Fashion – Enter Wales: Novelle Yarn Desk Top Research – Fostering Sustainable Practices #3

As we progress into the forth week of the four month Novelle Yarn recycling feasibility study with SMARTCryum the team, in London and Wales, have been undertaking desk top research into sustainability within the UK textiles sector. 

Over the past week, 9th March 2022, the team has been reviewing sustainable practices with information and guide resources from a collaborative program led by Centre for Sustainable Fashion, a University of the Arts London research centre, based at London College of Fashion. Project partners are based at London College of Fashion, The Open University and Middlesex University’s Centre for Enterprise and Economic Development Research (CEEDR; a partner in Surrey University’s Centre for Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity). 

The program called ‘Fostering Sustainable Practices’ is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. As part of our novel yarn / wool project we were particularly interested in the environment section and prosperity in action. This area stated: “The natural environment enables the survival and flourishing of life on earth. It creates a habitat for all living species and their non-living surroundings. However, human impacts on nature have caused unprecedented changes of climate, rising global temperatures and sea levels, deteriorating water, soil and air quality, biodiversity loss, as well as climate-related global inequality and displacement.”

This guide has been put together as a reference tool and a resource for those who are identifying, supporting, mentoring, showcasing, and investing in micro and small fashion businesses (fashion MSEs). It introduces ways to recognise designers whose practices do, or could, contribute to cultures, societies, and ecological and economic systems that are life- and livelihood-sustaining as well as creatively fulfilling. Itcontains key tips, methods and practical examples for those who support fashion designers, to help them identify and promote businesses that can flourish and evidence long-term prosperity in and through fashion and textiles.

‘Fashion As Sustainability in Action’ guide was compiled from analysis of evidence from over 100 in-depth interviews with UK-based designers and people from a range of support organisations, it offers a verifiable account of sustainability in action and demonstrates new possibilities for the fashion sector in the UK. It includes case studies and examples of successful small businesses and how they are implementing positive change within the structure of their business.

For example the guide advises on finding creative ways of using materials that are already there – such as remnants from previous collections, factory off-cuts, deadstock and end of line materials, leftovers from other industries. And then links to designers that endorse these practices e.g. Elvis & Kresse, Phoebe English, Bethany Williams. 

The guide also looks at the challenges that the fashion and textile industry faces when it comes to environmental prosperity and states that businesses need to look at the impact of the entire business and not just materials and processes. MSEs may miss out on sustainability opportunities because of this limited understanding. These might include sustainable manufacturing or processes in either their own operations or supply chains, looking at the full lifecycle of their products and recognising the need for reducing consumption and production.

The guide suggests:

More sustainable production, processes & models 

• Encourage MSEs to source fabrics that use processes (dyes, washes, finishes, printing etc.) with a lower environmental impact – for example vegetable dyes, low-or no-water washes, natural finishes or digital printing. 

• Encourage MSEs to look at lower-impact production processes, such as limiting sampling, tweaking the same blocks over multiple collections, or using zero-waste pattern cutting. 

• Encourage MSEs to look at models that limit overproduction and avoid the need to mark down prices for seasonal sales, such as small runs, producing to order, or producing carry-over collections. 

• Encourage MSEs to speak with suppliers and factories about their environmental practices: renewable energy use, chemical use, wastewater systems, and how they deal with production waste (such as off-cuts or chemicals). 

More sustainable packaging 

• Encourage MSEs to source lower-impact packaging, such as recyclable or compostable materials (for example paper, potato starch, bio-based plastic, and the options offered by innovative companies such as Paptic or Wastebased.) 

More sustainable services 

• Encourage MSEs to look at opportunities for offering more sustainable services, such as repair, reusing or upcycling, swapping, reselling and customising. 

Whilst we agree with these suggestions, most of which we already implement within our own factory and production practices, we are using the guide as an area of resource for the continuation of the project and thank the teams for sharing the report with Fashion-Enter Ltd, Potter Group and SMARTCymru. 

Next on our Welsh wool / recycled fibre novelle yarn research shepherdess Jean Balmer is having a conversation with the Welsh Wool Board and the team are scheduled to review and compile further reports from visits to existing recycling operatives and industry expert consultations.