WRAP’s latest results on progress towards the UK Textiles Pact targets, for a 50% reduction in carbon and 30% reduction in water by 2030, highlights that radical transformation will be needed to meet these crucial milestones.
Launched in 2021, signatories to the UK Textiles Pact continue to make good progress per-tonne on carbon and water. There has been strong engagement with WRAP working groups, research, pilot projects and innovation with the use of less impactful fibres, recycled materials and more sustainable processes increasing across the Pact. Compared to 2019, carbon is down 6% and water is down 9% per tonne.
Collections for reuse and recycling by the charity sector continue to grow, as does circular business models with peer-to-peer resale growing. These combined efforts resulted in a displacement of 1.12 million tCO₂e in 2024.
Alarmingly, however, the progress made at a per tonne level has been eradicated by the continued growth in the production of new products – something WRAP has issued stark warnings about previously. With 17% more textiles for sale in 2024, compared to 2019, the Pact’s total carbon footprint is up 10% while water use is 7% higher.
WRAP modelling demonstrates that the continual reliance and growth of linear business models will increase, not decrease, the sector’s carbon and water footprints and the escalating challenges of production need to be addressed, head on. Earlier this year, a WRAP and OC&C study highlighted the economic opportunities for circularity; since 2020 circular industries have been growing 3.1% faster than linear businesses.
A Roadmap for the climate-critical years ahead
WRAP has identified the barriers preventing the scale and speed of progress needed to achieve the Pact’s goals and turn the tide on the impact of the textiles industry. The new UK Textiles Pact Roadmap is setting a new direction for the sector through collaboration.
Co-designed with industry through extensive signatory engagement, the Roadmap:
- Focuses attention on the most impactful actions through the introduction of new indicators, enabling signatories to reduce time deciding what to do and increase time acting.
- Encourages greater flexibility by providing a framework for signatories allowing them to lean harder into some indicators relative to others in accordance with their individual business needs, which collectively will add up to the Pact’s shared targets.
- Tackles upstream emissions through the introduction of a new workstream on ‘Supply Chain Decarbonisation.’
The UK Textiles Pact Roadmap champions scaling circular business models, accelerating improved product design through durability and recyclability, decarbonising the supply chain and closing the loop on materials – making it clear to textiles corporations where the biggest impacts are. WRAP’s modelling shows that by adopting this approach, the Pact’s targets are achievable and with the right conditions provide opportunities for economic growth.
With resale markets growing three to five times faster than traditional retail and repair services providing opportunities for add-on services, there are many opportunities for growth and development. The OC&C/WRAP reports highlights that despite increasing level of demand, interest from investors and growth, businesses are leaving money on the table.
Catherine David, CEO at WRAP, said: “The Textiles sector is as fizzing with innovation and new thinking as ever. As a sector we face a huge challenge: how to decouple commercial growth from the use of carbon and water intensive primary materials, and make the transition to Circular Living – with better products and services for consumers. Through the UK Textiles Pact, we’ve seen game-changing advances in the technologies and business models of the future with new collaborations challenging old assumptions and turning what was niche into mainstream consumer behaviour.
Our new Roadmap provides updated tools and pathways for the next phase of circular growth in our textiles sector – together we’ll crack the systemic challenges that prevent the scale of change needed, and provide rocket fuel to the innovations which can accelerate the pace of change, in pursuit of our shared environmental goals, and a thriving and exciting textiles industry.”
Influencing international action
The UK Textiles Pact is a pioneer in today’s textiles landscape, setting the benchmark for forward-thinking action on circularity and sustainability.
The Pact positions signatories at the forefront of industry transformation and puts innovative approaches into practice. In a globally interconnected sector like textiles, this leadership not only gives UK businesses a competitive edge but also helps shape a more consistent, collaborative global framework for circular textiles.
Voluntary action paves the way for regulation
WRAP has always advocated the need for stronger policy to level the playing field and address market failures that can only be changed through regulation. The voluntary approach is complimentary to this and paves the way for regulation as well as supporting businesses to meet the requirements.
In August this year, along with other NGOs, WRAP submitted a cross-industry position on Textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (tEPR) to Defra and the Circular Economy Taskforce, calling for a mandatory system that incentivises circularity and supports green growth. WRAP continues to champion this and to support the ambitions of the new Roadmap, WRAP will continue to support the development of an industry-backed, mandatory tEPR scheme and will shortly publish a blueprint based on the views of The Textiles Pact signatory base.
WRAP has been working with the government of Ireland on a national Textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in response to incoming EU mandates, and will be setting signatories up to respond to incoming European legislation through its new Roadmap.
Circular Economy Minister, Mary Creagh said: “We are committed to moving towards a circular economy where waste is cut and resources are valued; fashion should not cost the Earth. Through our Circular Economy Strategy, we will support growth in the sustainable textiles sector, and I welcome the updated UK Textiles Pact Roadmap as a key step in driving climate action and circular innovation – as well as encouraging reuse and repair.”
WRAP’s new Roadmap sets a plan for achieving true circularity in the industry and we welcome the opportunity to work with as many businesses as possible to join us on this journey.
