Will AI Help the Fashion Industry Become More Sustainable?
Housing Industry Leaders looks at how a clothing company has sewn seeds of sustainable growth in the fashion industry with a digital eco-factory.
Creative Apparel, a clothing manufacturer supported by Made Smarter, is aiming for green growth through sustainable style with a ground-breaking smart eco-factory.
Located in Stockport, the clothing manufacturer is set to open the new state-of-the-art facility in 2022.
It is investing in full factory digitalisation where a central IT system drives and measures smart machinery, linking production through to its customers and supply chain.
Renewable energy sources including rainwater harvesting, solar power, wind turbines, air-source heating and eco fans will support the introduction of modern, high-tech machinery to enable a more sustainable approach to production.
The new technology will collect fashion data from social media influencers to respond to new trends
Established in 1988 as a two-person screen printing operation, Creative Apparel now employs over 80 people and produces around 50,000 items of clothing each week for the fast fashion industry, specialising in screen printing and embroidery.
Made Smarter, the government-led industry-backed technology adoption programme, has supported Creative Apparel with a £20,000 grant for a data and systems integration project that will automate and speed up the process of receiving orders right through to production management and dispatch.
The business has also secured a further £20,000 for a project which uses artificial intelligence tools to collect fashion data from social media influencers and other sources, enabling designers to respond quicker and more effectively to trends.
Managing Director Phil Millar believes putting technology at the heart of growth plans will increase turnover fourfold within five years and create 50 new high-value jobs.
He told Housing Industry Leaders: “The fast fashion industry suffers from a reputation as one of the most damaging to the environment due to the amount of waste generated during the production process and the throw-away nature of many of the products.
We want to help address that by becoming a leader for change in the sector by putting sustainability at the heart of our production processes.
“By introducing digital technology and tools that reduce waste and consume less energy we want to prove that you can help save the planet and can save money.”
The project sets to increase productivity by 30% and reduce waste by 20%
Since its launch in 2019, Made Smarter’s Adoption Programme in the North West has worked with more than 1,200 businesses, including many in the textile sector.
They offer expert, impartial technology advice and digital transformation workshops to help manufacturers take their first steps. There is also a leadership programme and funded digital technology internships.
The programme has supported more than 200 technology projects which are forecast to deliver an additional £176M in GVA for the North West economy over the next three years, create over 920 new jobs, and upskill 1,764 existing roles.
Alain Dilworth, North West Adoption Programme Manager at Made Smarter, told Housing Industry Leaders: “As the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference prepares to meet in Glasgow in November, the focus of the world is on how we live more sustainably.
As one of the biggest greenhouse gas-emitting sectors of the UK economy, the manufacturing industry has a vital role in reducing emissions.
“Digitalisation offers a huge opportunity for manufacturers to deliver operational efficiencies, decarbonise heat and power, optimise design and materials, and improve logistics and transport, benefitting their business, their bottom line and the environment.
Rounding up, Phil explained: “Creative Apparel is keen to demonstrate what a future factory will look like, and the breadth and scope of the entire project are visionary, bringing imaginative solutions to everyday problems. I genuinely cannot wait to see this come to life and I hope this encourages other manufacturers to consider what digital can do for them.”
