Primark pledges to slash ‘fast fashion’ waste: High Street store bosses vow to produce clothes that are more eco-friendly following backlash against cheap T-shirts and dresses

• Primark’s cheap clothing created mountain of waste sent to landfill or burned 
• Primark has pledged to ensure all its clothes are made using recycled material
• Company also aims to halve carbon emissions and pursue a decent living wage

Primark has pledged to produce clothes that are less harmful to the environment following backlash against fast fashion and its links to waste and pollution.

The company, along with online fashion giants such as Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing, has been at the forefront of the emergence of cheap fashions.

The availability of T-shirts, bikinis and dresses for less than £5 – often made from plastic-derived materials – has created a mountain of waste that is sent to landfill or burned.

Over the next year, all entry price T-shirts will transition to be made with ethically sourced cotton

Now Primark has pledged to ensure all its clothes are made using recycled or more sustainable materials by 2030. 

Over the next year, all entry price T-shirts will transition to be made with ethically sourced cotton. 

The company also aims to halve its carbon emissions, pursue a decent living wage for garment workers and design its clothes to be recyclable and more durable.

Paul Marchant, Primark chief executive, said: ‘Our new commitments mark a significant acceleration in the pace and scale of change.’ 

He added it does not mean that customers will pay more for the clothing. Over one million tons of clothing is dumped per year with an estimated £140million going to landfill.

An investigation by MPs found Britons buy more clothes per head than any other country in Europe.

Mr Marchant added: ‘Our ambition is to offer customers the affordable prices they know and love us for, but with products that are made in a way that is better for the planet and the people who make them…

Primark has pledged to ensure all its clothes are made using recycled or more sustainable materials by 2030

‘(The changes require) us to think differently about how we do business. Right from how our clothes are designed and manufactured, through to how we sell them in stores.’

On any potential impact on prices, he said: ‘We believe that sustainability shouldn’t be priced at a premium that only a minority can afford.

‘Because of who we are, we believe we have the opportunity to make more sustainable fashion choices affordable to all.’

Last year, the Government rejected calls from MPs for a a ‘Fast Fashion Tax’ on throwaway clothes – everything from plastic dresses to bras and socks – to help raise money to deal with waste the industry generates.

Source: Read Full Article