Researchers, businesses and other organisations are invited to apply for funding to run targeted research projects that will provide new insights, evidence and data to help inform the current and future baseline position of sustainable practice in the UK’s fashion and textile industry.

The £700,000 Sustainable Transition Fund is being offered as part of Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion & Textiles (B2B F&T) programme, a collaborative initiative that brings together academic researchers from different academic disciplines, leaders of industry, and government bodies. The programme will assess current sustainable practices within the UK fashion and textile industry and establish a data-driven baseline, which will ensure future strategy is aligned with environmental targets. The two-year £2m project is being led by Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC), the parent instution of Future Fashion Factory, and is supported by the National Environment Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and Innovate UK.

This is the first of three calls for applications to the Sustainable Transition Fund. Awards will be made on the basis of quality, potential impact, and the capacity to address existing evidence and data gaps relating to circular fashion and textiles.

Three levels of project funding are available: up to £5,000, up to £20,000, or up to £50,000, depending on the scope of the proposal. All projects will need to be complete within a six-month period from the start date.

“This is an exciting opportunity for researchers from different academic backgrounds and industry to come together to address data and evidence gaps relating to the sustainability and environmental impacts of the sector. These projects will help us to establish comprehensive and scientifically validated, environmental and design baselines for the fashion and textile industry that will inform future decision-making”.

Professor Stephen Russell, Director of LITAC, and of the Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion and Textiles Network.

Applications can be made by any UK-based member of the B2B F&T network (which is free to join), either individually, or as part of a collaborative consortium. Academic-Industry collaboration is encouraged, as are applications involving multidisciplinary research expertise.

Those wishing to apply should read the Key Facts document below, submit a short project outline of 250 words or less, to Leanne Munroe, Business Engagement Manager at LITAC at L.munroe@leeds.ac.uk

KEY FACTS: Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion and Textiles Sustainable Transition Fund

Once this has been registered and assessed for eligibility, a formal application can be submitted for which full guidance will be provided. This preliminary step is to help ensure time is not spent on full submissions that are out of scope. This £2m interdisciplinary network will determine how to assess, evidence, and monitor the sustainability credentials of current and proposed practices across the fashion and textile industry to ensure congruence with net zero targets.

The work will identify the sectoral, disciplinary, technical, cultural, and skills-based barriers to transitioning to more sustainable practices. As well as those areas where specific interventions could result in the highest impacts, to decide where best to target future innovation and priorities.

About Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion and Textiles Network (B2B F&T)

The Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) is leading the B2B F&T Network in partnership with UKFT, the UK’s Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP) and researchers from other universities, to establish comprehensive and scientifically-backed environmental and design baseline standards and principles for the UK fashion and textile industry. The partner universities are:

• University of Leeds
• University of the Arts London
• Nottingham Trent University
• University of Huddersfield
• Manchester Metropolitan University
• Newcastle University
• Heriot-Watt University
• Royal College of Art

The B2B F&T Network is part of the Network Plus, which sits within the UKRI £15m Circular Fashion and Textiles programme, and will establish a baseline to examine the current status of sustainability practices in the industry. Network Plus is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Innovate UK (all part of UKRI) and will help assess the sustainability credentials of current and proposed practices across the fashion and textile industry.

UKFT is involved in a number of large-scale innovation projects to support the transition to a circular economy.

UKFT INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY