The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has launched its National Textile Recycling Infrastructure Plan, setting out a framework aimed at steering the UK towards a fully circular textile economy by 2035.
The plan identifies four key priorities to establish a functioning system: investment in infrastructure, developing skills and workforce capacity, advancing technology, and strengthening market demand. Central to the strategy is the need for more automated sorting and pre-processing facilities, alongside innovation in fibre-to-fibre recycling and smarter logistics. It also emphasises the importance of robust end markets and value chains to ensure economic viability.
The plan is the product of two years of research and consultation through the Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN), developed in partnership with UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Input was gathered from across the value chain, including local authorities, waste collectors, brands, recyclers, and technology innovators.
UKFT highlighted that delivering this new infrastructure would require “significant investment” and stressed how “fundamental it is that the government rapidly adopts a UK textile extended producer responsibility (EPR) system.”
Commenting on the report, Adam Mansell, CEO of UKFT, described the plan as a call to action. He noted that by aligning investment, skills, and innovation, the UK could reduce waste, lessen environmental impact, and create new economic value in textiles for decades to come.
