Dornbirn-MFC 2017 records increase in participants

Dornbirn-MFC 2017, the European-led innovation platform for the fibre industry, will be held from September 13 to 15, 2017, in Austria. The event functions as a generator of ideas and networking agent, with more than 700 participants from 30 nations contributing to the success of the event. This year, the show has recorded increased registrations.

Professor Radermacher, of Ulm University, head of the Research Institute for Application-oriented Knowledge Processing, member of the Club of Rome, will address the subject of “Globalisation, Sustainability, Future – is there still hope for us?“

Buisson, Veolia Water Technologies / USA, will report on prospects for “Innovative Fibres and Textiles in the Field of Water Management“, and Meierkord, the president of the European Man-Made Fibres Association CIRFS, will present a paper on the “Contribution of Man-made Fibres to the Balanced Use of Global Resources“.

In the field of fibre innovations, participants may look forward to a number of highly interesting papers, including three presentations from Germany on the subject of “marine litter (micro-plastics)” and reviews of such subjects as recycling, biopolymers and high-performance fibres.

Recent developments in the field of healthcare and hygienic applications will be discussed from the angle of hospital and general health care as well as implantology. Alongside the major brands, a number of reputable “private labels” in the field of sanitary care will also be represented.

The introductory paper on protective applications will be presented by a speaker from NASA, who will talk about flame-retardant textile fibres in the context of space research, and the representative of a world-wide renowned manufacturer of protective clothing will talk about recent developments as well as the requirements placed on upstream processing stages.

In the field of sports and leisure wear, the innovative, much-decorated outdoor brand VAUDE and the global manufacturer MAS Holding will present highly interesting papers, and representatives of industry and research will submit presentations on functionalisation and ecological production methods.

On opening day, there will be a management talk on the subject of “Marine Litter – a problem turned into an innovative opportunity”. The panel will be headed by Walter Woitsch, a partner of SYNGROUP Consulting.

In the field of sports and leisure wear, a panel on “Sustainability & Performance – a contradiction in this industry?” has been planned. Discussants are Rene Bethmann / VAUDE, a representative of Adidas, Ranil Vitarana / MAS Holding, Yogendra Dandapure / Lululemon.

The protective applications segment will host a discussion on “The endless saga of ultra-light & ingenious high performance features: What’s next?” The topic “Circular Economy:Textile & Nonwovens Waste – a threat or opportunity?” will be studied by a group of experts drawn from the fibre industry and downstream manufacturing stages, trading firms and, time, waste management companies.