#ITM 2018

2018-02-28

Panama participates into ITM 2018 for the first time

A surprise country will take place at the ITM 2018 Exhibition, in which the heart of the textile world will beat and the sector leaders will be introducing their latest technological products, in the present year. The Panama Colon Free Trade Zone, the world's second largest free trade zone, will take part at its booth at ITM.

Mr. Manuel Grimaldo, Director General of the Panama Free Trade Zone, expressed a special interest in the ITM 2018 Exhibition, into which exhibitors and visitors from nearly 100 countries will participate. Manuel Grimaldo requested a location from the exhibition space.

After the talks, Mr. Manuel Grimaldo confirmed that the Panama Colon Free Zone would participate into the ITM 2018 Exhibition. Thus, Panama will become one of the first countries taking place at the ITM for the first time. Grimaldo with the team, among whom there are members of the Panama Free Zone Board of Directors, will visit the ITM 2018 Exhibition.

Panama, which is the fastest growing economy in South America, has 18 registered free zones. The largest of these is the Panama Colon Free Zone, the second largest free zone in the world after Hong Kong.

There are nearly 3,000 companies in the Panama Colon Free Zone and 500 of these companies are operating in the field of textiles and ready-made clothing.

The annual trade volume of the Panama Colon Free Zone is 20 billion US dollars.

Italian Trade Agency ITA took its place at ITM 2024 with its Italian Pavilion

The Italian Trade Agency (ITA) decided to participate in the ITM 2024 Exhibition this year with the Italian pavilion. Italian textile machinery manufacturers, which are leaders in the global textile industry, will mark on the ITM 2024 with their innovative technologies focusing on energy consumption, efficiency, sustainability and digital transformation.

Providing Turkey's visa facilitation will make ITM 2024 a global destination

Leading textile machinery manufacturers, global industry investors and professional visitors will meet at ITM 2024 to see the latest textile technologies. The fact that the textile manufacturers of the countries that have visa problems when travelling to Europe will not have this problem when coming to Istanbul will increase the number of exhibitors and visitors of ITM 2024 Exhibition.

180 years of TESTEX: From Zurich silk testing to global certification

For 180 years, TESTEX has developed alongside the textile industry while maintaining the same underlying purpose: creating trust through independent and reliable measurement. Founded in Zurich in 1846 as the Zurich Silk Conditioning Institute, TESTEX has grown from a local institution serving the silk trade into an international Swiss testing and certification institute for textiles and leather.

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC. Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

German textile industry and retailers form alliance to shape textile EPR system

Germany’s textile and fashion industry and retail sector have joined forces to establish the “Alliance for Textile Circularity” (Allianz für textile Kreisläufe). Initiated by the German Textile and Fashion Industry Association (Gesamtverband textil+mode) and the German Retail Federation (HDE), the alliance aims to contribute industry expertise to the development of Germany’s future Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for textiles and footwear.

Cascale launches member-led process to shape 2030 strategy

Cascale has launched a member-led process to define the industry alliance’s strategic direction for the next decade. At the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026 in Athens, CEO Ying McGuire announced that members will contribute to an industry system map that will inform Cascale’s 10-year vision, its 2030 strategy and priorities for 2027. The new strategy is scheduled to be finalized in December.