Fashion Declares! White Paper 2025: A Call for UK Fashion Policy Reform
23-05-2025
On 30 April 2025, Jenny Holloway, CEO of FashionCapital / Fashion-Enter Ltd, attended the launch of The Future of Fashion in the UK, a new White Paper published by Fashion Declares! and Bates Wells. The event marked a critical milestone in the call for a cohesive UK policy framework that supports sustainability, circularity, and regeneration in the fashion and textile industry.
A New Era for UK Fashion Policy
While the European Union and United States are advancing sustainability legislation, the UK remains without its own comprehensive regulatory approach. The White Paper outlines a pressing need for well-informed policies that not only learn from international examples but are tailored to the UK’s unique fashion ecosystem.
Safia Minney (speaking below), founder of Fashion Declares! and long-standing advocate for ethical fashion, has been instrumental in driving this agenda forward. Her leadership continues to inspire action across the sector, uniting brands, workers, and campaigners around a vision for fashion that is fair, transparent, and environmentally responsible.
Key Research and Contributors
The White Paper builds on the foundational work of numerous sustainability-focused organisations:
- WEFT and QSA Partners, with the support of UKFT, BFC, BRC, and Innovate UK’s NICER programme, led the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Sandbox Project.
- WRAP provided research on EPR and leads Textile 2030, the UK’s premier sustainability initiative for the fashion sector.
- Influential bodies like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Textile Exchange, Common Objective, and Fashion Roundtable have shaped thinking around circular design and business practices.
- Ethical Indilisi, a champion of textile reuse and waste reduction, was also acknowledged for their role in showcasing how surplus fabrics can be creatively repurposed, highlighting the potential for scalable, low-impact materials innovation.
Regenerative Agriculture: A Holistic Approach
The White Paper also promotes the integration of regenerative agriculture into fashion supply chains — supporting soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience through farming practices that align with sustainable textile sourcing. Encouraging UK brands to explore regenerative cotton and wool is seen as a key step toward reducing environmental harm and increasing domestic production resilience.
Policy Recommendations
To enable transformation, the White Paper outlines several government-facing proposals:
- Introduce Variable EPR Fees that reward durability and recyclability.
- Invest in UK-Based Manufacturing, encouraging nearshoring to cut emissions and support local economies.
- Mandate Supply Chain Transparency to enforce ethical labor and environmental standards.
- Ease Trade and Talent Mobility, especially with Europe, to support growth and collaboration.
- Improve Garment Worker Protections, including fair pay and clearer oversight of purchasing practices.
A Collective Call to Action
Bringing together a broad coalition—from supermarkets and high street retailers to ethical entrepreneurs and environmental advocates—the White Paper makes the case for bold, joined-up action. It envisions fashion as a regenerative force that contributes to climate targets, job creation, and community wellbeing.
Jenny Holloway’s presence at the launch reinforced the importance of education and local skills development, with FashionCapital’s work in UK manufacturing and training providing a strong example of what a sustainable future for fashion could look like.
The next steps will rely on the engagement of industry, policymakers, and the public. To explore the full white paper and join the movement, visit Fashion Declares!
