Future Fibres Network+
UKFT is part of the new Future Fibres Network+ (FFN+) led by the University of Exeter and aims to embed environmental sciences at the heart of fashion, wider apparel, and textile sectors, and establish systematic, circular and sustainable principles as the industry norm.
VISIT THE FUTURE FIBRES NETWORK+ WEBSITE
The Future Fibres Network+ (FFN+) will build a critical mass of transdisciplinary expertise, and methodologies, working in partnership with other universities including the University of the Arts London, University of Leeds, University of Huddersfield and University of Plymouth.
A key objective is to counter the current siloed disciplinary approach that exacerbates the complexity of the environmental challenge. The FFN+ consortium is uniquely placed to address this issue, operating across established networks of expertise spanning environment, design, STEM, humanities capability across academic, industry, public and private organisations, communities and networks.
The project has received £1.6m funding and is part of a wider wider £6m funding project, which has been awarded funding via by the Natural Environment Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Innovate UK, all part of UKRI. This investment is a key part of UKRI’s £15m Circular Fashion Programme.
Network Plus is a collaborative project funded as part of the Circular Fashion Programme, consisting of three main elements:
- IMPACT+, led by the University of Northumbria, focuses on improving data collection for the fashion industry, ensuring that data is accessible and can be critically analysed (more here).
- Back to Baselines, led by the University of Leeds, aims to use this data to establish research-backed baselines, providing a clear picture of the industry’s current state and enabling measurable progress (more here).
- Future Fibres Network, led by the University of Exeter, integrates insights from the environmental science community into the industry, assessing the real impact of microplastics and other environmental factors (more here).