Australia’s clothing product stewardship scheme—Seamless—is set to become operational from 1 July, with the mission to make Australian clothing circular by 2030.
- The scheme addresses the critical problems facing the clothing industry, with over 200,000 tonnes of waste ending up in Australian landfill annually.
- A stewardship approach recognises that the brands who place clothes on the market are responsible for the entire life of that garment, from design through to re-use and recycling.
- Australians will now have a choice to support responsible clothing brands as the Seamless clothing stewardship scheme commences operations.
- The official announcement was made by the Minister for Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek, in Sydney on 18 June.
SCHEMING UP: When Seamless commences operations on 1 July 2024, 62 brands will be part of the scheme.
- Seamless foundation members BIG W, Cotton On, David Jones, Lorna Jane, Rip Curl, RM Williams, Sussan Group and THE ICONIC—all played a crucial role in the past 12 months to design the scheme’s operational model.
- In addition to the foundation members, new members announced included Berlei by Hanes Australasia, Bianca Spender, Carla Zampatti, ELK, Jag by APG & Co, M.J. Bale, Oroton, The Upside, Universal Store, XTM Performance and Zimmerman.
- Seamless has sought accreditation via the Australian Government’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020.
HOW IT WILL WORK: From 1 July, Seamless members will:
- Contribute $0.04 for each new garment placed on the Australian market;
- Contribute $0.03 for each garment manufactured with an annually agreed composition which drives use of more sustainable materials (eco-modulated levy payments)
- Display the Seamless logo and communicate their commitment to circularity; and,
- Begin implementing circularity pilot programmes for example, end-of-life product take-backs, circular design, repair and re-use solutions.
With the pooled investments raised from member contributions, the priorities for Seamless over the next twelve months are to:
- Develop better practices, principles and methodologies for circular design with Seamless members and supporters
- Further define the eco-modular criteria to incentivise brands that design garments with natural fibres and safe, recycled content
- Benchmark current and emerging recycling technologies and sector capability, capacity and capital requirements for the most viable recycling practices in Australia
- Work with stewards and supporters across the clothing value chain on a national collection, sorting and reprocessing programme and a support payment scheme for accredited providers.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Tuesday’s milestone is the beginning of a sustainable future for Australia’s clothing industry. While this calls for celebration, we know there’s still much more to do for Australia’s people and nature. Sustainability is the only possible pathway forward for our sector, and we can only do it if all brands join forces to do better. Seamless is for everyone. Brands big and small, national and international, and our supply chain, upstream and downstream. We hope that with the Minister’s and Australia’s support, we will see the industry rallying with Seamless.
— Ainsley Simpson
Chief Executive Officer
Seamless
