h&m backs Climate Week 2012

Climate Week (12-18^th March) is Britain’s biggest climate change campaign, which aims to inspire a sea of action to create a sustainable future for our lovely planet. It has been backed by many influential people including the likes of Lily Cole AND our very own Prime Minister. Well, it’s about time he started to do something good, rather than just wearing holes in all of our pockets, isn’t it... 

Anyway - Climate Week is also being strongly supported by high street fashion label H&M, who are currently already working actively in order to limit our environmental impact on the world. But what they’re doing this week is offering a deal to customers whereby you can fill up a large carrier bag of unwanted clothes, and take them down to any participating H&M store (until 18^th March – sorry for the lateness, you’re going to have to hurry up guys!) where you can exchange them for a £5 gift voucher to use in store on your next purchase. 

All the bags of clothing donated will be carted off to the British Red Cross, where just one bag could potentially raise £10 for the charity to help flood prone communities in Bangladesh prepare for disasters that are increasingly being caused by climate change. And let’s not forget, recycling your old clothes gives them a new lease of life while also reducing your carbon footprint. Win win.  

These are the 16 stores participating in the garment recycling initiative:

234 Regent Street, London • Westfield White City, London • Westfield Stratford, London • 174-176 Oxford Street, London • 213-219 Camden High Street, Camden, London • 181-185 Western Road, Brighton • Midsummer Place, Milton Keynes • Upper Mall West, Bullring, Birmingham • 41-43 High Street, Birmingham • Trafford Centre, Manchester • 9-15 Church Street, Liverpool • Cribbs Causeway, Bristol • Buchanan Galleries, Glasgow • 85 Princess Street, Edinburgh • Union Square, Aberdeen • 171 Victoria Square, Belfast

That’s not all H&M is doing though – Katharine Hamnett has designed a ‘Save the Future’ t-shirt for them in support of Climate Week, which can be found on sale now in selected stores. It is limited edition, low carbon, 100% organic, and just £9.99, 25% of which will go directly to the Environmental Justice Foundation’s ‘No Place Like Home’ campaign for climate refugees. This slogan tee represents and reminds us of how fashion can be a part of the solution to combating climate change; which will hopefully help to save millions of lives in the long run.

You can find out more about Climate Week @ http://www.climateweek.com/ and the EJF http://www.ejfoundation.org/