Anger after 1p tax on ‘fast fashion’ is rejected by ministers
MINISTERS came under fire last night for rejecting a ‘fast fashion tax’ on throwaway clothes to help raise money to deal with waste.
MPs from all parties had argued that a 1p charge per item would help fund the collection and recycling of the mountain of cheap clothing that is thrown away every year.
But the Government rejected this and other initiatives from the Commons environmental audit committee designed to tackle pollution caused by waste clothing and offer greater protection for factory workers making cheap clothes.
Instead, ministers said they have developed their own initiatives – some based on voluntary efforts by the fashion industry.
In response, committee chairman Mary Creagh said: ‘Fashion producers should be forced to clear up the mountains of waste they create. The Government has rejected our call, demonstrating that it is content to tolerate practices that trash the environment and exploit workers despite having just committed to net zero emission targets.’
The Labour MP added: ‘ The Government is out of step with the public who are shocked by the fact that we send 300,000 tons of clothes a year to incineration or landfill. Ministers have failed to recognise that urgent action must be taken to change the fast fashion business model which produces cheap clothes that cost the Earth.’
Online retailers selling dresses for £5 or less have helped fuel the idea that clothes are disposable.
At the same time, much of the fast fashion is made from plastic which sheds billions of polluting particles into the seas when they are washed.
The MPs on the environmental audit committee said a 1p charge could raise £35million a year to deal with waste.
But in an official response rejecting the idea, the Government said it is looking at alternatives. These include developing a ‘producer responsibility’ scheme that will make companies carry the cost for tackling fashion waste in some way. But there is no timescale for this, while consultation on any scheme might take until 2025.
Ministers have also rejected the committee’s call for a legal ban on incinerating or sending unsold stock to be buried in landfill. Instead, the Government says it wants the industry to do more to find uses for waste textiles.
The MPs called for mandatory environmental targets on large fashion retailers, however the government says it prefers voluntary industry efforts.
On protection for British workers making cheap clothing, the MPs wanted greater efforts to enforce the minimum wage and combat exploitation and modern slavery. However, the Government said official enforcement agencies are already taking a more proactive approach to deal with these issues.
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