Updated report findings show we still have a long way to go.
WRAP’s Textiles Market Situation Report (TMSR) was first published in 2016, with a second edition in 2019. The report delivered a deep-dive into economic trends impacting on the re-use and recycling of key materials. 2020 onwards saw unprecedented times with Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a cost-of-living crisis and the report has been updated in 2024 to give us a better idea of how the textiles industry is fairing.
Please find below some interesting key findings from the latest WRAP report:
“UK Consumption
The covid-19 pandemic had a large impact on textiles consumption, with rates falling 330kt between 2019 and 2020, however this downward trend was temporary. Consumption figures are back to near pre-covid levels, with the UK consuming 1,420 kilotonnes of virgin products in 2022. The environmental impact of textiles consumption in the UK remains very high, with carbon and water footprints at 32.9 million tonnes of CO2e and 4.98 billion m3 of water.
UK Manufacturing
The number of textiles and apparel manufacturers within the UK has steadily grown, totalling 9,315. Although investment in Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) in the textile manufacturing sector has seen reductions, the sales value of manufactured textiles has increased and the technical textiles sector is expected to have year-on-year growth of 4.36% until 2030. Leading up to 2021 there was a significant decline in the value and volume of textile imports and exports, largely due to Covid-19 and Brexit. However following 2021, the volume of imports has recovered by only 12.5%. Yet, the cost of those imports is greater than pre-pandemic levels, indicating a shift towards higher £/kg ration.
Post-consumer Textiles
Approximately 1,450 kilotonnes of postconsumer textiles were generated in 2022. Around 727.7 kilotonnes of textiles were discarded to landfill or incineration, with 546.4 kilotonnes disposed of in household residual waste bins, equating to about 4.2% of general waste. 650 kilotonnes of PCTs generated were diverted to reuse and recycling from end-of-life disposal, where 421.6 kilotonnes were exported.”
