On 5 November 2026, Textile ETP brought Europe's vision for a renewable fibre future to China. Textile ETP Secretary General Lutz Walter presented our newly published Bioeconomy Innovation Strategy for the European Fibres, Textiles and Apparel Industry at Dornbirn GFC Asia in Keqiao, Shaoxing.
Developed within our Circular & Biobased Textiles Innovation Hub, the strategy charts how Europe can shift its fibre mix away from fossil synthetics. Lutz Walter gave an overview of EU fibre consumption by end market since 2000, with the volumes and growth drivers behind each segment. Apparel demand has broadly stabilised, while technical, medical and hospitality textiles now drive growth. He showed how the growth of fossil synthetic fibres could be flattened and eventually reversed in favour of biobased and recycled fibres, supported by biotechnology, digital innovation and lower production costs.
Textile ETP Vice-President António Braz Costa, Director General of CITEVE, also spoke at the congress on how biology and biochemistry are changing the way textile materials are researched and manufactured. He stressed that the industry's next upgrade starts with the choice of raw materials and highlighted the recycling of textile waste, the use of cutting-edge biobased materials and research into chemical fibres that combine several functions. He also pointed to the potential of biobased fibres such as bacterial cellulose in medical and other high-value applications.
After 65 editions, Dornbirn GFC Asia was the first Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress held outside Europe, bringing international fibre innovators to one of China's largest textile clusters under the theme of generating new momentum for industry development.
