The UK Textiles Pact publishes an industry-developed ten-point blueprint for UK Textiles EPR

• Representatives of the UK textiles value chain through the UK Textiles Pact have developed recommendations that are crucial for a successful Textiles EPR scheme for the UK.
• The Blueprint for a UK Textiles EPR Scheme uses insights from established and emerging global textiles EPR schemes for a UK model.
• Without EPR, the UK used textiles industry will collapse, leading to job losses, more textiles going to landfill, and an additional £200 million cost per annum to local authorities 

Ahead of the Government’s forthcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, in summer 2025, a cross-industry position statement strongly supportive of a UK Textiles EPR scheme was released. The statement was developed collaboratively by global environmental NGO, WRAP, the British Retail Consortium, British Fashion Council, UK Fashion and Textiles Association, and WEFT. It called for an expert designed UK Textiles EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) scheme to support the crippled used-textiles industry and to fund innovations to drive circularity across the sector. 

The UK’s textiles sector has shown overwhelming demand for a mandatory UK Textiles EPR scheme that is co-designed with industry and has developed the Blueprint as a detailed first step in the process. Building on the principles outlined in the cross-industry position statement, the UK Textiles Pact has convened stakeholders of the UK textiles value chain to determine what a progressive textiles EPR scheme should look like for the UK. This Blueprint summarises the value chain’s opinions on how a UK Textiles EPR scheme should be designed and implemented. 

Whilst the Blueprint is published by WRAP, the recommendations represent the value chain’s opinions. The Blueprint shows key industry positions on what a UK Textiles EPR scheme could look like, learnings from preexisting textiles EPR schemes in other countries, as well as noting areas that need further work prior to implementation of a scheme. 

The UK’s used textiles sector is buckling and desperately needs support. It is drowning in low quality clothing, with nearly half (49%) of all used textiles being thrown in the bin by the public, the equivalent 35 items per person per year binned. WRAP reported last year how charities, local authorities and the public will shoulder the cost of the UK’s used textiles emergency if solutions are not prioritised. 

If the situation continues as is, local authorities could see the cost of dealing with used textiles increase from £73 million to £137 million per year, raising to £200 million per year in 2035. These figures are conservative and do not include additional costs from the extension of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to the waste sector in 2028 or general increases in waste management fees. Altogether, these combined costs would likely be passed on to the public through council tax rises and charities would be vulnerable to income loss.

Jordan Girling, Head of EPR at WRAP, said: The UK’s textiles value chain is truly committed to co-designing a mandatory UK Textiles EPR scheme, as demonstrated by the extensive stakeholder engagement during the 2025 convening and co-development of this Blueprint. Stakeholders back the development of an EPR scheme and the UK Textiles Pact will continue to impartially support the convening and scheme development during 2026 and beyond. 

“Urgent action is the only way to prevent charities, local authorities and consumers bearing the cost of dealing with the nation’s unwanted textiles. The cost of inaction is greater than the cost of establishing a UK EPR scheme. EPR levels the playing field to ensure all brands and manufacturers take more responsibility for their products at end of use. This includes paying fees to fund collections, sorting, reuse, and recycling infrastructure, as well as consumer behaviour change campaigns. This financial lifeline couldn’t come at a more crucial time for the sector, and many brands are supportive of an EPR proposition.” 

The production of this Blueprint demonstrates the sector’s commitment to ensuring that a UK Textiles EPR scheme will be efficient and impactful, generating funding for the sustainable management of used/waste textiles, significantly reducing the quantity of used/waste textiles being landfilled and incinerated, incentivising the introduction of more circular and sustainable products to the UK market, mitigating the risk of a new EPR scheme inadvertently increasing the purchase cost of products which would negatively impact consumers, and creating a large amount of green jobs.

The environmental impact of inaction would also be huge: there would be an estimated increase of 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year due to a rise in the landfill and incineration of discarded garments.

Adam Mansell, CEO at UKFT, said: "Implementing a textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme is a critical step in delivering a more circular UK fashion and textile industry. It has the potential to drive investment in the reuse and recycling infrastructure we urgently need, while providing vital support to the used textile sector. The Blueprint demonstrates the importance of a mandatory scheme that is co-designed with industry, balancing environmental ambition with the economic and operational realities faced by businesses. Any future framework must support circular economy objectives while remaining practical and workable for producers.”

Sophie De Salis, Sustainability Policy Advisor at the BRC, said: "The BRC is proud to join other industry bodies in calling on Government to deliver an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textiles. A well-designed, well-sequenced and industry-led scheme has the power to revitalise our textiles waste management system, create more jobs in the circular economy and ultimately lead to better designed textiles in the market. The industry is ready to work with Government to deliver this." 

Kristina Bull, Co-founder of WEFT said: "Collaboration is key to progressing discussions on the design of a UK textiles EPR scheme. WRAP's work on a Blueprint captures a breadth of views from across the textiles value chain and builds on earlier collaborative work across the sector. From an economic standpoint, a mandatory EPR scheme represents an opportunity to stabilise the used-textiles market, support domestic infrastructure, and protect jobs across collection, sorting and reuse. While there will be differing views on the detail, continued cross-sector engagement will be essential to ensure any future scheme delivers value for all of industry and the wider economy.”

The Blueprint’s 10 recommendations for a UK Textiles EPR scheme are to:

1. Publish legislation this parliament to establish a mandatory UK Textiles EPR scheme.
2. Set up an industry-led scheme run by a single, non-profit Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), with a steering committee representing the whole value chain.
3. Include all UK nations in the scheme.
4. Consider a phased approach to products included within the scope of EPR, with clear timelines for when different textile items are included. Options of how this could be approached are detailed within the Blueprint.
5. Align the definition of ‘producers’ with the EU and existing UK producer responsibility schemes for other problematic waste streams, such as Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE).
6. Ensure EPR funding is ringfenced for direct reinvestment into the scheme’s success, and charge EPR fees per item.
7. Make fees eco-modulated to reward sustainable design and materials.
8. Prioritise reuse over recycling to maximise environmental benefits.
9. After the successful implementation of a UK Textiles EPR scheme that generates funding for UK processing infrastructure, the industry-led PRO could conduct further exploratory work to consider a ‘plug-in’ to the EPR scheme that ‘producers’ can engage in voluntarily to further support the Global South with managing used textiles from the UK sustainably.
10. The PRO should play an active role in EPR scheme enforcement to ensure a fair playing field for producers and to maximise the impact of the scheme. 

WRAP recently supported Ireland’s Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in taking its initial steps towards designing a national EPR scheme for the country. WRAP has also supported the design and creation of Australia’s product stewardship scheme, Seamless, and through funding from the German Federal Environmental Foundation, is currently commissioned to work with the Confederation of the German Textile & Fashion Industry, Stichting GRS Batterien and GRS PRO to help shape Germany’s Textiles EPR scheme.

WRAP recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary and currently works with more than 1,000 businesses, and global governments across 40 countries to change how businesses operate, and people behave, to bring circular living into every boardroom and every home. The ultimate objective is to reduce the impact everyone has on climate change. Textiles EPR is a vital milestone which would help propel the UK towards this vision.