Messe Frankfurt Highlights SDGs in Textile Industry at the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting
At the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network Annual Meeting, Olaf Schmidt, vice president of textiles and textile technologies at Messe Frankfurt was a featured speaker. Since 2019, Heimtextil, the largest international trade show for home and contract textiles, has been a partner of the UN Fashion and Lifestyle Network and the UN Office for Partnerships to highlight the Sustainable Development Goals at Messe Frankfurt’s global textile events.
“One of Heimtextil’s unique strengths is its ability to view global developments from different perspectives and simplify complexity,” Schmidt said. “We excel at providing our visitors and exhibitors with this comprehensive outlook.”
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The Texpertise Network spans more than 50 international textile fairs in 13 countries, bringing together more than half a million industry participants. The network — which works across the textile chain in research, development, yarns, fabrics, apparel, fashion, contract manufacturing, household textiles, technical textiles, processing and cleaning technologies — actively informs and helps assemble the textile industry to implement social, economic and environmental changes.
The network helps guide the industry toward being more economically successful and helps businesses become SDG-compliant. Notably, exhibitors at Messe Frankfurt’s events gain economic success by becoming more ecologically and socially responsible in their actions.
Heimtextil, along with all global textile brands within the Texpertise Network, are key proponents of this commitment. The collaboration with the UN has shown how advanced sustainable initiatives have become in the industry.
This year saw the launch of Texpertise Econogy, with sustainability meeting business. A prominent number of visitors at Messe Frankfurt textile shows (from 60 to 90 percent) seek out sustainable sourcing, a demand that the Texpertise Econogy is addressing. Exhibitors previously could go sustainability checks and be listed in the Econogy Finder — the checks are now standardized and conducted by independent experts looking at SGDs, recognized seals and certificates and evaluating sustainability factors in the supply chain, materials and processes as well as economic factors such as strategy and innovation.
And with textile design becoming a more prominent part of Heimtextil — particularly with interior design concepts in hospitality and retail — the trade show has partnered with Patricia Urquiola, celebrated architect, industrial designer and art director.
Urquiola’s interior design installation “Among-us” is set to be featured at Heimtextil in January, with an emphasis on ready-made textiles for hospitality and design. The partnership with Urquiola advances the focus on regeneration materials and circular business models; Urquiola’s installation will showcase tangible regenerative materials and display their quality and durability to serve as inspiration for visitors to adopt the practice themselves.
“As trade fair organizers, we do more than just connect the right business partners,” Schmidt said. “In the textile industry, which is among the most globally interconnected sectors, investing in knowledge and exchange is crucial.”
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