A £6 million investment has been made, according to the United Kingdom’s Research and Innovation Authority (UKRI), to help the fashion and textile sector adopt more ethical and responsible practices.
The funding was given out by the UKRI-affiliated Environment and Sustainability Development Councils (NERC), the Arts and Sciences Studies Council, and Innovate UK. The contribution is made as part of the public organization’s £15 million circular clothing program.
In collaboration with industry professionals and other industry stakeholders, it will be utilized to support three complementary research teams. The teams, according to UKRI, will create a database of information and encourage the adoption of environmentally conscious circular business models by the creative sector.
The University of Leeds is the network’s leader for Back to Baselines within Circular Fashion and Textiles. It attempts to create a baseline for analyzing the state of sustainability practices currently used in the sector.
The University of Exeter’s Future Fibres Network seeks to mainstream systemic, circular, and sustainable ideas across the fashion, clothing, and textile industries by integrating environmental sciences at their core.
Finally, a cross-disciplinary team will be assembled by the Northumbria University-led Network to enhance data collection, analysis, and assessment in order to increase the validity and veracity of environmental effect measures.
“The British fashion sector leads in creativity, and its entrepreneurs and founders are among the foremost innovators in their field,” stated Caroline Rush, the executive director of the British Clothing Council.
“However, it takes platforms, support, and collaboration to safely expand enterprises at a time of enormous change.
“We are looking forward to collaborating with government as well as industry to assist the UK in maintaining its status as creative industry leaders globally as well as to develop its capacity to act ethically and collaboratively tackle how we advance to a leadership the circular Textile Eco-System in the UK,” the statement reads.
The textile industry’s demand for the circular economy
The textile and fashion business contributes 20% of the world’s wastewater and 8% of its greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that the sector uses more energy than shipping and aviation put together.
More than 500,000 employment are supported by the UK fashion business, which has been projected to be valued £21 billion and contributes to the country’s economy.
The NERC’s interim executive chair, Professor Peter Liss, stated: “The UK’s fashion industry contributes significantly. However, it also has an effect on the environment because it consumes water resources and emits greenhouse gases.
In order to integrate sustainability into the fashion business, this funding will bring together specialists from the sector along with scholars in the fields of environment and fashion.