The Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW®) is pleased to announce Eleonora Zaffaroni, Sales and B.U. Manager at EUROJERSEY S.p.A., as a speaker at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026, taking place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 21–22 October.
Eleonora will present “Fabric Solutions for Climate-Ready Uniforms,” exploring how considered fabric selection can help professional clothing programmes respond to changing climatic conditions while reducing environmental impact.
Her contribution will connect fabric performance, responsible manufacturing and digital product development, demonstrating why material choice is fundamental to both wearer experience and the environmental footprint of professional clothing.
Preparing uniforms for changing conditions
Professional clothing needs to perform across increasingly demanding working environments.
For wearers operating outdoors or across changing temperatures and conditions, the properties of the fabric can have a direct impact on comfort and usability throughout the working day.
Eleonora will examine how fabric characteristics including breathability, easy care and UV protection can contribute to uniforms designed with changing climatic conditions in mind.
EUROJERSEY produces warp-knitted fabrics composed of polyamide and elastane at its manufacturing operation north of Milan, with its finished products made entirely in Italy.
The company’s experience will provide the basis for Eleonora’s exploration of how textile performance can support the development of uniforms that respond to both wearer and environmental requirements.
Fabric choice as part of climate action
Eleonora’s central message is that fabric selection should be considered an important part of the industry’s response to climate change.
The environmental impact of a uniform begins well before the finished garment enters service.
Raw materials, manufacturing processes, energy use, emissions and product development can all contribute to its overall footprint.
For EUROJERSEY, measuring environmental impact began before it became a regulatory requirement, based on the company’s principle of seeking to “do better with less.”
Eleonora will provide an overview of the company’s environmental approach and the measures being used to monitor and reduce emissions throughout its operations.
Measuring environmental performance
A key part of Eleonora’s presentation will focus on how environmental performance can be measured and communicated.
EUROJERSEY was the first textile company in Italy to obtain Made Green in Italy certification, a voluntary national scheme for communicating the environmental footprint of products.
Eleonora will explore the company’s manufacturing process and how environmental measurement is being incorporated into the way its fabrics are produced.
The wider message for the professional clothing industry is that environmental responsibility increasingly requires measurable evidence.
Understanding the impact associated with material production can give manufacturers, designers and buyers stronger information when comparing potential textile solutions.
Balancing performance and environmental impact
Reducing environmental impact cannot mean overlooking the functional requirements of professional clothing.
Uniform fabrics still need to perform throughout demanding working conditions while providing comfort and maintaining their intended appearance.
Eleonora will examine how EUROJERSEY approaches this balance through fabrics designed around properties such as breathability, easy care and UV protection.
Easy-care characteristics can also form part of the wider lifecycle conversation, as the way a garment is maintained throughout its working life contributes to its overall resource use.
The challenge is therefore to consider environmental performance and wearer performance together rather than treating them as separate objectives.
Using digital tools to reduce development waste
Eleonora will also introduce EUROJERSEY’s Digital Library, demonstrating how digitalisation can support a more efficient fabric development process.
Traditional product development can involve numerous physical samples as designers and manufacturers assess materials, colours and potential applications.
Digital tools provide an opportunity to accelerate parts of this process while reducing unnecessary fabric sampling and associated material waste.
For professional clothing businesses developing complex collections, reducing waste before production begins can contribute to both environmental and operational efficiency.
It also demonstrates how sustainability improvements can extend beyond the physical fabric itself and into the processes used to select and develop materials.
Supporting informed material decisions
As professional clothing businesses respond to changing environmental expectations, the information available around fabrics is becoming increasingly important.
Performance characteristics, environmental impact and recognised certifications all contribute to understanding whether a textile is appropriate for a particular uniform programme.
EUROJERSEY’s manufacturing processes and products are supported by international certification services designed to demonstrate conformity with relevant standards.
For Eleonora, bringing these elements together can help businesses make more informed fabric choices – considering how a textile performs for the wearer alongside how consciously it has been produced.
The Implementation Phase
Eleonora’s contribution reflects the wider theme of the PCIAW® Summit 2026 – “The Implementation Phase.”
Creating more climate-ready professional clothing requires sustainability ambitions to translate into practical decisions around the materials used, how they are manufactured and how products are developed.
Fabric selection is one of the earliest and most influential of those decisions.
By combining performance characteristics with environmental measurement, responsible production and digital development tools, Eleonora will demonstrate how textile manufacturers can contribute to uniforms designed for a changing climate while reducing unnecessary environmental impact.
Her key message is that the path towards more climate-ready uniforms begins with conscious fabric choice and conscious fabric production.
Eleonora Zaffaroni will present “Fabric Solutions for Climate-Ready Uniforms” at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026.
The event takes place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London, on 21–22 October 2026.
