Committees

Boohoo Chairman to give evidence to EAC as MPs revisit fashion sustainability

27 November 2020

As part of its follow-up inquiry on fashion sustainability, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has today confirmed that it will be holding an evidence session with Boohoo Group’s Executive Chairman, Mahmud Kamani on 16 December as it publishes written evidence it has received as part of the inquiry.

The evidence session will examine what progress has been made on tackling the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry since EAC’s Fixing Fashion inquiry in 2018/19. The line up so far confirmed is:

Panel 1:

  • Witness tbc, British Retail Consortium (BRC)
  • Dr David Moon, WRAP
  • Fiona Gooch, Traidcraft

Panel 2:

  • Matthew Taylor, Director of Labour Market Enforcement
  • Additional witness tbc

Panel 3:

  • Mahmud Kamani, Executive Chairman, Boohoo Group
  • Andrew Reaney, Group Director of Responsible Sourcing & Group Product Operations, Boohoo Group

The final list of witnesses will be confirmed closer to the time of the evidence session.

Over 50 evidence submissions have been received by the inquiry, including evidence detailing:

  • Boohoo’s actions since the first Fixing Fashion inquiry in 2018/19 (Boohoo submission)
  • A new voluntary Sustainable Clothing Action Plan to put the UK textiles sector on a path to achieving the carbon reductions consistent with the Paris Agreement (WRAP submission)
  • The impact that the pandemic has had on fashion and textile waste in the UK (WRAP; Defra)
  • New multi-agency task force has been set up to bring together the enforcement bodies to secure robust intelligence to enable appropriate enforcement activity (Defra)
  • Proposal for licensing of garment factories (British Retail Consortium)
  • Proposal for a Garment Trade Adjudicator body to regulate industry purchasing practices (Traidcraft)

Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said:

"I would like to thank everyone who has submitted written evidence to this inquiry as we get to the bottom of what has changed in the fashion and textiles industry since 2018. 

The written evidence has informed who we have invited to appear before us next month, and I look forward to delving into greater detail with each of our witnesses. Employment, public health and safety laws must be enforced in the UK’s garment factories and we must reduce the amount of fashion waste we are producing as a country. 

As a Committee, we will make recommendations to Government and industry outlining what improvements can be made to boost sustainability and working conditions."

Further information

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