A 2018 Global Labour Justice report cited by Global Citizen said more than 540 workers alleged abuse between January and May at factories in five Asian countries supplying H&M and Gap. One woman quoted from an H&M factory in Bangalore described being hit by a supervisor. H&M said it would investigate the claims and condemned gender violence.
Both H&M and Gap told the Guardian they will investigate the claims and condemned gender violence, stating that discrimination was against their values.
A 2024 Earthsight investigation traced cotton linked to illegal deforestation, land-grabbing, violence and corruption in Brazil’s Cerrado to supply chains serving H&M and Zara. Earthsight said much of the cotton carried Better Cotton certification and criticized its traceability; the named producers and Abrapa denied accusations or defended their practices.
In 2011, Zara was accused of purchasing cotton from Brazilian suppliers using slave labor, Neiva said; the retailer lost the case and the appeal in 2017, with analysts arguing that the incident exposed significant deficiencies in the company’s monitoring system.
A report by U.K. investigative NGO Earthsight links supply chains of fashion giants H&M and Zara to large-scale illegal deforestation, land-grabbing, violence and corruption in Brazil.
Clothing giants H&M and Zara have been linked to large-scale illegal deforestation, land-grabbing, violence and corruption in the Brazilian Cerrado, according to an investigation by Earthsight.
In 2020, Hamburg’s data protection authority found H&M kept excessive records on workers’ family lives, religions and health at its Nuremberg service centre, and fined the company €35.3 million. H&M accepted responsibility, apologized and said eligible current and former employees would receive compensation.
The company kept "excessive" records on the families, religions and illnesses of its workforce at its Nuremberg service centre, the German data protection watchdog found.
Consumers accused H&M in separate U.S. cases of misrepresenting the environmental attributes of clothing and sustainability scorecards. Commodore and Scarlett voluntarily dismissed their 2022 case in December 2023, while another recycled-clothing claim was allowed to proceed in February 2026. H&M called claims in one case baseless and said it informs consumers accurately.
...H&M is being sued over misleading and false sustainability marketing. The proposed class-action complaint...claims H&M’s advertising is “designed to mislead consumers about its products’ environmental attributes.”
Randall Sally filed a class-action lawsuit on Nov. 15 against H&M in the same Missouri federal court that discarded Lizama and Doten's class action. The lawsuit makes similar complaints to those outlined in the now-dismissed New York and Missouri cases.
Two other plaintiffs, Abraham Lizama and Marc Doten, filed a similar lawsuit to Commodore and Scarlett in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Mississippi last year. Lizama purchased a sweater from the Conscious Choice collection, then claimed he was misled into believing that his purchase was "environmentally friendly."
Two plaintiffs have dropped the false advertising lawsuit they filed in 2022 accusing fast-fashion giant H&M of greenwashing.
A 2018 report by labor groups, drawing on interviews with more than 331 workers in 32 H&M-supplying factories, documented women garment workers’ experiences. It said women in short-term, low-skilled and low-wage roles faced daily risks of gender-based violence and harassment at work.
This report—including interviews with more than 331 workers employed in 32 factories that supply to H&M—documents the experiences of women garment workers at the base of H&M garment supply chains. Concentrated in short term, lowskill, and low-wage positions, they are at daily risk of gender based violence and harassment at work.
In 2022, Changing Markets criticized H&M’s Conscious Collection for using more synthetics than its main line; one-fifth of analyzed items were entirely fossil-fuel-derived synthetics. The UK Competition and Markets Authority said fashion greenwashing warranted investigation. H&M said its claims relied on third-party certifications and described investments in textile recycling.
It picked out H&M’s ethical Conscious Collection for using more synthetics than in its main collection, with one in five items analysed found to be made from 100% fossil fuel-derived synthetic materials.
In August 2023, H&M said it was investigating 20 alleged labor-abuse cases linked to Myanmar supplier factories and that reported issues were being followed up or remedied. The company then decided to gradually exit, citing greater difficulty meeting its standards. BHRRC documented allegations but Reuters said it had not independently verified them; H&M later said reported issues had been resolved.
LONDON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - H&M (HMb.ST) is investigating 20 alleged instances of labour abuse at Myanmar garment factories that supply the world's second-largest fashion retailer, it told Reuters, just weeks after top rival Zara-owner Inditex (ITX.MC) said it was phasing out purchases from the Southeast Asian country.
In each of the cases raised by the BHRRC, we were informed directly and were able to react immediately to seek a solution. All issues reported to us have already been resolved, often thanks to close cooperation between local trade unions, our suppliers and the local H&M Group team at the production office in Yangon. Our team is closely and regularly following up with suppliers to ensure that any violations are identified and appropriately remedied.
H&M renewed its global framework agreement with IndustriALL and IF Metall in 2024, covering workers at about 1,000 supplier factories and strengthening commitments on worker rights and remedy for gender-based abuse. In January 2026, UNI Global Union said more than 1,000 New York H&M workers ratified a three-year contract after five months of negotiations, with wage increases, scheduling improvements and stronger job security.
Our groundbreaking pact committed the company to respecting fundamental human rights, including the right to organize and bargain collectively, across its entire global operation...
PETA’s Anne Brainard said H&M representatives made no commitments during a September 25 Zoom meeting about the group’s wool-industry investigation. H&M said animal welfare was important and no animals should be harmed for fashion, but declined to comment on the discussion or any further action.
H&M executives met with animal rights reps last month in the wake of a bizarre incident in which high level fashion executives – including an H&M honcho – apparently roughed up an activist at a New York Fashion Week show, The Post has learned.
TheStreet reported that H&M closed two New York City stores in January 2026, affecting 62 employees, according to WARN filings. By late February, H&M had filed another WARN notice for a planned statewide layoff affecting 181 workers; the report said no timeline had been disclosed. H&M also planned about 160 store closures in 2026.
In January, H&M closed two stores in New York City, affecting 62 employees, according to WARN filings. By late February, the company had filed an additional WARN notice indicating a planned statewide layoff impacting 181 workers, though no timeline has been disclosed.
On March 27, 2025, H&M CEO Daniel Erver told Reuters that US tariffs would ultimately come at consumers’ expense and could require price increases. He said H&M was monitoring the uncertain tariff outlook and shifting production where possible to markets less affected by tariffs, without naming them.
"We are taking action on shifting production to markets that are less affected by tariffs where it's possible and where we can get an equally good product," he added, without specifying which countries.