#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2025-07-10

IVGT: AddTex final meeting in Terrassa

From 25 to 26 June 2025, the final meeting of the ERASMUS+ project AddTex took place in Terrassa, Spain, which aimed to train workers, pupils and students in the textile industry. Over a period of three years, eleven partners from Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic and the IVGT association for Germany were involved in the project.

Final event – group photo with participants. On 26 June 2025, the final event took place in Terrassa under the motto ‘Textile Talent & Innovation’ with highlights from the AddTex and xBuild-EU projects. © 2025 IVGT

Europe's textile industry is becoming more digital and sustainable

With hackathons, virtual internships and 45 freely accessible MOOCs, AddTex set new standards in training and further education in the textile industry. The online platform www.addtex.eu provides professionals with the latest insights into green, digital and smart textiles – in a practical and free format.

AddTex.eu online platform

All the project goals were achieved. The partners developed innovative formats such as summer schools, back-to-school programmes, coaching services and masterclasses. The 45 massive open online courses (MOOCs) on the AddTex.eu platform offer explanatory videos and learning materials as downloadable PDFs, each tailored to the three main target groups: technicians, engineers and managers.

A highlight of the closing event on 26 June 2025, which was jointly organised by AddTex and the EU project xBUILD-EU under the motto ‘Textile Talent & Innovation: Driving Tomorrow's Industry’, was the interactive session ‘New Generations in the Labour Market’, including the speed dating event ‘Talent meets Industry’. The event brought together companies, students and experts for an intensive exchange and networking day in Terrassa.

The AddTex.eu platform will be continuously developed over the next five years by the IVGT Technical Textiles Department together with the project partners in order to provide up-to-date content and act as a point of contact for industry and universities. In addition to instructions for creating your own MOOCs, hackathons and webinars, new soft skills and formats such as back-to-school programmes and solution-oriented consulting have been developed and implemented by project hubs.

Final meeting in Terrassa – group photo with partners: All goals of the AddTex project have been achieved! © 2025 IVGT

A collaboration with the Chair of Textile Technology at Chemnitz University of Technology and the Texoversum Experts & Training Hub in Reutlingen is currently planned to supplement the project results. In addition to the three EU priority areas of ‘Green – Digital – Smart’, the focus is also on textile recycling and digitisation and AI topics in order to provide IVGT members with targeted information, training materials and network contacts.

The IVGT was most recently responsible for work package 5, ‘Qualification of the textile industry through ADDTEX hubs for green-digital-smart,’ as well as for the creation of an application manual and a business plan to ensure that the project content is updated for at least five years after the end of the project. The relevant documents are available for download as PDF files at //ivgt.info/addtex/(https://ivgt.info/addtex/), where you will also find links to videos on YouTube and to the project page on LinkedIn.

https://ivgt.info/addtex/

Images: IVGT/AddTex

Discussions on stage were part of the Addtex project. © 2025 IVGT

IVGT joint stand brings innovation and networking to Techtextil 2026

At Techtextil 2026 and the parallel Texprocess 2026, key transformation topics such as artificial intelligence, digitalisation, sustainability, recycling and the circular economy will be reflected across the show. Against this backdrop, the IVGT, together with 16 member companies, will present its joint stand in Hall 12.1 (Stand D62) as a platform for exchange and networking.

Promoting sustainability, digitalisation and resilience

The EU project ADDTEX has reached an important milestone with the two publications White Book and E-Book. Both publications contain comprehensive guidelines, findings and policy recommendations to support the sustainable, digital and resilient transition of the textile industry. The focus is on technical textiles, whose innovations are considered key to the competitiveness and resilience of the European industry.

IVGT on tour in Albstadt

For the second edition of the Albstadt ID industry event on 10 October 2024, more than 300 school students from all over Germany and around 200 other interested parties from the industry came to Albstadt to find out about new training and employment opportunities in the textile and clothing industry through numerous presentations. The IVGT was also there! In room 205-141, Iris Schlomski reported on the current status of the ADDTEX Erasmus+ project and explained in particular the content of the ADDTEX Academy and the Hackathon and Bootcamp programmes that have now been successfully implemented.

IVGT with the ETT Club at HANNOVER MESSE 2025

Technical textiles are highly developed materials that have been specially optimised for industrial applications. They are indispensable in many areas, even though they are often invisible. As "hidden champions" in the manufacture of numerous innovative products, technical textiles are a real alternative to conventional materials! HANNOVER MESSE, which will take place from 31 March to 4 April 2025, will bring together these important aspects for the first time and present the joint stand "Technical Textiles" in the innovative Future Hub in Hall 2.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.

Keeping products moving with Swedish automation at FILTECH 2026

At FILTECH 2026, taking place in Cologne from June 30th to July 2nd, members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will highlight how the country’s engineering expertise is enabling filtration manufacturers to increase productivity, improve traceability and reduce dependence on labour-intensive manual processes.