Leading advocate of sustainability WRAP has launched a new project, named
the European Clothing Action Plan (ECAP), which aims to reduce the carbon,
water and waste footprints left behind by the apparel industry throughout
the European Union. The 3.6 million euro EU life pilot project aims to work
with brands, retailers, manufacturers, organisations, charities and
consumers to create a more sustainable clothing sector.
The ECAP initiative aims to encourage those in the industry to take a more
sustainable approach by designing products with a longer life span and with
a closed loop production, spur consumers to purchase less apparel whilst
improving innovation in resource-efficient design. The three year project
will see WRAP working in partnership with Made-By, Rijkswaterstaat, the
Danish Fashion Institute and London Waste and Recycling Board to divert
over 90 thousand tonnes per year of discarded apparel from landfills across
Europe by March 2019.
“Finding more sustainable ways to work with textiles is an area set to
deliver huge benefits – both economic and environmental,” commented Dr Liz
Goodwin OBE,and Chief Executive Officer at WRAP in a press release. “To be
leading on a project of this magnitude is something I am very excited
about, and applying tried and tested approaches such as voluntary
agreements and consumer campaigns across Europe, will really take our
expertise to the next level. I look forward watching this initiative
progress.”
WRAP and ECAP also ask participating countries and institutes to sign an
agreement to measure their success against a preset list of ambitious
goals. The initial countries that the ECAP will be active in include
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania,
Spain, Sweden, UK, with additional plans to expand into other EU countries
and Asia. ECAP started in September 2015 and is set to run until March
2019.