- Dr Peter S. Ross, Vice-President of Research at the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, Canada
- Kate Heiny, Global Sustainability, Board Director, C&A, Belgium
- Alexander Wessels, CEO, Archroma, Switzerland
- Jill Dumain, CEO, bluesign technologies, Switzerland
- Rogier van Mazijk, Investment Manager, Fashion for Good, The Netherlands
- Janne Poranen, CEO and Founder, Spinnova Ltd, Finland
- Scott Echols, Programme Director, ZDHC Foundation, The Netherlands
- Charlene Aleck, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Canada
- Nicole Rycroft, Founder & Executive Director, Canopy, Canada
- Tricia Carey, Director of Global Business Development Apparel, Lenzing Fibers, USA
- Dr Gary Selwyn, Chief Technical Officer, Greentheme International, USA
- Andrea Crespi, Managing Director, Eurojersey Spa, Italy
- Karun Tyagi, Vice President, Business Development & Environmental Sustainability, Proklean Technologies Pvt Ltd
- Valerie Langer, Strategic Projects Direct, Stand.earth
- Orr Yarkoni, CEO, Colorifix
- Sigrid Barnekow, Programme Director, Mistra Future Fashion, Stockholm, Sweden
- Jane Palmer, President and Founder, Nature Coatings, California, USA
- Molly Morse, CEO, Mango Materials, USA
- Scott Miller, Director of Business Development, Sustainable Apparel Coalition
- Frank Michel, Executive Director, ZDHC Foundation, The Netherlands
- Patricia Gomes, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance, HSBC, USA
- Linda Greer, senior scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council, USA
- Ruediger Fox, CEO, Sympatex Technologies GmbH, Germany
- Jamie Bainbridge, VP Product Development, Bolt Threads, USA
- Dr Katy Stevens, Sustainability Project Manager, European Outdoor Group, Switzerland
- Sara Blenkhorn, Director,Leverage Lab, Canada
- Alfie Germano, Chief Executive Officer, Nanollose, Australia
- Dr. Margaret Whittaker, Managing Director and Chief Toxicologist, ToxServices LLC
- Peter Majeranowski, President & Co-Founder, Tyton BioSciences LLC
- Joël Mertens, Product Integrity Engineer, Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC)
- Mohan Seneviratne, Global PaCT Lead, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
- Mary Ankeny, Vice President, Product Development & Implementation Operations, Cotton Incorporated
- Ángela Suárez García, Sustainability, Inditex
- Kaley Adolf, Colorzen, Manager, Business Development
- Andrea Ferris, Co-Founder, Intrinsic Textiles Group
- Jason Kibbey, CEO, Sustainable Apparel Coalition
- Paul King, President, KenDor Textiles
- John Mowbray, Environmentalist & Founder, MCL News & Media
Dr. Peter S. Ross is the Vice-President of Research at Ocean Wise, an initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium family. He holds an Adjunct Professor position at the University of Victoria, and served as a Research Scientist with the Canadian government between 1996 and 2013. He has published over 150 scientific articles and book chapters on topics in ocean pollution, with a focus on the source, transport, fate and effects of priority pollutants. He launched the Ocean Pollution Research Program at Ocean Wise in 2014, and continues to lead a solution-oriented microplastic pollution research program. His team is working with major outdoor retailers and wastewater treatment operators to evaluate the possible role of textiles and other domestic sources to microplastics in the ocean.
Alexander “Xander” Wessels is at the helm of Archroma since its beginning in October 2013, bringing along 25 years of chemical, pharmaceutical and process industry experience.
Jill Dumain stepped into the role of CEO at bluesign technologies in January of 2017. She has been a strong advocate and supporter of bluesign since its inception in 2000 and paved the way for Patagonia to be the first brand member. Jill held various senior positions at Patagonia in a career including textile R&D and environmental strategy for more than 27 years. She also held leadership and board positions at the Organic Exchange, Textile Exchange and the Sustainability Working Group at the Outdoor Industry Association. She was the Chairwoman of bluesign technologies’ Advisory Board from 2011-2017. Throughout her career, Jill traveled extensively globally giving her a chance to interface with many different types of companies throughout the supply chain committed to performance in textiles and environmental responsibility in the industry.
Rogier van Mazijk is the Investment Manager at Fashion for Good, the global initiative that convenes brands, producers, retailers, suppliers, non-profit organisations, innovators and funders in a pre-competitive space to support and embed breakthrough technologies into the fashion supply chain. Rogier is responsible for Fashion for Good’s investment activities and focused on financing the shift at scale to more sustainable production methods. Rogier brings corporate finance and investment banking experience from advisory firms including Houlihan Lokey and Alvarez & Marsal.
Janne Poranen is the CEO and co-founder of Spinnova. Before spinning the business off from VTT with co-founder Juha Salmela, he headed the Fibers and Bio-based materials research area of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. This PhD in physics is a hybrid of scientist, industrial expert and entrepreneur. Janne is adamant that Spinnova can and will be the most sustainable fibre in the world. He relaxes by playing ice hockey, hunting or escaping the everyday to his cottage.
Scott Echols is an expert in sustainable materials and processes for the apparel and footwear industries. He has B.S and M.S. Degrees in chemistry and over 30 years of experience that has ranged from environmental chemistry to textile and footwear product chemistry. He is currently the Programme Director for the ZDHC Foundation Roadmap to Zero Programme. Previously, he was part of the Nike Materials Science Innovation group and was the Environmental Manager for C&A Europe. Scott currently serves on the steering committee for the Outdoor Industry Association Chemicals Management Working Group (OIA CMWG). He is based in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Charlene Aleck is a Granddaughter of Chief Dan George. She's an elected Councilor for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) and a spokesperson for the TWN Sacred Trust Initiative. She is a mother of four and a grandmother. As a child, she played Sarah Jim on the Beachcombers. She is dedicated to the protection and restoration of the land and waters her people have been the stewards of since time immemorial.
Prior to joining ZDHC Frank was the Founder and Executive Director of a Europe wide Non-Food Retail Association deeply involved in government and non-government liaison and stakeholder engagement. He has a deep understanding of how to generate effective supply chain collaboration as well as process engineering and chemical management expertise in the FMCG sector.
Based in New York, Patricia Gomes is Head of Global Trade and Receivables Finance (GTRF), North America for HSBC. In this role, she is responsible for leading and managing the GTRF business across Commercial Banking and Global Banking clients.
Linda Greer is a Senior Scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), where she has focused on industrial pollution for more than 25 years. She created and runs NRDC’s Clean by Design program, a global green supply chain initiative for the fashion industry that has been applied to more than 100 factories in China and Europe, significantly reducing their environmental impacts while saving money. Linda has served on many expert commissions and boards and testified frequently before the U.S. Congress. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology.
Dr. Ruediger Fox is CEO of Sympatex Technologies, Founder of the GCH-Institute, University Lecturer, Author, experienced Change Leader and Consulting Partner for large M&A and Transformation processes.
Working with industry partners, Jamie engages the best minds in the textile industry to tackle every aspect of yarn and textile development. Previously, Jamie was Director of Product, Textiles and Sustainability for Nau Clothing, a brand focused on sustainable textiles and manufacturing practices. Her past experience also includes research and development and innovation work at brands such as Nike and Patagonia. She serves as the chair of the advisory council for the Outdoor Industry Association Sustainability Working Group.
Katy Stevens has an education in materials science, and a PhD in textile engineering. After more than ten years in academia, she is now working as a Sustainability Project Manager for industry association, the European Outdoor Group. She is responsible for leading the Outdoor Industry Microfibre Consortium, a collaborative initiative to develop a better understanding of microfibre shedding and work towards concrete solutions, and is responsible for jointly initiating a Cross Industry Agreement with other industry associations, an initiative that is integrated into the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy.
Sara is one badass disrupter who brings an authentic and transparent approach to create change by leveraging relationships and facilitating collaboration between businesses, government, academia and civil society. She is passionate about sustainability and ripping open supply chains to see challenges and leverage points. Born in Canada and raised in Mexico, Sara is fluent in Spanish. Her passion for engaging people paired with her love for travel gifted her with a vast network and an uncanny ability to know who to connect to and when; finding ways of working across silos and building collaborations that are in service to a wider agenda.
Mr Germano is a creative achiever who strives for the balance of art and science in product and process. He is a 30-year veteran in the global textile industry sector. Alfie obtained his Fashion Design and Textile Science Diploma from the Bentley College of Technical and Further Education in Perth, Western Australia. After working for his family garment manufacturing company, he moved to Hong Kong where he spent 24 years in the garment industry as a leader of large scale global product development, sourcing and retail operations. He held Vice President and Director positions at GAP Inc, VF Corporation, Liz Claiborne Inc, and Fila Inc. Alfie has travelled the world extensively with postings in the USA, Japan and China. Alfie relocated his family to Perth in 2016 and is enjoying the "green-change" in Australia. He is passionate about sustainability, strategy, performance, metrics, process and product.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Merchandising from the Fashion Institute of Technology and Marywood University, Tricia has held positions in fabric sales and business development. Close to twenty years ago she started with Courtaulds Fibers NY to develop the marketing for an innovative new fiber, called TENCEL®. When Lenzing Fibers acquired Tencel Inc in 2004, Tricia became USA Merchandising Manager for Womenswear, Menswear and Intimates. Her global sourcing experience assists brands and retailers to evaluate supply chains and realize effective means of using Lenzing Fibers. Currently Tricia manages Lenzing’s global business development for the denim market and is head of the team for USA brands and retailers.
Dr. Selwyn is a pioneering innovator in the field of materials processing and process chemistry. The recipient of three R&D100 awards he has published over 80 technical papers, and has been issued over 30 patents. He is the founder of APJET, Inc., an atmospheric plasma company, and was its CEO from 2003 to 2007 before becoming Chairman and CTO in 2007. He left in 2011 to start Green Theme Technologies with the goal of developing cost-effective, high-performance environmentally-friendly finishes for textiles and nonwovens. He co-founded Green Theme International in 2016 to commercialize water-free environmentally-friendly textile finishing.
Andrea Crespi is the Managing Director of EUROJERSEY Spa, the leading Italian company specializing in the patented warp knit Sensitive® Fabrics' range.
Nicole leads the strategic direction of award winning not-for-profit Canopy.
Dr. Margaret “Meg” Whittaker is the Managing Director and Chief Toxicologist of ToxServices LLC. Dr. Whittaker is one of the pioneers in the field of chemicals alternatives assessments, and is a key contributor to advancing these methods around the world. She is the technical lead on ToxServices projects including ToxFMD Screened ChemistryTM Program, U.S. EPA’s Safer Choice Program, Clean Production Action’s GreenScreen® for Safer Chemicals, and Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM Products Program. Dr. Whittaker has contributed to and/or managed the development of hundreds of chemical hazard assessments, exposure assessments, and product-specific toxicology evaluations.
A senior professional in the Textile Dyes & Chemical industry with 17+ years of work experience in Sales, Marketing, Business Development, Product Development, Key Account Management, Client Engagement, Project Management, Distributor Management ,Sales Planning ,Environment Initiative (ZDHC, REACH, KREACH, Oeko Tex, Bluesign, Ecolabel, Zero Liquid discharge), Training, NABL Accreditation.
Peter Majeranowski is the President and Co-Founder of Tyton Biosciences which aims to improve fashion’s environmental impact by recycling mixed fabric textiles. The same platform can also convert non-tree materials (e.g. crop waste) into viscose-grade fiber.
Joël Mertens is responsible for the development and integration of Chemicals Management and Environmental Responsibility across Mountain Equipment Co-op’s (MEC) private label product line and supply chain. His work includes managing MEC’s Preferred Materials and Technologies List, Restricted Substances Program, and Partner Assurance in Chemistry and the Environment Program for supply chain partners. Using an impact-driven approach, fit-for-purpose (function and quality) and environmental outcomes are considered holistically to drive better decisions.
Valerie Langer has been engaged in forest conservation campaigns in Canada for 30 years. She pioneered the international market campaign strategy of influencing logging companies’ practices by engaging their commercial customer base. She and her team at Rainforest Solutions Project won the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award for their role in the collaboration that designed the globally unique model of conservation in the Great Bear Rainforest (British Columbia, Canada). She worked for 18 years with the grassroots group Friends of Clayoquot Sound, co-founded ForestEthics (now called Stand.earth), was a lead developer of the Great Bear Rainforest Ecosystem Based Management model (working for Stand.earth) and also consults on development solution strategies. Her work has directly contributed to the conservation of over 3.27 million hectares (8.08 million acres) of biologically rich forest lands in Canada and significantly more, indirectly, as major corporate wood and paper purchasers developed and implemented policies that shifted them away from endangered forest fibre globally and towards recycled and FSC certified alternatives.
Dr. Orr Yarkoni is CEO and co-founder of Colorifix. For the last 10 years he’s been applying his skill-set bridging synthetic biology with nanotechnology to biosensors, focusing on water quality detection.
Mr. Mohan Seneviratne is the Global Thematic Lead for water, International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group. Mr. Seneviratne joined IFC in 2011 and most recently was the Program Manager of the Partnership for Cleaner Textiles in Bangladesh (PaCT).
Mary Ankeny is Cotton Incorporated Vice President, Product Development & Implementation Operations. Mary began her career at Cotton Incorporated as Manager, Textile Research. Before assuming her current role, Mary was Senior Director, Textile Chemistry Research.
Andrea Ferris is Co-Founder of Intrinsic Textiles Group, a spinoff of a uniforms company based in northern California, where she spent the prior 13 years managing key accounts and leading business development. Andrea will present on CiClO, the first synthetic textile technology proven to reduce microfiber pollution. Integrated at the fiber level, apparel brands can easily implement CiClO throughout their existing PET and nylon supply chains.
Kate Heiny is the Head of Global Sustainability for C&A, a 176 year-old, family-owned, apparel company based in Belgium and operating in Brazil, Mexico, China and Europe. Prior to C&A, she led the sustainability strategy for Target Corporation, including operational innovation, public policy and business integration. Kate is a Director on the Sustainable Apparel Coalition Board of Directors, and it's Chairwoman since 2016. She is also on the C&A Foundation Investment Committee and a Director on the Organic Cotton Accelerator Board.
Ángela has a degree in biology and is specialized in Sustainable Development Management. She is committed to the drive of positive change in the supply chain and to help all the agents in the textile sector face the challenges more easily and achieve sustainable goals together.
Kaley has over 9 years of experience in sales and account management within the textile and apparel industries. Prior to joining ColorZen, she spent 6 years working for a multi-national apparel conglomerate based in L.A., and played a key role in increasing market share and overall sales within some of the largest wholesale printwear apparel suppliers in the U.S. She also played various roles in product development for several brands, and with that has a strong understanding of the apparel design process, and global textile supply chain as a whole.
Sigrid is spokesperson for Mistra Future Fashion, with key responsibilities to enable program progress and make findings known to broader audiences. Sigrid is engaged in various initiatives for future sustainable fashion such as the European Clothing Action Plan, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and United Nations Framework of Climate Convention.
Jane Palmer has worked in textiles for the last 15 years. She received a Masters of Fine Art in textiles from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001. While in graduate school she read the book Cradle to Cradle which led her to develop a life-long philosophy that everything she designs should be able to be buried in her vegetable garden. In 2010 she opened Noon Design Studio, the premier dye house in Los Angeles to use only dyes made from plants and insects. In 2016 she received a National Science Foundation award to develop a high performing, inexpensive bio based pigment. With the support from the grant, she founded Nature Coatings in 2017. Nature Coatings transforms wood waste into high performing black pigments for textiles, paint, cosmetics and other products.
Dr. Molly Morse is the CEO and co-founder of Mango Materials, a San Francisco Bay Area-based start-up company that uses methane gas to feed bacteria that manufacture a biopolymer. Molly received her Ph.D. in Civil & Environmental Engineering–with an emphasis on anaerobic biodegradation of biocomposites for the building industry–from Stanford University, and her B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Cornell University. Dr. Morse has contributed to multiple patents, publications and presentations. Along with other Mango Materials team members, she is currently working to up-scale the technology of using methane gas to produce environmentally friendly materials.
Scott is the Director of Business Development at the
Jason Kibbey is the CEO of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The Sustainable Apparel Coalition is an industry-wide group of leading apparel and footwear brands, retailers, manufacturers, non-governmental organizations, and academic experts working to reduce the environmental and social impacts of apparel and footwear products around the world.
Established in 1953, KenDor Textiles has built a vast network of global mills and experience that facilitate virtually any textile need. Ranging from low minimum, in-stock programs to very large, custom made developments and everything in between, KenDor serves as a one stop textile sourcing destination. KenDor takes great pride in specializing in environmentally & socially responsible knit and woven textiles and strives to ensure that partner mills adhere to multiple global standards of environmental and social compliance including the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®
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John Mowbray is the owner and founder of MCL News & Media and the brains behind Ecotextile News, which he launched back in 2006.