This year the “Future Fabrics Expo” celebrates its tenth anniversary. For a decade, you can visit London every year to discover the latest developments in sustainable fabrics. Curious about the highlights? We’re happy to list them.
The tenth edition of the Future Fabrics Expo took place in London on June 28th and 29th.
fabrics of the future
It’s no secret that the fashion and textile industry is a major contributor to climate change. The fabrics that industry uses to make clothing often have a huge impact on the environment. Cotton and polyester together make up about 80 percent of the clothes we wear, according to the Textile Exchange’s 2021 Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report. Cotton needs a lot of water (and pesticides) to grow, causing lakes to dry up and nature and biodiversity to disappear. The production of polyester, on the other hand, requires a lot of energy. In addition, this material is made from petroleum and thus also contributes to the depletion of this non-renewable resource.
More and more brands and designers are therefore looking for better alternatives for the most commonly used materials. And the Future Fabrics Expo wants to help with that. It is the largest fair dedicated exclusively to sustainable and responsibly produced materials. You can find both commercial fabrics and the latest innovations there.
Inspired by nature
Many of the innovations currently being developed are inspired by nature. For example, the Italian company EMM has developed a synthetic alternative to leather that consists partly (20 percent) of olive pits, a by-product of the olive oil industry. The basis of the material is recycled cotton. Bananatex® is made from the Abacá banana plant. This textile is made with no pesticides, fertilizers or added water and has come a long way since its launch in 2018, with last year’s Cradle to Cradle Gold certification being the icing on the cake.
Deep in the sea….
The fabric sourcing consultant Annet Sunderman has specialized in sustainable textiles in recent years and has already worked with Bananatex®, for example. She says innovations like this are important to the industry. “In addition to such fibers, I also see many developments with algae at this year’s trade fair. I really think we can expect a breakthrough here soon.”
She cites “Seacell,” a patented material made from seaweed from the fjords and cellulose from sustainably managed forests.
“It’s really soft to the touch, but it’s still expensive.” And that’s one of the sticking points for Sunderman. More sustainable fabrics often have a higher price, which is delaying their breakthrough at the moment. On the other hand, the prices of normal fabrics are also rising. Cotton, for example, is becoming increasingly scarce, with the well-known financial consequences.
Waste becomes a raw material: recycling
Not only “bio-based” solutions will be represented at the fair, but also recycled materials, which remain important in the race to use less “virgin” fibers. In addition to many recycled fabrics, which are shown in the hall with commercially available fabrics, there are also many new projects to discover in the innovation area. ByPell® – the company that collects tanning waste to make recycled leather – is just one example. Recover™ has over 70 years of recycling experience and offers a range of cotton solutions.
So from tomorrow everything will be green?
Innovations take time. It’s the same in every industry. For this reason, many of the participants of the fair return year after year to show their progress. And the industry is evolving, but for a fast-moving industry like fashion, that pace sometimes seems slow. It also requires a different mindset from buyers and designers, taking the time to research and test new materials is crucial.
Lieve Vermeire, Sustainability Manager at listed Belgian lingerie company Van de Velde agrees: “The show gives a good overview of what is already commercially feasible and scalable and what is still in the early stages of research in terms of material innovation. The combination with the seminars, in which highly topical topics are dealt with, also offers an update on the current state of affairs. Visiting the show is an inspiring and motivating impetus in the search for how we as a company can have more positive impact.”
This is a post by Jasmine Wynants, expert in sustainable fashion. Jasmien helps the fashion industry become more sustainable by providing advice and guidance on circular and responsible entrepreneurship. She also gives workshops, training courses, lectures and more on this topic. This translated article previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.