UKFT challenges new textile waste rules

LONDON — The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) has called on the UK government to clarify new Environment Agency guidance on waste and non-waste textiles, warning that the rules could disrupt established reuse and recycling routes for used clothing and footwear.

In a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UKFT says tougher criteria for exports risk reclassifying large volumes of reusable textiles as waste, with knock-on effects for overseas sorting and grading operations that underpin circular supply chains.