Borås Textile Days 12–13 November 2025: Exploring Future Skills for a Circular Textile Sector
21/11/2025
The annual international conference Borås Textile Days took place on 12–13 November 2025, bringing together experts, innovators, and policymakers to discuss the future of the textile and fashion industries. Under the theme “The jobs of the future are circular – but what do they look like?”, the Nordic Textile Academy hosted a panel discussion featuring Ms Madeleine Jonsson, Chair of the Environment and Regional Development Committee of Region Västra Götaland and President of EARLALL.
The session was opened by Mr Christian Lundell, Director of the Nordic Textile Academy, who highlighted the emergence of new professional roles needed to support the sector’s transition towards circularity. The discussion was moderated by Mr Henrik Grönberg, Communications Manager at the Nordic Textile Academy.
Introducing a New Role: The Textile Material Broker
During the panel, Ms Jonsson presented an innovative role being developed within Region Västra Götaland: the Material Broker. As she explained, large volumes of textiles are collected through various residual streams, but significant challenges remain in returning these materials to the value chain.
A Material Broker will play a key function by:
- Identifying and cataloguing available materials
- Connecting suppliers with companies capable of reuse or recycling
- Supporting the development of an efficient regional infrastructure
- Helping close the gap between collection systems and circular market demand
Region Västra Götaland sees this as a future profession essential to ensuring that collected textiles are reused or processed into higher-value applications rather than being downcycled or wasted.
A Regional Responsibility and Opportunity
Reflecting on the region’s commitment, Ms Jonsson noted that Sweden faces a concrete and growing need to better utilise textile materials that have already been collected and sorted but are not yet reaching reuse or recycling pathways.
With Västra Götaland’s long-standing heritage and strong contemporary presence in textile and fashion industries, the region sees both a responsibility and an opportunity to lead the shift toward a more circular and resource-efficient system.
To support this ambition, the region has invested more than SEK 40 million (€3.6 million EUR) over recent years in initiatives advancing textile circularity and innovation.
A Collaborative Effort: The Textile Movement
The new broker role forms part of a wider project financed by Region Västra Götaland and carried out within the Textile Movement initiative. This collaborative platform brings together 14 organisations, including:
Science Park Borås, RISE, the Swedish School of Textiles/University of Borås, Wargön Innovation, Nordic Textile Academy, Academy of Cutting and Tailoring, TEKO, the Swedish Trade Federation, Swedish Fashion Council, Borås Region, City of Borås, Business Region Göteborg, West Sweden Tourist Board, and Region Västra Götaland.
The project runs until December 2027 and is funded by the EU, the European Regional Development Fund, and Region Västra Götaland.
