The fashion industry is entering a period where climate goals face more scrutiny than ever, and expectations for measurable progress continue to rise. Transparency has become one of the strongest tools available to brands seeking to accelerate environmental change. In the latest What Fuels Fashion twenty twenty five report from Fashion Revolution, H and M Group ranked first among two hundred global fashion companies for public disclosure related to climate and energy actions. The company scored seventy one percent across five categories including accountability decarbonisation energy procurement financing decarbonisation and transparency and advocacy. This achievement reflects a broader shift in the industry toward openness and evidence based communication.
Why Transparency Matters
According to Leyla Ertur Genc Chief Sustainability Officer at H and M Group the ranking highlights both progress and the need for continued collective work. She notes that no company can solve climate challenges alone and that sharing information more openly strengthens the entire sector. Transparency is no longer only about compliance. It has become a sign of integrity trust and the willingness to disclose both achievements and obstacles. As regulations tighten many brands share less voluntarily which makes genuine transparency even more important. Real accountability now depends on showing proof of progress and demonstrating how commitments translate into measurable results.
Demonstrating Real Progress
H and M Group’s Sustainability Progress Report for twenty twenty four presents verified improvements in climate action circularity and human rights. The company reports a forty one percent reduction in absolute scope one and two emissions and a twenty four percent reduction in scope three emissions compared with its twenty nineteen baseline excluding use phase emissions. Operations now run on ninety six percent renewable electricity and efforts to eliminate coal in the supply chain continue with a target completion date of twenty twenty six. Freshwater use in key supplier tiers has decreased by nine point five percent since twenty twenty two and eighty nine percent of materials are sourced as recycled or sustainably produced. These results show a transition from simple disclosure to evidence based progress.
Evolving Metrics And Rankings
Industry benchmarks are also shifting. Instead of rewarding brands that share the most information leading frameworks now evaluate how effectively companies implement change. The Textile Exchange Material Change Index measures progress in responsible materials circularity and sourcing across sixteen categories. In its latest assessment H and M Group earned a Leading performance band indicating strong integration of circular and low impact materials across its product portfolio. As industry metrics become more sophisticated transparency is increasingly defined by the quality reliability and impact of data rather than the volume shared.
Transparency And The Fashion CEO Agenda
This evolving mindset aligns with the Fashion CEO Agenda twenty twenty five which urges brands to embed accountability throughout the decision making process. Two core priorities stand out. Resource Stewardship calls for operations that respect planetary boundaries through responsible materials and cleaner energy. Respectful and Secure Work Environments emphasises that climate progress must be paired with safe and fair working conditions. Transparency reinforces both priorities by showing whether companies can maintain verified improvements over time and whether their progress benefits workers as well as the planet.
A Future Built On Proof
True transparency requires courage. When companies share challenges as clearly as successes they create space for collaboration learning and faster action. In a decade shaped by regulation climate risk and rising expectations transparency will define who can turn ambition into delivery. The future of fashion will belong not to the brands that disclose the most information but to those that can show the most progress.
