Review of armasuisse Textile Symposium 2026
At the 24th Textile Symposium, everything revolved around the topics of resilience, stability and sustainability. On 11 March, seven speakers presented their latest projects and findings from the areas of textiles, procurement and global security policy. Around 320 interested parties from various different countries convened in the Champions Lounge of the Wankdorf Stadium to hear the talks and subsequently to exchange views in stimulating discussions.
Nina Schmid, specialist area Communication, Strategic Staff
As in the previous year, National Armaments Director Dr Urs Loher and Ivo Bravin, Head of the area of Commerce, Procurement Control and Quality Management as well as Deputy Head of the competence sector Procurement at armasuisse, hold the opening speech. In his speech, Dr Urs Loher calls to mind the current global security situation and its impact on textile manufacture and procurement. He emphasises that Armed Forces’ procurement must be more strongly focused on resilient systems, transparent and diversified supply chains as well as the armaments strategy of the Swiss Confederation 2025. Because “procurement is more than purchasing – procurement is strategic preventive security”. Ivo Bravin emphasises the enthusiasm for innovation and the passion of the textile specialists, which he encounters again and again every day.
Procurement strategy - learning from crises
Marc Steiner, Federal Administrative Court judge, sees crises as an opportunity. A good example of this is the development of public procurement from the 1990s up to the present day. Back then, the thinking was that if you procure in a highly competitive market, you can buy more cheaply, and all the other problems sort themselves out. Thanks to the reform of public procurement law, there is a clear commitment to quality over price today. This “Swiss model” is a standard in Germany. In his talk, Marc Steiner also appeals to the importance of the management of procurement data. This data is no longer merely essential for financial control, but must be viewed as an advantage for own risk management and integrated into the strategy for a functioning award culture.
Safe, clean, Swiss: With circularity and PFAS replacement for market advantage
“Circular economy is the future of the textile industry”. Matz Bachmann, Managing Director of TESTEX Zurich, is convinced of this. Textiles are examined for durability, reparability and recycling capability in the laboratories of the Testex Group. If a product passes these tests, it receives the TESTEX CIRCULARITY Certificate and is thus distinguished as a sustainable contribution to the circular economy. In addition, Matz Bachmann provides an overview of the upcoming PFAS regulations in Europe over the next few years. Ever more stringent laws urge measuring methods to be applied and suppliers to be questioned on compliance, to recognise PFAS before they becomes a risk. However, this would also result in the potential of transforming the sector sustainably in the long-term.
Fair trade – The Better Deal
“Who sent their child to work this morning?” Philipp Scheidiger from Swiss Fair Trade begins his talk with this controversial question. Because even though the Ordinance on Due Diligence and Transparency in relation to Minerals and Metals from Conflict-Affected Areas and Child Labour (DDTrO) came into effect in January 2022, the problem of child labour has still not been solved. Analyses by UNICEF show that the textile sector is particular strongly affected. In the respective countries, debts are often passed down through generations due to systemic factors, so that the children are also forced to work. Philipp Scheidiger names two possible solutions: living wages and official product certifications. Because all parents would prefer to send their child to school rather than to work.
Climatex: Small change – big impact
Three years ago, Fredy Baumeler from Climatex reported at the Textile Symposium about the environmental impact caused by the textile industry – of “mountains of clothes as high as the Eiffel Tower and residual chemicals by the tonne”. Today, however, he stands at the speaker’s podium with a solution: a thread spool – white and inconspicuous – which can be dissolved. Textiles made of various components that are sewn with STITCHLOCK thread can be dismantled into their individual components after the end-of-life cycle. To demonstrate this, Fredy Baumeler has brought two jackets with him – one sewn together and one already dismantled. The dismantled jacket has been treated at 120 °C, where the STITCHLOCK thread disintegrates and the various substances and individual parts are once again separate and can be systematically recycled.
DDP for textiles – the data key for more circular economy
Jonas Batt and Dominik Halbeisen from GS1 Switzerland present the next generation barcode. Their vision is to provide products with a digital data passport (DDP) in the form of a QR code instead of the present barcode. After scanning, this code should lead to a data overview, which includes a general product description, technical product data, instructions for correct use, maintenance and care measures as well as environmental data. Pilot projects aim to ensure that the data is complete, available and retrievable. Although many technical details are still undefined, GS1 already supports a comprehensive network of partners and authorities in implementing the digital product passport.
The imperial reflex: Russia against Europe
Since the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022, Dr Marcus M. Keupp, military economist and lecturer at the Military Academy (MILAC) at ETH Zurich, sees one of his key tasks as providing information and making the following clear: Modern day Russia is not a superpower. The biggest mistake is to confuse Putin’s Russia today with the historical Soviet Union. Our view of Russia is heavily influenced by the stagings in the Kremlin. To substantiate his arguments, Keupp refers, for example, to the limited capacities of the Russian fleet and aircraft carriers, but simultaneously criticises the weakened backbone of Europe towards the growing imperial ambitions of Russia. Sanctions and inflation have also led to the fact that in Russia a market value is put on life itself and that death is rationalised. Ultimately, Russia’s strategy consists of simply enduring longer than its opponents. However, Keupp sees hope in the stronger presence of American bases in Europe and in a tougher stance towards the Russian fleet.
Ivo Bravin concludes the session with a note of thanks and announces 17 March 2027 as the date for the next Textile Symposium.
