H&M leads the fashion industry when it comes to sustainable materials

The H&M Group has been ranked as the world's biggest user of sustainable cotton and man-made cellulosic materials in a new report by the global nonprofit Textile Exchange.

The Swedish retailer, which owns fashion brands H&M, Monki, Cos, Cheap Monday, Weekday and & Other Stories, has also been named the world's biggest user of sustainably sourced down and one of the biggest users of sustainably sourced wool in the ‘Preferred Fiber Materials Market Report.'

The move is in line with the group's goal to use only recycled or sustainably sourced materials by 2030. It aims to use 100% sustainably sourced cotton across all its collections by the year 2020: in 2017, 59% of the group's total cotton use was organic, recycled or better cotton. The retailer has also pledged to use 100% sustainably sourced or recycled materials by 2030, having achieved a rate of 35% in 2017.

"With our yearly and steady increased use of recycled or other sustainably sourced materials, we not only push the demand of widely used materials such as organic cotton, but also influence the scalability of new sustainable materials," said Cecilia Brännsten, Environmental Sustainability Manager at H&M Group, in a statement. "We hope to inspire other players in the industry towards a sustainable fashion future."

Other brands that were mentioned in the Textile Exchange report include Nike, for being the biggest user of recycled polyester; C&A for its leading use of organic cotton; IKEA, as the leading user of recycled cotton and Deckers Brands (which owns UGG) as the leading user of "preferred wool."

The top 10 lists also namechecked Inditex (owner of Zara), Target and The North Face.

Meanwhile brands all across the fashion industry are focusing on becoming more environmentally friendly with various approaches. In September the Aldo Group was certified as climate neutral by South Pole, a world-leading developer of climate action projects, after offsetting 100% of its carbon emissions produced in 2017, while PVH Corp, which owns Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and Speedo, has launched multiple initiatives to reduce the waste generated by its fashion brands and the industry in general this year.