The environment and ethically sourced fashion will be on the agenda in London this coming autumn when leading non-profit organisations the RITE Group and the Ethical Fashion Forum run two major textile events alongside each other.

Located together for the first time at Central Hall, Westminster, London, on 6th October, the RITE Group conference on sustainable textiles and clothing will welcome the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) with its newly named Ethical Fashion Source exhibition (formerly Global Sourcing Marketplace), which hopes to attract up to 1000 sourcing professionals.

Current speakers at the 4th annual RITE conference, which is supported by Tesco, include Baroness Lola Young OBE, Marks & Spencer, Forum for the Future, DuPont, DEFRA, surfwear brand Finisterre, the Textile Recycling Association, and the new president of Huntsman Textile Effects, among others. Other speakers, to be announced shortly, will supplement environmental breakout sessions on textile fibre selection, GM textiles, dyeing and finishing, textile and garment recycling, and ethical sourcing.

Organisers say that because the two separate UK events will now run alongside each other it offers major clothing retailers and brands a new, unique knowledge and sourcing platform as well as a useful point of call for small high street boutiques and industry professionals wanting to know more about sourcing sustainable textiles and ethically-made clothing.

"The RITE Group has an inclusive approach to textile sustainability but we purposely focus on environmental aspects,” explained RITE Group Chairman Phil Patterson. “However we also recognise that environmental and ethical issues are often difficult to separate and many of our supporters have asked us to give more time to ethical considerations. With this in mind, we are therefore delighted to partner with the Ethical Fashion Forum and firmly believe its input into the RITE event will be interesting, stimulating and above all very useful ".

Tamsin Lejeune, Managing Director of the Ethical Fashion Forum added, "This collaboration is an excellent opportunity to increase the impact and profile of both events. We hope that a joint event will make it easier for fashion professionals to engage with sustainability in their work. For the Ethical Fashion Source Exhibition, this will mean increased opportunities and access to market for the fair trade suppliers and groups exhibiting and the communities they support.”

The Ethical Fashion Source Exhibition is the annual industry trade show for suppliers of ethical and fair trade fabrics, components, and manufacture to the fashion industry, which launched last year as the Global Sourcing Marketplace.

RITE is an acronym for Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment and is a UK not-for-profit organisation run by industry volunteers. It was founded in 2007 by Marks & Spencer, Ecotextile News and the University of Leeds and is supported by around 70 international textile companies and retailers. It holds an annual conference in London and undertakes work with similar international organisations and responsible textile companies to lower the environmental impact of textiles production. www.ritegroup.org

The Ethical Fashion Source exhibition is expected to attract around 50 exhibitors and up to 1000 visitors. In addition to holding the event in partnership with RITE, the Ethical Fashion Source exhibition is supported by The Fair Trade Foundation, MADE BY, Organic Exchange and PAN UK. www.ethicalfashionforum.com