Extra Petite x Garment Recycling with H&M

As longtime readers know, H&M; is one of my favorite places to shop for petite-friendly work and casual wear. They asked me to share about their global garment recycling effort, focused on not letting fashion go to waste. As mentioned in the video, all H&M; stores internationally now offer garment collection recycling services – anyone can bring up to 2 bags of clothing per day and get a 15% off one item voucher per bag donated. And if you bring in unwanted clothes before March 31st, you’ll receive 15% off your entire purchase and a chance to win multiple prizes. I usually just discard items that are damaged or falling apart, so am happy to hear that garments of any condition are accepted.

Please let me know if you have any questions from the video, or find out more details on www.HMconscious.com. If you end up participating, I’d love to hear about it! Please include #LongLiveFashion when sharing via Twitter or Instagram.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by H&M; for Style Coalition.

When you purchase through the links on this blog, I may earn a commission. Thank you for your support!

When you purchase through the links on this blog, I may earn a commission. Thank you for your support!

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62 Comments

  1. Janki wrote:

    Great video… you bring such a nice change of pace to the blogging scene by focusing on a carefully curated wardrobe instead of just mindless consumption. I like that you don't buy 4 H&M; blazers of the same style but different color like some I've heard of. I really like that you talk about how to make the tough decision to let go of some items. Often, it's great to think that you may be blessing someone else for whom the item is perfect. Or, in the case of the H&M; situation, saving worn clothes from landfills. I wish I'd known it when I cleaned out my kiddo's socks.
    I'm starting Project330 this spring and am finding that it's making my self-alteration task a lot easier.

    Keep up your blog. It's fantastic and this petite loves it. I feel like it's easier for me to get dressed every day and I can chose trends wisely.

    Posted 4.12.13 Reply
  2. Unknown wrote:

    Thanks jean for the tip! I will try it 🙂

    Posted 4.1.13 Reply
  3. Anonymous wrote:

    I got the voucher yesterday, it expires June.30.

    Posted 3.29.13 Reply
  4. Jen K wrote:

    Hi Jean,
    Thanks again for sharing about this! I ended up donating a bag of clothes and posted my H&M; fitting review on my blog, if you are interested. I credited you as well. 🙂 http://www.lifeunrefined.com/2013/03/28/hm-fitting-room-review/

    Posted 3.28.13 Reply
  5. Hi there – thank you for the reminder! I'd love to start making videos again, perhaps this summer once my job slows down a little. I appreciate your encouragement!

    Posted 3.26.13 Reply
  6. Hi Piyusha, if you go on this site http://www.hmconscious.com/ and scroll to the bottom past the "About" header, you will see some arrows that you can click on titled "rewards" or "prizes." This explains how if you donate before 3/31, then you will get a ticket. If you enter that ticket online to redeem your code, everyone with a ticket will get 15% off your entire purchase and some will win additional prizes. Sorry it's a bit tough to navigate! Took me a while to find it as well.

    Posted 3.26.13 Reply
  7. Hi Christina! You have such a great memory. Unfortunately, I wouldn't feel comfortable selling that because I sewed it and made alterations and have worn it quite a bit so it's in poor condition…if you are interested in something similar, it was a basic white tube top which I added some stitching down the front center and then pulled the thread tight so that it would "ruche." You can find plain white tube tops from H&M; right now (under $12), F21, Target, and the like. Good luck in your search!

    Posted 3.26.13 Reply
  8. Lu Yan wrote:

    Thanks!

    Posted 3.25.13 Reply
  9. Piyusha wrote:

    Hi Jean,

    First off, love love your blog! It's definitely been a big influence. I wanted to ask a question about the H&M; conscious campaign. I called my local H&M; before going in with my donations and was told they were giving a 15% off coupon for one item unless I could show them on an H&M; newsletter or site that they were giving 15% off your entire purchause voucher if you donated by March 31st. I checked their site and my newsletters but other than your blog, I can't seems to find it stated anywhere else. Could you show me where you found the 15% off your entire purchase promotion? Thank you!

    Posted 3.24.13 Reply
  10. Anonymous wrote:

    would love to see how you organize your closet since i have a small space on my closet too

    Posted 3.21.13 Reply
  11. j. wrote:

    I find this initiative dubious for two reasons.

    First, it is unclear where profits derived from selling the donated clothing will go. Based on this H&M; webpage (http://about.hm.com/AboutSection/en/About/Sustainability/Commitments/Reduce-Reuse-Recycle/Garment-Collecting.html), it appears that H&M; will market clothing that can be reworn as "second-hand" goods and convert clothing that cannot be reworn as industrial materials. And for those who are wondering, I:Collect is for-profit business (that has, admittedly, a nice corporate agenda). The partner's website FAQ states that "for every kilogram of textiles collected, 0.02 eurocents is donated to a charitable project on http://www.charitystar.com". Absent from the picture is any discussion of where the profits derived from reselling the clothing would go. As fellow commenters have pointed out, there is a global industry built entirely around selling used clothing and textile waste. So does H&M; get a share? And if so, will H&M; also donate such proceeds to other charitable causes?

    Second, this "recycling" program is hypocritical given that H&M; is built entirely on a model of cheap, fast and disposable fashion geared towards constant consumption. And of course, the reward for participating consumers is a 15% coupon, which fosters further consumption. Essentially, H&M; is asking its customers to help "cure" the problem of textile waste, which it and other fast fashion retailers have created, by encouraging such participants to engage in behavior that will further exacerbate that problem. It just looks more like a "feel good" marketing campaign that allows the company and its clientele to perpetuate the current cycle of over-consumaption without actually altering any underlying structural flaws (i.e., fast fashion, preference of quantity over quality, and extreme price pressure on contractors in developing countries that prevents such contractors from using sustainable practices and materials).

    Posted 3.20.13 Reply
  12. Unknown wrote:

    Hi Jean!

    Just saw your video and was wondering if you'd be willing to sell me the white tube top shirt that you put in the "donating" bag. I have been looking for something like that ever since you styled it with your old navy blue dress/skirt last summer. As always, thank you for your style advice and inspirational videos! Keep them coming 🙂

    Christina

    Posted 3.18.13 Reply

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