H&M Group wants to make its land impacts transparent, measurable and accountable.
The Swedish fashion firm has formally adopted three core land targets under the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN)—a global initiative that helps companies set science-based goals for nature. The targets, shaped through H&M’s participation in an SBTN pilot program in 2023 and 2024, highlight the group’s broader strategy to ground corporate decisions in scientific principles.
The targets also address key nature pressures associated with fashion’s upstream supply chain—from ecosystem conversion driven by commodity production, to high land demand for virgin materials, to concrete results in regions where core fibers are grown.
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“The threats and depletion of nature also impact the resources our industry relies on—soil health, water cycles, biodiversity,” said Leyla Ertur, chief sustainability officer of H&M Group. “By committing to SBTN’s land targets, we anchor our decisions in science and strengthen our ability to safeguard ecosystems together with our supply chain, farmers and communities.”
The targets follow SBTN’s ARRRT framework—Avoid, Reduce, Restore, Regenerate, Transform—and are validated by the Accountability Accelerator, SBTN’s independent validation host. By aligning with the global coalition’s science-based action framework, H&M strives to improve supply chain resilience against climate change while addressing current consequences: biodiversity loss, soil health, water cycles.
“H&M Group is taking a measurable, science-driven step toward addressing global nature loss,” said Erin Billman, CEO of the SBTN. “By engaging with a rigorous framework to reduce land-related pressures and support improved outcomes in priority sourcing landscapes, H&M Group is demonstrating how companies in complex global value chains can translate ambition into a clear, accountable pathway for action.”
The land package centers on three commitments: stop harm where possible, shrink the footprint and invest in better outcomes where sourcing is concentrated.
The first focuses on avoiding the most irreversible form of land impact: conversion of natural ecosystems. The group said it will strengthen risk management and supplier requirements for deforestation- and conversion-free sourcing. The centerpiece commitment? Reaching 100 percent sustainably sourced materials by 2030.
Using a 2019 base year, the second target is an absolute footprint goal: reduce agricultural land footprint by 3.85 percent by 2030—that said, the group plans to up the share of recycled materials to 50 percent by then, too. The third target shifts from policy to place-based action. H&M will focus on priority landscapes, initially cotton and wool sourcing regions. Existing initiatives include the Regenerative, Ecologically and Economically viable agriculture (REEVA) project in Central India and the Regenerative Wool Project in South Africa.
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said the conservation organization’s long-standing partnership with H&M Group has “pushed the boundaries” for corporate environmental leadership.
“They are proof that companies can—and must—become agents of regeneration,” said Cris Close, deputy chief conservation officer, WWF International and SBTN advisory board member. “By adopting SBTN-validated land targets, H&M Group’s commitment raises the bar for the entire fashion sector and sends a strong signal to all companies to accelerate their own journey toward a nature‑positive future.”
