The journey to reach Colorado Springs was long but so worth it. With 900 in person attendees and 700+ virtual attendees it was an intense program and event. It was many of our first experience of falling snow and yes, the children in us came out!

The conference was held in a great space - Broadmoor Conference venue which has 5 different halls and a huge exhibition area. Most of the attendees are brands and various fibre industry organisations and companies plus 2 farmers (1x Wool farmer from USA and 1x from Tasmania)

The various fibres represented:
· Animal fibres and Leather
· Cotton and Fibre crops
· Manmade Cellulous Fibres
· Synthetics

Who attended:
· Mohair SA, Marco Coetzee, and Jackie Gant
· SAMGA, Sanmarie Vermaak.
· OVK, Jacques le Roux
· Stucken, Ruth Pringle
· BKB, Lindsay Humphries, and Bronwyn Botha
· Cape Wools, Deon Saayman
· Textile Exchange, Siobhan Momberg

A well-represented group of South Africans from Port Elizabeth!

We did meet a few South Africans working abroad and people who have parents that are originally from SA.

Textile Exchange has set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030.

Why the textile industry?

Because this industry is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions.

How is this possible?

Think ‘fast fashion’ which use fossil fuels to manufacture synthetic and acrylic fibres, used in the manufacture of clothing, homeware, knitting yarns etc. These are cheap and tossed away within a year. Plus, these items don’t disintegrate in the ground.

These are cheap, poor quality, and only worn a few times before being thrown away. Sadly, these items don’t disintegrate in the landfills. There is an over production of clothing around the world, which exceeds consumption, and ends up this in the landfills.

Plant based fibres consume loads of water and in their manufacturing process carbon emissions are high. They often must clear forests to grow these crops which mean the trees that are huge photosynthesis ‘machines’ can’t do their jobs. Animals that produce mohair, wool, alpaca, cashmere etc. contribute methane gas that adds to the Carbon emissions.

Why should we care?

The planet is under immense strain and global warming very real. Our climates have changed, as we experience floods and droughts more than ever before. What will be left for our children, grandchildren, and the next generations after them.

How can we help?

Acknowledging that each one of us can make changes in how we shop and live.

In our mohair industry, we too need to make change.

The daily structure of the conference looks something like this:

· Networking Coffee 8- 9 am (for in person attendees)

· Welcome session that sets the tone for the day.

· Each day has a new overarching topic.

· A plenary session (which everyone is expected to attend takes place 1x or 2x a day)

· There are about 3 – 5 different Breakaways, each have a different topic e.g. Breakout 1C: What’s Next for Industry Accountability? Connecting the Dots Inside and Outside the Sector.

· One needs to select what is most important for the company you work for and your role within the company

· These breakouts occur in the morning and afternoon

· There is a morning and afternoon coffee break and a lunch break

Our takeaways from the 2022 Textile Exchange Conference:

We had interesting meetings with brands and service provides that we need to potentially work with in future.

PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) will launch the first part on 30 November 2022, which focuses on Greenwashing – Substantiating Green claims. The balance is due between 2023 and 2024.

What does this mean for the mohair industry:

• The PEF methodology will be used to implement new textile regulations which will be mandatory for all EU textile companies. Note that most of the South African mohair tops are exported to Europe which will mean that European brands and retailers will need to source materials that comply with the environmental requirements of PEF.

• The PEF methodology is flawed, but we are taking a stand by supporting the ‘Make the Label Count’ initiative.

• The collective goal of the week was to map out a pathway positive impact which means if we reduce our industry’s emissions, we can limit the global warming of 1,5 degrees C which will be beneficial for soil health, water, and biodiversity.

• TE launched a variety of tools and resources to assist us to track what we are doing. This includes supply chain visibly, access to quality data, creating spaces for shared learning.

• Various initiatives were launched and the relevant one for the mohair industry is, LCA (Life Cycle Assessments) studies and regenerative agriculture.

• We can’t afford to work is silo’s, collaboration is vital to get the best results.

• Being hands on and seeing what’s happening on the ground is crucial in supporting data that is used for crucial decision making.

• The only way you get to influence anything is by getting to know the people that make up the value chain. Whether it’s a farmer choosing to move away from synthetic fertilizers or a factory deciding to make a switch to renewable energy, at some level its always about the person deciding.

• Climate change is a business risk and should be acted upon accordingly.

• Sustainability isn’t just the responsibility of the sustainability person/team or leadership teams, its across the whole company.

• Lastly it will take less time to get used to new ideas when they financially benefit you!

On a local note, BKB launched their collaboration with the H&M Group supported by Textile Exchange with a restoration project that will be implemented on 85 wool farms across Albany Thicket area in South Africa. This is a first-of-its-kind project that can be the catalyst to unlock future brand and retailer investment opportunities for our producers and across the supply chain.

What does the project entail?

The 2-year project is aimed to improve biodiversity through restoration whilst encouraging a regenerative approach to agriculture.

The project will take a 3-stage approach:

1. Baseline the property and identify areas for restoration
2. Implement both active and passive restoration via our team of experts through Rhodes Restoration Research Group
3. Set up monitoring protocols to gauge impact over time

Are you eligible?

For year one, the following criteria are applicable:

1. Are you a certified RWS wool farmer?
2. Do you farm in the Albany Thicket biome? (See map)

Announcement:

At the conference they announced that the Founder and CEO, La Rhea Pepper will move into the new inspiring role of Catalyst and Founder making way for Claire Bergkamp, the current COO to transition into the CEO role from January 2023.

Heinrich Schultz, Chair of the Textile Exchange Governance Board will step down as chairman from January 2023.