UK government rejects 1p tax on clothes

A proposed levy of 1p per garment on newly sold clothes items has been dismissed by UK ministers. The Environmental audit committee (EAC) had recommended the plan in order to raise £35 million for helping to reduce the impact of fast fashion which sees 300,000 tonnes of clothing destroyed each year.

The UK government said in a statement only that they could consider the plan by 2025.

According to EAC’s report Fixing Fashion – published on the 19 February 2019 “global apparel consumption could rise by 63%, from 62 million tons today to 102 million tons — the equivalent to more than 500 billion additional T-shirts.”

A Drapers recent survey of 370 fashion brands, retailers and suppliers reported:

• 85% thought the government was not doing enough to help the fashion industry become more sustainable.
• 69% supporting the 1p a garment charge.
• 60% said the main barrier to becoming more sustainable is that it drives up costs
• 36% saying shoppers are unwilling to pay for sustainable fashion.