From the Sector

Die Neonyt wird erstmalig in Paris vom 21. – 23. Januar 2023 stattfinden und von der WSN Développement veranstaltet. Als eine in Europa relevante B2B-Orderplattform für Mode, Nachhaltigkeit und Innovation wird sie internationalen Einkäufer*innen professionell verantwortungsvolle Brands mit textilem Weitblick präsentieren und neue Märkte von Frankreich aus, in Ergänzung zum bestehenden Standort Düsseldorf, erschließen und bedienen. Streng-nachhaltig und nach Design kuratierte Fashion trifft auf Zeitgeist-Gespür für Sustainability, Style und Trends. Zweimal im Jahr, im Januar und September, wird die Neonyt künftig parallel zu der Who's Next und IMPACT verwirklicht.

Im August diesen Jahres wurde die erste Neonyt in Lizenz an die Igedo Exhibitions in Düsseldorf vergeben und findet dort erstmalig vom 28. – 30. Januar 2023 auf dem Areal Böhler statt. Die Messe Frankfurt verkündet nun die Partnerschaft mit dem mode-erfahrenen Messe-Veranstalter WSN Développement aus Paris, der die Neonyt Paris operativ planen und auf dem Paris Expo Porte de Versailles durchführen wird.

Von Beginn an war es das Ziel der Messe Frankfurt, die Neonyt mit ihrem ohnehin internationalen Charakter, ihrer Verantwortung und ihrer einmaligen Reputation auch über Deutschland hinaus in relevanten Märkten international zu platzieren und damit konsequent neue Zugänge zu verlässlich kuratierter Mode – hinsichtlich strikter Nachhaltigkeitsvorgaben bei gleichzeitiger Berücksichtigung aktueller, modischer Strömungen – zu ermöglichen. Dies sei in diesen Zeiten wichtiger denn je, um den unbestrittenen ökologischen und sozialen Mehrwert nachhaltiger Textilien zum Ausdruck zu bringen und verantwortungsvoller Mode attraktive Präsentationsplattformen in einem professionell-verlässlichen Orderumfeld zu ermöglichen, sagt Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt.

In Paris wird die Neonyt licensed by Messe Frankfurt zweimal im Jahr Ende Januar sowie Anfang September parallel zur internationalen Who's Next stattfinden. Die Who's Next präsentiert Einkäufer*innen Mode, Accessoires und Lifestyle plus Trends der Saison. In direkter Nachbarschaft zur Neonyt wird sich außerdem die 2019 gestartete IMPACT von WSN befinden. Sie setzt modisch-ökologische Akzente und unterstützt positive Maßnahmen zur Beschleunigung des ökologischen Wandels in der Modebranche. Who's Next und IMPACT ziehen international Einkäufer*innen an – insbesondere aber den Retail aus Frankreich, Italien, Spanien, Portugal, der Schweiz und Belgien. Vor Ort besonders interessant sind für alle Labels auf der Neonyt sowohl Specialty Stores, aber auch Multilable Stores, für die nachhaltige Mode sehr entscheidend ist.

Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt resümiert: „Zusammen mit der Neonyt in Lizenz in Düsseldorf wird die neue Location Paris eine symbiotische Marktbespielung und -ergänzung unseres Standort-Portfolios darstellen. Wir bieten fortan Einkäufer*innen, den Labels sowie unserer wachsenden und engagierten Community die Möglichkeit, sich Märkte neu zu erschließen und ihre Kund*innenbeziehungen noch stärker zu internationalisieren. Gleichzeitig treiben wir als Messe Frankfurt mit unserem internationalen Texpertise Network – über 50 Events weltweit, ca. 22.000 Aussteller und mehr als eine halbe Million Besucher*innen – intensiv unsere Nachhaltigkeitsbestrebungen im Textilbereich insgesamt voran.“

Well-known as the “Festival of composites” each year in Paris, JEC World is the event dedicated to composite materials, their manufacturing technologies and application markets. It will take place in Paris Nord Villepinte from April 25th to 27th, 2023, giving once again the opportunity for professionals to meet with the worldwide composites industry.

Six months prior to the show, the program of the 2023 edition starts to unveil.

For 2023, JEC World is preparing a wide program of conferences and expert panels discussions focusing largely on sustainability and key challenges of our industry and application sectors. In aerospace, construction, ground transportation, health, design, energy (…): sustainable initiatives and greener mindsets are taking over the latest developments in high-performance composite technologies and applications.

The JEC Composites Innovation Awards
For 25 years, through the JEC Composites Innovation Awards, JEC Group has rewarded cutting-edge, creative projects which demonstrate the full potential of composite materials. Highly recognised worldwide, they offer the winners and their partners international recognition, a greater exposure during the JEC World show and throughout the following year, new business opportunities as well as an enhanced customer trust.
All companies, R&D centres and their partners can apply before December 16th, and the winners will be revealed during the ceremony, on March 2nd in Paris.

The JEC Composites Startup Booster, the leading startup competition in the world of composites and advanced materials comes back for a sixth edition. All entrepreneurs, SMEs, startups and academic spinoffs building innovative composites projects who want to get international visibility and grow their business with key players of the composites industry & OEMs are already signing up.

Following the call for entries (deadline January 15th, 2023), 20 startups will be selected by JEC Group and its partners Airbus and Mercedes-Benz. Out of the 20 finalists, 3 winners will be selected during the pitching sessions of the show: one in the “Materials & Products” category, one in the “Process, Manufacturing & Equipment” category and a special “Sustainability” award.

Carbios announced the appointment of Pascal Bricout as Chief Strategy and Financial Officer and a member of the Company’s Executive Committee.

Mr. Bricout will oversee the management and organization of Carbios’ Finance division. He will also steer the Group’s Strategy, investor relations and the launch of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility policy. He joins the company with over 30 years’ experience in finance, strategy and international mergers and acquisitions.
 
Prior to joining Carbios, Mr. Bricout served as Chief Financial Officer for Michelin in Asia, which is a major area of growth and development for the company. Over the past 10 years, he has focused primarily on major strategic mergers and acquisitions.

Mr. Bricout holds a Master Degree in Finance from Université Paris-Dauphine. He began his career at PwC, as a manager in the International Transactions Services teams in Paris and London.

Mr. Bricout, Carbios’ Chief Strategy & Financial Officer noted: “I am thrilled to be joining Carbios and proud to take part in this concrete, meaningful advance toward circular economy. Having developed unparalleled breakthrough technologies in plastic and textile biodegradation and biorecycling, Carbios now needs to execute a successful industrial and commercial phase. This is crucial for companies using PET to achieve, from 2025, their sustainable development goals. Within this dynamic context, Carbios and its subsidiary, Carbiolice, are poised to become global leaders in the development and industrialization of innovative bioprocesses to revolutionize the life cycles of plastics and textiles.”

Electronically conductive fibres are already in use in smart textiles, but in a recently published research article, ionically conductive fibres have proven to be of increasing interest. The so-called ionofibres achieve higher flexibility and durability and match the type of conduction our body uses. In the future, they may be used for such items as textile batteries, textile displays, and textile muscles.

The research project is being carried out by doctoral student Claude Huniade at the University of Borås and is a track within a larger project, Weafing, the goal of which is to develop novel, unprecedented garments for haptic stimulation comprising flexible and wearable textile actuators and sensors.

In Claude Huniade’s project, the goal is to produce conductive yarns without conductive metals.
"My research is about producing electrically conductive textile fibres, and ultimately yarns, by coating non-metals sustainably on commercial yarns. The biggest challenge is in the balance between keeping the textile properties and adding the conductive feature," said Claude Huniade.

Currenty, the uniqueness of his research leans towards the strategies employed when coating. These strategies expand to the processes and the materials used.

Uses ionic liquid
One of the tracks he investigates is about a new kind of material as textile coating, ionic liquids in combination with commercial textile fibres. Just like salt water, they conduct electricity but without water. Ionic liquid is a more stable electrolyte than salt water as nothing evaporates.

"The processable aspect is an important requirement since textile manufacturing can be harsh on textile fibres, especially when upscaling their use. The fibres can also be manufactured into woven or knitted without damaging them mechanically while retaining their conductivity. Surprisingly, they were even smoother to process into fabrics than the commercial yarns they are made from," explained Claude Huniade.

Ionofibres could be used as sensors since ionic liquids are sensitive to their environment. For example, humidity change can be sensed by the ionofibers, but also any stretch or pressure they are subjected to.

"Ionofibres could truly shine when they are combined with other materials or devices that require electrolytes. Ionofibres enable certain phenomena currently limited to happen in liquids to be feasible in air in a lightweight fashion. The applications are multiple and unique, for example for textile batteries, textile displays or textile muscles," said Claude Huniade.

Needs further research
Yet more research is needed to combine the ionofibres with other functional fibres and to produce the unique textile devices.

How do they stand out compared to common electronically conductive fibres?
"In comparison to electronically conductive fibres, ionofibers are different in how they conduct electricity. They are less conductive, but they bring other properties that electronically conductive fibers often lack. Ionofibres achieve higher flexibility and durability and match the type of conduction that our body uses. They actually match better than electronically conductive fibres with how electricity is present in nature," he concluded.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, announced its commitment to science-based targets by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to help drive its ambitious sustainability programs. The company will also participate in the SBTi Expert Advisory Group for the chemicals industry.

SBTi is a collaboration between CDP, the United Nations Global Compact, the World Resources Institute, and the World Wide Fund for Nature to help businesses set emissions reduction targets based on the most recent climate science. IVL has committed to science-based targets under its purpose of “Reimagining chemistry together to create a better world” which aims to reduce global warming in line with the 1.5°C Paris Climate Agreement.

Under its Vision 2030 ambition, Indorama Ventures aims to build on its global industry leadership in sustainability, including by reducing GHG intensity by 30% and increasing renewable electricity consumption to 25%. Green projects are helping the company to achieve its operational efficiency targets, increase its use of renewable energy (especially renewable electricity – both onsite generation and offsite procurement through power purchase agreements), implement new decarbonization technologies including carbon capture, introduce bio-feedstock to its petrochemical value chain, and expand its PET recycling capability.

To meet its targets, IVL recognizes the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to decarbonize its operations through a variety of strategies. The established targets help its customers and suppliers to achieve their own sustainability goals, particularly their science-based targets.

Yash Lohia, Chairman of ESG Council at Indorama Ventures, said, "We are pleased to make our sustainability commitment more practical and measurable through science-based targets. We are dedicated to finding new technologies that can transform our operations and products towards net-zero. The efforts are not only for our sustainable business but also to support our customers and suppliers to achieve their own sustainability goals."

The focus is on personnel development, energy and water consumption as well as company-wide emissions and waste behavior. CHT highlights in this report the group-wide projects for climate protection as well as the sustainable products and solutions. The report has been prepared in accordance with the GRI standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) based on the core option.

With the "Green Deal", the EU Commission is pursuing ambitious climate targets, in the implementation of which the CHT Group is actively involved as part of the VCI initiative "chemistry4climate".
The Group's goal is to become climate-neutral by 2045. To underpin this ambitious target, at the end of 2021 the CHT Group signed up to the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) to meet the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and committed to the 1.5°C target.
For 2021, the first carbon footprint (Scope 1+2) was prepared for the CHT Group, which now serves as the basis for greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets.

65% of the CHT Group's sales in 2021 were generated with sustainable products. For this, over 88% of the strategic raw material volume was sourced from suppliers classified as sustainable.

Moreover, interesting are the concepts and optimally matched auxiliaries with which energy and resource savings can be implemented for various textile application fields. They vividly and exemplarily demonstrate the efforts to achieve the company's own sustainable and strategic goals, which are derived from the United Nations Development Goals (SDGs).

• Annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers

• Digitalization and Sustainability Key to Resiliency for Italian Textile Machinery Sector

The objective critical issues faced by Italy as a whole throughout the course of 2021, primarily dictated by a pandemic that upset any and all pre-existing equilibriums, have not slowed or halted the Italian textile machinery sector.

Indeed, data presented during the annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, held on 1 July proved decidedly positive, showing that in 2021 the sector recovered significantly compared to 2020, to the point of returning to pre-Covid levels.

Specifically, Italian textile machinery production amounted to 2.388 billion euros (+35% over 2020 and + 5% over 2019), with total exports amounting to 2.031 billion euros (+37% over 2020 and +9% over 2019).

However, these results do not cancel the obstacles that companies are still facing. Looking to the near future, expectations are for a rather uncertain outlook, as underscored by ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi: “2022 remains a year replete with unknown factors, starting with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, along with the persistence of the pandemic, which seriously risk delaying expected growth consolidation for businesses in the sector. Difficulties in finding raw materials and components negatively affect the completion and fulfilment of orders processed as far back as 2021. To boot, rising energy costs and inflationary trends affecting numerous commodities are depressing overall business confidence. So the outlook for the sector is not so good.”
As such, the two cornerstones through which ACIMIT aims to support the Italian textile machinery sector are digitilization and sustainability.

4.0: The textile machinery sector looks to the future
The road to digital transformation has already led numerous manufacturers to completely rethink their production processes, rendering them more efficient and l ess expensive. The digital world is moving ahead at a decisive rate in the textile machinery sector, where the buzzwords are increasingly, for instance, the Internet of Things connecting to a company’s ecosystem, machine learning algorithms applied to production, predictive maintenance, and the integrated cloud management of various production departments. It is no coincidence that ACIMIT has focused decisively on its Digital Ready project, through which Italian textile machinery that adopt a common set of data are certified, with the aim of facilitating integration with the operating systems of client companies (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.).

A green soul
Combining production efficiency and respect for the environment: a challenge ACIMIT has made its own and which it promotes among its members through the Sustainable Technologies project. Launched by the association as early as 2011, the project highlights the commitment of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in the area of sustainability. At the heart of the project is the Green Label, a form of certification specifically for Italian textile machinery which highlights its energy and environmental performance. An all-Italian seal of approval developed in collaboration with RINA, an international certification body.
The assembly held on 1 July provided an opportunity to take stock of the Sustainable Technologies project, more specifically, with the presentation of the Rina Consulting survey on the Green Label’s evolution and impact in recent years.

The results have confirmed the initiative’s extreme validity. The technological advances implemented by the association’s machinery producers participating in the project have effectively translated into benefits in terms of environmental impact (reduction of CO₂ equivalent emissions for machinery), as well as economic advantages for machinery users.

With reference to the year 2021, a total of 204,598 tons of CO₂ emissions avoided on an annual basis have been quantified, thanks to the implementation of improvements on machinery. This is a truly significant reduction which, for the sake of comparison, corresponds to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by 36,864 automobiles travelling an average of 35,000 km a year. In terms of energy savings, the use of green labeled textile machinery has provided excellent performances in allowing for a reduction of up to 84% in consumption.

A round table discussion on the Green Label’s primary purpose
The environmental and economic impact generated in production processes for Italian textile machinery through the use of Green Label technologies was the focus of the round table which concluded the ACIMIT assembly.

Moderated by Aurora Magni (professor of the Industrial Systems Sustainability course at the LIUC School of Engineering), the debate involved Gianluca Brenna (Lipomo Printing House administrator and Vice President of the Italian Fashion System for Welfare), Pietro Pin (Benetton Group consultant and President of UNI for the textile-clothing area), Giorgio Ravasio (Italy Country Manager for Vivienne Westwood), as well as ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi.

Called on to compare common factors in their experiences relating to environmental transition processes for their respective companies, the participants were unanimous: the future of Italian textile machinery can no longer ignore advanced technology developments capable of offering sustainable solutions with a low environmental impact while also reducing production costs. This philosophy has by now been consolidated, and has proven to lead directly to a circular economy outlook.

The upcoming ITMA 2023 exhibition
Lastly, a word on ITMA 2023, the most important international exhibition for textile machinery, to be held in Italy from 8 to 14 June 2023 at Fiera-Milano Rho. Marking the 19th edition of ITMA, this trade fair is an essential event for the entire industry worldwide, providing a global showcase for numerous innovative operational solutions on display. A marketplace that offers participants extraordinary business opportunities. The participation of Italian companies is managed by ACIMIT.

Stahl, a proponent of responsible chemistry, is submitting a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target that is aligned with the most recent guidance provided by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The new target marks a key milestone on the company’s journey toward carbon neutrality.

Stahl’s SBTi submission includes a specific commitment regarding the company’s Scope 3 upstream emissions, which Stahl aims to reduce by at least 25% over the next 10 years, compared with the base year (2021). This reduction would primarily be achieved by Stahl replacing its fossil-based raw materials with lower-carbon alternatives. The target is a major step towards the objective of limiting global warming temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050, as agreed at the 2015 Paris Climate Accords.
 
Stahl’s extended commitment builds on the company’s existing targets to reduce its emission for Scopes 1 and 2, which were set shortly after the Paris Agreement in 2015. Stahl has since reduced its Scope 1 and 2 (direct) GHG emissions by more than 30%, thanks to operational efficiency gains and by decarbonizing its energy supply.

Scope 3 GHG emissions cover all the additional indirect emissions that can occur in the value chain, including those associated with purchased raw materials, packaging, business travel, and transportation. Stahl’s Scope 3 emissions currently represent over 90% of its carbon footprint.

The European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA) has published a report from its latest conference, which focuses on advances in sustainability and recycling.

More than 130 professionals from the global pultrusion community gathered at the 16th World Pultrusion Conference in Paris on 5-6 May 2022. Organised by EPTA in collaboration with the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the event featured 25 international speakers sharing insight on market trends, developments in materials, processing and simulation technologies, and innovative pultruded applications in key markets such as building and infrastructure, transportation and wind energy.

‘Bio-pultrusion’:  
Composites based on natural fibres offer a number of benefits, including low density and high specific strength, vibration damping, and heat insulation. The German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are developing pultrusion processes using bio-based resins and natural fibres. Projects include the BioMat Pavilion at the University of Stuttgart, a lightweight structure which combines ‘bamboo-like’ natural fibre-based pultruded profiles with a tensile membrane.

Applications for recycled carbon fibre (rCF):
The use of rCF in composite components has the potential to reduce their cost and carbon footprint. However, it is currently used to a limited extent since manufacturers are uncertain about the technical performance of available rCF products, how to process them, and the actual benefits achievable. Fraunhofer IGCV is partnering with the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) in the MAI ÖkoCaP project to investigate the technical, ecological and economic benefits of using rCF in different industrial applications. The results will be made available in a web-based app.

Circularity and recycling:
The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) is drafting a circularity roadmap for the composites industry. It has collaborated with the European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU) on a position paper for the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) which outlines the benefits of co-processing end-of-life composites in cement manufacturing, a recycling solution that is compliant with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and in commercial operation in Germany. Initial studies have indicated that co-processing with composites has the potential to reduce the global warming impact of cement manufacture by up to 16%. Technologies to allow recovery of fibre and/or resin from composites are in development but a better understanding of the life cycle assessment (LCA) impact of these processes is essential. EuCIA’s ‘circularity waterfall,’ a proposed priority system for composites circularity, highlights the continued need for co-processing.

Sustainability along the value chain:
Sustainability is essential for the long-term viability of businesses. Resin manufacturer AOC’s actions to improve sustainability include programmes to reduce energy, waste and greenhouse gas emissions from operations, the development of ‘greener’ and low VOC emission resins, ensuring compliance with chemicals legislation such as REACH, and involvement in EuCIA’s waste management initiatives. Its sustainable resins portfolio includes styrene-free and low-styrene formulations and products manufactured using bio-based raw materials and recycled PET.

adidas launches its SS22 Tennis Collection, a high-performance tennis apparel line featuring graphics inspired by Paris’ botanical gardens and green spaces, garments in the collection were made either in part with Parley Ocean Plastic or in part with recycled content.

Launching ahead of the most prominent clay court tournament of the summer, the SS22 Tennis Collection is being premiered on court by adidas next-gen athletes, Elena Rybakina and Felix Auger-Aliassime, alongside Maria Sakkari, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas who all share a passion for championing sustainability and working together towards a better future for our planet.

From Insight to Action
The SS22 Tennis Collection is another step adidas is taking on its journey to help end plastic waste, and its athletes are sharing this commitment. For adidas athletes, what they wear on the court is not only performance attire but an expression of their personal style and beliefs.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, elite tennis player, commented: "I'm part of a generation of players who care about having an impact on and off the court. When I think about the future, it's not just about my future as a tennis player, but also about the future of the planet. . That's why I wear the new adidas SS22 collection made in part with Parley Ocean Plastic or in part with recycled materials – to send a message that we can all do our part by helping to end plastic waste.“

Fashion-foward Performance
The SS22 Tennis Collection is designed to be bold yet fully functional on court. Each garment features HEAT.RDY technology which is designed to keep players feeling cool, dry and confident as they take on their next challenge.

The Collection features two dresses, tank tops, long sleeve tees and a match skirt for female players. For male players, the collection consists of two tees, a sleeveless tee, a polo tee, a TECHFIT long sleeve top and two different types of shorts.

It is available in a number of different bold graphic prints, all inspired by the Serres d'Auteuil botanical garden. The prominent colors of the collection are black and white.