Hosted at De HER in Rotterdam on Wednesday 7 October, a pioneering circular center and upcycling hub, the HORIZON Europe FABRIX conference brings together urban planners, systemic designers, policymakers, academic researchers, circular entrepreneurs, and community leaders. Through keynote presentations, methodology deep-dives, live digital tool demonstrations, and interactive roundtables, the event explores how local networks can drive systemic change across European cities and will highlight the outcomes of the three-year project.
- Researcher
- Researcher
- Researcher
- Date
- Wednesday 7 Oct 2026, 09:00 - 09:00
- Type
- Conference
- Spoken Language
- English
- Location
De HER, Bovendijk 191, Rotterdam
Cities are pivotal arenas for transforming the textile and apparel sector from a linear consumption model into circular, regenerative systems. This FABRIX event marks the culmination of the Horizon Europe project's efforts to foster localized, resilient, and collaborative urban textile ecosystems.
Participants will gain key insights from comparative ecosystem mapping, discover policy integration approaches, and explore practical solutions developed by awarded SMEs in Athens and Rotterdam.
In the evening, after a snack offered by the City of Rotterdam, participants will travel to the opening event of DSFW hosted at the Fotomuseum where awarded SMEs work will be showcased.
Event programme
The final agenda will be confirmed soon.
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Arrival, Registration & Welcome |
| 09:30 – 11:00 | Session 1: Frameworks & Ecosystems The FABRIX story in 10 key milestones Keynote: Mariapaola Puglielli (PhD researcher, systemic design, Politecnico di Torino), "Visualizing textile ecosystems: A comparative network analysis of Lyon (FR) and Carpi (IT)" Keynote: Sebastien Deviers (Economic Development, Lille area), "Developing a local community towards circularity" |
| 11:00 – 11:20 | Coffee Break & Case Study Video Screenings |
| 11:20 – 12:40 | Session 2: Methodologies & Policy Application Deep dive: Intersecting academic, mapping, and community methodologies Policy application: Integrating circular economy plans in urban contexts |
| 12:40 – 14:10 | Lunch Break & De HER Facility Visit |
| 14:15 – 15:15 | Session 3: FABRIX Digital Infrastructure Live platform demonstration Presentation of tools: The Impact Compass and Learning Hub |
| 15:15 – 16:45 | Session 4: Roundtables with SMEs and Facilitators Roundtable 1: Circular and Sustainable Urban Business Roundtable 2: Design Solutions for Urban Wellbeing |
| 16:45 – 17:00 | Concluding Remarks |
How can you participate?
It is free to attend the conference and the evening event of the DSFW, but registration is required for all participants to ensure access to the entire event. A networking lunch is also included. Please register even if you're attending online so we can email you the link to watch the streaming!
Sign up on this page.
