The fashion and textile industry has a critical role to play in supporting SDG 6 commitments, not just around reducing its own impacts but also in supporting other actors, including governments in achieving water goals.

For the partnership, this has meant setting holistic targets on water stewardship to reduce H&M Group value chain water impacts. It has also meant supporting multi-stakeholder programs and strengthening water governance in key regions with water scarcity, as well as helping to restore and protect rivers and freshwater ecosystems.

One example is the Taihu Basin in China, where the H&M-WWF partnership worked closely with suppliers in wet processing units and wider stakeholder engagement to advocate for better water policies. This facilitated the adoption of an innovative water governance model in the basin. Similarly in Turkey, the partnership focused on improving water management and policies in Buyuk Menderes Basin, through water stewardship and cleaner production.

The partnership also seeks to engage other brands and institutions to develop frameworks that are aligned to and support SDG 6, including advancing new thinking and methods towards contextual and science-based water targets and developing common basin water metrics.