The UK needs an ambitious Circular Economy Growth Plan for textiles now

This post is by Adam Mansell, CEO of the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT). It is part of a series of blogs exploring why different businesses and sectors have been calling for the government to release its delayed Circular Economy Growth Plan

The UK fashion and textile industry is ready to play a leading role in building a circular economy. Businesses across the sector are investing in innovation, exploring new recycling technologies and redesigning products with circularity in mind. But, without a clear policy framework from government, progress will remain too slow to address the scale of the challenge.

That is why UKFT is calling on the government to publish an ambitious Circular Economy Growth Plan, with a clear legislative timetable for textiles extended producer responsibility (EPR).

The UK faces a growing textile waste challenge. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of textiles are discarded, with much of it ending up in landfill, incineration or exported overseas. Research from the ACT UK project estimates around 744,000 tonnes of post-consumer textile waste are discarded annually in the UK.

While innovative textile-to-textile recycling technologies are emerging, the infrastructure needed to scale these solutions does not yet exist at the pace required.

Manual sorting systems are a barrier
The current system relies heavily on manual sorting and fragmented collection networks, making it difficult to process large volumes of non-rewearable textiles efficiently. The ACT UK project has demonstrated that automated sorting and pre-processing technologies could significantly improve recycling capacity and enable fibre-to-fibre recycling at scale.

However, innovation alone is not enough. Investors need long term certainty before committing capital to large scale recycling infrastructure. Without legislation to support and incentivise circular systems, the UK risks falling behind its international competitors and allowing the textile waste mountain to continue growing.

Non-fashion textiles are a big proportion of UK waste
The need for action extends far beyond fashion alone. UKFT’s recent report Mapping non-fashion textile flows highlighted that non-fashion textiles represent a significant and often overlooked share of the UK’s textile waste stream. Materials used in sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, automotive and public services are frequently excluded from circular economy discussions, despite contributing substantial volumes of waste.

The report also identified major gaps in collection systems, recycling infrastructure and data transparency across these sectors. Addressing these challenges requires co-ordinated policy action and investment across the entire textile value chain. A Circular Economy Growth Plan would provide the strategic direction needed to align industry, local authorities, recyclers and investors behind a shared vision for textile industry circularity.

Extended producer responsibility is critical
EPR is a critical part of that transition. A well-designed textiles EPR scheme would create dedicated funding to support collection, sorting, recycling and reuse infrastructure, while encouraging businesses to design products with durability and recyclability in mind.

Importantly, UKFT’s work with SMEs through the WEFT project shows that EPR can be designed to support businesses of all sizes. Drawing on data from more than 300,000 products, the project demonstrated that many SMEs already have detailed knowledge of their supply chains and are well placed to adapt to future circular economy requirements.

The industry is not asking the government to solve this challenge alone. Businesses are already investing, innovating and collaborating. What is needed is policy certainty and a clear roadmap for implementation.

Publishing a Circular Economy Growth Plan, with a legislative timetable for textiles EPR, would send a strong signal that England is serious about building a competitive, resource efficient and future focused textile industry. Without that commitment from the Westminster government and devolved counterparts, the UK risks missing a major economic opportunity and allowing a growing environmental challenge to intensify.