From the Sector

At the event titled "The Transformation Journey of the Turkish Apparel Industry," coordinated by the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB), Mustafa Gültepe, Chairman of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), delivered a speech. In order to strengthen their competitiveness, the Customs Union should be updated without further delay.

Mustafa Gültepe: The Customs Union in its current form is limiting rather than supporting our cooperation. We would like the ongoing technical contacts to be completed as soon as possible. Because we know that permanent competitive advantage in the EU market can only be possible with the full modernization of the Customs Union.

Mustafa Gültepe, Chairman of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), said that the Customs Union between the European Union (EU) and Türkiye in its current form has a limiting effect rather than supporting cooperation between the parties.

Gültepe, who also holds the position of Chairman of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB), underlined that a permanent competitive edge in the EU market can only be attained through the full and comprehensive modernization of the Customs Union.

The event titled “The Transformation Journey of the Turkish Apparel Industry,” organized by the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB), brought together exporters, international brands, industry professionals and experts.
In his opening remarks, Mustafa Gültepe emphasized that the apparel industry is among Türkiye’s most vital sectors, thanks to its high value-added production, employment generation, and export performance.

Highlighting the European Union as a strategic market for the Turkish apparel sector, Gültepe continued as follows:

TÜRKİYE should be included in the EU'S FTAs with third countries
“We export approximately 70 percent of our apparel products to Europe. We hold a strong position in many European markets, particularly in Germany, Spain, and the Netherlands. Our strategic advantage as a nearshore supplier further reinforces our competitive standing. However, we are aware that in the medium and long term, these advantages alone will not be sufficient.

With this awareness, we are determined to accelerate our twin transformation—digital and green. We are effectively utilizing EU funds to support this transition. To date, we have secured a total of 37 million euros in grant funding from the EU for our completed and ongoing projects. 

Today, in areas such as recycling, carbon footprint reduction, digitalization, and social compliance, we have reached—or even surpassed—European standards. I have no doubt that we will successfully complete the twin transformation.

Find attached the full press release of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (İHKİB).

EDANA’s Innovation Forum 2025, held on 11–12 June in Station F, Paris, brought together a vibrant cross-section of industry leaders, researchers, startups and innovation experts to explore the dynamic evolution of the nonwovens sector. With a rich two-day agenda that combined high-level keynote addresses, thematic sessions, research showcases and networking events, the Forum served as a hub for ideation, collaboration and inspiration around the sector’s most urgent challenges and exciting opportunities. 
 
“Innovation is a key factor to stay competitive — but more than that, it’s the foundation for resilience and long-term relevance. By embedding sustainability, digitalization and collaboration into the core of our innovation culture, we’re not just keeping pace with change — we’re shaping the future of our industry.” said EDANA General Manager Murat Dogru in his opening address. 
 
Speakers explored how textile waste can become high-value products, how fibrelevel modelling replaces costly prototyping, and how AI enables more autonomous and sustainable manufacturing. “Nonwovens are robust and can tolerate stress. This gives an opportunity in the recycling textile to tackle the textile tsunami.” - Maria Ström, CEO of The Loop Factory. 
 
The Forum also welcomed nature-powered innovations set to transform the fibre landscape. “What if we made fibres from agricultural waste? Natural fibres are extraordinary, and we wouldn’t even have to use the leaves that are grown, but the ones already on the ground and that are now considered waste.” - Dr. Carmen Hijosa, Founder & Creative Director of Ananas Anam. 
 
The afternoon turned its spotlight on research institutes from across Europe, examining how their strategic priorities align with industry needs. “It is crucial that people in the nonwovens industry understand what’s going on on the other side of the fence and to understand what R&D people are doing”, said Matthew Tipper, CEO of Nonwovens Innovation & Research Institute (NIRI). “We need collaboration between the real needs of the industry and research institutes.” 
 
Towards the end of the first day, the EDANA Innovation Forum featured a workshop on capturing serendipity. “Not all progress is planned”, said Dieter Eichinger, CEO & Founder of Eichinger. “Some of the most transformative ideas are born from surprises, and we need to make space for it to imagine the imaginable”. 
 
The first day ended with a cocktail dinner aboard the Excellence, gliding through the heart of Paris on the River Seine, admiring the beauty of the City of Light and its stunning views of the Eiffel Tower. 
 
Day two began with a provocative and practical keynote on AI as a creative partner in product development. “AI doesn’t replace creativity,” said Oliver Breucker, CoCEO & AI Consultant at Roover Consulting. “It amplifies it. It clears space for us to think bigger, iterate faster, and design better — with the customer always at the centre.” 
 
Moreover, sustainable innovation is no longer confined to early-stage R&D. From fibre-based packaging to carbon-zero superabsorbents, speakers showcased products ready to hit the market, each with compelling environmental and commercial benefits. “It’s not about choosing between performance and sustainability anymore,” said Alexandros Skouras, Director of Hygiene Sector at Paptic. “The next generation of materials offers both.” 
 
The forum also invited Walter Johnsen, Venture Science Associate at Marble Studio, who offered a strategic lens on how deep-tech entrepreneurship can fast-track climate progress. In addition, four startups took the stage to showcase how they’re transforming diapers, textiles, fashion and chemical processes. “Innovation is not about making things slightly better,” said Miki Agrawal of Hiro Technologies. “It’s about asking: what if we start completely differently and solve the root problem instead of patching the old one?” 
 
To end the second day, Maxime Guillaud, CEO of INSKIP, mapped out how startups and ecosystems are evolving — and what the nonwovens industry can learn from other sectors. “Innovation doesn’t just come from technology — it comes from how we organise people and capital around ideas,” said Maxime. “That’s where ecosystems matter.” The event concluded with a guided visit to Station F, the world’s largest startup campus, reinforcing the importance of ecosystems in scaling transformative ideas. 
 
EDANA extended its heartfelt thanks to all speakers, moderators, partners and participants whose energy and insight made the Forum such a success. The connections made in Paris will continue to drive meaningful progress in the months and years ahead! 

Carbitex, a leader in flexible carbon fiber composites, collaborates with Hypetex Coloured Advanced Materials to introduce a new generation of colored Carbitex materials, now available for production products. 

Debuting with Carbitex OmniFlex carbon fiber textile technology, the lightweight and extremely durable material will be in a range of eight distinctive colors: Enzo Twill, Oak Twill, Malabar Twill, Bolt Twill, Spa Twill, Tendulkar Twill, Zidane Twill, and Titanium Twill. This collaboration represents the first time Carbitex technology will be available in colors beyond traditional black, opening new design opportunities across multiple industries.

The colored OmniFlex maintains all the breakthrough performance characteristics that define this advanced technology: zero-stretch construction that delivers the power transfer of a rigid material while preserving the flexibility of a soft material. This creates an unmatched high-performance strength-to-weight ratio that, combined with Hypetex CAM's vibrant color engineering, provides designers and manufacturers with both superior performance and unprecedented aesthetic possibilities.

“While we’ve explored colorization in the past, our core expertise lies in engineering flexibility. By working with Hypetex CAM, we get the best in color while focusing on continuing to evolve our technology. The request for color is a regular occurrence, but we wanted to wait until we knew we had a solution that met our quality expectations—Hypetex does that,” says Junus Khan, founder and president of Carbitex. “OmniFlex with Hypetex colored carbon is striking and beautiful. This collaboration will expand our material offerings into compelling new product ranges.”

The Hypetex colored OmniFlex materials are available now and will integrate into products in sport and lifestyle segments. The first products will debut in the travel and accessory categories in the coming season.

At the next edition of Milano Unica, the leading international trade fair for high-end fabrics and accessories, scheduled to take place at Rho Fiera Milano from July 8 to 10, ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) will participate for the first time with an institutional booth.

Through this initiative, ACIMIT aims to foster connections between its member companies, exhibitors, and buyers attending Milano Unica, while also promoting greater awareness of the cutting-edge technological solutions that define the Italian textile machinery industry—particularly in the areas of sustainability, circular economy, and digitalization.

Marco Salvadè, President of ACIMIT: “I believe it is essential for our Association to be present at such a significant trade event. The synergy between Italian excellence in textiles and textile machinery has always been, and continues to be, a key factor in strengthening the leadership of the entire Italian textile supply chain.”

Südwesttextil fordert eine grundsätzliche Überprüfung der Richtlinie im Hinblick auf Verhältnismäßigkeit, Praxistauglichkeit und Überschneidungen mit bestehenden Regelungen.

Am 23. Juni 2025 soll in einem Treffen des Trilogverfahrens eine Einigung zur EU-Green Claims-Richtlinie erzielt werden. Das Ziel der geplanten Richtlinie sind zuverlässige, vergleich- und überprüfbare Werbeaussagen zu Umweltaspekten von Produkten und Dienstleistungen, damit Verbraucher besser vor “Greenwashing” geschützt werden. 

Südwesttextil steht grundsätzlich hinter diesem Ziel, sieht aber den Bedarf, vor dem Eingriff in die unternehmerische Kommunikationsfreiheit zu prüfen, ob bestehende Rechtsgrundlagen wie z.B. die Richtlinie über unlautere Geschäftspraktiken (UCPD) bereits ausreichende Werkzeuge für den Schutz vor Greenwashing darstellen. Die neue Richtlinie würde Unternehmen mit erheblichem zusätzlichem Aufwand belasten, da sämtliche Umweltaussagen und Siegel vor ihrer Verwendung durch unabhängige Dritte geprüft werden müssten. Derzeit ist außerdem unklar, ob bestehende Branchenzertifikate anerkannt werden und ob bereits verwendete Aussagen rückwirkend vom Markt genommen werden müssen. Es fehlen sowohl die notwendigen Prüfstrukturen als auch teilweise analytische Methoden, die eine objektive Beurteilung in so großem Umfang gewährleisten.

Vor dem Hintergrund dieser offenen Punkte und der Belastung für Unternehmen, verweist Südwesttextil auf das Ziel der EU-Kommission Bürokratie abzubauen. Hauptgeschäftsführerin Edina Brenner erläutert: „Die Green Claims-Richtlinie muss einer kritischen Überprüfung unterzogen werden, ob deren Ziel nicht bereits durch vorhandene Gesetzgebung erreicht wird bzw. deren Umsetzung in der Praxis den zugesagten Bürokratieabbau nicht konterkariert. Dafür muss das Trilogverfahren ausgesetzt werden und zunächst ein Abgleich mit anderen Regulierungen sowie eine fundierte Folgenabschätzung zu Kosten, Zeitaufwand und tatsächlicher Wirksamkeit erfolgen.“

A much more sustainable, cost effective and very flexible process for manufacturing critical fibres based on ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is being launched by the UK’s Fibre Extrusion Technologies (FET).

UHMWPE is prized in many industries due to its extraordinary properties. The fibre is, for example, ten times stronger than steel by weight, while exhibiting outstanding abrasion resistance, low friction and high impact strength. UHMWPE fibres are also chemically inert, resistant to most chemicals and UV light and do not absorb water. They maintain performance in a wide range of temperatures and despite their toughness are extremely lightweight.

As a result, they are unbeatable in demanding applications such as high-performance ropes in maritime industrial and rescue applications. In addition, they are invaluable in ballistic protection, cut-resistant clothing and high-performance sports gear – and increasingly in medical implants.

Biomedical market
“FET has supplied many extrusion systems to the biomedical market, most notably for the production of both resorbable and non-absorbable sutures,” says FET Managing Director Richard Slack. “In exploring what else we could do in assisting these customers, it became clear that there was a need for smaller quantities of UHMWPE fibres in bespoke sizes.”

“The current systems for manufacturing UHMWPE filament yarns are on a huge scale, with very complex processing routes,” adds Research and Development Manager Jonny Hunter. “This means the supply chain is currently very inflexible with minimal opportunity for new product development. These disadvantages have been fully addressed in the development of our new FET-500 series lab and small scale gel spinning system.”

Solvent extraction
A major FET innovation is the introduction of a patented batch system for solvent extraction exploiting supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2).

UHMWPE production, until now, has involved the use of large volumes of hazardous solvents such as dichloromethane (DCM) or hexane. The UHMWPE powder is mixed with mineral oil to form a gel which is subsequently extruded, cooled and solidified. The oil is then extracted from the fibres using DCM or hexane and the solid fibres are then drawn at high temperature to further align the polymer chains, resulting in final strong and tough fibres. Typically, it takes 10 kg of Hexane to extract 1 kg of oil. 

“Solvent reclamation using extraction baths and hot air drying chambers is not practical for the scale of our system,” explains FET’s Senior Material and Process Scientist Kris Kortsen. “The current baths employed can be up to 200 metres long and the waste volumes are considerable. Expertise is needed in dealing with such dangerous chemicals and overall the process has an immense environmental impact.

“CO2, by contrast, is a cheap and abundant sustainable solvent that is non-toxic, non-flammable and leaves no residue.” 

Closed loop
FET’s closed-loop system can achieve more than 95% solvent recovery without loss of performance, resulting in residue-free UHMWPE filament yarns via a vastly improved route in terms of both safety and logistics.

A further innovation is the highly modular drawing system based on heated godet rollers, enabling flexible temperature and drawing control for new product development and the ability to be expanded at any time to meet customer needs.

A comprehensive LCA study detailing the full savings potential is currently being prepared and will be published shortly.

“Having processed over 130 separate polymers in the development of our extrusion systems, we believe the FET-500 is a game changer,” concludes Richard Slack. “We believe there is a big gap in the market for smaller quantities of UHMWPE, and our first line is now fully operational at the FET Fibre Development Centre in Leeds. We look forward to demonstrating it and discussing its full potential with interested companies from around the world.”

Source Fashion, a leading destination for responsible sourcing and fashion innovation, has launched a landmark report tackling one of the fashion industry’s most pressing but least addressed issues: overproduction.

Titled “Do We Really Need to Produce So Much?”, the report—developed in collaboration with retail futures consultancy Insider Trends—offers a data-rich exploration of the scale, causes, and consequences of overproduction. It presents forward-thinking solutions for brands looking to remain competitive while reducing waste and environmental impact. The full report is now available for download at Source Fashion – Overproduction Report 2025.

Overproduction: A Costly and Widespread Issue
The report reveals that the global fashion industry produces between 80 and 150 billion garments annually—yet up to 40% remain unsold, frequently ending up in landfill, incineration, or markdown bins. Despite the environmental and financial toll, only 1% of fashion brands are actively working to reduce production volumes. 

A New Blueprint for Fashion
Rather than simply highlighting the problem, the report presents actionable models already being piloted by leading brands and retailers:

• On-Demand Production – Producing only what is needed, when it’s needed, to eliminate excess stock.
• Circular Design – Creating garments designed to be reused, repaired, or recycled, thereby extending their lifecycle.
• Retail-as-a-Service – Shifting from ownership to access models such as rental, resale, and subscription.
• Collaborative Creation – Co-designing with consumers to ensure relevancy and reduce waste.

As the report states, “Brands can reduce production without reducing profit. In fact, in many cases, it increases margins and strengthens consumer trust.” The publication includes case studies from brands already implementing these approaches, demonstrating commercial viability alongside sustainability gains.

A Turning Point for Retail
The report arrives at a pivotal moment for fashion, as the industry faces shifting consumer expectations, economic uncertainty, and growing pressure from both regulators and investors.

Suzanne Ellingham, Sourcing Director at Source said, “This report highlights the uncomfortable truth behind retails success — that excess production is built into the model with volume is the only way to increase profits. As we approach 2025, companies must question not only how they produce, but how much, and how they deal with . There are real over production and excess. Opportunities for those willing to embrace a leaner, smarter, more circular future.”

It is estimated that around 100 billion items of clothing are currently produced worldwide, most of which will end up in recycling processes. Sorting these old textiles by hand requires an enormous amount of human labour. A research team is now developing new technologies that will enable robotic grippers to sort textiles more effectively.

“At present, automatic sorting systems mainly use contactless methods, such as visual and near-infrared sensors. But when people sort old textiles, they can do much more: When they touch the textiles, they can also quickly classify what should be reused and what should be recycled based on the feel of the fabric”, Hubert Zangl, project manager of AdapTex at the Department of Smart Systems Technologies at the University of Klagenfurt explains. If you want robotic grippers to perform this work, he goes on to explain, many challenges remain: “Physical interaction with objects and the evaluation of haptic feedback are not yet sufficiently developed in robotics. When sorting textiles, robots have to work in a complex environment with randomly assembled quantities of textiles made from different materials and in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Contamination can further complicate matters.”

The central factor here is the gripping process, which is crucial for the effective sorting of these materials in recycling plants. The research team is therefore focusing on improving the physical interaction between the robot gripper and the textiles with the aim of improving both the handling and the classification of the textiles. To this end, the researchers are developing textile-based, adaptive sensor skins for the robotic grippers. “These will be intelligent materials containing networks of sensors and actuators that can adapt optimally when touched,” says Hubert Zangl. The unique properties of AdapTex skin offer potential not only for use in textile recycling, but also in many other areas of the textile industry, such as sportswear, lifestyle clothing, and rehabilitation garments. It might also be possible to use the improved capabilities and functions for robots deployed in industrial manufacturing and automation.

The AdapTex project is coordinated at the University of Klagenfurt and the AAU/SAL USE Lab. The project partners are Grabher Group GmbH, Infineon Technologies Austria AG, Silicon Austria Labs GmbH and V-trion GmbH. AdapTex is supported by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG.

Textile solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan will participate in the Future Fabrics Expo 2025 exhibition in London, England, 24th – 25th June. Held during London Climate Action Week, Future Fabrics Expo showcases sustainably and responsibly produced materials to the textile industry, and is considered a platform for exchange of knowledge and sourcing of sustainable textiles, materials and leading innovations for fashion, home and interior brands. 
 
SHIMA SEIKI is showcasing just such an innovation in the form of its APEXFiz® subscription-based design software. APEXFiz® supports the creative side of fashion from planning and design to colorway evaluation, realistic fabric simulation and 3D virtual sampling for various textiles including flat knitting, circular knitting, weaving, pile weave, socks, embroidery and print. 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. Virtual samples can furthermore be used in e-commerce to gauge consumer demand before production begins, allowing production to be adjusted to optimize inventory and minimize leftover waste. Virtual sampling on APEXFiz® thereby helps to realize sustainability and digitally transform the fashion supply chain. 
 
SHIMA SEIKI will be displaying virtual sample swatches at both the Curated Textiles Area and the SHIMA SEIKI booth to demonstrate just how real and expressive digital simulations can be. Virtual sampling is not limited in use for product planning and design by visitors, but is perfect for consideration by fellow exhibitors as well, as it gives them the opportunity to consider a truly sustainable method of planning, designing and evaluating their sustainable fabrics made from sustainable materials. 

Der Bundesverband Medizintechnologie (BVMed) setzt sich zur Welt-Kontinenz-Woche, die vom 16. bis 22. Juni 2025 stattfindet, dafür ein, individuelle Versorgungsbedarfe von Inkontinenz-Patient:innen stärker in den Hilfsmittel-Versorgungsverträgen der Krankenkassen abzubilden. „Die unterschiedlichen Bedarfe der Betroffenen – ob ambulante Selbstversorger:innen, chronisch Kranke, mehrfach behinderte Menschen oder Betroffene in stationären Pflegeeinrichtungen – müssen deutlich besser berücksichtigt und auch erstattet werden“, sagte BVMed-Hilfsmittelexpertin Juliane Pohl im Interview mit dem Portal pflege.de.

Die 17. Welt-Kontinenz-Woche vom 16. bis 22. Juni 2025 ist eine deutschlandweite Aktionswoche, die Betroffenen Mut machen soll, sich mit dem Thema Inkontinenz auseinanderzusetzen.

Inkontinenz betrifft in Deutschland insgesamt rund 10 Millionen Menschen. Für Menschen mit einer Harn- oder Stuhlinkontinenz ist ihre Erkrankung oft belastend und mit Tabus behaftet. „Das ist leider weiterhin ein Thema und verhindert oder verzögert Diagnose sowie die Einleitung von Therapie und Versorgung. Dabei gibt es heutzutage für jede Form der Inkontinenz geeignete Therapien und Hilfsmittel“, so Juliane Pohl. Nach wie vor werde über Inkontinenz zu wenig in der Öffentlichkeit gesprochen. „Das führt bei vielen betroffenen Personen zu Unsicherheit im Umgang mit anderen und oftmals zum Rückzug, bis hin zur Isolation“, erläutert die BVMed-Expertin. Wichtig sei deshalb, die Betroffenen über Versorgungsoptionen, Versorgungsansprüche und ihre individuellen Handlungsoptionen aufzuklären, „damit die Menschen für eine qualitätssichere und individuell geeignete Versorgung eintreten können“.

Der BVMed verweist insbesondere auf die positiven Effekte einer guten Versorgung für Gesellschaft und Volkswirtschaft. „So trägt die Hilfsmittelversorgung beispielsweise täglich dazu bei, dass Millionen von Betroffenen weiter eine Teilhabe in der Gesellschaft möglich ist – wenn die Versorgung passend und qualitätssicher ist. Die richtige Hilfsmittelversorgung steigert damit Lebensqualität, gibt neuen Lebensmut und rückintegriert Betroffene – gerade mit Inkontinenz – in ihre sozialen Kontaktpunkte“, so Pohl im Experteninterview mit dem Pflegeportal. 

Bei der Auswahl der individuell notwendigen Produkte, auf Grundlage der ärztlichen Verordnung, können insbesondere die geschulten und erfahrenen Versorgungsspezialist:innen der Homecare-Unternehmen unterstützen. „Spezialisierte Homecare-Unternehmen und andere Leistungserbringer spielen eine zentrale Rolle in der täglichen Versorgung von Menschen mit Inkontinenz. Sie liefern nicht nur die notwendigen Hilfsmittel, sondern nehmen die Sorgen der Betroffenen auf, führen die notwendige Anamnese – unter Berücksichtigung der Begleiterkrankungen – durch, bemustern, beraten und unterstützen bei der Anwendung und Anpassung der Produkte“, so Pohl. „Durch ihre Expertise und Erfahrung tragen sie also maßgeblich zur Sicherstellung einer qualitativ hochwertigen Versorgung bei.“

5 Schritte der Versorgung mit Inkontinenz-Hilfsmitteln

Die Versorgung mit Inkontinenz-Hilfsmitteln erfolgt dabei in mehreren klar definierten Schritten und ist darauf ausgerichtet, eine individuell passende und medizinisch zweckmäßige Lösung für die Betroffenen zu finden.

1. Ärztliche Verordnung
Der erste Schritt ist in der Regel ein Arztbesuch, bei dem die Diagnose gestellt und die Notwendigkeit eines Hilfsmittels – etwa Katheter oder aufsaugende Inkontinenzprodukte – festgestellt wird. Der Arzt oder die Ärztin erstellt eine entsprechende Verordnung. 

2. Kontakt zum Hilfsmittelleistungserbringer
Mit dieser Verordnung wenden sich Patient:innen oder Angehörige an einen Hilfsmittel-Leistungserbringer. Häufig übernimmt das auch das medizinische Fachpersonal in Kliniken oder Pflegeeinrichtungen bereits im Vorfeld, etwa bei der Entlassung. Die Versicherten haben dabei das freie Wahlrecht und dürfen aus allen Vertragspartnern ihrer Krankenkasse einen geeigneten wählen. 

3. Individuelle Beratung und Bedarfserhebung
Fachberater:innen des Hilfsmittelleistungserbringers ermitteln gemeinsam mit den Betroffenen – idealerweise in Absprache mit Angehörigen oder der Pflegefachperson – den individuellen Versorgungsbedarf. Dabei werden Faktoren wie Mobilität, manuelle Fähigkeiten, Hautzustand, Lebensumfeld sowie persönliche Präferenzen berücksichtigt.

4. Produktauswahl und Anleitung
Auf Basis dieser Informationen wird ein geeignetes Produkt ausgewählt und bereitgestellt. Der Hilfsmittel-Leistungserbringer, beispielsweise das spezialisierte Homecare-Unternehmen oder das Sanitätshaus, übernimmt hier auch die Einweisung in die korrekte Anwendung, erklärt Wechselrhythmen, hygienische Maßnahmen und gibt praktische Tipps für den Alltag.

5. Kontinuierliche Versorgung und Betreuung
Nach der Erstversorgung sorgt der Hilfsmittel-Leistungserbringer für die regelmäßige Nachlieferung der Hilfsmittel und bleibt für Rückfragen, Probleme oder Änderungsbedarf erreichbar. Bei Bedarf erfolgt eine Nachjustierung der Versorgung oder ein Produktwechsel, beispielsweise bei Unverträglichkeiten oder sich ändernden Bedürfnissen.

BVMed-Expertin Juliane Pohl: „Dieser strukturierte Ablauf für die Hilfsmittel-Versorgung trägt dazu bei, Unsicherheiten zu reduzieren, Komplikationen zu vermeiden und den Inkontinenz-Betroffenen eine sichere, würdige und selbstbestimmte Versorgung zu ermöglichen. Die Abrechnung mit der Krankenkasse erfolgt direkt durch den Versorger.“