board boekje web pages

88
into the water when washing clothes. Serving as this organisation’s
supervisory Board chair, I believe the link between this initiative
and the hub can easily be established. The same holds for
other related initiatives to which network partners in this hub are
connected.
Circular Textile Valleys
Focus areas per hub indicate their distinctive ambition and
capacity. However, these should not be considered as exclusive.
The ambitious idea is to develop these four hubs into so-called
Circular Textile Valleys, whereby existing and new companies,
research institutes and regional governments collectively focus on
the production, recycling and reuse of circular textiles. The overall
approach consists of two priority points:
Accelerating innovators: this approach is focused on strengthening
innovators through supporting them in finding funds and scaling
up their activities. A limited number of projects has been selected
to substantiate the new circular system.
Connecting and developing: this approach serves the first priority
point. It is intended to strengthen the network between partners
wanting to work on innovations and make what is needed to create
a circular textile chain transparent.
In the coming years, these activities will be further enhanced,
showcasing what a circular textile chain can look like. I hope that
the fashion industry (both the big, international and smaller brands)
will develop new lines, using high-quality textiles based on fibres
recovered from used textiles and scaling up slow fashion initiatives
aimed to reduce, redesign and reuse. Collaboration between
innovative companies, retailers and fashion brands will make new
circular concepts and business models more mainstream, which
will also lead to more circular employment. However, if these
expectations are not fulfilled, a more stringent role by the national
government will be necessary to reach the targets set by that same
government.