One of Intertextile Apparel’s key strengths is that it can cater to buyers with very different sourcing goals. In terms of materials, price point, and product use, every zone at the show has its ideal buyer, and as the market changes we recognise the need to occasionally update the offering to suit evolving requirements. By grouping exhibitors accordingly, such as in our various featured zones or by product end-use for domestic exhibitors, visitors can gain a sense of which areas of the show most appeal to their specific needs.

Suppliers are scared of the brands knowing what they think; so, they smile at the brands, invite them for lunch, and then tell us what they think of their behaviour, and we have more than 50 of these kinds of reactions—private concerns, and public smiles out of fear. That itself shows how unethical our industry is. People are frightened to tell the truth.

Historically, Mahlo systems focused on visible defects like fabric distortion. Today, the shift toward invisible deviations—such as thickness variations in battery coatings—requires a new approach. Mahlo is responding by enhancing its sensor logic with real-time analytics, AI-assisted feedback loops, and predictive modelling.

Structural bottlenecks in the technical textiles value chain—especially in processing and testing is an important issue. During this conference we do not have any dedicated session, but, we expect that during the sessions the speakers and delegates may delve on the subject and interact on this as well.

Swiss companies are not trading legacy for digital—they are integrating the two. Precision engineering remains our foundation, but today’s machines embed intelligent systems, advanced sensors, and software for predictive maintenance and process optimisation. Industry 4.0 is no longer a concept—it’s operational reality.

In fashion, they’ve shown the potential to match the flexibility and softness of premium nylon yarns. In industrial contexts—such as automotive or maritime applications—we’re exploring how the materials can meet more stringent performance needs. We’re currently preparing for more extensive validation testing in collaboration with potential partners.

The challenges cotton farmers face varies widely across countries and are influenced by both global and local economies, policies, and infrastructure. In India, for example, smallholder farmers can face debt, limited access to modern technology, and vulnerability to price swings. In all geographies, rising climate challenges—such as unpredictable rainfall and prolonged droughts—are major concerns.

Bangladesh’s reliance on fossil fuels, particularly coal and gas, poses a significant challenge to decarbonising its apparel sector. Shifting this entrenched energy mix requires more than just technology; it demands coordinated action across policy, infrastructure, and finance.

Fibre sorting remains one of the biggest technical and economic hurdles in textile recycling, particularly for mixed-material fabrics. At Re:inventex, we’ve adopted a pragmatic approach that combines manual sorting with basic composition testing and pre-sorting based on visual and tactile assessments.

Digital Product Passports alone will not revolutionise our industry, the data they contain will. Aware makes Digital Product Passports (DPPs) automatic, accurate, and verifiable. As supply chain data is logged, starting at the fibre level, it’s sealed to a digital token and carried forward with each batch. Our system integrates this data into a DPP.

Downstream recycling facilities may have different requirements in terms of composition, tolerance to the presence of other materials, length of fibres entering their processes, or particle sizes. This applies to both garments and footwear. Automated removal of hard spots can also be considered a preparation step.

If a brand waits for ideal conditions before acting, it risks missing one of the most accessible levers for reducing emissions now. The value for a company, both from an attitude approach and from a behaviour approach to integrate the cost of RE (or, renewable electricity) into their product cost cannot be overestimated. By setting renewable electricity as a hygiene factor for suppliers, we can normalise it across our operations.

One underappreciated point about the garment industry is its own variegation, even within a single factory. If you work in an ironing section, or in the warehouse, then your risk of heat stress is far greater than if you work in the sewing section. So, however small the context, we can never ignore labour as a factor in heat stress.

By leveraging Portugal’s strong manufacturing base and strategic location, we offer a unique platform where exhibitors and buyers can build regional and international partnerships. Our focus is on helping participants adapt to today’s sourcing demands, prioritising speed, sustainability, and resilience in their supply networks.

LCAs are useful for broad narratives but lack the precision and facility-specific insight that EIM provides. The future lies in hybrid models, where high-level LCAs are supplemented by granular EIM data—creating a full-spectrum view of impact that satisfies both operational and regulatory needs.

At the heart of this issue is a basic misunderstanding: second-hand clothing isn’t waste, rather it’s a resource. That’s why SMART has urged the US Trade Representative to take a strong, targeted approach in removing unfair barriers. In our March 2025 comments, we encouraged action country by country: engaging Argentina to lift its long-standing ban, resolving the CAFTA-DR misinterpretation with El Salvador, and ensuring that East African countries uphold their AGOA commitments.

Wool may be just 0.9% of the global fibre market, but that only highlights the opportunity. Natural fibres like merino outperform synthetics on nearly every front—breathability, durability, biodegradability, and impact. They just need to be done right. To grow acceptance, we focus on showing—not telling. We show why Merino needs less washing. Why it lasts longer. Where it comes from. Who’s behind it. How it’s made.

What will actually competitively position man-made cellulosics from a resiliency and a sustainability perspective, will be when there's a diversification of the fibre basket. It will be when there's a significant amount of MMCF made from more circular NextGen inputs like discarded clothing, agricultural residues and industrial food waste. That will drop the carbon footprint by at least four tonnes per tonne of product. It will reduce the water that's being used by 50 percent. It will reduce the impact on biodiversity five-fold. That's the NextGen MMCF direction.

India’s weaknesses are mainly based on speed, time to market. We need to improve our sampling capabilities, the speed of sampling. China is much faster than India. And I think we're lagging approximately two weeks behind China. We also need to improve the availability and cost competitiveness of some specific raw materials. And this will then help the transformation of the Indian textile added value chain.

It is essential to take a holistic approach by examining the entire textile supply chain, mapping each stakeholder's role to gain a comprehensive understanding of their contributions and interactions. One of the key challenges in addressing this issue is the fragmented data on the supply chain, making it difficult to accurately assess the impact of each stakeholder.