A vision for the future using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) as a platform for operational excellence and business transformation

‘The Circular Economy from a Fashion & Textiles Perspective: Make your business future proof and sustainable with system thinking and technology’ event was hosted by University of Huddersfield and ITC Infotech as part of Inspired Huddersfield 2017. Thirty participants participated from the businesses in the region including JD Williams, Dawson Textiles, Camira Fabrics, John Brierley Ltd and M.N.S. Textiles, academic colleagues from the universities of Huddersfield, Leeds and Manchester as well as members of the public.
This session was intended for participants to find out how circular approaches could benefit business and to explore the opportunities that current technologies are enabling for resource efficient and transparent new business models.
The circular economy is gaining momentum in many sectors, solving the issues created by our ‘traditional’ linear economy (take, make, use, dispose... with waste and pollution at every stage). Circular approaches aim to keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.
Business leaders and governments are puzzling over how to meet the needs of 3 billion new consumers by 2030, against a backdrop of degraded land, climate disruption and over-exploited finite resources. From an increasing focus on the issues, and how to improve sustainability, fashion and textile businesses are adopting new ways of thinking to make their businesses fit for the future.
In this era of scarce resources and increasing consumption, business as usual is not an option. This symposium was hosted to provide a unique forum for local businesses to find out how business can thrive with consumer patterns changing and the arrival of Generation Z as the future customer base.
Jo Conlon, Andrew Taylor & Vera Barron from School of Art, Design & Architecture working closely with the ICT Infotech UK team: Sunil Ramachandran, Ramesh Chelliah, Vivek Mani, and Srilakshmi Narayanaswamy formulated this knowledge generator symposium to share best practice and promote future innovation opportunities, facilitate knowledge transfer and support developing industry academic partnerships.
Speakers and topics:
Bill MacBeth, Director, Textile Centre of Excellence, ‘The RESET Project: Latest sector thinking in response to the key issues’
Jo Conlon, Senior Lecturer, University of Huddersfield and Srilakshmi Narayanaswamy, Lead Consultant, ITC Infotech, ‘A vision for the future using Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) as a platform for operational excellence and business transformation’
Paul Arnold, Sustainability and Innovation Manager at Camira Fabrics Limited, ‘Pulling apart the linear model at Camira’
Catherine Weetman, Rethink solutions and author of: A Circular Economy Handbook for Business and Supply Chains, Repair, Remake, Redesign, Rethink, ‘Overview of the Circular Economy in Fashion and Textiles’
Charles Ross FRSA, Sustainability specialist, ‘The end of consumerism 1.0? Living in a time of change’