The panel discussion “The endless saga of ultra-light & ingenious performance features: What´s next?” related to personal protective equipment (PPE) on the occasion of the 56th Man-made fibers congress (MFC) in Dornbirn, Austria (September 13-15, 2017) gives an insight in the exciting discussion, how the development towards performance features will continue. According to recent studies the worldwide market for PPE will significantly grow in the upcoming 5-6 years with an annual growth rate of around 7 percent. The European Union fosters safety strategies and health protection at workplace. The high number of work related deaths in the EU every year (more than 100,000) demonstrates the enormous potential for preventive measures. The panel discussion on Thursday, the second day of the congress, was moderated by Dr. Isa Hofmann, managing director IHOFMANN. Participants were: Michael Stanhope, TenCate (USA); Giovanni Henssen, DSM Dyneema (NLD); Pierluigi Berardi, Nilit (ITA; ISR); Oliver Spöcker, Lenzing FR (AUT); Evelyne Orndoff, NASA (USA) und Helmut Zepf, PBI Performance Products (USA/DEU).