MP asks fashion bosses to reveal their environmental record

Mary Creagh, MP, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, has written to the bosses of the top 10 fashion companies in the UK to ask them to reveal what steps they are taking to reduce the environmental and social impact of the clothes and shoes they sell.

The request for evidence will inform the Committee’s inquiry into the sustainability of the fashion industry, which was launched earlier this year and is investigating how the UK’s fashion industry – that is now worth more than £32bn a year to the UK economy – can reduce its environmental footprint.

"The way we design, produce and discard our clothes has a huge impact on our planet. Fashion and footwear retailers have a responsibility to minimise their environmental footprint and make sure the workers in their supply chains are paid a living wage. We want to hear what they are doing to make their industry more sustainable," Creagh said.

In her letter Creagh (see below for full transcript) asks fashion bosses a series of questions around fair treatment of garment workers, the use of chemicals and water in the manufacturing process, the typical lifespan of garments produced, what happens to returned items and steps take to reuse and recycled old and unwanted clothing.

Fashion bosses may be called to give evidence to Parliament

She has told the industry leaders from the following ten companies – Marks & Spencer, Primark, Next, Arcadia Group, Asda, TK Maxx and HomeSense, Tesco, JD Sports Fashion, Debenhams and Sports Direct International – that they may be invited to give evidence in Parliament. She has given a deadline for 12 October for replies and hearings will take place in November and has made it clear that findings will be published including noting those companies which fail to reply.

Her letter follows on from a request for information sent to from experts, campaigners, and sustainable fashion innovators earlier this year. Today, based on the written submissions received, the EAC has published some of its findings.

• - Consumption of new clothing is higher in the UK than any other European country – 26.7kg per capita. This compares to a consumption rate of 16.7 (Germany), 16.0 (Denmark), 14.5 (Italy), 14.0 (Netherlands) and 12.6 (Sweden). (Submission from Textiles Recycling Association)
• - Clothing production has roughly doubled in 15 years. During the past 10 years studies suggest that the number of items of clothing purchased per consumer has increased more than two fold. (Submission from Traid)
• - Academic research within Leicester, as a UK sourcing hub, found that most garment workers (75-90%) are paid below the National Minimum Wage, do not have employment contracts, and are subject to intense and arbitrary work practices. (British Retail Consortium)
• - Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothing ends up in household residual waste every year, with around 80% going to landfill and 20% incinerated. (Submission from Traid)
• - There is clear evidence that marine habitats around the UK and globally are being contaminated with synthetic fibres. (Submission from Professor Thompson, University of Plymouth)
• - A single domestic wash can release in the region of 700,000 fibres to wastewater. Some fibres are intercepted in wastewater treatment but some escape to the environment. (Submission from Professor Thompson, University of Plymouth)
• - The global fashion industry produced 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2015, more emissions than international flights and maritime shipping combined. (Submission from Institution of Mechanical Engineers)
• - Demand for clothing in the UK drives the production of almost three times more emissions outside of the UK than it drives domestically. (Submission from Soil Association)
• - Clothing production uses a large volume of water and can result in extensive water pollution. In 2016, the water footprint of clothing in use in the UK was around eight billion cubic metres (with each cubic metre equalling 1,000 litres) of water. (Submission from Traid)
• - A pair of Levi's 501 jeans will use 3,781 litres in its full lifecycle, from growing cotton and its manufacture through to consumer care and end-of-life disposal. (Submission from Institution of Mechanical Engineers)
• - Countries such as China, India and Pakistan, which now supply most of the cotton for UK clothes, are more likely to suffer severe water stress and scarcity. (Submission from Traid)

Mary Creagh, MP

Mary Creagh, MP's letter to fashion bosses in full