On the 28th and 29th of June 2022, The Sustainable Angle hosted its 10th Future Fabrics Expo (FFE) – the largest, dedicated showcase of materials and innovations with a reduced environmental impact.
A flagship event for sustainability in the fashion and textile industry and which was held at Magazine London in London, UK : a new, larger venue of over 3.200 square meters, and featuring thousands of commercially available, sustainably and responsibly produced fabrics and materials, many more new exhibitors, booths and innovators – all exemplifying effective sustainable solutions throughout the textile supply chain.
Below is a review and an opportunity to look back at some of the keynote speeches that accompanied the exhibition on textiles and innovation by The Sustainable Angle, a member of the 1.618 community and a player in sustainable luxury.
The industries involved are responsible for significant impacts on the planet and people. Yet, in this decisive decade in the climate crisis, fashion can and must be part of the solution by being a vehicle for change, representing a powerful force by following the principles of regenerative design and a circular systems approach based on safe and renewable raw materials.
At this 10th edition of the FFE, thousands of textiles across all fiber categories were contextualised with educational information to enable a holistic understanding of the provenance, processing and impacts of material sources, inputs and outputs.
The materials and textiles presented at FFE are selected according to The Sustainable Angle’s strict key environmental criteria, originally established in consultation with the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at London College of Fashion, UAL. These criteria highlight some of the most pressing resource issues and environmental impacts associated with the fashion supply chain.
This was possible for the Future Fabrics Expo visitors:
- Discover how fibers are grown and materials are made in relation to their impacts upon climate, biodiversity, soil and the oceans.
- Learn about the imperative to source responsibly.
- Know how to operate within the limits of the planet to combat climate change.
- Ensuring sustainable supply chains, while aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These central themes were further highlighted in the Curated Textiles Area, the Innovation Hub in partnership with Parley for the Oceans, the new Curated Area of Solutions with new partners, and echoed by a Seminar Series – all shaping the 10th FFE as a one-stop shop for sustainable textiles sourcing and learning for the fashion industry.
10th FFE’s Innovation Hub was thus in partnership with Parley for the Oceans.
In 2012, we launched Parley and declared the Material Revolution. Since then, we are pushing intergovernmental organisations, governments and brands to support, finance and implement alternative materials. This year, at The Sustainable Angle’s Future Fabrics Expo, we will share the next chapter of our journey. One that is dedicated to a close collaboration with nature, to green chemistry and biology. For the Oceans, Climate and Life!
Cyrill Gutsch, CEO and Founder of Parley for the Oceans
The newly added Curated Area of Solutions featured supporting partners of the 2022 FFE:
- Visitors explored the potential of agricultural waste as the new frontier of next-gen solutions supported by Laudes Foundation and powered by its partners Canopy Planet and Fashion for Good; the focus on Biodiversity was in partnership with LVMH.
- Visitors were also inspired by material solutions on display by The Mills Fabrica and Plastic Free Fashion.
- Forgotten fibres were rediscovered in the Hemp Hub, and the Regenerative Agriculture Area featured Savory Institute’s Land to Market.
Each unique display, made possible by those partners, shared educational content for the industry to explore, learn about and experience the opportunities and roles of the future of textiles.
Best-practice mills and suppliers presented their materials in their own booths – such as Ecovative, Clerici Tessuto, Chargeurs PCC and NATIVA™, Natural Fiber Welding, Bananatex, Säntis Textiles, Recyctex, Beyond Surface Technologies, UPW, Kipas Holding, Bossa, Toyoshima, Imbotex, Ventile, Nova Kaeru, RDD, and more.
The Information Zone featured industry organisations leading the field such as Fashion Revolution, GOTS, Textile Exchange, WRAP, and Fashion Roundtable.
The 10th edition of the FFE also had an enhanced digital dimension with the Future Fabrics VIRTUAL Expo, seamlessly linking the physical materials on display to an online platform via QR codes. During the week, attendees had privileged access to the virtual exhibition, which hosts thousands of documents and information resources online.
By researching and communicating complex sustainability issues, The Sustainable Angle’s Future Fabrics Expo supports fashion brands with the connections, knowledge, and tools in order to make informed decisions and implement responsible practices throughout the fashion supply chain, to leverage positive change.
QUOTES FROM THE 10TH FUTURE FABRICS EXPO SEMINAR SERIES
The Keynote Speeches from the 10th Future Fabrics Expo Seminar Series are now live to watch online!
Discover the inspiring words from Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy Planet, Cyrill Gutsch, Founder and CEO of Parley for the Oceans, and Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of the Club of Rome & European and International Environmental Policy Expert.
Next-gen solutions are fundamentally lower carbon footprinted, 50% of the ecological footprint of linear extractive supply chain industries. Recycling and regenerating materials holds incredible promise, be it waste textiles, agricultural residues left over after the food grain harvest, or microbial cellulosics – next-gen solutions are truly the future of fashion.
Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy Planet | Keynote Speaker
Collaborating with nature is the future, that’s what we believe at Parley. Our mission is nothing less than designing a new economy that is not build on exploitation, not built on old technology and old materials – an economy that is built on a vision… It’s way cooler, and we’ve proven now on a lot of levels, to wear a product that actually does something positive, that actually contributes. And it’s a very good justification for a shopping spree.
Cyrill Gutsch, Founder and CEO of Parley for the Oceans
If we are going to zero carbon, and everything that we see today [at the Expo] is so important in terms of the fashion industry, we have to absolutely take into consideration that we have four different systems to look at: the social system, the economic system, the political system, and the global commons – together. Because the interrelationship between poverty, inequality, empowerment, and the loss and destruction of the forests, the use of our land, the way in which we engage with our economy, is fundamental.
Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-President of the Club of Rome, European and International Environmental Policy Expert | Keynote Speaker
Find out more about The Sustainable Angle via the 1.618 Guide!
Read the values and commitments of the companies in collaboration with Future Fabrics Expo and also members of the 1.618 community, players in the new sustainable luxury, through our interactive Guide – Clerici Tessuto, Bananatex, Recyctex, Kipas, and UPW.
