#ITMA 2023

2023-01-19

Sustainable Apparel Coalition to host Planet Textiles at ITMA 2023

The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) is pleased to announce it will be hosting the 2023 edition of Planet Textiles at this year’s Textile & Garment Technology Exhibition (ITMA 2023), the world’s largest international textile and garment technology exhibition, on June 12-13 at the Fiera Milano Rho exhibition center in Italy.

Event to focus on technology innovation to drive industry transformation and future-proof global supply chains

Planet Textiles will see the SAC bring together industry leaders and topic experts with a commitment to drive sustainability improvements throughout global supply chains. Attendees will also be able to take advantage of this unique opportunity to explore ITMA 2023, network with international peers and share learnings and best practices on how collective action can help accelerate industry transformation and future-proof manufacturing processes. Across the two days, delegates will explore technology innovations and the latest thinking on circularity, sustainability measurement, decarbonization and much more. Delegates will also get the latest updates on the SAC’s Higg Index suite of tools, including those related to its independent, third-party review.

Planet Textiles is a licensed brand of MCL News & Media, who will be working in close partnership with the SAC to ensure the event continues to provide the very best experience for attending delegates by bringing together leading brands, retailers, textile manufacturers, nonprofits and academic institutions.

Lee Green, Senior Director, Communications at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, said, “We are living in a climate emergency. There is an urgent need to accelerate action and spur global change; we believe in the power of collaboration and collective action to achieve this. As such, we are delighted to be hosting this year’s Planet Textiles at ITMA 2023 and in collaboration with MCL News. Planet Textiles is renowned within the industry as a key sustainability event, so we have a lot of responsibility to ensure we deliver the very best program and speakers in Milan. We look forward to bringing together our global community to take advantage of this unique opportunity alongside tens of thousands of ITMA visitors as we explore sustainability innovation across the supply chain and the vital role played by manufacturers”.

Registrations for Planet Textiles 2023 will open on January 31. To learn more, visit the SAC’s dedicated event content.

Owned by CEMATEX, ITMA is the place where the industry converges every four years to showcase the latest textile and garment processing technologies, machinery and materials, promote collaborations and forge partnerships.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

Katharina Obergruber appointed to the Management Board of Sandler AG

The Supervisory Board of Sandler AG has appointed Katharina Obergruber to the company’s Management Board. Effective September 1, 2026, the Board will consist of Philipp Ebbinghaus (CEO), Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck (currently CCO, future COO), and Katharina Obergruber (CCO). Katharina Obergruber, currently Chief Sales Officer Hygiene and member of the Management Team of Sandler AG, will assume responsibility for all sales activities as Chief Commercial Officer. She will assume this role from Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, who will focus primarily on production and supply chain topics.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.