As the new Head of Sustainability at Performance Days, Anna Schuster shares her vision for how the trade show can play an even larger role in shaping the future of sustainable textiles.

You previously worked in the sustainability department at Hugo Boss. What experiences and insights do you bring from there that you hope to introduce at Performance Days?

Working at the intersection of business development and sustainability within a large corporate taught me how essential it is to embed sustainability into every stage of the value chain, from material sourcing to product design and end of life strategies.

Understanding the impact at each of these stages and recognizing that every decision carries consequences proved to be one of the most important lessons. During this time I also gained valuable experience in implementing innovation, supporting start ups to scale their solutions and fostering long lasting partnerships.

What became clear is that real progress is only possible through collaboration. At Performance Days the goal is to build on this by creating a platform where brands, mills and innovators join forces to develop practical solutions that can drive meaningful change across the industry.

Recycling has been a central topic in the textile industry for several years. Yet less than one percent of textile waste is currently recycled into new clothing. Why is the transition toward circularity taking so long?

The challenge lies in the complexity of textiles. Many products are made from fiber blends that are difficult to separate, recycling technologies remain limited in scale, and global systems are not yet designed to support true circularity. Economic incentives and regulatory frameworks have also struggled to keep pace.

At Performance Days we present a wide range of innovative solutions and witness promising technological advances, including new methods that allow fiber blends once deemed non-recyclable to be reprocessed. Yet innovation on its own cannot deliver the transformation we need. Only through industry-wide collaboration and the establishment of robust infrastructure can these solutions be scaled and embedded as common practice.

You have only recently stepped into your new role, but looking ahead: What is your vision for Performance Days’ sustainability agenda over the coming years?

Performance Days has established itself as a leading fair that gives people a deeper understanding of sustainability. With curated areas such as the Circularity Zone, the Sustainability Lounge and the Focus Topic, the fair is evolving into a central hub for advancing the sustainability agenda in textiles through knowledge, innovation and collaboration.

The vision is for Performance Days to act as a catalyst for the industry, connecting ideas with action and stakeholders with solutions. A central part of this vision is to deepen the sustainability agenda by not only showcasing pioneering materials and innovations but also by fostering the critical dialogue that allows them to be implemented at scale. The fair should be a place of education and exchange, where people learn from one another, share expertise and collaborate.

By presenting what is already possible today while also encouraging policy alignment and practical solutions for tomorrow, we aim to inspire the industry to act. Above all, the goal is to bring together every part of the value chain so that change can be shaped collectively, because true transformation will only happen if we work together.

Images: Performance Days