Programme Overview

The final programme will be published in January 2026. What follows is a working outline to guide partners and participants.

Programme Overview

The final programme will be published in January 2026. What follows is a working outline to guide partners and participants.

Mon, 18

May 2026

Registration and accreditation, Badge collection, and access checks. Hours may be adjusted subject to operational confirmation. (12:00 – 20:00)

Late arrival support Travel concierge support for late arrivals. Airport transfers are pre-booked only and are subject to confirmation (12:00 – 23:00)

Bilateral meetings. Pre-arranged meetings only, by invitation and prior confirmation. (13:00 – 17:30)

Exhibition setup and partner walkthroughs. Operational setup. Limited walkthrough access for exhibitors and invited delegations. (14:00 – 18:00)

Tue, 19

May 2026

Town halls, value-chain dialogues and circular infrastructure (10:00 – 16:00)

Day two sets the full chain, upstream and downstream. Pan-African and international town halls bring experiences from partner markets in West, East & Southern Africa together with exporting markets in Europe, North America & Asia. Discussions focus on Extended Producer Responsibility design and implementation, import quality, sampling, fee signals & compliance, so responsibilities and incentives are understood on both sides of trade.

Targeted dialogues connect importers with exporters, retailers with importers, & brands & charities with downstream leaders to align data needs, labelling, returns pathways & dispute resolution. A dedicated track examines Ghana’s waste system and circular infrastructure opportunities, linking local service needs with international procurement and finance, & identifying where pilots can scale into investable projects.

Wed, 20

May 2026

Akosombo and Juapong industrial excursion (full day)

Delegates travel outside Accra to see how downstream evidence can anchor industry. The Akosombo regeneration initiative demonstrates sorting, repair & end-of-life management within a circular infrastructure model. At Juapong Textiles, discussions focus on routes to fibre reintegration & scalable manufacturing. The excursion provides a live reference for policy, design & investment work on the following days.

Thu, 21

May 2026

Official opening, plenary and working group findings (10:00 – 16:00)

The President of the Republic of Ghana will formally open the Summit. Plenary keynotes follow, then a consolidated presentation of working group outputs. Sessions test project plans against evidence gathered through CremeXchange, lessons from 2025 on market returns & buy back, & progress on downstream carbon methods, ensuring proposals are realistic and ready for partner adoption.

Fri, 22

May 2026

Global Roundtable, exhibitions and evening finale

The final morning seats every segment of the chain at the Global Roundtable to confirm commitments, timelines and reporting lines for the year ahead. Exhibitions of market-ready solutions run through the day. In the evening, the Landmark Circular Fashion and Innovation Awards will be paired with an upcycle fashion event that showcases scalable approaches, closing the week with a clear signal on what will be supported and replicated.

Programme Overview

The final programme will be published in January 2026. What follows is a working outline to guide partners and participants.

Mon, 18

May 2026

Arrivals, Accreditation, Bilaterals, Exhibition Set Up (10:00 – 16:00)

The first day is reserved for arrivals, orientation and pre-arranged high-level meetings. Government delegations, market leaders, brands, exporters, importers, retailers & development partners will use the day for bilateral meetings that set priorities for the week. The exhibition opens and remains accessible throughout the Summit. A welcome networking event will take place in the evening.

Tue, 19

May 2026

Town halls, value-chain dialogues and circular infrastructure (10:00 – 16:00)

Day two sets the full chain, upstream and downstream. Pan-African and international town halls bring experiences from partner markets in West, East & Southern Africa together with exporting markets in Europe, North America & Asia. Discussions focus on Extended Producer Responsibility design and implementation, import quality, sampling, fee signals & compliance, so responsibilities and incentives are understood on both sides of trade.

Targeted dialogues connect importers with exporters, retailers with importers, & brands & charities with downstream leaders to align data needs, labelling, returns pathways & dispute resolution. A dedicated track examines Ghana’s waste system and circular infrastructure opportunities, linking local service needs with international procurement and finance, & identifying where pilots can scale into investable projects.

Wed, 20

May 2026

Akosombo and Juapong industrial excursion (full day)

Delegates travel outside Accra to see how downstream evidence can anchor industry. The Akosombo regeneration initiative demonstrates sorting, repair & end-of-life management within a circular infrastructure model. At Juapong Textiles, discussions focus on routes to fibre reintegration & scalable manufacturing. The excursion provides a live reference for policy, design & investment work on the following days.

Thu, 21

May 2026

Official opening, plenary and working group findings (10:00 – 16:00)

The President of the Republic of Ghana will formally open the Summit. Plenary keynotes follow, then a consolidated presentation of working group outputs. Sessions test project plans against evidence gathered through CremeXchange, lessons from 2025 on market returns & buy back, & progress on downstream carbon methods, ensuring proposals are realistic and ready for partner adoption.

Fri, 22

May 2026

Global Roundtable, exhibitions and evening finale

The final morning seats every segment of the chain at the Global Roundtable to confirm commitments, timelines and reporting lines for the year ahead. Exhibitions of market-ready solutions run through the day. In the evening, the Landmark Circular Fashion and Innovation Awards will be paired with an upcycle fashion event that showcases scalable approaches, closing the week with a clear signal on what will be supported and replicated.

Monday 18 May 2026

Arrivals, Accreditation, Bilaterals, Exhibition Set Up

Time Item Notes for delegates
12:00–20:00
Registration and accreditation
Badge collection and access checks. Hours may adjust subject to operational confirmation
12:00–23:00
Late arrival support
Travel concierge support for late arrivals. Airport transfers are pre-booked only, subject to confirmation.
13:00–17:30
Bilateral meetings
Pre arranged meetings only, by invitation and prior confirmation.
14:00–18:00
Exhibition set up and partner walkthroughs
Operational set up. Limited walkthrough access for exhibitors and invited delegations.

Tuesday 19 May 2026

Downstream Markets Assembly & Pan African Trade Alignment
Theme: TRACE. ACCOUNT. REBUILD.
Labadi Beach Hotel, Accra - Ghana

What this day delivers

Day 1 Opens Landfills2Landmarks 2026 with the part of the system where outcomes are decided. Importing markets across Africa are where clothing is sorted, priced, repaired, rejected, re directed into recovery, or pushed into residual streams. These are decision environments, not endpoints.

The Downstream Markets Assembly brings together used clothing dealer associations and market unions from across African importing markets, alongside exporters, graders, sorters, importers, wholesalers, retailers, recyclers and public authorities. The focus is practical: how quality decline is affecting reuse viability, how sorting thresholds are shifting, how labour absorbs loss when resale fails, and how residual volumes move when recovery pathways are limited.

The day produces a shared evidence baseline that carries directly into standards, traceability, policy interpretation, governance coordination and investment sessions later in the week.

Hosted with

The Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association, with visiting used clothing dealer associations and market unions from across African importing markets.

Who this day is for

Trade associations and market unions, importers and wholesalers, exporters, graders and sorters, retailers, repair and recovery operators, regulators and public agencies, standards bodies, brands and charities engaging with downstream accountability, researchers and accredited media.

Outputs

A documented baseline on reuse viability, sorting thresholds, labour exposure and residual pathways across importing markets. A mapped view of where trade decisions create downstream loss or stability across the chain. A set of priority questions carried into Day 2 standards and policy sessions and Day 3 governance coordination.

Time Item Notes for delegates
9:30
Arrival and registration
10:00
Opening welcome and mandate setting
Bbrief opening address
10:20
Pan African market evidence session: reuse viability under quality decline
Structured interventions
10:20
Tea break
11:45
Trade decision systems spotlight: exporter to importer to retailer
Paired dialogue, evidence based
12:30
Lunch
13:30
Launch walkthrough: Exhibition, Market Environment and Global Bale Labs
Guided orientation
14:15
Labour, livelihoods and system strain: what changes when resale fails
Structured evidence capture
15:10
Policy and regulatory examination: trade, customs, EPA, standards, local government
Evidence led exchange
16:10
Reference capture and close: what is now on record for the week
Facilitated synthesis
18:00
Welcome Cocktail
Networking

Wednesday 20 May 2026

Summit Opening Day, Plenary, Standards, Traceability and Shared Responsibility

Wednesday is the Summit’s opening plenary day and establishes a shared frame for the week. Exporting side policy direction is examined alongside downstream market outcomes. Decisions made across the value chain, from product design and collection, through sorting, export, import, retail, and end-of-life handling, determine whether textiles remain in productive use or enter disposal systems.

The programme combines senior keynotes with chaired policy dialogues. These sessions aim to clarify cross-boundary responsibility, develop export strategies tailored for different markets, and define the practical requirements for standards and traceability in real markets. Local importer and retail perspectives are integrated into the plenary sequence to ensure that discussions remain implementable and grounded in day-to-day trade realities.

Charities, collectors, exporters, sorters, regulators, standards bodies, brands, investors, and market associations are engaged in sessions. These sessions clarify what can be verified, what can be required, and what safeguards protect reuse and livelihoods.

Global Bale Labs runs throughout the day. Routed observation blocks during breaks and lunch keep debate anchored in observed evidence. The day closes by confirming the priority questions that carry into Thursday’s Global Roundtable and investment discussions.

Time Session Lead and format Core focus
08:30–09:10
Arrival routing and seating
Secretariat
Protocol arrivals, seating discipline, delegation routing
09:10–09:20
Cultural interlude
Short formal interlude
A brief cultural opening that grounds the week in Ghana’s hosting context
09:20–09:30
Chair’s welcome address
Chair, Landfills 2 Landmarks Foundation
The week’s purpose, how evidence and policy connect, what needs to be resolved by Thursday
09:30–09:40
Special guest address, reserved
Address, subject to confirmation
Reserved protocol slot, subject to confirmation
09:40–10:05
Keynote 1, Ghana garments and textiles policy direction
Ministerial keynote invited
National direction on garments, trade integrity, industrial pathway, and downstream outcomes as policy input
10:05–10:30
Keynote 2, Ghana EPR pathway and enforceability
EPA Ghana keynote invited
EPR pathway, enforceability questions, institutional roles, evidence and infrastructure needs
10:30–10:40
Exporting jurisdictions address
EU and international participation invited, subject to confirmation
Export side policy direction on EPR, sorting expectations, transparency requirements, and downstream outcomes
10:40–10:50
Downstream market address
Ghana/Africa importer and retail representation, chaired
What fit for purpose consignments mean at point of import, dispute realities, retail quality thresholds, and market impacts
10:50–11:15
Coffee break
Networking
Bilateral pulls and routed Bale Labs observation blocks
11:15–12:00
Policy Dialogue 1, Shared responsibility across borders
Chaired policy dialogue
Allocation of obligations across exporting and importing jurisdictions, including roles for brands, charities, collectors, sorters, exporters, importers, market associations, and regulators
12:00–12:05
Changeover
Content
Content
12:05-12:50
Policy Dialogue 2, Fit for purpose export, sorting standards, and verification
Chaired policy dialogue with standards participation
Harmonised upstream sorting standards, downstream grading language, verification boundaries, documentation, and a timed dispute rout
12:50–13:50
Policy Dialogue 2, Fit for purpose export, sorting standards, and verification
Chaired policy dialogue with standards participation
Chaired policy dialogue with standards participation
12:50–13:5
Lunch
Hosted
Bale Labs observation blocks and bilateral slots routed through the break
13:50–14:20
Headline sponsor keynote, TRI
Keynote address
Trade led compliance readiness at scale, sorting discipline, documentation practice, and market protection without destabilising reuse
14:20–14:25
Changeover
14:25–15:10
Brand keynote plus structured responses, Quality, durability, and reuse system integrity
Keynote with moderated responses
How product decisions drive downstream outcomes, returns and unsellables exposure, impacts on charity collection economics, and what “responsible after export” requires in practice
15:10–15:35
Coffee break
Reset
Media pulls, routed Bale Labs observation blocks
15:35–15:40
Working plenary, Traceability that regulators and trade can use
Working plenary, chaired
Minimum data set, verification boundaries, batch level outcomes, workable reporting, and role based visibility for the value chain
16:20–16:25
Changeover
16:25–16:55
International system lessons, what transfers and what does not
Moderated panel, chaired
Implementation lessons, enforcement models, market stability safeguards, and design linked requirements
16:55–17:00
Plenary close, Thursday questions
Chair summary
Priority questions carried into the Global Roundtable and investment sessions

Thursday 21 May 2026

Evidence to capital to application, Global Roundtable in the morning, Circular Investment Forum in the afternoon, Fashion and Design Showcase in the evening.

GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE
Thursday 21 May 2026, 09:30 to 12:30

The Global Roundtable is the Summit’s formal evidence session. A defined set of senior representatives across the value chain will review what has been observed and recorded during the week and test what shared responsibility looks like in workable, enforceable terms.

Participation is structured across exporting jurisdictions and importing market systems, alongside standards bodies, brands and retailers, charities and collectors, sorters and exporters, importers and trader associations, recyclers and processors, investors and DFIs, and downstream market leadership.

The session works from the Summit’s evidence base, including Live Bale Labs signals, market inspections, town hall inputs, and the issues surfaced in plenary discussions. Each Roundtable member has up to 5 minutes to respond to the same prompts. The moderator then tests positions against feasibility, verification, cost allocation, enforcement, and market stability.

The session closes with a Chair synthesis capturing points of convergence, key tensions, and the priority questions carried into the investment discussions.

Time Segment Programme purpose
09:30 to 09:40
Roundtable opening and protocol
Moderator sets the evidence protocol, confirms participation structure, and outlines the 5 minute address format and time discipline.
09:40 to 10:05
Evidence briefing
Consolidated review of week signals, Live Bale Labs observations, market inspection notes, and the pressure points surfaced in plenaries and town halls.
10:05 to 11:10
Roundtable addresses
Structured interventions, up to 5 minutes each, responding to the same prompts on responsibility, feasibility, enforceability, and market stability.
11:10 to 11:25
Coffee break
Reset and evidence wall viewing, with routed access for delegates observing Bale Labs outputs.
11:25 to 12:10
Moderated examination
The moderator tests each position against the same decision questions: what problem is being solved, who carries cost, what is verifiable, what becomes enforceable, and what safeguards protect reuse and livelihoods.
12:10 to 12:25
Alignment check
A structured sweep across the table to confirm areas of convergence, unresolved tensions, and what requires further technical work.
12:25 to 12:30
Chair synthesis
Carry forward questions for the afternoon investment session.

Circular Investment Forum

13:30 to 16:40

A REBUILD focused forum presenting investable delivery pathways that strengthen the secondary textile sector by financing downstream infrastructure and services, reducing the unsellable burden, and creating verified routes for recovery, regeneration, and responsible residual management.

REBUILD outcomes addressed during the forum: rebuilding business models, rebuilding infrastructure, rebuilding hubs, rebuilding market systems, rebuilding end of life routes, rebuilding verification and data systems.

Time Segment REBUILD focus and why it matters to the value chain
13:30 to 13:40
Opening, what REBUILD means in delivery terms
Sets the investment discipline and frames the forum around fundable delivery pathways, not broad discussion. Confirms how follow up meetings and next steps will be routed.
13:40 to 13:55
REBUILD capital map, who pays and what gets funded
A moderated briefing mapping realistic payer routes for downstream delivery, public and institutional funding for enabling infrastructure, private sector funding for compliance linked services and verified outcomes, investment capital for bankable assets and scalable operators, and catalytic funding for pilots and inclusion safeguards.
13:55 to 14:20
REBUILD Pathway 1, End of Life Recovery and Regeneration Hub
Investable hub proposition focused on what happens to unsellables and end of life textiles, including recovery logistics, safe handling, processing options, and governance controls. Value chain relevance, reduces environmental exposure for importing markets, reduces reputational and compliance risk for upstream actors, supports jobs and enterprise creation locally.
14:20 to 14:40
REBUILD Pathway 2, Industrial sorting and recovery infrastructure
Investable infrastructure proposition that rebuilds capacity to sort, verify, and route textiles responsibly, including how “fit for purpose” requirements can be operationalised so downstream is not used as a sink for non compliant quality. Value chain relevance, clearer acceptance thresholds, lower dispute rates, stabilised reuse markets, and better feedstock preparation for recycling and manufacturing.
14:40 to 14:55
Coffee break and delivery pipeline gallery
Delegates review the pathway summaries and register interest for routed introductions and follow up conversations.
14:55 to 15:15
REBUILD technology window, Korea, Ghana partnership session convened with KEITI
A focused partnership window on deployable systems that enable REBUILD outcomes: classification and grading support, material identification, process efficiency, verification and data capture infrastructure, and recovery and processing technology. Concludes with a Ghana needs response aligned to the REBUILD pathways and a clear route to pilots and partnerships.
15:15 to 15:35
Chair synthesisaREBUILD Pathway 3, Market systems and recovery services
Investable service models that rebuild market functioning and reduce end of life leakage: separation points, recovery logistics, managed routes for unsellables, dispute reduction mechanisms, and workforce safeguards, including welfare considerations for women bale handlers and market workers. Value chain relevance, protects livelihoods and makes recovery viable at scale.
15:35 to 15:55
REBUILD Pathway 4, Recycling and local manufacturing feedstock pipelines
Investable pipelines that rebuild industrial opportunity from textiles: pre processing, preparation of consistent feedstock, quality thresholds, offtake readiness, and local production routes using pre consumer and post consumer textiles. Value chain relevance, turns residual risk into industrial value and job creation.
15:55 to 16:20
REBUILD Pathway 5, city and commercial waste solutions
Practical waste management delivery models that support organisations seeking implementable routes in Ghana, including municipal and commercial interfaces, controlled residual management, and performance measured service contracts. Value chain relevance, prevents landfilling as default and strengthens accountability.
16:20 to 16:35
Requirements capture, what must be true for capital to move
A disciplined close where investors, operators, and institutions state the minimum requirements for engagement across governance, verification, contracting, and readiness. This is recorded as a pathway requirements list, not informal feedback.
16:35 to 16:40
Close, routed next steps
Confirms the follow up route, meeting allocations, and what documentation will be issued for each pathway after the session.

Thursday 21 May 2026

Fashion and Design Showcase

A curated runway and design presentation demonstrating how pre consumer and post consumer textiles can be translated into scalable design and production pathways, aligned with TRACE. ACCOUNT. REBUILD. and grounded in downstream feedstock conditions.

Time Item What it delivers
18:30 to 18:50
Arrival, check in and seating
Guest arrival, seating, front of house protocol, and controlled access.
18:50 to 18:55
Opening cue
House welcome and programme flow, brief safety and photography guidance.
18:55 to 19:05
Showcase introduction
A concise framing linking the showcase to the Summit’s evidence, why design must respond to real feedstock conditions, and how scalable design depends on sorting discipline, repair capability, and end of life routes.
19:05 to 19:15
Headline presentation, presented by GTP
Opening remarks and design brief, marking GTP’s 60th anniversary year and its commitment to advancing sustainable design pathways connected to downstream realities.
19:15 to 19:25
Runway Act 1, Reuse and repair ready design
Looks designed for longevity, repairability, and resale, reflecting what works in circulation and what fails when quality collapses.
19:25 to 19:35
Designer spotlight 1
Short spotlight on a selected designer or atelier showing an applied approach to pre consumer and post consumer textiles, with a clear scaling logic.
19:35 to 19:45
Runway Act 2, Remanufacture and reconstruction
Demonstrates construction methods suitable for remanufacturing, alteration, and production at small to medium scale, with attention to material constraints.
19:35 to 19:45
Runway Act 2, Remanufacture and reconstruction
Demonstrates construction methods suitable for remanufacturing, alteration, and production at small to medium scale, with attention to material constraints.
19:45 to 19:55
Designer spotlight 2
A second spotlight focused on practical production models, workforce skills, and how design connects to local enterprise development.
19:55 to 20:10
Runway Act 3, Circular production pathways
Presents scalable concepts that integrate recovered textiles with new material inputs, demonstrating what becomes possible when sorting, recovery, and manufacturing pipelines are funded and organised.
20:10 to 20:20
Closing remarks and acknowledgement
Short close linking the showcase back to REBUILD, what it takes to scale these pathways, and acknowledgement of participating designers and partners.
20:20 to 20:30
Reception close and departures
Controlled networking window and close.