Human Rights Commission on follow up meeting with H&M

On Wednesday, 28th March 2018, H&M’s country manager to South Africa Mr Pär Darj met with the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC/Commission) to present H&M’s plans to remedy the effects of its racist sweater advertisement of January 2018 - for which H&M has unreservedly apologised – as well as plans to address concerns raised by the SAHRC during its meeting with H&M on 19 January 2018.
The SAHRC welcomes the steps taken by H&M to address these concerns. The steps taken include amongst others the following:

1)    The appointment of managers on diversity and inclusiveness both at a global and national level;
2)    Commitment to train its managers and staff on the question of transformation and racism;
3)    An undertaking by H&M to submit its internal polices dealing with gender and equality to the Commission; and
4)    An undertaking by H&M to provide progress reports and hold quarterly feedback meetings with the Commission to discuss the implementation of its gender and equality policies.

The Commission will continue to monitor the above commitments.

Engagements between H&M and SAHRC form part of the SAHRC’s broader efforts to address the tenuous relationship between business and human rights.

For more information, please contact:
Gushwell Brooks
Cell: 082 645 8573
Email: gbrooks@sahrc.org.za