Textiles Matter

We begin by extending a very warm welcome back to Heimtextil. Following two extremely challenging years of disruption, we return with renewed energy and a fresh motivation to champion a cleaner, greener, more planet-friendly textiles and interiors industry.

Textiles and materials are an integral part of our lives. They wrap and adorn our bodies, make our homes comfortable, welcoming, and beautiful, enhance our workspaces, and so much more besides. They provide the tactile comfort and stimulation that human beings crave.

The textiles industry draws its raw materials from a huge number of sources and uses many processes to produce an infinite variety of products. This diversity makes it one of the most problematic in terms of the climate emergency. Conventional cotton production, for example, covers 2.5% of the world’s cultivated land – and consumes 24% of its insecticides and 11% of its pesticides, costing 2.6 billion in dollars and so much more in degradation of ecosystems and biodiversity.

We have a responsibility to examine our processes, and change for the better. Where do we source our materials, and how do we process them?  Where do our products go at the end of their lives? How do we build in reuse and repurpose? We need a long-term vision to change our relationship with the planet, and drive a positive future.

"As a nature-positive solutions framework, the circular economy brings answers to the interconnected biodiversity and climate emergencies: leading companies are starting to harness the opportunities it offers, and scaling up circular innovations is now a priority."

One of the most important things the textiles industry can do to achieve significant, meaningful change is make the shift towards circularity. In a circular system, materials are repurposed again and again, in a circle of use that dramatically cuts the use of the earth’s resources, as these remain in an endlessly productive loop.

The technical cycle applies to inorganic materials such as nylon, polyester, plastics and metals. These can be reused many times when optimally recycled – with no loss of quality.

The biological cycle applies to organic materials that come from nature and can return to the earth at the end of their useful life.

Circularity is moving beyond niche experimentation to become a genuine, actionable and exciting game changer that can tackle many of the industry’s issues. It’s time to think circular