From the Sector

Fashion for Good announced "Closing the Footwear Loop," a major initiative bringing together 14 leading fashion and footwear brands and their existing circularity programmes to tackle the industry's complex circularity challenges. This collaborative project aims to enable the transformation of footwear's current linear "take-make-dispose" model into a circular one, driving innovation across the value chain.
 
Participating brands include: adidas, DEICHMANN, Dr. Martens, Footwear Innovation Foundation (affiliated with FDRA), Inditex, lululemon, ON, Otto Group, Puma, Reformation, Target, Tommy Hilfiger, Vivobarefoot, and Zalando.
 
Footwear: A Complex Challenge
The global footwear industry churns out 23.8 billion pairs of shoes  annually, a figure that highlights both its scale and its environmental footprint. Each shoe is composed on average of more than 60 different components , ranging from fabrics and plastics to rubber and adhesives, intricately assembled to meet performance, aesthetic, and cost demands. This complexity, however, hinders the adoption of circular practices, leaving the sector lagging behind in circular innovation compared to other areas of fashion.
 
While consumers and the industry alike are increasingly calling for more circular solutions, the reality is stark: the most recent studies conclude that approximately 90% of footwear ends up in landfills , contributing to an ever-growing mountain of waste. Unlike other areas of fashion where innovation has been more readily integrated, footwear's multi-material construction and complex design complicate efforts to sort, disassemble, or recycle effectively.
 
This challenge is exacerbated by a lack of reverse logistics infrastructure and the absence of design principles that prioritise circularity. Current practices largely focus on linear production models — manufacture, use, and discard — failing to address the lifecycle of products. The sector's lag in scaled innovation compared to apparel underscores the urgency for systemic change, as the environmental consequences of inaction continue to mount.  
 
While this complexity presents a significant hurdle, brands are already exploring innovative solutions, including material science advancements and take-back programs, to address these challenges and pave the way for more circular footwear.

These individual efforts complement the collaborative work within “Closing the Footwear Loop”, creating a synergistic approach to driving industry-wide change.

Fashion for Good is working with ecosystem partners The Footwear Collective, Global Footwear Future Coalition (GFFC), and Global Fashion Agenda to drive a collaborative approach across the industry.  
 
Closing the Footwear Loop was born out of Pioneering the Future of Footwear and addresses multiple key intervention points: lack of end-of-life infrastructure, complex multi-material designs, and a need for unified circularity approaches. This project will deliver:
 

• Detailed mapping of European footwear waste streams (in collaboration with Circle Economy), providing crucial data on volumes, materials, rewearability, and recyclability. (Report & business case assessment due 2025)
• A roadmap towards circular footwear design, developed with Fashion for Good Alumni circular.fashion, outlining principles for material selection, durability, recyclability, repairability, and responsible chemical management. (Guidelines due 2025)
• Validation of end-of-use innovations, including trials and impact assessments, to overcome current bottlenecks and drive industry-wide adoption. (Recycled material outputs due 2026)

The European Commission’s communication on e-commerce - adopted by the college of Commissioner’s today- rightly acknowledges the growing challenges posed by the surge of direct-to-consumer imports, particularly through online marketplaces. Non-compliant and unsafe products undermine consumer safety, environmental sustainability, and the competitiveness of law-abiding businesses. The urgency of this issue is underscored by findings from the REACH for textiles project, which revealed that 16% of 400 tested products failed to comply with EU legislation. These figures highlight the critical need for stronger enforcement measures to prevent unsafe products from reaching EU consumers.

To address these concerns, enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Market Act (DMA) must be strengthened, ensuring that e-commerce platforms assume legal responsibilities for the products they offer as well as fair competition in the single market is guaranteed. Additionally, the removal of the de minimis rule and frontloading parts of the Customs Code reform is critical to rapidly closing loopholes that allow non-compliant goods to enter the EU market unchecked. Enhanced coordination with Member States and industry stakeholders can increase the effectiveness of our enforcement efforts. Investment in digital tools such as the Digital Product Passport is essential to increase transparency, safeguard fair trade practices, and reinforce consumer trust.

EURATEX welcomes the Commission's decision to take coordinated action, together with the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, against Shein. The association is also pleased to collaborate on a Digital Fairness Act to strengthen consumer protection in the digital sphere.

EURATEX fully supports the Commission’s commitment to stricter enforcement and urges immediate implementation of these measures to create a level playing field and ensure a safe, sustainable, and competitive e-commerce environment. Director General Dirk Vantyghem concluded: “With billions of garments entering the EU every year, we simply need a more solid system to monitor compliance of these products. EURATEX is looking forward to working together with the European Commission to achieve these important goals.”

The Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference 2025 will take place on November 27 and 28, 2025 at the Eurogress Aachen.

The conference program includes plenary lectures and themed sessions in the areas of

• Sustainable Textiles and Circular Textile Economy
• Bio-based Fibers
• Synthetic High-Performance Fibers
• Artificial Intelligence in the Textile Sector
• Textile Production
• Smart Textiles & Applications
• Textiles for Medicine & Health Care
• Technology Transfer & Start-up Pitches
• Fiber Composites and Lightweight Construction
• Best-Practices – Examples from Collaboration Projects between Academia and Industry
• Functionalization & Finishing

Those who want to contribute to the conference program and submit an abstract for a talk or poster presentation, find further information about the conference and the call for abstracts (including the submission form) on the conference website.

The Call for Abstracts for oral presentations ends on May 5, 2025.
The Call for Abstracts for poster contributions is open until June 31, 2025.

More than 1,200 exhibitors from twenty-five countries are taking part in  Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris from 10 to 12 February at the Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre, showcasing the very best in global sourcing  to help fashion brands build their Spring-Summer 2026 collections.
Over the three days, international buyers will have access to the leading market platform for textiles and clothing, and will be able to discover, in a refurbished space, a first-rate offering with a very wide choice at competitive prices. This concentration of manufacturers and makers constitutes the heart of the international market in the mid-range segments, which now account for the bulk of finished garment consumption.

Reflecting the diversity of global sourcing
Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris brings together not only the major players in global sourcing, such as China, Turkey, India, Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan, but also suppliers from alternative zones with rich expertise, such as Malaysia, Singapore, the UK, Vietnam, the Netherlands, Africa - a dozen companies from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Egypt and Benin will be in Paris in February - and South America. For the first time this year, Texworld will be welcoming an Argentinian woollen manufacturer - Industrias Textiles Frione - which offers a range of top-quality fabrics while promoting manufacturing processes that are particularly environmentally friendly.

Texpertise Econogy: initiatives to promote sustainable fashion
As part of its commitment to more responsible fashion, Messe Frankfurt is supporting players who respect the ecological and social standards of the textile industry. At the entrance to Hall 4, the new ‘Initiatives’ zone will be showcasing inspiring and sustainable solutions promoted by some exhibitors. This area (where you'll find press and partner stands, events and trend forums) will also host the China Textile Information Centre's trend forum, as well as the Texpertise Econogy Hub, where Messe Frankfurt will be presenting its commitments to sustainability in the textile sector through the Texpertise Econogy concept, which combines ecology and economic development.

As part of this initiative, two Econogy Tours will enable visitors to discover what a selection of certified companies can offer. These guided tours, led by a specialist in the sustainable approach, will be offered on Monday 10 February (12.30pm-1.30pm) and Tuesday 11 February (10am-11am) to buyers who wish to take part. Appointments are scheduled at the Econogy Hub counter.

Conferences, trends and forecasts
To complement the product offering, a series of events and conferences will be taking place. Held in the Agora in Hall 2, they will explore market trends and prospects in detail. Louis Gérin, the shows' artistic director, will be commenting on “Neocene”, the Trendbook for the Spring-Summer 2026 season, focusing on the creative directions that will shape the fashion of tomorrow. Several conferences will provide an insight into the business models of manufacturers such as Wellfabric - Bao Lan Textiles, one of the pioneers of sustainable textiles  in Vietnam, and the African platform Arise IIP, present at Apparel Sourcing.  Finally, there will be round-table discussions on forward-looking issues such as fast fashion and the challenges of sustainability in terms of production and sourcing. They will also look at solutions to support the ecological transition (Econogy Talks), as well as innovation and management challenges. These conferences, which will take place on Monday and Tuesday, are free to attend.

Japanese computerized flat knitting technologist SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Indian sales representative Universal MEP Projects & Engineering Services, Ltd., will participate in the upcoming Garments Machinery Manufacturers & Suppliers Association (GMMSA) Expo India 2025 exhibition to be held in Ludhiana, India next month.

N.SVR®183
SHIMA SEIKI will be exhibiting its WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology whereby an item can be produced in one entire piece on the machine without linking or sewing. Its N.SVR®183 WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine produces WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear using every other needle in fine gauge. N.SVR®183 is equipped with the R2CARRIAGE® system and a compact, lightweight carriage for high productivity. Shown in 21G at the GMMSA Expo, N.SVR®183 is an ideal machine for flexible, entry-level WHOLEGARMENT® production, with the versatility to respond to fluctuating market demand.

N.SSR®112
Meanwhile the N.SSR®112 is a computerized flat knitting machine that offers leading technology in an economical yet reliable package. Featuring industry-leading innovations such as the R2CARRIAGE® that yields quicker carriage returns for greater efficiency, spring-type moveable sinker, DSCS® Digital Stitch Control System, stitch presser and takedown comb, Made-in-Japan quality, reliability and productivity, as well as user-friendliness and cost-performance combine to satisfy the high expectations of the world’s, and India’s, fashion industry. N.SSR®112 is even capable of WideGauge® knitting whereby a number of different gauges can be knit into a single garment.

SDS®-ONE APEX4 and APEXFiz®
SDS®-ONE APEX4 3D design system and APEXFiz® subscription-based design software support the creative side of fashion from planning and design to colorway evaluation, realistic fabric simulation and 3D virtual sampling. Virtual samples are a digitized version of sample making that are accurate enough to be used effectively as prototypes, replacing physical sampling and consequently reducing time, cost and material that otherwise go to waste. When a design is approved for production, knitting data which is automatically generated can be converted easily to machine data, allowing smooth communication for digitally bridging the gap between design studio and factory. SDS®-ONE APEX4 and APEXFiz® help to realize sustainability while digitally transforming the fashion supply chain.

Elkem Silicones has been honored for its commitment to sustainable businesses, receiving awards in two categories of the SEAL Awards. This recognition underscores our comprehensive approach to our ESG strategy, from executing our climate roadmap to developing silicone solutions supporting circularity.
Environmental Initiative Award:

The innovative Industrial Symbiosis for Silicones value chain initiative has been recognized for the recycling of hydrochloric acid (HCl) waste into valuable raw materials for specialty silicones.

This approach not only reduces waste and CO2 emissions but aligns with the company’s ambition to develop and scale up new technologies and processes to maximize raw material value, starting with in-house industrial waste.
This closed-loop system has already delivered a carbon footprint reduction of up to 6.5% in one of our product ranges, with the potential to achieve up to 14% in the midterm.

Sustainable Product Award
SILCOLAPSE™ EASY 10, honored with the Sustainable Product Award, is the result of an intensive R&D program aimed at formulating an optimal solution for foam control in the plastic recycling sector.

This product addresses the critical issue of foam formation during the washing and wastewater treatment stages of recycling, which are essential for reducing environmental impact and improving process efficiency.

In industrial trials, SILCOLAPSE™ EASY 10 has shown up to a 50% reduction in antifoam usage, leading to lower CO2 emissions and enhanced productivity. This innovation aligns with Elkem's commitment to supply industries enabling the green transition.

As in the previous year, Autoneum’s Swiss headquarters in Winterthur was again recognized as a Top Employer in Switzerland by the renowned Top Employers Institute in 2025. Fostering a people-centric culture is a central pillar of Autoneum’s Level Up strategy and thus an integral part of the global guidelines and people practices implemented throughout the company.

Participation in standardized certification programs supports organizations in making their commitment to an employee-oriented corporate culture measurable and tangible. Following the first successful participation of Autoneum’s Human Resources (HR) department at the Swiss headquarters in Winterthur in the comprehensive survey carried out by the renowned Top Employers Institute last year, the location was again recognized again as a Top Employer in Switzerland in 2025.

The internationally recognized Top Employers Institute certifies organizations based on their results in the HR Best Practices Survey. The survey covers six HR domains and twenty areas such as People Strategy, Work Environment, Talent Acquisition, Learning, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and more. Participation in this survey enables companies to objectively evaluate the measures, guidelines and people practices implemented in these areas.

The program has certified and recognized over 2 400 Top Employers in 125 countries/regions across five continents.

Stylish and recyclable carbon fibre furniture
Cobra and its partners have coordinated the design, engineering, material selection and manufacturing of a range of innovative carbon fibre-based furniture. The furniture uses the recyclable epoxy resins, along with other production waste, and recycled raw materials.

Cobra, Aditya Birla Group, Burapa University, Hankuk Carbon, and Luxara Design Studio present a recyclable composite meeting table and barstool. The Liana table uses Recyclamine resins, high-modulus prepreg and Cobra’s production-waste BMC material for its structure. Neolith, a 100% sustainable artificial marble with 52% recycled content, and Hankuk woven carbon fabric provide the exceptional surface finish. The Loop barstool uses a looping design style, and again, it uses Recyclamine resins and Hankuk carbon over a recyclable PET core for a high-end yet sustainable seating solution.

Cobra International (Thailand)
Partners:
• Aditya Birla Chemicals Ltd. – Advanced Materials (Thailand)
• Burapha University (Thailand)
• HANKUK CARBON CO., LTD. (South Korea)
• LUXARA DESIGN CO.,LTD. (Thailand)

Key benefits:
• Thin yet strong, only achievable with carbon fibre
• Lightweight yet durable for lasting performance
• First recyclable carbon fibre furniture
• Upcycling composites waste
• A step towards circularity

Devan, a global leader in sustainable textile finishes, launched an innovative sleep promoting technology, “Devan Sleep Tight”, at Heimtextil 2025. This technology enhances sleep quality and overall quality of life, as confirmed by an independent clinical trial.

Inspired by the global "Beauty Sleep" trend, Devan introduces its latest innovation in sleep wellness. The active ingredient is derived from an upcycled by-product of Australian Tea Tree oil. This active ingredient acts by two complementary pathways, inhalation and skin contact, to improve nighttime benefits and skin regeneration to provide a healthier looking skin and revitalized look by morning.

Designed for use in textiles such as bedding and sleepwear, the new solution aims to transform nightly rest into a rejuvenating ritual, perfectly aligning with modern consumers' desire for holistic self-care.

The technology boosts the melatonin action, reduces the production of ROS (reactive oxygen species), stimulates the production of antioxidant genes and protein and stimulates the collagen gene expression.

+97% Biobased microcapsules
The technology is based on microencapsulation. First the active ingredients are incapsulated. Next, the biobased microcapsules are applied to the textile. The treated textiles touch our skin and the capsules break due to friction between the body and the textile. The content of the biobased capsules is then released and absorbed by the skin, while the volatile components of the active ingredients are simultaneously inhaled.

The microcapsules are readily biodegradable (tested according to the OECD 301B guideline). Possible applications are pillows, bed sheets, bed accessories, sleepwear, ...

Clinical study
33 healthy female and male subjects, aged between 18 and 60 years, with sleep problems, were using a treated pillow cover with R-Vital NTL 10015 Sleep Tight every night for 30 days. Each subject was required to fill out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and a quality of life (QoL) questionnaire, focused on the sleep quality, quality of life and overall well-being, before and after 30 days of using the respective product. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a scientifically validated tool widely used to reliably assess and measure sleep quality.

The data shows that after 30 days of using a pillow case treated with R-Vital NTL 10015, subjects experienced notable improvements in several key areas of sleep and quality of life. The most significant changes were seen in sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep disturbances, reduction of daytime dysfunction and quality of life.

Showcased at Heimtextil 2025 in Frankfurt
Devan’s Sleep Tight technology was prominently featured at Heimtextil in Frankfurt, both by Devan and several of its partners. Notable among them were Crispim Abreu Lda and Lameirinho, two Portuguese companies specializing in bed linen and sleepwear, as well as Naturtex from Hungary, a leading producer of quilts and pillows.

The first productions are already underway, ensuring the technology will be available on the market by the second quarter of 2025. These alliances empower Devan Sleep Tight to deliver unparalleled value to manufacturers, retailers and consumers alike.

Researchers tested five species of commonly hunted waterfowl in the northeast Atlantic Flyway and, in every sample, found contaminants that could impact the health of the birds, as well as the hunters and others who consume them.

The study, published Jan. 15 in Science of the Total Environment and conducted in collaboration with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and other state agencies, found detectable levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and at least one organochlorine pesticide (OCP) and per- or polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) in each bird sampled, in a representative group of more than 100 birds collected across four states and nine ecological regions.

Among the findings, the researchers determined that current New York State Department of Health consumption advisories - of two meals per month of waterfowl - may be appropriate, but some species are more or less contaminated than others. In risk assessments, the researchers found that some of the contaminants likely expose consumers to potential cancer risk, although how this risk compares to the consumption of other foods is unclear.

Of the five species studied, Canada geese and wood ducks had lower levels of contaminants than mallards, American black ducks and American green-winged teal, probably due to differences in their feeding habits, the authors said.

“The big picture is that these chemicals are out there, and wild animals are being exposed to them,” said senior author Krysten Schuler, assistant research professor of public and ecosystem health, and wildlife disease ecologist for the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). “We’re worried about it from the wildlife population standpoint: What do these chemicals mean for the birds? But then there’s also the question of what it means for human consumption.”

Hunters in the four participating states – New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut – harvest and consume more than a half-million wild-caught ducks and geese each year. But in New York, the guidance on safe consumption has not been updated since the early 1990s and doesn’t include some of the birds most likely to be consumed. The new data can now be used by health departments in all four states to assess current guidelines and craft new human consumption recommendations, when necessary.

“This provides a really good baseline,” Schuler said. “We’re not telling people what to eat or do. We’re just providing the numbers.”

In the risk assessments, researchers found that the levels of mercury and OCPs detected posed minimal risk to health for hunters who follow the current guidance on consumption, but they found that the levels of PCBs – human-made chemicals that were banned in 1979 – may be more likely to pose health risks, including increased cancer risk, although the authors said that more research is needed. The thresholds for safe consumption are variable depending on the level of acceptable risk, they said.

The study also lays the foundation for more research on how these contaminants affect the birds.

“It’s hard to know at what level these contaminants start to impact the bird’s survival or reproductive success,” said co-author Joshua Stiller, small game unit leader for NYSDEC, who initially brought the project to Schuler and her team. “But just understanding the current contaminant loads in these species is important, and we can get some ideas for future research to better understand the potential impacts on waterfowl populations.”

Much of the previous research on contaminants has looked at animals linked to known sources of pollution. To understand the contaminant levels at the population level, the researchers collected birds from various regions in each state. This required a massive collaborative effort, with help from state wildlife and conservation agencies, which deployed biologists to collect birds from hunters willing to participate.

The biologists then sent the birds to the Wildlife Health Lab, where they were processed and sent on to other labs for further testing.

“For each bird, we had somewhere between 200 and 300 columns of data,” said first author David Dayan ’23, who started working on the project as an undergraduate and did everything from handling and preparing the birds to high-level data analysis and assessment. “Trying to paint a coherent picture from all of these different perspectives and data points was a really interesting way to do science.”

In terms of conservation, Schuler said the widespread contamination of waterfowl is another warning sign. “These animals are constantly losing wetlands and habitats and being forced into less desirable locations,” she said. “This just highlights the importance of protecting those areas for these species.”