Fashion & Beauty (textiles)

Next month, should you be wandering through The Netherlands city of Utrecht, you may wish to drop in on Organic Exchange 2006, an annual conference, marketplace, farm tours, etc, focussed on organics. Obviously! This year you’ll be joining a throng of “retailers, farmers, manufacturers, and representatives of brands, farming projects, banks, NGO’s, certifiers and cotton brokers” all in town to share their insights on the continuing growth of the sector. As the title of this years conflab indicates, the focus will be on the textile industry, which might explain the presence of a big name sponsor, still working to re-establish their reputation in this sphere: Nike. So this is no 'nuts and berries' crunchy granola meet. Oh no. When sales of organic cotton grew 35% from 2001 to 2005, this is important business. Especially as sales are estimated to increase from 2005 highs of $583 million USD, to a whopping $2.6 billion by 2008. Impressive! For more on a petrochemical free marketplace, get thyself to Utrecht around 11 to 15 September 2006. Or to the ::conference website. Via Sporting Goods Business.