Irish fast fashion retailer Primark stated that 55 per cent of this year’s clothing line consisted of recycled or sustainably sourced materials, marking an uptick from last year’s 45 per cent.
The disclosure is featured in Primark’s second Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report, showcasing the company’s commitment to providing accessible and environmentally conscious fashion.
The company claims, this year, 46 per cent of cotton clothing sold contained cotton that was either organic, recycled or sourced from the Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme (PSCP), up from 40 per cent last year. PSCP, which celebrates a decade in operation this year, is now the largest programme of its kind for a single fashion retailer. The programme is now run in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, with a pilot launched in Turkey this year.
Primark has also rolled out a traceability and compliance platform, TrusTrace, to help gather data from the full supply chain of products, from raw materials to finished product. This information will help Primark to better understand and manage its supply chain.
Another significant milestone this year was Primark’s target of halving carbon emissions across its value chain by 2030 – being assessed and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Within its own operations, 70 per cent of Primark stores are now powered by renewable or low-carbon electricity and 141 stores have made the switch to energy-efficient lighting.
