Unique visit from the UN to focus on sustainable and circular textiles

The visit will commence on 25 November and will continue throughout the week. ITC will be represented by their "Fibres, Textiles and Clothing" unit headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Other delegates include top-level representatives from trade and environmental organisations, as well as research institutes in Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Egypt, and Sri Lanka. Also participating in the visit is the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), among others.

“Why are they coming to us? We are a small city, and a small educational institution compared to other significant textile and fashion cities like Paris, London, Milan, and Melbourne. But our research impact is comparable or even greater! That is the reason for this completely unique visit,” said Rudrajeet Pal, Professor of Textile Management at the Swedish School of Textiles, who also works as a consultant for ITC.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time an educational institution is hosting such a delegation for inspiration and networking,” he continued. 

The Swedish School of Textiles paves the way for sustainable and circular textile value chains

ITC works to promote trade and global trade development by running the GTEX/MENATEX programme, which focuses on developing sustainable trade in, among other places, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

“We will start the week in Borås with visits to the Swedish School of Textiles, tours of our unique laboratory environments and Science Park, and presentations of our research and development projects in sustainable and circular textiles,” said Rudrajeet Pal. During the visit, Pal will moderate the interaction of the delegation team with several companies connected to Borås such as FOV Fabrics, Gina Tricot, Eton Shirts, Ludvig Svensson, among others. 

“We will also host networking events in Gothenburg and Stockholm with fashion brands and retailers like H&M, Lindex, Nudie Jeans and many others, including with the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise. The aim is to expand our global networks and find new development and research opportunities for sustainable and circular textiles. This visit will certainly increase our visibility and impact in the global textile arena,” concluded Rudrajeet Pal.

Read more

Rudrajeet Pal as international expert for the UN

The GTEX/MENATEX programme

Rudrajeet Pal's research profile

The research group Textile value chain management