Fashion retailer H&M Australia has paid $138,600 in penalties for children’s clothing that did not comply with required fire hazard warning labels.

The penalties came after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued seven infringement notices for alleged breaches of the Consumer Law.

According to the regulator, H&M Australia supplied 4473 items of four types of children’s nightwear that failed to comply with the fire safety standard. 

The standard requires children’s nightwear to carry an appropriate fire hazard label, either ‘high fire danger’ or ‘low fire danger’, depending on the garment’s composition and its flammability test results. 

Some of the products did not have a fire hazard warning label attached. Those with a fire hazard warning label did not meet requirements because of the nature of the warning or the position of the label on the product. 

The company issued voluntary recall notices for the products in July 2024, April 2025 and June 2025.

“Without the correct labelling, parents or carers may have been unaware of the severity of the risk to children wearing these garments and being close to heat or flame. This creates an unacceptable risk of serious injuries to children,” said ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe. 

“We expect suppliers to be aware of their product safety obligations and ensure that they fully comply with these obligations, including by ensuring their products come with all required safety warnings. This includes having adequate systems in place to ensure compliance.”

H&M has admitted to the conduct and committed to launching an awareness campaign about product safety fire hazard warning labels and to further advertise the recalls.

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