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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nThe UK risks falling behind global efforts to clean up the fashion industry unless it overhauls outdated and incomplete regulations, a major new white paper warns.<\/p>\n
The report, put together by campaign group Fashion Declares and law firm Bates Wells, calls for three key reforms: closing tax loopholes used by ultra-fast fashion giants, introducing new fees to hold brands responsible for textile waste, and rolling out clear labelling to show the environmental cost of clothing.<\/p>\n
Its authors argue the reforms are essential to protect UK retailers from being undercut by overseas rivals, and to shift the industry away from \u201cexploitative, throwaway business models\u201d that rely on cheap imports and polluting supply chains. Without change, they say, the UK will squander a rare opportunity to lead on sustainable fashion in a post-Brexit economy.<\/p>\n
The report, titled The Future of Fashion Regulation in the UK<\/em>, was launched by Fashion Declares and Bates Wells, a law firm that works with businesses across the fashion and textile sector.<\/p>\n\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>(Rikesh Chauhan @RKZUK\/@Indilisi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nSafia Minney, founder of Fashion Declares, said: \u201cThe white paper calls for collaboration across the fashion industry to drive discussion on policy recommendations for the UK Government. The three policy recommendations should be enacted together and are long overdue. By closing the de minimis customs threshold, mandating an Extended Producer Responsibility fee system and introducing Digital Product Passports, the UK can create an effective policy and regulatory framework that incentivises responsible business practices, empowers consumers and contributes to a more circular and resilient economy. We need regulation urgently to build a new economy based on working within planetary boundaries and redistributing wealth more fairly.\u201d<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>(Rikesh Chauhan @RKZUK\/@Indilisi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nWhile governments across Europe and the US have started tightening rules on fast fashion, the UK has yet to follow suit. Campaigners say that without urgent action, it risks falling further behind \u2014 and becoming a soft target for cheap imports and unchecked waste.<\/p>\n
Oliver Scutt, a senior associate and sustainable fashion lead at Bates Wells, said the industry itself is calling for better rules. \u201cThere\u2019s a glaring hole in UK law,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat our research has shown is that this sector actually wants good law \u2013 the right kind of law \u2013 and sees very clearly that \u2018business as usual\u2019 tends to prioritise shareholder value at the expense of people and the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re calling for practical, targeted legislation,\u201d he added. \u201cThis isn\u2019t about penalising the industry \u2013 it\u2019s about updating the rules so they match the scale of the challenge. Cheap parcels arriving from China, piles of wasted clothes, no oversight \u2013 that\u2019s where we are now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tackling the fast fashion loophole<\/strong><\/p>\nOne of the central proposals is a call to end the so-called de minimis tax exemption, which allows retailers to ship low-value items into the UK without paying import duty. That includes giants like Shein, which reportedly avoided \u00a3150 million in UK tax in 2023 alone. Domestic brands, by contrast, face full tax obligations.<\/p>\n
Campaigners say this has created an uneven playing field and is directly fuelling the rise of disposable fashion. The white paper proposes closing the loophole and replacing it with a \u201charm-based\u201d import system that reflects a garment\u2019s true environmental and social cost.<\/p>\n
Making brands pay for what they produce<\/strong><\/p>\nThe paper also proposes introducing an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme for textiles. This would make brands accountable for what happens to their products after they\u2019re sold \u2013 including funding systems to collect, reuse, recycle or dispose of garments responsibly.<\/p>\n
Fees would vary based on how garments are designed and made. Brands producing durable, repairable clothing would pay less, while those flooding the market with low-quality fast fashion would pay more.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>Digital Product Passports will be QR codes on swing tags with a record of a garment’s entire lifecycle, detailing everything from its materials and production to its sustainability data and potential for reuse, repair, or recycling. (Getty\/iStock)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\u201cProducers need to take responsibility for the products they bring into the world,\u201d the report says. \u201cWhen a customer has finished with an item, it should be returned to the supplier \u2013 not sent to landfill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pulling back the curtain on supply chains<\/strong><\/p>\nThe third proposal is the introduction of Digital Product Passports \u2013 simple QR codes attached to garments that would allow shoppers to see what they\u2019re made of, where they were produced and under what conditions.<\/p>\n
The idea is already being adopted by the EU, with rollout planned for 2027. Supporters say it could eventually evolve into a traffic light\u2013style label, giving consumers instant insight into a product\u2019s ethical and environmental footprint.<\/p>\n
\u2018We\u2019ve come a long way\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nSpeaking at the launch, Baroness Lola Young \u2013 founder of the Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion parliamentary group \u2013 reflected on how far the conversation has come since she first raised fashion\u2019s ethical challenges in Westminster.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>(Rikesh Chauhan @RKZUK\/@Indilisi)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\u201cAbout 15 years ago I do remember putting forward this idea, thanks to all my women friends, of having something in Parliament around ethical and sustainable fashion \u2013 and being greeted with \u2018well what\u2019s that got to do with politics?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cSo in that sense, you can say we\u2019ve come a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also stressed the need to recognise how inequality and racial injustice are embedded in global supply chains. \u201cYou can\u2019t tell me that some of the practices that are rampant in this industry would be the same if it were white folks we were talking about \u2013 because it wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The white paper will now be shared with stakeholders and MPs, with Fashion Declares hoping to use it as a springboard for broader legislative change.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext steps will be to gather feedback, build momentum, and ultimately present the proposals to government,\u201d Minney said.<\/p>\n
Read the white paper here: Fashion Declares<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more The UK risks falling behind global efforts to clean up the fashion industry unless it overhauls outdated and incomplete regulations, a major new white paper warns. The report, put together by campaign group Fashion Declares and law firm Bates Wells, calls for three key reforms: closing tax loopholes used by ultra-fast fashion giants, introducing new fees to hold brands responsible for textile waste, and rolling out clear labelling to show the environmental cost of clothing. Its authors argue the reforms are essential to protect UK retailers from being undercut by overseas rivals, and to shift the industry away from \u201cexploitative, throwaway business models\u201d that rely on cheap imports and polluting supply chains. Without change, they say, the UK will squander a rare opportunity to lead on sustainable fashion in a post-Brexit economy. The report, titled The Future of Fashion Regulation in the UK, was launched by Fashion Declares and Bates Wells, a law firm that works with businesses across the fashion and textile sector…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1008"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}