Textile businesses are to commit to reusing and recycling more clothing as part of a voluntary initiative set to be launched by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) this week.

The initiative, called the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan 2020 Commitment, is to be launched on Thursday (June 20). According to WRAP, more than 15 organisations within the textile sector have already signed up to reduce the environmental impact of clothing throughout its lifecycle. This will be achieved through the use of collective targets for reducing carbon, waste and water footprints of clothing by 2020.

While the exact targets for this have yet to be agreed, the commitment will focus on seven action areas which include extending the useful life of clothing and developing schemes to keep the material out of landfill. The targets will be agreed by supporters and signatories of the commitment by the end of 2013 against a 2012 baseline.

The initiative falls under WRAP’s work on the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) which was launched in 2009. There are four working groups within the Plan which focus on different areas - design, reuse and recycling, influencing consumer behaviour and metrics. The new commitment is for the whole textiles industry, including recyclers, retailers, charities and suppliers.

Action areas

Explaining the purpose of the commitment, WRAP said: “The SCAP 2020 Commitment which commences in June 2013, sees the clothing sector working together to reduce the environmental footprint by building on the evidence and engagement achieved by the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap work to date.”

The seven action areas are:

Calculations

WRAP has developed a SCAP Footprint Calculator which allows organisations to calculate the footprints for water, waste and carbon per tonne and overall.

Organisations can opt to be either a signatory or a supporter. Signatories, such as retailers, brands and suppliers, must enter data on their garment sales volumes and fibre types which are used to calculate the footprints. Meanwhile, charities, recyclers and similar organisations will enter data based on the weights of clothing collected or handled and its end destination – reuse in the UK or overseas, recycling, incineration and landfill. This will also calculate the baseline per tonne and overall.

Those organisations which are supporters, such as trade bodies and those in the public sector, will take an “active role” in promoting activities which support the SCAP 2020 Commitment. They must use the calculator tool to record their actions. For example, if a supporter spoke at a conference which 100 people attended then the materials were disseminated to 100 people. Additionally, supporters must encourage members to take a consistent approach to measuring, embed good practice in its guidance and promote the SCAP workings at events.

‘Significant initiative’

The Commitment has been welcomed by the recycling industry with the Textile Recycling Association describing it as “perhaps the most significant initiative undertaken” under the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap (see letsrecycle.com story).