One of UKFT’s key activities is to act as the voice of the industry. This includes showcasing the UK fashion and textile industry in a positive light, influencing public policy in the direction that supports the interest of the membership and taking collective action for political involvement.

We do this in a variety of different ways – through talking to civil servants, policy makers, MPs and Ministers at local, regional, and national governments. We also appear in front of Parliamentary select committees, responding to government consultations, talking to the Opposition and the press.

We meet with a wide range of organisations and decision makers and cover a significant number of topics. Recently the team at UKFT has spoken about:

• Brexit
• Illegal working conditions
• Trade deals
• Education provision
• Carbon charging
• Water use
• PPE
• National Living Wage

We have recently spoken to:

• Department for Business and Trade
• Department for Education
• Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education
• Environment Agency
• Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
• Embassies and Consulates across the world
• The Home Office
• UK Research & Innovation
• Welsh Government
• Scottish Government
• Highlands & Islands
• Skills Development Scotland
• Migration Advisory Committee
• Low Pay Commission
• Leeds City Council
• Greater London Authority
• NHS Trusts

We rely on our relationships with members to help inform us of the actual and potential impacts of policy changes, and regularly consult with a broad range of stakeholders to gather detailed, industry specific information to support our work. We also regularly help put business owners in front of Ministers.

We also help individual members with specific problems. Whether that’s helping with issues such as visas for workers, problems access local funding or helping you secure public procurement contracts.

As well as our work representing the industry to government, we are also members of other influential bodies such as the CBI and Euratex – The European Apparel & Textile Confederation. This is to make sure that our industry is represented and that there is a co-ordinated approach.

If you need support with an individual problem or would like to help inform our response to government, get in touch.

Following the publication of the UK governments’ Waste Resources Programme, UKFT, working in collaboration with others including the British Fashion Council and leading retailers, brands and manufactures are looking at how the industry can best adopt meaningful and innovative approaches to extended producer responsibility.

UKFT has also fed into the governments’ recent consultation on the future of packaging regulations.

The UK has a very robust set of environmental legislation and UKFT has a long-term relationship with the Environment Agency, working to ensure the effective use of the Environmental Permitting Regulations on UK textile Manufacturers as well as on issues such as water abstraction and effluent treatment and water quality.