How materials can make fashion more sustainable!

The apparel industry has gone through dramatic changes in recent decades.

  • Clothing has become a disposable item
  • The industry is globalized (Design, manufacturing and sales)
  • The average lifecycle of clothing becomes shorter & shorter (fast fashion)
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The impact on the environment, society and economy is huge, and can not continue like this. Therefore it is of paramount importance to start looking at apparel in a circular way. Doing so will have an enormous impact on all players in the value-chain.

From a materials perspective the following topics are very relevant and will be discussed during this conference:

  • Sustainable fibers
  • Bio-mass/biobased elastomer technology
  • Chemical recycling to separate different material types
  • Sustainable alternatives for dyes and other add-ons
  • Traceability and Transparency in the value chain
  • Microfibers / Microplastics
  • Design for recycling

Most fundamentally, succeeding in this new circular textile / fashion value chain will likely require materials companies to dramatically re-evaluate how they do business. Instead of the traditional approach of developing a new material, companies have to collaborate across the value chain, from design to full-scale production and reuse / recycling.

During the Materials for Sustainable Fashion Conference the (inter)national speakers will present their view and experience on this fast changing market.

Who should attend:

  • R&D / Innovation and General management of
    • Producers of Materials (performance materials)
    • Producers of chemical raw materials
    • Producers of natural fibers
    • Fashion Design companies / agencies
    • Fashion Industry
    • Suppliers to the Fashion Industry
      • Materials for fibers
      • Fibers and fabrics
      • Dyes
      • Plasticizers, flame retardants, stabilizers, adhesives
    • Recycling value chain
  • Governmental bodies
  • Regulatory institutions
  • Investors
  • Start-Ups

This conference is part of the Brightlands Materials of the Future Series and contains the following adjacent conferences:

Electrification, digitalization, autonomous driving and new mobility concepts will help define the future of mobility. These mega trends will fundamentally change the way we think about cars and mobility as a whole, and will have a major impact on the various value-chains. This will create a significant shift in use of materials. It is expected that for instance in the construction of a modern car, the need for some materials will decline, others will grow in importance and new materials will be needed in specific areas.
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The Design 4 Sustainability Conference covers all aspects enabling a circular economy by applying design methods on material, product and value chain level. The conference will focus especially on design for packaging applications. This has strong implications on: Material design, Article / Product Design and Value Chain Design
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In any manufacturing process, care must be taken to generate less waste and to have a low environmental impact. This is also very applicable for Additive Manufacturing, which has great potential in reducing the need for energy- and resource-intensive manufacturing processes. It also has the advantage of producing less material waste than for instance subtractive technologies and it has the benefit of cost effectively fabricating objects on-demand, eliminating the need for warehousing extra goods made with mass manufacturing technologies.
Read more

Strategic Partner
Brightlands Chemelot Campus
Brightlands Chemelot Campus is a world-leading innovation location in smart materials and sustainable manufacturing and home to a vibrant and fast-growing open community of groundbreaking companies and knowledge institutes. With its location, ecosystem and easily available expertise and knowledge, Brightlands Chemelot Campus is a unique location for innovative start-ups and corporations, forward-thinking knowledge institutes, daring entrepreneurs, brilliant researchers, talented students and visionary investors.

This conference is organised by Jakajima, Matchmaker for Innovators.