As announced by UK’s Digital Catapult, a major player in high street fashion, New Look has teamed up with several other initiatives to reduce carbon emissions and accelerate the adoption of hydrogen within the UK textile industry's supply chain.
As a part of this initiative, New Look will sponsor one of the four challenges introduced by Digital Catapult's 'Made Smarter Innovation Digital Supply Chain Hub.' Each challenge will receive funds worth £100,000 to address industrial issues within textile supply chains.
A company launched in collaboration with software provider Looper, New Look also aims to develop a system to gain deeper insights into the lifecycle of its garments. The company aims to better understand the environmental impacts of its products by aggregating data from product life cycle assessments,
Through this initiative, New Look also aims to offer customers more sustainable clothing options, aligning with the increasing demand from environmentally conscious consumers.
As a part of their announcement, Digital Catapult unveiled four textile supply chain projects including a new pricing engine by transport management firm Loadar to optimise truck journeys and reduce carbon footprints. The project is being supported by Norfolk-based sustainable clothing disposal expert ShredStation.
Additionally, tech start-up MadeBy launched a project to create a system to track material flows across textile supply chains, sponsored by consultancy QSA Partners. Through this project, green hydrogen firm Heuris Energy aims to standardise data and model in the UK's hydrogen supply chain for textile customers. This will enable the company to reduce costs and enhance efficiency.
Highlighting the significant economic contribution of the fashion and textiles industry to the UK, alongside the increasing consumer awareness of sustainable fashion, Tim Lawrence, Director, Digital Supply Chain Hub emphasised on the importance of sustainable innovation in simultaneously improving efficiency and reducing costs in these sectors.
With sustainability continuing to be a priority for stakeholders, the tools and solutions developed through these initiatives aim to meet the demands of customers and commercial partners while enhancing competitiveness within the industry.
