H&M launches toolkit allowing brands to apply its System Map

H&M Foundation, the non-profit organisation of Swedish retailer H&M, is launching an open-access toolkit that allows brands, suppliers, policymakers, and investors to integrate the company’s System Map into their own business.

Launched in 2024 by the H&M Foundation, the System Map serves as a visual framework of the full textile value chain, carbon emissions, and systemic forces, such as cultural norms and power imbalances. By doing so, the service intends to challenge the traditional fashion industry, outlining where impact and action can arise from decisionmaking and strategic shifts.

Working with tech company Accenture, H&M has developed both a digital and in-person toolkit that includes a keynote introduction to the System Map, as well as three educational workshops. By providing industry players with a structured means to apply the kit within their own organisation, H&M hopes to encourage more coordinated and equitable climate strategies, helping companies identify leverage points to halve emissions.

In a statement, CEO of H&M Foundation, Anna Gedda, said: “Change won’t come from islands of perfection - in a system as interconnected as fashion, every part influences the other. The System Map helped make that visible and now this toolkit makes it usable. If we want to halve emissions every decade, we have to stop optimising in silos and start pulling the right levers together.”