Do you ever hear something and think: why did you bother open your mouth?
Yesterday H&M announced a new multi-year partnership with Circulose¹, promising to replace a “substantial share” of its virgin viscose with a recycled fibre made from cotton waste.
You might expect us at COVE to cheer. After all, we champion fashion circularity.
Well, no.
Viscose accounts for barely 5% of H&M’s fibre mix, while polyester is more than four times that². H&M likes to remind us it has reached 94% recycled polyester, aiming for 100% by 2025³. Recycled or not, polyester remains plastic; every wash sheds microfibres, fuelling a silent ecological apocalypse⁴. Swapping out a marketing morsel of viscose changes nothing.
H&M may pat itself on the back, but this is no tidal shift. It’s like stitching a Chanel label on a Primark tee.
This news is an attempt to dress H&M up as a greener-than-Shein competitor (as it has absolutely no hope of competing with them on price), yet its continued use of cheap materials for financial gain is still killing us. H&M churns out an estimated 762 million garments a year⁵, flooding markets and oceans alike⁴. Six generations’ worth of clothes already exist, yet production accelerates. Bold? Hardly. At H&M’s scale, the Circulose deal is pure vanity.
England recorded its hottest June ever in 2025 at an average of 16.9 degrees Celsius, hotter than the 1976 benchmark⁶. Yesterday (1 July), London touched 34.7 degrees⁷. This is not “unusually hot.” It is climate breakdown⁸.
Organic, breathable fabrics are no longer a sustainable nice-to-have; they’re a necessity. What we need is a wholesale move to truly low-impact, recyclable, and planet-safe materials⁹. And we need a complete cessation of the glut of overproduction.
So, what should happen next?
One: Prioritise natural local fibres. Hemp, linen and wool outperform synthetics in moisture management and thermal comfort in rising heat without petrochemical baggage⁹.
Two: Cap production. H&M should set absolute garment limits aligned with carbon budgets. They need to be real; growth and offset economics is a proven fantasy¹⁰.
Three: Build a true circular system. Like we do at COVE, invest in repair and resale. H&M could also conduct fibre-to-fibre recycling at scale, as well as introduce rentals.
Like an ex-colleague posting baby news on LinkedIn, this isn’t the time or place for cute self-serving updates. We face a planetary emergency.
We demand systemic change.
H&M, grow up, embrace circular fashion, or leave fast fashion to the companies doing it better worse.
References
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Fashion Dive (2025). H&M Group inks multi-year Circulose partnership. Available at: https://www.fashiondive.com/news/hm-circulose-multi-year-partnership-recycled/752079
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McKinsey & Company (2025). The State of Fashion 2025, p. 34; H&M Group, Sustainability Report 2024, p. 75.
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H&M Group (2024). Sustainability Report, p. 78.
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Napper & Thompson (2020). “Primary microplastics in the oceans,” Marine Pollution Bulletin.
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H&M Group (2009). Annual Report, reporting five million garments sold per day.
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Met Office (2025). “June 2025: Hottest on record.” Available at: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk
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BBC News (2025). “Hottest UK day of the year recorded,” 1 July.
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World Weather Attribution (2025). “Climate change made June heatwaves ten times more likely.” Available at: https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/climate-change-made-june-heatwaves-10-times-more-likely/
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Roy et al. (2025). “Mechanical and Comfort Properties of Hemp and Hemp-Blend Fabrics,” Journal of Natural Fibers.
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Carbon Market Watch (2024). “Corporations using ineffectual carbon offsets slow the path to real zero.” Available at: https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/10/28/corporations-using-ineffectual-carbon-offsets-slow-the-path-to-real-zero/