Sustainable materials as the future of the textile industry: trends fall/winter 26/27

• Efficiency and renewable resources: new approaches in the textile industry
• Recycling: more than polyester from plastic bottles
• Technical innovations in textile production
• Zero waste: recycling in textile production
• Mono-materials: sustainable textiles of the future
• Sustainable design: Reduced components, maximum effect
• Durable clothing: repair and care
• Bio-based materials: the green future of the textile industry
• Digitalization: efficiency and transparency in the textile industry
• Primal Touch: Sustainable textiles - haptics meets innovation
• Overview: New sustainable materials and approaches for fall/winter 26/27

Amongst the textile industry, the message is clear: efficiency is king in creating a clean and sustainable future. Greenwashing is a no, and for a brand to build up responsible products, it starts at the point of sourcing. ISPO Textrends is a case in point; the forum is the go-to destination for sports and outdoor brands. The Fall/Winter 26/27 offering, exhibited at ISPO, highlighted the ongoing developments that aren't always evident to the eye, but rest assured, delve in deep, and you know they are there.

Despite uncertain times, new developments are already here. It is interesting to see subtle changes in some products that are reinvented in lighter qualities or revised recipes but offer performance from responsible material manufacturing. Brands have to pick up the baton and take these to market. Playing safe is an easy option; in these times, being spirited and a little daring can reap positive rewards. The latter is evident in the latest developments, from clean and green chemistry replacing the now-banned forever chemicals to bio-based prints and membranes. 

"One nice thing is that recycled polyester is not always recycled from bottles; it can also be recycled from textiles, which is better, and we need more. The first polyester fibers from carbon capture are also coming to market. I feel we've been there, and the main innovation has been slow recently. Still, now it's like now things that have been in the pipeline for four or five years are now coming to market,'" said Sophie Bramel, Textrends jury member and Technical Editor of Sports Textiles. 

Inresst, winner of "Best Product" in the "Second Layer" category, uses post-consumer ocean waste. A. Sampaio has turned their textile know-how to incorporate GRS-certified post-consumer recycled polyester dyed with biological dyes. 

Anta Sports Carbon Capture Dry PRO3 fabrics, a process where, as the name says, CO2 is captured from industrial sources, then reacted with a catalyst and solvent to provide polymerized chemicals used for the creation of polyester pellets, which are spun into yarn and then into fabrics was selected as a new development but the Textrends jury. Low carbon emission features at Far Eastern New Century, an innovative low-temperature melt spinning technology that reduces production temperature by 20.

Sometimes, on a sustainable level, the less obvious plays a significant role. For example, renewable energy, whether factory-based - or country-based, three cheers to Portugal and Spain for running their entire energy grids on renewable for significant amounts of time; the textile industry is behind renewable energy.  

With sustainability secured as an ongoing process that will never cease, at this season's Textrends, it was clear to see that textile mills are emphasizing the spinning aspects, not just the overall appearance, putting engineering at the core of the fabrics to create next-generation lightweight products that protect and perform to the same level as their predecessors.

Winning Best Product for the Base Layer category, the Südwolle Group developed Z.hodium Nm120/2, a 100% Wool yarn made from super-fine 13.9 Micron TEC Merino wool. This yarn delivers unparalleled softness and performance, perfect for high-end activewear, outdoor apparel, and fashion. With a fabric weight of just 180 gsm, it combines lightweight comfort with exceptional durability, which can be a problem with 100 percent wool through abrasion.

Food waste is also becoming an integral part of the textile sector, especially in fibers, including banana and pineapple waste, and algae are commercially viable for bio-dyes from algae.  Bio-based feedstock features in all areas, as much as the with from fossil fuels, offering new alternatives to a wide range of ingredients, including nylon, polyester, trims, and membranes. 

Achieving zero waste in the manufacturing process would be a dream come true. Still, whilst we look at circularity in returning apparel to the circular economy, other material suppliers and brands are returning their cutting-room floor waste back into their supply chain. Aclima, exhibiting at ISPO, is a case in point, collecting their wool cuttings at their manufacturing factory in Estonia, shredding and spinning to give this waste a new lease of life - post-industrial waste for textile-to-textile new life. 

Other natural waste ingredients feature commercially led textiles; we must move to zero waste, where circularity has become the end goal. We may have textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling in the post-industrial. Still, we need to change the goalposts and create 100 percent circularity in the supply chain and final product post-consumer so that the product can be returned in full at the end of its life.

With the drinks industry being forced to be responsible for its own waste, the textile industry has adapted once again as the availability of used plastic bottles declines. The Sheico Group has opted to recycle used car tires, creating a beautiful black recycled polyester, eliminating the need to dye, thus saving water, complete with bluesign accreditation.

"You can have a mechanical stretch without elastane, you can have warmth and airflow in a garment for added comfort without any chemicals; it's just mechanical structure, and there are some really interesting examples this season," observed Sophie Bramel.

Achieving zero waste in the manufacturing process would be a dream come true. Still, whilst we look at circularity in returning apparel to the circular economy, other material suppliers and brands are returning their cutting-room floor waste back into their supply chain. Aclima is a case in point, collecting their wool cuttings at the apparel manufacturing in Estonia, shredding and spinning to give this waste a new lease of life.

Today's design process is really about keeping it real. I mean doing things like the fabric that you can use for different purposes, and also when mono materials, where you can work more with the yarn and the spinning process, and then use fewer components. That's what's exciting, and you can also see that on the technical side, you see a lot of recycled material, especially polyamides. You know that they have come to a level where you can see high-performance fabric in recycled yarns," said Thomas Hakansson, Creative Director and Textrends jury member. 

Winning Textrends' Best Product in the Accessories category, YKK's AiryString zipper eliminates the traditional zipper tapes, offering more flexibility and weight reduction. In addition, the AiryString produces less greenhouse gas emissions and uses less water than conventional tape zippers. Plus, the AiryString zipper is made from 100% recycled materials. 

Durability features for the season: fabrics are keenly lighter than before and still deliver the performance and protection required, leading to a longer life of a product. Brand developers and designers now have to consider how a garment is to perform and how it is to be dismantled and returned to the circular economy responsibly before they even start sourcing and designing. 

United Repair Centre (URC) led the way at ISPO with a way for a supply chain that is not only sustainable but also human-centered and future-proof. By focusing on repair as a practical and scalable solution, URC empowers brands to reduce waste, extend product lifespans, and embrace circularity.

In the end, the textile industry makes great ingredients to make excellent kit for the sports and outdoor market, so having a connection or even communication with the consumer in how they can care for their kit and keep it relevant for longer is key. It is also really appealing to the consumer, and more brands are selling pieces with repair kits or at least information on where to repair them.

Fabpatch from Finland is a case in point, exhibiting at the Sustainability Hub, where brands can work with the company and prepare self-adhesive fabrics using the same fabric as their product. The unique process of the adhesive aspect doesn't require heat - kit can be repaired on the go. 

Repairs symbolize a wear-and-tear attitude. This scarred approach to products is also a legacy to the heritage of the product combined with the wearer's adventures where it has been and what the wearer has achieved - the life story of a product worn with pride.

Bio-based synthetics, polyester, nylon, and spandex all feature - Lycra's launch of bio-spandex through to bio-membranes, with Bosideng achieving 100 percent bio-membrane technology with a high level of performance.

The excellently presented Material Lab, part of the Sustainability Hub at ISPO Munich, highlighted the bio alternatives that could define our future. We are already scaled up to some extent in bio-based synthetics, and algae are becoming an increasingly sought-after ingredient for auxiliaries in the printing process and natural dyes, as seen with Algaeing. This new company has also scaled up to a commercial level. 

One problem that we as a collective industry have to embrace is the new developments and renewable alternatives that are available, but calling up from the lab to the commercial level is costly, something that we all have to take on board. If we are to commercialize a fraction of these developments, the investment must come through, not just in initial start-ups but also in enabling them to become mainstream. Only then can we envisage an industrial approach to this. The appeal and development are there, but plenty of brands are shaded by the premium that goes with new developments. With that in mind, they must work on flexibility in their margins to enable this area to grow. 

Digital content is highlighted throughout the textile industry, but you won't see the primary influence on the fabric. Behind the scenes, the mills are developing performance fabrics with sustainable credentials, and today's efficient manufacturing process is one of precise automation and digitalization. This, in turn, leads the way to higher efficiency. 

One area of digitalization you see is through wearable technology, with Clim8 exhibiting at ISPO, highlighting the connectivity wearable technology can bring to apparel in the form of an app-controlled algorithm-driven heating technology. 

With digitalization a crucial aspect of the supply chain, not just in creating more efficiency and reduced waste and controlled inventory, the emerging Digital Product Passport (DPP) coming into effect in 2027 encourages transparency to products, including the original ingredients and manufacturing. 

Where are we going to put all this required data? The solution is through QR codes, and Textrends award-winning Maxim Label and Packaging are geared up to work with brands in relaying this information, including QR code labels designed with functionality in mind, delivering various scan results with one QR code that will provide an abundance of information to customs agents including country of origin or PO details and can also be scanned by consumers to get the relevant information to them, thus avoiding information overload.

With innovation, sustainability, and creativity all delivering the best material sourcing options, the human-to-human connectivity, not just in business or the final activity but through a collective approach, was evident at ISPO Textrends. The tactility the fabrics deliver, and this season, the touch was better than ever, as the global textile collective weaved through the trend tables at the Textrends forum highlighting all the products awarded by the international jury of textile experts, confirmed the connectivity we need with each other and through touch of this season’s fantastic textile developments.