H&M announced on Sunday that it would be re-purposing its vast supply chain operations to begin producing protective personal equipment (PPE) for front-line medical staff.
The fast fashion retailer joined the growing list of non-essential retail stores to shut all its UK stores indefinitely last week, but will instead use its considerable manufacturing and logistics capabilities to “offer the company’s help”. H&M said it would “quickly arrange” for its supply chain to begin producing protective masks as a priority, alongside gloves and gowns for medical staff on the front line.
The retailer’s chief executive Helena Helmersson is understood to have reached out to the EU, currently the epicentre of the pandemic, to understand the region’s most pressing needs and how it could offer help. H&M’s Head of Sustainability Anna Gedda added: “The Coronavirus is dramatically affecting each and every one of us, and H&M Group is, like many other organisations, trying our best to help in this extraordinary situation.”
