Weekday

H&M Group is a Swedish fast-fashion conglomerate operating over 4,300 stores across 75 markets, and oversees brands such as H&M, COS, Monki, & Other Stories, Weekday, Cheap Monday, Sellpy, and Singular Society. The company dominates the “microtrend” cycle, producing low-cost fashion at massive scale.

This scale has come with widespread labour and environmental harm. Its supply chains have been criticized for sourcing viscose linked to toxic pollution in Asia and deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado. H&M has repeatedly faced allegations of severe labor abuse—from sexual and gender-based violence in South and Southeast Asian factories to forced unpaid overtime and unsafe conditions in Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Cambodia.

H&M’s production methods contribute heavily to climate pollution, textile waste, and resource extraction. Despite climate pledges, emissions have continued to rise. On the human rights front, H&M suppliers have been linked to wage theft, child labor, and labor abuses, particularly in Myanmar and Brazil. Watchdogs like Oxfam and Clean Clothes Campaign have repeatedly flagged poverty wages, illegal subcontracting, and abuse of vulnerable workers across its supply chain. H&M has also been criticized for greenwashing, making sustainability claims that conflict with its environmental footprint.

The group also maintains operations in Israel with 24 retail stores, prompting boycott campaigns by Palestinian and European activists who argue its presence normalizes and profits from Israeli occupation. Despite closing stores briefly during the Gaza conflict in 2023, H&M reopened, drawing criticism for prioritizing profit over human rights.