Events

Launch of International Year

The International Year of Natural Fibres (IYNF) will be officially launched on 22 January 2009, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Rome. The ceremony, to be attended by senior FAO officials and representatives of governments and natural fibre industries worldwide, will be followed by a meeting of IYNF's Steering committee.

Prospects for jute and kenaf

The International Jute Study Group (IJSG) hosts in Dhaka an international workshop and exhibition on Prospects of Jute and Kenaf. On the agenda: jute agriculture, diversification of fibre products, geotextiles and market promotion. Participants include policy makers, academics, researchers and traders from Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, United Kingdom and the USA.

Feria de fibras naturales

With FAO support, an NGO in Ecuador has organized in Atuntaqui, Ecuador, a four-day fair on the use of natural fibres. On display will be fabrics, clothing and handicrafts from all regions of the country and from neighbouring Colombia and Peru. Atuntaqui boasts some 480 textile factories which employ 80 percent of the town's 18 000 residents.

Social life of plants

Anthropologists and ethnobotanists will explore the "Social life of plants" at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. The aim of the event is to illustrate - through films, talks, hands-on learning activities and exhibitions - the interconnections between the lives of people and those of plants, including those producing natural fibres.

IYNF event at Renewable Energy House

To mark the International Year of Natural Fibres, the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) has organized a reception at Renewable Energy House, Brussels. The reception will be addressed by speakers from the IWTO, FAO, the European Renewable Energy Council and the European Commission's Textiles, Fashion and Forest-based Industries unit.

Cotton prospects reviewed

Cotton is Mozambique's second most important export (30 000 tonnes in 2006), is grown by an estimated 300 000 rural families and provides work for 20 000 people in the supply chain. Prospects for future development of the country's cotton sector will be discussed at a conference organized by the Mozambique Cotton Institute opening in Maputo on 18 March.

Natural fibres in the carbon economy

The 43rd International Wood Composites Symposium to be held in Seattle, USA, will be inaugurated by a technical workshop on "Natural fibers: Their role in the carbon economy". Topics include natural fibre composites in transportation, classification and applications of renewable natural fibres, the surface modification of fibres using bacteria, and "bamboo-based composites - a material of the future".

Cotton: "Sustainability in the textile complex"

As part of its 3rd Annual Sustainable Business and Design Conference, New York's Fashion Institute of Technology hosts an IYNF panel discussion on "cotton sustainability". The panel will examine good practices for gaining consumer credibility, communicating and implementing retail-level sustainability, and progress in cotton processing, including agriculture.

Fibre arts of Eastern Canada

The fibre arts traditions of Canada's maritime provinces - knitting, crocheting, rug hooking, quilting, weaving, tatting and spinning - will be celebrated at the First Annual Maritime Fibre Arts Retreat, being organized by Sharon Orpin. The oldest surviving quilt at the Nova Scotia Museum collection dates back to 1810, and the first mention of a quilt appears in a 1754 newspaper.

Innovations in textile processing

The Textile Research Division of Egypt's National Research Centre holds its 6th International Conference in Cairo. The conference provides a global forum to review trends, technical progress and innovations in textile processing. Topics include "smart textiles", high-performance fabrics, advances in textile machinery, and the use of bio-, nano- and information technologies in production.

Natural fibres for rural prosperity

Government officials, industry leaders, researchers and growers from around the world meet in Yunnan, China, for the 2009 China Natural Fibre Forum. The forum's central theme is the contribution of natural fibres development to promoting rural prosperity and overcoming economic recession. Participants will tour China's first commercial mill for production of hemp fibre with cotton characteristics.

Australia/New Zealand textiles conference

The University of Otaga hosts the Australia/New Zealand conference of The Textile Institute, an association of textile, clothing and footwear professionals in 80 countries. The conference, which will hold separate sessions on protein fibres, cellulose fibres and natural fibre crafts, will examine current issues related to production, processing, and development of niche products.

Emerging trends in natural fibres

"Emerging trends in production, processing and utilization of natural fibres" is the subject of an international conference organized by the Indian Fibre Society and the Indian Society for Cotton Improvement in Mumbai. The conference, aimed at policymakers and experts in production, processing, manufacture and marketing, focuses on technologies for textile grade fibres.

Fibre arts in southeast USA

The Southeast Fiber Forum, a group of individuals and guilds dedicated to the fibre arts in the US southeast, holds its Fiber Forum 2009 in April. In keeping with the International Year, it will offer classes in knitting, weaving spinning, basket making, broom making, dyeing and rug hooking - all using natural fibres - and a workshop on spinning cotton on an accelerated charkha.

Natural fibres fashion show

FAO will host at its Rome headquarters a 20-minute Natural Fibres Fashion Show featuring garments by young Italian designers who use natural materials - such as organic cotton, cashmere, alpaca and silk - in their creations. The show will underscore the connection between the clothes we wear and small-scale fibre producers in the developing world, and also launch an IYNF natural fibres display at FAO from 20 to 25 April.