Several projects UKFT is involved are included in the Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste – the new Waste Prevention Programme for England from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

The programme outlines plans to reduce textiles going to residual waste by increasing product utilisation, diverting products and materials from residual waste and stimulating a profitable textile recycling industry.

The UKFT projects mentioned in the programme include:

• An industry-led pilot to develop a model for an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textiles
• A sorting and recycling demonstrator
• An industry-led Circular Fashion Innovation Network

The full list of UKFT’s innovation, sustainability and R&D activity can be seen here.

DEFRA also said it plans to develop a textiles waste hierarchy to provide robust guidance to businesses managing textiles and fashion products and material. It will also explore:

• the potential separate collection for reusable and recyclable textiles,
• requiring businesses over a certain size to provide a customer take back scheme for textiles,
• banning separately collected material from being sent to landfill and energy from waste without prior sorting.

“We want to see our UK textiles and fashion industry leading the way on circularity through adopting circular business models such as resale, rental and repair, and investing in textiles reprocessing and recycling in alignment with the waste hierarchy,” said DEFRA.

The UK Government has committed to the near elimination of municipal biodegradable waste to landfill from 2028, through the Net Zero Strategy, and set an Environment Act 2021 environmental target to halve residual waste (excluding major mineral wastes) kg per person by the year 2042. Significantly reducing textiles going to residual waste is part of that commitment.

The full publication is available here.

UKFT’S SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION PROJECTS