International summit to challenge companies to explore new perspectives and work approaches

“We are not interested in holding a traditional conference with just a lot of talk and not much that is concrete. Often it is thinkers who meet at conferences, but we want to show concrete results that have opened up new ways of thinking. We hope that this will be inspiring and will lead to new questions being asked, questions that can also lead to policy changes,” said Susanne Nejderås, Platform Manager for Textile & Fashion 2030, an assignment from the Swedish government to the University of Borås to create a platform for sustainable fashion and sustainable textiles.

The summit is linked to the Big DO Design Hackathon project, where Textile & Fashion 2030 brought together companies, designers, and innovators from Sweden, USA, and South Africa in 2021. With that project as its basis, the summit focuses on "mindset growth" – to challenge deeply ingrained patterns and ways of thinking, to broaden perspectives in terms of product development and production, and to show why innovation is so important when it comes to sustainability.

The programme includes speakers, panel discussions, and exhibitions related to these issues.

“Håkan Juholt will speak about ‘mindset growth.’ He has a background as a politician in Sweden and was ambassador to Iceland and now to South Africa; he has interesting experiences of how culture affects how we perceive things, and also how people, organisations, and embassies can help explore perspectives,” explained Anett Aldman, Project Leader for Textile & Fashion 2030.

The target audience for the summit is representatives from business and industry as well as politicians.

“We want to inspire companies and decision-makers to think in new ways. We want to open the door to continue using the Textile & Fashion 2030 platform and show how it, as an environment, enables innovations that make a difference,” said Susanne Nejderås.

The summit is also for those who are interested in the field and want to participate in a context where such issues are discussed.

“We also want the summit to inspire a changed and more inclusive way of thinking and a changed production system. We want to emphasise the importance of our all being a part of a greater whole, where everyone can make a difference and influence the textile and fashion industry to become more sustainable. Everyone's commitment together creates a sum greater than its parts and forms a community. In this way, the summit does not end at 6 PM when the programme ends, but rather it lives on afterwards,” she concluded.

Facts

The conference "International Summit 2021 Big DO Design Hackathon" takes place on 26 October from 15:00– 18:00 and will be composed of a mix of live broadcasts from the studio in Borås and pre-recorded films.

Some of the speakers at the summit:

• Ulrika Modéer, Assistant Secretary General & Director of Bureau of External Relations & Advocacy @UNDP
• Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy vid Patagonia, Inc.
• Håkan Juholt, Ambassador, Embassy of Sweden, Pretoria, South Africa
• Alice Bah Kuhnke, Member of the European Parliament