1p sustainability tax on fashion industry rejected

Textile production contributes more to climate change than the aviation and shipping industries combined. That is the assertion of parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee, which made a number of recommendations to government to impose a tax upon the fashion industry. This tax would have funded recycling efforts and would have banned the incineration of unsold stock.

The government’s response was that there are already significant plans in place to address the issue and that they would prefer businesses to take the initiative themselves when it comes to certain elements of sustainability.

This decision comes in light of the UK currently sending 300,000 tonnes of clothing a year to incineration or landfill – a quite staggering figure.