Actions for more sustainable development in the fashion and textile industry

May 2023

With its 50 international textile events, such as Texcare International, the Texpertise Network provides a framework for actors to meet, exchange and educate themselves. Overall, the events not only cover the entire value chain, but also create visibility for the SDGs.

2019 was the starting point, as the Texpertise Network in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP) and the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network have set themselves the goal of advancing the SDGs. With success: between 2019 and 2023, the Texpertise Network was already active with SDG actions in eight countries and addressed all 17 goals. The premiere was at NEONYT in Berlin in January 2019 with a photo campaign and talks by the Conscious Fashion Campaign. Since then, the SDGs have been part of every NEONYT event. This was followed by a joint press conference of the Texpertise Network, the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the UNOP at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and an interactive trade fair stand, panel discussions and Green Directory at Heimtextil 2020. At the end of 2020, the Texpertise Network participated in the virtual educational and trade fair event Discover the SDGs organised by the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the UNOP. In summer 2021, Messe Frankfurt initiated the Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit in cooperation with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network. Only one year later, the Texpertise Network was part of the first annual meeting of the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network at the UN headquarters in New York.

This is just the beginning, as Texpertise Network aims to lead by example over the next seven years, leveraging its reach and continuing to bring attention to the SDGs in the global textile industry to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.