In 2022, the United Kingdom generated about 1.45 million tonnes of used textiles. The environmental impact of textile consumption in the UK is significant, with carbon and water footprints reaching 32.9 million tonnes of CO2e and 4.98 billion cubic meters of water, respectively. Let's bear in mind that almost 60% of fibres produced annually worldwide still originate from fossil fuels.
Textile waste can be categorised into pre-consumer and post-consumer waste. Pre-consumer waste includes textiles generated during manufacturing, operations, and distribution processes, as well as unsold clothing. Post-consumer waste comprises used textiles discarded by consumers. The majority of textile waste generated globally falls into the post-consumer category.
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