Clean Clothes presses H&M to actualize their commitment on paying living wage

Washim Mia, Staff Correspondent: Five years back from now, in 2013, H&M made a widely publicized commitment that the workers working in their supply chain would be paid a living wage by 2018. As 2018 has already begun but hundreds of thousands of workers behind H&M’s products are still receiving poverty wages, Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) nudged H&M’s top ranks with a public letter yesterday. Addressing H&M’s Board of Directors, CEO and Head of Sustainability, they requested specific information regarding efforts made so far be made public, and their outlined the steps H&M would have to take to act on the 2013 commitment in a meaningful way.

The letter covers that CCC firmly believe that brands and the size of H&M have both the responsibility and the ability to ensure their workers are paid enough to live decent lives, as H&M seemed to recognize as well back in 2013.

Also they welcomed H&M’s commitment in 2013 as a move away from the tendency within the garment supply chain to eschew responsibility by pointing at the lack of actions of others. CCC urges that they would therefore like to encourage the brand to stay true to their original commitment and start directly ensuring living wages within their supply chain.

The letter shows a meaningful way which includes- a detailed road map on wage increases, with time-bound, measurable wage level increase targets and time-bound actions in the field of purchasing practices; a clear investment in long term, sustainable relationships with factories; measurable and transparent changes in real wages of workers in the H&M supply chain to act on their 2013 commitment.

Clean Clothes Campaign will continuously monitor the progress of H&M’s measures and also share their observations publicly.