Despite the somewhat depressed economic market for much of the textile supply chain at present, there were plenty of reasons for optimism at the Dornbirn Global Fibers Congress (GFC) which was held from September 11-13 in the Austrian town.

There was a clear sense of momentum being gained in a number of key fields which, in combination, will significantly and very positively reshape the industry in the next few years.

Firstly, advanced technologies for the sorting and recycling of post-consumer waste textiles are rapidly advancing in response to upcoming legislation, initially within the European Union.

Alongside this, many alternative new fibres and raw materials are arising, not only as viable alternatives to oil-based synthetics, but also to resource-hungry cotton.

In a third encouraging development, the market for second-hand apparel is currently going through the roof.

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