Expert roundtable on the future of the textile industry

27.10.2023 (Friday)

The 5th day of Circular Week 2023 dedicated to the textile industry

Venue: Embassy of the Netherlands in Poland

Expert roundtable on the future of the textile industry

"The future of the textile industry" expert roundtable will focus on reshaping the textile sector with circular economy and sustainability in mind. The conversation will explore the risks associated with the industry's current linear approach, which depletes resources and harms the environment, underlining the vital importance of adopting circular practices. Topics up for discussion include innovative strategies like recycling, upcycling, and eco-friendly materials, all aimed at reducing waste and the industry's carbon footprint. This dialogue will be instrumental in steering the textile industry towards a more sustainable future, emphasizing the urgent need for transformation and industry-wide collaboration.

Agenda:

10:00 am - 10:15 am  | Introductory speeches

10:15 am - 11:30 am | Expert roundtable "The future of the textile industry" - discussion among representants of the whole value chain of textile industry. 

Moderator: Agnieszka Oleksyn-Wajda - Łazarski University

Panelists:

• Agnieszka   Sznyk - Innowo

• Maria Clara Jimenez - Makers Unite

• Bertus Servaas - Vive Textile Recycling

• Zuzanna Krzątała - Vogue Poland

• Ewa Jańczukowicz-Cichosz - LPP

• Magda Krukowska - Forbes

• Przemek   Feliga - OTCF/4F

• Martyna   Zastawna - Woshwosh

• Justyna Filipek - Patagonia/ BlueArrow

• Stefania Włostowska - School of Form/SWPS

• prof. Małgorzata   Koszewska - Politechnika   Łódzka

• Cathrine Barth - Nordic Circular Hotspot

• Agnieszka Wąsowska-Telęga - Fashion Revolution Polska

• Antony Buchan - ReLondon

• Michael Kuhndt - CSCP

• Ilona Zawistowska - Bauer Publishing House

• Katarzyna Mikołajczyk - Polski Czerwony Krzyż

• Dominika Łukawska - ViaModa

• Ewa Polkowska - Sustainable Fashion Institute

• Sylwia Wiszowata-Łazarz - Złote Tarasy

• Zofia Piwowarek - Santander

• Anna Rączkowska - Twój Styl magazine

• Maciek Łukasik - ING Bank

• Katarzyna   Sowa - OTCF/4F

11:30 am - 12:00 pm  | Discussion with questions from the audience

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Experts:

Agnieszka Oleksyn - Wajda - Attorney-at_Law. Director of the Institute of Sustainable Development and Environment at Łazarski University. Head of the Business and Law Academy in the Fashion Sector and postgraduate studies in Environmental and Climate Law at Łazarski University. Director of MBA ESG at Łazarski University. Ambassador of the Climate Pact nominated by the European Commission. Expert of the UN Global Compact Network Poland, working group on sustainable fashion. Member of the Sustainable Fashion Consumption Group, Board of the Lewiatan Fashion Industry Entrepreneurs Association. Mentor in the programs of the Business Leaders Foundation, United Nations Association Poland. Author, lecturer, speaker at conferences.

Michael Kuhndt - Founder and Executive Director of the the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production gGmbH (CSCP)

With more than 20 years of experience in international cooperation, development and sustainability, Michael Kuhndt has worked with various organizations such as UNEP, UNIDO, the World Bank, ILO, the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, the Wuppertal Institute, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, GIZ, various companies in the European retail sector, consumer goods sector and  ICT sector, as well as ministries and associations of small and medium-sized industries. He has led programs in the areas of: strategy development for One Planet Living, developing approaches for collaborative consumption, up-scaling sustainable business models and value chains and Circular Economy.

He is member of various international boards and expert groups and has published several interviews and articles, as well as a global study on the Sharing and Circular Economy for the World Economic Forum. Further he is a member of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform.

Zuzanna Krzątała is a social activist, the podcast host of "Call to Action!", and a model. As the Sustainability Manager at Vogue Poland, she is responsible for organizing the annual Business Fashion Environment Summit. She gained her experience in the non-profit sector while working with Syrian female refugees in Jordan for the International Rescue Committee and leading the International Human Rights Academy at Humanity in Action Poland. She is a recipient of the Aspen CE Madeleine K. Albright Leadership Award and a graduate of the New School for Social Research in New York.

Antony Buchan - Antony leads ReLondon's local government support work. ReLondon is a partnership of the Mayor of London and the London boroughs to improve waste and resource management and transform London into a leading low carbon circular economy. Together with the team, Antony supports local authority to provide services that support citizens to decreasing waste, increasing recycling, and adopting circular lifestyles. This includes delivering research, innovation and demonstration projects across ReLondon's priorities, with a close integration to ReLondon's behaviour change work.