UK university secures £2 mn funding to study fashion's eco impact

The aim of the programme is to fulfil UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) ambition to transform the circular fashion and textiles sector. A core component of this mission is to fund networks that bring together different communities to identify, prioritise, and develop emerging research and knowledge exchange challenges.

The project will be led by Dr Alana James of Northumbria University, whose research focuses on creating sustainable change in the future of the fashion industry. She will work alongside colleagues from Northumbria, as well as King’s College London and Loughborough University, covering a variety of expertise, including water, air and soil pollution, forensic science, design, and big data.

They will be joined by representatives from global fashion brands including Barbour, Montane, and ASOS; sustainable clothing companies Agogic and This is Unfolded; campaign groups Fashion Revolution and WRAP; and the Northern Clothing and Textile Network, Newcastle City Council and Newcastle Gateshead Initiative.

Over the next two years the group will work together to gain a better understanding of how the environmental impact of fashion garments is currently measured, sharing their expertise to get a true picture of the scale of the problem.

The fashion and textile industry is estimated to be worth £21 billion to the UK economy, and provides more than half a million jobs. But globally, the sector causes 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and 20 per cent of wastewater. Fashion uses more energy than both aviation and shipping combined. The complexity and reach of the industry means true impact on the environment is not fully understood.

The project, entitled IMPACT+: Environmental Index Measures Promoting Assessment and Circular Transparency in Fashion, is one of just three to be funded through UKRI’s circular fashion and textile programme—NetworkPlus.

Together, the three funded Networks mark the start of UKRI’s 10-year vision to transform the fashion and textiles sector, with a focus on future growth and innovation, with the aim of achieving net zero targets before 2050.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (NB)