#Associations

2026-01-22

INDA announces future dates and locations for FiltXPO™ and IDEA® events

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced the future dates and locations for its FiltXPO™ and IDEA® events, reaffirming its long-term commitment to serving the global filtration, nonwovens, and engineered materials communities.

As part of this announcement, INDA confirmed that IDEA®, its flagship conference and exhibition, will return to its traditional three-year cycle following IDEA®27. While IDEA®27 will take place two years after the most recent IDEA® in 2025, this two-year timing is a one-time occurrence. INDA will maintain its long-standing cadence and value for this event moving forward. IDEA®27 will take place March 23-25, 2027 in Kansas City, Missouri.

IDEA® is the largest nonwovens and engineered materials exhibition in the Americas, bringing together global industry leaders, innovators, and decision-makers. In addition to the exhibition, IDEA® features a robust conference program that addresses key industry hot topics, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, market trends, and emerging technologies.

FiltXPO™ is a conference and exhibition focused exclusively on the filtration industry. The technical conference program delivers in-depth insights into filtration science, applications, and advancements, while the exhibition provides a comprehensive showcase of innovations across the full spectrum of air, water, gas, and oil filtration components and technologies. FiltXPO™ 2026 will be held October 28-29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Future Dates and Locations

FiltXPO™ 2028

March 29–30, 2028

Charlotte Convention Center

Charlotte, North Carolina

IDEA®30

March 26–29, 2030

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas

FiltXPO™ 2030 (Co-located with IDEA®30)

March 26–29, 2030

George R. Brown Convention Center

Houston, Texas

The co-location of FiltXPO™ and IDEA®30 in 2030 will provide expanded opportunities for cross-industry engagement, knowledge exchange, business development across the filtration and nonwoven sectors, and synergies for both exhibitors and visitors.

INDA honors four industry leaders with 2026 Lifetime Service and Technical Achievement Awards

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has announced the four distinguished recipients of the 2026 INDA Lifetime Service Award and Lifetime Technical Achievement Award. Tom Daugherty, Pricie Hanna, Carey Hobbs, and CK Wong are being recognized for their exceptional leadership, innovation, and enduring contributions to advancing the nonwovens industry and strengthening the global community it serves.

Global Nonwovens Alliance unveils Inaugural Board, advancing collaboration and growth worldwide

The Global Nonwovens Alliance (GNA), a tax-exempt federation jointly founded by INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and EDANA, the Voice of Nonwovens, announces the appointment of its founding Board of Directors. This group of leaders represents some of the most influential executives across the nonwovens value chain and reflects GNA’s mission to foster global collaboration, innovation, and growth in the industry.

Young talents honoured – 60 years Walter Reiners Foundation

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt at the end of April, Peter D. Dornier, chairman of the VDMA’s Walter Reiners Foundation, presented awards to five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability awards were presented in the categories of bachelor’s/project theses and diploma/master’s theses. Academic theses are eligible for the sustainability awards if, for example, they develop solutions for resource-efficient products and technologies.

BTMA backs global growth while investing in future UK leaders

As one of a number of new initiatives launched this year, the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) is launching the UK-India Textile Machinery Coalition. The UK-India Free Trade Agreement, signed in July 2025, has implications that extend across sourcing, competitiveness and long-term trade dynamics, believes BTMA CEO Jason Kent.

China projected to increase cotton production, yields, and imports in 2026/27

World cotton production in the 2026/27 season is projected at 25.9 million tonnes, exceeding global consumption of 25.2 million tonnes, according to the May 2026 issue of Cotton This Month. That means both production and consumption are expected to remain close to current season levels, while global cotton trade is projected to decline by 2.7% to approximately 9.6-9.7 million tonnes.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles unveils Trends 2027 alongside new lifestyle zone and product expansion

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2026 will spotlight forward-looking design directions and evolving consumer demand, as the global home and lifestyle market continues to adapt to sustainability priorities, emotional well-being, and diversified living spaces. Taking place from 18 – 20 August 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the fair will present its latest trend theme, ‘BREATHE UP!’, developed in collaboration with leading international trend forecaster NellyRodi™ Agency, alongside expanded product categories, and the debut of the Home Textiles Lifestyle Zone.

Itema to showcase weaving excellence at ITM 2026

From June 9 to 13, Itema will exhibit at ITM 2026 in Istanbul (Hall 8 – Stand 806D), unveiling a distinctive exhibition concept designed to highlight the Company’s expertise across the entire weaving value chain. For this year’s edition, Itema will introduce an innovative stand experience built around two core areas: advanced weaving and spare parts solutions and an immersive textile gallery featuring fabrics produced by Itema Customers worldwide.