For the next three years, Helmersson will work alongside co-founder Paul Polman and executive director sustainability Eva von Alvensleben to transform the industry together
New Delhi: Sweden-based fashion brand H&M’s chief executive officer (CEO) Helena Helmersson has been appointed as co-chair of The Fashion Pact, the group announced on social media.
“We’re proud that our CEO, Helena Helmersson, has been appointed co-chair of The Fashion Pact. This global, CEO-led initiative brings together 30% of our industry and drives collective action on climate, biodiversity and oceans,” H&M Group said in a LinkedIn post.
For the next three years, Helmersson will work alongside co-founder Paul Polman and executive director sustainability Eva von Alvensleben to transform the industry together.
“In today’s urgent climate context, we need to work together to tackle challenges that one company alone can’t solve,” said Helena Helmersson, chief executive officer, H&M Group.
Helmersson is succeeding The Fashion Pact’s co-founder François-Henri Pinault as new co-chair of the Steering Committee.
“I am delighted to hand over to an experienced leader like Helena Helmersson with a unique perspective on sustainability in the fashion supply chain… I look forward to continuing to work with all fellow members to build on our achievements and drive meaningful change towards a nature-positive, net-zero future,” said Pinault in an article by the H&M Group.
Paul Polman has been re-elected as co-chair of the Steering Committee for another three years, the article said.
The Fashion Pact’s mission is to rapidly cut emissions across the entire value chain as the initiative aims to contribute to solving industry-wide challenges.
The initiative will focus on decarbonizing fashion’s supply chain – where the biggest share of emissions occur—at pace and scale will be critical for brands and players across the sector to achieve their science-based targets, the article added.
“The Fashion Pact offers unprecedented partnership and scale. The task now is to channel the collective courage within this impressive group so that we can all move faster,” said Paul Polman, co-chair, The Fashion Pact.
Founded in 2020, The Fashion Pact is a global initiative of companies in the fashion and textile industry, working towards three key environmental goals: mitigating climate change, restoring biodiversity and protecting the oceans.
Launched by French President, Emmanuel Macron, the Fashion Pact was presented to Heads of State at the G7 Summit in Biarritz in 2019. Uniquely, the Fashion Pact is CEO-led, action-oriented, and focuses on building upon and going beyond existing efforts, according to the initiative’s LinkedIn profile.
Currently, the Pact has 75 chief executive members, over 200 brands, representing over 1/3rd of the fashion industry. It is present in 17 countries and five continents, and works with over 30 technical experts, as per the Pact’s LinkedIn profile.
