This is my first time attending ITMA, which occurs every four years, and featured a record number of exhibitors across eight halls, totaling 1,717 from 45 countries, a new milestone, according to show organizers. The event ran across more than 114,500 square meters of net exhibit space, as my feet would tell you! The company declined to estimate the total number of visitors that could be expected during the show, stating they thought it would be up over 2015, but the halls were packed with people from all over the world.

The WhatTheyThink team spent most of its time in Hall 3, where digital technologies were being featured. According to some of the other attendees and exhibitors, digital was almost a novelty at the show in 2015, but this year, it’s clearly an important focus for the industry. With textiles being the world’s number two polluter, digital technologies offer many sustainability advantages—less use of water and chemicals, the ability to cost-effectively produce smaller quantities (even down to a quantity of one) on demand and closer to the point of need, and less waste for the world’s landfills.

Digital printing technology also allows brands to get collections to market faster, prepare more collections per year, and address the growing demand for more customization and personalization in apparel and home décor.