Italy meets Japan | Exploring Sustainability in Fashion
The inaugural event, dedicated to fashion with an emphasis on leather goods , was hosted at the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ICCJ) and attendees included Pasquale Salzano, Director of European and International Affairs at CDP, Gianluigi Benedetti, the Ambassador of Italy to Japan and Mario Vattani, the Commissioner General for Italy Expo Osaka 2025, together with representatives from the fashion and sustainability sectors of both countries.
The fashion industry plays a pivotal role in the Made in Italy brand in Japan, where Italy is the second-largest exporter of leather goods and the sixth-largest exporter of clothing. Italy's unique position as the only non-Asian country in the top ten exporters highlights its significance in the Japanese market.
Our exports to Japan have historically relied on textiles, footwear and leather goods, a trend that has persisted and even strengthened in 2024, accounting for 26% of our total exports to the Japanese market. These figures highlight the significant influence of the supply chain on the Japanese market, which ranks as the fourth-largest in the world for clothing consumption, following the United States, China and the European Union.
It was also emphasised that the global fashion industry, boasting a global turnover of around 2.2 trillion euro and providing employment to 300 million people throughout the entire value chain, generates between 8% and 10% of global emissions, exceeding those from international air and sea transport. Hence, the importance of adopting sustainable practices throughout the entire value chain was highlighted, with presentations featuring tangible examples of eco-sustainable projects undertaken by Italian and Japanese companies.
Italian companies, connected remotely via the CDP Business Matching engaged with the event in an immersive manner through the newly launched platform, Digital Expo Center: a 3-D space where companies, represented by digital avatars, could participate in webinars, set up virtual stands, explore the exhibition area and schedule B2B meetings. During the event, all Italian and Japanese companies had the chance to explore a virtual environment featuring an Auditorium for viewing the live streaming of this webinar in Italian and Japanese, as well as a Digital Expo Center for promoting products and services and scheduling B2B meetings between participating companies.