H&M chief denies clothing is dumped in Africa

STOCKHOLM – H&M CEO, Helena Helmersson, has denied the findings of an investigation which suggested clothing collected by the company’s take-back programme is potentially being dumped in Africa. Appearing on Swedish talk-show, Nyhetsmorgon, Helmersson told the host, “none of these products end up in landfill, they are all recycled or reused where there is a demand.”

Helmersson’s claim is at odds with an investigation by journalists at Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. Staffan Lindberg and Magnus Wennman attached trackers to clothing deposited at H&M’s stores and discovered some clothing ended up in Benin, Africa. Helmersson claimed that, “a garment has ended up in Benin, but it hasn’t ended up in a landfill.”