ITMF Annual Conference 2019 from October 20-22 in Porto

Being held under the theme "Digitalization & Sustainability – Their Impact on the Global Textile Industry", the conference will also serve as a platform for fibre, textile, apparel and machinery manufacturers to interact with their peers from around the world. More than 300 industry leaders and experts from more than 30 countries have registered.

The traditional 'Fibre Session' on cotton and man-made fibres will be held on the first day, October 20th, with in depth discussions on cotton and man-made fibre demand, sustainable cotton and man-made fibre supply chains, traceability, recycling and innovation imperatives. October 21 will witness a keynote address by Paulo Portas, former foreign minister of Portugal and a presentation on the Global Textile (Machinery) Market Situation by Christian Schindler, ITMF director general. Two General Sessions on the 'Textile Industry in Portugal and Europe' and 'Digitalization and Sustainability: Shaping the Business Models of the Future' will take place the same day. The end of the conference will be marked by three other General Sessions on 'Textile Value Chain – Changing Sourcing Patterns', 'Textile Value Chain – Collaboration', and 'Technology & Innovation' on October 22nd. Each session will be followed by a panel discussion and a Q&A-part to make the various meetings interactive.

ITMF’s committees will also gather during the conference. The International Committee on Cotton Testing Methods will meet on October 20, followed by reunions of the Spinners Committee and the Joint Cotton Committee. The afternoon will end with a meeting of the Home Textiles Producers (HTP) Committee followed by a gathering of the Fibres & Applications (F&A) Committee the next morning.

For the first time ITMF has asked its Member Associations to nominate Start-ups companies relevant to the textile value chain and invited them to present their innovation/business model in two sessions during the conference in an effort to bring together well-established textile companies with the next generation. Furthermore, for the first time the conference organises a so-called World Café where the delegates will have the opportunity to discuss in small groups questions related to the general theme of the conference and participate individually in an online survey.  

ITMF is an international forum for the world's textile and related industries, dedicated to keeping the world-wide membership constantly informed through surveys, studies and publications, participating in the evolution of the industry's value chain and through the organisation of annual conferences as well as publishing considered opinions on future trends and international developments.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RKS)