UK’s Average Apparel Cost Decreases To £16.70 In 2023: WRAP
According to a WRAP report, the average cost per item of apparel in the UK has decreased by 2 percent since 2015, reaching £16.70 in 2023.
The 2024 Textiles Market Situation Report by WRAP also informs that covid-19 pandemic had a large impact on textiles consumption, with rates falling 330,000 tons between 2019 and 2020.
“However, consumption figures are back to near pre-covid levels, with the UK consuming 1.42 million of new textile products in 2022,” the report added.
Leading up to 2021, there was a significant decline in the value and volume of textile imports and exports.
For imports in particular, this was largely attributable to a shift towards onshoring production post-Brexit and during the pandemic when the movement of goods became more difficult.
Post-2021, the volume of imports has recovered, but only by 12.5 percent. Yet, the cost of those imports is greater than pre-pandemic levels, indicating a shift towards a higher pound per kg ratio.
“Approximately, 1.45 million tons of used textiles were generated in the UK in 2022,” the WRAP report stated.
Of this, around 276,000 tons were sold to the public, 650,000 tons were diverted to reuse and recycling from end-of-life disposal and 421,600 tons were exported.
In 2021, around 711,000 tons of used textiles were discarded in the household bin and in general waste containers at Household Waste Recycling Centres.
This means almost half or 49 percent of all used textiles in the UK was disposed of in general waste, or 35 items per person per year on average.
“Of these items, 84 percent was incinerated with energy recovery and 11 percent was sent to landfill,” the WRAP report informed.
Between 2013 and 2023, there was a 57.5 percent reduction in price per ton for textile bank donations and a 41 percent reduction for charity shop donations, without accounting for inflation.
The 2023 figures stood at £172.5 per ton for textile banks and £255 per ton for charity shops.
