8 January 2020 has been an intensive day for DNFI in Frankfurt, Germany during Heimtextil. The winners of the DNFI Innovation in Natural Fibres Award 2019 had been recognized in the Lecture Area of Hall 4.2. These were Dr. Debasish Das, Professor, University of Calcutta, Department of Jute and Fibre Technology, and Dr. Subhas Ghosh, Professor, Eastern Michigan University, School of Visual Built Environments, College of Engineering and Technology.
In the afternoon the annual meeting of DNFI took place in the office building of Industrieverband Veredlung – Garne – Gewebe – Technische Textilien e.V. in Frankfurt. Major items for discussion had been an update on natural fibre production with an Outlook for Supply and Use in 2019 and an outlook for 2020.
Ms. Elke Hortmeyer, the new Chair of DNFI, is Head of Communications and International Relations for the Bremen Cotton Exchange (BBB), Bremen, Germany and has served the cotton industry for almost 20 years. She has been active in DNFI since its founding in 2010. Ms. Hortmeyer is a member of the foreign trade committee of the Bremen Chamber of Commerce, and she serves on the ICAC panel on Social, Environmental & Economic Performance of Cotton (SEEP). She is editor in chief of the bi-weekly Bremen Cotton Report, and she writes and edits annual and inter-annual reports of the Bremen Cotton Exchange for the public and members of the Board of Directors. She is one of the principal organizers of the bi-annual International Cotton Conference Bremen.
Ms. Dalena White, elected Vice-Chair, is Secretary General of the International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO) in Brussels. She has participated actively in DNFI since 2016 when she joined IWTO. She has a background in textile manufacturing and apparel sourcing. As Secretary General of IWTO, Ms. White conducts numerous conferences each year around the world, participates in technical seminars and workshops, and she interacts with regulators and advocacy organizations on environmental and animal welfare issues.
The outgoing Chair of DNFI, Terry Townsend, congratulated the two officers on their election. He noted that each is highly qualified as an advocate for natural fibres.
About DNFI: The Discover Natural Fibre Initiative (DNFI) was created in January 2010 as an outgrowth of the International Year of Natural Fibres 2009, declared by the United Nations General Assembly. The purposes of DNFI are to advance the interests of all natural fibre industries and to encourage increased use of natural fibres in the world economy. DNFI is a voluntary association of individuals and organizations with interests in promoting natural fibres through collaboration, consultation and cooperation. The Organization works to further the interests of natural fibres by serving as a platform for information exchange, by providing statistics on fibre production and use, and by working to raise awareness of the benefits of natural fibre industries to the world economy, environment and consumers.
More information: www.dfni.org