02 October 2025
Osaka, a crossroads of ancient traditions and technological innovation, hosted the 35th edition of the Universal Exposition. With the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives," Expo 2025 called upon institutions, businesses, and citizens from around the world to reflect on how to build a society capable of concretely improving people's quality of life.
Within this international context, the Italian Pavilion hosted Piedmont's Week of Leadership, an opportunity for discussion where the region's leading companies showcased their ability to combine manufacturing tradition and innovative vision.
Dario Casalini, president of Slow Fiber, spoke here, bringing a vision of textiles capable of transcending geographical and cultural boundaries.
Today, the textile supply chain is considered one of the longest, most complex and most impactful: before becoming a finished garment, a fiber goes through numerous production steps, with significant consequences for the environment, natural resources, and global social balance.
The spread of fast and ultra-fast fashion has further exacerbated this situation, imposing unsustainable production rates, lowering product quality, and generating increasingly difficult to manage waste.
Because fabrics are an integral part of our daily lives, it's essential to initiate a change that puts value, responsibility, and awareness at the center. Building a textile supply chain that respects the environment and people means transforming production and consumption into choices that generate benefits throughout the product's entire life cycle.
During his speech, Casalini reiterated the goals of the Slow Fiber network:
• Strengthen a supply chain that shares common values, from Piedmont to the world;
• Make manufacturing attractive again for young people, restoring dignity and pride to work;
• Educate people about responsible consumption, capable of creating real and lasting value.
"Our vision is based on five fundamental principles: good, healthy, clean, fair, and durable. Each of these guides our every choice," stated Dario Casalini, President of Slow Fiber, during his speech. "Each principle translates into practices that respect the environment and protect the health and safety of both producers and users. 'Slow' textiles are designed to last, to generate real value, awareness, and to support new production and consumption paradigms."
In conclusion, Casalini emphasized the importance of an international perspective for the association: "The dream is to give the project a global dimension, for example by creating a Japanese Slow Fiber. The values underlying Slow Fiber transcend national boundaries; they belong to all humanity."
