From the Sector

Conventional sports textiles made from petroleum-based synthetic fibres are to be replaced in the future by sustainable, bio-based, cooling textiles. Polyethylene, previously used mainly in the packaging industry, is thus qualified for use in textiles and, as a bio-based drop-in solution, offers a cost-effective, sustainable alternative for the future.

TECNARO (Ilsfeld/Germany), BB Engineering (Remscheid/Germany), FALKE (Schmallenberg/Germany) and the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University have developed textiles from bio-based polyethylene (bioPE) in the bioPEtex project of the BIOTEXFUTURE Innovation Space.

TECNARO develops the bio-based PE compounds and handles their dyeing. ITA is concentrating on the process development for melt spinning (partially-oriented yarn, POY) and false-twist texturing (draw-textured yarn, DTY) of the bioPE yarns. BB Engineering implements the false-twist texturing on an industrial scale, and FALKE is developing the final T-shirt, which will be treated with a bio-based finish for improved elasticity.

The successful creation of a first T-shirt from the yarns developed in this project underscores their promising characteristics. This represents a key milestone and forms the basis for investigating potential market readiness in subsequent phases. Above all, the white BioPE T-shirt impresses with its pleasantly cool and soft touch. However, additional development, characterisation, and optimisation steps are necessary to make a market introduction possible.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, and HeiQ, a Swiss deeptech materials innovator active in functional textiles and sustainable fibers, have entered into a co-marketing agreement that combines their complementary strengths to deliver advanced, planet-conscious anti-odor and antimicrobial technologies to brands, retailers, and textile mills worldwide.

Together, Archroma and HeiQ will provide brands and textile manufacturers access to an expanded portfolio of high-performance, sustainable effects, underpinned by global reach, application expertise, and proven market innovation.

“This partnership marks an exciting chapter for Archroma and HeiQ, and a huge step forward for the textile industry,” said Dhirendra Gautam, VP Commercial, Archroma. “By uniting our global reach and application know-how with HeiQ’s powerful innovation engine, we are bringing high-performance, sustainable technologies to more customers and accelerating the industry’s transition towards a more planet-conscious textile value chain.”

“HeiQ has always been driven by a mission to pioneer deeptech material innovation for people and planet,” said Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ. “Together with Archroma’s extensive network and expertise, we are scaling our technologies globally, ensuring that brands and mills can access functional, sustainable solutions that enhance product performance while lowering environmental impact.”

The collaboration enables HeiQ’s advanced technologies to be delivered through Archroma’s well-established global customer network, making it easier for textile manufacturers to integrate functional, compliant, and sustainable performance effects into their products. The alliance is also about scaling innovation. Together, we will empower brands and manufacturers to meet consumer demands for hygiene, freshness, and sustainability.

Scientifically, color is the visual perception of light reflected by objects: some wavelengths are absorbed, others reflected, and our brain interprets them as color. Yet its role goes far beyond science, it is deeply connected to emotions. It is precisely this emotional dimension that Iluna Group explores. 

For the Spring/Summer 2027 collection, the brand chose to focus on the three primary colors — Yellow, Blue, and Red — as symbols of origin, energy, and identity: 

• Yellow: the light that opens the day, fresh and clean, an energy that sparks the right idea and guides you toward who you choose to be. It translates into luminous transparencies and romantic details, a contemporary ray that captures the eye without overwhelming it.  
• Blue: depth, breath, and mental space—a slow rhythm that invites listening and reflection. It becomes a soft, almost liquid texture, essential and modern, capable of instilling balance Yellow and calm without dimming vitality.  
• Red: impulse and presence, the courage to reveal oneself without filters. It vibrates through dynamic structures and sensual florals, creating space and inviting the wearer to live every moment with contemporary intensity.  

The collection is a true journey through the colors of the soul, where every lace and every shade becomes a new story on the skin of those who wear it.
But if color becomes identity, the unique expertise and creativity of Iluna Group allow lace to break free from its boundaries, from its limitations and seasonality, carrying it directly toward the company’s vision. 

In this context, lace is no longer just a technical and recognizable product: in the hands of ILUNA Group, it transforms, elevates itself, and transcends its traditional limits. Here, expertise becomes essential, knowledge and creativity merge to generate unexpected visual and tactile effects, redefining the very identity of lace. 

• Pre-dyed viscose for multicolor yarns capable of creating refined Moiré effects for all over applications, designed for a versatile use ranging from fashion to lingerie, up to interpretations dedicated to beachwear.  
• Material experimentation aimed at creating flocking made with Silk, cotton and linen, where texture and surface engage in a natural, sensorial dialogue.   

 Since 2018 Iluna Group has been GRS certified for its sustainable Green Label range. A collection that proposes a new responsible approach towards the environment and people, combining innovation, aesthetics, and quality at 360°. From the polymer to the finished lace, Iluna is able to guarantee full control and total traceability of the entire production chain, measuring the company’s sustainability growth through the Higgs Index. 

At Heimtextil 2026, Eastman Naia™ builds on its All-Night Comfort concept, a holistic sleep comfort platform that brings together bed sheets, comforter fill and sleepwear. This year, the concept expands with new fill solutions for comforters and the firstever Heimtextil showcase of sleepwear and loungewear made with Naia™ Renew staple fiber. Across sleep-focused home textile applications, these developments highlight the versatility and performance of Naia™ Renew circular fiber, produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% GRS-certified recycled content.

Naia™ Renew-based fill solutions expand for comforters 
Naia™ fill solutions are now offered in two forms: insulation and loose fill. In insulation, the offering includes options blended with recycled polyester and, as new additions, wool and recycled polyester, alongside a new 100% Naia™ Renew silky touch solution. In loose fill, the new options include fiber ball formats blended with recycled polyester or with wool and recycled polyester, as well as a down blend option. The expanded fill offering is designed to deliver breathable comfort, softness, effective moisture and odor management, and ease of care. Thanks to versatile blending possibilities, these solutions support all-season and cross-seasonal comfort, helping maintain a balanced sleep microclimate across different conditions and preferences.

Sleepwear debuts at Heimtextil
For the first time at Heimtextil, Eastman showcases sleepwear and loungewear made with Naia™ Renew staple fiber, confirming sleepwear as a strong application within the All-Night Comfort platform. Known for its next-to-skin softness, breathability and moisture comfort, Naia™ staple fiber is particularly well suited to garments designed for rest and relaxation.
This debut extends the concept of sleep comfort beyond bedding, reinforcing the connection between what surrounds the body and what touches the skin throughout the night. 

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., a leader in spider silk technology, announced that it has taken possession of its third silkworm rearing center, completing the core physical infrastructure upgrades, underpinning the Company's massive recombinant spider silk production scale-up planned for 2026.
 
This newest facility represents the final major component of the Company's multi-year production expansion strategy. With three fully operational rearing centers, Kraig Labs will be able to run three simultaneous production cycles, providing both production diversity and the capacity required to meet and exceed one metric ton of finished spider silk per month.
 
This production scale-upis the culmination of years of development and refinement. Each element of the Company's expansion, including facility design, staffing, geographic location, operational workflows, and training programs, has been optimized based on lessons learned from prior production campaigns.
 
The newly acquired facility is the largest single-site rearing center the Company has ever operated. This new facility is designed to support significantly higher throughput while maintaining the operational discipline and biological consistency required for large-scale spider silk manufacturing. This facility is expected to unlock the next level of production capacity as the Company rapidly accelerates spider silk output.
 
Importantly, this new rearing center has been strategically positioned to leverage the Company's recently acquired mulberry fields, which will supply the expanded feedstock necessary to support this substantial increase in silkworm and spider silk production. These mulberry resources form a critical foundation of the Company's vertically integrated production model and are expected to play a key role in enabling continuous, high-volume operations across all of its facilities.
 
The Company is now bringing this new rearing center online and expects to begin operations later this quarter.
 
"This milestone represents a critical step forward in our evolution as a world-leading supplier of spider silk," said Kim Thompson, Kraig Labs Founder and CEO. "With this final rearing center secured and supported by expanded mulberry cultivation, we now have the infrastructure and feedstock capacity in place to support continuous, scalable production at levels that position Kraig Labs to fulfill our vision of commercially scalable and cost-effective spider silk production."
 
The Company expects to provide additional updates as the facility is commissioned and fully integrated into its 2026 production campaign.