Unlike most Asian countries, Africans produce in a sustainable way by necessity. Africans don’t through away left materials or leather skins. E.g. out of the leftovers of a leather jacket, they would produce a small leather bag, etc. You can see those companies at ASFW Addis Ababa.

One of the biggest challenges is competing with the speed and pricing of mass production. Handwoven fabrics require time, patience, and craftsmanship—qualities that often clash with the fast-paced rhythm of today’s fashion market. Another major challenge is the shortage of modern equipment that could enhance the quality and consistency of the weavers’ work. Many artisans rely on outdated tools, which limits their potential to meet larger-scale or high-end production demands.

The main challenges are erratic rainfall, temperature spikes, and shifting pest cycles. Adaptation requires both technology and traditional agronomic practices. We’re working and have also planned to formulate models with a combining effort on securing improved seed and water management schemes by reintroducing agroforestry practices that improve soil structure and moisture retention.

The success of our 2025 edition, which welcomed over 10,000 visitors and 550 exhibitors from 25 countries has already begun to reshape perceptions of Saudi Arabia’s role in the textile and apparel trade. This global participation underscores the Expo’s role as a bridge connecting East and West, fostering cross-border collaboration and innovation in the fashion and textile sectors.

When we created coordinator roles, we consciously trained women back in 2017. Some of them have stayed with us through marriage, motherhood. We provide around a year of maternity leave with full pay. For us, culture is not just words. Many people who join True Colors make it their last job, because they find growth, security, and an environment that values them.

We don’t just sell printers. We provide turnkey solutions. We supply the printer, inks, papers, and we even set up the processing line — transfer calendars, software, everything. Our application specialists train their staff. We let customers test print 5,000–10,000 meters in our facility so they build confidence before investing. This integrated ecosystem is unique in India, and it’s why we’ve been successful.

Sanjay and I were discussing opportunities and he pointed out that digital textile printing, though established in China and parts of Europe, hadn’t yet made inroads in India. We felt it was the right time to introduce it here, and it was this conversation that had led us to this business.

We went from shop-to-shop, but got almost no positive feedback. Then we came across one customer who dealt in lace. For lace, even a 44-inch width printer was enough. Small pieces could be printed and cut, and the cost still made sense. That gave us our first breakthrough.

Despite its limitations, the Bangladesh Accord (or now International Accord) has shown that brands, factories and workers can collaborate to create a viable governance framework. I would argue that the Cambodian market is easier than Bangladesh in some ways due to its smaller size and more centrally located factories. Also, despite union tensions and dysfunction, the various stakeholders are quite willing to engage.

When a designer can see the footprint of a decision in real time, responsibility becomes a design parameter, just like colour or texture. Transparency doesn’t just inform; it should change behavior, because in the end, we are all responsible. It’s up to us to make the right choices, as producers, designers, and buyers.

The Dutch EPR legislation is relatively new. Hence, we have to involve producers and importers actively to raise awareness. Furthermore, we involve not only them but also collectors, sorters and recyclers to gain a better understanding of what is currently happening in the textile value chain and to get insight about what can be done to further improve things from a circularity perspective.

The overall sentiment is forward-looking: EU trade preferences provide a stable foundation, while Tunisian suppliers are determined to strengthen their own capabilities to ensure long-term competitiveness. This combination of supportive policy frameworks and private-sector initiative is what will secure the industry’s future.

We see opportunities for hemp as a crop that is not related to other agricultural crops. This has a positive impact on breaking the cycle of diseases and pests. Hemp therefore acts as a kind of fallow crop. This means that the crop certainly has its value in the Flemish crop rotation system. Moreover, farmers are looking for alternative crops, and hemp could be a solution here.

Many traceability efforts stop before they reach the farming stage, and therefore many retailers and brands are unfamiliar with the specific issues facing their producers. Complex sourcing and buying processes spread across departments working in silos. Companies work with hundreds of suppliers, using cotton grown by perhaps thousands of farmers and workers. They need to bring in significant capacity to create the needed transparency.

We push brands by changing the rules of the game. We are moving the goalposts from a narrow focus on certified materials to a holistic vision of sustainability where a prosperous farmer is the key performance indicator. It’s a slow and deliberate process, but by publicly measuring what truly matters, we make it impossible for brands to ignore the 70% of people who form the foundation of their entire industry.

It seems evident that a natural fibre produced and processed in Europe may result in a higher price than a standard garment. To be truly “desirable” for a broad audience, these clothes must stand out through their quality, durability, and reduced environmental impact.

Our strength lies in our neutrality and public-interest mission. As a non-profit organisation, Valbiom is not driven by political agendas or private interests, but by the objective of developing a robust bioeconomy in Wallonia. We carefully assess each initiative to ensure that it respects resources, biodiversity, and citizens’ needs, while also enabling local industries and farmers to thrive.

In the Indian context, fashion is inseparable from textiles. India has a very rich textile tradition, deeply rooted in ethnic practices and aesthetics. At the same time, design is also a global language, and globalisation has led to homogenisation. When you visit superstores in Europe or Asia, you often see similar, standardised products. The truly distinctive items usually come from traditional markets. Once a product is converted into a brand, it risks becoming homogenised and losing its uniqueness.

I believe the next decade will redefine what it takes for India to sustain global leadership in apparel manufacturing. The sector will not be judged only on cost competitiveness, but on how smartly, how quickly, and how responsibly it can deliver. In that sense, there are three emerging skills that will be absolutely non-negotiable.

The most critical gap, and often the most ignored, lies at the very top. Unless factory leaders and senior management themselves are upskilled and convinced of the business case for training, skilling will always remain a peripheral agenda. When leadership treats capability-building as a strategic lever for efficiency, compliance, and profitability — and not merely as a support function — it transforms the culture entirely.