UK Seeks Funding for Ambitious Textile Recycling Infrastructure Initiative

UK to increase its textile infrastructure. UK Fashion&Textile Association (Ukft) has presented its national textile recycling infrastructure plan with the aim of guiding the UK towards a circular textile economy by 2035. The entity has also taken the opportunity to warn the UK government of the need for “significant investment”.

The plan identifies four priorities that should be invested in to achieve a functioning system in the country, such as infrastructure, labor, technology and market capacity. “We highlight the need for more automated sorting and pre-processing facilities, as well as innovation in fiber-to-fiber recycling and smarter logistics, while at the same time, we also emphasize the need for more automated sorting and pre-processing facilities, as well as innovation in fiber-to-fiber recycling and smarter logistics,“ it says.At the same time, it has also reinforced the need for “stronger markets and value chains to ensure economic viability,“ notes Ukft in its press release.

Adam Mansell, chief executive of Ukft, noted that “for the UK to remain competitive and resilient in a rapidly evolving global landscape, we must develop systems that not only reduce environmental impact, but also generate economic opportunities, foster innovation and build long-term value across the sector.“

UK plans to increase its infrastructure as the country’s fashion consumption also grows

Ukft warns that the “creation of a new textile recycling infrastructure will require significant investment”, for which they call “for the government to quickly adopt a textile extended producer responsibility (EPR) system in the country”.

In its two years of research to develop the national textile recycling infrastructure plan, the entity has collaborated with organizations such as the circular fashion innovation network (Cfin), a specialized British circular fashion network that brings together brands, designers, technology and recycling innovators, as well as investors, researchers and policy makers to connect key players in the textile ecosystem. It also collaborated with UK research and innovation (Ukri), the national public research and innovation body that funds and coordinates scientific and technological research in multiple sectors.

The move comes against the backdrop of a growing need to increase textile recycling in Europe. While the European Union has just approved the new Waste Framework Directive, which makes EPR mandatory in all member states, other countries around the world, such as the United Kingdom, are moving forward on their own. Current textile recycling models, however, are not yet capable of handling the entire volume of garments and footwear that are discarded annually, as some sector employers’ associations have warned.