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Written Question
Waste Disposal
Monday 26th February 2024

Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department’s publication entitled Our Waste, Our Resources: A Strategy for England, published on 18 December 2018, what his policy is on (a) extended producer responsibility and (b) product standards for (i) textiles, (ii) bulky waste items, (iii) construction and demolition materials, (iv) vehicle tyres and (v) fishing gear.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are not exploring Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles, furniture, construction and fishing gear while we focus our efforts on delivering EPR for packaging. The Government remains committed to introducing EPR for packaging in 2025.

We are working on product standards for textiles, bulky waste items, construction and demolition material and fishing gear through:

  • Bulky waste: To take forward our commitment to improve waste prevention in the furniture and furnishings sector we encourage sharing of best practice on product design and take-back systems, through trade associations, voluntary agreements, and industry standards, such as initiatives to reduce waste mattresses led by the National Bed Federation.

  • Construction: The Government is working with industry to explore what policy interventions would best support a shift in the design of construction products to encourage greater reuse and use of recycled materials. This could potentially include options like resource efficiency product standards.

  • Textiles: We support the Waste and Resources Action Programme with grant funding of £860,000 2023/24 for Textiles 2030 which, through working with industry, looks at improving textile product standards such as recyclability and durability. Circular design for fashion and textiles | WRAP

  • End-of-life fishing gear: We are working through the British Standards Institution to improve gear design and reduce the environmental impact throughout its lifespan.

We do not have current plans to consult on EPR or product standards for vehicle tyres, but we will keep this option under review.


Written Question
Clothing: Fibres
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report by Textile Exchange, indicating that there are likely to be only 30 million tonnes available globally of "preferred materials" for fashion production, accounting for 19 per cent of global demand; and what steps are they taking to reduce the use of "non-preferred materials".

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Defra has not made an assessment of the Preferred Fiber and Materials Report by The Textiles Exchange. One of Defra’s delivery partners, WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), manages Textiles 2030, which commits signatories, who represent 62% of the fashion industry, to meet ambitious targets to reduce water and carbon consumption. WRAP has also done research on sustainable clothing design and produced guidance on fibre and fabric selection.

In July, Defra announced proposals for keeping textiles in use for longer and minimising textile waste. These proposals, which will be subject to consultation in 2024, include a requirement for non-domestic settings such as businesses to separate their textile waste from other types of waste so that it can be collected for reuse or recycling. This separately collected textile waste should not enter landfill or be incinerated. Defra is also proposing that certain retailers provide in store facilities so that customers can return their pre-loved textiles for recycling or reuse.


Written Question
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
Monday 11th September 2023

Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support UK based fashion businesses to compete with businesses in the EU.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Export Support Service (ESS) brings together information from across government, making it easier for exporters to find what they need in one place. The service also includes an Export Policy Hub which helps answer complex queries and analyse business intelligence to identify barriers to exporting and a Europe Market Access Centre, where local market experts in Europe will provide exporters with expertise.

Officials work closely with representatives from the textile and footwear sectors to understand how government can help businesses increase their UK manufacturing capabilities while increasing their exports.


Written Question
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
Friday 8th September 2023

Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department have taken to improve (a) environmental and (b) human sustainability practices in the fashion industry.

Answered by John Whittingdale

The textiles and fashion industry plays an important role in the UK’s social and cultural heritage, and is a major driver of economic growth - with UK designers and manufacturers exporting around the world. Improving the creative industries’ environmental impact was identified as a priority in our Creative Industries Sector Vision, published in June 2023.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) works with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on the work they are doing on textiles waste management. Defra’s ambitions for minimising textile waste are outlined in ‘Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste’ which constitutes a new Waste Prevention Plan and was published on 28 July 2023. Defra funds Textiles 2030, a voluntary initiative with over 110 signatories from the fashion manufacturing industry covering 62% by sales of the UK clothing market. Signatories are committed to reducing their carbon and water usage and to other circular economy principles such as agreeing good design principles so that their products are durable and recyclable.

DCMS also supports the UK Research and Investment (UKRI) £15 million Circular Fashion programme, launched in 2022 to bring the sector, academia and government together to understand and drive the fashion and textiles industry towards sustainable and responsible practices.


Written Question
Clothing: Waste
Tuesday 27th June 2023

Asked by: Ben Everitt (Conservative - Milton Keynes North)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to tackle waste generated by the consumption of fast fashion.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government’s 2018 Resources & Waste Strategy for England identified textiles, which includes waste generated by the consumption of fast fashion, as a priority sector for action. Our ambitions to minimise textile waste will be outlined in the upcoming document Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste, which constitutes a new Waste Prevention Programme for England. We expect to publish this in summer 2023.


Written Question
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
Thursday 1st December 2022

Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with external stakeholders about the potential merits of establishing a fashion industry regulator.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Ministers regularly meet with representatives from the fashion sector, including most recently from the Leicester textile industry, to discuss the key issues affecting the sector, including the introduction of a Fashion Watchdog / Garment Trade Adjudicator.

The Government continues to engage with enforcement bodies and industry partners to strengthen our understanding of the garment trade. The Government will continue to review this issue and consider options to drive up standards across the sector.


Written Question
Clothing and Textiles: Training
Monday 25th October 2021

Asked by: Lord Rogan (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the devolved administrations to agree a four-nation approach to broadening skills in the fashion and textiles sectors.

Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Skills provision is a devolved matter. It is for each nation to develop its own skills policies to meet local and national need. In England, we have introduced a range of skills polices and also published the ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper in January 2021, which sets out our blueprint to reform post-16 education and training. It is focused on giving people the skills they need, in a way that suits them, so they can get great jobs in sectors the economy needs and boost this country’s productivity. By 2030, almost all technical courses will be on employer-led standards, ensuring that the education and training people receive are directly linked to the skills needed for jobs.

Our polices and reforms are aimed at delivering high-quality provision across a range of sectors, including fashion and textiles.

The introduction of T Levels will boost access to high quality technical education for thousands of 16-19 year olds. T Levels in Craft and Design, developed by relevant employers including the British Fashion Council and UK Fashion & Textile Association, will be available for first teaching from September 2023. While T Levels are currently an England only offer, we are exploring the possibility of extending T Levels outside of the English market, giving opportunity to other administrations to benefit from the quality and ingenuity of T Levels where this fits with their overall post-16 provision

We are also committed to supporting more people to benefit from the high quality training that apprenticeships offer, including those at the start of their career or those looking to retrain. The department is responsible for apprenticeships policy in England only. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland receive a share of levy funding and it is the responsibility of the devolved administrations to decide how they spend this share to fund and operate their apprenticeship programmes.

In England there are currently 54 high quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards available for the creative and design sector, including 6 for fashion related opportunities. As of 3 August, we have introduced a £7 million fund to help employers in England set up flexi-job apprenticeships agencies, to support sectors such as agriculture, construction and the creative industries.

The government is investing £3 billion in the National Skills Fund, which includes £500 million in Barnett funding for the devolved administrations. We have not had any discussions with the devolved nations about a joint approach to broadening skills in the fashion and textiles sectors through the National Skills Fund, but in England, the government is supporting any adult who does not have A level equivalent or higher qualifications, to access over 400 fully funded level 3 courses, with Free Courses for Jobs. The offer includes qualifications that can support adults to progress in the fashion and textiles industry.


Written Question
Retail Trade: Clothing
Tuesday 13th April 2021

Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to tackle abusive purchasing practices by UK garment retailers.

Answered by Paul Scully

The Government expects businesses to be open and transparent in responding to consumers’ interest in where and how the products they source have been manufactured, including the use of raw materials. Since the introduction of the Modern Slavery Act, we have seen more businesses open up about their supply chains, identify high-risk areas and introduce tailored steps to support vulnerable workers.

UK listed companies are required to report on social and environmental impacts material to their business, including information about supply chains, where this is necessary for an understanding of the business as part of annual reports.

The Government response to the Transparency in Supply Chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020, committed to taking forwards an ambitious package of changes to strengthen and future-proof the Modern Slavery Act’s transparency legislation, including:

  • Extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more.
  • Mandating the specific reporting topics statements must cover.
  • Requiring organisations to publish their statement on the new Government digital reporting service.
  • Setting a single reporting deadline by which all modern slavery statements must be published.
  • Considering enforcement options in line with the ongoing development of the Single Enforcement Body for Employment rights.

Under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the UK became the first country in the world to require businesses to report on how they prevent modern slavery in their operations. Following consultation, the Home Office has announced a series of measures to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act. Organisations will be required to include information about their organisation’s structure and supply chains in their modern slavery statement or to explicitly state that their statement omits this information. These new measures will be introduced once parliamentary time allows.

The Government has been engaging with the British Retail Consortium on their proposals for a licensing scheme, and with Traidcraft on the Garment Trade Adjudicator to understand the impact that further regulation would have.

BEIS and the Home Office are also working in partnership with the industry through the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol, a partnership between enforcement bodies and industry partners, including, the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association. This is aimed at tackling all forms of labour exploitation in the garment industry.


Written Question
Clothing: Manufacturing Industries
Tuesday 23rd March 2021

Asked by: Claudia Webbe (Independent - Leicester East)

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 promote transparency and accountability within garment industry supply chains.

Answered by Paul Scully

UK listed companies are required to report on social and environmental impacts material to their business, including information about supply chains, where this is necessary for an understanding of the business as part of annual reports.

The Government looks to businesses to be open and transparent in responding to consumers’ interest in where and how the products they source have been manufactured, including the use of raw materials. Since being introduced, we have seen more businesses open up about their supply chains, identify high-risk areas and introduce tailored steps to support vulnerable workers.

The Government response to the Transparency in Supply Chains consultation, published on 22 September 2020, committed to taking forwards an ambitious package of changes to strengthen and future-proof the Modern Slavery Act’s transparency legislation, including:

  • Extending the reporting requirement to public bodies with a budget of £36 million or more.
  • Mandating the specific reporting topics statements must cover.
  • Requiring organisations to publish their statement on the new Government digital reporting service.
  • Setting a single reporting deadline by which all modern slavery statements must be published.
  • Considering enforcement options in line with the ongoing development of the Single Enforcement Body for Employment rights.

The Home Office announced a series of measures to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act, including introducing fines for businesses that do not comply with their transparency obligations. We will introduce the necessary legislation, setting out the level of those fines as soon as parliamentary time allows.

BEIS and the Home Office are also working in partnership with the industry through the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol, a partnership between enforcement bodies and industry partners, including, the British Retail Consortium, UK Fashion and the Textile Association. This is aimed at tackling all forms of labour exploitation in the garment industry.


Written Question
Clothing and Textiles: Coronavirus
Friday 15th January 2021

Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to support the UK's fashion and textile industry to rebuild following the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

The Government continues to offer a comprehensive support package for businesses including loan schemes, grant funding, tax deferrals, the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, all of which have been designed to be accessible to businesses in most sectors and across the UK.

On 5 January, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a £594 million discretionary fund to support other impacted businesses outside of the retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors, which is in addition to £1.1 billion further discretionary grant funding for Local Authorities and Local Restriction Support Grants worth up to £3,000 a month.

Ministers and officials in the Department and across Government continue to regularly engage with the fashion and textiles industry to explore ways in which Government can support long term recovery in the sector.