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Enter Ethiopia-2024 Global Flax Textile Forum

On November 21, 2024, the “Enter Ethiopia-2024 Global Flax Textile Forum” was successfully held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, hosted by the Ethiopian Investment Commission, co-organized by the China Hemp Textile Industry Association (CBLFTA) and the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, and undertaken by Kingdom Holdings. The forum brought together more than 180 representatives from all over the world to exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore innovative ideas, aiming to promote the sustainable development of the flax industry and enhance the competitiveness of flax products in the market.

At the beginning of the forum, Mr. HE ZELEKE TEMESGEN, Director of the Ethiopian Investment Authority, delivered an opening speech. He shared the latest situation of Ethiopia’s investment environment and emphasized its openness and support for foreign-funded enterprises.

Afterwards, Mr. Ren Weiming, Chairman of Jinda Holdings, delivered a keynote speech. He pointed out the key position of flax in the global textile industry and the importance of sustainable development. As one of the world’s largest flax spinning companies, Jinda Holdings has always adhered to the practice of technological innovation and social responsibility to promote the healthy development of the industry. Ren Weiming also mentioned that Jinda’s investment in Ethiopia has reached 70 million US dollars, which not only provides local employment opportunities but also strengthens the industrial foundation. The establishment of the Jinda Ethiopia factory is an important practice site for Jinda’s sustainable solutions. He called on the participants to work together to create a successful future for the flax team, enterprises, industry and society.

Ms. MARIE-EMMANUELLE BELZUNG, General Representative of the European Flax and Hemp Alliance, delivered a speech entitled “European Flax: Traceability and Transparency”, discussing the global market’s growing attention to the traceability and transparency of European flax products.

Mr. Dong Chunxing, President of China Linen Textile Industry Association, stressed the importance of open cooperation in the industry in his speech on “Open Development and Win-win”. He called on the upstream and downstream industrial chains to strengthen cooperation and communication and jointly promote the stable development of the linen industry to achieve a win-win situation.

Ms. BETELHEM KASSIM, representative of Jinda (Ethiopia) Linen Company, shared Jinda’s ESG journey under the Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing the transformation from a green vision to “Made in Africa”.

Mr. Manabu Koyama, Executive Director of the Japan Hemp Textile Association, spoke about the “Prospects for the Sustainable Development of Japanese Hemp Fiber” and introduced Japan’s innovations and practices in the hemp fiber industry.

It is predicted that in the future consumer market, elderly people will become the main demand drivers. The reasons are:

Japan will become one of the world’s leading aging societies.

The affluent elderly population with time and money will prioritize the quality of life.

Future consumer market trends indicate the increasing influence of elderly people. This highlights the demographic shift towards an aging society in Japan and the economic implications of this change.

In the roundtable discussion, Mr. ERGIN TURANLI, General Manager of FILOFIBRA PAZARLAMA A.Ş., served as the moderator and discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the linen textile industry with Mr. Ren Weiming, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jinda Holdings, Mr. MARC DEPESTELE, Chairman of DEPESTELE GROUPE, Mr. VINCENZO CANGIOLI, President and CEO of LANIFICIO CANGIOLI 1859, Ms. SUCHITRA MENON, CEO of WFB BAIRD & COMPANY LTD, and Mr. YOGESH MITTAL, Director of KOTTEX INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD. The guests had in-depth exchanges and jointly sought ways to promote innovation and sustainable development in the industry.

During the forum, the delegates visited Jinda (Ethiopia) Flax Co., Ltd. and inspected the largest flax spinning factory in African history with one of the world’s leading equipment and technology.

This forum not only provided an open communication platform, but also proposed a constructive solution for the future sustainable development of the flax industry.

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