The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is expanding its Durability Accelerator Initiative to North America and the European Union after UK research found that price, fibre composition and fabric weight are unreliable indicators of garment durability.

The initiative, first piloted in the UK with 25 brands and the University of Leeds, tested more than 200 products across 10 categories through repeated wash and wear testing. The research revealed that lightweight fabrics often performed better than heavier options, and synthetic mixes were not consistently more durable than natural fibres

The expansion comes as textile consumption in the EU has been identified as the third-highest pressure on water and land use in 2020, and the fifth-highest impact on raw material use and greenhouse gas emissions. Per person in the EU, textile consumption required nine cubic metres of water, 400 square metres of land and 391kgs of raw materials in 2020.

"Most shoppers assume the more they spend, the more wear they'll get but our UK study shows this is totally misleading," said Mark Sumner, Textiles Programme Lead at WRAP. "If you're judging on price alone – buyer beware. Our fieldwork found that higher prices, fibre composition and fabric weight are no guarantee of a more durable product."

Durability standards

WRAP plans to exceed existing durability guidelines in its testing to reflect how consumers actually use clothing. Current testing thresholds plan for garments to withstand between 15 and 20 wash cycles, whereas consumers expect up to 50 washes from their clothes.

The UK pilot found that many items already surpass proposed legislative standards such as PEFCR abrasion benchmarks, suggesting these standards may fail to reduce the environmental impact of clothing meaningfully.

The findings match concerns raised at a Climate Week NYC roundtable, where 23 global fashion brands and organisations identified standardising durability metrics as essential for the industry.

"We've shown that designing for durability delivers, offering a tangible, customer-aligned solution with both short and long-term returns on investment," said Sofie Schop, Executive Director at WRAP EU. "But we need to be bold, ambitious and more realistic in our benchmarking, and in what we agree comparable durability should and could look like."

EPR and ecodesign

Clear benchmarks will be needed to fulfil the reporting requirements of extended producer responsibility and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. The EU's revised Waste Framework Directive, adopted in September 2025, requires textile producers and retailers to take financial responsibility for the full lifecycle of their products.

The directive includes eco-modulation of fees, with companies designing durable, repairable and recyclable products paying lower contributions. At present, only 46 per cent of used textiles are collected separately in the EU, with the majority going to landfill or incineration.

"Our research found that extending the life of clothing by just nine months can reduce the carbon, water, and waste footprints by up to 20 per cent," said Leah Karrer, Executive Director at WRAP Americas. "And a recent citizen survey showed that 62 per cent of shoppers said durability was a top purchase driver, ranking it among the four most important factors when choosing fashion brands."

Vicki Swain, Product Longevity and Partnership Lead at Primark, said the retailer has established its own Durability Framework to understand fabric performance over time. "Making affordable clothes that last shouldn't be a luxury for consumers," said Swain. "Our own research found that customers treat clothes differently depending on price so there is still lots to do to build awareness and understanding of durability at all price points."

As of May 2024, durability wash testing covered 39 per cent of all Primark clothing.

WRAP is calling on fashion brands in the US, Canada and EU to participate in the initiative to define durability metrics that could influence future legislation, benchmark performance anonymously against peers, identify common failure points to inform design, and communicate product value through evidence-backed durability claims.