Primark has said it is “well on track” to hit its target of making all of its clothes from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030.
Over half of all clothes it produced this year were made in this way, up from 45% last year, according to its 2023 Sustainability and Ethics Report.
The retailer scaled up its use of sustainable cotton over the year with 46% of cotton clothing sold containing material that was either organic, recycled or sourced from the Primark Sustainable Cotton Programme, up from 40% last year.
In what the business called a “significant milestone” Primark is also being assessed and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative as it targets halving carbon emissions across its value chain by 2030.
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The retailer has also rolled out a traceability and compliance platform, TrusTrace to help gather data from the full supply chain of products, from raw materials to finished product.
This will help the fashion chain “to better understand and manage its supply chain”.
Primark Cares director Lynne Walker said: “Primark Cares is driving everyone in Primark to change. Year two was about gaining momentum: scaling and embedding the principles, programmes and processes that will take us to 2030 and beyond, while acknowledging the learnings we face along the way.”
“We continue to work with our partners and suppliers to drive change, and we’ve learnt more than ever how collaboration is crucial for delivery of our Primark Cares commitments. We’ve also been focused on upskilling and training our colleagues, who are an integral part of how we make change happen in our business.”
Earlier this month Primark owner ABF heralded “excellent” trading at the value chain as it targets greater profits in the year ahead.
The retailer said the sales rise was driven by not just the price rises, but well received product ranges, good footfall, strong performing new stores and the rollout of its revamped website.
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