UK announces sustainable fashion funding drive

Category: SUSTAINABILITY

Country: United Kingdom

By Haydn Davis
4th March 2024

LEEDS - Applications are now open for researchers, businesses and other organisations to apply for funding to run targeted research projects that will provide new insights, evidence and data to help drive sustainability practices in the UK’s fashion and textile industry.

The £700,000 ‘Sustainable Transition Fund’ is being offered as part of the Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion & Textiles (B2B F&T) programme, a collaborative initiative that brings together academic researchers, industry bodies and government agencies to assess current sustainable practices and establish scientifically-backed baselines that will ensure future strategy is aligned with environmental targets.

Offered in three tranches of funding over a two-year period, the £2 million project is being led by the Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour (LITAC) at Leeds University, in partnership with the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), the UK’s Waste Resources and Action Programme (WRAP), and researchers from a number of other UK universities. It is also supported by the National Environment Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and Innovate UK.

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 with awards made on the basis of quality, potential impact, and the capacity to address existing evidence and data gaps relating to circular fashion and textiles.

Professor Stephen Russell, director of LITAC, and of the Back to Baselines in Circular Fashion and Textiles Network, said: “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.”

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 submit a short project outline of 250 words or less, to Leanne Munro, business engagement manager at LITAC on l.munroe@leeds.ac.uk.

Professor Peter Liss, interim executive chair of the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), added: “The fashion industry makes a significant contribution to the UK. But it also impacts the environment, including using water resources and causing emissions of greenhouse gases. We need to better understand the true impact.

“This investment will bring together industry experts and researchers in environmental science and fashion to embed sustainability in the fashion and textile industry.”

Courtesy: Ecotextile.com