Australian clothing product stewardship scheme Seamless to begin Jul 1

Sixty two brands will be signed up as members of the scheme by the time it officially launches.

From July 1, members of the scheme will contribute $0.04 for each new garment placed on the Australian market.

The scheme is tasked with addressing the critical problems facing the clothing industry, with over 200,000 tonnes of waste ending up in Australian landfill annually.

The Australia Institute feels the government should impose a tax on fast fashion—the way the French government imposes an estimated $16 tax to every fast fashion item—and use the revenue raised in investing in domestic businesses that manufacture with circular principles, minimal waste, use natural textiles and do not overproduce.

In Australia, fast fashion prices are so low that Australian clothing businesses are unable to compete, and they are being forced to close down, the institute said.

Existing and potential future jobs are lost in the process and it is a blow to the economy as the nascent domestic textiles industry is unable to grow and contribute to the economy, it noted.

As the country’s National Waste Action Plan bans exports of plastic, glass, paper and tires, the institute feels Australia’s department of climate change, energy, the environment and water should also ban the export of clothing waste as it is polluting the environment in other countries.

“With clothing waste levels likely to grow, and rising sentiment for environmental and health protection in many foreign countries, it is a strong possibility that global legislation will stop us from exporting clothing waste,” an article on the institute’s website said.

“It’s best we avoid another situation like China in 2018 and get ahead of this crisis by drastically reducing waste, scaling domestic recycling of all textiles waste here in Australia and banning export waste immediately,” it added.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)