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Background
Unlocking Value from Textile Product Stewardship: Insights from the TAG Cost Benefit Analysis
Textile waste is one of the fastest-growing waste streams in Aotearoa New Zealand. Today, around 107,000 tonnes of textiles are sent to landfill each year, representing 78% of all textiles consumed. We have a largely linear system where materials that still hold value are often used briefly and then discarded. Regulated product stewardship offers a practical pathway to reduce waste and increase resource recovery, with repair playing an important role in extending garment life and retaining the value of materials already in use.
This webinar will share key findings from a Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) undertaken by Eunomia Research & Consulting and commissioned by the Textile Advisory Group (TAG), with funding support from the Clare Foundation. The research explores the potential impacts of implementing a regulated product stewardship scheme for textiles in Aotearoa New Zealand. It examines how a more circular approach to textile use and end-of-life management could reduce waste and emissions, create jobs and skills, strengthen resource recovery systems, and deliver wider social, environmental and economic benefits.
The Textile Advisory Group is a cross-sector collaboration working to accelerate a circular textile economy in Aotearoa through evidence-building, policy development and practical action.
Join us to explore the opportunities, impacts and value that regulated textile product stewardship could unlock for New Zealand, and what the research tells us about creating a more circular and resilient textile system.
Presenters:
Alex Kirkham
Alex Kirkham has been doing environmental work for over 20 years, working for the Environmental Protection Authority in Victoria, Australia, the Waste Solutions department at Auckland Council, and now delivers energy transition strategy planning at Climate Connect Aotearoa, a climate innovation hub within Auckland Council's Economic Development Office.
She studied fashion design and is passionate about supporting the interventions that would lead to a more sustainable, quality textile economy for Aotearoa New Zealand
Meredith Dawson Lawry
Meredith Dawson Lawry is Director of Sustainability Innovation at Deloitte New Zealand, where she works across environmental sustainability, social impact and responsible business initiatives. She is Chair of the Textile Advisory Group and, prior to joining Deloitte, spent nearly two decades in the apparel and textiles sector, spanning product development, sourcing, sustainability and circular economy. Meredith is passionate about advancing practical, innovative solutions that reduce textile waste, strengthen resource recovery, and accelerate the transition to a more circular textile system in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Facilitator: Brigitte Sistig