SILVER SPRING, MD — October 19, 2010 — WHAT: Organic Exchange (OE), the non-profit which has
helped drive global sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products to an estimated $4.3
billion in 2009, will announce its expanded role as the organization driving development of
the global sustainable textile industry under the new name, ‘Textile Exchange,’ at its annual
conference in New York City. The broadened focus positions the organization to serve as the
non-profit convener, catalyst, and market-maker for the sustainable textile industry worldwide.
Textile Exchange (TE) will work to increase the global market for sustainable fibers,
focusing initially on those that are bio-based, organic, and recycled while retaining a core focus
on organic cotton. It will also tackle pressing textile industry production concerns such as
water and air emissions, energy use and its impact on climate change, waste production, and the
widespread use of toxic inputs. Change is vital given the huge and unsustainable economic,
environmental, and social costs of current textile production methods and a projected global
population of over nine billion by 2050, all needing clothing and other textiles.
A focus on textile sustainability enables the entire value chain to find cost savings and
production efficiencies and pass those savings on to customers while reducing the impact of textile
production on people and the environment.
The change will be announced at Textile Exchange’s Global Sustainable Textiles Conference,
with approximately 300 textile industry-related representatives from 29 countries already
registered to attend. TE’s global conference includes representatives from the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission, adidas, Anvil Knitwear, C&A, Disney, Eileen Fisher, Gap, H&M, Lenzing, LL Bean,
Nike, Nordstrom, Patagonia, Puma, REI, Target, Walmart, and Williams-Sonoma. Topics to be covered
include sustainable textile processing, eco-indexing, traceability and transparency, organic fiber
production, and environmental footprinting.
In November, TE will roll out a dynamic website, which will dramatically improve the ability
of producers, manufacturers, brands and retailers, funders, and the general public to interact,
find important information, locate supply chain partners, and improve traceability, transparency,
and integrity in the textile industry supply chain. The website – created by Silicon Valley’s
SourceN, an award-winning digital agency that has also created websites for Apple, MTV, and Time,
Inc. – aims to drive efficiency, cost savings, and visibility in the global textile value chain.
WHEN: October 27-29, 2010.
WHERE: Sentry Centers, 730 Third Avenue (between E. 45th and E. 46th streets), New York City,
10017. Please RSVP (media) or register (companies) BY October 21 or you will not be able to enter
the meeting.
Posted on October 19, 2010
Source: Textile Exchange/On the Mark Public Relations
