H&M bans Brazilian leather following devestating Amazon rainforest fires
High street favourite H&M has taken a stand against deforestation, stating that it will be ditching Brazilian leather to help the environment.
The worlds second largest retailer announced the move following concerns over Brazils cattle industry.
It comes after reports that the countrys industry has contributed to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
The retailer announced in a statement it would be pursuing a temporary ban, until systems are in place to ensure no environmental damage to the rainforest.
It read: Due to the severe fires in the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest and the connections to cattle production, we have decided to place a temporary ban on leather from Brazil.
The ban will be active until there are credible assurance systems in place to verify that the leather does not contribute to environmental harm in the Amazon.
Whats more, the leather ban will extent to all of H&Ms brands – including & Other Stories and COS.
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A H&M spokesperson also clarified that most of the companys leather is sourced from Europe, with a small amount coming from Brazil.
The move from the brand follows in the footsteps of VF Corp – owner of clothing brands such as Timberland, North Face and Vans – which made a similar announcement in response to the devastating fires.
So far in 2019, almost 50,000 fires have been detected in the Brazilian Amazon – the highest number in nearly a decade.
Despite only being a temporary ban, the scope of H&Ms reach (with thousands of stores in more than 70 markets) means that even smaller decisions and moves will have wide-reaching effects.Read More – Source
