Roberts Recycling Director Simon Roberts attended the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) Recycling Division meeting this week – a key industry forum bringing together some of the UK’s largest textile collectors to discuss current challenges and opportunities within the sector.
Hosted by Adam Mansell and Mohammed Patel of UKFT, the session encouraged open dialogue on the collective direction of UK textile recycling, from innovation and circular design to the policy and communication shifts needed to accelerate progress.
Reflecting on the event, Simon highlighted several important takeaways:
- Stronger industry collaboration: UKFT is deeply committed to supporting members in navigating shared challenges and shaping a cohesive voice for the sector.
- Public awareness: There remains an urgent need to raise understanding of the hurdles currently faced by UK recyclers, particularly around end-market pressures and the true costs of recovery.
- Designing for recyclability: The industry must prioritise garment design with end-of-life in mind to enable fibre-to-fibre recycling both in the UK and globally.
- Positive movement from brands: Encouragingly, many major brands are now embedding recyclability and circular principles into their design strategies — signalling a promising shift for the future of sustainable fashion.
Simon added that it was also encouraging to see Roberts Recycling’s recent FAB Materials partnership referenced during the session as a positive example of UK-led innovation.
“It’s encouraging to see real momentum in aligning design, collection, and recycling. These conversations are vital in ensuring the UK recycling sector has a strong, unified voice and a clear pathway toward true circularity,” said Simon Roberts.
Roberts Recycling will continue to engage with UKFT and industry peers to champion scalable, transparent, and sustainable solutions for textile recovery.
