Fashion
Functional Fabric Fair expands education on sustainability and trade
Functional Fabric Fair will kick off on November 11 with the return of the Day 0 Sustainability Workshop, sponsored by Hyosung, a full day paid conference program open to both exhibitors and professional attendees. New this year, Day 0 will be held in the Deschutes Ballroom at the host hotel, Hyatt Regency Downtown Portland, located across the street from the Oregon Convention Center. The program will include breakfast, lunch and a networking happy hour beginning at 4:00pm.
Functional Fabric Fair Fall 2025 introduces an expanded educational lineup, including the Day 0 Sustainability Workshop sponsored by Hyosung.
The event focuses on circularity, supply chain decarbonisation, and textile-to-textile recycling.
Over 350 sustainable suppliers and 15+ expert-led sessions will highlight solutions for a more transparent, compliant, and sustainable textile future.
Curated and facilitated by Jill Dumain of Fractal CSOs, Todd Copeland of Copeland Consultancy LLC and Kevin Myette of bluesign technologies, the full-day workshop will bring together industry leaders and sustainability practitioners for new sessions shaped by attendee feedback.
Day 0 Sustainability Workshop topics will include:
- Innovator’s Panel
- How to Scale New Technologies
- Supply Chain Decarbonization
- Circularity (e.g., Textile-to-Textile Recycling)
- Understanding Risks of Forced Labor
- Evolving Regulations and New Legislation
- Supply Network Complexity
Expert Talks education and focus on textile-to-textile recycling
The 2025 edition will spotlight Textile-to-Textile (T2T) Recycling – The Role of Recyclers. With regulations such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) making circularity essential, T2T is emerging as a solution that preserves material quality to create new garments from old ones. Europe is leading progress with upcoming textile collection mandates and innovations in sorting, digital passports and recycling systems.
The exhibition hall will be open November 12–13 and will feature the Expert Talks, sponsored by CovationBio Sorona. The program will include more than 15 educational sessions, free for all attendees, covering topics such as textile recycling, bio-based materials, supply chain collaboration, tariffs updates, microplastic solutions, human rights protections and industry trends.
Expert Talks highlights include:
Wednesday, November 12
- PERFORMANCE COLORS by Nora Kuehner – Update Summer 2027 | Kickoff Winter 2027*28
- Focus Topic – Textile-to-Textile: The Role of Recyclers
- The (Chemical) Additives Panel
Thursday, November 13
- From Imposing to Inclusion: Rethinking Human Rights Protection in the Supply Chain
- Tariffs and Evolving Trade Policies and their Impact on U.S. Apparel Sourcing
“This edition’s expanded educational programming reflects the textile industry’s urgent need to address sustainability, circularity and compliance challenges head-on,” said Steve McCullough, Event Vice President of Functional Fabric Fair. “By bringing together leading experts and practitioners with all new programming, Functional Fabric Fair provides attendees with actionable insights and strategies to shape the future of performance textiles.”
In addition to education, the exhibit hall will feature over 350 sustainable-certified suppliers showcasing functional fabrics, finishes, trims and accessories for the 2026/2027 fall seasons.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (MS)