A label of Conscious versus A conscious label.

A label of Conscious versus A conscious label.

A PERFECT IMPERFECT Proof of concept This booklet is dedicated to scenario 1, created to show H&M Conscious what the first steps to more conscious labelling could be. A journey that will change the current label into an imperfect, perfect label. Imperfect because we still need a label, perfect because it has been transformed into the best possible version of itself. LABELLING STRATEGY

PROJECT VALUES

Value the details The overlooked detail has the power to create positive change Value the story Share your story with the world Value the afterlife Design for reincarnation; think about the end of use

THE CHALLENGE 135 million kilos of textiles are being burnt on a yearly basis. 135.000.000 Eight hundred fourty three millon t-shirts. THIS AMOUNT IS GOOD FOR: 8 4 3. 0 0 0. 0 0 0 Each year consumers in the Netherlands throw away two hundred million kilos of textiles. About a hundred and thirty five million of those clothes end up in a furnace to be burnt. The labels inside of our clothes are one of the obstacles that prevent these clothes from being high quality recycled.

H&M is trying to close the loop without the end of use in mind at the start of creation. Their labels are a great example that the principle of designing for reincarnation is not yet implemented in their own products. Closing the loop is not solely about taking back your clothes, rather on creating products that are fit for a second life. By rethinking and redesigning the label we will get one step closer to closing the loop.

The label is not being used to its full potential.

It is here to add something, not to take something away.

Look at the label as the product THE INSIGHT Not as a supplement.

The idea More eco-effective labels *Eco-effectivity strives to zero waste and aims to reduce the impact on everything and everyone involved.

Reasons to

Closer to closing the loop / Reduce Material Use / Reduce Waste The Conscious Choice / Good Publicity.

A label of Conscious What are the characteristics of the current labels and what does this mean for both life and afterlife?

BRAND LABEL SIZE LABEL Sharp edges Material differentiates from product Material differentiates from product Unnecessary use of material

CARE LABEL Too big Too many pages Limited information Information in too many languages Information is hard to read CURRENT LABELING No clear structure Material differentiates from product

! At this moment there are two ways how the current life of your stained, worn out or destroyed t-shirt ends... A LINEAR SYSTEM 1 2 3 4 5 Pay a visit to H&M! Find exactly what you were looking for. Buy it! Wear it as much as you can. Unfortunately the day has come to say goodbye...

Long live fashion! 6 7 8 Return the product to H&M H&M will try to reuse or recycle your t-shirt Unfortunately the process of recycling it is not yet efficient enough to recycle every single product. In this case the labels have to be cut of by hand so the choice to burn the product is often easily made. *Because of the complexity of the process of recycling the system has been simplified.

! At this moment there are two ways how the current life of your stained, worn out or destroyed t-shirt ends...

All these hours and costs spent on removing the label could be invested in creating better designs or materials to be able to improve recycling and reconditioning from within the brand.

Turning a THE OLD Material Market Size and shape Technique Ink Placement

Into a Medium Conscious label. Technology Tools Price Transparency Comfort THE NEW

A Conscious label What are the characteristics of the alternative labels and what does this mean for both life and afterlife?

BRAND LABEL SIZE LABEL Less material needed Smaller design Skin friendly Same material as product Less material needed Skin friendly Same material as product

CARE LABEL Same material as product Skin friendly Less pages Less material needed User friendly THE ALTERNATIVE EU oriented Fewer languages

I may not be perfect. DESIGN PHILOSOPY But i am the best version of myself.

Reason for B S C Care Label The carelabel is here to inform the costumer on basic product information. Size label The sizelabel is here to communicate the size Brand label The brandlabel is here to tell the world its H&M

! The label is not anymore an obstacle in the process of recycling. Therefor this t-shirt has a 100% chance at a second life.

At this moment 59% of all currently available Conscious products are made out of organic cotton. If we keep closing the loop in mind we could reach a better percentage of easily recyclable products in the future with the choice for organic cotton labels. However this statement does not imply that organic cotton labels are the way to go, but that a thorough collection analysis and a clear future vision on material use should be the foundation for determining the material of the label. 1 2 3 ANALYSE THE COLLECTION CREATE A FUTURE VISION CHOOSE THE MATERIAL

MATERIAL The unconscious way

The conscious way

Instead we should choose the best possible alternative within reach and start working towards the dream. This idealized scenario might seem unreachable at first but a holistic take make return system and to set clear goals for the future. At this moment a less-harmful agreement is just not good enough anymore. but for courageous footprints that leave a positive mark on the world.

(Re)value the label

MARKET Research reveals that the consumer often perceives a multilingual label as a burden. Over 32 languages dominate the current H&M label. The absence of a globally harmonized labeling system does not only turn the label into a small book but also a hard read. A solution that was implemented in all three scenarios is the EU Label. By abiding only the EU laws and legislations the labels become clearer, more specific and user friendly. The importance of the question, why are you giving the information in the first place should be leading in decision-making. If the label becomes so big that the consumer wants to get rid of it as soon as possible than we are missing out on the benefits and reason for existence.

GB / CZ / DE / EE / ES / FI / FR HR / HU / ID / IT / LT / LV / NL / PL / PT / RO / RS / SE / SI / SK TR / US / BG / CN / GR / JP / KR / RU / TW / UA / AR * Over 32 languages dominate the current H&M label.

SIZE AND SHAPE Reducing pages and smarter designs are great efforts to rescue the label from the trashcan. For all labels it was the goal to economize the material use. This eventually manifested in three smarter designs. The ultimate aim is to reduce the use of (natural) resources and to minimize the chance for the labels to become waste.

4 REASONS WHY LABELS TURN INTO WASTE. The label has too many pages The label is too big The label shows through the clothes The label itches

MATERIAL USE A label of Conscious 66mm x 13mm 1M 2 1M 2 of fabric is good for 1140 Brandlabels

A conscious label 60mm x 0,8mm 1M 2 1M 2 of fabric is good for 1968 Brandlabels

INK Regular Green Consciously written, Consciously printed. Harmfull to: Environment Workers Wearers Environmentally Friendly Green Kind to: Environment Workers Wearers The ink should match the story.

SPECIFICATIONS TECHNIQUE BRAND LABEL SIZE LABEL CARE LABEL Printed Printed Printed INK Environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly Environmentally friendly PLACEMENT Neck Neck Left side seam MEDIUM Physical label Physical label Physical label TECHNOLOGY Traditional Traditional Traditional TOOLS / / /

The label is here to communicate a story to the costumer

This story has the potential to influence shopping behaviour positively

they need better information and access to cleaner products and services. Giving the costumer more transparency about the product will ultimately lead to more conscious behaviour.

They don t need to be told. THE INSIGHT They need to be shown.

TRANSPARENCY SCALE 0% 25% 50% 75% 100% No information Only mandatory information Extra information already within reach More detailed information 100% Traceability from seed to shop

COMPOSITION/MADE/CARE/PRODUCED As this scenario was dedicated to improving the current label and not so much on changing its form, the level of transparency remains the same. Other ways to reach and communicate transparency will be highlighted in the following spreads.

1 M A R K E T S 3 2 H&M s online shop is available in 32 markets 2 H&M: To meet the rapid development of the online market, in particular shopping via smart phones and tablets, our investments into distance selling continues. 3 Expected growth: 27% in 2017, 36% in 2020 4 Giving the H&M Costumer product transparency should reach beyond the physical point of sale. The H&M website is an effective, low investment channel to start giving additional product information. THE IDEA: An enriched H&M shopping page. 5

PRODUCT CARE TRACE RECYCLE COMMENT Basic product information How to take care of your garment Where does your garment come from H&M exclusive recycling program Review and rate the garment

it s about a million little things done the right way. H&M has the power to turn something small into something big and remarkable.

FINAL WORDS As long as we need the physical label to communicate the brands story to the costumer, we have to make sure that the label becomes the best possible version of itself. If we start considering the label as a reflection of the product or the brand, instead of something we add simply because it needs to be there, you ll find yourself questioning the current label, the message or even the brand in this case. The label is a communication tool that does not only express the values of the brand but it holds many possibilities to change the fashion industry for the better. Investments now can save money later. Think about all the clothes sold now being of value to you in the future. Choose consciously and raise the value.

Transparency SOURCES

LITERATURE Matevosyan H. (2014). Paradigm shift in fashion. Nederland. Vrije Uitgevers, De. Borghi, E. Helg, R. Tajoli, L. Opportunities and Challenges in the Area of Textiles and Labelling. May 2015. European Union. Comere, E. What Will the New Sustainability Look Like? 05.03.2016. Via http://www.environmentalleader. com/2015/11/05/the-new-sustainability/ Rosenberg,L. The Value of Clothing Labels. 19.04.2016. Via http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/220/the-valueof-clothing-labels Rapanui. There s a better way. 02.05.2016. Via https://rapanuiclothing.com/sustainability/ Sillence, B. Zero Waste Packaging. 15.02.2016. Via http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/10/21/zero-wastepackaging.html H&M Meet us online. Facts about H&M online. 10.05.2016. Via http://about.hm.com/en/about/facts-about-hm/fashion-for-all/ shop-online.html H&M Concious collection. 15.-4-2016. Via http://www.hm.com/ nl/products/search?q=conscious%20dames Organic Cotton facts. 3-4- 2016. Via https://www.organicfacts.net/organic-products/organicclothing/organic-cotton.html Schamlu, Ananda. (2015) Garment labelling and buying behaviour. Via HBO Kennisbank. https://www.hbo-kennisbank. nl/record/oai:hva.nl:587841. Milieu Centraal. 04.05.2016. Via https://www.milieucentraal.nl/afval/afval-scheiden-enrecyclen/cijfers-over-afvalscheiding/ Environmentally friendly ink. 04.05.2016. Via http:// fabricgraphicsmag.com/articles/0510_f3_greenink.html DOCUMENTARIES Gupta, M. Unravel. 2012. Via http://www.unravelfilm.com INSPIRING TALKS WITH Berberi Ettaro, A. Modint. Expert International Trade Labelling adviser. 25-04-2016. Amsterdam Evers, C. EE Labels - Marketing & Pr. 07-04-2016. Heeze Matevosyan H. Paradigm shift in fashion - Author. 23.03.2016. Rotterdam Otto, Rien. Dutch Awearness - Founder and director. 25.03.2016. Nijmegen Wieland Textiles BV. Textile recycling. Tour. 01.12.2015. Wormerveer