Charity shops and collection banks across the UK could be swamped with 67 million items of clothing and 22 million shoes as coronavirus restrictions begin to lift, according to a new analysis from waste body WRAP that warns millions of Britons have used the lockdown period to sort old clothes ahead of a major clear out. In a WRAP survey of 2,400 people carried out in May, 41 per cent revealed they had either already or planned to clear out unwanted textiles and clothing after lockdown restrictions began in mid-March, with the majority having stored those items ever since in preparation for when charity shops reopened.
The results would mean the average Briton is set to discard 11 items of clothes, with 49 per cent of survey respondents promising to donate these items through a charity shop, and 17 per cent via a charity bag collection service, according to WRAP. Textiles and clothing items are notoriously difficult to recycle, and large amounts of old clothing still end up being sent to landfill in the UK each year, where microplastics from synthetic textiles pose a particular problem in polluting waterways. WRAP said the proportion of people concerned by the environmental impacts of clothing had risen over the past three years in its annual survey, now standing at 50 per cent, up from 31 per cent in 2017.
The report – titled Changing our Clothes: Why the clothing sector should adopt new business models – surveyed citizens in India, the US, the UK, and other European countries, and points to “overwhelming interest” among fashion-focused consumers for new “disruptor initiatives” that prolong the life of clothes, according to WRAP. Such initiatives could include new emerging business models and services, such as clothing rental schemes, re-sale stores, and repair options.
Source: Business Green
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