The Sustainable Clothing Roadmap is a clothing industry initiative established since September 2007 involving over 300 companies along the clothing supply chain and co-ordinated by Defra (the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to provide a platform for an integrated approach to improving the environmental and ethical performance of clothing throughout the sector. While it operates out of the UK, it has international linkages in order to influence the global supply chains manufacturing most UK consumed clothes, 90% of which are imported. The aim is to drive sustainability from retailers down through the clothing -supply chain and fast track best practice through establishing sound science based EVIDENCE and agreeing prioritised ACTIONS (short to long term) and disseminating industry best practice cases in order to catalyse change throughout the sector.

The European Outdoor Group’s, Sustainability Working Group is part of Defra’s Steering Group, working with them to provide a voice for and to the industry. Here we excerpt an article from textiles (issue 4 2009, published by The Textile Institute) covering the latest update on the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap including the latest report on the “Maximising Reuse and Recycling of UK Clothing and Textiles” study and we also provide Part 2, “Reducing the Environmental Impacts of Clothes Cleaning”.

Full article Sustainable Clothing Roadmap – Industry Initiative Part 1

Full article Sustainable Clothing Roadmap – Industry Initiative Part 2

Publications and other background information are available for the industry to use via the Sustainable Clothing Roadmap website