Primark and WRAP are embarking on a new partnership to support the retailer’s commitment to giving clothes a longer life.
Running over three years, the partnership will explore how collaboration and innovative solutions can keep clothing in circulation for longer to help reduce textile waste. This includes looking at the next step for Primark’s textile donation scheme and routes to expand its existing circularity ambitions.
As part of the partnership, Behaviour Change, a subsidiary of WRAP, will be contributing its behavioural science expertise, while Primark's takeback partner, Yellow Octopus, will also be an advisory.
The partnership comes as research from WRAP reveals that 1.6 billion items of clothing are sitting unused in wardrobes across the nation and almost half (49%) of all used textiles are disposed of in the general waste. The research found that Primark’s takeback scheme was the fifth most used in the UK in the past year, but only 22% of survey respondents had ever used a takeback scheme. This indicates that there is still a knowledge gap about how to dispose of clothing – many people are unaware that retailers like Primark offer textile donation schemes.
Progress from partnership so far
Knowledge mapping: WRAP and Primark worked together to consolidate their knowledge base and conducted further research where gaps were identified, particularly around consumer awareness and understanding of textile donation schemes. This also included exploring barriers and motivations for donating good quality used clothing to high street fashion stores such as Primark.
Why WRAP and Primark?
Primark is committed to offering both affordable and sustainable fashion for its customers and is working with WRAP to find new solutions in this space. WRAP has an ambition to embed Circular Living* in every boardroom and every home.
In 2016, Primark joined WRAP’s sector-wide Sustainable Clothing Action Plan, and then became a founding member of WRAP’s current industry initiative, Textiles 2030. It has since developed its own Primark Cares strategy and Circular Product Standard. To help give its clothes a longer life, Primark has committed to making its clothes recyclable by design by 2027. Over the past two years, the retailer has embedded circular design principles into some of its clothing collections, and last year launched its first collection of 35 pieces across menswear, womenswear, and kid’s wear made in line with the Primark Circular Product Standard. Since then, it continues to scale this ambition, including the launch of a kid’s wear range and a recent collaboration with long-term partner, Disney, marking 30 years of The Lion King, both designed with the future in mind.
Primark has also played a key role in WRAP and Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC)’s Durability Research Project, which is setting standards for prolonged clothing life, recently publishing its Durability Framework to support on delivering enhanced durability across its product ranges. By making the framework publicly available, Primark aims to drive a positive dialogue on the topic among industry peers and partners. The global fashion retailer will also use the framework to help continue to boost the lifespan across its clothing.
Next steps
Pilot design: Insights from the knowledge mapping exercise are being used to shape pilot recommendations for Primark’s textile donation scheme and other potential circular clothing initiatives as part of the partnership.
Catherine David, Director of Behaviour Change & Business Programmes at WRAP, said:
“We are proud to be continuing our work, which spans many years, with Primark via this new partnership. Circular living is a key business opportunity for this generation so it is fantastic to see a fashion giant like Primark gaining recognition in this emerging area. Without widespread scaling of circular business models which are accessible to people, the world will not be able to achieve vital carbon and water reductions. WRAP’s mission is to embed circular living in every boardroom and every home. We are working in new ways with businesses like Primark, and across the world, to accelerate progress towards our goal of cutting the carbon footprint of the textiles industry in half by 2030.”
Lynne Walker, Director of Primark Cares said:
“Through our Primark Cares strategy, we are committed to becoming a circular and more sustainable business. This partnership with WRAP is an important step in understanding how we can give clothes longer life and reduce textile waste. Combining our expertise will allow us to better understand consumer behaviour, enhance our takeback schemes, and scale our circularity initiatives. We believe that by working together, we can make a meaningful impact in driving change across the fashion industry.”
Ends.
Notes to Editor
*Circular Living means changing from our current take-make-dispose approach to a design-make-reuse approach that radically reduces waste and carbon emissions from everyday products. Circular Living is creating a world with higher standards of living by using our precious resources more intelligently. It is helping us tackle climate change, protect nature, and reduce inequality.
Behaviour Change is a social enterprise founded in 2009. We help businesses, charities, government and foundations to create social and environmental change with big ideas grounded in behavioural science. Some of our work includes 50 Things and the Chewing Gum Task Force.
WRAP is a global environmental action NGO catalysing policy makers, businesses and individuals to transform the systems that create our food, textiles and manufactured products. Together these account for nearly 50% of global greenhouse emissions. Our goal is to enable the world to transition from the old take-make-dispose model of production to more sustainable approaches that will radically reduce waste and carbon emissions from everyday products. To do so we examine sustainability challenges through the lens of people’s day-to-day lives and create solutions that can transform entire systems to benefit the planet, nature and people.
Our work includes: UK Plastics Pact, Courtauld Commitment 2030, Textiles 2030 and the campaigns Love Food Hate Waste and Recycle Now. We run Food Waste Action Week and Recycle Week.
About Primark
Primark is an international fashion retailer employing more than 80,000 colleagues across 17 countries in Europe and the US. Founded in Ireland in 1969 under the Penneys brand, Primark aims to provide affordable choices for everyone, from great quality everyday essentials to stand-out style across women’s, men’s and kids, as well as beauty, homeware and accessories. With a focus on creating great retail experiences, Primark has over 440 stores globally and continues to expand with the aim of reaching 530 stores by the end of 2026.
Primark is working to make more sustainable fashion affordable for everyone through its Primark Cares strategy, a multi-year programme that focuses on giving clothing a longer life, protecting life on the planet and supporting the livelihoods of the people who make Primark clothes. As part of this, Primark unveiled nine commitments it is working to achieve by 2030. These commitments include making all of its clothes from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030, halving carbon emissions across its value chain and pursuing a living wage for workers in its supply chain. More information can be found here: www.primark.com/en-gb/primark-cares.