Social Movement. Something that H&M has caught onto (being the incredibly clever merchandising company that it is), is the idea of corporate responsibility and/or recognition of the organic trend. Organic cotton has become more heavily emphasized at H&M this Autumn, marked with special tags explaining the phenomena.

ORGANIC COTTON AT H&M

H&M started using organic cotton in 2004, incorporating it into a selection of garments. The aim was to help increase the demand for organically cultivated cotton, which still only accounts for a very small percentage of world cotton production. Since then H&M has used an increasing amount of organic cotton and the quantity used this year is estimated at approximately 1,100 tonnes, compared with 30 tonnes in 2006.

The cotton used by H&M is certified by the Control Union. It has been cultivated without the use of harmful chemicals.

H&M has also been a member of Organic Exchange, an organisation that promotes organic cotton cultivation, since 2003.

Click here to find out more about Organic Cotton at H&M.