Fewer Clothes Went to Landfills in 2019 as SCAP’s Mission Gathers Pace

The Zip Yard is proud to be the first repairs and alterations company to have signed up to the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP) 2020 Commitment, which is leading the way in targeting action to minimise the environmental impact of our clothes.

During 2019 we’ve kept a keen eye on the latest news from the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and fully support its #DonationGeneration initiative to encourage more people to donate clothes to charity shops and clothing banks.

WRAP’s end of year Textile Market Situation Report has recently been published which shines a light on the progress being made but shows that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

The stand-out figure is that there has been a 4% reduction in clothing going to landfill and incineration, however UK household spending on clothing has risen by 3%.

We’ve collated some more key statistics from the report, which provides in-depth
information on the latest economic trends and developments affecting the re-use and recycling of key recovered materials:

• 921,000 tonnes of used textiles ended up in household residual waste in 2017 including 336,000 tonnes of clothing;

• 620,000 tonnes of textiles were collected for re-use and recycling in 2018;

• Used textiles are discarded through a variety of routes including charity shop donations, textile banks, door to door collections, donations to family and friends, exchange buying and selling sites, school and community schemes – and, of course, the household waste bin.

• Most of the used textiles collected for re-use and recycling in the UK are destined for the re-use market: 32% is re-used in the UK, sold mostly in charity shops, and around 60% is exported;

• $4 billion worth of used textiles a year are exported globally and in 2017 the UK was the second-largest exporter in this area;

• Direct donations to charity shops (48%) and textile banks (37%) account for 85% of the total collected for re-used and recycling;

• Clothing bought in a given year will last for 3.3 years on average before it is discarded or passed on, with tops averaging 2.74 years and coats 4.58 years;

• There is also a stock of textiles that is neither used nor passed on but is instead stored in the ‘nation’s wardrobe, largely unused.

The Zip Yard’s stores across the UK will continue to promote the importance of making loved clothes last through alterations, repairs and restyling and support the donation of pre-loved items to charity and vintage shops.

Please join us by making a New Year’s Resolution which will make a real difference to our planet.