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.

The 2022 Plastics Market Situation report updates on the amount of plastic packaging Placed On the Market (POM), collection rates, recycling rates, and provides an update on key developments over the past few years highlighting the challenges and opportunities ahead.

• Fall in plastic packaging placed on the market
• Movement away from rigid plastic packaging towards lightweight and flexible plastics in the consumer sector.  
• Domestic recycling of plastic has increased to 53%.
• Planned recycling capacity increases will be a boost but will still fall well below current levels of plastic packaging consumption.  
• Collection rates are improving for plastic packaging with more flexible plastic, rigid plastics, plastic bottles and PTTs being collected at kerbside. 

In November 2021, 65 stakeholders and partners from across all sectors of the UK food industry and water stewardship community made a commitment to collectively address water risk in the food and drink supply chain across the world and joined WRAP’s Water Roadmap, embarking on a collective journey to address water risk in our food & drink supply chain. 

This report tracks progress and gives an update on achievements, whilst outlining the urgent action needed to not only deliver on targets but create a sustainable supply chain and prioritise climate action.

Standard bread is the second most wasted food in UK households and represents 80% of all bakery waste in the UK.

Previous WRAP research has shown that 41% of edible household food waste is a result of food not being used in time. A date label was cited as the trigger for the disposal of 600,000 tonnes (16%) of edible food waste.

In May 2022, WRAP published a set of Scope 3 GHG Measurement & Reporting Protocols to act as sector guidance for food and drink businesses, building on the GHG Protocol and other global standards.

In May 2022, WRAP published a set of Scope 3 GHG Measurement & Reporting Protocols to act as sector guidance for food and drink businesses, building on the GHG Protocol and other global standards.

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. 

WRAP and Recycle Now's recycling tracker provides insights into UK citizen’s attitudes towards recycling as well as a greater understanding of their recycling related behaviours. It is an annual survey of UK citizens that gathers evidence on recycling attitudes, knowledge, and behaviour. It is the largest and longest running of its kind, having been undertaken by WRAP since 2004.

Around 320,000 tonnes of edible fresh fruit and 1.3 million tonnes of edible fresh vegetables and salad are wasted in UK homes each year, worth an estimated £3.8 billion. Approximately £2.2 billion of this is wasted because it is not eaten in time.

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.