UK Textiles EPR: Prepare Your Business Now

The future of UK Textiles EPR

The conversation around textiles EPR is gaining momentum in the UK. With clothing manufacturers and retailers facing mounting pressure to address textile waste, tEPR is an approaching reality that demands attention today.

While the UK hasn't even announced plans for domestic tEPR legislation, we know it’s coming. Industry bodies, recycling associations and environmental stakeholders are united in calling for a mandatory system. More immediately, any UK producers selling into EU markets already face compliance obligations that cannot be ignored.

“Combining 20 years’ experience in supporting companies through UK EPR schemes for packaging, electricals and batteries, with Landbell’s global experience in EPR for textiles we are a one-stop-shop for brands who want to be ready,” says John Redmayne, Managing Director at ERP UK Ltd.

Textile waste in the UK: Understanding the tEPR challenge

Textiles that are not captured for reuse or recycling typically enter the residual waste stream, where most waste is now incinerated rather than landfilled. In England, 63.1% of municipal residual waste was treated through incineration in 2023.

Incinerating textile waste destroys the value of the materials and releases greenhouse gases. The impact is particularly high for synthetic textiles, where burning polyester is effectively burning a fossil fuel-derived material, similar in principle to burning plastic.

The volumes of waste clothing and other textiles are large – estimated to be around 1.5 million tonnes – and keep growing. Around 711,000 tonnes are discarded in general waste streams annually, according to environmental NGO WRAP.

WRAP estimates that local authorities already spend £73 million annually managing textiles that households place in their bins.

Many commentators also point to the reduction in quality (in terms of resaleability) of the textiles stream over the last decade.

• The Textile Recycling Association has been particularly vocal about the strain on existing infrastructure. Its members report falling values for collected textiles, rising operational costs and increasing regulatory pressure.
• Charity shops in the UK report they are struggling due to the increasing quantities of un-reusable textile waste being brought to them.

Without policy clarity and interim support measures, large parts of the textile recycling sector risk collapse; with serious consequences for local authorities, charities and the public.

Without intervention, UK local authority costs for managing textile waste could surge from £73 million to £200 million by 2035, according to WRAP. These costs won't disappear; they'll likely be passed to the public through higher council tax. Meanwhile, charities face increasing disposal costs as they receive growing volumes of unsellable clothing donations.

This is precisely why industry stakeholders, including WRAP, are calling for mandatory extended producer responsibility schemes as the primary solution.

What is Textiles EPR and why does it matter?

At its core, tEPR shifts responsibility for end-of-life textile management from the public to those who place textile products on the market. It's a principle already proven in other sectors such as packaging, and one that's rapidly becoming the norm across Europe for fashion and home textiles.

The EU's revised Waste Framework Directive, which entered force in October 2025, requires all member states to implement textiles EPR through transposition into national law by June 2027 and implementation of fully operational schemes by April 2028. France and the Netherlands already have functioning national programmes, while Italy launched its scheme in 2025.

For the UK, timing of any domestic legislation remains uncertain. Industry consensus suggests implementation within five years is likely, with all eyes awaiting a proposed Circular Economy Growth Plan.

UK Textiles EPR compliance: What to expect

Exact timelines aren’t yet clear, but the broad shape of a UK textiles EPR is emerging. The likelihood is that large and medium-sized companies selling clothes in the UK will need to register as ‘producers’, report sales data by material type and volume, contribute financially to collection and recycling of waste textiles and potentially meet labelling and consumer information requirements.

Fee structures will likely use a rate by weight or per product – and there could be different rates for different categories of products; for example, shoes, clothing, household textiles.  The fees will be used to fund the infrastructure and operations needed to collect and process textile waste at scale. Whether initially or at a future date, fees may follow the EU model of modulated charges - where environmentally preferable products attract lower costs. It is likely that the initial criteria will include durability and/or recyclability - creating direct financial incentives for sustainable design.

The scope of obligations will be defined in final regulations but expect broad coverage of apparel and footwear. It’s highly likely thresholds will be introduced to exempt very small companies, but any brand or retailer with significant textile sales should assume they'll have a role to play.

Penalties for non-compliance typically include financial sanctions and back-dated fees along with reputational damage. Businesses that prepare thoroughly will avoid these risks whilst potentially benefiting from first-mover advantages in circular business models.

What should Textile Producers be doing now?

Get in early to avoid chaos later! It is true that the tEPR legislation for the UK may take longer than 2028. However, it will come. Time flies in the fashion and textile industry - 2029 or 2030 is already at our doorstep.

It's important to recognise that many larger brands and retailers, working closely with their supply chains, have already invested significant time, effort and resources into making their textile products less impactful on the environment.

Treating textiles EPR as inevitable, rather than speculative, changes the strategic calculus. tEPR will be a compliance necessity but also a commercial opportunity!

EPR is a structural market shift that will impact cost, risk, reputation and access to the market. Proper waste management infrastructure will create jobs and incentives for innovation.

This makes sense because the capabilities required for compliance (detailed product data, reverse logistics, digital tracking, circular design) also enable exciting new business models around rental, resale, repair and remanufacturing. In the Netherlands, our sister company, ERP NL is operating a Textiles EPR scheme and there are many learnings that come from their experience of delivering such a scheme.

Tjaco Twigt, the General Manager leading the scheme there says: “Knowing the way partners work is key in developing strong cooperations and providing effective incentives for more circularity.” He adds: “By understanding the business of a thrift-shop, a commercial large-scale sorter and a recycler first, then you can see ways to combine strengths and find effective ways to increase textiles circularity.”

This experience is being built each day and ERP can leverage our experience across the globe to support, as a One Stop Shop, producers here in the UK.

How ERP UK can support your Textiles EPR Compliance journey

This is complex territory, but you don't need to navigate it alone. ERP UK[7] brings proven expertise in Extended Producer Responsibility compliance, backed by the international capabilities of the Landbell Group.

Our colleagues already support operational textiles EPR schemes in the Netherlands (since 2023) and Italy (since 2025), developing the reverse supply chains essential for a circular textile economy. This experience across multiple European markets provides invaluable insights into what works, what challenges to anticipate and how to build efficient compliance processes.

Textiles EPR: Your next steps

The textile industry's transition to Extended Producer Responsibility represents significant change, but it's change with purpose. By placing responsibility with those who design, manufacture and sell textile products, tEPR creates incentives for better environmental outcomes while building the infrastructure needed for a genuinely circular economy.

ERP UK contact details

Telephone: +44 (0)20 3142 6452

E-mail: uk@erp-recycling.org