Sustainable buyers
In general, Texworld exhibitors said they are now starting to bring their eco offers towards the front of their booths instead of hiding them away at the back as buyer interest continues to grow. “We’re looking for organic or fully traceable wool to run right through our collections,” UK iconic designer Katharine Hamnett told us. “We are not necessarily insisting on organic, but we do need to see that the wool is produced without chlorine treatments or without any pesticides – if that is possible.”
German mail order giant Heine – part of the Otto Group – said it was about to further develop its eco- collection of fabrics. “We will start on expanding our organic and sustainable sourcing,” said Ann-K athrin Czech, Heine category manager for apparel, “It’s becoming more important for this arm of the Otto Group business.”
Jean-Phillippe Dumont, a former fabric director at Swiss consumer goods giant Conforama, said he’s now set up a completely new business selling 100% natural and organic bed linen and interior textiles. To start with this new business – Europe & Nature – “will concentrate on the wholesale of organic cotton and Tencel blended undyed fabrics,” said Dumont, but noted that he was open to “know more about the natural or synthetic dyes that do not have negative environmental impacts.”
For the answers to these questions on eco-textiles and sustainability it seems that Texworld, with its own eco-labelling system, is becoming an even more useful event for textile buyers’.
The event will also host a seminar on sustainability tomorrow. Messe Frankfurt says that online registration for the seminar had to be cancelled weeks earlier due to such a high demand.
More on this event in the next edition of Ecotextile News. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
