Karl-Johan Persson, is the CEO of high street retailer H&M, and is planning to change the values of the high street brand to align with today’s fast paced social and sustainable society. In a conference speech he made in New York on the 6th of November, he announced new initiatives including the ‘H&M Fair Living Wage‘, which is “based on our vision that a fair living wage covering workers basic needs should be paid by our commercial goods suppliers“.
In an age where throw-away fashion is a by-word for convenience for some, and sweat shops for others. It’s about time, the retail and fashion industries wake up and prioritizes its workers. The problem which has seemed to exist for a long time is the need for cheap labour, we moved our industrial heart to China in the hope of cheaper clothes, but when Chinese workers demanded better living standards, we had to find alternatives in surrounding areas. It’s a terrible cycle of poverty and if there is going to be real change. Then this is definitely a step in the right direction.
“We need to change how fashion is made and consumed” – Karl-Johan Persson
#Peace.Love.HandM
