The government launched its Industrial Strategy Green Paper in January 2017. The stated objective of the strategy is ‘to improve living standards and economic growth by increasing productivity and driving growth across the whole country’. The key goals of the Government’s industrial strategy are to:
- Build on UK strengths and extend excellence into the future;
- Close the gap between the UK’s most productive companies, industries, places and people and the rest; and
- Make the UK one of the most competitive places in the world to start or grow a business.
The Paper sets out the 10 key areas (Pillars) where the Government suggests it should focus its activities. Many of the areas have direct relevance to the fashion and textile sector e.g. trade and investment and skills, others have a less direct impact such as infrastructure. The Centre has worked closely with the UKFT to prepare a joint response for the deadline of April 17th, and the Centre and the UKFT also liaised closely with the Alliance project and the British Fashion Council in an effort to ensure that responses were as complementary as possible.
