Focusing on textile markets, the European Association of Specialty Printers (ESMA) is launching a brand new event to drive change within the industry.
The new Textile Printing and Sustainability (TPS) conference will take place on September 8th and 9th, 2022 at the Dorint Kongresshotel Düsseldorf-Neuss and welcomes everyone who wants to engage with automation, new business models and best environmental practices for various textile applications.
Textile industry has fourth largest climate impact
“According to the European Environment Agency, the textile industry has the fourth largest impact on the climate in the region, after the food, housing and transport industries. The average European throws away 11 kilograms of textiles every year,” explains ESMA CEO Peter Buttiens in a press release.
“Various international bodies are working to change this. For example, the EU is introducing a digital product passport to promote the circular economy. This incentivizes every step of the textile production and workflow to encourage creative reuse, recycling and reuse of materials and end products,” adds Buttiens.
The new textile printing and sustainability conference will address all critical factors and global trends affecting textile market conditions today and in the near future: consumer-centric fashion, responsible business, quality issues, personalization and customization.
The event will bring together industry experts in the two main printing processes – screen and inkjet – to promote best practices, discuss new areas of application and explain the advantages and challenges of each technology.
Lectures and networking
So far around 40 lectures and around 50 networking opportunities are planned and the event is aimed at everyone who wants to make textile production more sustainable, i.e. designers, print and dye companies, brands, e-commerce companies, wholesale and retail companies , manufacturing companies, chemical specialists, engineers and sustainability managers as well as NGOs and associations.
One of the keynote speakers will be Karin Ekberg on leadership and sustainability; Issues with which Ekberg has gained many years of experience as Head of the Environment Department of the Adidas Group and as Chair of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. Heiner Rupperath from Brother will deal with the ecological challenges in the operation of a hardware manufacturer and Inga Barende from Covestro will present the raw materials perspective. The Institute for Textile Technology of the RWTH Aachen will present the latest know-how about intelligent textiles.
Overall, the program will cover the entire supply chain and workflow, and will involve manufacturers of products for the treatment of textiles (pre- and post-treatment), the printing process itself (inks and finishing), as well as printers and tailors, seamstresses, resellers : inside and brand owners: inside.
“From materials science and printing systems to microfactories and converting, TPS brings together all those who want to drive change and contribute to innovation,” says ESMA.
“With the scarcity of natural resources and the worsening of the climate crisis, the question of a more sustainable textile industry is occupying the whole world. Suggested solutions include changes in supply chains, the development of new fibers and chemical processes, and digitalization,” says industry expert Thomas Poetz.
“According to calculations, up to 790 billion liters of water could be saved annually if all textile printing were to switch from analogue to digital. Similar savings can be achieved with innovative dyeing processes. And of course there is still further potential for savings in areas such as energy, transport and waste production. With the TPS conference we are creating a platform for industry and research centers so that sustainable networks can develop,” concludes Poetz.