Wendy Ward is a Sheffield-based designer, maker and educator. As an eco-alchemist, her bold leadership on the escalating issue of textile waste across the UK has made waves. In her latest “protest by post,” she sent a tattered polycotton bedsheet in the mail to Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s CEO. This repeal is in line with her #TakeItBack promotional campaign. It’s meant to draw attention to the unseen but pervasive problems that come from textile waste and holding top retailers responsible for their part in this ever-evolving environmental emergency.
Ward also has a PhD in sustainable fashion from Sheffield Hallam University. First, he stresses that when it comes to take-back programs, fashion brands need to be transparent. A 2024 report from Remake uncovered a scary statistic. None of the leading fashion brands surveyed had done enough to answer what would happen to the clothes collected in their take-back programs. “What are you actually doing about this problem?” she challenges companies, urging them to provide clear answers on how they handle worn-out textiles.
The urgency of this moment is further emphasized by the $5 trillion economic cost of our textile waste. The UK’s used & damaged textile are costing collectors and sorters around £88 million per year to deal with. The financial burden has more than doubled. As a consequence, the market has become oversaturated with fast fashion, lowering the resale value of used clothing. According to a recent Wrap report, charity shops are receiving and selling fewer second-hand clothes. To accomplish that, they are more often shipping more items to rag merchants.
Dawn Dungate is an independent consultant who works with charities on textile recycling. She explains that many charity shops are truly at crisis point. “Charity shops are now having to spend money getting rid of waste textiles,” she notes. Indeed, it’s a dire situation for most charity shops. For example, Second Life in East Sussex can no longer accept stained or damaged clothing donations as it costs too much to dispose of them.
Ward’s campaign seeks to empower consumers to fight this important fight. She cautions consumers to be persistent in their communication with firms, though. If they are not receiving satisfactory responses on disposal of particular items, they need to do something about it. “What would you suggest I do with this item?” she asks, reinforcing the idea that consumers have the right to demand accountability from businesses.
In her view, charity shops and rag merchants function similarly to “Wombles getting rid of stuff that we don’t have to be faced with.” This metaphor perfectly encapsulates the important but exhausting position these organizations find themselves in as they attempt to address textile waste. As the state of affairs worsened, thousands of charity shops across the UK have been left hanging on a thread. Some are now “having to drive their waste clothing up the country” because it is no longer financially viable for merchants to make pickups.
Ross Barry of LMB Textiles showcases an additional layer of complexity in this complex conundrum. He notes that fibre-to-fibre recycling is not just more expensive, but it’s more difficult to source than buying virgin polyester. The unfortunate truth today is that most clothes made with recycled polyester are sourced from plastic bottles instead of worn-out apparel. Progress with fibre-to-fibre recycling has been minimal, with Barry stating that it’s “not even at a drop-in-the-ocean stage yet.”
Ward’s activism is an important and timely reminder of the shared power and responsibility that consumers and corporations hold together. Her #TakeItBack campaign has real legs. She inspires the public to take back their power as informed consumers and advocates for a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry.