Scientists at the University of York and the Royal College of Art have launched a project to reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry in the UK.
The new £5.4 million project involves researchers at York, alongside the Universities of Leeds, Manchester, Cranfield, Cambridge, and University College London. These researchers will use household waste, crop residues and used textiles to develop new products that can be produced in the UK.
The project is based on a technology developed by a team at the University of York’s Department of Biology, which uses enzymes to deconstruct materials containing cellulose, such as natural and semi-synthetic fibres, crop residues, and solid waste products.
The enzymes help breakdown these materials into simple sugars, which can then be converted back into new cellulose by bacteria. This new cellulose is used to spin fibres that can be woven to produce high quality textiles to supply the UK’s fashion and clothing sector.
The research will form part of the Royal College of Art’s Textile Circularity Centre (TCC), funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The Centre supports better social, economic and environmental outcomes through an interdisciplinary consortium of partners from academia, industry, NGOs, and the public sector.
