Primark has launched online sewing lessons and research into wear and tear trends to help clothes to be "loved and worn for longer".

The budget retailer, which has 192 UK stores including a branch in Gloucester, said it wants to look at the relationship between price and consumer behaviour on durability and establish an industry wide standard.

It is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme ) a leading climate action NGO through its Textile 2030 agreement.

It is also scaling up its free clothing repair workshops following a 12-month pilot to encourage its customers to make do and mend instead of chucking damaged clothes in the bin.

A new online hub featuring repair tutorials has been launched with videos covering basic skills - from threading a needle to sewing buttons, zips and mending tears, as well as lessons in customisation.

Primark said these initiatives support the company's ambition to become a more circular business in line with its long-term sustainability strategy, Primark Cares.

It is also partnering with environmental and behaviour change experts Hubbub to research consumer attitudes to clothing and wearing and washing habits to further understand the factors that impact clothing durability.

It has commissioned the University of Leeds School of Design to carry out independent academic research that tests the physical durability on a range of women's and men's clothing of different price points under controlled conditions.

Lynne Walker, Primark Cares director, said: "We believe passionately that more sustainable fashion should be affordable for all and whatever your budget you should be able to trust that the clothes you are buying meet a certain standard and can go the distance. This has never been more important for our customers.

"That's why we want to see the introduction of a durability standard across the fashion industry, and we want to understand more about the behaviours and attitudes which impact how we all wear and care for our clothes.

"We know that many clothes that are discarded may still have plenty of wear left in them and that's why we want to help people learn new repair skills to be able to sew, fix a button or even customise a piece of clothing and give it a new lease of life."