UK Textiles Pact Sets Out Ten – Point Plan for a Mandatory Textiles EPR Scheme

The UK Textiles Pact has published an industry-developed ten-point blueprint for a mandatory UK Textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme, setting out how the fashion and textile industry can stabilise the failing used-textiles sector and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Developed collaboratively by representatives from across the UK textiles value chain and published by WRAP, the Blueprint draws on lessons from established international EPR schemes and reflects strong cross-industry support for urgent Government action. Without intervention, the UK’s used-textiles system is at risk of collapse, with rising landfill, job losses, and projected costs to local authorities reaching £200 million per year by 2035.

The Blueprint responds to growing volumes of low-quality clothing entering the waste stream, with nearly half of all used textiles currently binned by consumers. Industry leaders argue that EPR is essential to shift responsibility upstream, fund reuse and recycling infrastructure, and ensure producers contribute fairly to end-of-life management.

The Blueprint’s Ten Recommendations for UK Textiles EPR:

1. Legislate within this Parliament to establish a mandatory UK Textiles EPR scheme.
2. Create a single, industry-led, non-profit Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), governed by a steering group representing the full value chain.
3. Include all UK nations within one unified scheme.
4. Adopt a phased approach to products in scope, with clear timelines for inclusion of different textile categories.
5. Align the definition of ‘producer’ with EU frameworks and existing UK EPR schemes such as WEEE.
6. Ringfence EPR funding for reinvestment into collection, sorting, reuse, recycling infrastructure and behaviour-change campaigns, with fees charged per item.
7. Eco-modulate fees to incentivise better design, durability, and more sustainable materials.
8. Prioritise reuse over recycling to maximise environmental and social value.
9. Explore a voluntary ‘plug-in’ mechanism, once UK infrastructure is established, to responsibly support Global South textile management.
10. Give the PRO an active enforcement role to ensure compliance and a level playing field for all producers.

A Critical Moment for the Industry

The Blueprint highlights that the cost of inaction far outweighs the cost of implementation, warning that continued landfill and incineration could add an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of CO₂e per year. A well-designed EPR scheme is positioned as both an environmental and economic intervention protecting charities, supporting local authorities, creating green jobs, and driving investment into UK reuse and recycling capacity.

Industry bodies including WRAP, UKFT, the British Retail Consortium, the British Fashion Council, and WEFT have signalled readiness to work with Government on detailed design and delivery. The ten-point plan provides a clear, industry-backed framework to ensure a UK Textiles EPR scheme is ambitious, practical, and fair and capable of transforming how clothing is designed, used, and recovered in the UK.