Recycled Plastic Collected by Waste Pickers Now Featured on Garments Sold Worldwide

With somewhere between one and a half to four million people serving as informal "waste pickers" in the country of India, a slew of different social issues arise in the waste industry of the nation and its worldwide partners. Waste pickers, individuals sorting through waste to find reusable pieces to sell and make a living, are faced with immense criticism from the broader society of India and are not given the proper support they need.

In the year 2020, H&M started an initiative to change that. Saamuhika Shakti, as the project is called, aims to address a number of concerns waste pickers have about their line of work and allow them a large public backing for their role in creating a circular economy in India. Helping 20,000 waste pickers thus far, the program has helped H&M purchase millions of buttons made from recycled PET bottles, and proven itself successful. 

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