Product Stewardship Considerations for Textiles in Scotland
Product stewardship is a policy approach that ensures all parties involved in the design, production, sale, and use of a product share responsibility for minimising its environmental impact.
A Strategic Approach to Textiles
One of the Scottish Government’s priority actions in Scotland’s Circular Economy & Waste Route Map to 2030 is to publish a Product Stewardship Plan to set out how we will tackle the environmental impact of priority products. The Scottish Government’s Route Map recognises the need for a strategic approach to textiles.
Zero Waste Scotland aims to rewire Scotland’s economic system to drive a reduction of our consumption of natural resources through increased circularity and zero waste. There is an opportunity for holistic, collaborative policy thinking to remove barriers to circular practices and support a thriving ecosystem for a sustainable textiles industry in Scotland which benefits people and planet through a just, circular transition to net zero.
Latest Research: Product Stewardship Considerations for Textiles in Scotland
In 2023, we began our research on product stewardship considerations for textiles in Scotland, with an aim to develop evidence-backed recommendations that not only support product stewardship policy thinking but can become a blueprint for others to replicate. We intended for this work to inform the Scottish Government’s Product Stewardship Plan for Textiles, as outlined in the Circular Economy & Waste Route Map.
We conducted our largest piece of research on textiles and have now produced three complementary reports. Together, they provide a detailed view of textiles material flow across the Scottish value chain, stakeholder insights to required policy interventions and analysis of potential measures that take account of practicality, feasibility and impact. The focus of the work is primarily on clothing and household textiles.
Product Stewardship Considerations for Textiles in Scotland: A Policy Discussion
The Policy Discussion Report assesses and explores insights from stakeholders to identify and evaluate a range of measures that could be used in a product stewardship approach to textiles in Scotland. It includes a detailed discussion on the policy recommendations from stakeholders during the research phase, an assessment of feasibility, discussion and recommendations for next steps.
Product Stewardship Considerations for Textiles in Scotland: Research Report
The Research Report quantifies material flows and life cycle assessments with mapping of textile value chains, alongside qualitative insights from stakeholder mapping and focus groups, to explore system dynamics and public behaviours - identifying opportunities and barriers for a circular and just transition in Scotland’s textiles industry.
Product Stewardship Considerations for Textiles in Scotland: Research Methodology Report
The Research Methodology Report explains the rationale behind how we conducted our research.
Textiles Landscape in Scotland
Our research findings reveal that in 2023 alone, Scotland imported around 240 kilotonnes (kt) of textiles, from raw fibres to finished clothing - while, each year, around 405kt of textiles pass through Scottish retail and wholesale, underpinning a vital part of the economy.
Yet, the same data shows that almost a third of these materials (approx. 131kt) are ultimately discarded, either during production or after use:
Remanufacturing and Sales
5% of textiles (≈19 kt) are lost before they even reach consumers, during the remanufacturing and sales process.
Discarded Products
28% of textiles (≈112 kt) are discarded by residents, with almost half going straight to residual waste and ultimately landfill or incineration.
Domestic Reuse
For textiles collected for reuse only 11% are reused domestically, while 35% are shipped overseas.
Despite the challenges, over half (53%) of textiles are being reused or recycled in Scotland. This promising baseline offers potential to be transformed into a success story, provided we commit fully to strengthening local reuse and recycling infrastructure, as highlighted in the Scottish Government's draft Circular Economy Strategy.
Over half of Scotland's textiles (53%) are given new life through reuse or recycling.