Business

Heimtextil Exhibitor Participation Hits 15-Year High

Last month's Heimtextil trade fair was replete with exhibitors, although attendance dipped a bit. According to Messe Frankfurt, which organises the annual international home textiles expo, the 2019 event featured 3,025 exhibitors from 65 countries - the largest showing in 15 years. Approximately 67,500 visitors attended the show. Messe Frankfurt attributed the slight decline to difficult travel conditions on account of storms in the alpine region and airport strikes in Germany. Sustainability was a focal point for many exhibitors, and this year's Green Directory featured around 150 companies with sustainably produced textiles. The directory was supplemented by a Green Tour and target lectures. Structure, graphic patterns and health-promoting materials were the key trend signals from Heimtextil 2019. Innovators such as Trevira CS and Antex focused on new processes and used marine waste such as fishing nets and PET bottles as raw materials for their recyclable yarns. The vegan trend is embraced among other things by Art & Interior with a high-quality silk fabric, which is obtained from the core of cotton. The company Froca, presented its nanotechnology-based innovation, a Teflon-free upholstery fabric line that can be cleaned with pure water. A rethink of carpets is also taking place: suppliers such as Toucan-T presented PVC, latex and bitumen-free solutions that save around 12,600 tonnes of waste and 70,000 barrels of crude oil per 10,000 tonnes of raw material. Heimtextil 2020 - the show's 50th edition - will take place January 7-10.