Valuing our clothing – an opportunity in the making

You may have spotted some rather amusing headlines today and at the weekend relating to a report on clothing that we at WRAP are soon to publish.

Now while I realise that the words ‘undies’ and ‘pants’ make for great headlines, I have to tell you that talk of a national underwear recycling campaign off the back of the report was just wrong.

Our ground-breaking research into all aspects of clothing will, undoubtedly, shed some light into the dark recesses of the nation’s wardrobe, but contrary to reports, its focus is not on underwear.

What we are doing, is putting together some compelling information about how we can get more value from all clothing and extend its useful life – examining the true cost of the way we design, use and dispose of clothing in the UK.

At a time when natural resources – and family budgets - are coming under more pressure, we think this report is very timely.

What we are focusing on, are the carbon, water and waste footprints of the clothes we buy and use. As part of the work we’ve done, we’ll also be exploring some of the opportunities presented to reduce the resource impacts of clothing supply, use and disposal.

We also think there are some great commercial opportunities for existing and new businesses to take a fresh look at the way we make, buy and dispose of clothes, and there’s an appetite out there among retailers and brands to do just this.

They’ve already been exploring some of these ideas and rethinking current practices as part of the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan.

Our forthcoming report is going to build on these foundations and I’m excited - as are those we’ve been working with – about the potential that exists.

We’ll soon be in a position to share the detail with you. Just don’t expect a chapter on pants!