LATEST UPDATE

Sustainability Increasingly Embedded in How New Materials, Processes and Production Systems Are Being Developed by 20 Start-Ups

Emerging start-ups from nine countries have been selected for fully funded participation in Start-Up Valley during ITMA 2027 in Hanover, an exhibition held every four years in Europe. Although their technologies address different challenges across the value chain, the companies share a common focus on sustainability and circularity.

Top Stories
 
CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE

Recycling Cannot Repair What the Production Phase Has Already Locked In

The environmental debate around fast fashion has long turned on a single question: cotton or polyester, which is greener. A comprehensive lifecycle assessment now suggests the question itself was misplaced. Tracing garments from raw material through disposal, the research finds transport mode and garment lifespan reshape emissions by margins that no fibre substitution can match.

 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
Material Innovation / Bezos Fund

Breakthrough textile materials have received $34 million in new Bezos Earth Fund grants, backing research into bacterial fibres, spider-silk-inspired biodegradable materials, coloured cotton and cotton seedbank restoration. The funding targets materials that can match rayon, silk and cotton while improving cost, performance and environmental outcomes across fashion and textile supply chains.

Climate Action / Ethiopia Project

Climate resilience, productivity and workplace safety are being advanced across Ethiopia's leather, textile and garment sector through a new ILO-Japan joint initiative. The one-year programme targets 40 factories across five cities, integrating Japanese expertise, digitalised safety tools and a women's leadership development programme to drive sustainable and inclusive industrial growth.

 
 
 
FOCUS: COTTON

SWITCH-Asia Project Ends With 36 Sourcing Commitments and 50,000 Young Consumers Engaged Across India

A four-year European Union-funded project coordinated by Fairtrade International has concluded after reaching more than 9,500 cotton farmers and 700 textile manufacturers across India, with a primary focus on Tamil Nadu. The initiative delivered digital sustainability tools, capacity-building programmes, and market links between Indian suppliers and European buyers.

 
 
 
SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
 

"Quote Unquote"

Anita Reddy
Anita Reddy
Founder
DWARAKA
The artists of DWARAKA would never compromise on what they believe to be the authentic, time-driven, labor-oriented processes involved in hand-painted Kalamkari using “Kalams” as their forefathers did too. Regardless of the push from the market, strategic planning and distribution of responsibilities lend support to these processes. In DWARAKAs experience the artists share their skills, and art with the buyers, who adapts concepts from the shown possibilities, and then modify it into new ideas or concepts where required.

"Quote Unquote"

Marcelo Paytas
Marcelo Paytas
Director
INTA – Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
The greater challenge lies in the connection between knowledge generation and practical adoption. Extension systems often operate with limited resources, while many producers face difficult economic conditions and high investment risks. Under climate uncertainty, adopting new technologies is not simply a technical decision—it is an economic one.
 
 
FOCUS: LEATHER

Major Reorganisation Positions Fierecongressi as a More Competitive Force in Global Exhibition Markets

A major internal reorganisation, aligned with a growth strategy and a substantial infrastructure investment programme, has reshaped Fierecongressi's operational model. The restructuring establishes a dedicated Internationalisation Area, merges two business units into a single Fairs Business Unit, and introduces a product-oriented structure to strengthen the company's competitive position in the global exhibition and congress market.