Major H&M clothing is made in China, Bangladesh, and India.
Besides, the company sources its products from more than 20 countries worldwide. According to a report from Statista, most of the time H&M Group collects its products from:
- Turkey
- Indonesia
- Vietnam
- Myanmar
- Italy
- Portugal
- Cambodia
- Sweden
- Spain
- France
- Ethiopia
After analyzing the present report of Statista, it can be said that the vast majority of H&M clothing products are extensively manufactured in Asia.
H&M Group stated on its official website that they do business with more than 600 commercial product suppliers in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The company operates 16 local production offices for its suppliers. Early in the 2000s, H&M Group expanded its business in the USA by opening a store on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan.
Let’s learn where some specific H&M clothing items are manufactured.
| Product name | Manufacturing Country |
| Jeans | China, Bangladesh, and India |
| Shoes | Sweden |
| Jackets | China, Turkey, and Vietnam |
| Underwear | Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Myanmar |
| T-shirts | India, Germany, and Bangladesh |
As of 2023, China and Bangladesh are the largest production markets for H&M clothing. On the contrary, the European Union is the biggest production market for the company’s beauty assortment.
Currently, H&M distributes its products mostly in North America and Europe.
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What country is H&M originally from?
H&M is originally from Sweden. It is actually a Swedish company that specializes in fast-fashion clothing for men & women.
In 1947, the company started its business by opening a shop in Vasteras, Sweden. Now there are more than 4,500 stores in various countries worldwide.
H&M Group became a large international clothing retailer and it was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange in 1974.
Currently, the company is headquartered in Stockholm. Its main corporate office is based in Master Samuelsgatan 46A SE-106 38 Stockholm, Sweden.
Although it is a Swedish company, the majority of its products are manufactured in Asian countries.
How many suppliers does H&M have?
H&M Group has more than 800 suppliers worldwide.
According to Statista, the company has 355 suppliers in China. The Chinese suppliers provide the vast majority of H&M products.
The number of suppliers of the H&M Group at a glance:
| Country | Number of suppliers |
| China | 355 |
| Bangladesh | 203 |
| Turkey | 112 |
| India | 100 |
| Indonesia | 39 |
| Myanmar | 36 |
| Vietnam | 35 |
| Italy | 34 |
| Cambodia | 17 |
| Sweden | 9 |
| Germany | 6 |
| Ethiopia | 4 |
Currently, China, Bangladesh, and Turkey are the top three countries where H&M Group sources its clothing products.
Does H&M own factories?
The answer is “No.” H&M does not own any manufacturing factories.
It sources clothing items from independent suppliers across the world. Despite independent suppliers, they have strong relationships.
For getting unique and quality products it has been working with international manufacturers for more than 50 years.
Although H&M Group does not have its own manufacturing factories, it wants every supplier involved in manufacturing products to have a safe and fair working environment.
From production to distribution, everything is run according to ethical policy. The company has two design processes. One is the long-term planning of collections and another is a real-time design driven by customers.
Generally longer lead times products are manufactured in Asian factories and shorter lead times products are made in European factories.
H&M factories
H&M Group imports its products from overseas factories. There are over 1,000 manufacturing factories where the company’s products are manufactured.
Let’s learn the number of H&M Group’s factories worldwide.
| Country | Number of factories |
| China | 431 |
| Bangladesh | 225 |
| India | 181 |
| Turkey | 157 |
| Indonesia | 60 |
| Myanmar | 43 |
| Italy | 72 |
| France | 17 |
| Sweden | 12 |
| Portugal | 55 |
More than 107,000 employees are involved with H&M Group for manufacturing or distributing purposes.
Where does H&M get their cotton?
H&M Group gets organic, in-conversion, and recycled cotton from several organizations including Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA), and Fair Trade Cotton.
The company has set a goal to source necessary cotton from more sustainable sources. Besides, it is exploring other cotton types to bring a sustainable change to its products.
Is H&M owned by Zara?
No, H&M is not owned by Zara.
H&M is a multinational clothing company with an HQ in Sweden. It is currently owned by Stefan Persson. He is the son of the company’s founder Erling Persson.
Stefan Persson owns 50.5% of the total shares. Meanwhile, Lottie Tham holds 5.4% of the total shares of H&M Group.
On the other hand, some H&M shares are available to the public too via Nasdaq Stockholm as well.
Sources:
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1099880/number-of-suppliers-of-h-und-m-group-by-region/ – Number of suppliers and factories of the H&M Group.
- https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/leading-the-change/transparency/supply-chain/ – About H&M Group’s supply chain.
- https://hmgroup.com/sustainability/circularity-and-climate/materials/cotton/#:~:text=This%20includes%20organic%2C%20in%2Dconversion,cotton%20from%20more%20sustainable%20sources. – Cotton suppliers for H&M Group.