The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) and the British Fashion Council (BFC) hosted the workshop ‘Mastering Design Opportunities for Recycling and Durability in Fashion’ last month as part of the Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN). It was organised in collaboration with the Circular Textiles Foundation, and the traceability and compliance data platform TrusTrace, and took place at The Mills Fabrica in London. 

Key UK fashion brands and retailers took part in this workshop to explore eco-design principles, recyclability, the use of recycled materials, durability and the readiness for forthcoming regulation, as well as the role of technology to accelerate this journey.   

Eco-design comes as a tool to accelerate the journey towards circularity for the fashion and textile industry. This includes making conscious steps to create clothes and textiles designed for durability and recyclability.  

“We know that we can lower the carbon impact of clothing by design,” said Tim Cross from the Circular Textiles Foundation. “We’re lucky that we’ve got 14 brands altogether from different sectors. But the fact that 14 brands came to this event today shows how desperate the industry is for this knowledge.” 

In attendance were JD Sports, John Lewis, Next, N Brown, Urban Outfitters, Boden, and Marks and Spencer.

Lauren Junestrand, Innovation & Sustainability Network Manager at UKFT, said: “It’s quite evident that there’s a need to transform the industry. We are facing upcoming legislation and an environmental crisis. It’s very important to start preparing now. That’s not a change that will come in 10 years; it’s already around the corner.”  

The EU is implementing a strategy to promote circularity in textiles, including mandatory eco design requirements as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainability Products Regulation (ESPR) which entered into force in July 2024. Brands will be required to design durable, repairable and recyclable products.  

The industry is changing, with many companies embarking on a journey to net zero by 2030 or 2050. Tim Cross explained: “The mindset of the consumer has changed; they now care passionately about net zero and about the impact of clothing. The legislative framework has also changed, with the concept of eco-modulation, the better you are at designing clothing, the less you will pay.” 

About the Circular Fashion Innovation Network 

The ‘Mastering Design Opportunities for Recycling and Durability in Fashion’ workshop is part of CFIN, co-chaired by UKFT and the British Fashion Council, and funded by Innovate UK, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) & Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It has six key areas of focus: 

• Recycling Infrastructure 

• Sustainable manufacturing 

• Circular business models 

• Novel technology 

• Diverse and future-proof workforce 

• Green growth 

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