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Charge 1p per garment to tackle fast fashion: British MPs

21
Feb '19

A panel of British parliament members (MPs) cutting across party lines recently suggested charging fashion producers a penny per garment to fund better clothing collection and recycling to end throwaway fashion. The Environmental Audit Committee urged ministers to make retailers take responsibility for the waste they generate and reward firms taking positive steps.

In a report, the committee recommended ‘clear economic incentives’ to encourage retailers for the same and tax reforms to reward companies that design products with lower environmental impact and penalise those that do not.

They proposed extending the tax on virgin plastics, due to be effective in 2022, to synthetic textile products to encourage the use of recycled fibres. They also recommended exploring hiring, swapping or subscription services for apparel.

An Extended Producer Responsibility scheme for textiles could raise £35 million for better clothing collection and sorting, which in turn could create new ‘green’ jobs, it said.

Consumption of new clothing in the United Kingdom—at 26.7 kg per person—is estimated to be higher than any other European country.

The MPs also urged the government to change the law to require firms to perform due diligence checks across their supply chains to ensure their products are made without child or forced labour.

The British Retail Consortium welcomed the released of the report, saying the committee has agreed with its calls for better government enforcement of labour rights in factories to support the work retailers are doing on this and to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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