TITAS Showcases Textiles Material
to Global Audience

By Kathlyn Swantko

A total of 35,000 visitors from the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh networked with 381 exhibitors across 952 booths during the three-day exhibition period. This was an increase of 6% compared to the 2022 event.

Taiwan’s textile industry ranks first in the world in terms of functional and green fabrics as investors continue to transform, upgrade and actively engage in innovative R&D. TITAS is Asia’s key sourcing platform for textiles and clothing and participation in the event continues to rise. The number of exhibitors in 2023 increased by 3.8% from 2022, with 6% more booths this year.

The show focused on the three core themes including: “Sustainability; Functional Applications; and Intelligent Manufacturing. All three categories showcased the achievements of the Taiwan Textile Industry’s advancements in innovation and sustainability. The multi-functions of woven and knitted textiles targeted the end-use applications including sports, outdoor leisure, fashion and home textiles.

Aerial View of TITAS 2023

Innovations in Sustainability
Green textiles were at the forefront of the exhibits at TITAS this year. Driven by the net-zero wave in the global supply chain, textile companies are actively transforming their businesses into low-carbon operations. Building a green supply chain is critical for companies developing sustainable credentials. Leading brands such as Nike, Adidas and Lululemon (to name but a few) set net-zero carbon reduction goals for Taiwan’s textile industry, which plays an important role in the global value chain. TITAS is actively building a functional and green supply chain to cater for buyers’ needs.

“Climate change is becoming an increasingly important challenge to business operations, and achieving sustainable development has become the concern of the global textile industry”, stated Chairman Kuo, head of the Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF). “Taiwan’s textile industry is investing considerable resources and efforts into decarbonization and sustainability, which makes Taiwan a reliable partner for global brands that are trying to achieve their net zero carbon-reduction goals.”

Exhibitors and attendees saw examples of innovative technologies being devised to promote the sustainable development of functional textiles. There was a wealth of cutting-edge solutions for environmentally friendly recycling, including: repurposing agricultural waste to make yarn from cocoa and pineapple fiber; making biofibers from non-edible corn, sucrose, castor oil and other plants; and using recycled tires to make regenerated nylon.

Trend forcast of Nelly Rodi

Other new technology on show included new methods of turning recycled clothing and fabric scraps into raw materials, and making regenerated nylon fiber from waste fishing nets and oyster ropes. There were also examples of waterless dyeing and low-temperature dyeing to reduce waste water and energy consumption.

TITAS 2024 will be held in the Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1, from October 15th to 17th, 2024. With the strong support of the ITA, MOEA, and the industry, Taiwan will continue to dominate the global green and functional textile market.