New action plan to drive London’s fashion industry towards sustainability

A new action plan has been launched to support London’s fashion industry transition to a zero waste, low carbon circular economy.

With increasing levels of consumption, shorter garment lifecycles, and limited options for recycling, London has a significant opportunity to tackle the emissions and waste through supporting reuse, repair and utilising more sustainable materials.

Aligned with the United Nation's International Day of Zero Waste 2025 theme of 'Towards zero waste in fashion and textiles', the newly launched London Textiles Action Plan is a collaboration between London Councils’ One World Living programme, the Greater London Authority, ReLondon and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The plan outlines key activities to help accelerate the city’s fashion and textiles industry’s efforts to become more sustainable. This includes initiatives that make repair more accessible, educational programmes for schools, and improving textile collection rates. 

Read the full London Textiles Action Plan.

Through joint action, we can embrace sufficiency, love our clothes for longer and ensure that unwanted textiles find another use. 

Moving our borough toward a zero-waste economy 

Alongside the London Textiles Action Plan, we are committed to creating a more sustainable, resilient borough for our communities. 

Our new draft Climate and Nature Strategy for 2025-2030 will drive us toward our ambitious goals to become a carbon-neutral Council by 2030 and a Net Zero Borough by 2043 - seven years ahead of the national target. 

We invite everyone who lives, works and studies in Richmond upon Thames to share their views with us by 5 May 2025. The final strategy is set to be adopted in June 2025. Have your say on the draft Climate and Nature Strategy today.

Give your items a second life 

With everyone’s involvement, we can move a step closer toward a zero-waste community and keep good items in use for longer. If you have items you no longer need or want, they can be repaired, reused, or shared to benefit the community and reduce waste: 

TRAID clothes recycling: We have partnered with TRAID to collect unwanted electrical waste, clothes and shoes from your home. You can book a collection online or by calling 020 8733 2595 and a driver will come and pick up directly from you. 

Twickenham repair café: Fix broken household items with support from friendly volunteers on the third Saturday of every month. 

Kew the transition repair and share events: Subscribe to the group newsletter for updates on regular ‘Repair and Share’ events throughout the year. 

Find out more about community reuse and recycle schemes.