Sustainability

Forssa Textile Week is a textile festival that highlights high-quality design,
sustainable production and textile art. Our goal is to promote the position of design
and sustainable textiles and create a topical arena for textiles.

Environmental: 

Mobility: The event is located in the city centre, easily accessible by foot and bicycle (bicycle parking available in front of library and Kuosikeskus entrance). If you travel by car, we encourage you to use the parking spots in the Spinning Mill (Wahreninkatu 4-13) or the Weaving Mill (Kutomonkuja / Tammenkuja) areas and walk between the locations. 

Raising awareness and good practices: through every part of the festival, we try to put in place and raise sustainability issues - from lectures to workshop topics. We also include the reuse and salvage of the materials when appropriate, particularly for the workshops and pop-ups. 

Materials and practices: during the event we increase awareness of ethical consumerism and usage of sustainable practices in textile production. We try to follow the policy of minimum waste and waste reusage. And all the producers meet the sustainable criteria of production.  

Eco-friendly: We reuse equipment from previous years: pop-up sales stands, vests, signs, and navigation markers. We also use environmentally friendly water-based paint for marking on the pavement. 

Sustain and adapt: One focus of sustainability in architecture and the built environment is to preserve and give second life to unused buildings. This year we try to use remarkable historical sites of Forssa or the empty commercial places to return life to them and contribute positively to their preservation.

Social 

Go local: We prefer to collaborate with local partners for our event (hotels, cafés and restaurants) in order to support the local economy.  

Inclusivity: The festival program is designed to be as inclusive as possible. It is for everyone who is interested in textiles, culture, and sustainable practices. Some of the older buildings present challenges to the accessibility of the facilities, but we attempt to address these issues in advance and adapt and learn as the event unfolds. 

Boosting community spirit: we welcome all the visitors to attend events. It is for everybody! If you do not want to attend lectures, take a look at exhibitions, participate in workshops or check out astonishing products by designers and producers. 

Social Responsibility Program: We work professionally, ethically and responsibly, taking care of the work environment and society. In 2024 we had 13 brilliant volunteers helping us on-site. If you want to participate as a volunteer, we will be glad to see you!  

 

Governance 

Transparent communication: We follow continuing communication with participants, producers, speakers, and artists. And with you, visitors, we try to be honest and open through our marketing processes and communication. 

Multi-actors: we try to unite different actors in one place: from local studios to big businesses, from artists to academics, from Finland to abroad. We believe that creating a platform for different actors will contribute to the textile industry of Finland and boost the international cooperation. We operate on a local, national and international level. 

Fair economic impact: We are working to attract more people to the city and to make it a more vibrant place. People attracted by the event will generate revenue for local businesses and service providers. We also invest in local development by renting facilities and buying local know-how and services to support the implementation of the event. Forssa Textile Week influence is positive for Forssa, local residents as well as entrepreneurs and companies arriving from other parts of the country.