Resilience is a recurring theme. It has become a critical success factor—not just for businesses, but for individuals and communities. This is where home and contract textiles come in: they play a transformative role in creating spaces that promote well-being, enhance productivity, and support mental health.

In many ways these are expected in a country which is in the early stages of industrialisation. But the feedback that we got from the workers presented a very different picture (compared to what employers had to say).

To be able to prove that cotton is a climate-friendly crop, there needs to be accurate data. Since it is difficult and expensive to get this data, this will indeed play into the hands of cotton critics. Therefore, it is important that the industry works towards more accurate measurements of the impact of climate on cotton farmers, the GHG emissions in cotton farming, and how to lower these emissions.

I have difficulty purchasing large quantities of textiles from Africa. I refuse to import, and it directly impacts my production capacities as well as my costs. It is not normal. Africa should have the capacity to industrially produce textiles. It is difficult to make ready-to-wear collections with these constraints. Our fashion remains reserved for a minority because of production costs.

It is true that we saw the organic cotton eco-system facing serious problems over the years and that is one of the reasons of the evolution of Oeko-Tex Organic Cotton Certificate. Globally we have observed in recent times that global brands have been facing problem with organic certified cotton due to some issues at production sites. There are various reasons which could be responsible in varying magnitudes for such problems.

Smallholder farmer groups need the best possible support to adapt to climate change. Now we see great market potential for regenerative cotton. We expect that there will be more regenerative standards and origins on different and unharmonised levels. We want to use this momentum to offer a reliable alternative and thereby to benefit the producers as well as the brands.

Each sector has incredible (and sometimes overlapping) tools to both implement the transition and accelerate it. We need deep knowledge of the extent of problems and the best practices for solutions from the social sector, and to also scale the innovative practices of social entrepreneurs. We need the private sector to give us a real understanding of the challenges around implementation and the bottomline.

The Chinese population alone exceeds that of the entire Western Hemisphere, so anyone who thinks that manufacturing can be moved from China to the Western Hemisphere entirely, is wrong. How regionalization in the Western Hemisphere succeeds is by identifying ways to add value to the larger, global manufacturing base, such as through specialization and rapid replenishment.

Reducing risk is rarely a sufficient factor to explain bringing production closer to home. Even reduction of transport times is in itself not a sufficient factor. Speed has no value in itself, but when it is part of model that uses speed and flexibility to connect production to the actual consumer demand — reducing costs of inventory and mark-downs and preventing lost sales, then production closer to European, the US and Asian markets start to make economic sense.

The textile sorting system today relies heavily on manual processes which is likely to remain the first step for sorting any PCT with rewearable content but is not the optimal solution for recycling which requires identification of the specific fibre types. To feed the increasing demand of feedstock to these recycling markets, this purely manual sorting requires to be followed by semi-automated or automated sorting of the non-rewearable fraction by fibre type and also often colour.

Our process specifically focuses on utilising wood waste that is pre-consumer and comes from the lumber or paper industries as well as secondary wood manufacturers. We collect only the left-over scraps, such as the bark and the little branches, which maintain full traceability through the FSC's chain of custody system, further underscoring our dedication to transparency and sustainability.

I also realised that within the fashion industry, design and engineering tend to work in silos. But we know that in order to make zero waste the new standard of fashion, we need great design—because anything that isn't well designed to be loved and worn is just more waste - and great technology—because we need to scale zero waste across the industry to reduce gigatonnes of carbon emissions.

Overproduction and consumption are two sides of the same coin. However, the sector depends on creating demand for clothes that most people don’t need but desire due to advertisements and social pressure. We don’t blame individual consumers for their decisions. What is needed is a systematic change that enables sustainable business models to thrive.

For countries that export textiles and apparel to the EU, it is crucial to stay informed and proactive regarding the adoption of DPPs. These countries should closely monitor the evolving regulations and requirements set by the EU regarding DPPs and align their processes and practices accordingly.

The question remains about how the DPP will be linked with import/export agencies for countries outside the EU—whether they will be automated or not. The use of DPP is a big conversation in the largest markets in the world, but there are too many questions to know when countries will be held accountable. The important message is that a conversation is happening broadly and the EU should help set precedence for other regions.

We see how immature legislations can actually hamper trade with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. If the legislation leaves insecurities for executing authorities and companies, it might create a slowdown or re-direction of goods because Europe becomes a complicated player.

DPPs can also play a vital role in ensuring adherence to labour and human rights standards by enabling better visibility into the working conditions and practices within the supply chain. By fostering accountability and driving sustainable practices, DPPs can contribute to a more environmentally and socially responsible fashion industry, ultimately aiding in the achievement of climate goals and promoting ethical practices.

By implementing traceability solutions, DPPs can enhance credibility, facilitate monitoring and reporting, and help identify areas for improvement. Tools like DPP will support the 2050 climate goals by offering the data to understand if a company is changing enough to hit the target. Without leveraging physical traceability as an accompaniment, there could be gaps in the chain of custody and de-validate the use of DPP.

It is obviously interesting which seeds have been sowed where and by whom. The food sector has in parts existing technologies like the ear tag for live feedstock. This could help the textiles industry as well when addressing deforestation or animal welfare risks in leather procurement. We have proposed systems to take this data, but many actors refused to give it a try because not all countries have ear tag-regimes for live feedstock.

Adopting a change in practices is often a struggle in fashion. In our experience, brands are interested in piloting new solutions and technologies. There needs to be more understanding of what the new legislation requires and how they may be held accountable.