Businesses, institutions, and the academic world meet in Puglia to chart the green future of regional textiles, including digital passports, innovative recycling, and new opportunities for the fashion district.
On April 29th, at the Palazzo delle Arti “Beltrani” in Trani, the event “Circular Economy for Sustainable Fashion in Puglia” will take place, a crucial appointment for the future of the Apulian textile sector, promoted in collaboration with MUSA and with the involvement of leading representatives from the academic, industrial, and institutional worlds. The meeting stems from the desire to promote innovative and sustainable practices within a strategic sector for the regional economy. The event aims to be a key moment to chart a new course in the Apulian fashion sector, combining manufacturing tradition, sustainability, and technological innovation.
Puglia boasts one of the most significant textile industrial realities in Italy, with a positioning in the high-end fashion segment. There are over 3,500 active VAT numbers and a total turnover of approximately 2 billion euros concentrated in three production hubs: Bari-Barletta, Putignano-Martina Franca, and Casarano. In these areas, fabrics, footwear, and bags are produced, creating a vibrant entrepreneurial fabric capable of combining tradition and innovation.
The objective of the initiative is to anticipate the new European regulations that will require, among other things, the adoption of a digital passport for products, traceability through blockchain technologies, and the circular management of textile waste. In this context, the project developed with MUSA aims to evaluate and transfer to the Apulian territory the most suitable technologies for the valorization of pre- and post-production textile waste, transforming them from waste into resources.
Two lines of intervention are analyzed: on one hand, the mechanical reuse of waste, for example, as padding or insulation tiles, offering a second life to materials without the need for regeneration; on the other hand, chemical recycling, which through innovative processes allows for the complete recovery of textiles, generating economic value in a fully circular perspective. This is the frontier on which MUSA and local actors are focusing their efforts, with the aim of creating an efficient, replicable, and competitive system.
As Antonio Seggioli, a member of the MUSA Scientific Committee and one of the event organizers, emphasizes, the goal is to “transfer MUSA’s technologies to the Apulian textile context, creating a concrete synergy between research and industry. The resulting sustainability report will not only be a tool for transparency and responsibility but will soon become a legal requirement and a competitive advantage: it will allow brands to strengthen their green identity and access forms of facilitated credit reserved for those who adopt certified circular practices.”
Another key point is the creation of a shared service available to all companies in the ITS Moda Puglia district, to promote the collective adoption of these innovations and make technological adaptation sustainable even for small businesses. A model that aims to set a precedent in the national landscape, being one of the first initiatives of this kind in Italy.
The event will be moderated by Cataldo De Luca, President of Confindustria sezione Moda Bari-BATInstitutional greetings will be given to Avv. Giacomo Marinaro, President of the Trani City Council. During the meeting, the following will speak:
– Ing. Martino Filomena (Presidente ITS Moda Puglia)
– Col. Pierluca Cassano (Comandante Guardia di Finanza BAT)
– Ing. Antonio Seggioli (Project Farm srl)
– Prof. Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli (Politecnico di Bari)
– Prof. Massimo Labra (Università Bicocca)
– Prof. Margherita Pero (Politecnico di Milano)
– Dr. Giuseppe Negro (Direttore Generale ITS-MIDI Moda Puglia)
