Primark debuts targets to slash environmental impact
Fast fashion chain Primark has pledged to improve its environmental impact with changes to its products and boosting workers’ wages.
The retailer said it would use more recyclable materials, make sure clothing lasted longer, and raise wages for workers, all while keeping prices the same for the consumer.
This is the first time Primark has published its own measurable targets while consumers have taken a keen interest in companies’ sustainability agendas over recent years.
The company is known for selling clothes at competitive prices and sells more than a billion items a year.
It has been criticised for its heavy use of water and chemicals as well as for encouraging a throwaway fashion culture where items are only worn a few times.
“We believe that sustainability shouldn’t be priced at a premium that only a minority can afford,” CEO Paul Marchant said.
A dedicated team will work with factories to improve energy efficiency levels and encourage the use of renewable power.
Primark will look to eliminate single-use plastic and continue a switch to farming practices that use less water and fewer chemicals.
The fashion chain also set out intentions to strengthen the durability of clothes by 2025, make them recyclable by design by 2027 and make all its clothes from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030.
It said it would also work with factories to improve wages for textile employees.