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UKFT to design & pilot new platform to drive sustainability in fashion

04 Aug '21
3 min read
Pic: UKFT
Pic: UKFT

The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) has started working with IBM, Tech Data and the Future Fashion Factory to design, prototype and pilot a new technology platform based on IBM technologies to help the UK fashion and textile industry to drive sustainability and profitability through increased transparency within the supply chain.

Retailers Next, H&M (COS brand), N Brown, New Look and yarn manufacturer Laxtons will be part of the initial nine-month pilot of the Sustainable Supply Chain Optimisation (SSCO) project. The initiative has been awarded £1.4 million funding by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, on behalf of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) Manufacturing Made Smarter Challenge, UKFT said in a media release.

The new technology platform will combine emerging technologies like blockchain, AI and sensors to digitise the key processes in the supply-chain creating a shared system of data that the different parties can trust and easily act upon. The Blockchain technology will enable increased transparency in the supply chain. The AI technology will facilitate the detection and response to supply chain disruption and provide the insights for real-time analysis of current business performance, rapid problem solving and optimisation of business flows. It will be open source and easily available across the whole supply chain, with an integrated visualisation layer as the core innovation focus.

It will be possible to gain a much better understanding of where and how each garment’s fabric was processed and finished, by whom and in what conditions through the platform. It will be easier to spot potential disruptions before they have a chance to affect delivery. It will also be possible to better monitor production processes and flows resulting in a real chance to reduce waste and optimise stock.

These unprecedented levels of insight will allow real, measurable and auditable actions across the whole of the supply-chain, enabling increased understanding of and compliance to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) criteria as well as improved operational efficiency.

In essence, the platform will be designed to help make a complex and disjointed global supply chain more sustainable, resilient and able to cope with unforeseen disruptions.

Adam Mansell, CEO of the UKFT, said: “A strategic goal for the UK fashion and textile sector is to become synonymous with sustainable and ethical products, processes and production. This project aims to promote greater transparency in the industry to ultimately enhance the competitiveness of UK textile and garment manufacturers, while reducing the environmental and ethical impact of the sector.”

Roberto Battistoni, consumer products business development lead at IBM, said, “This project brings together the key players needed to improve trust across the full supply chain. At the same time, there is also an opportunity to reduce waste and have a lasting impact on the use of the earth’s resources.”

Stephen Westland, professor of colour science and technology at the University of Leeds and leader of Future Fashion Factory’s data-driven design research, said: “Being able to analyse, present and visualise supply chain data in real time will support fashion businesses to make better decisions for people, profit and planet. We are proud to collaborate across the UK fashion industry to develop a technology platform that will empower brands with more transparent and sustainable supply chains.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)

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