I am a big fan of H&M.
The H&M Conscious Foundation is a global non-profit foundation with the mission to “reach beyond H&M´s value chain, and contribute to positive long-term change for people and communities where H&M operates.” After consulting global experts in the field, including for example Sir Richard Branson (whom I am a big fan of too), H&M developed a list of five most immediate global challenges: safeguarding natural resources, strengthening women, reduction of poverty through self-employment, clean water and education.
Of those five, H&M is going to focus on the three most critical ones as defined by us, the people most affected. H&M has therefore launched a website, where you and I can vote. And this is where you come in! Just head over to http://makeadifference.hm.com/, have a look at the initiatives and vote for those that you think H&M should support. You’ve only got until 29 October, so hurry up!
Here some shocking facts to get you thinking:
The five challenges are equally important to secure a sustainable future. However, for one organisation alone it is simply not possible to fight all sustainability megaforces – that would be doing a lot of different things at the same time without really achieving much on either of them. This is why I quite like how H&M is planning to focus its efforts and resources on just three initiatives (still a lot!) because that way it is far more likely to make a real difference in those areas.
I also like how they are involving the general public in this so important decision that concerns all of us. Addressing these three challenges is H&M’s promise to make a long-term positive impact for people and communities around the world and I look forward to seeing how the foundation is going to run this great project.
I hope to see more companies starting such programmes aiming to tackle the pressing sustainability issues we are facing. The future is going to be truly challenging and it is in our hands to shape it.
UPDATE:
The three initiatives that the public chose are: