The Plastic Free World Summit 2020 took place on the 9th and 10th of November and was presented in a live online and on-demand format. Covering five vertical industry tracks, over 250 expert speakers and more than 50 exhibitors came together virtually to showcase and debate technical process and material innovations and the shift towards a circular economy to address the rapidly growing problem of plastic pollution and its impact on the environment.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the negative environmental impacts of fashion and are increasingly demanding plastic-free and lower environmental impact products. In response, the fashion and textile industry is finally committing to the search for solutions, which offer viable alternatives to materials made from non-renewable fossil fuels.

Forward-thinking textile mills, material innovators and researchers, biotech companies and scientists are driving the shift towards a new generation of materials and manufacturing processes and this article highlights some of the most promising plastic-free and bio-based material solutions presented at the summit, comprising both experimental and market-ready developments.

Read the full report on Innovation in Textiles