At the heart of textiles circularity

Every year, the UK generates over 1 million tonnes of used textiles. Estimates suggest that a third of these are non-rewearable textiles (NRT) which are currently being lost to landfill/incineration or are being exported in regions with lower labour costs. This is where the Automatic-sorting for Circularity in Textiles (ACT UK) project comes in by filling the critical gap of transitioning from exporting and manual sorting of NRTs to automated sorting.

ACT UK is a two-year project supported with funding from Innovate UK and led by UK Fashion and Textile association (UKFT). The project brings together a consortium of recycling technologies, textile collectors/sorters, academia, manufacturers, industry associations, technologists and brands/retailers. It is part of a broader Circular Fashion Programme supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The aim of the project is to establish the blueprint for an innovative Advanced Textile Sorting and Pre-processing facility (ATSP), which would take in non-rewearable textiles and deliver this as feedstock for fibre-to-fibre recyclers. This will prepare the UK market for transition to textiles circularity.

Project Key Outcomes

• By 2025, create a world class state-of-the-art blueprint for an ATSP, integrating the latest technologies.
• Provide the economic incentivisation of regional material recycling over export of NRT in lower cost labour regions or to landfill/incineration.
• Leverage the consortium roles, knowledge and innovation to drive the transition from linear to circular textiles in the UK.
• Cement the UK’s global leadership in innovation and textiles circularity, creating new markets, jobs and foreign direct investment opportunities.

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ACT UK focuses on three key project areas: post-consumer textiles collection and logistics, state-of-the-art technology development, and the circular textiles ecosystem. 

Since the project’s inception in September 2023, the consortium has actively participated in pivotal events centered around textile recycling innovation. During these engagements, we had the pleasure of connecting with many of the players within the industry. We have just started, stay tuned for more.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENTS

• Adam Mansell – CEO, UKFT (Project Lead)

• Alan Wheeler – CEO, Textile Recycling Association

• Anthony Croall – Group Commercial Director, Camira

• Beatrice Elliott – Retail & Sustainability – Senior Managing Consultant, IBM Consulting UK 

• Cristina Sabaiduc – Senior Sector Specialist– Sustainable Textiles, WRAP 

• Cyndi Rhoades –CEO, Circle-8

• Edward Gillespie – Head of New Partnerships, Oxfam

• Ian Laird – CEO, Alex-Begg and Company  

• Joe Little – Head of Technical: Raw Materials & Colour, Packaging and Sustainability, Tesco

• Katharine Beacham – Head of Materials and Sustainability, M&S

• Kristian Carter – Commercial Director, Shred Station

• Majonne Frost – Head of Environment and Sustainability, Salvation Army Trading Company Limited

• Parik Goswami – Professor of Technical Textiles, University of Huddersfield

• Ross Barry – Co-Founder, Reskinned

• Shan Dulanty – Sector Chief Engineer, MTC

• Stephen Russell – Professor of Textile Materials & Technology, University of Leeds

• Sue Fairley – Head of Sustainability, New Look

• Toby Moss – Director of Business Development, Worn Again Technologies

Do you have clothing you no longer want to keep? Find more information on how you can donate at www.acttakeback.org.

If you are a brand, retailer, platform, recycler or any other producer of textiles and/or garments and interested in being part of the ACT journey, please register your interest via this form. We will get in touch with you in due course, if there is an opportunity for collaboration.

Sign up to ACT newsletter below for quarterly updates on project progress.

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Have questions or need more information? Drop us an email at sustainability@ukft.org, and our team will be happy to assist you.