The fashion and textile industry is one of the largest contributors to global waste, with significant environmental impacts from production, consumption and disposal of clothing. Through collaborations with various industry and academic projects, including ACT UK, CFIN (Circular Fashion Innovation Network), Network+, and others, UKFT is leading the change in exploring practical, scalable and impactful solutions to reduce textile waste and improve textile recycling efforts here in the UK.

To mark International Day of Zero Waste 2025, here are some of the initiatives UKFT is working on to combat textile waste and promote circular growth.

Addressing the issue of pre-processing and sorting for textile recycling through ACT UK

The UK alone generates an alarming amount of textile waste each year, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 17 times. However, much of this waste, known as non-rewearable textiles (NRTs), cannot be reused due to damage or poor quality, among others. The ACT UK (Automated Textile Sorting) project is one of the key UKFT’s textile waste initiatives, which focuses on automating textile sorting and pre-processing at scale. In the UK, project research estimates that there is potential feedstock for 12 Automated Textile Sorting and Pre-processing (ATSP) facilities at 50,000 tonnes per year and multiple industrial scale textile-to-textile recycling plants.

ACT’s vision is to make textile-to-textile recycling at scale possible through automated textile pre-processing and sorting. The mission is to develop a blueprint for an ATSP facility that will allow high-volume textile recycling to reach commercial viability.

The current textile recycling process is hindered by slow, costly manual sorting methods that cannot meet the demands of large-scale operations. By developing automated sorting technology, ACT UK aims to optimise the process, reduce costs and enable efficient fibre-to-fibre recycling. This would significantly boost the recycling capacity of textiles, especially non-rewearable materials.

A vision for a National Textile Recycling Infrastructure through CFIN

The Circular Fashion Innovation Network programme is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). CFIN is co-chaired by UKFT and the British Fashion Council (BFC). UKFT is leading on the recycling infrastructure pillar of the project.

Recycling infrastructure is critical to achieving a circular textile economy. It involves the establishment of physical, digital and organisational structures that enable effective textile recycling processes. CFIN addresses several core components under this pillar:

• Infrastructure: Developing facilities and systems to support textile recycling.
• Skills and Workforce: identifying skills gaps and training opportunities to prepare the workforce required for the textile recycling sector.
• Technology: Harnessing technology improvements and novel tech innovations to improve recycling efficiency.
• Market Capacity and Commercial Viability: Ensuring the business model behind recycling processes is sustainable and profitable for all stakeholders in the textile recycling supply-chain.

These efforts focus on optimising the entire lifecycle of textiles, from post-consumer collection to final textile recycling and its end market application. Various stages are being explored, including post-consumer textile collection (households, charity shops, and retail), sorting, pre-processing, and recycling technologies. The plan will also include an innovation landscape review identifying existing innovations and innovation gaps to move textile recycling forward in the UK. This integrated approach is designed to increase the viability and scalability of textile recycling operations, making them commercially-sustainable in the long term, and contributing to the UKs socio-economic impact.

During the first half of 2025, UKFT will release key publications including such as the Socio-economic Impact Analysis of a National Textile Recycling Circular hub, a National Textile Recycling Infrastructure Plan, and short-term (1-5 years) and long-term (5-10 years) Policy and Industry Recommendations. These publications will be instrumental in shaping national strategies for textile recycling and waste management.

Reducing waste and increasing recycling through Network Plus

UKFT sits on the steering committee of Network Plus, a collaborative project 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).

Through Future Fibres Network, UKFT is working with the University of Leeds and ReLondon on a project called ‘Unlocking the potential of post-consumer textiles to drive textile reuse and recycling in the UK: assessing post-consumer sorting, grading and feedstock requirements among textile reuse and recycling stakeholders’. By assessing these factors, the project aims to develop a more efficient and effective system for recycling textiles after they have been used by consumers. This work could significantly reduce the volume of textiles that end up in landfills and increase the rate of domestic recycling or reuse, addressing the issue of textile waste.

Through Back to Baselines, UKFT is working on a project on ‘Non-clothing textile material flows in the UK’ with University of Leeds. This work is crucial because non-clothing textile materials often do not receive the same level of attention as clothing waste, yet they make up a significant portion of textile waste. By focusing on these materials, the project can help improve data visibility and optimise their recycling processes, reducing overall textile waste.

Both of these projects are geared towards improving the efficiency of textile recycling, addressing challenges in the sorting, grading, and processing of post-consumer and non-clothing textiles. By working collaboratively with academic institutions and other industry partners, these initiatives aim to identify and implement scalable solutions that can reduce textile waste and promote the reuse and recycling of textiles. Ultimately, these projects contribute to a circular textile economy, where materials are kept in use for as long as possible and waste is minimised.

The road ahead for circular textile solutions

Through projects like CFIN, ACT UK, Network+ and partnerships with other academic institutions, UKFT is laying the groundwork for a circular future in the UK. The focus on optimising recycling infrastructure, automating sorting processes and developing sustainable business models is vital for driving a circular economy in the textile industry here in the UK.

However, as UKFT and other stakeholders work to scale these solutions, collaboration across sectors and geographical regions will be crucial. A truly circular textile economy requires shared knowledge, resources and technology across the entire supply chain.

*All three projects are part of the UKRI-funded Circular Fashion Programme.