Making recyclable clothing the industry standard.
Mission Statement
The Circular Textiles Foundation (CTF) is an independent certifier and training provider. We exist to make fibre-to-fibre recycling commercially viable and reduce the environmental footprint of clothing at scale. Our route to that goal is Design for Recyclability.
Through rigorous product certification and practical brand training, CTF gives brands, retailers and recyclers the tools and standards they need to close the loop on clothing.
We are independent. Our standards are set by Europe's leading textile-to-textile recyclers — ensuring they reflect the realities of recycling at scale, not aspirational targets.
Designed to be worn. Not designed to return.
The problem we're solving
Less than 1% of clothing produced globally is recycled back into new fibres* — not because the technology doesn't exist, but because of two compounding failures: garments are not designed to be recycled, and the system they enter at end of life was never built to recover them.
Our current linear economy operates on a simple but flawed premise: take, make, waste. It assumes infinite resources for extraction and an infinite capacity for our planet to absorb the consequences. Even a thoughtfully made, low-impact garment will eventually become part of that waste stream if the underlying model never changes.
A circular economy offers a way out — but only if both failures are addressed together. At CTF, that means starting at the design stage, creating garments built for recyclability from recycled materials. Circular business models then keep those garments in use for as long as possible. And when a garment finally reaches the end of its usable life, it can be recovered and recycled back into fibre — ready to enter the fashion and textile industry again.
The solution isn't just better design. It's a better system. And it requires both.
*Source: European Parliament, Deal on New EU Rules to Reduce Textile and Food Waste, 19/02/2025
Founded to fill a gap.
Meet the team
CTF was established in the UK to address a clear market failure: while fibre-to-fibre recycling technology was advancing, the garments entering the recycling stream were not keeping pace. Brands were making sustainability claims without the design knowledge or independent verification to back them up. Recyclers were receiving material they couldn't efficiently process.
CTF was built by industry professionals who had worked across fashion and retail, and who understood both the scale of the problem and why existing approaches weren't solving it. The critical insight was this: switching to recycled materials is not enough if the garment still cannot be recycled at end of life.
What the industry needed was a common standard, the training to meet it, and independent verification to back it up.
CTF was built to provide all three.
Today, that work is carried out by a team with expertise across brand partnerships, design, communications and textile innovation. Most brands begin their journey with our Head of Brand Partnerships, Padouk, before working with our design team — led by Jenny — through the Design for Recyclability and certification process. Hannah and Laura guide brands through certification, Ruth supports you in communicating your story with confidence, and Claire keeps the whole team and our brand partners informed on developments across the fibre-to-fibre recycling sector.
Tim Cross
Founder
With over 30 years' experience in garment manufacturing, Tim Cross founded Project Plan B to create recyclable clothing and partnered with Salvation Army Trading Company to establish Project Re:claim - the UK's first commercial-scale textile to textile polyester recycling facility.
Tim also founded the Circular Textiles Foundation (CTF), a non-profit bridging the gap between clothing brands and post-consumer textile recycling technologies through certification and Design for Recyclability training.
Joe Little
Strategic Partnerships
Joe has a background as a global team leader in raw materials and sustainability.
He is a passionate advocate for circular design and scalable innovation for fashion.
Known for blending strategic clarity and stakeholder engagement, his mission stays simple: through end to end transparency, make the fashion industry work better - for everyone and the planet.
Jenny Valarino
Head of Circular Design
With over 20 years of experience in garment design across womenswear, menswear, and childrenswear, Jenny's expertise spans high street to high-end fashion and the entire product lifecycle.
As Head of Circular Design at the Circular Textiles Foundation, she collaborates on circular design solutions to reduce clothing's environmental impact. Passionate about using design to tackle industry challenges, Jenny is dedicated to driving meaningful change through innovative and practical solutions.
Padouk Fielding
Head of Brand Parnerships
With over 12 years of experience in partnership development and project management across multiple sectors; from international development to circular fashion innovation - Padouk brings a wealth of cross-industry expertise.
As Head of Partnerships at the Circular Textiles Foundation, she builds impactful and lasting relationships with brands on their journey to circularity, firmly believing in the power of strong relationships and collective action to drive positive change.
Claire Leneve
Head of Recycler Partnerships
Claire has spent 15 years building partnerships across social impact, public sector transformation, and sustainable fashion. As founder of a clothing brand, she has first-hand experience of the complexity of building circularity into a fashion business.
Bringing that experience to her role as Head of Recycler Partnerships at the Circular Textiles Foundation, Claire leads on relationships with recyclers, resellers, and sorters — believing collaboration is key to growing the UK's circular textiles ecosystem.
Ruth Hickman
Head of Communications
With 20 years of experience in the fashion industry, Ruth's background spans buying and brand strategy across large corporates and emerging designers.
As Head of Communications at the Circular Textiles Foundation, she oversees all communication and marketing activity, platforming the work of CTF and ensuring its mission reaches the brands, retailers and stakeholders best placed to make recyclable clothing the industry standard.
Laura Roberts
Senior Circular Designer
With 10 years of design experience across luxury, high street, and education, Laura brings expertise spanning the full product lifecycle with a focus on surface textiles. Passionate about skill-sharing and collaboration, she is committed to driving the industry toward a closed-loop system.
As Senior Circular Designer at the Circular Textiles Foundation, Laura bridges the gap between brands and recyclers through creative, practical circular design solutions.
Hannah Hamlin
Senior Circular Designer
With a background in fashion design and nine years of experience across commercial high street and boutique fashion brands, Hannah is passionate about changing the industry for the better. Having recently completed a Masters in Sustainable Fashion, she brings both professional and academic insight to her role.
As Senior Circular Designer at the Circular Textiles Foundation, Hannah bridges the gap between recyclers and in-house design teams through creative circular design solutions.
Francine Hedges
Special Projects Lead
With twenty years of broad experience across marketing and finance, and a knack for turning complex organisational needs into working technical solutions, Francine brings a uniquely cross-disciplinary perspective to the Circular Textiles Foundation.
As Special Projects lead, she focuses on extending the reach and functionality of CTF's certification work, designing and building the systems that underpin it, from online training platforms and certification tools to the web applications that bring them to scale.