Event information / agenda

Join us for the launch of The Big House Sustainable Fashion Accelerator

Sustainable Fashion Challenges

In the UK, clothing is the eighth largest sector in terms of household spending but has the fourth largest impact on the environment, behind housing, transport, and food (WRAP). The main reasons for this are the impact of materials and clothing production, the amount of clothes we buy, and the way we care for and dispose of them after use. To meet Climate Change targets, this must change!

If you have a sustainable fashion business or would like to make your business more sustainable, and work towards making a real difference - our new Sustainable Fashion Accelerator could help.

Adopting more sustainable fashion is a challenge - to major brands and SMEs.

Although some progress has been made, there are still many challenges – both technical and commercial – that need to be resolved. Environmental sustainability could mean changes to materials and sourcing, changing techniques in manufacture, dyeing and finishing; reducing waste and logistics; making products that are easier to recycle and creating new recycling systems; and adopting new ways to sell, lease or swap!

Ultimately the most effective way to reduce fashion’s environmental footprint is to make and sell less and provide items that consumers want to keep in use for longer – which is hard to do commercially.

Reducing the social impact of clothing could involve selecting from a smaller number of responsible suppliers; effective supplier approval processes; investing in wages, training, working conditions and improving transparency across the supply chain.

Small and new fashion businesses usually lack the resources to have a big impact on the whole supply chain, but they can be the source of amazing innovations that can open-up new opportunities and ways of doing things.

Our new Sustainable Fashion Accelerator is designed to share technical knowledge and expertise, promote peer learning and innovative collaborations and to provide a test bed for SMEs to overcome some of the challenges they face.

The Big House Sustainable Fashion Accelerator

The Big House Sustainable Fashion Accelerator (SFA) programme at Nottingham Trent University will provide intensive group, 1-2-1 business support, networking and introductions to a small number of ambitious SMEs with a focus on sustainable fashion and related products or services, based in in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire (D2N2). The Accelerator’s core events will run virtually and in person from September 2021 until June 2022.

Structure:
The programme will launch with an event to raise awareness, attract potential participants, and start the journey to a more sustainable fashion future.

SFA participants will be selected via a competitive process. Five to ten successful SMEs will be supported virtually and in person during 2022

The Sustainable Fashion Accelerator includes:

• A workshop programme on key themes,
• 1:1 mentoring from expert mentors and
• high-level networking and pitching opportunities with potential advisors, clients or investors.
• Access to grants and student talent and consultancy projects.

SFA participants must be SMEs in D2N2 that have a strong sustainability focus and are:

1. trading and ready to scale, with a developed product or service and the ambition and potential for significant growth.
2. Ready to trade, with at least one person working on the business and a product or service that is close to full development but needs some help to launch onto the market.
3. Established and keen to pivot to enhance their sustainable fashion offer.

The Launch Event

The Sustainable Fashion Accelerator launch event will take place on 2^nd December from9.30 to 12.30 with a keynote presentation from sustainable fashion expert, Charlotte Turner. The online event will be fully interactive, with panel discussions, Q and A sessions and opportunities to get involved.

Charlotte Turner (AIEMA) has over a decade of experience supporting international brands, retailers and manufacturers to set up and run responsible businesses with long-term sustainability strategies, create and sell high quality products and services in the most socially and environmentally just ways possible, and communicate authentically about sustainability.

Through roles including Head of Sustainable Fashion and Textiles at leading consultancy Eco-Age, and as a British Fashion Council mentor, she has supported numerous start-ups, SMEs and large-scale global brands, retailers and manufacturers to understand, manage and improve their social and environmental performance through training, developing and implementing long-term sustainability strategies, action plans and tools, and introducing alternative materials and processes to supply chains. She has then guided clients to transparently communicate these strategies and achievements with diverse audiences across multiple media platforms.

The Big House programme

The Big House programme helps creative and digital SMEs and potential entrepreneurs & start-ups in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to establish, grow and create new jobs in the region, as well as bring new products and services to market. The support offered includes workshops, grants, one-to -one mentoring & coaching, peer-to-peer learning and networking events. The project is delivered through a consortium of business support organisations: The Creative Quarter Company, Derby QUAD, Derby Theatre, NBV Enterprise Solutions Ltd, New Art Exchange, Nottingham Trent University and the University of Derby.

The Big House Project is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund.