Summary of key findings: 

• Appetite for UK production: Brands would like to expand UK sourcing in knitwear, jersey, Cut, Make and Trim (CMT), and printing – but only if the cost model and ethical standards rise. Most plan to continue using UK for responsive, low-volume production, with only a third considering long-term planning at this time. For costs to reduce factories need to be efficient and flow consistent volumes. Brands have a huge part to play with capacity planning and behaviour. The same buying practices should be applied to on shore as well as offshore buying.
• Current UK sourcing landscape: While sourcing from the UK has been utilised historically, it currently accounts for a small portion of overall sourcing activity—primarily serving niche or agile needs such as printing, knitwear, and test-and-react models. Order volumes remain relatively low, often with minimal planning and or long-term commitments.
• Ethical concerns as a barrier: Ethical compliance challenges, including historical labour issues, continue to influence perceptions of UK sourcing, impacting even highly compliant manufacturers due to broader industry concerns. Strengthening trust in UK sourcing will require transparent practices, strategic partnerships and a clearer understanding of its value and purchasing dynamics.
• Global disruptions driving reassessment: Brexit, geopolitical tensions, global shipping delays and increased transport costs have increased the appeal of near shoring. However, brands are not yet shifting strategic volume production back to the UK, instead leveraging UK suppliers for speed, flexibility, and special projects.
• Rising demand for circularity: Brands place high priority on recycling excess stock, using recycled materials, and gaining traceability through reliable data. There is growing support for a fully circular UK supply chain, but limitations in recycling infrastructure at scale and commercial viability of recycled inputs remains a challenge.
• Regulatory/ legislation readiness: All respondents are preparing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and most are aware of upcoming EU Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). However, awareness and readiness for the UK’s proposed Garment Code Adjudicator (GCA) are limited.

This report has been developed by UKFT with the support from UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and the Circular Fashion Innovation Network. It is part of the sustainable manufacturing pillar, which also includes projects and interventions to explore circular manufacturing, textile dyeing, enhance existing UK manufacturing capacity and decarbonise manufacturing. Find out more here