f Material innovation

This issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Fashion & Textiles (SFT) is presented as a themed issue on ‘Materials’ relating to textile innovation in the fashion and textiles industries. Millions of tonnes of textile waste are sent to landfill every year with only a small percentage being recycled into new products. Widely recognized as one of the most polluting industries to the planet and a major contributor to CO2 emissions and climate change, the textile industry now with greater urgency is looking towards finding solutions to the environmental problems caused by textiles diverted to landfill or incineration at their end of life. Some real innovation is already apparent as solutions to the problems are being explored at scale with mechanical recycling of post-consumer waste and new innovations in materials made from renewable resources.