27 April 2026
When it comes to home textiles, the quality of a product doesn't stop at what can be seen: colour, pattern, texture, the ability to enhance a space. Fabrics live in contact with the skin, the largest organ of the human body, and are present in every moment of everyday life. Sheets, pillowcases, towels, tablecloths, curtains, rugs, cushions and upholstery are not merely decorative elements: they are elements that inhabit spaces alongside people. Talking about home textiles today therefore also means talking about health, and asking not only what is visible at first glance, but also what remains invisible and still determines its value over time.
For this reason, on the occasion of Salone del Mobile Milano 2026, one of the most important international events for design and living, Slow Fiber drew attention to a crucial question concerning the sector as a whole: what does quality really mean when it comes to fabrics?
The quality of a fabric doesn't depend only on what is visible at first glance, on the fibres used or on its composition, but also on what isn't always visible: the entire production process, the way it was made, treated and finished, the substances used, and the traces that may remain on the product once processing is complete.
Some processes, such as dyeing and finishing, can in fact leave significant traces of harmful chemical substances on fabrics. Depending on production methods and the regulatory context in which processing takes place, fabrics may contain residues of heavy metals such as chromium, nickel, copper, cadmium, arsenic, lead and mercury, as well as formaldehyde, cobalt and certain azo dyes containing carcinogenic aromatic amines. Substances that, through contact or inhalation, can affect and harm consumers' health.
In Europe, the REACH Regulation, in force since 2007, governs the use of chemical substances, banning those whose hazardousness has been established and restricting those for which there is not yet sufficient evidence of harm. However, the complexity of international supply chains and the import of products made in non-European countries make checks increasingly complex.
This gives rise to another central point in Slow Fiber's reflection: transparency. Knowing the origin of raw materials, the processes a fabric goes through, and the substances used along the supply chain not only allows consumers to make more informed choices, but at the same time rewards companies that invest in responsible production.
"Just as attention to what we eat continues to grow, the same care should be given to what we use every day in the spaces we live in," says president Dario Casalini. "Consumers' demand for clear, precise and verifiable information can become a concrete tool to steer the market and accelerate change in the textile industry."
