The challenges facing the UK’s domestic used textiles sector likely to exacerbate with the country’s decision to leave the European Union, as a large proportion of the UK’s business is conducted with EU member states with free trade having helped to support the textiles recycling industry when exporting to countries particularly in the east of the continent, according to Textiles Recycling Association director Alan Wheeler.

Contributing to the Materials Recycling World magazine, he stated that they need to wait and see what form of trade agreements the UK can negotiate before they leave the EU that will enable them to continue trading with their EU partners.

And regarding the ‘50 or more’ EU free trade agreements with countries or blocs of countries outside the union, they are now going to have to negotiate their own deals so that they can continue to enjoy favourable access to these same markets, said Wheeler.

Wheeler noted that under the EU, free movement of people has enabled UK firms to recruit sufficient staff and these migrant workers are doing the jobs that British workers often do not want.