News: Regenerative Agriculture and Regenerative Organic Certified®, protagonists in Europe

Regenerative Agriculture and ROC certification, protagonists in Europe in two important
events on Textile sector
 
Regenerative agriculture and ROC Certification were the focus of two important events in the
Textile sector in Europe, held in September.

The first was the Natural Fiber Connect (NFC), an international event on natural fibers used in textile industry, organized in Biella (Italy) from 16 th to 20 th September 2024. Natural Fibre Connect is an alliance of leading global alpaca, cashmere, mohair and wool organisations that share a common commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Member organisations include the Peru-based International Alpaca Association and Mohair South Africa.

NFC’s goal is a world with more natural fibers by 2030. Through its activities and events, NFC enables consensus building, as well as sharing and understanding the perspectives of farmers and herders, towards a more conscious and sustainable textile supply chain. The event was attended by participants from all over the world, from Argentina to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA.

As part of the NFC event, Mariano Serratore, Technical Director of ICEA, (one of the most important Italian certification bodies, among the pioneers of organic certification, which operates in both food and non-food sectors, also in the process of being recognized for ROC certification), spoke in the panel dedicated to regenerative agriculture on September 19 th . In his speech, he particularly drew attention on the need to define a common and harmonized vision on regenerative agriculture concept, with particular reference to the symbiosis between organic and regenerative agriculture, giving ROC certification as an example.

The second event took place in Izmir, Turkey, through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference, organized by Egedeniz Textile from 26 th to 28 th September. This is an event that has reached its fifth edition, dedicated to the promotion of organic and sustainable fabrics from the Aegean region and involves the entire supply chain: from farmers of raw materials to fashion brands committed to sustainable practices. This year’s focus was on Goal 17 of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development: “Partnership for the Goals”, with the ambitious aim of connecting slow fashion and regenerative agriculture to generate a positive impact on environment and communities.

On September 27 th , Mariano Serratore spoke at the panel discussion with a presentation entitled ROA and ICEA vision on Sustainability, describing the ROC certification and its holistic approach oriented to a future of concrete and integrated sustainability.