H&M teams up with WWF to launch AI app tackling deforestation

The H&M Group has revealed a new application made together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) that aims to support garment and textile factories in reducing their contribution to deforestation.

The Wood Artificial Intelligence Application, also called the WoodAI App, utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify wood species and provide information around biomass sourcing, WWF said in a release.

Using a smartphone and a macro lens, workers can identify wood species and verify that the material they source for power generation is from the H&M Group’s approved plantation species.

The initiative hopes to help factories make better decisions surrounding their sourcing to reduce the pressures on forests, and could potentially aid the fashion sector in cutting greenhouse gas emissions when using the likes of biomass to power its production processes.

Alongside other solutions, the app can also offer a resource to support efforts needed in Cambodia to responsibly manage plantations and forests.

Commenting on the partnership, Neth Pheaktra, secretary of state to the Ministry of Environment in Cambodia, said the government appreciated the initiative by the duo and welcomed the H&M Group’s commitment to addressing climate change.

Pheaktra continued: “The WoodAI App represents an important contribution to addressing some of the drivers that are causing deforestation. The Ministry encourages other clothing brands to follow this example and also support efforts to save natural forests and wildlife for the long term benefit of people and nature.”