#Raw Materials

2022-09-28

Cotton decoded - 36th International Cotton Conference Bremen

The time has come: the 36th International Cotton Conference Bremen is about to begin. One of the best-known international conferences on cotton and one of the most important global scientific cotton conferences is starting. Participation in the conference is possible both on-site in Bremen and online. On 29 and 30 September and already days before, several hundred experts and interested people from almost 40 countries will be guests in Bremen. At the beginning of the week, the CmiA Stakeholder Conference has already attracted numerous participants from mainly African producer countries to Bremen.

The International Cotton Conference is taking place in the 150th anniversary year of the Bremen Cotton Exchange. The birthday celebrations are also making their way into the conference. "We are very pleased about the gratifyingly high response to our conference and the participants' confidence in our work expressed by this. And I am particularly pleased to be able to welcome so many guests from Germany and abroad to Bremen and to celebrate our founding anniversary with them. The stay in Bremen finally creates the opportunity for the necessary direct exchange on professional issues. From our point of view, and this is certainly also the opinion in the industry, personal meetings are more desirable than ever after the pandemic restrictions", emphasises Stephanie Silber, President of the Bremen Cotton Exchange.

The anniversary week at a glance

Events in the run-up

The Cotton Week in Bremen began on Monday with a stakeholder conference organised by Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA). On 27-28 September, the first meetings of associations and working groups take place in Bremen. These include the meetings of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), the Discover Natural Fibres Initiative (DNFI), the Industrieverband Veredlung, Garne, Gewebe, Technische Textilien (IVGT), the ICAC Task Force on Commercial Standardization of Instrument Testing of Cotton (CSITC), the ICA Bremen Board Meeting as well as the meeting of the ICAC expert working group Social, Environmental and Economic Performance of Cotton Production (SEEP). in addition, an expert seminar of the textile industry will take place on Wednesday, 28 September at the ECOMAT Research and Development Centre. Accompanied by lectures, the changing quality requirements along the entire textile value chain will be discussed. The organisers are the Faserinstitut Bremen e.V., the Bremen Cotton Exchange, the ITMF and the IVGT. This confirms how important the conference has become for the industry networks.

New conference venue

The 36th International Cotton Conference Bremen begins on Thursday, 29 September. The venue this time is the Schütting, the listed building of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce, directly on the market square and in the vicinity of the Cotton Exchange. The Chamber of Commerce has represented the interests of Bremen's trade since 1451, including the Bremen Cotton Exchange Association as a member since its foundation in 1872.

Anniversary evening at the Übersee-Museum

On Thursday, in keeping with the anniversary, the traditional Bremen Cotton Night will be held for all guests of the conference, in a different venue from usual, at the Übersee-Museum Bremen. This will be accompanied by the opening of a large cotton exhibition entitled '100 % Cotton' on the cultural history of the raw material in the past, present and future.

Topics of the Cotton Conference

The programme of the International Cotton Conference consists of seven sessions with lectures in presence. These will also be broadcasted online at the same time. In parallel, there will be additional online tracks with further, equally informative content. All sessions will be recorded. This means that participants will not miss any of the sessions and can follow them afterwards.

Poster presentations

A total of 13 poster presentations will provide valuable additional inspiration that will increase the added value for conference participants in Bremen. They will be presented at the conference venue in the Bremen Chamber of Commerce. Just like the conference lectures, but nevertheless from different perspectives, they deal with topics such as organic cotton production and the supply situation, various methods for creating transparency, the technologisation of textile production processes including design or the development of natural fibre-reinforced plastics with increased sound absorption made of flax, hemp and cotton for applications in the automotive sector or in architecture.

Online access to the Cotton Conference Bremen

Conference participants who are not travelling to Bremen and have opted for online participation will receive access data for all conference sessions, poster presentations, the virtual exhibition, workshops and networking/matchmaking events by e-mail before the start of the conference. However, regardless of attendance, all conference participants can also follow sessions online on the platform and use the various networking tools.

During the conference sessions and presentations, there are opportunities for interaction. Participants can use the conference software to ask questions to the conference speakers and get in touch with them. The virtual platform of the International Cotton Conference Bremen with the conference software 'talque' is hosted by the Düsseldorf-based online event agency LIVENCO.

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.

Beyond Cotton: Natural Fibres in the Spotlight at the Bremen Cotton Conference - Branded by DNFI

Climate targets, fragile supply chains, and rising regulatory requirements are fundamentally changing the perspective of the textile industry - the focus is increasingly shifting toward the base material. Not only cotton, but natural fibres are gaining significant importance: they stand out not only because of their outstanding functional properties, but also because they make a valuable contribution to the bioeconomy and responsible product development.

Beyond the wardrobe – innovative cotton takes the spotlight

Cotton can do more – a lot more. Cutting-edge textiles and high-tech products made from 100% cotton prove just how powerfully performance and sustainability can come together. That very surge of innovation is front and centre at the 38th Bremen Cotton Conference, taking place March 25–27, 2026, at Bremen’s Parliament on the historic market square – culminating in a bold and dedicated closing session on Friday. In the spotlight: performance upgrades for pure cotton, smart strategies for circular textile waste solutions, and pioneering concepts for demanding technical applications. From natural fibre–reinforced composites to highly effective flame-retardant solutions, cotton steps out of the closet and shows the future potential woven into every fibre.

Dr N Vigneshwaran is named 2026 ICAC Researcher of the Year

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is pleased to announce the selection of Dr N Vigneshwaran, Principal Scientist and Head of the Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division at the ICAR–Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT), Mumbai, India, as the ICAC Researcher of the Year 2026.

New U.S. cotton study uses real-world grower data to reveal where fiber impacts occur

Cotton Incorporated has released a critically reviewed life cycle assessment (LCA) of U.S. cotton fiber production that examines how cotton’s environmental impacts are measured and where meaningful improvements can be made across the value chain. The new data, grounded in real‑world grower inputs, measures what drives U.S. cotton’s environmental footprint from field to gin.

ATCO Hygienics, Uzbekistan, orders baby diaper production line from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from ATCO Hygienics to supply a new baby diaper production line for its plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The order is included in ANDRITZ’s order intake for the first quarter of 2026. Commissioning of the production line is scheduled for the end of 2026.

Nico Pedretti appointed as Managing Director Graf Group

As of June 1, 2026, Nico Pedretti has assumed the role of Managing Director Graf Group. With more than 20 years of international industrial experience and extensive expertise in Operations, Supply Chain Management, Finance and Controlling, he brings a broad range of leadership and business experience to support Graf’s continued success.