CTF Paris brings fashion, textile & forest industries together

By connecting prominent brands and forward-thinking suppliers, CTF is increasing awareness about biobased, man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) material. The pioneering initiative presented a unique opportunity for the entire supply chain to meet and act for change.

At the CTF symposium held on May 17, barriers to growth and possibilities for collective actions within fashion, textile and forest industries was identified. The prominent panellists included Sara Mariani, chief sustainability officer at OTB Group, Christine Goulay, global director at Pangaia Science, Dio Kurazawa, co-founder of the Bear Scouts, Shahriare Mahmood, chief sustainability officer at Spinnova, Romain Brabo, co-founder of LVMH Nona Source, Komal Singh, senior colour and material designer at Polestar, Shameek Ghosh, CEO and co-founder of TrusTrace, Johannes Bogren, vice president at Södra Cell Bioproducts, Caroline Ledl, head of product management at Lenzing, Dr Marina Crnoja-Cosic, director new business development at Kelheim Fibres GmbH, Marion Henry, sourcing and impact strategy manager at Balzac Paris and more, the organisers said in a media release.

“Material innovations are key to solving the unsustainable strain on our planet’s resources. Cross-industry collaboration helps to expose innovators, from opposing industries to meaningful material solutions and practices often unknown or overlooked. I’m so very impressed by The Swedish Fashion Council and Ekman & Co, and their work with the Challenge the Fabric initiative,” said Dio Kurazawa, co-founder, The Bear Scouts VOF.

The panel discussions deep-dived into the themes of cross-industry work, as well as the challenges and opportunities with MMCF from a brand and producer perspective. In addition, the panels highlighted existing issues facing the pulp producers and their wish to solve them, and the current state and future of next generation feedstock. Industry members expressed their joint goals to displace the demand of fossil fuel-based textiles, and the implementation of sustainable production processes to reduce the carbon footprint.

CTF offers a place for actors within the entire value chain to meet and open the dialogue about the MMCF. During the day, it became clear that conversations between brands, suppliers and producers need to happen on a regular basis.

“Challenge the Fabric has a unique place in today's sustainable fashion and innovation landscape. By bringing together brands (both big and small), supply chain partners, innovators, and experts, we can come together to work toward actionable change,” said Christine Goulay, global director, Pangaia Science.

The global event, initiated by Ekman & Co and organised by the Swedish Fashion Council, took place at Institut Suédois in Paris and is a long-term initiative. Challenge the Fabric was first launched during London Fashion Week in 2018. For this first edition, talents from the world’s best ranked design schools were nominated to the CTF Award with the assignment to create designs out of MMCF fabrics. The winner, selected by remarkable jurors of global industry professionals, was awarded the prestigious CTF prize of €30,000. The Challenge the Fabric Advisory Board consists of IKEA of Sweden, Textile Exchange, Kelheim Fibres, Swedish Fashion Council and Ekman & Co.

“Collaboration was a key-topic throughout the CTF symposium. Behind it, there is the commitment of companies, researchers, innovative startups, and experts to join forces to create true purpose and scale up projects,” commented Sara Mariani, chief sustainability officer, OTB.

“Innovations on cellulosic fibre is so critical in solving the challenges in the fashion industry. CTF is really able to bring the stakeholders together to make it impactful and expedite the progress,” said Shahriare Mahmood, chief sustainability officer, Spinnova.

“Challenge The Fabric brings a new dimension to the discussions on how to accelerate sustainable transformation in fashion. It gathers industry actors throughout the MMCF supply chain in an innovative manner, from fibre producers to brands as well as tech and innovation solution providers. TrusTrace is committed to sustainable transformation through traceability and Challenge the Fabric is an excellent platform,” commented Shameek Ghosh, CEO, TrusTrace.

“Collaboration is key in order to drive change. The aim with the Challenge the Fabric event was to create a platform to increase the dialogue between the different stakeholders in the MMCF supply chain, to accelerate the development forward. We are very happy with the outcome of CTF2022, and we will continue to keep the dialogue going,” said Nina Elmersson, vice president Ekman Innovare.

“Cross-industry collaborations are vital to accelerate the work towards a more sustainable future. Challenge the Fabric will create a long-term impact for the global fashion industry,” stated Jennie Rosén, CEO Swedish Fashion Council.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)