This report aims to understand the social and environmental impacts of the Fashion and textile industry, and the Sustainability challenges in the industry. The main focus of our work is on finding innovative solutions. However, first it is important to understand the issues.

We have observed that there has been a lot of commotion revolving around fair trade fashion and new niche clothing labels emerging. We need to make sustainable clothing mainstream, for which there are some aspects of the industry that need to be tackled.

Key issues in this regard are:

Consumption – the increasing number of fashion goods being purchased and disposed of

Cotton production requires lots of energy, water and pesticides.

Working conditions across the supply chain from cotton production to factories.

Unsustainable man-made fibres can take longer to degrade

Throughout this report we focus on ways for moving towards sustainable fashion.

The sustainable garment should be designed carefully and made from renewable material. It would be pesticide free and produced by workers in decent working conditions.

It would be washed at low temperatures and have fashion upgrades to extend its life.

Recycle, Reuse or Compost.

To make this vision a reality, the headline issues are:

Raising awareness among the key industry players. There needs to be a common understanding within the industry of the scenario- the sustainability issues that need to be focussed on.

Transparent supply chains should be developed. Brands and retailers should be able to trace the origins of their stock. This will ensure they can enforce high standards of sustainability.

International standards need to be reviewed and developed. This will help in creating a common ground so that brands and retailers can differentiate on other issues – for example fabrics used, design etc.

Training and support should be provided along the supply chain. As well as a fair price and terms of trade, suppliers need support, time, encouragement and incentives to convert to sustainable practices.

Empowering consumer – An important driving demand for sustainable clothing. Research shows that most of the carbon footprint of an item of clothing tends to be in its washing, ironing and tumble-drying. Raising awareness to change behaviour will make a big impact.

Designers are crucial in the success of sustainable fashion. They play a key role in coming up with innovative solutions for clothing, and making ethical fashion appeal to the target consumer ensuring it is in vogue, functional and stylish.

Contents

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Introduction

This report aims to draw a line in the sand for Primark to be able to move forward and seize opportunities.

Primark and (un)sustainability

Primark, the clothing industry, is challenged with the cycle of unsustainability. The relationship between productivity and resource use has entered into a lasting and unsustainable pattern.

The lifecycle of any common item of clothing are shown below. There are social, environmental and economic impacts at every stage. Research shows that energy use at the ‘usage’ phase overlaps that of any other stage so focusing on how we care for our clothes will have a significant impact. Having said that, impacts can be reduced at every stage.

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Why is Primark clothing unsustainable?

The social and environmental factors are poorly considered in clothing and this becomes very complicated.

But there are two main factors that have mainly pushed the sector towards ‘unsustainability’.

One is the high street dynamic. High competition has been blamed on driving costs and standards down. And fast fashion changes means that clothing has become more disposable.

The other is the complex and opaque global supply chain. Primark has different stages of production, often taking place in different parts of the world. Retailers can either purchase clothing directly from known suppliers or through agents and vendors. Before doing that, most fabrics (wool, cotton etc.) are bought on global commodity markets. Keeping track of items can be difficult in high stock turnover.

To identify and ensure standards of sustainability throughout the supply chain, Primark should know the origins of their materials or stock.