Primark ramps up sustainability efforts with ‘switch to preferred materials and circular design’
Primark has published its fourth Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report for 2024/25, showing the progress it has made in its Primark Cares strategy, which first launched over four years ago.
The high street giant has “scaled its switch to preferred materials”, with 74% of its clothes now made from recycled or more sustainably sourced fibres, up from 66% in 2023.
Over half ( 57%) of its clothing now contains cotton that is either organic, recycled or sourced from the Primark Cotton Project, the retailer’s unique training programme for cotton farmers in their supply chain.
One in 20 items (5%) are now circular by design, meaning they are easier to recycle at 'end of life'. Specific categories such as jersey (20%) and denim (8%) show notable progress.
Standout denim items from Primark’s recent AW25 collection were “designed with the end in mind”, crafted without elastane or metal rivets to make recycling easier at the end of their life.
Primark also collected its first full year of durability testing results for denim, socks and jersey, measured against Primark’s Durability Framework. That saw 77% of denim and jersey wear, and 69% of socks, achieve ‘aspirational’ durability levels when tested, maintaining quality after 45 washes.
Building on its work in traceability, 100% of clothing, textile and footwear suppliers in Primark’s supply chain have been onboarded to its traceability programme.
Lynne Walker, Director of Primark Cares, said: “People come to Primark for great value fashion and everyday essentials that are made to last. Four years on, we’ve shown that you don’t have to choose between sustainability and value.
“Our sustainability commitments belong to all of us at Primark and we continue to use our scale for good to help drive change both within Primark and outside it. We know we have a huge responsibility as a global retailer and there is always more to be done, but this year’s report shows that our efforts, and those of our suppliers and partners, are starting to bring about meaningful change.
“We continue to learn as we gather insights and data and further collaboration across the industry, both crucial to help us achieve our ambitions in this space.”
Other key takeaways in the report include:
- Primark achieved an overall 5.7% reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions compared to the 2019 baseline.
- Nearly one fifth (19%) of Primark’s ocean freight was transported using a biofuel blend, which is a more sustainable alternative to diesel, with a further 98% of journeys from ports to depots made using low-carbon fuel.
- 97 factories across Bangladesh, China and India have been onboarded onto Primark’s resource efficiency programme, which aims to support suppliers to reduce energy, water and chemical use, and greenhouse gas emissions and costs.
- Over 90% of farmers in Primark’s award-winning Primark Cotton Project have adopted at least two or more regenerative agricultural practices on at least 30% of their farmland.
- Nearly 1,400 colleagues have been trained to date as part of Primark’s ongoing work to embed responsible purchasing practices across the business.
- Four initiatives focused on supporting supply chain workers’ physical and mental health and well-being were implemented across more than 300 suppliers’ factories.
As part of its ongoing commitment to focus its efforts where it can have the greatest impact, Primark is reviewing its sustainability strategy to align with evolving regulations and changing customer expectations, with further updates to be shared next year.
