The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) is leading a consortium with members from Charitable Recycling Australia, Queensland University of Technology, Sustainable Resource Use and WRAP to create Australia’s first National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme.
Funded by the Australian Federal Government, this world class initiative aims to improve the design, recovery, reuse and recycling of clothing, providing a roadmap to circularity in Australia by 2030.
Whether you’re a fashion brand, organisation, government or individual, we need collective action to achieve a circular vision. Make the pledge to join the journey towards circularity to eliminate clothing waste in Australia by 2030.
As part of the transition to the Scheme, leading industry brands have been invited to become foundation members. Small to medium enterprises can also become involved as circular leaders.
On average, every Australian buys 56 items of clothing yearly, most of which are made from non-sustainable, non-durable materials. Also, Australia has no systematic resources for the collection of unwearable clothing, and almost no clothing and textiles reprocessing infrastructure on a national scale. And our re-use and re-sale sectors are overwhelmed with unwearable donations.
As a result, clothing waste has become one of the largest contributors to Australia’s waste problem, with more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing and textiles ending up in landfill every year.
Learn more from the Global Scan Report and the Clothing Data Report.
The pathway to change
No single organisation can achieve clothing circularity alone, so Australia's fashion and textile industry is driving a cohesive scheme to achieve a real, collaborative and measurable environmental improvement.
The scheme aims to help the Australian fashion industry become a global leader in circular design by transforming outdated business models, driving innovation, changing citizen behaviour and recycling clothing in high value applications.
A net zero future
The National Clothing Product Stewardship Scheme provides the pathway forward. It has been designed through consortium collaboration with local clothing brands to map the transition towards a prosperous and socially and environmentally responsible circular clothing industry by 2030.
This roadmap will enable Australia to achieve a net zero fashion and textile industry by 2050.
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