ReLondon’s textiles lead, Rachel Singer, outlines London’s plans to accelerate the capital’s fashion industry’s transition to a low carbon circular economy.
This week marks Fashion Revolution Week 2025, an annual campaign spearheading the world’s biggest fashion activism movement with the goal of making the global fashion system more sustainable. Here in London, we recognise the urgent need for a sweeping change in our relationship with fashion and textiles, particularly around the sector’s environmental impact.
Globally the fashion and textiles industry is the fifth highest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for between 2 to 8% of emissions. 98 million tonnes of valuable non-renewable resources are used to produce our textiles each year, making fashion the world’s fourth biggest user of raw materials.
And the industry continues to produce clothes at staggering volumes, with global consumption projected to increase 63% by 2030 and total clothing sales set to reach 160 million tonnes by 2050 – more than three times today’s amount.
Meanwhile here in London, clothing accounts for a quarter of the emissions associated with the consumption of goods across the city. Londoners acquire 154,600 tonnes of new clothes, or 48 garments each, every year – creating over 2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually. And our rising consumption, shorter garment lifecycles, and limited options for recycling mean that London’s clothing contributes to significant environmental impacts globally.
We urgently need systemic change to revolutionise our relationship with clothing and tackle the industry’s damaging environmental impacts.
Thankfully, there are solutions within our grasp: our landmark report London’s fashion footprint evidences how we can slash annual emissions by over a third through greater reuse and repair of existing clothing and using more sustainable fibres in new clothing production.
To kickstart this transition in London, we’re working with local authorities, businesses and citizens to encourage a better relationship with our clothing and textiles.
Thinking globally, acting locally.
As one of the world’s great fashion capitals, London can be a global exemplar for circular fashion and textiles; by delivering action across the supply chain to reduce the sector’s environmental footprint we can support a just transition towards a zero waste, low carbon fashion industry.
To support this transition, ReLondon has worked with the Greater London Authority, London Councils One World Living programme, London boroughs and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation to develop a textiles action plan for London.
Published in March 2025, the London Textiles Action Plan outlines nine activities for London boroughs, partner organisations and fashion industry actors to accelerate progress towards a low carbon circular economy for fashion:
1. Circular economy hubs for textiles
Explore opportunities for London’s boroughs to support the growth and development of local spaces where textiles can be recovered, remanufactured or reused.
2. Repair voucher schemes
Increase the uptake of repair by subsidising the cost of professional services.
3. Educational programmes for schools
Develop educational resources, establish reuse mechanisms within schools, change student behaviour through swap programmes, and distribute clothing to families in need.
4. Small business support
Provide advice, connections and grants for innovative London-based circular businesses that are using business models such as sharing, rental and reuse as well as upcycling and repair of clothes garments. Examples include ReLondon’s ReWear grant programme.
5. Textiles map/directory
Develop an online map that identifies local assets (such as textile banks, repairers, scrap shops and hubs) and highlights businesses that promote circular designs and/or business models.
6. Segregated textile collections
Increase the volume of textiles that get collected for reuse, and reduce waste by connecting local authorities and textile collectors/charities to come up with ways of collecting different grades of used clothing from all 33 London boroughs.
7. Procurement framework for the public sector
Update internal procurement policies for textiles and develop either voluntary guidance or a formal commitment to buy textiles in a more circular way.
8. Pan-London campaign
Actively promote circular alternatives such as second-hand, rental, swapping and sharing – e.g. through ReLondon’s Love Not Landfill and Repair Week campaigns.
9. Textile sorting and recycling infrastructure
Work with London boroughs to develop post-consumer sorting infrastructure which makes textile reuse and recycling easier, including developing the skills required for sorting, collecting and redistributing used clothing.
You can read more about these activities in the London Textiles Action Plan.
This action plan builds on the Mayor of London’s ambition to catalyse the transition to a zero waste and low carbon circular economy as well as London Councils’ commitment to tackle consumption emissions. We hope that it can nurture creativity and innovation, and unlock opportunities to collaborate with national and local government, industry, non-governmental and community-based organisations across London’s textile supply chain.
Get involved
Collaboration is key to achieving the aims of this action plan. We are calling for partners – in London, across the UK and globally – including local authorities, civil society and leading charities, funders, brands, retailers, academic and public sector institutions to get involved and help deliver the plan. Through joint action, we can drive a zero waste, low carbon circular economy for clothing and textiles in London and beyond.
