November 6, 2025 Textile waste reimagined at autumn’s Performance Days

Performance Days Autumn 2025 in Munich spotlighted practical progress toward circularity in textiles. With over 500 exhibitors and a sharp focus on creative responsibility, the event showcased how collaboration and design are helping shift industry practices from linear to circular.

From “Textile to Textile” to tangible progress

At the end of October, Performance Days once again brought the global functional textile community together in Munich. With around 4,500 professional visitors and 515 exhibitors, the event once again reflected how sustainability continues to move from concept to concrete action across the industry.

The focus topic Textile to Textile – The Role of Recyclers set the tone for this autumn’s edition. Discussions, workshops, and product showcases explored what a truly circular system could look like – from chemical and mechanical recycling of fibers to new collaborations across the value chain.

Education and creative thinking as key enablers

Throughout the fair, a recurring idea resonated: “Stop talking about waste – it’s a resource.” It captured the shift in mindset – from sustainability as an aspiration to circularity as a shared responsibility.

At the Day 0 Conference, experts such as Bowie Miles and Charles Ross invited participants to rethink waste as a design challenge rather than a technical limitation. The message was clear: education and creative thinking are as essential to transformation as technology itself.

The Creative Area – design as a driver of change

One of the most engaging new features was the Creative Area, curated by design and color expert Nora Kühner. Developed together with Beams (Japan) and Utah State University, the installation titled “A World Beyond Function” guided visitors through an Inspiration Walk of contrasts, color narratives, and reimagined outdoor heritage pieces.

Here, design and sustainability met as equals. Archival materials from the 1970s sat beside experimental fabrics made from recycled fibers. Students and young designers took an active role in shaping the exhibition, contributing fresh ideas and energy. The unspoken motto echoed throughout the space: listen to young people. Their openness and optimism injected a much-needed sense of possibility into the conversation about circularity.

The Sustainability Lounge – collaboration in motion

The Sustainability Lounge, co-organized by GreenroomVoice, served once again as a forum for honest dialogue. Its open and inviting layout encouraged visitors to linger, exchange ideas, and explore potential partnerships.

“The conversation is shifting from awareness to action,” noted Anna Rodewald of GreenroomVoice.

That shift was visible in the diversity of participants – from established outdoor brands to young start-ups and design students eager to engage with real-world solutions.

Material innovation – circular by design

Among the product highlights, PrimaLoft presented Ultra Peak, a next-generation insulation made from 100% recycled textile content, introduced alongside the brand’s new ReRun recycling platform. Together, these innovations underline the company’s direction toward closing the loop through textile-to-textile reuse while maintaining top-level performance.

Lycra, meanwhile, presented its bio-derived EcoMade fiber, produced from field corn via the QIRA process. With around 70% renewable content, it marks a tangible step toward replacing fossil-based feedstocks in elastane manufacturing and aligns with the industry’s broader move toward renewable inputs.

From awareness to applied creativity

What defined this edition of Performance Days was not so much big announcements, but steady progress – a community learning by doing. Circularity is increasingly treated as a creative process that connects science, design, and responsibility.

As sustainability evolves from compliance to culture, events like Performance Days remind us that transformation in textiles rarely happens overnight. It takes dialogue, experimentation, and above all, collaboration.

Suston’s takeaway

Performance Days Autumn 2025 revealed an industry in quiet motion – realistic, reflective, and determined. Circular thinking is no longer a vision; it’s becoming part of design culture itself. And if there was one consistent lesson this year, it was simple: progress begins when we listen, learn, and create together.

Lead image: Victoria Reim