
Contact:
Phone: +46 8 796 55 00
Fax: +46 8 20 99 19
Source: H&M