Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to help (a) tackle exploitation and (b) improve sustainability in the UK garment supply chain sector.

In 2015 we introduced the Modern Slavery Act which requires businesses with a turnover of £36m or more to publish an annual modern slavery statement stating the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Since October 2020, a wide group of stakeholders comprising retailers, manufacturers and non-profit organisations have been working with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority under the Apparel and General Merchandise Public Private Protocol to address poor working, pay, and purchasing practices in the UK supply chain.

The Government is committed to reducing waste and improving sustainability in the UK textiles industry, which is why textiles was identified as a priority waste stream in the 2018 Resources and Waste Strategy for England. In 2021 Defra funded WRAP’s new ambitious voluntary programme, Textiles 2030. Signatories represent over 62% of all clothing placed on the UK market and commit to ambitious, science-based targets including a 50% reduction in carbon footprint of new products and 30% reduction in water footprint, both by 2030.