MANILA, PHILIPPINES —It was in September 2020 when H&M Philippines launched a groundbreaking initiative called “Let’s Reuse” together with Waves for Water Philippines. The project aims to reduce single-use paper bag waste by encouraging all shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. Through this project, H&M became the first fashion brand to charge customers with Php 2.00 for every paper bag in the country. One year after, the company and its partner share the positive impact the project brought to their customers, the environment, and the local communities, as well as a new step they recently took with their packaging for hm.com orders.
H&M Philippines has saved almost 300,000 paper bags since the launch. The company believes that this is a step in the right direction but will need to create more awareness and participation from the customers to reduce waste by making it a habit to bring their own reusable shopping bags.
“The way we make, use, and reuse packaging is an important part in our journey towards circular and climate positive fashion. With “Let’s Reuse” – our paper bag charge initiative – we aim to bring Filipino customers with us in our journey by encouraging shoppers to reduce waste and bring a reusable bag instead. We believe this initiative is a small step towards the right direction. However, being the first fashion retailer in the Philippines to charge for paper bags, we also see the potential to raise more awareness and reduce single-use waste even further.” said Regional Sustainability Manager Marian Dang.
On the other hand, with the paper bag charges, H&M’s “Let’s Reuse” project is a bolder move in the local retail industry. They collaborated with Waves for Water Philippines (W4W), a non-profit organization that aims to provide clean water and hygiene education to local communities in the country. The collaboration meant that all proceeds of the paper bag charges go directly to the organization.
“At the same time, all paper bag sales proceeds are donated to Waves for Water Philippines to provide clean water access to local communities. We have seen the invaluable work of Waves for Water Philippines over the past year and are delighted to share our continued partnership to reach more communities in need of clean water,” Marian adds.
W4W started conducting their local community outreach since last year and so far, has impacted 4,650 people across 23 communities in the Philippines, provided 12,100 liters of water storage, implemented 186 filtration systems, and built 7 rainwater catchments.
“The partnership with H&M has been hugely instrumental in helping provide clean water access to many off-grid communities throughout the country. While the pandemic caused significant challenges in implementing projects, we’re very grateful to the many community leaders we worked with and H&M’s consistent support. Access to clean water is a game-changer for the communities we work with. It not only helps ensure health but opens more opportunities for children and adults to pursue education and employment. We’re excited to positively impact more communities in the next coming months with H&M Philippines.” commented Country Director of Waves for Water Philippines Jenica Dizon.
The first-year anniversary of the “Let’s Reuse” project coincided with their introduction of a new paper packaging for all hm.com orders. This new system is part of H&M’s circular packaging strategy, including goals that are aligned with the Ellen McArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
