On 28 November 2025, Textile ETP (The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing) played an active role at the 2025 Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf (ADD) International Textile Conference, one of Europe’s foremost forums for textile research and innovation. The event, hosted in Aachen and organised by DWI – Interactive Materials Research with the support of FKT, Textil+Mode and VDMA Textile Machinery, brought together leading experts from academia, research institutes and industry for two days of in-depth discussion on the future of textiles.
The conference programme addressed key themes shaping the sector, including sustainable textiles, circular economy solutions, biobased and high-performance fibres, smart textiles and the growing role of automation and robotics. These topics reflect the accelerating transformation of the European textile and clothing industry in response to environmental, regulatory and market pressures.
Secretary General Lutz Walter represented Textile ETP and moderated the plenary session titled *“Durable or Disposable? Fashion’s Sustainability Dilemma.”* The session examined how emerging EU sustainability regulations for textiles, together with their national implementation, are expected to drive the adoption of new technologies and business models capable of delivering genuine textile circularity.
The panel featured representatives from policy, government and academia, including Vincenzo Gente of the European Commission, Henning Wins of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and Maike Rabe of Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. Together, they explored the structural changes required to move away from today’s linear, consumption-driven models.
A shared conclusion emerged from the discussion: textiles are not designed to be disposable. Products must be conceived, manufactured and marketed for long-term use and value retention. At the same time, even the most durable textiles eventually reach end of life, making effective alternatives to landfill and incineration essential. This underlines the urgent need for robust systems for separate collection, sorting, repair and recycling, and for close cooperation among regulators, researchers, designers, technologists and industry innovators to achieve a true systemic shift. The panel also stressed that business models encouraging fast consumption, low-quality products or misleading sustainability claims should be actively discouraged.
Beyond its scientific and policy content, the ADD International Textile Conference once again demonstrated its importance as a platform for face-to-face exchange, networking and the development of forward-looking collaborations. Participants who were unable to attend the 2025 edition are encouraged to note that the next conference will take place in the last week of November 2026 in Dresden, hosted by ITM at TU Dresden.
About Textile ETP
The European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP) was established in 2004 to align the research and innovation priorities of the European textile and clothing industry with the scientific and technological capabilities of universities, research organisations and technology developers. By fostering intensified collaborative research and innovation, Textile ETP works to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and long-term resilience of the European textiles and clothing sector.
