Overview
The textiles and apparel sector uses approximately 93 billion cubic metres of water every year which is enough to meet the drinking water needs of five million people, according to the United Nations Trade & Development (UNCTAD). This equates to in excess of 37 million Olympic-sized swimming pools filled annually.
As water scarcity becomes a growing global concern, the textile industry must urgently shift toward water-efficient and sustainable production models.
This webinar explores water consumption across the textile supply chain from fibre farming to fabric processing. It will showcase real world examples from Africa, Asia and UK, innovations that are reducing water use and driving sustainable transformation and steps towards circularity within the textiles industry.
About the event
This is the first webinar of three in the “Transforming Textiles: Water, Innovation, and Circularity” webinars, led by the Innovate UK Global Alliance Africa project, and the Innovate UK Business Connect Material & Manufacturing Team.
This session focuses on water consumption across the textile supply chain, from raw materials and agriculture to dyeing, washing, and finishing, and highlights scalable solutions from across the UK, Asia and Africa. This event is part of an ongoing effort to foster cross-regional knowledge exchange and investment in sustainable textile practices.
We will be joined by experts from Technical Textiles, UK-Nigeria Circular Fashion Global Innovation Network and the UK-South Africa Water Security and Waste Circularity Global Innovation Network who will showcase their knowledge and insights during the webinar.
Who should attend
If you are working within the fashion, textile, water industries or supply chains this event will provide a cross-sector opportunity to network with industry leaders, academics, innovators, manufacturers, investors, NGO’s, policymaking, regulatory experts. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation.
Why attend
- To gain an overview of the fashion & textile industry’s global impact on water, across its full value chain
- To learn about innovative scalable solutions addressing water efficiency in textiles
- Opportunities for UK–Africa and wider for collaboration & knowledge exchange in textile and water management
The future webinar themes are to be confirmed, but will focus on the following:
- Tackling toxins – Textile chemicals, dyes and microplastics in water
This webinar will form part of the Global Research & Innovation in Plastics Sustainability (GRIPS2025) event, which is taking place from 9 – 11 December 2025. More information and a link to register is coming soon. - Textiles, plastics & water – Recycling, design and end of life solutions
This webinar will form part of the International session during the Materials Research Exchange (MRE) 2026 event, which is taking place on 18 February 2026. More information and a link to register are coming soon.