UK: Sustainable textiles event tackles transparency

Traceability in the textile supply chain, water management, the responsible use of chemicals and the emerging field of nanotechnology are among issues that will be tackled at the fifth annual RITE Group conference on sustainable textiles taking place in London next month.

The theme this year is ‘Will supply chain transparency end greenwash?’ with the event focusing on the collection and use of real data to deliver genuine change in the industry and combat green distortion and marketing hype.

It will be opened by Mike Barry, the head of sustainable business at Marks & Spencer, and Baroness Lola Young, OBE, chair of the new All-Party Parliamentary Group on ethical and sustainable fashion, who will update delegates on this initiative via a video link.

Tim Wilson, CEO of Historic Futures, which provides software to enable supply chain transparency, will talk about the challenges he’s faced getting traceability on the radar at clothing retailers and brands.

And Richard Swannell, director at Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), will update delegates on the latest news from the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan – previously run by the UK government department DEFRA.

There will also be five breakout sessions on ‘Making sense of voluntary agreements and standards for sustainable textiles’; ‘Population growth and raw material selection’; ‘Sustainable Materials’; ‘Traceability & Metrics’; and ‘Design and small brands.’

Professor Vyvyan Howard, the leader of the Nano Systems Research Group at the University of Ulster will also tackle the emerging issue of nanotechnology and safety in the textiles sector.

The RITE (Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment) conference takes place on 12 October at Central Hall, Westminster, London.