Performance Days has announced a new Focus Topic for its spring 2026 edition that moves the conversation on circularity further upstream to the very beginning of the textile value chain. Taking place on 18–19 March in Munich, the functional fabrics fair will centre on “Textile to Textile: The Role of Collectors and Sorters”.

Building on its October 2025 Focus Topic on textile-to-textile recycling, the forthcoming edition highlights the critical importance of efficient post-consumer textile collection and sorting. According to the organisers, this initial stage determines whether discarded textiles can become valuable secondary resources or are lost to the waste stream.

Collectors and sorters are positioned as key enablers of circular textile systems, supplying the clean and traceable material streams required by recyclers. However, scaling these systems beyond pilot level will require greater investment, supportive regulation, robust digital infrastructure and closer collaboration across the value chain.

Throughout the trade show, the Focus Topic will examine the opportunities created by optimised collection and sorting, alongside persistent bottlenecks such as infrastructure gaps, contamination, logistics and volume constraints. Regulatory developments, including the EU Waste Framework Directive, extended producer responsibility schemes, eco-modulation and the growing relevance of Digital Product Passports, will also be addressed. In addition, technological advances in automated sorting, artificial intelligence, near-infrared systems and quality standards will be explored.

The theme will be visible across the entire event, from the Trend Forum to keynote presentations and expert panel discussions. A dedicated infographic will demonstrate how brands, collectors, sorters, recyclers and policymakers collectively shape the basis of a connected circular textile economy. While Digital Product Passports are expected to support transparent data flows, forthcoming EPR schemes are anticipated to redistribute waste management costs and stimulate much-needed investment in collection and sorting infrastructure.

Performance Days continues to position itself as a platform for knowledge exchange, innovation and partnership-building, bringing together innovators, recyclers, brands and political stakeholders to help transform textile waste back into textile materials. By showcasing both market-ready solutions and early-stage approaches, the event aims to accelerate progress towards viable circular systems.

Anna Schuster, Head of Sustainability at Performance Days, said the industry must better understand material flows at the very start of the value chain in order to scale. She emphasised that many of the most important questions arise long before recycling begins, in the design of efficient systems that enable future innovation.

www.performancedays.com