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Circularity and Sustainability Report

The Circularity and Sustainability in the UK Fashion & Textiles Technology Ecosystem Report examines approaches to sustainability and circularity in the UK fashion and textile industry. It explores how UK fashion and textile companies are developing sustainable and circular practices, including their response to regulatory change associated with green growth. These findings will help inform national strategy on circularity and sustainability across fashion, textiles and technology.

In order to paint a detailed picture of these approaches, we performed interviews with senior UK SME and large scale business representatives, including PLCs within the UK fashion and textile sector, including organisations such as The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Burberry, John Lewis and Community Clothing.

Read the full report: Circularity and Sustainability Report

Our partners

This collaborative research project was delivered jointly by academic colleagues from the Future Fashion Factory (FFF) and  Leeds University Business School (LUBS) at the University of Leeds, with academics at the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) University of the Arts London.  FFF and BFTT are both part of the Creative Industries Clusters Programme, an £80 million initiative led by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

The Future Fashion Factory (FFF)

The Future Fashion Factory (FFF) is a £5.6M industry-led collaborative R&D programme. It brings together designers, manufacturers and retailers, to co-develop and implement new advanced textile and industrial digital technologies (IDTs) to create new products and enable shorter lead times, increased global competitiveness and sustainability.

The Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT)

The Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT) is a £5.5m project led by the University of the Arts London (UAL) in collaboration with Loughborough University, University College London, the University of Leeds, Queen Mary University of London, the University of Cambridge, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Key industry partners include leading Fashion, Textiles and Technology brands, online retailers, emergent design companies and over 40 FTT business trade associations. Bringing together design, STEM, cultural anthropology and business practices to deliver sustainable innovation across the entire fashion, textiles and technology value chain.

Research team

  • Dr Anja Connor-Crabb – Lecturer in Fashion and Digital Fashion Innovation, LITAC, School of Design, University of Leeds.
  • Dr Sophie E L Bulman – Research Fellow in LITAC, School of Design, University of Leeds.
  • Dr Claire Bunyan – Senior Research Fellow in Cultural Anthropology at the Fashion, Textiles and Technology Institute, UAL.
  • Dr Yue Guo – Research Fellow in LITAC, School of Design, University of Leeds.
  • Amy Hulme – Project Manager, UAL.
  • Sue Rainton – Associate Director, LITAC, School of Design, University of Leeds.
  • Laura Solomon – R&D Fellow in Textile Science and Technology, FTTI, UAL.
  • Professor Steven Toms – Professor in Accounting and Finance, Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds.
  • Dr Alessandra Vecchi – Reader with London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.
  • Dr Francesca Bonetti – Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Marketing at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London.

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the support provided by AHRC’s Creative Industries Clusters Programme (CICP), incorporating the CRDP’s Future Fashion Factory (FFF), and the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technol-ogy (BFTT). Special thanks to the CRDP Directors, Professor Jane Harris and Professor Stephen Russell.

With special thanks to all the fashion and textile businesses who gave of their time to take part in this research and provided so many valuable insights. Listed in alphabetical order below with corresponding web addresses.

  • Amphico Ltd https://www.amphico.uk/
  • Burberry PLC https://www.burberryplc.com/
  • Camira Fabrics Ltd https://www.camirafabrics.com/
  • Community Clothing Ltd https://communityclothing.co.uk/
  • Fazane Fox Ltd https://www.fazanefox.co.uk/
  • Grenson Ltd https://www.grenson.com/
  • iinouiio Ltd (part of the Camira Group) https://www.iinouiio.com/
  • John Lewis PLC https://www.johnlewis.com/
  • Lochcarron of Scotland Ltd https://www.lochcarron.co.uk/
  • Marks and Spencer PLC https://www.marksandspencer.com/
  • Melin Tregwynt Ltd https://melintregwynt.co.uk/
  • Project Plan B Ltd https://projectplanb.co.uk/
  • Save Your Wardrobe https://www.saveyourwardrobe.com/
  • Think Circular https://www.thinkcircular.co.uk/home/
  • Vivobarefoot Ltd https://www.vivobarefoot.com/
  • Wanner Label Ltd https://tradcollective.com/
  • Worn Again Technologies Ltd https://wornagain.co.uk/
  • WRAP, Textiles 2030 https://www.wrap.ngo/taking-action/textiles/initiatives/textiles-2030

How to cite: Connor-Crabb, A., Bulman, S., Bunyan, C., Guo, Y.,Hulme, A., Rainton, S., Solomon, L. and Toms, S. (2025), Sustaina-ble and Circular Practices in the UK Fashion and Textile Industry. University of the Arts London and University of Leeds.

DOI: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/222815/1/CICP-Fashion-Demonstrator-1B-Full-Report-compressed.pdf