H&M’s First Compostable Line Is Biodegradable Baby Clothing With ‘Room To Grow’
Image via H&M
A blink of an eye, and your infant is getting ready for school. Babies are fast growers, which is why parents think twice about buying them expensive outfits. The speed at which they’re growing means tiny clothes get tossed into landfills pretty quickly too.
But low prices come at a cost, as well. It’s estimated that people throw out inexpensive clothing after seven or eight wears, perceiving them as somewhat disposable. In the US, the equivalent of 70 pairs of pants gets discarded per person in clothes and footwear waste.
Image via H&M
H&M is countering these growing pains, helped in part by its innate ability as a fast-fashion giant to manufacture wallet-friendly kids’ clothing. The other aspects, evident in its Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold newborn collection, include 100% biodegradability, production using 100% recycled water and renewable energy, and “room to grow.”
Images via H&M
The retailer is starting young for its first compostable clothing collection.
Everything in the 12-piece selection, which was launched in April and featured recently on PSFK, is made from 100% organic cotton and omits plastic, buttons, and metal trims. This makes the pieces—ranging from snuggle blankets, to tie-wrap tops and blankets—100% biodegradable.
The garments’ eco sensibilities shine through in their neutral-pastel colors of warm oat mélange, light sage green, and soft yellow, along with splashes of tangerine and dusty rose. They’re peppered with sweet illustrations of fruits and vegetables, which are printed in biodegradable ink.
Image via H&M
Images via H&M
The collection is even built to handle growth spurts, with thoughtful details like adjustable waists and foldable waistbands and cuffs.
Eschewing fast-fashion stereotypes, the clothing is designed to last and be handed down after its wearer has outgrown it. But when the garments reach their end of life, they can be fully compostable at home, breaking down into the soil to support life for something new.
Image via H&M
Notably, the range is named Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold for a reason. It’s attained a Gold qualification by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, one of the most prominent credentials for safe and circular design.
To get its Gold, H&M has proven that the pieces contain no harmful chemicals, and are compostable, produced using 100% renewable energy, and based on fair and equal business practices.
Images via H&M
Prices for this conscious collection range from just US$4.99 to US$19.99.
