Innovate Textile & Apparel - Roundtables
How do we define the circular economy when it comes to textiles? And how can we change the existing consumption model to encourage more companies across the supply chain to develop sustainable alternatives? This roundtable will debate these questions and more as the industry continues to tackle the textile waste problem. It will also pay attention to the impact that Covid-19 has had on consumption patterns, as it has been suggested that apparel spending could be entering a depressed period, where consumers are now buying less. The pandemic has also led to heightened awareness of the environment, presenting opportunities for innovation in terms of recycled and biodegradable product lines.
This roundtable will discuss several solutions for reducing textile waste through biodegradable material solutions. Such innovations include PrimaLoft Bio, the first-ever biodegradable, 100% synthetic insulation and fabric; a new sustainable sportswear collection from Puma, Streamateria, and Living Colour called Design To Fade; and a collection of sustainable bags and materials made from banana fibre by Bananatex. It will also address the challenges associated with communicating and marketing biodegradability as well as balancing performance and sustainability.
Since the Covid-19 outbreak, we’ve seen a host of newcomers enter the antimicrobial textile field to join the fight against the virus. At the same time, existing companies have been enhancing their product portfolios to offer more advanced protection against bacterial and viral threats. This roundtable will discuss the opportunities that this sector presents in more detail, as well as the material innovations that are proving invaluable for preventing the spread of infection. Highlights include face masks infused with virus inactivation technology and research into the antiviral effects of copper nanoparticles.
The direct-to-garment (DTG) printing market has shown resiliency during the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of DTG machinery is expected to accelerate accordingly. Participants in this roundtable will discuss technological developments, on-demand manufacturing, re-shoring, mass customisation, and emerging markets before assessing the impact of these considerations on the high-growth DTG market of tomorrow.
This second roundtable on advances in biodegradable textiles will discuss some further solutions for tackling textile waste and driving a circular economy. We will learn more about Freudenberg Performance Materials’ comfortemp Lyocell padding, which fully biodegrades in just under 60 days, as well as CiCLO technology from Intrinsic Advanced Materials, which allows polyester to biodegrade at similar rates to natural fibres. Plus, we delve into the testing and certification of biodegradable textiles by discussing Hohenstein’s Biodegradable Quality Label. This will lead onto further considerations concerning regulatory challenges.
In this discussion, some of the industry's largest and longest standing OEMs will discuss the impact of Covid-19 on the digital textile printing industry and how we can futureproof the indsutry. The participants will also delve in to sustainability, bringing manufacturing closer to the consumer and how the industry can continue to grow in the post Covid-19 era.
This year we’ve seen the face coverings market transform from a niche sector once associated with certain regions of the world, to an essential commodity. As a result, players from multiple industries have repurposed their supply chains to produce these items. In this roundtable, we hear from a group of people who are all playing a vital role in helping to tackle the global shortage of face masks. They will discuss some of the key challenges the industry is facing – spanning standardisation and correct disposal – and suggest how the industry can learn from such challenges for a better future.
Sponsored by Suuchi Inc, this discussion looks in to the impact of Covid-19 on the digitalisatin of the textile & apparel value chain and how we can futureproof the industry. It also assesses barriers to digitalisation, such as cost and questions whether digitalisation and sustainability go hand in hand.
This roundtable will explore one of the most commonly talked about developments to come out of Industry 4.0 conversation: the smart factory. The smart factory concept pushes for responsivity, adaptivity, automation and connectivity within manufacturing, and utilises the data that comes out of a manufacturing facility to optimise and improve itself. WTiN speaks to four major players working within this space to explore how to implement a smart factory, the influence of the Covid-19 pandemic on digitalisation adoption rates and some of the ongoing projects they are working on.
This roundtale centres around one of the indsutries key areas of concern: sustainability. It will look into different approaches of sustainable dyeing and finishing, barriers to investment in new, innovative and sustainable technologies, the potential impact on near and re-shoring, whether tightening legislation is changing the finishing landscape and what we should look out for in the future.
Pigment inks have been rising on the textile inkjet agenda for the last few years. This indepth discussion will look into how Covid-19 has impacted the pigment market, what lessons roll-to-roll can learn from DTG printing when it comes to pigments and seek to dispell ongoing myths around pigment inks in the industry. The roundtable will also touch on the key application areas for pigments and the future of the pigment industry in digital textile printing.
The increasing focus on exercise and wellbeing has not only led to more people buying activewear, but also to higher demands on those producing and selling activewear. This has driven a greater need for sustainability as well as garments with protective qualities, for instance. This roundtable will address these consumer requirements in more detail, welcoming participants who have many years of experience in the activewear field. The discussion will also help to pinpoint key activewear and material innovation trends for 2021.
In this exciting discussion, participants will discuss whether Covid-19 has accelerated localisation and reshoring in the textile & apparel industry. Digitalisation's impact on reshoring, business models as well as the scalability of this and the potential of microfactories will also be addressed.
Despite the rapid growth of the smart textiles market, one barrier that continues to hamper progress is the knowledge gap that exists primarily between academia and industry. This roundtable brings several experts together from this field to discuss their approaches to teamwork that support their successful development, as well as their experiences of overcoming design and manufacturing hurdles. They will also share their thoughts on the measures that should be taken by the entire industry to drive collaboration that is crucial for widespread adoption of smart textiles.
This discussion will discuss how the industry can work towards a more sustainable and ethical value chain, where the problems lie and the industry changes required to achieve a cleaner, fairer, more efficient and transparent value chain. It touches on key themes such as digitalisation, responsibility, cost and localisation.
The UK’s Leeds City Region is renowned for its strong textile industry – combining tradition and heritage with modern and technological innovation. This roundtable brings together a group of key companies and partners involved in the Leeds City Region Textile Sector Showcase – an initiative that aims to profile the significant strengths of the textile industry in Leeds City Region, from both a heritage perspective and the development of the fabrics of the future. Representatives from both academia and industry will discuss their areas of innovation and expertise, the new projects they’re working on, international partnerships, and the factors that they believe underline the Leeds City Region’s success in textiles.
The Covid-19 pandemic has meant that many people have had to turn to remote healthcare solutions to monitor and manage their conditions. This has presented several opportunities for smart textiles that are facilitating a shift from a culture of treatment towards one of prevention and early intervention. In this roundtable, we hear from two experts in this field to learn more about why these devices are so important for the future of healthcare. Besides the management of physiological signs, the session will also discuss how smart textiles can aid mental wellbeing.
