Primark cuts carbon emissions across its value chain

Value fashion and homeware retailer Primark reports that it has cut carbon emissions across its value chain, three years after it published its 2030 sustainability commitments, after switching to renewable and low-carbon energy.

Primark said in its annual ‘Sustainability and Ethics Progress Report’ that its decarbonisation programme is beginning to decouple from its growth, with a 1.9 percent reduction in carbon emissions across its value chain since its baseline year of 2019 and an 11.6 percent decrease since last year.

Lowering its carbon emissions across its value chain during the last 12 months is described as “a key achievement” for the retailer and was driven by a reduction in Primark's Scope 1 and 2 emissions, which fell 21 percent in 2024, compared to 2023, and were 52 percent lower than the 2019 baseline.

It states that the reduction was achieved through energy efficiency measures in its stores and the procurement of renewable and low-carbon electricity, with Primark stating that 64 percent of its total electricity demand in its own operations was covered by renewable energy in 2023/24. It has also been working with its logistics provider, Danish shipping giant Maersk, to introduce green fuel alternatives, such as Biofuel, when shipping its products, emitting approximately 40 percent less GHG emissions annually than traditional fuel.

However, Primark did add that it expects its carbon emissions reduction “to fluctuate in the short-term” as the company expands.

Primark reveals progress towards 2030 sustainability commitments

Primark also revealed progress has been made in offering clothes that reduce its impact on the planet, as over the past 12 months, two-thirds (66 percent) of clothes sold in Primark were made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials, up from 55 percent in 2023. The retailer is hoping that all clothes will be made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials by 2030.

This year, the international fashion retailer also said it had been focusing on scaling the volume of its clothes that are circular by design in categories such as denim and jersey and continued to embed its product guidelines on circularity by training colleagues and suppliers. Three percent of clothes sold in Primark over the past 12 months were circular by design, meaning they met the criteria set out in Primark’s Circular Product Standard, including items in the Rita Ora and Disney’s The Lion King ranges.

The value retailer also added that it is scaling the use of recycled cotton, with 57 percent of the cotton clothing units sold at Primark containing cotton that was organic, recycled or from the Primark Cotton Project. This was up from 46 percent in 2023.

Primark also launched a partnership with environmental action charity WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) to explore solutions to better manage textile waste and to give clothes a longer life through its textile donation scheme. It also has a partnership with the Circular Textiles Foundation that has helped evolve its circular design training to create ‘expert’ level training and blueprint design across specific categories. To date, 529 colleagues (80 percent of those eligible) have completed the foundational training.

Commenting on the latest impact data, Lynne Walker, director of Primark Cares, said in a statement: “Our sustainability commitments belong to all of us at Primark and we’re starting to see real impact. The progress we’ve made in the three years since we launched our Primark Cares strategy has given us the confidence to be proud of the work we are doing. As a brand for everyone, we know we have a huge responsibility to use our scale for good.

“Taking the lead on durability across the industry and proving that more sustainable and longer-lasting clothing doesn’t have to cost more, has been a significant achievement for us. Continuing to learn as we gather insights and data from across the Primark business and forging meaningful collaboration across the industry will be critical to achieving our 2030 ambitions.”