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• Eco-design, a decisive factor for reducing the environmental impact by 80% in a sector of European industry worth 397 billion dollars
• Leading fashion groups like Fendi, OTB and LVMH Group at Ecomondo, at Rimini Expo Centre from 8th to 11th November, to take stock of sustainability strategies
• The programme includes events with case histories, iconic fashion brands and data from the textile observatory

ecomondo.com


Rimini, 3rd November 2022 . Circularity, the fashion industry´s next target. Fashion giants such as Fendi, OTB and LVMH Group, Italian and international associations, institutions and players from the entire textile supply chain will be meeting at Ecomondo, Italian Exhibition Group´s international green economy show, to be held in Rimini from 8th to 11th November, to take stock of targets reached and those yet to be achieved in terms of environmental sustainability, also with the aid of the insights and data presented exclusively at the second edition of the Ecomondo´s Textile Observatory.

THE FASHION SYSTEM: THE NUMBERS OF A SUSTAINABILITY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Sustainability is a fundamental step for a sector that is so characteristic and relevant for the European economy. According to the latest surveys carried out by Statista, in 2022 the clothing sector in the EU will be worth about 397 billion dollars. The Italian figure for the current year is 49.25 billion dollars, but the American data base company, which specialises in business intelligence reporting, estimates an 18.5% growth in volume in 2023. While so very important for the Continent´s economy, the fashion industry ranks fourth in terms of environmental impact, third for water and soil consumption and fifth for the use of raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions.
Moreover, the impact on water not only concerns consumption, but also water resource contamination: textile production is, in fact, responsible for around 20% of global drinking water pollution due to the various processes that the products undergo and the washing of synthetic garments, which releases 35% of primary microplastics into the environment.

BEST PRACTICES: COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS
In order to promote the fashion industry´s eco-sustainable transition, the forthcoming 25th edition of Ecomondo will highlight both the good practices implemented by groups such as the LVMH Group and the experiences of companies with sustainability in their DNA: like Anna Fiscale who, with her Quid Project, in addition to creating her own lines from surplus fabrics provided by fashion and textile companies, promotes initiatives to help people at risk of marginalisation find work, remembering that sustainability also includes the human factor.
But the war on waste cannot be fought by companies alone. It also needs the support of institutions. The European Commission is accelerating the implementation of the March 2020 Action Plan for moving to a circular economy for textiles through a package of initiatives to be achieved by 2030 to make the textile sector more sustainable and more competitive.


CASE HISTORIES AT ECOMONDO
Ecomondo will also present case histories such as that of the Municipality of Capannori, selected by Brussels as a pilot city for the circular economy, where the house-to-house collection of used clothes and textile waste (clothes, shoes, bags, blankets, pillows, sheets, tablecloths) began in July on an experimental basis. The virtuous model of Catalonia and its Pacto por la Moda Circular, signed by 55 companies and organisations, will also be presented. This initiative aims to promote an urgently needed transformation of the sector on a voluntary, shared and collaborative basis by coordinating efforts among all the agents of the sector´s value chain. Agreements reached include increasing product durability and the percentage of recycled material with the ultimate goal of reducing textile waste production by 5-10%, achieving 25-30% separate collection by 2024 and increasing the revaluation of separately collected material.

DESIGN AND MATERIALS
Being able to count on platforms that all the textile supply chain players can share is an essential factor for promoting sustainability. The key part in transition is design, which determines up to 80% of the environmental impact of a product´s life cycle: from dyes to mono-materiality for the correct reuse of fabrics. The contribution of international sector associations able to coordinate the actions of the entire production chain, also from a ´regional´ point of view, is of fundamental importance, as in the case of MedWaves and the ZDHC Foundation, which will be attending the focus on the textile industry in the Mediterranean basin, organised in collaboration with UNIDO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, to be held on Thursday 10th October.

EVENTS
Textiles as an opportunity: sector Stakeholder challenges and involvement
Textiles has been identified as a key value chain in the EU action plan: sustainability and circularity, traceability and transparency, eco-design. In the debate between the main players of the Italian fashion system in the first part of the day, the aim is to highlight the contribution of all stakeholders in responding to these challenges by presenting proposals, targets and ongoing projects. Organised by Ecomondo´s Technical-Scientific Committee & LVMH Italia.
(Wednesday, 9th November, from 11 am to 1 pm, Innovation Arena, South Hall)

Anticipating textile waste and textile circularity: the role of cities and regions and the potential of local public policies
The EU sees the textile sector as resource intensive even though it has been categorised as a value chain in the Circular Economy Action Plan. The combination of separate textile waste collection and the implementation of regional public policies points the way towards circularity and sustainability. Organised by ACR+, the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management. (Wednesday, 9th November, 4 to 6 pm, Diotallevi Room 1, South Hall)

Textile Observatory. Innovation, efficiency, circularity: geography of a challenge
In order to understand the future of the recycling and circularity industry in the textile sector, the skills Italy has must be systematised and enhanced. Between technical issues and the need to rethink processes to reduce this waste, the meeting will outline technologically advanced experiences and solutions in the field of urban and industrial textile waste recycling and analyse the path taken by a key made-in-Italy sector to move towards a circular economy.
(Thursday, 10th November 2022, from 9.30 to 11 am. Innovation Arena - South Hall)

The textile and fashion industry in the Mediterranean region towards greener and more circular business models
In OECD economies, fashion is the second largest consumer goods market after food. A huge impact on the environment therefore ensues. Besides water consumption and the carbon footprint, the industry uses polluting chemicals that are also an obstacle to raw material recycling with the result that natural fibres are becoming increasingly rare and costly. Hence, global brands are looking for alternatives in recyclable fibres and cleaner production processes. Since garment production generates massive amounts of textile waste along supply chains as well as at industrial and consumer levels, the conference will take stock of circularity targets, sustainably produced fibres and safer recycling technologies and chemical protocols. Organised by Ecomondo´s Technical Scientific Committee, UNIDO and MedWaves. (Thursday, 10th November, from 11.30 am to 1 pm, Neri Room 2, South Hall)

The full programme is available for consultation here.


ABOUT ECOMONDO 2022
Event: International trade show; Organization: Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A.; Frequency: annual; Edition: 25th; Dates: 8-11 November; mail: ecomondo@iegexpo.it; Website: www.ecomondo.com; Facebook: www.facebook.com/EcomondoRimini; Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ecomondo; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecomondo-the-green-technologies-expo/

PRESS CONTACT ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
Head of media relation & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; media@iegexpo.it

MEDIA AGENCY: MYPR Lab
Filippo Nani, filippo.nani@myprlab.it; Enrico Bellinelli, enrico.bellinelli@myprlab.it; mob. +39 392 7480967; Giulia Lucchini, giulia.lucchini@myprlab.it, mob. +39 348 7853679; Francesca Magnanini, francesca.magnanini@myprlab.it; mob. +39 338 6910347

FOCUS ON ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP
Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A., a joint stock company listed on Euronext Milan, a regulated market organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A., has, with its facilities in Rimini and Vicenza, achieved national leadership over the years in the organisation of trade shows and conferences. The development of activities abroad - also through joint-ventures with global or local organisers, in the United States, United Arab Emirates, China, Mexico, Germany, Singapore, Brazil, for example . now sees the company positioned among the top European operators in the sector.

This press release contains forecast elements and estimates that reflect the management´s current opinions (´forward-looking statements´), particularly regarding future management performance, realization of investments, cash flow trends and the evolution of the financial structure. For their very nature, forward-looking statements have a component of risk and uncertainty, as they depend on the occurrence of future events. The effective results may differ (even significantly) from those announced, due to numerous factors, including, only by way of example: food service market and tourist flow trends in Italy, gold and jewellery market trends, green economy market trends; the evolution of raw material prices; general macroeconomic conditions; geopolitical factors and evolutions in the legislative framework. Moreover, the information contained in this release, does not claim to be complete, and has not been verified by independent third parties. Forecasts, estimates and objectives contained herein are based on the information available to the Company as at the date of this release.