Left: Furniture fabric

'bling-bling-weave', Lifecycle pure wool with proof of origin/ramie Centre: Contract fabric

'techno-weave', Lifecycle pure new wool with proof of origin/ramie

Right: Furniture fabric

'grain-weave', Lifecycle pure wool with proof of origin/ Redesigned LenzingFR

Design by Gessner AG

EDITORIAL

In the previous issue, TF 2/2011, we concluded our remarks on “30 Years of Textile Forum” by stating that we had experienced the lack of importance attached to textiles in our society for ourselves, and that we consider this insurmountable given the current conditions. “What remains to be done?”, was the open question with which we left our readers, knowing that we are approaching the limits of global growth and that a great perplexity will beset economic liberalism by 2100 at the latest (see “The Limits to Growth”, http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_ to_Growth).

Then, quite by chance, we came across a book just published, “Shaping Sustainable Fashion”, co-written by seven guest authors including Kate Fletcher and Marie O'Mahony. The former recently appeared in Hamburg, where she was announced as an icon of sustainability in fashion. The latter is a well-known name for us in the context of so-called smart textiles;

she was one of the speakers at our ETN Conference held in London in 2007 and will send us a video mess age to Kaunas, where the 16th ETN meeting will take place this autumn. As regards the debate on sustainability, we had long laboured under the misconception that it was simply tokenism on the part of the textile and clothing industry and i ts supplier s, and thus not worth taking seriously.

However, i t appears that for some years even that sector of industry has made serious ef forts to counter the impending collapse of our economic system – which has so vehemently contributed to the devaluation of textile culture – by preparing the ground for a change in thinking. A little less than a century before a global economy Fukushima, this may even lead to a change of course – a phase-out of our current throwaway civilisation which, God willing, may result in our textiles being revalued. Dietmar Laue

ADDENDUM ON OUR CHOICE OF PAPER QUALITY FOR OUR MAGAZINE Ever since we examined the theme of sustainability more closely, we have rethought the paper quality used to print our magazine. In cooperation with our printers, Bonifatius Druckerei of Paderborn, future issues of Textile Forum will use an FSC paper.

The FSC – Forest Stewardship Council – is responsible for environmentally friendly, socially compatible and economically acceptable forest management. The FSC label seen on page 57 is an indication that the wood used was produced through responsible forest management.

The manufacture of paper and the production process required for one issue of Textile Forum magazine generates ca. 2,000 kilos of CO2 emissions. As of issue 3/2011, we will compensate for this by means of climate protection projects. The “Carbon-neutral printing” logo on page 57 certifies compensation of emissions by means of savings achieved through climate protection projects.

Above: Recycled PET f ibres for a moisture absorbing fabric 'Eco Circle' by Teijin/Japan (image from the book "Advanced Textiles for Health and Wellbeing", see page 45) Right: Fabric 'Cloqué' produced by Schoeller after the bluesign® label; this label demands the highest EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) norms