SFI0047

Written evidence submitted by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Government Evidence

Clothing is the eighth largest sector in terms of household spending in the UK and EU. However, it is ranked fourth in terms of its impact on the environment behind housing, transport and food[1].  Government has been working to reduce the environmental impacts of clothing in recent years, primarily through funding work by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to convene and facilitate the work of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP). Much has been achieved through the actions of SCAP signatories but we recognise more needs to be done.

Government is in the process of developing a Resources and Waste Strategy for publication later this year which will aim to set out how we can maximise the value from our resources and minimise waste and the negative environmental impacts associated with this. We welcome this Inquiry and will examine its findings and recommendations once available, along with those from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and others, and consider how they can help shape policy on clothing for the future. 

1. Have UK clothing purchasing habits changed in recent years?

Research carried out by WRAP in ‘Valuing Our Clothes – the Cost of UK Fashion’[2] compares purchasing behaviour between 2012 and 2016.  Around 1,130,000 tonnes of clothing was purchased in the UK in 2016, an increase of almost 200,000 tonnes since 2012. 

WRAP found that on average clothing now lasts for 3.3 years before it is discarded or passed on, compared to 2.2 years in 2012. However, improvements have been made in the use phase and the disposal phase (see responses to Q8 on clothing waste to landfill and Q11 on washing and care).

2. What is the environmental impact of the fashion supply chain? How has this changed over time?

• Carbon: The carbon footprint of clothing in use in the UK, including global emissions, rose from 24 million tonnes CO2e in 2012 to 26.2 million tonnes in 2016.  The highest contribution to the carbon footprint is the production of fibre through polymer extrusion and agriculture. Impacts from fibre preparation and washing are also significant, whilst transport related emissions are proportionately low.

Despite improvements in the in-use phase, carbon emissions are higher due to the increase in the total amount of new clothing being bought affecting production and processing emissions. 

• Water: The water footprint of clothing in active use in the UK in 2016, including water used overseas, was 8 billion m3 compared to 6.3 billion m3 in 2012[3]. Much of this is due to the global rise in clothing consumption levels.

The most intensive use is in agriculture, particularly for growing cotton which is commonly used in the UK clothing supply chain. Processing, including spinning, weaving, knitting, colouration and finishing, also add to the water footprint. The water footprint of fibre and fabric processing for garments bought in 2016 in the UK was around 446 million m3.

The water used to make cotton is 60% of the total water footprint of fabric processing, compared to its 43% market share. Viscose also uses a lot of water mostly in preparation of the fibre. Synthetic fibres affect the water footprint mostly during dyeing and finishing because a high amount of dye and processing is needed.

Water pollution, due to processes such as dyeing, is an issue in some countries. The Global Leadership Award in Sustainable Apparel has reported that 20% of freshwater pollution comes from textile treatment and dyeing. 

The shedding of microplastics is an increasing concern globally.  In May 2018, the Government pledged £200,000 for research to explore how plastic particles from various sources, including synthetic materials, enter waterways and the marine environment, and to analyse the impact of those sources. 

• Process waste from clothing production: Waste occurs in the processing and production phases as well as at the end of the life. In 2016 ‘supply chain’ waste for clothing in active use in the UK was estimated at over 800,000 tonnes compared to just under 700,000 tonnes[4] in 2012. This increase is driven primarily by the increase in clothing consumption globally.

Around 440,000 tonnes of supply chain waste arises during preparation of fibres to make yarn and during garment production, most notably in China and India. The amount of waste varies by fabric and fibre type.

3.  What incentives have led to the rise of “fast fashion” in the UK and what incentives could be put in place to make fashion more sustainable?

Industry is best placed to answer this question.

4. Is “fast fashion” unsustainable?

We have used the Committee’s definition of “fast fashion” in this evidence i.e. cheap clothing, with quick turnover that encourages repurchasing.  

The clothing industry as a whole has a high impact on the environment, not just in the UK but across the world as a result of global supply chains.  The current environmental impacts need to be reduced to make the sector more sustainable.  

5. What industry initiatives exist to minimise the environmental impact of the fashion industry?

The Sustainable Clothing Action Plan[5] (SCAP), a collaborative agreement, co-ordinated by WRAP and supported by Government funding, aims to reduce the use of resources by the clothing industry. It has over 80 signatories and supporters from across the supply chain from brands, retailers, charities, textile collectors and recyclers. It represents more than 58% of UK clothing retail sales by volume. SCAP is now part-funded by its signatories who have signed up to reduce their carbon and water footprints by 15% by 2020 (using 2012 as a baseline), and whole life cycle waste by 3.5% by the same date – the SCAP 2020 commitment.  Significant progress has been made with signatories reducing carbon by 10.6%, water by 13.5%, and waste across the product life cycle by 0.8%, per tonne of clothing between 2012 and 2015.  The fourth SCAP target is for a 15% reduction of clothing waste to landfill by 2020. Influencing consumers to keep their unwanted clothes out of the residual waste stream, for instance through the Love Your Clothes[6] (LYC) campaign, is important in helping to achieve this. LYC was launched in 2013 and is managed by WRAP, as part of SCAP, with support from Government (see also responses to Q7 and 11 for more detail about LYC).  There was a 14% reduction in clothing in household residual waste between 2012 and 2015.

In addition to action to influence consumer behaviour through LYC, SCAP includes action to increase durability, increase the use of more sustainable fibres, work to promote greater re-use and recycling of textiles.  SCAP is underpinned by robust measurement and reporting, which uses life-cycle data to help signatories track progress and focus on the actions with the biggest impacts.

WRAP provides information for those involved in the production of clothing including:

• Valuing Our Clothes reports (2012 and 2017) looking at the impact of clothing production and use;
• An open-access Clothing Knowledge Hub[7] which showcases new initiatives, processes and technologies to reduce environmental impact; and
• A Clothing Sustainability Guide[8]  on how to design, produce and sell clothing that lasts longer and can be easily re-used and recycled.

WRAP has supported the development of innovative resource efficient business models though its EU Life+ funded project, REBus[9] including hire and repair services e.g. suit hire by Alexandra Wood Bespoke Tailoring, and high-end clothing hire via Rentez-Vous.

With EU Life+ funding, the work of SCAP has been extended to Europe through the European Clothing Action Plan[10] (ECAP).

Other industry initiatives exist such as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Ellen MacArthur Foundation Circular Fibres Initiative, Global Fashion Agenda, C&A Foundation projects. WRAP liaises with these groups and others, as part of SCAP and ECAP, to help provide direction and share insights.  

6.  How could the carbon emissions and water demand from the fashion industry be reduced?

According to ‘Valuing Our Clothes’ the greatest environmental gains are from:

• Extending the life of clothes which offers the greatest overall potential for carbon, water and waste savings;
• Helping consumers to better care for their clothes;
• Focusing on products sold in the greatest volumes to improve their sustainability - women’s jeans, dresses and jumpers and men’s t-shirts;
• Switching to sustainable cotton and other lower-impact fibre choices;
• Exploring new business models e.g. hire and repair, and sales of used clothes;
• Closed loop recycling of clothing for example through fibre-to-fibre chemical recycling;
• Understanding where supply chain waste arises and forging partnerships with business to address this.

The Government has committed to publish a Resources and Waste Strategy which will set out plans and policy measures that encourage and support industry action.

Waste from fashion

7. What typically happens to unwanted and unwearable clothing in the UK? How can this clothing be managed in a more environmentally friendly way?

WRAP’s Textiles Market Situation Report[11] showed that an estimated 650,000 tonnes of used textiles were collected for reuse or recycling in 2014.  Of this nearly 352,000 tonnes, worth £342 million, were exported, and 214,000 tonnes were reused in the UK. Passing on used garments to family and friends, or using online platforms for private sales e.g. eBay, or exchange e.g. Freegle, Freecycle account for an estimated 6% of textiles consumption, or around 103,000 tonnes based on 2014 figures. These routes as well as charity shops support re-use in the UK. There are also a number of recycling end markets for clothing not suitable for reuse e.g. for use in insulation, automotive felt, wipers, flocking, shoddy and fibre-to-fibre recycling.

Substantial opportunities in some ‘closed-loop’ recycling end markets, in particular in fibre-to-fibre recycling[12], have been identified by WRAP.  There are challenges to overcome, for instance commercial viability at scale and technical considerations such as the varied mix of fibres and dyes used. 

Despite the routes available for reuse, consumers still dispose of 300,000 tonnes of clothing as residual waste.  Government supports WRAP through SCAP to minimise this through educational means such as the Love Your Clothes campaign. LYC provides information to consumers via guides and video tutorials on its website about how to fix, swap, sell, donate or recycle clothes with the aim of keeping them out of landfill. It also uses social media to run campaigns associated with more sustainable practices such as a quiz to test and educate consumers around the symbols used on clothing care labels to encourage washing at lower temperatures. (See also responses to Q5 and Q11 for more details of LYC). 

In-store take-back and re-sale schemes are increasing, for instance retailers working with charities to collect used garments. 

8. How much unwanted clothing is landfilled or incinerated in the UK each year?

The amount of clothing in household residual waste which goes to landfill or incineration was 300,000 tonnes in 2015, down from 350,000 tonnes in 2012.

Some[13] clothing may be fly-tipped. This is likely to go straight to landfill or incineration and will not be sorted for suitability for reuse or recycling. 

9. Does labelling inform consumers about how to donate or recycle clothing to minimise environmental impact, including what to do with damaged clothing?

Clothing labels do not generally provide information on garment reuse or recycling. 

In-store take-back schemes, are being run by an increasing number of retailers as mentioned above.  Information in such cases is provided in-store, or via websites, though not on clothing labels themselves. This information may cover the value of passing on damaged clothing for recycling.

10. What actions have been taken by the fashion industry, the Government and local authorities to increase reuse and recycling of clothing? 

To date Government policy has included supporting the SCAP initiative as well as general policies such as landfill tax which incentivise local authorities to support reuse/recycling systems.

The Government is exploring effective and feasible enhanced policy measures as part of its new Resources and Waste Strategy. A range of policy options are being considered to help drive resource efficiency generally including enhanced durability, repairability, reuse and recycling.

The EU Circular Economy Package requires Member States to extend separate collection requirements to textiles by 2025 so we will be giving consideration to what can best be done in the UK.  

On industry action, SCAP has a work strand dedicated to reuse and recycling.  Outputs to date include textile collection guidance for local authorities and partners; information on textile product flow and market development opportunities and on washing and drying contaminated textiles.

The Love Your Clothes Campaign is also relevant in informing consumers on how to reuse and recycle clothing.

Supported by Government, WRAP has produced guidance for local authorities on reuse including how to encourage reuse partnerships between local authorities, waste management companies and third sector organisations[14] and a household waste prevention hub[15] for councils. WRAP also hosts the Recycle Now[16] website which provides information for consumers on their nearest reuse or recycling points by typing in their postcode. 

11. How could consumers be encouraged to buy fewer clothes, reuse clothes and think about how best to dispose of clothes when they are no longer wanted?

See reply to question 10 above on incentives for changing consumer purchasing behaviour. Wider consumer behaviour, for instance on clothing care, is also essential in reducing the overall environmental impact of clothing. Love Your Clothes, mentioned above, is a consumer-facing campaign co-ordinated by WRAP as part of SCAP which uses a website and social media to encourage action around better purchase, care, repair, and disposal of clothing.

Washing and care are also important aspects of sustainability in the sector, and account for a third of the total carbon footprint of clothing. WRAP’s consumer research has found that between 2012 and 2016 reducing washing temperatures, tumble drying and ironing reduced the carbon footprint of clothing by 700,000 tonnes and could provide further reductions. (Note: Despite these improvements in the in-use phase, carbon emissions overall have increased due to the increase in the total amount of new clothing being bought). 

12. How has the domestic clothing manufacturing industry changed over time? How is it set to develop in the future?

Industry is best placed to answer this question.

Sustainable Garment Manufacturing in the UK

13. How are Government and trade envoys ensuring they meet their commitments under SDG 8 to “protect workers’ rights” and “ensure safe working environments” within the garment manufacturing industry? What more could they do? Are there any industry standards or certifications in place to guarantee sustainable manufacturing of clothing to consumers?

The Director of Labour Market Enforcement’s Labour Market Strategy 2018-2019[17] includes a recommendation that the three enforcement bodies (HMRC National Minimum Wage/National Living Wage (NMW/NLW); the Gangmaster and Labour Abuse Authority and the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate) build on progress made over the past 12 months by:

a)     refining the systems and processes for intelligence-sharing, exploring legal gateways and identifying potential barriers, including developing intelligence requirements to ensure the appropriate information is being collected;

b)     learning from shared experience to ascertain best practice for joint working, ensuring the best enforcement tools are applied to each case;

c)     continuing to build relationships with other enforcement agencies to promote more joint working where different powers, additional resources, or enforcement tools can be of benefit;

d)     building partnerships with business, trade unions, trade bodies, and other industry experts enabling them to feed in intelligence to the bodies in such a way that action can be taken; and

e)     operating a feedback loop to those submitting intelligence and their complainants.

Enforcement bodies are keen to build on the partnerships in sharing data and intelligence and carrying out joined up operational activity, and to develop relationships with local government and the garment industry to share knowledge to enable continued joint enforcement action.

The Government is committed to uphold and strengthen our high standards in protecting workers rights and ensure safe working environments internationally. The OECD Guidelines for Multi-National Enterprises (MNEs) (the Guidelines) set out voluntary principles and standards for responsible business conduct including on employment, human rights and the environment. The Guidelines are supported by detailed guidance, including on Due Diligence in Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector[18]. The UK is one of 48 adhering countries and maintains a National Contact Point (NCP) to promote the Guidelines to MNEs and does this through stakeholder outreach events to a wide range of UK businesses.

September 2018

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