Vanessa Paradis for H&M Conscious Collection

In a remarkable effort to help reduce environmental damage, retail giant H&M is launching a worldwide “used clothes initiative,” making it the first company of its kind to do so. With an aim to improve sustainability and reduce textile waste, H&M will be accepting worn or defective garments from its customers and will also give them a discount voucher on their next purchase.

This initiative will enable the average person, as well as H&M of course, to help the environment by donating any of their old garments, regardless of what brand it is and what condition it is in. The garments will then be given by H&M to their partner, I:Collect, which will recycle the items to make them available for new use again.

The statistics are astounding: As much as 95% of the average discarded garment could be reused, and yet every year, tons of these textiles are tossed out of homes, ending up in landfills. By reducing the amount of textiles thrown out, we can decrease the amount of waste in toxic landfills, as well as decrease the amount of raw materials extracted from the earth on a daily basis.

“Our sustainability efforts are rooted in a dedication to social and environmental responsibility. We want to do good for the environment, which is why we are now offering our customers a convenient solution: to be able to leave their worn out or defective garments with H&M,” says Karl-Johan Persson, CEO of H&M.

A global retailer like H&M will certainly make a positive statement in the fashion mass market, and hopefully, other retailers will follow suit.

Image courtesy of H&M

Weaving on Sticks is a children’s workshop that will be held in Sadu House on the 9th of February 2013 from 10 am to 1 pm. Visit Sadu House with your children and learn all about the ways of the traditional weaving.

For more information visit www.alsadu.org.kw

Ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at Khaleejesque HQ? We’ve created our first stop motion video that shows you the process behind creating a Khaleejesque print issue. At times it can be stressful (as you will see later on) but at the end, thumbs up are flying at the office, smiles light up the place and the new issue is freshly printed and on its way to all of you.

After more than a thousand images, amazing editing skills and one catchy song, the Khaleejesque stop motion video was created and what an end result it was!

Watch the video to get an inside peek of Khaleejesque and tell us what you think!