UK based charity WRAP has unveiled a five year plan which aims to create a revolution in the way that industries use resources, which also includes textiles and clothing. “Resource Revolution: Creating the Future” sets out how WRAP will work with businesses, governments and consumers to create the step change needed to meet the demands of the future generations. According to a WRAP press release, it will drive a step change in the sustainable production of clothing and textiles and will be done by reducing resource use in manufacture, encourage re-use and increase recycling. WRAP said it has already built the case for change by supplying the evidence through the ‘Valuing our Clothes’ report. “WRAP’s work with the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), a voluntary agreement aimed at improving the sustainability of clothing across its lifecycle has already made progress,” the charity added. This has been achieved with leading clothing sector companies pledging to measure and reduce their environmental footprints by signing up to the SCAP 2020 Commitment The consumer campaign, ‘Love Your Clothes’ has also launched to help raise awareness of the value of clothes and help people make the most of the clothes they already own. WRAP has set out a number of ambitious goals for the sector up to 2020, which include; 15 per cent reduction each in carbon footprint, water and waste to landfill, respectively. The SCAP 2020 Commitment goal also includes 3.5 per cent decreasing in waste arising over the whole product lifecycle of textiles and apparel. Between 2010 and 2015 alone, WRAP initiatives cut greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50 million tons, which is equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of Portugal. Its other programs reduced waste by 4 million tons, diverted 29 million tons of waste from landfill and lessened water consumption by 856 million cubic litres. WRAP works in partnership with governments, businesses, trade bodies, local authorities, communities and individuals looking for practical advice to improve resource efficiency that delivers both economic and environmental benefits. Its mission is to accelerate the move to a sustainable resource-efficient economy through; re-inventing how we design, produce and sell products; re-thinking how we use and consume products and finally re-defining what is possible through recycling and reuse. WRAP has a strong track record of identifying areas of waste and delivering actions to reduce and prevent it. This is done through developing the evidence and business case for change, delivering industry-leading voluntary agreements, running effective consumer campaigns and measuring impact to improve targeted action. WRAP’s five year plan sets out the nextstep change needed to be undertaken in each of the three priority areas to reduce the impact on the environment and to improve business efficiency.
