From the Sector

Source Fashion, Europe’s leading responsible sourcing show, has announced an inspiring line-up of keynote speakers for its upcoming event, running from 18th to 20th February 2025 at Olympia London. On Wednesday 19th February, a full day of thought-provoking sessions will be headlined by industry visionaries including All Saints Founder Stuart Trevor, award-winning social entrepreneur Safia Minney MBE, and Andrew Xeni, Founder of Nobody’s Child.
 
The sessions will explore critical themes shaping the future of fashion, from sustainability to circularity and transparency, aiming to equip visitors with actionable insights to transform their brands and business practices.
 
Session Highlights:

• The Urgency of Transparency
  • Speaker: Andrew Xeni, Founder, Nobody’s Child, Fabacus and Soreto
  • Time: 11:00 AM
  • Synopsis: As transparency becomes the cornerstone of sustainability, Andrew Xeni will discuss how brands can lead the charge in accountability and ethical operations. From unveiling supply chain practices to empowering consumers, this session highlights the role of transparency in building trust and driving meaningful change in the fashion industry.
•  A Clothing Company That Doesn’t Produce Clothes
  • Speaker: Stuart Trevor, Founder, All Saints & Stuart Trevor
  • Time: 1:30 PM
  • Synopsis: In a groundbreaking fireside chat, Stuart Trevor will showcase how his company is pioneering circularity by transforming pre-owned clothes into desirable fashion pieces. By rethinking the traditional industry model, Trevor will illustrate the potential of upcycling to combat waste and redefine sustainable style.
• Ecosystem Thinking in Fashion: Redesigning for Regeneration
  • Speaker: Safia Minney MBE
  • Time: 2:10 PM
  • Synopsis: In a dynamic panel discussion, Safia Minney will explore strategies to adopt circular and regenerative models, scale these practices, and foster collaborative supply chain solutions. Featuring contributions from experts across industries, this session is set to empower visitors with practical tools for transformative change.

 The keynote sessions will be complemented by speakers from industry-leading organisations such as John Lewis, Vivo Footwear, Pepsi Co, Kingfisher, and environmental NGO WRAP. The full programme will be revealed in the coming weeks.
 
Join the Conversation
Source Fashion 2025 invites fashion professionals, sustainability advocates, and industry leaders to connect, learn, and lead the transformation of the fashion industry.
 
As Europe’s leading responsible sourcing show, Source Fashion brings together a global community of brands, suppliers, and thought leaders to shape the future of ethical and sustainable fashion. Through cutting-edge events, expert-led sessions, and innovative showcases, Source Fashion champions transparency, circularity, and collaboration in the industry.

About Stuart Trevor
In 1983, Stuart Trevor was a finalist in the Paul Smith/Mont Blanc competition and in 1985 he won designer of the year at The Smirnoff Fashion awards “Menswear Day”. Aged 19 he became the first designer and main buyer for REISS. At 28 he founded All Saints and many of the clothes that continue to feature every week in the top 10 bestseller list of the high-street brand today, were designed by Trevor himself over 20 years ago.
 
About Safia Minney
Safia Minney, MBE, FRSA, is an award-winning social entrepreneur, consultant and advisor. Safia is recognised by the World Economic Forum as an Outstanding Social Entrepreneur and is a leading influencer and international speaker on sustainable fashion, sustainable supply chains, ethical business and climate action.
 
Safia founded REAL Sustainability CIC in 2019, to promote awareness and action for sustainable living and leadership. In 2022 REAL launched Fashion Declares – a bottom-up, industry wide movement to promote rapid action to redesign the fashion industry to operate within planetary boundaries.
 
About Andrew Xeni
Andrew Xeni is a visionary technology and retail entrepreneur. After building successful fashion manufacturing business suppling leading UK high street brands, Xeni went on to create eco-conscious 2023 Drapers Retailer of the Year (<£100m), Nobody’s Child, of which Marks and Spencer is a strategic investor and shareholder.
Merging both retail and technology, Xeni also founded award-winning retail tech companies Fabacus and Soreto.
 
As CEO of Fabacus, a DaaS (Data-as-a-Service) technology platform for revolutionising the licencing and retail industries, Xeni has established partnerships with a number of leading businesses within the sectors, including, Fanatics, UFC, Epic Games, Ubisoft and IMG, part of Endeavour.
 
This year, seeing the growing consumer demand for sustainably, Xeni pioneered the UK-first Digital Product Passport in a collaboration with between Fabacus and Nobody’s Child, in partnership with Coinbase.
 
Xeni is backed by a number of leading financial institutions, including iNovia Partners, led by former Google CFO, Patrick Pichette, as well as New Look founder, Tom Singh. In addition to managing a diverse portfolio of businesses, and sitting as Chairman for Nobody’s Child and Soreto, Xeni is an active angel investor.

Mark Ushpol has been appointed Executive Vice President, Americas business area at Suominen. He will be a member of Suominen's Executive Management Team and report to President and CEO Tommi Björnman. Ushpol will start in his new position on January 6, 2025.

Mr. Ushpol joins Suominen from Ahlstrom, where he worked as Executive Vice President of the Food & Consumer Packaging division and as a member of the Executive Management Team.

“Mark has a strong experience in leading industrial business and operations. He also has industry knowledge and proven record in successfully executing company goals. I am sure he will be a valued member in our Executive Management Team and support us in our journey towards profitable growth,” says Tommi Björnman, President and CEO of Suominen.

Green Threads DPP, the Hampshire-based supplier of Digital Product Passports (DPP) to the uniform, workwear, and outdoor apparel industries, is officially launching to help brands fight greenwashing, create value chain transparency, and stay ahead of pending EU Green Deal DPP mandates.

Working directly with universities, textile suppliers, brands, governmental agencies, and manufacturing facilities around the world, Green Threads will help companies quickly and effectively navigate the DPP landscape, engage consumers, and bring in the next era of product transparency.

By 2030, all apparel sold in the EU will require some form of DPP. Scannable at all points along the value chain, DPPs will come in the form of a QR code, RFID tag, or NFC chip. Anyone from brand representatives to compliance officers to consumers will soon have access to a wide range of product information at their fingertips, including a product’s origin, carbon footprint, water consumption, materials composition, credentials, and end of life considerations.

Once a brand’s supply chain has been audited and a range of DPP have been created for the garments being produced, Green Threads will actively identify areas for sustainability improvements and make recommendations through the use of tailored Carbon Reduction Plans which are designed to help factories and suppliers set and reach decarbonization goals.

The use of a DPP comes with several benefits:

• Comply with Green Deal regulations for the sale of footwear and apparel in the EU
• Eliminate Greenwashing
• Set and communicate sustainability goals to buyers
• Showcase Ethical and Sustainability credentials
• Provides quantifiable / actionable data with which to make future sourcing decisions
• Market brand messaging directly to the end consumer by creating another touch point for engagement.

Beyond simple compliance with EU regulations, anyone using DPPs will be able to showcase sustainability credentials, differentiate themselves from the competition, and incorporate next-level marketing directly to consumers, all while making “greenwashing” a thing of the past.

“Between pending regulations and concerns around greenwashing, brands have a lot to gain from adopting a Green Threads DPP solution,” said Iain Kettleband, CEO of Green Threads. “By working with our clients and partners, we audit and measure the various elements throughout the entire product journey, facilitating continuous improvement and accountability. We add value by empowering consumers and businesses through easy to access data by which to make informed buying decisions. Most critically our solution goes above and beyond legislation and delivers complete environmental supply chain transparency as well as a dynamic platform through which to showcase a wealth of information related to recycling, care instructions, corporate objectives and ethical certifications”.

Weak demand in some of their customer markets is increasingly hindering SGL Carbon's sales growth. After nine months in 2024, SGL Carbon generated sales of €781.9 million, which was slightly below the prior-year level at minus 4.8% (9M 2023: €821.7 million). Adjusted for currency and structural effects, Group sales decreased by 3.6%. Adjusted EBITDA, an important key figure for the Group, remained at a comparable level of €127.6 million in the reporting period (9M 2023: €130.0 million). Despite the slight decrease in sales, the adjusted EBITDA margin improved from 15.4% in Q1 and 16.7% in Q2 to 16.9% in Q3 and amounted to 16.3% after nine months (9M 2023: 15.8%). The reasons for the improved adjusted EBITDA margin are, in particular, product mix effects in the Graphite Solutions and Process Technology business units. By contrast, the ongoing weakness in demand and the associated price pressure for carbon and textile fiber products in the Carbon Fibers business unit continued to weigh on the Group's sales and earnings development.

“Even with our diversified product portfolio, we can no longer completely withdraw from the generally weak economic environment. In addition, there was a decline in demand for specialty graphite products for the semiconductor industry in the third quarter. In particular, our products for the manufacture of silicon carbide-based semiconductors are suffering from the restrained demand for electric vehicles on the customer side,” explains CEO Dr. Torsten Derr. “While the last 18 months were characterized by enormous demand for silicon carbide semiconductors and insufficient production capacities, the market has cooled down significantly. Due to a lack of demand from the automotive industry, our semiconductor customers have significantly reduced order volumes. We do not expect to see a significant upturn in demand for our specialty graphite products until the sales figures for electric vehicles pick up again.”

Based on the adjusted EBITDA of €127.6 million and taking into account depreciation and amortization of €41.0 million (9M 2023: €43.3 million) and one-off effects as well as non-recurring items of minus €18.3 million (9M 2023: minus €47.2 million), EBIT after nine months of 2024 will be €68.3 million (9M 2023: €39.5 million). The one-off effects and non-recurring items result, among other things, from the restructuring measures at Carbon Fibers and the Battery Solutions business line as well as from expenses for a strategy project. When comparing with the previous year, it should be noted that the first nine months of 2023 were disproportionately affected by an impairment loss on the assets of Carbon Fibers (€44.7 million).

Development of the business units
The Carbon Fibers business unit's sales for the first nine months of 2024 amounted to €157.1 million, significantly below the figure of €179.6 million for the prior-year period. The decline is due in particular to the continued weak demand from the wind industry and to the increasing competitive pressure resulting from global overcapacities for carbon and textile fibers.

Idle production capacities and the associated lack of fixed cost absorption as well as declining margins for commodity products led to a further deterioration in the adjusted EBITDA of the Carbon Fibers. The adjusted EBITDA of the Carbon Fibers business unit fell to minus €7.9 million in the first nine months of 2024 (9M 2023: €3.2 million). It should be noted that the adjusted EBITDA of the Carbon Fibers business unit includes an earnings contribution of €11.6 million from the joint venture BSCCB, which is accounted for At-Equity (9M 2023: €14.1 million). Excluding this contribution from the At-Equity accounted BSCCB, the adjusted EBITDA of Carbon Fibers would have been minus €19.6 million (9M 2023: minus €10.5 million).

SGL Carbon assumes that demand for carbon fibers will not recover in the coming months and that the realizable prices for these products will remain at a low level beyond 2025. Therefore, SGL Carbon anticipates that the expected improvement in sales and earnings for the Carbon Fibers segment will be delayed and is revising its existing mid-term planning for this segment. Due to the expected deviation, an ad hoc impairment test is currently being carried out. This indicates a non-cash impairment charge of €60–80 million, which will be recognized in Q4 2024. The structured transaction process initiated for Carbon Fibers is still ongoing.

Sales in the Composite Solutions business unit amounted to €95.8 million in the first nine months of 2024, down 16.2% (9M 2023: €114.3 million). The decline is due in particular to the early termination of a project-related supply contract with an automotive customer. Furthermore, the lower sales figures for electric vehicles are also having an impact on Composite Solutions.

Adjusted EBITDA in Composite Solutions fell from €16.6 million in the prior-year period to €10.7 million (minus 35.5%), due in particular to lower volumes. The adjusted EBITDA margin weakened accordingly to 11.2% (9M 2023: 14.5%).

Outlook
Macroeconomic conditions, lower than expected sales volumes in some customer groups and price pressure for commodity products are increasingly hindering SGL Carbon's growth ambitions. Thomas Dippold, CFO of SGL Carbon, explains: “Due to the diverse and diversified industrial applications of our products and our strict cost management, we continue to expect to achieve our guidance for 2024 at the lower end of the range of €160–170 million. The coming months will not be easier. We need to prepare for a flat demand development in some of our sales markets.”

TradeBeyond is hosting Global Sourcing Day 2024, an exclusive, invite-only conference bringing together top executives, thought leaders, and industry experts from the retail supply chain sector. This year’s event will focus on innovative strategies, sustainability, and technological advancements that are transforming retail sourcing.

WHEN: Nov. 12, 2024, 9 AM – 4 PM HKT
WHERE: Cordis Hotel, Hong Kong

Featured speakers include:

• Britton Russell, COO, MGF Sourcing
• Jeff Alpert, CEO, Pillar AI
• Aubree Evangelista, Global Product Manager Social, amfori
• Sophie You, RESET Carbon
• Rick Horwitch, Vice President of Strategy & Innovation, Bureau Veritas

Global Sourcing Day 2024 offers a unique opportunity for senior supply chain professionals to explore the future of sourcing and sustainability. Key topics include:

• AI and Digital Transformation: How artificial intelligence is reshaping sourcing operations.
• Sustainable Sourcing and Compliance: Adapting to evolving environmental regulations and standards.
• Traceability and Transparency: Elevating supply chain visibility to build trust and accountability.

This event provides critical insights for those aiming to navigate the challenges and seize the opportunities within global supply chains in 2025 and beyond.

Project Re:Claim, a joint venture between the Salvation Army Trading Company and Project Plan B, has been nominated for the Plastics Industry Awards 2024 in the "Recycler of the Year" category. Using an ISEC evo system from PURE LOOP to process used garments and other textiles, the project is Europe’s first polyester textile recycling system. The award ceremony will take place on 22 November in London.

The UK produces more than half a million tonnes of polyester textile waste every year. Project Re:Claim aims to recycle post-industrial and post-consumer clothing and textiles. The focus is on the recycling of post-industrial polyester from contract textiles for hospitals or hotels (e.g. bed and table linen), workwear and school uniforms, as well as promotional banners (e.g. printed sports banners). The fabrics and textiles come from controlled material streams (closed-loop systems), ensuring minimal impurities. The recycling technology used is an ISEC evo 302 E from PURE LOOP. This innovative technology, developed by the EREMA Group’s member, enables efficient production of high-quality rPET from textile waste.

Europe’s first polyester textile recycling system
The plant, installed at a Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL) processing centre in Kettering in early 2024, represents Europe’s first commercial scale polyester textile recycling system specialising in post-consumer polyester. SATCoL is the trading arm of The Salvation Army and UK’s largest charity owned textile collector.

Together with Project Plan B, a specialist in garment design with a focus on design for recycling, PURE LOOP optimised its integrated shredder-extruder combination ISEC evo for the specific requirements. "Plan B has a vision, and we are convinced something great can come out of it," emphasises Manfred Dobersberger, Managing Director at PURE LOOP. Thanks to the configuration of shredder and extruder on one drive shaft and the patented double feed ram system, the ISEC evo 302 E gently processes discarded polyester into rPET, which can be reused for new yarns and other products. "Up until now, polyester that had no useful life left would have been disposed of," explains Tim Cross, CEO of Project Plan B. "With the ISEC evo, we can now return textile waste as a valuable material back to the supply chains. It’s a carbon saving solution, and it plays a significant role in helping our collective journey to Net Zero."

Textile recycling: an industry with growth potential
The plant aims to recycle 2,500 tonnes of polyester in its first year, doubling this amount in the second year. In addition to the environmental benefits such as diverting unwearable textiles away from landfill, initial estimates indicate that the production of pellets from Project Re:Claim uses only one-tenth of the energy compared with pellets produced from virgin polyester. One prerequisite for this is an energy-efficient recycling machine such as the ISEC evo.

• Organic sales up 1% driven by volume growth; revenue down 3%
• Operating income €259 million (2023: €354 million)
• Adjusted EBITDA €394 million (2023: €414 million); Adjusted EBITDA margin 14.8% (2023: 15.1%)
• Net cash from operating activities positive €294 million (2023: positive €297 million)

Based on current market conditions and constant currencies, AkzoNobel expects to deliver 2024
adjusted EBITDA of around €1.5 billion. The company aims to lower its leverage to around 2.7 times net debt/EBITDA by the end of 2024 and around 2 times in the mid-term, while remaining committed to retaining a strong investment grade credit rating.

AkzoNobel CEO Greg Poux-Guillaume commented:
“We continued to demonstrate our ability to grow in flat markets, achieving a fourth consecutive quarter of volume growth. Although operating costs were higher year on year, they’re down sequentially, while gross margin expansion continues. We’ve launched further cost and portfolio initiatives to ensure delivery of our mid-term ambitions. For 2024, we expect to achieve around €1.5 billion adjusted EBITDA.”

When PERFORMANCE DAYS opens its doors on October 23 and 24, 2024, in Halls A1 and A2 at the Messe München exhibition grounds, visitors will once again find fabric innovations for Fall/Winter 2026 across the segments of performance wear, footwear, accessories, and, for the first time, bodywear. The jury, composed of renowned industry experts, reviewed the latest fabrics for the 2026 season in the Trend, Footwear, and Bodywear Forum, looking for outstanding innovations. A total of one Performance Award and one Eco Performance Award were presented.

PERFORMANCE DAYS continues to deliver plenty of highlights and innovations in technical fibers and materials in the Trend Forum at the winter exhibition. Since Fall 2023, the event has also focused on the footwear segment, summarizing the latest trends and news in the dedicated Footwear Forum. Starting in October 2024, the organizers will introduce a new Bodywear Collective, complete with a corresponding Trend Forum. In close collaboration with the London Contour Experts and designer and industry expert Nichole de Carle, PERFORMANCE DAYS will feature a Trend Forum dedicated to underwear, shapewear, bras & leggings, yoga in motion, and swimwear.

The expert jury, led by Marco Weichert, CEO of PERFORMANCE DAYS, Jury Head Alexa Dehmel, and guest jurors Regina Goller, a textile expert with experience in sustainable functional fabrics at companies like Odlo, Puma, and Jack Wolfskin, as well as Stephan Prinz, Account Manager Germany at Klopman, praised the quality, sustainability approaches, and high level of innovation in the submissions. The jury awarded one Performance Award (Bodywear) and one Eco Performance Award (Apparel).

The winners are: A. Sampaio & Filhos – Têxteis SA & Penn Textile Solutions GmbH/Penn Italia SRL
For the Fall/Winter 2026 season, the jury selected three awards for outstanding fabrics.

Alongside the Eco Performance Award, which went to A. Sampaio & Filhos – Têxteis SA for the article “69222/Colorful chemistry featuring holistic farming,” one Performance Award
was also presented for the first time in the bodywear segment: Penn Textile Solutions GmbH/Penn Italia SRL made their debut in the Bodywear Forum with "13949.

ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD: A. Sampaio & Filhos – Têxteis SA / Article “69222 - Colorful Chemistry Featuring Holistic Farming”
In collaboration with Good Earth Cotton, this project focuses on sustainable farming practices to reduce the environmental impact of cotton while improving soil health, paving the way for a carbon-neutral future. The supplier is also exploring innovations with organic cotton grown using regenerative farming methods, expanding the scope for future eco-friendly concepts. Additionally, the fabric is dyed using biological dyes—an innovative technique where natural bacteria produce pigments that bond efficiently with the fabric a low temperatures without the use of petrochemicals. The fabric is available in pink and
sand.

Jury Statement: “This fabric takes this year’s focus topic to the next level! A. Sampaio & Filhos – Têxteis SA’s fabric innovation showcases the future of dyeing with microorganisms. Textile dyeing with living organisms is a sustainable and resource-efficient method that requires no harmful chemicals. Additionally, the fabric, made from 100% organic cotton, excels in performance due to an innovative body-mapping concept that provides optimal support during wear.”

PERFORMANCE AWARD: Penn Textile Solutions GmbH / Penn Italia SRL / Article “13949” This fabric, composed of 68% recycled polyamide and 32% ROICA, with a weight of 290 grams, is perfect for baselayer construction. It can be customized with the brand’s own design, featuring open structures and a 3D effect for added texture. Despite its structure, the fabric has an incredibly soft touch, ensuring maximum comfort during wear. Jury Statement: “Penn Textiles was a popular vote, an award worthy of the jury. The fabric has a combination of high density opaque areas with lighter breathable panels. A superior choice for the Bodywear Category because of its customisable 3D design aesthetic, printable qualities and second skin super soft touch. The fabric blend of Roica yarn and recycled PA has many admirable qualities for next to skin, including anti-odor, quick dry and outstanding stretch and recovery to adapt to the body shape. Fabric, with a perfect fit for body contouring products including leggings, underwear and light support shapewear.”

The Bangladesh Climate Action Forum 2024 was held at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel on 10^th October 2024. Over 450 delegates from across the globe came together to foster dialogue, collaboration, and actionable strategies to advance Bangladesh's sustainability goals.
The Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) organized the forum as a pivotal platform uniting industry leaders, government officials, climate advocates, innovators, brands, development organizations, policymakers, and academics.

The theme of this year's Bangladesh Fashion: Driving Collective Climate Action highlighted the urgent need for sustainability within the fashion and apparel sector. The forum was significant as a catalyst for dialogue and collaboration among various stakeholders. Enhancing climate leadership and technical skills makes the forum crucial in propelling the nation toward a sustainable and resilient future.

In his opening remarks, Mostafiz Uddin, Founder & CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, said:
“You care about the planet, you care about the country, and that is why all of you are here today. All of you are my inspiration. Climate action is no more a burden. For entrepreneurs, it's a business opportunity.”
“This is how I think. For all of you, you all love Bangladesh and want to eliminate poverty and disasters. Cheap labor is no longer a competitive advantage for Bangladesh. If we as entrepreneurs do not achieve the target set by our clients, we will not be able to succeed. To achieve the targets, the manufacturers need more shared responsibility, collaboration, and support.”

This year’s event featured keynote addresses, panel discussions, presentations, and workshops, where more than about 42 national and international experts shared insights on building a climate-resilient and carbon-neutral future through collaboration and innovation and the launch of two significant initiatives occurred during the event: the Soldiered 'Better Mills Initiative' and the OnetrueSOLar Fund. In addition, key presentations focused on Solar Rooftop System Optimization, Thermal Energy System Optimization, and Clean by Design: Lessons from Bangladesh and Impact. dedicated to enhancing sustainable practices in Bangladesh. Key partners supported the forum included the Apparel Impact Institute, Cascale, the European Union, GIZ, H&M, the Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, PDS Limited, and Target.

The event unites many contributors such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources; Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; the Bangladesh Power Management Institute (BPMI), the Embassy of Denmark in Bangladesh, the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, the Embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh, ILO, Laudes Foundation, Oxfam in Bangladesh USAID Bangladesh.

Additionally, an engineering workshop showcased the expertise of industry-leading organizations, including Armstrong Fluid Technology, Forbes Marshall, Grant Thornton Bharat LLP, Illukkumbura Industrial Automation (Pvt) Ltd., and Jinko Solar. Over 300 engineers from apparel manufacturing units participated, gaining practical strategies to drive sustainability and decarbonization efforts within their organizations.

Rajiv Sharma has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Archroma with key responsibility for the Textile Effects business, effective October 1, 2024. Current Group CEO Mark Garrett will transition to the Archroma Board of Directors.

Rajiv Sharma comes to Archroma following a 14-year tenure with Coats Group plc, where he was Group Chief Executive for the last eight years. As head of the UK-listed company, which is the world leader in thread manufacturing and structural components for apparel and footwear, Mr. Sharma created a platform for profitable growth and shaped a company culture based on customer centricity, innovation, digitalization and sustainability.

In parallel with these leadership changes, Archroma’s Packaging Technologies business will be established as a focused business activity from October 1, 2024, with the aim of increasing its focus on the packaging business and accelerating its development. It will continue under the leadership of its CEO, Sameer Singla, who will report directly to the Archroma Board of Directors. Packaging Technologies has also delivered substantial growth with more dedicated leadership over the past two years and the organizational changes will help both Textile Effects and Packaging Technologies continue to focus on best serving their respective customers and markets.