Resources

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.

In September 2022, WRAP commissioned online consumer research into the current attitudes and behaviours of UK citizens in relation to home textiles, including what’s influencing consumers to make a home textiles purchase, through what routes are they buying and disposing of home textile items and what are their in-use habits in relation to those items. 

In the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy for England, textiles was highlighted as a priority waste stream for which the ‘polluter pays’ principle should be invoked and Defra committed to review and consult on the potential of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme and product standards for the fashion and textiles industry.

WRAP’s work on textiles is focussed on improving the sustainability of products, and particularly on reducing the environmental impact of the full life cycle of products, from cradle to grave.

Off the starting blocks

Through Textiles 2030, the whole system comes together. Our shared mission is to catalyse the fashion and textile industry’s transformation from linear to circular - drawing on the energy, experience, and innovation of all corners of the sector to drive this change forward.

The Resource Action Fund (RAF) was an £18 million fund, provided by Defra to support resource efficiency projects, with the goal of diverting, reducing, and better managing waste. The Resource Action Fund The funding supported organisations in England which aimed to reduce waste and make better use of materials.

In the first six months of its existence, Textiles 2030 has recruited over 92 signatories and affiliates, spanning brands, retailers, re-use and recycling organisations from across the fashion and textiles sector.  Textiles 2030 signatories already represent 62% of all clothing put on the market in the UK.  

WRAP works with governments, businesses and citizens to create a world in which resources are used sustainably. Read our April 2020-21 annual review to learn more about our mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, resource-efficient economy.

Our plan for achieving Net Zero.

This report unveils new insights on how resource efficiency and resource sufficiency can cut greenhouse gas emissions. Developed in collaboration with CREDS researchers at the University of Leeds, it offers a clear, practical roadmap which delivers quick wins.

WRAP has carried out research on the contribution resource efficiency can make to achieving climate change targets. It covers supply of and demand for materials and products in the UK economy, and also accounts for the trade with the rest of the world. Thus, it covers the contribution from UK territorial emissions and from emissions related to consumption of goods and services imported from abroad.

Textiles take-back schemes, where customers donate unwanted clothing to retailers to be re-used or recycled, are a key part of developing a more circular fashion industry.