Let’s Clean Up! H&M’s Latest Kidswear Collection Transforms Plastic Waste into Everyday Fashion

For the H&M kidswear collection, the recycled polyester has been blended with organic cotton and recycled cotton to create cosy, everyday pieces in fashion-forward colours and silhouettes. (Photo: H&M)

H&M has joined forces with Danone AQUA for the bottle2fashion project, which transforms plastic bottle waste from the shores of Indonesia into recycled polyester. This season bottle2fashion will collect and recycle around 3.5 million PET bottles. For the H&M kidswear collection, the recycled polyester has been blended with organic cotton and recycled cotton to create cosy, everyday pieces in fashion-forward colours and silhouettes. Available from end of December, the kidswear collection will be in stores as well as online at hm.com.

“Helping to keep beaches and oceans clean, bottle2fashion is another exciting step forward for a more circular and collaborative approach at H&M. To give a second life to disposable plastic bottles as recycled polyester is valuable in so many ways — to Indonesia’s environment, economy and social values — but also the world and our customers. And once the kids outgrow the clothes, we encourage the items be brought back to us through our garment collection initiative so they can be recycled once again.” 

Nellie Lindeborg, Assortment Sustainability Responsible at H&M

The collaboration with bottle2fashion also supports the Indonesian government’s initiative against marine pollution — while also generating local jobs — by collecting PET bottles, sorting, cleaning and shredding them into flakes and then making them into recycled polyester fibres.

“Through the bottle2fashion initiative that we’ve conducted alongside H&M, for this season, Danone-AQUA has successfully collected around 71 tons of PET bottles from Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Island) and Bandung Area. This is to show our commitment to prevent plastic from going into the ocean, which is also the manifestation of our #BijakBerplastik movement.”

Senior Sustainable Packaging Manager, Danone Indonesia, Ratih Anggraeni

The entire collection is made from a blend of recycled polyester from the bottle2fashion project, organic cotton and recycled cotton. Cheerful, comfortable and coordinating hoodies, joggers and long-sleeve tops form the collection and include stylish details such as twist knots, colour-blocking, cropped length and tie-dye. With a palette of black, marl grey, browns, navy, blush pink and lavender plus bright green, sunflower yellow and vibrant blues, the of magic of colour really comes to life.

“For this collection, we wanted to focus on pieces that kids could really be kids in — playful, comfy and confident — so hoodies, joggers and some long-sleeve tops. Though the garments can be coordinated, we put together a wide-ranging colour palette that could be easily mixed and matched. I always love to see what kids come up with and I hope they will also learn about the bottle2fashion project along the way.”

Sofia Löfstedt, Head of Kidswear Design at H&M