Bremen, 17 February 2020: The International Cotton Conference Bremen takes place from 25-27 March in the Hanseatic city’s historic Town Hall on the Market Square. The conference presents trade visitors from all major continents with the most up-to-date and promising topics of the cotton textile supply chain and discusses the resulting challenges for the market. Science and industry are equally represented.
Already on the opening day, Wednesday 25 March, a highly exciting session deals with alternative and previously little-known uses of the natural, renewable and biodegradable raw material cotton in highly innovative and useful products. In the session ‘Innovative Textile and Technical Products’, four examples show that the use of cotton goes far beyond household textiles and clothing. In fact, thanks to its intelligent properties, cotton can also be found in technical products or in smart textiles.
Michael Jänecke, Director of Brand Management Technical Textiles & Textile Processing at Messe Frankfurt, will lead the session with his extensive market experience. Among other things, he has been responsible for the organisation of the leading international trade fairs ‘Techtextil’ and ‘Texprocess’ for many years.
Case Study 1:
Sustainable Cotton for Forgery-Proof Banknotes
Bernadette O’Brian from the Directorate of Banknotes at the European Central Bank in Frankfurt (ECB), is responsible for the environmentally friendly and healthy, as well as forgery-proof production of banknotes. In her lecture, ‘The Use of Sustainable Cotton Fibres in Euro Banknotes’, she examines the Europe-wide banknote paper manufacturing practices, including the supervision of the manufacturing processes, as part of the ECB’s global sustainability strategy.
Case Study 2:
Fluorescent, Super Magnetic and Water Repellent Cotton
Dr Filipe Natalio is a senior staff member and researcher at the Weizmann Institute for Science in Rehovot, Israel, working for the Plant and Environmental Research Department, affiliated with the Kimmel Centre for Archaeological Science. He presents the results of his work under the theme of ‘Material Farming: Growing Cotton with Unique Functions’, in which cotton can be equipped with fluorescent, super-magnetic and water-repellent properties. This is not brought about by a chemical change, but biologically through the implementation of a specially developed glucose molecule in cotton. The development has the potential to be used in large formats in cotton-based functional materials and textiles.
Case Study 3:
Innovative Padding and Fabrics for Furnishings and Outdoors
In a double lecture, Matthias Boehme and Daniel Odermatt present innovative textiles for the interior design and outdoor sectors. Matthias Boehme is the owner of the Bremen agency Textile Solutions & Consulting. He presents product ideas for padding for use in furniture from the German nonwoven and composite manufacturer Norafin Industries in Mildenau. These are not made from oil-based synthetic fibres, but from cotton and other bio-based natural fibres and are used in the area of home textiles (e.g. wallpaper) or for functional components for technical textiles and for clothing development.
Daniel Odermatt is Division Manager at fabric manufacturer Stotz & Co. AG, Zurich, Switzerland. The company is known for developing highly functional cotton fabrics. For example, extra-long staple fibres are softly spun and twisted and then woven in the highest possible density. The result is a dense all-weather fabric with natural properties and maximum comfort. The material is rainproof, completely windproof and equipped with a breathability that can only be achieved using natural materials.
Case Study 4:
3D Cotton / Linen Fabric for the Treatment of Skin Diseases
Dr Iwona Frydrych from the University of Technology in Łódź, Poland, is a professor at the Faculty of Material Development and Textile Design. Her topic is the support of the medical treatment of skin diseases using a 3D design for clothing made of cotton-linen blends. Microcapsules with proven skin-soothing plant substances are applied to the material. The material treated in this way has direct contact with the skin. The content of the microcapsules is released by body heat and moisture. According to studies, this leads to relief from skin complaints.
About the International Cotton Conference
From 25th to 27th March, the International Cotton Conference Bremen in the historic town hall offers ten highly topical conference sessions with relevant subjects that currently challenge the internationally networked cotton textile industry. The International Cotton Conference is organised by the Fibre Institute Bremen (FIBRE) and the Bremen Cotton Exchange. During the week beginning on March 23th and later additionally to the Conference, group meetings of internationally operating textile associations and cotton organisations will take place. In addition, there will be the public event Sustain, organised in cooperation with the daily newspaper Weser-Kurier. At Sustain, the headline “City and Change – The Future of Textile Retailing” is all about the vitality of the clothing trade in the city centres and the competition from online sales.
We will continuously give out information about further contents of the Cotton Conference and of the supporting programme. Current news about the conference and programme details is also available on the internet site of the conference.
We are looking forward to media coverage. We gladly take interview requests and refer you to the right person to talk to. We are already inviting to the conference. Accreditations can be made any time via the conference homepage https://cotton-conference-bremen.de/press.
Download the Press Release Innovative Products from Cotton (pdf)