Report of a DNFI Conference Call

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Noon, GMT

Participants in the Conference call: Małgorzata Zimniewska (Chair of DNFI) and Izabela Maciejowska, Institute of Natural Fibres & Medicinal Plants; Allen Terhaar and Kevin Latner, Cotton Council International; Wilson Andrade, SINDIFIBRAS and Chair of the International Natural Fibre Organization; Stefan Schmidt, Industrieverband Veredlung - Garne - Gewebe - Technische Textilien e.V.; Karl Spilhaus, Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute; Terry Townsend, International Cotton Advisory Committee; Elisabeth van Delden, International Wool Textile Organization.

DNFI Members, who sent their opinion to DNFI Secretariat by email: Michael Carus, Nova-Institut GmbH, Ignacy Jozkowicz, Gdynia Cotton Association and Peter Clasen, WILHELM G. CLASEN e.K.

Next Meeting:

The date(s) for future meetings have not been set. Wilson reported that FAO, the Intergovernmental Group on Hard Fibres, and Jute are tentatively scheduled to meet in Colombo, Sri Lanka during4-8 November2013, and he suggested that DNFI may wish to meet adjacent to that gathering. Participants agreed that this would be a good opportunity to liaise with representatives of these fiber groups.

DNFI has traditionally met in Januaryin Frankfurt during Heimtextil, and most participants in the conference call felt that this tradition should be maintained.

Feedback from DNFI members on the suitability of each date and location is requested.

Report of the Meeting

1. DNFI structure – changes necessary to improve activity: should DNFI involve individuals, research organizations and companies, in addition to organizations?

Participant in the conference call agreed that DNFI should be inclusive, rather than exclusive. There was agreement that individuals, companies and research organizations that are willing to work for the enhancement of natural fiber industries should be welcomed into the DNFI.

There were concerns that an enlarged membership would require a more explicit management structure to ensure that DNFI stays focused on improvement of natural fiber industries. There was agreement that only companies and persons that represent the interests of natural fibers as defined for the IYNF 2009 should be accepted within DNFI.

Małgorzata and Terry will call Wilson to get the views of INFO regarding membership and structure of DNFI, and then report those views to all DNFI members.

Elisabeth suggested that DNFI should have some form of Terms of Reference or a Code of Conduct to give the network a bit more structure and direction. She noted that having a document like this would also make it easier to recruit additional members to the DNFI network. Elisabeth said that IWTO has had success with such a document when organizing working groups, and she provided a “drafty draft” for DNFI as a starting point to which all members can contribute and make changes. The “drafty draft” of the terms of reference is attached to this report.

2. Types of Activities Suggested for DNFI: international fairs; conferences; other

Participants agreed that participation in fairs and conferences is desirable, provided that DNFI can be a reliable partner with event organizers to ensure a positive image for natural fibers. There was a strong sense that DNFI and natural fiber advocates should take advantage of every opportunity to the positive attributes of natural fibers. Potential fairs include Heimtextil, Techtextil, and ITMA.

3. Definition of Natural Fibers: necessity of dissemination of the definition used during the IYNF 2009 to draw a distinction between natural fibers and man-made fibers from natural sources.

There was strong agreement that DNFI should endorse the definition of natural fibers used during the IYNF 2009, i.e.: "(...) Natural fibres are greatly elongated substances produced by plantsand animals that can be spun into filaments, thread or rope(...)".

It was noted that this definition had been adopted after a process of consultation and approval within the UN system. It was also agreed that DNFI would not try to label fibers that are not defined as “natural.” Nor will DNFI criticize other fibers or fiber organizations.

4. Promotion of Natural Fibers: answering allegations that natural fibers are not competitive because of supply disruptions, quality variations and other factors.

Participants in the conference call agreed that DNFI activities should endorse the use of natural fibers and extoll the benefits of natural fiber industries. However, responses to specific allegations need to be undertaken by individual industry groups.

The conference call was adjourned at 13:00 GMT.