At a time marked by economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and restrained investment, innovation is emerging as the decisive driver shaping the future of the textile industry. This became clear during the press conference for Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 in Frankfurt, where industry leaders discussed how technological progress is accelerating transformation across the sector. From artificial intelligence and digitalisation to sustainable materials and new production models, innovation is no longer optional but essential to remaining competitive in a rapidly changing global market.
© Messe Frankfurt
According to Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt, periods of limited investment highlight the true value of innovation. Techtextil and Texprocess function not only as platforms for presenting new ideas, but also as catalysts that help transform research into market-ready solutions. The Techtextil and Texprocess Innovation Awards play a central role in this process by giving pioneering technologies visibility, credibility and the momentum needed to enter industrial application and foster new partnerships.
The discussions also underlined innovation's dual role as both an efficiency lever and a growth engine. Elgar Straub, Managing Director of VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, emphasised that digitalisation, automation and artificial intelligence enable companies to conserve resources, increase flexibility and reposition themselves more effectively in global competition. These tools allow textile manufacturers to respond faster to changing demands while improving productivity and resilience.
Insights from industry practice demonstrated how deeply digital processes are already transforming development and production. Walter Wählt, Chairman of the Texprocess Innovation Award and Senior Director Advanced Creation at adidas, highlighted the impact of 3D design, virtual prototyping and AI in shortening development cycles and significantly reducing material consumption. Despite rapid technological progress, he stressed that human creativity, experience and judgment remain indispensable elements of innovation.
Sustainability was another central theme, particularly in relation to high-performance textiles and advanced materials. António Braz Costa, Chairman of the Techtextil Innovation Award and General Manager at CITEVE, pointed out that sustainable solutions only become economically viable when research and innovation work in tandem. Recycling technologies, circular systems and new materials must move beyond laboratory environments and be translated into scalable industrial processes. In this context, trade fairs such as Techtextil and Texprocess play a vital role in bridging the gap between research and market application.
Together, the Techtextil and Texprocess Innovation Awards present a clear vision of the textile industry's future. They showcase how technical textiles, nonwovens and textile processing technologies are evolving through artificial intelligence, advanced materials and sustainable production methods. By bringing research, technology and real-world application together, Techtextil and Texprocess reaffirm their position as key platforms for turning innovative ideas into concrete solutions to global challenges. The fairs will take place from 21 to 24 April 2026, with the Innovation Award winners to be announced from 14 April 2026.
More information:
Messe Frankfurt (Techtextil and Texprocess)
www.messefrankfurt.com
