Stuart Trevor, the founder of AllSaints, has charged that M&S is the “biggest offender” in terms of creating clothing that ends up in landfills. Trevor stated at an industry panel discussion that M&S produces the most clothing that ends up in landfills, especially in areas like Ghana.
According to Trevor, they are the biggest firm in the world and create more clothing that ends up in landfills than any other. Regarding the clothing’s environmental impact, he continued, the high street behemoth is “by far the worst defendant.”
Trevor said that in the early years of his previous company, AllSaints, he would purchase M&S’s classic St Michael line to imitate and apply. He did, however, point out that the quality of the retailer’s products, such as socks and pants, has drastically decreased recently, stating that his clothes now have “black fibres” all over them after washing.
Trevor’s remarks coincide with the fact that fashion trash is still a major worldwide issue, with Waste Managed estimating that the sector produces 92 million tonnes of textile waste yearly. With the fashion industry accounting for 10 per cent of global carbon emissions—more than all foreign travel and maritime freight combined—this has a substantial negative impact on the environment.
When it comes to fashion waste, the UK is among the worst offenders in Europe. Around 73 per cent of wasted textiles are not recycled, and almost 350,000 tonnes of garment waste are dumped in UK landfills annually.
