Primark says 55 percent of clothing sold this year was ‘sustainably sourced’

Budget retailer Primark has published its second Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report in which it stated that it remains “on track to delivering its promise to offer more sustainable affordable fashion to everyone”.

According to the company, the defining achievement was that 55 percent of all clothes sold throughout the past 12 months contained recycled or more sustainably sourced materials, up from 45 percent in the year prior.

In addition to this, 46 percent of cotton clothing sold contained cotton that was either organic, recycled or sourced from Primark’s Sustainable Cotton Programme (PSCP), an increase of 6 percent.

Another milestone highlighted was that of Primark’s target of halving carbon emissions across its value chain by 2030, a mission that has been assessed and validated by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi).

Primark claimed that it has been focused on supporting suppliers in the switch to renewable energy sources, and has further scaled up efforts to bolster energy efficiency programmes across 57 factories in its supply chain.

This has also been mirrored in its stores, of which 70 percent are now powered by renewable or low-carbon electricity, as stated in the report.

Speaking on the achievements, Lynne Walker, director of Primark Cares, said: “Year two was about gaining momentum: scaling and embedding the principles, programmes and processes that will take us to 2030 and beyond, while acknowledging the learnings we face along the way.

“We continue to work with our partners and suppliers to drive change, and we’ve learnt more than ever how collaboration is crucial for delivery of our Primark Cares commitments. We’ve also been focused on upskilling and training our colleagues, who are an integral part of how we make change happen in our business.”