[pageLogInLogOut]

#Raw Materials

Bremen Cotton Exchange: Stephanie Silber Re-elected President in the Anniversary Year

The 148th Annual General Assembly of the Bremen Cotton Exchange took place on 30 June 2022, in the 150th year of the association. The Board of Directors re-elected Stephanie Silber (42), Managing Director of Otto Stadtlander GmbH, Bremen, as President of the Bremen Cotton Exchange.

Jean-Paul Haessig (60), Director of Asian Cotton Traders PTE Ltd., Vietnam, is a newly elected Vice President. The previous Vice Presidents Jens D. Lukaczik (56), Managing Partner of the service company Cargo Control Germany GmbH & Co. KG in Bremen and Fritz A. Grobien (64), Managing Partner of Albrecht, Müller-Pearse & Co. Trade (GmbH & Co.) KG, Bremen were confirmed in office. Ernst Grimmelt (55), Managing Partner of the spinning and weaving mill Velener Textil GmbH in Velen, North Rhine-Westphalia, resigned as a long-standing member of the Executive Committee, but will continue to provide advice and support as a member of the Board.

Jean Paul Haessig (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange
Jean Paul Haessig (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange


President Stephanie Silber said at the General Assembly: “It is a great honour and a pleasure for me to continue to lead the Bremen Cotton Exchange in this anniversary year. The next highlight will certainly be our week of celebrations in September with the International Cotton Conference. Personal exchange has been missing for too long and is all the more important in view of the geopolitical situation and ongoing challenges in the cotton industry. The uncertain political situation and worsening logistics problems, as well as future challenges, mean that there is a lot to talk about. Last but not least, the international exchange with network partners, members and stakeholders is one of the core tasks of the Bremen Cotton Exchange.”

The General Assembly approved the filing of accounts, accepted the Board of Directors’ annual report of the for the 2021 financial year and unanimously discharged the Board of Directors and management. Given the special situation caused by the pandemic and in view of the desire for continuous personal representation in the anniversary year, the Board had proposed extending the term of office of President Silber by one year.

Jens Lukaczik (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange
Jens Lukaczik (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange




Stephanie Silber (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange
Stephanie Silber (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange


Election of the Board of Directors

During the General Assembly, the Board of Directors was elected. New to the Board is Dr Uwe Mazura, General Manager of the Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry. Konrad Schroer, Setex-Textil-GmbH, Hamminkeln-Dingden, resigned from the board in line with regulations, and was duly re-elected. Peter Spoerry, Spoerry 1886 AG, Flums/Switzerland, was also reappointed to the Board. He also represents the Swiss textile industry.

Other members of the Board are:

Hannes Drolle, Getzner Textil AG, Bludenz/Austria, Henning Hammer, Otto Stadtlander GmbH, Bremen, responsible for the Asian business in Shanghai, Jan Kettelhack, Hch. Kettelhack GmbH + Co. KG, Rheine, Roland Stelzer, Gebr. Elmer & Zweifel GmbH & Co. KG, Bempflingen and Axel Trede, Cotton Service International GmbH, Bremen. Manfred Kern represents the Association of the Austrian Textile, Fashion, Shoe and Leather Industry as an advisory member of the Board.


Fritz Grobien (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange
Fritz Grobien (c) 2022 Bremen Cotton Exchange


Guest Lecture: 100 Percent Cotton

This year's guest speaker, Prof. Wiebke Ahrndt, Director of the Übersee-Museum Bremen (Bremen Overseas Museum), spoke on the subject of 100 percent cotton. In her presentation, she addressed the importance of cotton as a raw material not only for the Hanseatic City of Bremen, but also for the emergence of overseas trade and globalisation. To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Bremen Cotton Exchange, the Übersee-Museum Bremen is opening a cotton exhibition in September which looks at the cultural story of the raw material in the past, present and future.

A special feature of the Bremen Cotton Exchange: The members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee are mostly from companies from different areas of the cotton supply chain, such as trade, processing and services. This gives the commodities association access to an extensive network and worldwide information resources within the global cotton sector and beyond.




More News from Bremer Baumwollbörse

#Natural Fibers

151st General Assembly of the Bremen Cotton Exchange

Economic change and personnel decisions were the dominant themes on the agenda of the Annual General Assembly of the Bremen Cotton Exchange on 26 June 2025. During the meeting, the new Executive Committee and Board of Directors of the raw material association, which is now almost 153 years old, were elected. Fritz. A. Grobien will take over as President.

#Natural Fibers

The 151st General Meeting of the Bremen Cotton Exchange on 26 June 2025

The General Assembly of the Bremen Cotton Exchange will take place in Bremen and online on 26 June 2025. All members, partners and friends of the association are cordially invited to attend this important event.

#Raw Materials

Cotton-supported study highlights potential dangers of microplastics in synthetic fibers

Microplastics are ubiquitous and evidence of serious harm is increasing. Studies have linked microplastics and nanoplastics to heart attacks, strokes and deaths, and microplastics have been found in the bone marrow of leukaemia patients and in the brains of dementia patients.

#Raw Materials

Biochar, Jeevamrit and Bokashi: How traditional composting methods promote more productive, climate-friendly cotton farming

In cotton cultivation, soil quality and the associated fertility and health of the soil play a key role. For this reason, the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) in Washington has carried out an ambitious research project on this topic in collaboration with various international partner organisations – with promising results.

More News on Raw Materials

#Natural Fibers

BCI warns against ‘dangerous dilution’ of EU corporate directives

The approval of the European Commission’s Omnibus I proposal by the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs, accepting controversial changes to key sustainability directives is of great concern. These changes, namely to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), threaten to significantly dilute business reporting and due diligence obligations.

#Natural Fibers

ICAC releases 2025 edition of the Specialty Cotton Report

The ICAC has released the newest edition of the Specialty Cotton Report, a free publication that was created in 2023 to highlight the many new "identity cotton programs" that have been emerging around the world, in addition to covering long-staple (LS) and extra-long staple (ELS) cotton. For the ICAC's purposes, "specialty cotton" refers to any cotton that is remarkable in some way — LS, ELS, or falls under a specific identity program.

#Natural Fibers

Fashion For Good launches “Beyond50 Denim” to address hemp integration barriers in global denim production

Fashion for Good, together with leading global brands BESTSELLER, C&A, PDS Limited, Reformation, and Target, launched Beyond50 Denim: Combining Cottonised Hemp and Green Chemistry, a project accelerating the use of hemp as an alternative to conventional cotton in denim. By combining two pioneering innovations (SEFF’s Nano-Pulse™ cottonised hemp fibres and FIBRE52™’s proprietary chemistry formulations with soft handfeel), the project seeks to demonstrate that hemp-based denim can match or even surpass cotton in both performance and appeal.

#Raw Materials

Spinnova and Rieter to publish a yarn spinning guideline for industrial partners

Spinnova and Rieter have published a comprehensive yarn spinning guideline for industrial partners, detailing how to produce compact yarn from SPINNOVA® fibre using Rieter’s state-of-the-art machinery. The step-by-step guide outlines key considerations at each stage of the spinning process and is available upon request.

Latest News

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Recover™ joins T2T Alliance

Madrid-headquartered materials science company Recover™, a global leader in mechanical cotton recycling, has officially joined the T2T Alliance, a coalition of advanced textile recyclers advocating for progressive policy action to accelerate circularity in the textile industry.

#ITMA Asia + CITME Singapore 2025

Marzoli unveals its new textile ecosystem at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025 at Singapore

With the claim “Designed to Impact”, Marzoli showcases its evolution into a complete engineering company for the textile industry. By combining advanced machinery, digital intelligence, science of materials and innovative services, the company enables textile manufacturers unlock new business opportunities, and accelerate their path to innovation and differentiation.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

textile.4U publishes special edition “Top 100 Textile Recycling Companies 2025”

With a comprehensive 176-page special edition, textile.4U is dedicating its latest issue entirely to one of the most dynamic and influential topics in today’s textile industry: textile recycling. The new issue, published exclusively in high-quality print, presents the Top 100 textile recycling companies researched and selected by TexData – organizations that already play a key role in the transition to circular textiles or are expected to have a significant impact in the near future.

#ITMA Asia + CITME Singapore 2025

KARL MAYER is launching two machines that set new standards in performance and cost-effectiveness

At this year's ITMA ASIA + CITME, KARL MAYER is exhibiting two advanced developments in the field of tricot machines. Both newcomers expand the portfolio with highly practical solutions for increased efficiency and cost-effective production – making the exhibition booth once again a focal point for more than just the warp knitting industry.

TOP