Heimtextil has kicked off its 2020 tradeshow in Frankfurt, with sustainability as the major overarching theme.
Messe Frankfurt CEO Detlef Braun said at Heimtextil 2020, green aspects reigned at the top of the fair’s agenda for the tenth time.
“With its range of measures, Heimtextil is promoting the industry’s commitment to sustainability and giving green pioneers a platform. The tenth edition of the Green Directory, the exhibitor directory for sustainable producers, includes more pioneers and newcomers than ever before with 259 companies,” he said.
“The ‘Green Village’ is also enjoying growth. In the sustainability area in hall 12.0, which acts as a first port of call for all questions relating to green issues, recognised certifiers and seal awarders will present themselves.”
Sustainable aspects were also at the forefront of the concept for this year’s ‘Trend Spaces’.
“Together with our designers, we have set ourselves the goal of creating a sustainable show and have adopted a material manifesto for this purpose,” Messe Frankfurt vice-president of textiles and textile technologies Olaf Schmidt said.
“The aim was to minimise the environmental impact by selecting materials in an intelligent way. This means: wherever possible, alternative, sustainable materials were used.”
The 50th edition of the trade fair, which runs until 10 January, has been bringing together the international home textiles industry.
“Ever since the first event in January 1971 with 679 exhibitors, we have invested massively over the decades in the quality of the fair as well as in the range of information and inspiration we offer the industry… as we approach our 50th anniversary,” Braun said.
“The textile furnishing sector faces major challenges in the anniversary year of Heimtextil: the digital revolution – key word ‘Industry 4.0’ – is currently leading to fundamental changes in the manufacture and processing of home textiles.
“Not all companies can keep up, meaning that the past year has been dominated by business closures and insolvencies. Digitisation opens up many opportunities on the production side – on the retail side, however, it leads to a significant shift in purchasing flows, making specialist bricks-and-mortar shops dependent on new concepts in the medium-term.
“Here, too, there has been strong consolidation and a decline in the number of specialist shops.”
The show also houses a dedicated space for textile printing technology – hall 3 showcases the textile technologies part of the show, where manufacturers of machines for digital printing and textile processing present new products and innovative technologies.
Key suppliers in Australia of wide format printing technology including EFI, Epson, HP, Konica Minolta and Mimaki are listed on the exhibitor list.
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