Resource recovery and retail industries united in support for national textiles product stewardship scheme
29 November 2021
The Waste Management and Resource Recovery Association of Australia (WMRR) and the National Retail Association (NRA) welcome and support the federal government's announcement of a $1 million grant through the National Product Stewardship Fund for clothing textiles.
Both the NRA and WMRR recognise that the design, supply, use and management of clothing textiles is a challenging issue for Australians, and one that requires tackling head on to address challenges in order to maximise lifespan and ultimately reduce disposal.
“We have seen lots of innovation in this space with improved design to minimise waste, as well as share and hire schemes to minimise production; these funds will enable a world-class initiative that can improve the design, recovery, reuse and recycling of textiles," the associations said.
The initiative will be led by the Australian Fashion Council , in consortium with Charitable Recycling Australia, Queensland University of Technology, Sustainable Resource Use and WRAP, and WMRR and NRA are grateful to be part of this stewardship scheme that will bring together the entire clothing textile supply chain.
"Textile waste is a great challenge for Australia and like all other material streams, we need to value the resources that are consumed in creating these items of clothing. We congratulate the federal government for recognising and funding this initiative."