From Ragged to Recycled: Sustainable Fashion Initiatives

"Becoming more mindful about clothing means looking at every fibre, at every seed and every dye, and seeing how to make it better. We don’t want SUSTAINABILITY to be our edge. We want it to be universal."

Eileen Fisher, fashion designer (2014)

Sustainability is as much a social issue as it is an environmental one. According to WRAP, “extending the lifespan of clothing by just nine months could reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by up to 20%, saving £5 billion in resources annually.” [1]

The International Day of Zero Waste will be observed on 30 March, highlighting the importance of “promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns.” [2] As the day approaches, it is worth considering not only how sustainable initiatives benefit the planet, but how they can be applied to the fight against clothing poverty.

Primark

In their ‘Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report 2024/25,’ [3] Primark has boasted a number of impressive sustainability wins:

• 74% of clothing sold contained recycled or more sustainable materials.

• 5% of clothing sales are now circular by design, including 20% of jersey and 8% of denim units.

• £3m donated to charity and community partners, plus £1.75m donated via customer fundraising.

Primark has previously faced criticism for its ‘fast’ business model, which “relies on the rapid turnover of inexpensive clothing, encouraging a culture of disposability.” [4] Their shift towards circular products is designed “with the future in mind – meaning they have a longer lifespan when in use and can be recycled into new materials or new clothes." [5]

This circularity of clothing units can prove critical in tackling clothing poverty. By reducing waste and ensuring longer-lasting clothing, the consumer is more likely to get maximum value and maximum usage out of their clothes.

Nike

Nike recently outlined their 2025 targets, as part of their ‘Move to Zero’ [6] programme:

• 500,000 tons fewer greenhouse gas emissions, through use of sustainable materials over polyester, cotton, leather and rubber.

• 100% waste diverted from landfill, with at least 80% of waste recycled back into Nike products and other goods.

• 25% reduction of freshwater usage per kg in textile dyeing and finishing.

Nike’s sustainability initiatives have previously been accused of ‘greenwishing’, or “setting ambitious goals that are not yet fully realised.” [7] The brand is certainly pledging meaningful progress, but it remains to be seen if the massive scale of its business model will prove an obstacle in achieving sustainable goals.

That said, Nike’s sustainable sub-brands are a promising step forward. Nike’s ‘Next Nature’ is marketed clearly as using “20-50% of recycled material by product weight.” And more recently, Nike has launched ‘Nike Forward’, an all-new sustainable material which has “a reduced carbon footprint of 75% compared to [Nike’s] traditional knit fleece.”

These examples are commendable for their transparency with the consumer, whereby sustainable elements of the brand are communicated overtly in the marketing. The consumer therefore comes away with an informed understanding of how their purchase benefits the planet, and their own usage.

Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein’s sustainability initiatives have a notable focus on the post-consumer recycling of its products. In 2024, Calvin Klein:

• Conducted a men’s clothing rental pilot in partnership with Hyde Closet, repurposing 10,000 excess items from their supply chain.

• Resold 5,802 units of damaged returns to Remix, a leading European second-hand fashion retailer.

• Tested the reuse of upcycled denim from discarded jeans in Calvin Klein samples, in partnership with Bank & Vogue. [8]

However, Calvin Klein is still a world away from a sustainable recycling model. A 2025 article by The Guardian reported that Calvin Klein products were among a haul of 300 items found discarded in the Atacama Desert, Chile. [9] With up to 70% of these items ending up in rubbish dumps, important steps are needed to prevent these shocking dumping acts from continuing.

A recycling model is ideal for the redistribution necessary to tackle clothing poverty. By repurposing wastage within the supply line, second-hand clothing can be utilised to the fullest by those who need them most.

ASOS

Since 2010, ASOS’s ‘Fashion with Integrity’ [10] programme aims to implement sustainable practices across all ASOS-owned products and brands. Their 2030 targets include:

• Be Net Zero: Expanding transparency and human rights progress.

• Be More Circular: Ensuring 100% of ASOS products are made from more sustainable materials, and facilitating product recovery programmes.

• Be More Transparent: Leading improvements in supply chain transparency and human rights.

Previously, ASOS was investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority for misleading its customers with marketing deemed “too broad and vague,” and inaccurate statements about the company’s eco-range. [11] ASOS’s ‘Fashion with Integrity’ now aims to address these issues and improve customer communication.

‘Fashion with Integrity’ is supposedly applied to all ASOS-owned brands. This includes Topshop, acquired by ASOS in 2021, which has previously been criticised for its ‘fast’ business model. As Topshop returns to U.K. high streets in 2026, the door is open for a previously unsustainable brand to be reformed under eco-friendly initiatives.

Sustainability & Clothing Poverty

Sustainable initiatives directly challenge 'fast' business models. They focus on “producing quality craftsmanship and materials to make an item of clothing last longer and the longer an item stays in our wardrobes, the better.” [12] (Oxfam)

Improving the lifespan of clothes does as much for the environment as it does the value of the product. The old adage, “buy cheap, buy twice,” is worth invoking here. After all, why should the consumer buy unsustainable clothing that will quickly need replacing, when they could instead buy sustainable items that guarantee good usage and a long lifespan?

Sustainability is the undeniable way forward – for the consumer, for fashion brands, and for the fight against clothing poverty.

References

1. WRAP (2024). Extending Product Lifetimes: WRAP’s Work on Clothing Durability.

2. UN-Habitat (2022). ‘International Day of Zero Waste.’

3. Primark (2025). ‘Primark Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report 2024/25.’

4. Just Style (2024). The ethical dilemma of shopping at Primark: a closer look.

5. Primark (2023). ‘The Primark Circular Product Standard, Version 1.0, 2023.’

6. Marley’s Monsters (2024). Is Nike Greenwashing?

7. Nike (2025). 'Move to Zero.'

8. PVH Corp. (2025). 'Corporate Responsibility Report 2024.’

9. The Guardian (2025). Calvin Klein jeans for free! Branded clothes dumped in the desert snapped up on anti-fast fashion website.

10. ASOS (2024). ‘Fashion with Integrity.’

11. Gov.UK (2022). ‘ASOS, Boohoo and Asda investigated over fashion ‘green’ claims.’

12. Oxfam (2024). What is Sustainable Fashion?