Reshoring UK Garment Manufacturing with Automation: Recommendations for Government

The fashion manufacturing sector in the UK urgently needs to modernise, optimising production and supply chains to meet net-zero and global sustainability challenges. Government support is perceived to be lacking and many of the Alliance Report (2015) recommendations, although accepted, lacked long-term implementation and sustained investment.

This report closes the gap in the recommendations enabling the crucial triangulation of manufacturing, automation and design to support an industry of the future.

This report maps a supporting structure for the development of agile, small scale, re-shored garment manufacturing systems, the design of new business models and a newly trained, highly skilled workforce. Focusing on two key areas, technology and education, the report synthesises steps for Government-backed action to avoid further market failure and recommends areas for investment to support the leveling up agenda.

UK fashion manufacturers are currently unaware of the potential for new robotic and automated systems to address the severe sustainability problems generated by fashion manufacturing. This is predominantly the result of underinvestment in what could otherwise be a zero-carbon industry focussing on high value, low volume manufacturing.

Firms cannot compete with high volume production in Europe and Asia yet the Covid Pandemic and Brexit have shown the potential for the UK to re-shore garment manufacturing and engage with Industry 4.0+.

Open access labs, Living Labs and networked, collaborative manufacturing models could provide the up-skilling needed to meet the challenges of a future-facing industry. UK multi-faculty universities need to accept the challenge of redesigning education that is fit for purpose for fashion design graduates.

The recommendations listed below support the main ask of the report - that large-scale financial support from Government and the private sector be made available to deliver a fashion manufacturing industry fit for the C21st.

––– A FORUM of stakeholders with access to Government.
–––Development of an Industry Roadmap.
–––Development of a lobbying strategy.
–––Policy inclusion.
–––Evolved fashion design training with UK Universities.
–––Dedicated large scale funding from UKRI, Government and Industry.
–––Living Lab incubator for prototype micro-factories.
–––Developing open access labs for tooling and materials development.