Orchestrate funding
Orchestrate is funded through multiple initiatives that support research into circular economy transitions, collaboration, and system-level change in the fashion sector.
RESEARCH ACCELERATOR GRANT
The project, titled “Exploring Circular Economy Transition, Informal Economy, and Migrant and Refugee Labour in Turkey’s Waste Industry,” was funded through a Manchester Metropolitan University Research Accelerator Grant (RAG) with a value of £7,000. Led by Tulin Dzhengiz (PI), with Vildan Taşlı Karabulut as Co-Investigator and Paul Dewick as mentor, the project examined the intersection of circular economy transitions and informal waste systems in Turkey. The study combined a narrative literature review with three weeks of fieldwork in Istanbul, including 34 interviews with waste pickers, scrap dealers, traders, policymakers, and NGOs. A key focus was on informal textile waste supply chains, exploring how post-industrial textile waste is collected, sorted, and circulated through decentralised and self-organised networks. The project highlights the central role of informal actors in enabling circularity, while also revealing the regulatory, economic, and social challenges they face. It provides a foundation for future research and larger funding applications on informal circular economy systems.
GENESES
GeneSES Grant, a seed funding initiative within the Department of Strategy, enterprise and sustainability at Manchester Metropolitan University designed to enable early-stage research. Awarded in 2024, the grant supports our project “Orchestrating Sustainability: Examining the Emergence of the Circular Fashion Ecosystem in the UK.” This funding has been instrumental in launching a pilot study that explores how circular economy principles are shaping sustainability transitions within the UK fashion industry. This grant helps us analyse secondary data to build an initial understanding of ecosystem dynamics and key themes. We then conduct preliminary interviews with academics to refine our research focus and identify key actors within the system. The GeneSES Grant provides a critical foundation for this work, enabling us to develop additional funding opportunities, BAM/SAMs fund.
ORCHESTRATE- BAM/ SAMS
The Orchestrate Project is further supported by the British Academy of Management and Society of Advanced Management Studies (BAM/SAMS) Research and Capacity Building Grant, awarded in 2024 for a two-year period. This funding enables us to deepen our investigation into the UK’s evolving circular fashion and textile landscape, focusing on how diverse stakeholders—from grassroots entrepreneurs to major industry players—collaborate to drive the transition towards more sustainable and circular practices. The research explores the role of both local and industry-led initiatives in shaping circular fashion ecosystems. It examines how community-based organisations, non-profits, and grassroots actors contribute to resource circularity, alongside the strategies of industry stakeholders such as designers, brands, and sector associations. A key focus is understanding the defining characteristics and dynamics of these ecosystems, including how different areas—such as reuse, repair, and recycling—operate and are coordinated. Using a multi-method approach, the project builds on earlier pilot work by analysing existing content, conducting interviews with key ecosystem actors, and exploring inter-organisational relationships, roles, and perceptions of circular economy practices. The research actively engages a wide range of stakeholders and circular fashion communities and networks.
HEIF
The Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF) / Business Engagement Fund activity is led by Tulin Dzhengiz and supports the development of practice-facing collaborations in the circular fashion and textile sector. The funding is designed to enable industry engagement, knowledge exchange, and pathway building towards impactful research–industry partnerships, particularly where there is clear potential for future innovation contracts and external income generation. The specific project focuses on strengthening links between academia and leading global actors in circular fashion. The scope centres on advancing circular textile recycling—particularly in the Turkish context—by connecting research insights on informal–formal supply chains with ongoing industry initiatives by (1) building and deepening strategic relationships with key partners operating in Turkish context of circular textiles; (2) engaging with textile recyclers, solution providers, and ecosystem actors through targeted events (e.g., Global Fashion Summit, Textile Recycling Expo); and (3) identifying concrete collaboration opportunities, such as pilot projects, diagnostics, and innovation-focused research contracts.
KTP WITH FLAIR RUGS
The Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project titled “Circular Business Models and Ecosystems in the Rug Industry” is a collaborative initiative between Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Flair Rugs, funded by Innovate UK (UKRI). The project is led by Dr. Mohammad Roohanifar as Principal Investigator, with Dr. Tulin Dzhengiz as Co-Investigator and Academic Supervisor, and is supported by KTP Associate Abbie Stevens, who is embedded within the company to drive implementation and knowledge exchange. Running about 28 months, and co-funded by Innovate UK and the industry partner (with overall funding around 280 K+), the project focuses on developing circular business model and ecosystem approaches in the rug industry. It explores practices such as take-back schemes, repair, refurbishment, recycling, and circular design, while engaging a broader ecosystem of stakeholders including suppliers, retailers, recyclers, and policymakers. Methodologically, the project adopts a practice-based, intervention-oriented approach, combining action research with mixed methods such as interviews, workshops, consumer surveys, and observational work, and organizational action research as a design principle behind it. This enables both the implementation of circular strategies within the firm and the generation of wider academic insights into how circular ecosystems can be orchestrated and scaled in industry contexts.