The Finnish Textile & Fashion Forum 2025, held on October 1st at Pikku Finlandia in Helsinki, brought together key players from Finland’s textile and fashion industry to explore one pressing question: how can we build a truly sustainable future?
As one of the leading annual events in the field, the Forum serves as a meeting point and platform for new insights, collaborations, and actions that drive the sector forward. The textile and fashion industry plays a vital role in Finland’s creative and industrial ecosystem, and gatherings like this highlight its importance in both the green transition and the future of sustainable growth.
Regulating or innovating?
Brightplus CEO Milja Hannu-Kuure took part in the thought-provoking panel “Towards Sustainability by Regulating or Innovating” alongside leading experts Reet Aus, Robert van de Kerkhof and Ida Urmas. Together, they explored how regulation, innovation and collaboration can accelerate the shift towards circularity in the textile sector.
The discussion highlighted that while regulation sets the framework, true transformation requires innovation and cooperation across the value chain. The panelists examined the opportunities and challenges of advancing circularity from design and materials to production, upcycling and recycling.
As Milja noted, “Different interpretations of circularity can lead to misaligned or even superficial outcomes. We need shared frameworks, transparency and measurable criteria to make circularity real and scalable.”
BrightBio® – a safe and recyclable textile coating designed for circularity
During the session, Milja introduced BrightBio®, a bio-based and recyclable textile coating developed by Brightplus. Unlike conventional coatings that hinder recycling and may contain harmful chemicals, BrightBio® is designed for true circularity. It is non-toxic, PFAS-free and Oeko-Tex Class 100 certified. It extends the lifespan of textiles through water repellency, durability and breathability, while remaining fully recyclable and customizable in both appearance and performance.
“Circularity is truly in our DNA. We don’t start from virgin resources; we use undervalued industrial side streams that would otherwise end up as waste. The result is a material that extends the life of products and ensures they can be recycled at the end of their life cycle.”
Circularity is a team effort
Scaling circularity, Milja emphasized, requires joint effort across the entire value chain, from raw material providers to manufacturers, brands and recyclers.
“Responsibility is a team effort. If we want to change how the industry works, everyone must invest time, resources and expertise to scale new solutions to industrial level.”
A concrete example of this collaborative approach is Brightplus’ partnership with Lovia, where shared innovation resulted in a product that is more affordable for consumers, more profitable for the brand and more sustainable for the planet.
Meeting President Tarja Halonen – insights on the role of the public sector
During the event, Milja also had the honor of meeting President Tarja Halonen. Their conversation touched on the public sector’s role in supporting domestic innovators. President Halonen encouraged companies to speak up, take pride in their work and engage in broader societal dialogue.
She also reminded us to embrace our Northern perspective, one shaped by our environment and the rhythm of four distinct seasons, and how it informs the way we design and develop materials for global impact.
Looking ahead and thank you
The panel’s message was clear: circularity is not optional, it is a necessity. Scaling it will demand safe and innovative materials, shared metrics and deep collaboration across the value chain.
At Brightplus, we believe that sustainable materials should not be an exclusive luxury, but an everyday reality accessible to all.
A heartfelt thank you to Finnish Textile & Fashion for organizing an inspiring event, and to fellow panelists Reet Aus, Robert van de Kerkhof and Ida Urmas for a rich and insightful discussion. Events like these reinforce our commitment to developing innovations rooted in our environment, with functional properties ready for global impact.