H&M Foundation Launches Open Toolkit To Drive Coordinated Climate Action In Textiles

The H&M Foundation has unveiled an open-access toolkit aimed at accelerating coordinated climate action across the textile value chain, enabling industry stakeholders to translate sustainability ambitions into measurable outcomes.

Building on its previously introduced System Map, a visual framework that reimagines the textile industry as an interconnected ecosystem, the new toolkit is designed to help brands, manufacturers, policymakers and investors identify key leverage points to cut emissions and drive a just transition.

The initiative comes at a critical time, as the textile sector faces the challenge of halving greenhouse gas emissions every decade through 2050. According to the foundation, the primary barrier is no longer ambition, but lack of alignment across the value chain.

Developed in collaboration with Accenture, the toolkit provides a structured, workshop-based approach that can be delivered both digitally and in person. It includes modules to help organisations define their role in the system, identify high-impact intervention points, and reimagine a decarbonised and equitable textile ecosystem.

At its core, the System Map offers a comprehensive view of the textile lifecycle from fibre production to end-of-life, while highlighting emissions hotspots, capital flows, power dynamics and structural inefficiencies. By mapping these interdependencies, it enables stakeholders to avoid siloed decision-making and instead focus on system-wide transformation.

“Change won’t come from isolated efforts in a system as interconnected as fashion,” said Anna Gedda. “If we are to halve emissions every decade, we need to move beyond fragmented optimisation and start acting collectively on the right levers.”

A key emphasis of the toolkit is ensuring that decarbonisation efforts are aligned with principles of equity. It encourages stakeholders to assess how costs and responsibilities are distributed across the value chain, ensuring that climate action does not disproportionately impact vulnerable segments.

With the toolkit now publicly available, the H&M Foundation aims to shift the industry from understanding systemic challenges to actively redesigning the textile ecosystem through collaborative, aligned action.