Next, Primark and Tesco fund WRAP’s overhaul of UK textile collection
Next, Primark and Tesco funded the initial phase of WRAP’s Textiles Collections Transition Program after the nonprofit published its first report on Thursday. WRAP will hold stakeholder workshops from October through January to develop a Blueprint slated for publication in spring 2027. The charity said prices for used textiles collected through charity shops fell more than 80 percent between January 2024 and January 2026.
U.K. textile collectors and sorters faced an “88-million-pounds-a-year loss”—about $116 million—according to WRAP’s May 2025 assessment. In 2021, household recycling centers discarded around 711,000 metric tons of used textiles, representing 49 percent of the UK’s used‑textile flow. Collection trials under the ACT UK project showed that giving citizens more donation opportunities increased volumes by up to 46 percent, though participants struggled to distinguish reusable from non‑reusable items. Asda’s trial letting customers hand over unwanted textiles with grocery deliveries attracted interest but was halted due to waste‑permit requirements.
“Transforming textile collections is an industry-wide challenge that no organization can solve alone,” Catherine David, WRAP’s chief executive officer said.
The initiative follows years of warnings about financial pressures facing the UK’s textile reuse and recycling sector. WRAP’s 2024 Textiles Market Situation Report estimated that household recycling centers discarded around 711,000 metric tons of used textiles in 2021, representing 49 percent of used textiles in the UK.
What we know
The three retailers funded the initial phase, which brings together case studies, stakeholder insights and existing WRAP research.
The environmental nonprofit published “Transformative Practice in Textiles Collection” on Thursday, the first report from its Textiles Collections Transition Program, a multiyear global initiative with work already underway in the U.K.
WRAP will hold stakeholder workshops from October through January to develop a plan it calls the Blueprint, scheduled for publication in spring 2027.
WRAP said prices for used textiles collected through charity shops fell more than 80 percent between January 2024 and January 2026.
U.K. textile collectors and sorters faced an “88-million-pounds-a-year loss”—about $116 million—WRAP said in May 2025.