If you look at the history of some of the economically successful countries also, you will find that the countries which are producing and exporting high value added have been able to sustain their economic growth in comparison to raw material exporting countries. These not only generate huge revenue but also create huge employment as it has the potential to trickle down the benefits.

Functional fabrics have also become increasingly important for consumers. With a growing awareness of health, sustainability, and comfort, consumers seek clothing that supports their lifestyle. Therefore, functions such as moisture-wicking materials, odour-resistant fabrics, or environmentally friendly textiles are becoming increasingly popular.

Most are interested in the idea to focus on global sustainability (i.e. a future where everyone on the planet can live flourishing lives on a regenerative planet in balance). This is exciting, but also a little sad as I realise that for many (especially in the Global North) sustainability is just about making the current unsustainable system a little less bad.

Sustainably produced leather is one of the most eco-friendly and natural materials, offering unmatched versatility, durability, and reparability. The leather industry should continue to undo the consumer misinformation that has existed for years by providing scientifically proven data on the environmental impact of leather and increasing transparency in its production and material sourcing systems.

Apple says that “leather has a significant carbon footprint” and this is enough to ditch leather. In my opinion they are only looking at one of the parameters of sustainability and not the whole; and maybe there is a hidden agenda behind it. For sure, the secondary market will quickly take advantage of using leather to fulfill the need for premium, long-lasting protection for phones and watches. Possibly here is the case that leather wins and Apple loses.

It (the Apple decision) is significant in that, for all the progress we are making, there is still work to be done fostering a deeper understanding of how leather can be part of the solution for a more sustainable future.

The value of luxury has changed dramatically; we went from a world where it was all about exclusivity, heritage, traditions to a world where luxury has shifted towards inclusivity, sustainability, innovations. Secondhand will further shape the connotation of luxury.

In the light of the criticism, Apple does not appear willing to listen and learn, but instead do not want to admit an error and are doubling down.at the moment. I am sure that can be changed with persistent calls and claims from consumers.

We started the business developing colours and identified an issue with byproduct and waste biomass in the market places that we are working in. We develop technology around such waste streams, and that's how we develop the black technologies. We are planning on developing colours and have grants submitted to get funding. The goal in the end is cyan yellow,

I don't think anything in the innovation space is that easy. Innovation can be challenging at the technology level and implementation in the real world is also a challenge. Patagonia was our first big brand to buy into using our product. That was instrumental in helping us get plugged into a global supply chain and learning how to deliver on each continent.

Fostering collaboration between industry and academia is crucial for driving innovation. CITI is actively advocating for increased collaboration within the Indian textiles and fashion sector. We encourage corporates to be more proactive by facilitating partnerships with research institutions, academia and forming consortia.

The reason why sorting and collection plants are full is because the demand in the recipient countries is very slow. Without being able to sell on stock to recipient countries operators of collection and sorting plants could be forced to close their doors to receiving new stock of used textiles until they have managed to clear what they have.

In 1991, they turned down a request from the Ethiopian government to buy a large tannery in that country in order to help it develop by adding more value locally. The decision not to do so was probably their biggest error. They were financially strong and had good technical staff with some living permanently in Ethiopia to help the local tanners with early-stage processing

Of course, the UK leaving Brexit, the complications of running production in Yeovil and Addis Ababa simultaneously and the cost of producing leathers in the UK as electricity prices skyrocketed would have been hugely challenging. Mike called it "death by a thousand cuts". Still, such a shame to see such a storied and technical company close.

In recent years, very few tanneries and chemical suppliers have closed (we had some consolidations however). Through the decades, I have observed that quality leather manufacturers with innovative products very seldom close down. Today, we still have investments in tannery remodelling and new tanneries are being built. Italy is the greatest example of investment in creative leather manufacturing with the proper machinery, chemicals, quality, art, and craft.

The closure of Pittards will alter market dynamics within the industry, potentially affecting supply chains and pricing. This closure could also signal broader challenges facing the leather industry, such as changing consumer preferences, increased competition from substitute materials, supply chain issues, or economic downturns.

We have industrialised a process that was manually intensive with no social standards. Flocus is changing all that by applying standards for security, safety (also in harvesting) etc and creating volumes never available before with a stable fibre standard quality, and this is what differentiates us from anybody else selling kapok in the market. We not only create the demand for the fibre by using it to make filling, yarns, fabrics and nonwovens, we also plant trees and help local communities.

We decided to set up a company in 2016 in Shanghai (where we lived at that time) to sell yarns and fabrics with kapok to test it in the market. In fact, we found some kapok plantations in Mainland China too. However, we realised it was better to source from Indonesia because the quality of the fibre was better and also the density of the trees is higher and therefore there is more supply

We will step away from throwaway culture, make marketing more transparent and fight premature obsolescence of goods. People will be able to choose products that are more durable, repairable and sustainable thanks to reliable labels and advertisements. Most importantly, companies can no longer trick people by saying that plastic bottles are good because the company planted trees somewhere—or say that something is sustainable without explaining how. This is a big win for all of us!

Today, more than half of green claims are misleading or unverifiable—among them, climate neutrality claims, which are a common form of greenwashing. This directive puts an end to these claims. However, it relies heavily on market surveillance, which we know is lacking, and leaves a lot to the Green Claims Directive, which is unlikely to be adopted under the current legislature. This is good progress, but legislators need to step up regulatory action.