Through focused discussion, this virtual conference will address how apparel brands can adapt practices to deliver on growing stakeholder expectations. We’ll equip delegates with the best-practice and guidance to transform factories, engage consumers, drive circularity and reduce climate impacts across fashion and textile supply chains.

Social impact

How to tackle the challenges in ensuring a truly ethical supply chain and delivering a clear, positive impact for workers

Environmental performance

The leading practices to improve environmental performance, implement circularity and take effective action on climate

Factory engagement and manufacturing

Brand and factory perspectives on how best to transform factories and the manufacturing process to ensure sustainable and ethical supply

Consumer trust and expectations

How to genuinely engage consumers in sustainable fashion and translate current and emerging trends into effective corporate strategy

The speakers

Katharine Hamnett CBE

Katharine Hamnett

Stefan Seidel

PUMA Group

Head of Corporate Sustainability

Claire Bergkamp

TextileExchange

Chief Operating Officer

Andreas Streubig

Hugo Boss

Director Global Corporate Responsibility

Kathleen Talbot

Reformation

Chief Sustainability Officer & VP Operations

Aleix Busquets Gonzalez

C&A

Head of Global Sustainability

Nancy Meyer

Nike

Director, Sustainable Manufacturing & Sourcing

Rubana Huq

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association

Former President

View all speakers

Agenda highlights

Fashion, policy and COP26: How should you prepare your board for COP26 expectations and outcomes?
Climate innovation: How to engage suppliers and drive effective climate action across the value chain
Circular economy in fashion: Chemical recycling, material innovation and the disruptive technologies that can enable circularity at scale
Politics, trade and red lines on human rights: How to navigate the politics and economics of truly ethical supply
The future of fashion retail: Second hand, resale, repairs and what they mean for the future retail environment
The factory perspective: Insights into the industry’s key challenges and the role of brands to support and enable sustainable manufacturing

Acting on transparency: Will transparency lead to sustainability or to transparent unsustainability?
Living wage: Can collaboration be the catalyst to scale for living wage initiatives?
Regenerative agriculture, biodiversity and healthy soils: How do you engage farmers and drive sustainable practices?
Does sustainability have to come at the expense of style? A debate on the trade-offs in the industry
Consumer trust and the rise of brand activism: What is now expected of leading brands?
Getting designers on board: Will disruptive technologies and new materials be the trigger?

View full agenda

Why attend an IF virtual conference?

Discover best practices from industry leaders and get detailed, practical guidance on how to effectively implement policies

Meet & network with an influential audience of key stakeholders through speed networking sessions and pre-planned 1:1 meetings

In-depth problem solving around the key issues within hands-on deep dive workshops and face to face discussion

Making connections at the Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference

How can attendees network virtually?

Speed networking

No need to hang around the coffee cart to begin making connections - join our virtual speed networking for a series of quick-fire 1:1 meetings. Often the highlight of our virtual events, you will have the opportunity to meet a range of attendees within a short amount of time. Then, follow up with new connections and schedule longer, private meetings to continue the discussion.

Group networking

During group networking sessions, attendees are placed in small groups for more relaxed, informal networking. Groups are rotated so you have the chance to meet a variety of people and leave with fresh connections and potential partners.

Schedule meetings

Often at our online events, discussions begin in the chat boxes during sessions and continue behind closed doors for more in-depth conversation between interested parties. Our platform enables you to reach out to other attendees and arrange 1:1 and group meetings. Maximise your impact at the event, and effectively manage your day.

Working groups

During working group sessions all attendees join intimate, face-to-face calls to enable a genuine dialogue and ensure engagement. These sessions are a great opportunity to connect with other attendees who share a common interest and kick-start the conversation.

In-depth discussion and analysis

Pre-conference workshop and The Sustainable Apparel Barometer

The roadmap to regenerative apparel: What does it look like and where will it take us?

Pre-conference workshop: 18th March 2021

This half-day, virtual workshop on 18th March 2021 will precede discussion at this year’s Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference (27th-29th April).

We'll take a closer look at one of the key themes circulating in the sustainability space: regenerative apparel. The future of fashion is widely regarded to be based on ‘regeneration,’ or processes that build long-term solutions to restore, renew and replenish the environment. But what does that actually mean and what does it look like in practice?

Join us for four focused and interactive sessions which aim to help bring clarity to the discussion and provide a platform to share best practice. See the full agenda here.

New this year: The Sustainable Apparel Barometer

The Sustainable Apparel Barometer is an annual ‘state of play’ and ‘state of innovation’ report seeking to inform and drive effective action towards ethical and climate-positive fashion and apparel. It will comprise of in-depth industry research and a rigorous analysis of the human and environmental impacts of the sector. We'll assess current performance and set out the practical steps for business to deliver value chain transformation.

The key outcomes will be shared within a comprehensive report, at the Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference and through webinars, workshops, roundtables and podcasts throughout the year. We are currently seeking partners for the Barometer.

To get involved or for more information, please get in touch with Tanya Richard.

"Absolutely brilliant event. Innovation Forum were able to put together a very well run event, which is not easy when it is entirely virtual. Everything was very engaging and extremely informative, and the speed networking was great"

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"Really enjoying the sessions so far – the set-up is extremely professional – definitely the best virtual conference I’ve attended"

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"I thoroughly enjoyed the conference and Innovation Forum managed to make the technology work flawlessly. The speed networking sessions were also a great way to loosen-up the typical strict structures of such events"

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"Hats off to Innovation Forum for once again hosting a timely, topical virtual conference that prioritizes connections between attendees. Their interactive workshops are a fantastic way to meet others in your field and share learnings – the same as you would in physical roundtable events"

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"The team did a fantastic job and I was blown away by how engaging and effective the virtual format was...the virtual speed networking was wildly effective and should be used at all events moving forward. Virtual or in person"

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What’s different about this forum?

Innovation Forum is:

Candid: Entirely off-the-record discussion that enables open and honest disclosure from speakers and genuine participation from the audience.
Practical: A clear focus on the practical and actionable guidance that can drive change throughout industries and supply chains.
Focused: We provide enough time, resources and expertise to the issues that really matter. We don’t skate the surface, but get to the crux of the issues to provide in-depth, constructive discussion.

Innovation Forum is NOT:

A PR platform: Enthusiastic speakers are NOT given free rein to fill a session presenting their companies, allowing no time to actually get to the crux of the issues.
A talking shop: This is NOT an opportunity for a group people in a room to simply agree with everything said, regardless of outcomes.
All promise, no delivery: We will NOT promise what we can’t deliver. The issues covered are complex. They won’t be solved at a two-day conference. But we will help deliver progress through in-depth, constructive and practical advice around specific issues.