The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) collaborates with Crisis to introduce a recycling trial in London, aimed at reducing clothing waste.
- The trial takes place at Crisis’s Peckham and Elephant & Castle stores, running until the end of September.
- This initiative educates customers about recycling by distinguishing between rewearable and non-rewearable clothing.
- The project is a part of the Autosort for Circular Textiles Demonstrator (ACT UK), which focuses on recycling unsaleable clothing.
- Paula Floyd of Crisis highlights the environmental impact of clothing waste, stressing the importance of innovative recycling solutions.
The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) has partnered with the homelessness charity, Crisis, to initiate an in-store recycling scheme. This collaborative effort is being trialled at Crisis’s stores located in Peckham and Elephant & Castle in London, operational through to the end of September. The aim is clear: to promote better recycling practices among consumers and mitigate clothing waste.
Households across the UK reportedly harbour over 1.6 billion items of unworn clothing, as indicated by the not-for-profit organisation, Wrap. A large portion of these garments has the potential to be repurposed or recycled, rather than discarded. Through this scheme, UKFT and Crisis aspire to ‘close the loop’ by ensuring more fabrics are reused and therefore reducing waste.
The recycling project is encompassed within the Autosort for Circular Textiles Demonstrator (ACT UK) project, led by UKFT. This project is designed to develop a framework that enables the recycling of textiles not fit for resale, thus fostering a more sustainable approach to waste management.
Paula Floyd, ecommerce manager at Crisis, underscored the poignant issue of clothing waste, addressing its dual ramifications: environmental degradation and the economic loss of valuable clothing. “Clothing waste is a real problem, both in terms of its environmental impact and the value of the clothes lost”, she remarks. Pre-sorting donations aids in waste reduction, aligning with Crisis’s mission to end homelessness.
She further asserted the value of collaborative efforts in finding innovative solutions within the fashion and textile sectors. Highlighting the ACT Take-Back project, supported by UKFT, she emphasised its potential to alter consumer behaviours towards recycling, making the process more straightforward.
This partnership embodies a significant step towards reducing clothing waste and fostering sustainable recycling practices in the UK.
