Visitors to the ITMF and IAF Convention 2024 can expect to hear from insiders at Spanish retail group Inditex, manufacturer Epic Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The event aims to focus on decarbonisation and showing how a collaborative approach can achieve much-needed progress in the industry.

Other speakers will include representatives from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC), the European Textile & Apparel Industry Federation (EURATEX), and the Japan Textile Federation (JTF), who will all explain new regulation pending in their countries in the coming years.

The event will also feature discussions on the possibilities of digitalisation and AI.

The convention aims to assemble stakeholders from across the supply chain, including raw material suppliers, spinners, weavers, machine suppliers, garment and home textile manufacturers, brands, retailers, solution providers and educators.

The ITMF and IAF event will take place in Uzbekistan, which has a rapidly growing textile and apparel industry.

One of the key highlights of the ITMF and IAF joint convention is the spotlight on Uzbekistan’s evolving textile and garment industry both during the conference programme and during the planned factory visits.

In February, the IAF and ITMF released a manifesto to address audit and standard fatigue in the apparel and textile industry.

Earlier this year a two-year memorandum of cooperation was signed by global stakeholders, aiming to improve working conditions and eradicate forced labour in Uzbekistan's cotton and textile production.

In 2023 the Uzbekistan Textile Association (UzTextile), which represents Uzbekistan's textile industry, coordinated a high-profile trade visit to the UK to promote the region's growing textiles sector.