Some 1.5 million tonnes of clothing has ended up in incinerators or landfill over the last five years, resulting in 660,000 tonnes of carbon emissions, according to data released today.
A report published this morning to coincide with the start of London Fashion Week highlights the scale of waste and emissions generated by the UK’s fashion sector in the five years since the government was urged by a cross-party group of MPs to tackle the industry’s environmental impacts.
Sustainable fashion experts said Ministers were yet to introduce policies to address the issues identified by a 2019 landmark report into the waste and emissions of the UK’s fashion sector, despite five years having passed and on-going calls for greater policy action to help create a zero-waste fashion industry.
After missing an earlier deadline of 2022 to consult on tackling textile waste and emissions, the government has said it will now launch a consultation this year.
Nick Davies, associate director for sustainability and social value at Lexington Communications – who managed the eight-month parliamentary enquiry which led to the Fixing Fashion report – said the government needed to step up its support for brands and retailers transitioning to more sustainable business models.
“Responsible brands and retailers are making strides in their transition to low-carbon and circular systems, but the government has delayed supporting the industry in reducing waste and emissions,” he said.
“The proposed consultation on ending the landfilling of fashion waste is a chance for the government to tackle these issues and support the industry in its sustainability transition. With the right policies in place, innovators could be incentivised to shrink the environmental footprint of fashion and textile waste could be transformed into economically valuable circular inputs.”
The figures released today by Lexington Communications and sustainable fashion consultancy GreenWithStudio reveal that more than 3.6 million tonnes of post-consumer textile waste has been landfilled or incinerated since government first promised action to stop textiles being landfilled during the 2010 to 2015 Parliament.
Among the recommendations set out in the 2019 Fixing Fashion report were proposals to make fashion retailers take responsibility for the waste they create and reward companies that take positive action to reduce waste; introduce an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for clothing; ban inceineration or landfilling of unsold stock that could be reused or recycled; and stimulate the market for recycled fibres.
Former Vogue editor and founder of GreenWithStudio, Mary Fellowes, said the fashion industry was “under threat from the race to the bottom approach” being driven by the rise of “very low-cost apparel made in ways that engender devastation and destruction to people and planet”.
“We need policy makers to provide a clear framework that supports brands, manufacturers, and retailers to balance profit, people and planet,” she said. “Ministers must help tailor an eco-friendly future for fashion by supporting retailers who do the right thing, with incentives for brands that reduce waste and emissions designing in circular systems and products.”
The Department for Food, Enviornment and Rural Affairs was considering a request for comment at the time of going to press.