From the Sector

The Circular Valley Convention is a new trade fair format organised by Messe Düsseldorf in cooperation with the non-profit Circular Valley Foundation and with scientific support from the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology called UMSICHT.

The convention looks at the circular economy from a holistic perspective: across industries and materials – and all phases of the circular economy, from smart circular design to the reuse and further utilisation of products.

As a central global platform for the circular economy, it brings together decision-makers and experts from business, academia, politics, and society in one place. Under the motto "Uniting Industries for a Circular Tomorrow", it promotes their networking in order to present and jointly develop circular solutions and processes and drive forward the transformation towards a circular economy.

Messe Düsseldorf is contributing its many years of expertise to the Circular Valley Convention stemming from a wide range of trade fairs such as K, interpack and drupa, which are closely related to the circular economy. The non-profit Circular Valley Foundation, the cooperation partner of the convention, has a comprehensive understanding of the circular economy and a large network. The scientific support provided by the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety, and Energy Technology UMSICHT and the associated expertise round off the extensive professional support.

The Circular Valley Convention covers all phases of the circular economy: from the use of renewable raw materials to product design, manufacturing, logistics, and operations all the way through to collection, sorting, and recycling, featuring solutions for different material classes and value chains. The convention combines applied research and practice and is a content hub for top decision-makers and experts. With the guiding theme "Enabling Circular Economy", the focus is on three central topics that enable the transformation towards a circular economy:

• Enabling Value Chains: the implementation of efficient, sustainable, and cross-industry circular solution strategies to maximise the use of resources and make business models fit for the future.
• Enabling Technologies: the transfer of circular competencies such as redesign, refurbish, remanufacture & recycle. The goal is to optimise products and processes using technologies that comply with the principles of the circular economy.
• Enabling Materials: the promotion of the efficient use and recycling of various materials, aiming for the extension of product lifespans and the integration of cross-material circular strategies for the sustainable use of resources.

the Circular Valley Convention offers a three-part event format consisting of a conference, an expo, and a networking event on the evening of 12 March 2024. Over 100 high-calibre speakers are scheduled to attend the conference. More than 130 exhibitors and partners are expected to attend the expo, the marketplace for future-oriented circular solutions, which offers insights into new trends, innovations, and best practice examples.

Maintaining a focus on innovation despite the uncertainties that characterize the current international scenario was emphasized during the General Assembly of ACIMIT, the Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association, held in Milan on July 9. ACIMIT president, Marco Salvadè, showcased the data of the Italian textile machinery industry. In 2023, production decreased by 16%, settling at a value of 2.3 billion euros, as did exports, which also fell by 16% (2 billion euros).

China, Turkey, India, and the United States remain the main destinations for Italian textile machinery manufacturers. In 2023, demand for machinery in these markets was weak, but some positive signals emerged in the first quarter of the current year, especially from the Chinese market and again from Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, and Japan. “2024 will still be a year characterized by many uncertainties,” commented Salvadè, “mainly due to the uncertainty of the geopolitical situation and fluctuations in final demand”.

In an especially difficult international scenario and with a still sluggish market, the Italian textile machinery sector remains a leader alongside a few other Countries, such as China, Germany, and Japan. “Our sector is renowned worldwide for its reliability, know-how, and the uniquely Italian ability to combine tradition and innovation,” noted the ACIMIT president. Accelerating innovation remains crucial, particularly to meet the challenges that await Italian manufacturers in supporting textile companies on their sustainable transition journey.

To highlight the opportunities that the European green transition opens up for technology suppliers, the public section of the ACIMIT General Assembly addressed a very current issue: textile recycling. The EU’s legislative guidelines aim to accelerate the green and circular transition of the textile sector with various actions: from ecodesign to EPR, from waste export regulation to green claims. Meanwhile, there is a growing demand for recycled textile fibers driven by the sustainable policies of brands that should not be underestimated.

Thus, technologies play an important role in providing solutions to companies engaged in the new circularity supply chain: from sorting and selection of garments to preparation phases and recycling processes. During the event several speakers agreed that the experience and capabilities of the Italian textile and textile machinery sector should be fully leveraged at this crucial stage for the entire supply chain. As President Salvadè noted, “Textile machinery companies intend to increase R&D activities in this area, collaborating with their textile customers in the belief that the circular transformation of business models also represents an opportunity for technology suppliers to increase their competitiveness.”

Archromais introducing an innovative portable version of its Color Atlas by Archroma® color catalogue to help streamline textile and fashion industry workflows with convenient color comparison.

The Color Atlas by Archroma®, Mini Flex and Mini Palette editions are available as libraries of textile color swatches that set a new standard for efficient color selection and comparison while on the go, in the office, factory or in a work-from-home setting.

Color comparison is a fundamental part of the work of designers and their textile mill and brand partners. However, achieving the perfect color match or color harmony without convenient access to color library reference books has long been a challenge. Physical color libraries can be bulky and heavy with even compact editions of physical libraries are too big to fit into a backpack or shoulder bag. The new Color Atlas by Archroma® formats give designers a visual companion tool for digital color libraries may not be accurate due to the limitations of the user’s smartphone or tablet display.

The Color Atlas by Archroma® Mini Flex and Mini Palette editions overcome these challenges. Both formats are user friendly and travel-ready, with no mask required to isolate colors for selection and comparison.

• The Mini Flex edition features textile color chips that allow users to quickly find and compare colors with their desired target color.
• In the Mini Palette edition, individual color chips are inserted into slots in plastic palette sheets for ease of use and portability. Users can carry the pre-made palette sheet swatches or customize a palette sheet using chips from several swatches.

Both Color Atlas by Archroma® Mini Flex and Mini Palette formats contain 5,760 colors: 4,320 cotton colors and 1,440 polyester colors. Each of the colors are also available from Archroma as Engineered Color Standards that include achievability information on alternate fiber types, precise dyeing recipes formulated with products that comply with leading international eco-standards, digital data for recipe predictions, dye eco compliance information and access to expert technical support from Archroma around the world.

EURATEX together with COTANCE and CEC hosted the TCLF SkillBridge Stakeholder Event, an important step towards forming regional skills partnerships by bringing together various stakeholders from industry, education, and public sectors.

Co-financed by the European Commission, TCLF SkillBridge aims to establish and nurture regional partnerships between TCLF industries, regional authorities, and local universities and VET providers. The project will target up to 25 European regions with a strong concentration of textile, clothing, leather or footwear industries.  This regional focus will allow the development of specific action plans related to reskilling and upskilling, which meet the needs of each target region. The project will support the creation of such partnerships, facilitate community exchanges for knowledge sharing, and provide support to SMEs, enabling them to upskill and reskill their workforce in tune with the evolving demands of the industry.

The TCLF SkillBridge project complements 2 other initiatives – AEQUALIS4TCLF and METASKILLS4TCLF – which have already been launched under the Erasmus+ Programme. As a result, the industry has now a coherent set of instruments across the EU to address the skills challenges.

During the event, stakeholders from the Emilia Romagna Region, ATEVAL, and Verband der Deutschen Lederindustrie e.V. gave insights in their experiences in skills collaborations in their regions. An interactive session then followed, where stakeholders discussed how to successfully establish such regional partnerships under the Pact for Skills.