Natural Fiber Connect 2024

Baptiste brings together expertise from all corners of the Apparel and Footwear ecosystem. During his days at Decathlon, an international sports producer and retailer, he held various positions in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, focusing on quality and sustainability. After eight years of field experience, he established and led Decathlon's first global sustainability department. He subsequently relocated to Amsterdam in 2014 and joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, launching their European Office, leading their transparency and European activities, and initiating the Social and Labor Convergence Program ( SLCP ). In 2019, with Bente Bauer, he launched 2BPolicy, a consulting firm at the intersection of sustainability and policy, supporting brands, organizations and actors of the industry ecosystem to understand and operationalize the change brought by legislation. He chairs several Technical Secretariats and Scientific Committees. He is a Senior Advisor at the BCG. Baptiste also works on the family organic and agroforestry wine estate in Southern France.

Frances van Hasselt is a designer and entrepreneur focusing on developing mohair textiles in South Africa. Raised on a mohair farm in the Karoo, van Hasselt has a deep affinity for this natural fibre. She has spent the last several years developing a business designed to elevate mohair to a more prominent status as one of the world’s most ancient, exclusive fibres. Her role in creating an inclusive, sustainable supply chain specifically adapted to the eco-system of the South African textile industry earned her a Mandela Washington Fellowship. Visit website francesvh.com

Specialized in Chemical Analysis Techniques of Textile Materials, since 2020 he has been working in ICEA (Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification), one of the main Italian certification bodies in the field of organic and sustainable production, both in the Food and Non-Food sectors. He is currently the Coordinator of audit and certification activities of ICEA textile area (GOTS, TE, SFA, NATIVA). He is also the technical coordinator of the Green Building area.