“Neonyt on Air”: shaping the future of sustainable fashion together

If physical doesn't work, digital has to: from 18 to 22 January 2021, the sustainability community will discuss current industry topics and share key industry insights during “Neonyt on Air” – with the "Presenting Partners": Grüner Knopf (Green Button) government-run certification label by the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, German fair fashion pioneer Hessnatur and the Oeko-Tex Association, partner for certification systems, leading the way.

“New concepts and progressive advancements need space for discussion and exchange, the right audience and a fresh, outside perspective,” says Thimo Schwenzfeier, Show Director Neonyt. “This is something we always wish to provide – albeit digitally again in January.” During the digital week, numerous speakers from the sustainable textile and fashion industry will share their views on a transparent textile value chain in interviews, keynotes and panel talks on Neonyt's Instagram, highlighting everything from circularity, accountability, green financing, sustainable sourcing and blockchain solutions.

“Neonyt is a strong platform and we are delighted that our partnership is still active during these digital times,” said Andrea Sibylle Ebinger, CEO of Hessnatur. “When it comes to our future, we don’t have any time to lose. Only together can we ensure that respecting nature and treating people with fairness are no longer the exception but the rule. With “Neonyt on Air”, we are keeping the dialogue going and driving forward our common objective for a better tomorrow.”

The keyword here is “together”: showing solidarity is taking on a huge significance in the sustainable fashion scene and the COVID crisis has shown us once again that deglobalisation is the wrong path to take. Following the first shockwave and a phase of reorientation, for many companies and initiatives the crisis became an opportunity to drive forward change, to re-evaluate previous approaches, business practices and ways of thinking, to invest in local and international partnerships and to intensify global relations. “The longstanding partnership between Neonyt and Oeko-Tex is built on the foundations of a shared vision: to support the textile industry on its path towards a more sustainable future and to initiate positive discussions,” says Georg Dieners, Secretary General of Oeko-Tex. “In these difficult times especially, we want to put more of a spotlight on sustainability and social responsibility and make them the focus of the discussion. That’s why we are delighted to be a part of “Neonyt on Air” in January 2021 and to be continuing our longstanding collaboration.”

Transparency and accountability are also important topics in politics – like in the case of the Grüner Knopf. On the second day of “Neonyt on Air”, Anosha Wahidi, Head of Division at the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, will be talking to Max Gilgenmann, Content Director Neonyt, about the future and further development of the textile standard, as well as explaining why the ministry decided to develop and launch its own seal of approval for corporate social responsibility in 2019.

The Neonyt community can also look forward to a keynote by the Kering Group, a live interview with Timberland and a panel talk by the Maleki Corporate Group on the topic of “Sustainable Fashion – the long financial thread of sustainability”. Plus: insights on the topic clusters of certification, sourcing and digitalisation with speakers from Fairtrade and the Federal Environment Agency, as well as from Foursource, the biggest B2B sourcing platform worldwide, and international IT corporation IBM.

The complete programme and all speakers will be published on the Neonyt website soon.