Newport based second-hand fashion platform, Loopster, is founding signatory of pioneering UK agreement to reduce fashion’s impact on climate change.

Fashion reseller Loopster, the UK’s only fast-growing fully managed marketplace for pre-loved fashion, is delighted to announce it is one of the pioneering signatories, and the first fashion retailer in Wales, to sign up to Textiles 2030, the UK Sustainable Textile Action Plan launched by WRAP.

Textiles 2030 is designed to limit the impact clothes and home textiles have on climate change in line with the Paris Agreement and the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. This ground-breaking initiative is bringing together organisations from across the clothing and textiles sector to collaborate on making rapid, science-based progress on climate action and on making the move to a more circular system.

Loopster’s founder and CEO, Jane Fellner, said

“For the fashion industry to be future fit, it needs to be re-invented. Here at Loopster, we are delighted to be leading the charge on circularity in the industry for the good of the planet. We know that fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the modern world, 300 tonnes of our clothes in the UK end up in landfill or incinerated every year, and that needs radical change.”

Marcus Gover, WRAP’s chief executive said:

“The UK Parliament has investigated the textiles sector twice in recent years and is now looking at UK fashion companies to act.

“Our research shows that consumers want sustainable clothes not disposable fashion. Textiles 2030 is about transforming textiles and creating a fashion sector fit for the future.”

By 2030, signatories of this pioneering agreement will reduce their combined greenhouse gas emissions in line with a 1.5oC UN trajectory to reduce climate change – reducing carbon impact by 50%, reducing the water footprint of products sold by 30% and following a roadmap to a more circular fashion future.

Loopster’s business model extends the life of pre-loved and past season fashion and makes shopping second-hand accessible to all. Customers sell their quality, branded second-hand children’s and women’s clothes to Loopster, who then re-sells to its audience, creating circularity in the market place which is both cost-effective and beneficial to the planet.

Loopster, which is a finalist in this years Great British Entrepreneur Awards, moved its headquarters and fulfilment activities to Newport, south east Wales, in July 2020 and has grown more than 400% and created 6 local jobs. Having recently invested in its technology, supported by the Development Bank of Wales and private investors, Loopster is currently crowdfunding which will enable the business to increase the awareness and scope of its circular model.

Wales is one of the top 3 recycling nations in the World with the Welsh government continuing to pledge to embed its response to the climate and nature emergency in everything it does and this year Wales announced its first ever Climate Minister, Julie James MS.