What to know: UKFT Sustainability Conference 2026

The UK Fashion and Textile Association’s (UKFT) Sustainability Conference returns to London on September 23, where fashion and textile businesses, innovators and sustainability specialists will convene to examine how new technologies can move from development into commercial use.

This year’s theme, 'Progress in Practice', focuses on a key industry challenge: turning sustainability innovation into solutions that can be adopted across supply chains. Sessions will cover bio-based materials, textile chemistry, recycling, circularity and traceability.

Traceability and product data

Supply chain visibility will be a major focus of a panel featuring British Wool, TextileGenesis and Marks & Spencer, which will examine how digital traceability can connect information across complex supply chains and support responsible sourcing and material claims.

The discussion will also look at Digital Product Passports, supplier engagement and data quality, alongside how brands can use product information to inform sourcing and circularity decisions.

Moving beyond end-of-life

Another session will talk on how data can support circularity before products become waste. Speakers from Buyerdock, Truss and Weft will explore product information, resale data and Extended Producer Responsibility, as well as how businesses can use information about products’ performance and residual value to inform future decisions.

New materials and textile processes

The conference will also showcase commercial case studies covering bio-based materials, hemp fibres, alternative dyeing and finishing, and textile recycling. Innovations include PACT Earth’s collagen-based materials, SEFF’s hemp fibre technology, DyeRecycle’s textile decolourisation process and Amphico’s PFAS-free waterproof textiles and waterless colouration technology.

Recycling will also take centre stage through Epoch Biodesign’s enzymatic approach to nylon waste and Matoha’s AI-powered textile identification technology, while Oritain will explore how forensic technology can verify the origin of raw materials.

The conference as a whole intends to ask the question: how the industry can build the partnerships, investment, infrastructure and skills needed to turn emerging solutions into practical, scalable change.