Resources

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.

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.

From new voluntary agreements in Colombia and Denmark to engaging citizens in 12 countries through Food Waste Action Week, our Annual Report gives an insight into what WRAP was busy working on in 2022/23. 

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. 

The purpose of this guide is to raise awareness and understanding of print processes in common use and how they work.

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 potential impact of increasing online resale of products 

The Benefits of Reuse project was originally created in 2011 by WRAP to estimate economic, environmental and social indicators for re-use, for the first time. 

Our latest report conducted on behalf of eBay explores the potential role of reuse in helping people across the UK in the current cost-of-living crisis, and considers the potential environmental and economic benefits to households of buying second hand items through online exchange. 

In autumn 2021, WRAP commissioned two large scale pieces of online consumer research on the life expectancy of different items of clothing in UK wardrobes and the UK’s appetite for adopting new models of clothing acquisition – some of which discard the notion of owning clothes all together.

This report from WRAP and the University of Leeds builds on previous research to provide a quantitative assessment of possible policy interventions to reduce resource consumption and green house gas emissions associated with their production.

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.