European Cotton Takes Center Stage in Milan

The European Cotton Alliance (ECA) took advantage of the influx of industry players in Italy for Milano Unica last week to present EUCotton. The initiative, part of the association’s pan-European promotional campaign, centers around raising awareness about European cotton’s quality and sustainability properties.

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More than 80 attendees—including representatives from leading Italian brands like Versace , Gucci , Superga and Candiani Denim —gathered in central Milan on July 10 for an evening of panel discussions and networking to promote Europe’s cotton production .

The event kicked off with a welcome speech by Francesco Casile, a long-time Italian industry insider recently knighted with the title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito. Casile emphasized the importance of sustainable yarn sourcing.

Greek and Spanish ECA delegates—Antonios Siarkos, president of the ECA, and Dimitris Polychronos, CEO of Nafpaktos Textile Industry —then described the benefits of using European cotton to produce sustainable and high-quality garments that are completely traceable from farm to shop. The Greek and Spanish EUCotton delegation representatives said made-in-Europe cotton—primarily from Greece and Spain —is natural and certified, produced without genetically modified seeds to yield versatile and “superior” fibers. Considering this cotton is produced locally, it doesn’t compete with any preexisting categories such as that of the Better Cotton Initiative or fibers grown from regenerative agriculture practices.

“Global textile production almost doubled between 2000 and 2015, and the consumption of clothing is expected to increase by 63 percent by 2030,” Siarkos said. “This relentless expansion in consumption has an enormous impact in natural resources, the climate and the environment. In Europe, this impact is estimated to be the fourth highest after food, housing and mobility.”

A panel discussion moderated by Maria Cristina Pavarini, senior editor of the Italian publication The Spin-Off, followed. The round table was comprised of Polychronos as well as Vassilis Markou, CEO of Greek cotton ginner Violar SA; Simon Giuliani , head of sustainability at Candiani Denim; Flavio Berto, CEO of Berto Industria Tessile ; Tommaso Cumerlato, chief sales officer at Italian sewing company MIC Spa; and Lucinda Spera, chief marketing officer at John Richmond . The group looked into ways the European cotton industry and the Italian fashion and textile industry could work together for more sustainable and conscious clothing production.

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The discussion also highlighted the importance of raw material characteristics, global market trends and “phenomena” like greenwashing . From this comparison, a significant topic emerged: garment traceability. This starts with the raw materials and extends to the yarns themselves, using tools like the EUCotton traceability platform .

“In order to address the challenges of the textile sector, the European Commission has recently presented the new strategy for sustainable and circular textiles,” Siarkos said. “The new EU strategy sets out the vision and proposes actions to ensure that, by 2030, textile products placed on the EU market will be more durable, reusable and recyclable, free of hazardous substances and produced in respect of social rights and the environment.”

Professors from Italian universities, including Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti ( NABA ), Polidesign and Cuoa Business School, also attended to collaborate with EUCotton in creating exclusive workshops for their students.

“Opportunity lies in developing regional, resilient, traceable and transparent supply chains that can efficiently and reliably support the advanced requirements of brands and retailers looking to better serve their customer’s needs,” Siarkos said. “This is exactly the case of the European Cotton: a strictly regulated crop produced by non-GMO seeds , which results to a superior quality, natural, renewable fiber. And, most importantly, locally produced.”

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