3,500 companies exhibiting at "sustainable" edition of Intertextile

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Published
Oct 16, 2013

The big event of the Chinese textile industry will be held October 21–24 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Some 3,500 companies from 31 countries will be exhibiting across 170,000 square meters of show space. Unique to this edition is an increased number of European manufacturers as well as the launch of a section dedicated to sustainable production.

Through its "All About Sustainability" section, the trade fair intends to respond to the growing demand from buyers for sustainable materials and production. Section highlights include the Patagonia brand, which will be explaining how its production integrates industrial processes and recycled plastic components. The Swedish brand H&M will also be there to present the latest developments in its organic cotton Conscious line and especially its recently launched Conscious Exclusive line of evening wear. The NGO Redress from Hong Kong will also be on hand to discuss the role of limiting textile waste. The Crystal Group will be presenting its technology for producing denim using laser and ozone.

New production methods will also be featured in the Innotex area, this year organized by the Department of Development of Science and Technology of China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) and by the Hong Kong Research Institute for Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA). The HKRITA will be presenting its most recent tests on textiles, high-performance materials for sports clothing and a shape memory fiber created in a melt spinning method. The CNTAC will present its discoveries in fabric treatments, eco-dyeing, and energy saving methods for production.

A strong contingent of Europeans

Show organizers said that strong demand from European companies led to the creation of a 10,000 square-meter SalonEurope section for this edition, which will include 250 manufacturers and design companies from the Old World. The space will host the returning group exhibitor and trade fair Milano Unica, which this year is bringing 130 companies to China.

The trade fair also includes a Portuguese pavilion, led by the Associacao Selectiva Moda. France and Great Britain will be represented in the Premium Wool Zone section, which regroups the best wool fabrics. And, as part of the same upscale approach, The Verve for Design section will present designs from major design houses using creative fabrics.

But if Europe is bolstering its presence, Asia is not being upstaged. This edition has an increase in the number of companies from India, Indonesia, Japan and Korea, not to mention pavilions for Pakistani and Thai companies. In terms of products, the trade fair will again feature a strong concentration of accessories, with 23,000 square meters of show floor for the segment. And the industry's major groups will again be located in two halls, including Invista (Lycra), Cotton Council International, DuPont, Lenzing, the Korea Chemical Fibers Association and Hyosung.

Intertextile is jointly organized by the German Messe Frankfurt, the textile division of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT-Tex) and the China Textile Information Centre. The Intertextile edition held October 22–25, 2012 hosted 3,350 exhibitors and brought in more than 65,000 visitors from 98 different countries.