Continuing its ambition to offer affordable, quality clothes while reducing its impact on the planet, Primark has published its third annual Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report which shows how the business is embedding its sustainability commitments and delivering real impact.
Over the past 12 months, two thirds (66%) of clothes sold in Primark were made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials. Primark has also progressed its commitment to tackle textile waste through the introduction of more clothes that are recyclable at end-of-life. This year, the international fashion retailer has focused on scaling the volume of its clothes that are circular by design in categories such as denim and jersey and continued to embed its product guidelines on circularity by training colleagues and suppliers. 3% of clothes sold in Primark over the past 12 months were circular by design, meaning they met the criteria set out in Primark’s Circular Product Standard, including items in the Rita Ora and Disney’s The Lion King ranges.
Challenging the perception that longer-lasting clothes cost more, Primark proudly launched its Durability Framework this year. Despite the EU’s focus on product durability, along with the higher cost of living and the impact of textile waste on the environment, there is currently no agreed industry or legal standard for physical durability. Backed by research from environmental charity Hubbub and the University of Leeds (UOL) School of Design, Primark’s Durability Framework is designed to set the bar for how fashion retailers can help consumers get more out of their clothes.
Lowering carbon emissions across its value chain during the last 12 months is a key achievement for Primark, having set out an ambition to halve carbon emissions across its value chain by 2030. Primark’s Scope 1 and 2 (market-based) emissions reduced by 21% in 2024, compared to 2023, and were 52% lower than the 2019 baseline. This reduction was achieved through energy efficiency measures in its stores and the procurement of renewable and low-carbon electricity. Primark achieved a 1.9% reduction in total carbon emissions across its value chain since its 2019 baseline year and an 11.6% decrease since last year. The retailer expects this reduction to fluctuate in the short-term as the company expands.
As cotton is the most used fibre in Primark clothing, evolving the Primark Cotton Project[1] (formerly the Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme) and training cotton farmers on more regenerative agricultural practices is an ongoing focus. Approximately 3,000 farmers have completed a pilot project across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan this year. They were trained in how to use biological alternatives to chemical pesticides and how to introduce cover crops that protect soil and create new revenue streams. Primark has developed a roadmap to 2030 to drive further uptake of regenerative agriculture within the Primark Cotton Project.
Commenting on the latest impact data, Lynne Walker, director of Primark Cares said: “Our sustainability commitments belong to all of us at Primark and we’re starting to see real impact. The progress we’ve made in the three years since we launched our Primark Cares strategy has given us the confidence to be proud of the work we are doing. As a brand for everyone, we know we have a huge responsibility to use our scale for good.
“Taking the lead on durability across the industry and proving that more sustainable and longer-lasting clothing doesn’t have to cost more, has been a significant achievement for us. Continuing to learn as we gather insights and data from across the Primark business and forging meaningful collaboration across the industry will be critical to achieving our 2030 ambitions.”
Other progress highlights this year include:
People
- Primark signed a legally binding agreement with the IndustriALL global union to support collective bargaining for workers in Cambodia’s garment and footwear sector, a key milestone on the path to establishing the first ever collective bargaining agreement in the country, and industry, which is directly supported by brands.
- Primark is working with 36 external partners to support workers in its supply chain across 21 programmes, ranging from building financial resilience to protecting against gender-based violence, harassment and mental health issues.
- Primark’s long-standing worker upskilling programme Sudokkho is now nearly 10 years old and is running in 28 factories in Bangladesh.
Product
- Loving clothes for longer through free repair workshops: Over the past three years, Primark has run 393 free repair workshops across France, Italy, the Netherlands, UK and Ireland, offering 7,157 places to its customers and colleagues.
- This year, 57% of the cotton clothing units sold at Primark contained cotton that was organic, recycled or from the Primark Cotton Project.
- Tackling textile waste by partnering with WRAP: Primark is exploring innovative ways to give clothes a longer life through initiatives like its textile donation scheme and other routes for circular business models. The retailer’s partnership with the Circular Textiles Foundation has helped evolve its circular design training to create ‘expert’ level training and blueprint design across specific categories. To date, 529 colleagues (80% of those eligible) have completed the foundational training.
Planet
- Reducing GHG emissions across its supply chain: Primark continues to invest in its team and supplier factory efficiency programmes aimed at supporting GHG emission reductions through targeted training, upskilling, and energy-saving projects. It has also launched a new performance metric requiring its top 100 key suppliers to set GHG emission reduction targets within tier one and two of their supply chains.
- Green-fuel alternatives: Through its partnership with Maersk, Primark has started to introduce green fuel alternatives, such as Biofuel, when shipping its products, emitting approximately 40% less GHG emissions annually than traditional fuel.
- Eliminating single-use plastics (SUP) by 2027: This year Primark established a baseline for all the packaging in the business to track its progress towards this commitment. Product packaging is one of the main drivers of non-clothing waste and clothes hangers account for two thirds of SUP volumes within Primark. To tackle this, Primark has begun to introduce more durable hangers, made from a minimum of 90% certified recycled polypropylene, across apparel clothing, with completion due in 2027.
Engaging colleagues, inclusivity and community impact
- ‘Primark Connect’: In January, the retailer brought together over 1,700 colleagues from around the world for a two-day event, bringing to life its strategy, purpose and values to empower people to do their best work.
- Accessible Primark: Primark launched its first adaptive underwear collection and announced a partnership with designer and disability advocate, Victoria Jenkins, to introduce more adaptive clothing for those with limited mobility. It also launched new commitments to make its stores a more accessible environment for customers and colleagues. To support in achieving this, Primark has partnered with accessibility specialist organisation AccessAble to survey all stores in ROI and the UK, as well as its head offices and Islip depot.
- Community Impact: This year, Primark will donate funds to local charities in every market it operates in for the first time, having started to localise charity activities for large campaigns like Breast Cancer Awareness.
