The hottest fashion trend this season? Sustainability! That's right, it's no longer about the latest print or color, but about making a positive impact on the planet through fashion. And unlike trends that come and go, this one is a true transition! And what better way to pave the road for this than on the TextilWirtschaft Sustainability Summit in Frankfurt? On the 18th of April, our team members Philip and Eike traveled to Frankfurt to get some insights into the current sustainability topics in the fashion industry, and of course, to present our sustainable material innovation traceless® - both on our expo stand and on stage. It was a very insightful day, and a great opportunity to connect with brand owners and other partners in the fashion industry. But why a fashion related event, you may wonder?
traceless team in Frankfurt: Philip Ortin, Head of Marketing & Sales, (left) and Eike Langenberg, Sales Manager (right)
® by Katharina Dubno und Cindy Ufer
Well, the fashion industry is one of the biggest industries out there, and it is even more all-encompassing than you might initially think… Since it is not just about the clothing that you eventually wear, but even more so about the resources needed to produce them, about the actual production process, the packaging and shipping process, and eventually the correct disposal of old clothes. In short, there is a lot to it, with the most important focus at the moment to make these processes more sustainable!
The Fashion Industry Sustainability Experts - united in Frankfurt
And this is exactly what the TextilWirtschaft Sustainability Summit is all about. It brings together experts, thought leaders, and stakeholders from the textile and fashion industry to discuss sustainability issues and promote sustainable practices in the industry. The event covers a range of topics related to sustainability, for example it focuses on the shift towards a circular economy and renewable resources, and on decreasing the use of plastics in fabrics itself, as well as in packaging – which is where we come in…
Philip Ortin, Head of Marketing & Sales, speaking about the potential of the novel generation of natural biomaterials ® by Katharina Dubno und Cindy Ufer
Discovering potential applications for plastic-free innovative materials
Those of you who have followed us for a longer period already probably know: We launched our first pilot product in collaboration with fashion retailer C&A in December 2022. Together with C&A we engineered sock-hooks made from traceless. Conventional plastic sock-hooks are hardly recycled due to their small size, and therefore C&A was looking for a more sustainable alternative. And this is just one of many examples of plastic products/packaging in the fashion industry which can be replaced by more sustainable plastic-free alternatives, like traceless. We attended the event with our own booth, where we presented, among others, our sock-hooks as an example of what can be done with our material.
Exemplary use cases for traceless® in the fashion industry: Small packaging parts, coat hangers, packaging bags
Big stage for a big transition: Natural biomaterials
On top of that, our Head of Marketing & Sales, Philip Ortin, had the opportunity to discuss the topic of plastic with the event attendees more broadly - and on stage! He was invited to give a presentation which covered the challenges of the current plastic-use in the fashion industry, and an innovative alternative solution: Natural biomaterials, like traceless®!
These are a novel material generation that has been developed recently and outside the plastic universe. Natural biomaterials are based on natural polymers that were created in nature by living organisms (for example, plants), and extracted using innovative eco-friendly processes. This fully regenerative, bio-circular material class has a minimum environmental footprint, helping to drastically reduce carbon emissions and energy demand, and achieve full circularity where the technical material cycle cannot be closed.
We received a lot of interested and positive feedback from the attendees, and are very happy to see that this season’s fashion trend indeed is sustainability, and it is here to stay!