Primark’s second Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report claims 55% of all its clothes sold contained recycled or “more sustainably sourced materials” in 2022/23, up from 45% in the previous year.
The retailer’s second Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report highlights Primark’s scaled-up pilot programmes and projects. Earlier this year, the retailer launched a new circular product collection, which it says sold over three million units of circular clothing.
Primark has also rolled out a traceability and compliance platform, TrusTrace, to help gather data from the full supply chain of products.
The report says 46% of cotton clothing sold by Primark contained cotton that was either organic, recycled or sourced from the Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme (PSCP), up from 40% last year. The PSCP is run in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with a pilot launched in Turkey this year.
Primark says it has also opened 100 repair workshops across four markets – the UK, Ireland, France and the Netherlands. The retailer says it has also extended durability wash testing to cover 39% of all its clothing.
Another critical element is how we can inspire and educate our customers.
The retailer has also partnered with Hubbub and the University of Leeds to support a study on the factors that impact the durability of clothing and what role price plays in how long a garment lasts. The research found that there is no correlation between how long an item of clothing lasts and its price, and said there is an “urgent need” for the industry to align on a recognised durability standard.
Commenting on the launch of the second Report, Lynne Walker, Director of Primark Cares, said: “We continue to work with our partners and suppliers to drive change, and we’ve learnt more than ever how collaboration is crucial for the delivery of our Primark Cares commitments.
“We’ve also been focused on upskilling and training our colleagues, who are an integral part of how we make change happen in our business. Another critical element is how we can inspire and educate our customers and bring them with us on our change journey.”
