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Primark joins the UN Fashion Charter

Tom Shearsmith
29 October 2020

Primark has announced that it has joined the United Nations’ Fashion Charter (UNFCCC), committing to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030.

In joining the Charter Primark is committing to tackling emissions from across its entire value chain, including beyond its own operations, which make up the vast majority of its carbon footprint.

The retailer is committed to analysing and setting a decarbonisation pathway drawing on methodologies from the Science-Based Targets Initiative.

Primark has already implemented several processes across its manufacturing, distribution, and store operations to identify and reduce its carbon footprint.

The fashion retailer has worked to identified further GHG reduction opportunities to effect positive change, making significant headway by tackling emissions generated by the use of raw fabrics and materials, which are its largest source of GHG.

It is doing this among other things by:

  • Doubling the number of its products made using recycled materials to 40 million items. this autumn.
  • Training cotton farmers in more environmentally friendly practices since 2013 and significantly expanding the Primark Sustainable Cotton programme in 2019.
  • Partnering with charities since 2010 to donate unsold products from its stores, to raise funds for those in need.
  • Operating an in-store recycling scheme for customers in the UK.
  • Supporting its suppliers’ factories to implement the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Facility Environmental Module tool to monitor the energy usage and carbon emissions.
  • Developing a packaging optimisation programme with PAC-D to train its suppliers’ factories to accurately measure products and efficiently package them into shipping cartons.
  • Shipping, rather than air freighting the vast majority of products from its suppliers’ factories.

Katharine Stewart, Ethical Trade and Environmental Sustainability Director at Primark said: “We are delighted to be joining the UNFCCC and are committing to cutting our emissions across our value chain. As a global fashion retailer, we are passionate about finding solutions to the challenges of climate change and recognise that there is always more to do.

"While we have big ambitions to make our business more sustainable, we also know that even our small changes can make a big difference, simply because of our size. And we want to do all this without passing the cost on to our customers, as we believe that sustainable fashion shouldn’t come with a big price tag.”

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