Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

That was the overwhelming message from a recent taster session of the upcoming Munich Fabric Start trade show, which kicks off in January.

While the fashion industry is making considerable efforts to push for progress, said Muchaneta ten Napel, founder and CEO of Shape Innovate and a longtime host of the twice-yearly event, the environment it has created is not conducive to transformation.

“I think it embraces it for the moment, but doesn’t know how to nourish it,” she said. “And I’ve come to the conclusion that the system needs to change. We’re changing the way fashion operates by creating these amazing tools, but fundamentally, the system itself hasn’t changed.”

The industry may not have any choice in the matter, however. Stricter regulatory mandates, the arrival of digital product passports and a mounting waste crisis are converging to force brands and manufacturers to adapt.…