Challenge the Fabric is hosted by Ekman & Co, a global sales and marketing organization, strategically aligning buyers and sellers of forest products around the world.
CTF is organized by the Swedish Fashion Council (SFC), an industry organization that works to promote, educate, and innovate the fashion industry for it to become competitive, sustainable and relevant in our changing world.
CTF convenes brands, suppliers, manufacturers, innovators, and policymakers to turn shared challenges into shared solutions—moving the MMCF ecosystem from discussion to real action. As a pioneering cross industry initiative, CTF is the platform that connects the entire manmade cellulosic fibre (MMCF) value chain. We align the industry, accelerate progress, and drive action that strengthens performance and raises industry standards across the whole sector.
Challenge the Fabric is built on the belief that meaningful impact happens through collaboration. As the only platform that unites the full MMCF ecosystem — from raw material to finished garment — CTF enables industry players to meet, exchange knowledge, and shape practical solutions. We connect leaders from the fashion, textile, and forest industries who together are defining the future of MMCF.
By aligning stakeholders, accelerating progress, and driving action, CTF connects the entire MMCF ecosystem—from raw material to finished garment—and creates a platform where the industry can grow, innovate, and develop together.
CTF provides the space for brands, producers, manufacturers, innovators, policymakers, and NGOs to come together and build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities within the MMCF value chain.
By aligning expectations, needs, and definitions across the sector, CTF creates a strong foundation for responsible industry-wide growth, supported by a unified and forward-looking approach to development and implementation.
Alignment ensures that everyone—regardless of their place in the value chain—is helping each other to move forward with clarity and purpose.
The MMCF industry is evolving, and progress depends on fast knowledge flow, innovation, cooperation between different industry groups and areas of expertise. CTF accelerates this progress by connecting stakeholders who might otherwise remain isolated in their own parts of the value chain. Through events, discussions, and shared resources, CTF offers tools that support the continued advancement and efficiency of the MMCF ecosystem.
By strengthening networks and opening pathways for innovation, CTF helps the industry take the next step faster—together.
CTF moves the industry beyond dialogue and into practical implementation. This includes simplifying communication across the value chain, creating a shared meeting point that accelerates collaboration between stakeholder groups, access to a wider network, and providing a dedicated space for openly voicing challenges, ideas, and opportunities to drive meaningful improvement across the MMCF industry.
By supporting concrete actions across the value chain, CTF aims to elevate industry performance and drives the development of resilient and forwardlooking MMCF systems.
Man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCFs) are a group of regenerative fibres that are conventionally derived from wood, and/or other sources of cellulose such as cotton rich textiles or for e.g. agricultural waste. Through different manufacturing processes, the cellulose is dissolved then extruded into a variety of fibres including viscose, lyocell, acetate, cupro and modal. MMCFs have the third largest share in global fibre production after polyester and cotton. They are a set of fibres with increasing importance and great potential from a sustainability perspective if the cellulose is sourced sustainably and/or derived through recycling processes, and the processing chemicals are handled properly.
Challenge the Fabric is hosted by Ekman & Co, a global sales and marketing organization, strategically aligning buyers and sellers of forest products around the world.
CTF is organized by the Swedish Fashion Council (SFC), an industry organization that works to promote, educate, and innovate the fashion industry for it to become competitive, sustainable and relevant in our changing world.
Around the globe, companies turn to Ekman for market guidance and knowledge. Since our incorporation in Sweden 1802, Ekman has earned a solid reputation for reliability, competence and service. Our highly competent and motivated staff, long history in the marketing and sales of forest products, and experience in creating solutions for related financial and logistical matters, help us live up to this reputation. Ekman offers a wide range of services, covering the entire forest products supply chain and we contribute valuable market intelligence to each stage of our business partners’ enterprises.
At the core of Ekman’s strategy is our focus on building long-term partnerships with business partners. The transparency we operate under has proven to be a successful shift in the way our industry has historically conducted business. Our partners value close and mutually beneficial relationships. Ekman strives to deepen its long-term relationships with existing partners and seeks to develop opportunities through new partnerships.
SFC is an industry organisation that aims to guide the fashion industry into the future, establishing Sweden as the global leader of the industry’s new era. Together with a strong community, SFC works to promote, educate, and innovate the fashion industry for it to become competitive, sustainable and relevant in our changing world.
Established in 1979, the core of the organisation’s work consists of leading research projects, providing industry reports and supporting the next generation of fashion leaders through its incubator program, SFC [Incubator].
SFC is owned by the Swedish Trade Federation.
