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Turning ambition into action

Fashion and home product supply chains face growing pressure to transform. Climate change, shifting customer expectations, and rising business accountability are reshaping how products are designed, sourced, manufactured, and delivered. Net Zero is a shared responsibility embedded in every role, every product, and every decision.

This flexible online course explores Net Zero in a practical, accessible way, showing how responsible decision-making runs through every choice, from materials and packaging to sourcing, design, and logistics. You'll learn to identify key emissions drivers and use practical evidence to inform better decisions in your role, building the confidence and capability to question assumptions, rethink established practices and take action.

Created for professionals working across the fashion and home textiles supply and value chains, the course helps you champion change from wherever you are. Each week builds toward a personalised Net Zero Contribution Plan, giving you the tools to understand your influence and put change into practice.

Approved by The Textile Institute and UKFT

We are proud to have this course approved by The Textile Institute and UKFT (The UK Fashion and Textile Association), two leading professional bodies representing the UK and global textile, clothing and footwear industries.

Developed by The University of Manchester and independently reviewed by both organisations, this course offers training of the highest standard.

Our commitment to the UN SDGs

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world. Through their unique role in creating and sharing knowledge, universities have a direct role in addressing these challenges.

As one of the world’s leading research institutions and the UK’s only university to have social responsibility as a core goal, The University of Manchester is playing a leading role in tackling the SDGs in four ways: research impact, learning and students, public engagement activity and responsible campus processes.

This course is part of that commitment.
It translates the UN SDGs into practical action for the fashion and home textiles sector, equipping professionals to make decisions that advance climate goals, social responsibility and resilient futures.

Flexible learning

This course is structured to meet the needs of busy professionals, offering fully asynchronous access to content that allows learners to study at times that suit their individual schedules. This delivery model ensures minimal disruption to work commitments while maintaining high engagement and learning outcomes.

By combining flexibility with focused, practical content, learners can immediately connect Net Zero principles to their own roles and decisions.

What you will learn

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Apply Net Zero principles to decisions about products, materials, sourcing, packaging and logistics.
• Identify emissions drivers and hotspots across the value chain, using evidence to inform practical workplace decisions.
• Assess how decisions across products, processes and supply chains influence emissions and sustainability outcomes.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues and suppliers, recognising opportunities to collaborate and influence change.
• Recognise points of influence within your role and apply behaviour-change approaches to support progress towards Net Zero.
• Develop a personal Net Zero Contribution Plan that identifies realistic actions within your role and supports continued professional practice.

How you will learn

Each week you will engage with a blend of short videos, guest speakers, case studies and quizzes that connect Net Zero principles to the realities of fashion and home product supply chains.

The course comprises 50 hours of learning, delivered flexibly so you can pace your studies around work and personal commitments:

• 40 hours of self-paced learning structured around core themes
• 10 hours dedicated to demonstrating learning and completing your final Net Zero Contribution Plan

This balance ensures you gain practical insight, apply it to your own context, and finish with a clear plan you can take forward.

Assessment

Over 10 weeks, you will develop a practical Net Zero Contribution Plan that demonstrates your understanding of the value supply chain and identifies realistic actions to support Net Zero goals. This assessment is designed for immediate real-world application, encouraging you to critically evaluate current practices and define tangible steps for positive change within your organisation.

Eligibility

To apply for this course, you should be working in the fashion or homewares industry and have relevant professional experience. Designed with practical application in mind, the course enables you to apply your learning directly to your day-to-day role, culminating in the development of a tailored Net Zero Contribution Plan by the end of the programme.

Course fees

The total course fees are £1,250.

Discounts available:

• UoM Alumni Discount: 10% off for returning University of Manchester learners.
  Please email learningsupport@manchester.ac.uk with proof of your alumni status e.g. your degree certificate.
  
  
• Corporate Discount: Organisations enrolling multiple learners may be eligible for a group discount:
  - 5-10 learners: 10% discount
  - 10-20 learners: 15% discount
  - 20+ learners: 20% discount
  Please email learningsupport@manchester.ac.uk to discuss the above discounts and to arrange invoicing.
  
• As a member of University of Manchester staff, you may be eligible for a discount. Please speak to your line manager in the first instance.