Resources

The 2024 Textiles Market Situation Report updates on the present state of the UK textiles market.

Terminology can inadvertently imply use or value, which can lead to barriers or opportunities in how textiles are considered or handled. A lack of standardisation, clarity and consistency among stakeholders in the textiles sector is an issue that inhibits partnerships, policy development, and can prevent progress towards a circular textiles economy.

In this report, commissioned on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), WRAP looks at the areas throughout the lifecycle of textiles where the level of textile waste produced is an issue, in order to identify ‘hotspots’.

The report looks at waste by fibre type, waste by life cycle stage, and waste by product type to pinpoint not only where textile waste is happening, but also the types of textile waste occurring.

WRAP has developed one of the most comprehensive open-source databases mapping over 200 textiles sorters, pre-processors, recyclers, and yarn spinners (who work with recycled fibres), operating within the UK and Europe.

This status report summarises the proliferation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems for the textiles waste stream. 

Are people open to the idea of ecolabels?

This report looks at the role that eco-labelling could play in providing citizens with information on the durability, recyclability, and repairability of products, inclusive of home textiles, furniture, and electrical appliances. The research also explores people’s receptivity to using ecolabels, and ultimately, their potential for influencing the products we decide to purchase. 

A summary of USA packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) developments in during 2023.

The latest Recycling Tracker results from March 2023 were published during Recycle Week 2023. The tracker results demonstrate several key findings about the recycling behaviours of people from across the UK. The annual survey of UK citizens has been running since 2004, it gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviours.

As much as 80% of a textile product’s environmental impact is determined at the design stage. Therefore, the decisions made by design and product development teams have a huge impact on a product’s environmental footprint – from the raw materials used, to how the product is manufactured, the length of time it is kept in use and what happens to it when it is no longer desired or reaches the end of its usable life.

There is a lot to think about, which is why we have created our Circular Design Toolkit - a go-to resource for the fashion and textiles industry.

Over the last decade, the circular economy has been a huge success story. In the UK it has grown by 20% between 2014 and 2019. 

While roughly equal numbers of jobs are held by men and women across the UK, only 25% of jobs in the circular economy are held by women. This understates and undervalues the role of women who frequently undertake unpaid activities such as volunteering within the sector.

Circular business models offer a clear pathway for disrupting the fashion and textile industry’s linear operating model.

By increasing the number of times an item is worn and keeping clothing in circulation for as long as possible through services like rental, repair, resale and upcycling, the industry can replace the need for new clothing production and avoid the associated environmental impacts, while remaining profitable and serving the needs of a growing consumer population.