LONDON
ASSEMBLY
LABOUR
Press office: 020 7983 4952
News release
19.02.2019
For immediate use
Welcoming a report published today by the Environmental Audit Committee into the sustainability of the fashion industry, local London Assembly Member, Jennette Arnold OBE AM, said:
“This report is a wake-up call for major retailers to provide the means for their customers to recycle old and unwanted clothing. In our community, we are seeing the scourge of clothes being dumped on our streets, where these could otherwise either be donated or repurposed.
“There is every chance this is contributing to Hackney’s significant number of fly-tipping incidents, of which there were 9,821 reported between 2017 and 2018 alone.
“As members of the community, we have a responsibility to ensure our public realm is kept clean, but today’s findings show that fashion retailers also have a substantial role to play.
“To go further in tackling this issue, we also need the Government to put the framework in place for a circular economy for fashion. This would go towards protecting the planet and could save Londoners money”.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Notes
- According to the latest statistics published by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, there were 9,821 fly-tipping incidents reported in 2017/2018;
- Jennette Arnold OBE AM is the London Assembly Member for the North East (covering Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest).
For more information please contact Labour Group Press Officer, on 020 7983 5639. Number not for publication.