The Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN) is a two-year project aiming to create industrial scale change which has been formed by UKFT, the British Fashion Council (BFC) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

The fashion industry is a very significant part of the UK economy, contributing £29 billion to the UK gross domestic product annually, according to recent reports. It is estimated, however, that the consumption of new clothes in the UK is higher than in any other European country. High consumption is coupled with low usage and large amounts of waste, resulting in an urgent need to convene stakeholders and enable an actions-oriented forum to further the sustainable fashion agenda.

The network, which is co-chaired by BFC CEO Caroline Rush and UKFT CEO Adam Mansell, will sit under the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF) and will bring together industry, innovators, investors, academia and broader stakeholders through an action led roadmap to accelerate the UK to becoming a leading circular fashion economy.

The network will receive £1.8 million which has been jointly allocated to the BFC and UKFT to run it build the community, accelerate knowledge share to members and industry and to activate required industry-led research.

“It has never been more important to combine knowledge and networks to tackle the challenges of sustainability,” said UKFT CEO  Adam Mansell. “We’re excited to work with the BFC and other partners via the new network to establish both direct interventions and long term plans to help the transition towards a new circular economy in the UK. Our particular area of focus will be sustainable manufacturing and recycling infrastructure, which we believe will be key drivers in helping to build the most resilient, sustainable and competitive sector for future generations.”

“Collaboration has always been our guiding principle in effecting change,” added BFC chief executive Caroline Rush. “Our cross sector advisory board will combine and advance novel technologies and approaches which we hope will create a world-class blueprint here in the UK. It builds on the BFC’s Circular Fashion Ecosystem work, established in 2020 as a multi-year endeavor to establish not just what needs to be done to achieve circularity in our fashion industry, but who needs to do it.”

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