From the Sector

HANRO chooses Iluna lace containing the sustainable premium stretch fiber ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei for its Zula lingerie set

HANRO, the Swiss brand that produces high quality daywear, nightwear and loungewear for both men and women and world’s leading premium brand in its segment, chooses Iluna Group for its advanced design and sustainability, innovation, aesthetics and quality made of “ethical” laces and an attentive look at fashion.

Iluna uses responsible premium ingredients such as GRS certified Q-NOVA®, more than half of which are made from pre-consumer waste and GRS certified ROICA™ EF premium stretch yarn produced by more than 58% from transformed pre-consumer content. The yarn belongs to the ROICA Eco-Smart™ family produced by Asahi Kasei and it’s the world’s first responsibly made premium fiber range, which includes smart ROICA™ yarns and their exceptional certifications.

Seductive and luxurious lingerie defines the SS 20 Zula collection in which we find Iluna lace. This lingerie set is smooth and soft satin viscose made, with an elegant Jacquardtronic lace detail along the cup, straps and band of the bra. It is paired to the matching briefs in the collection with generous elegant Jacquardtronic lace on the front and the backside. The particular lace used is a delicate and modern reinterpretation of the Duchesse lace, a particular type of Brussels lace from the mid-19th century. The set is available in light viola, purple night and marzipan range of colours.

Sustainable solutions that pack a punch  

With over 6,500 visitors and more than 2,000 participants at a total of 720 minutes of live presentation sessions and with many potential new customers in the live info chat, the virtual interpack conference organised by Sappi was a resounding success. Sappi presented its latest developments, future prospects and current range of packaging and speciality papers at the event. In addition to further networking opportunities, the visitors took full advantage of the chance to get in contact with the Sales team.

• For the packaging of the future: sustainable, high-quality paper
• Second-generation barrier papers ensure optimal protection of goods as food packaging
• Providing what the world wants: fully recyclable packaging

Based on the motto ‘Pro Planet: Paper Packaging – welcome to the new pack-age’, the market leader in functional paper packaging presented numerous opportunities at its virtual interpack 2020 conference for its customers to package their food or non-food products in sustainable, premium packaging. In doing so, the company is contributing to the UN’s sustainability objectives. With the Sappi Guard range, Sappi presented barrier papers that render additional special coatings and laminations redundant and can be recycled in the paper stream. Featuring integrated barriers, they ensure that the product quality of foods and other goods is preserved. The second generation of barrier papers, now even more environmentally friendly, was also introduced at the virtual event. Another area of focus of the virtual interpack event was sealable papers, suitable for a wide range of packaging applications in the food and non-food sectors.

Of course, the concept of sustainability was also a key issue at the conference. As a home-compostable paper, Algro Nature meets the current demand for fully recyclable packaging. Sappi thus remains true to its goal of presenting its customers with more and more environmentally friendly solutions for the benefit of people and the environment.

‘We were overwhelmed by the success of our first virtual interpack conference, but we look forward to having direct contact again in spring 2021 in Düsseldorf,’ says Thomas Kratochwill, Vice President Sales & Marketing Packaging and Speciality Papers at Sappi Europe, with regard to the delayed interpack conference.

Technologies with an excellent environmental performance throughout the entire product life cycle – that is what “Autoneum Pure.” stands for. In future, components that meet the highest standards in terms of sustainability and eco-friendliness can be identified at a glance under this label. This also includes the innovation “Mono-Liner” for wheelhouse outer liners.

As innovation leader in acoustic and thermal management, Autoneum continuously invests in the development and production of resource-saving components that make cars lighter and thus more climate-friendly. In view of an increasing sustainability awareness and the correspondingly greater information needs on environmentally-friendly vehicle components, the Company has now launched Autoneum Pure. The label determines particularly sustainable technologies, thereby guiding car manufacturers in product selection for future models.

Autoneum Pure is based on a comprehensive set of criteria assessing the sustainability performance of a product in all four phases of its life cycle: material procurement, production, use and end of life. For example, components with a high content of recyclable materials or those that achieve significant weight savings compared to comparable standard components qualify for the “Autoneum Pure.” label. Autoneum already offers various multifunctional technologies that meet the high standards for Autoneum Pure products: Ultra-Silent for underbody systems or battery undercovers, Di-Light for carpet systems, Prime-Light and IFP-R2 for inner dashes and floor insulators as well as Hybrid-Acoustics PET for e-motor encapsulations and engine-mounted parts, which was launched in fall 2019.

With Mono-Liner, the latest innovation for wheelhouse outer liners is also included in the Autoneum Pure portfolio. Among other things, the Mono-Liner-based components convince thanks to their lightweight construction, thereby contributing to lower vehicle weight with correspondingly less fuel consumption and emissions. The excellent life cycle assessment is also based on their particularly resource-saving manufacturing: Production cut offs of the components, which consist to a large extent of recycled PET fibers, can be processed into pellets and completely returned to the manufacturing process as fibers. An SUV and a crossover model from a US vehicle manufacturer already benefit from Mono-Liner wheelhouse outer liners.

Anahid Rickmann, Head of Corporate Communications & Responsibility, explains: “With Autoneum Pure we are the first automotive supplier to establish a sustainability label in the field of acoustic and thermal management. Autoneum Pure is part of the Company's Advance Sustainability  Strategy 2025 and sets industry standards in product communication.”

• Bemberg™ presents a great deal of novelties with a true key-statement for sustainability: Let’s Make it Circular!
• The lifespan of Bemberg™’s regenerated cellulose fiber Cupro derived from cotton is fully circular: from the source to manufacturing.

“Sustainability is the founding pillar of our company,” says SHUNSUKE SATO, sales manager of Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei. “Indeed, the smart fiber is made from a cotton linter which is pre-consumer material, a natural derived source, that doesn’t deplete forestry resources”.

In Bemberg™’s production the whole sustainable closed-loop process is supported by the LCA study, signed by ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica e Ambientale) and validated by President of Ecoinnovazione Paolo Masoni ex Research Director of ENEA (Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente).

While recyclability is granted by the Global Recycle Standard - GRS certification by the renown Textile Exchange (an influential guarantee that involves the whole production process and supply chain behind the company’s smart yarns), Bemberg™ yarns are also entirely biodegradable and ecotoxicity-free - meaning that at the end of their life circle they break down into the environment leaving no trace in terms of toxic substances as attested by the Innovhub-SSI report.

A special focus deserves Velutine™ Evo, the new fibrillation finishing technology for Bemberg™ fabrics only that guarantees another level of sustainable benefits without sacrificing the Bemberg™ amazing and unique touch. As part of the company’s continuous innovation, Velutine™ Evo brings better environmental, energy and water profiles for the benefit of Bemberg™ partners in the manufacture of their ranges.
The sustainable achievements of the new finishing technology have been measured by LCA - Life Cycle Assessment study by ICEA and proved to guarantee environmental benefits such as -16.5% of greenhouses gas emissions and -21% of overall consumption of energy resources. On top of that Velutine™ Evo means also -20.5% of electricity savings, -15.9% of steam production and -19.5% of water consumption.

The first Bemberg™ partner to present a commercial collection enriched by Velutine™ Evo is the Portuguese Matias & Araújo. With an innovative spirit, dynamism and a determined entrepreneurial spirit, the company is a leading knitwear producer for the textile industry.

Bemberg™ collaborated also with the premium brand CAALO that is making its mark in the outerwear market with its Sustainably produced Functional-Luxury proposal. For SS20, CAALO uses Bemberg™ lining because of the sustainability properties and it’s unique colour.

CAALO uses as much eco-friendly and sustainable materials as possible without compromising on design or quality. This Bemberg™ lining was a perfect fit. This versatile blazer features a removable hood, hidden welt pockets, button closure, and removable cargo pockets.

Beaulieu International Group (B.I.G.)’s Tessutica business is proud to announce a new product line in upholstery. Greencare fabrics are created from pellets that come from marine plastic waste. The fabrics themselves can then be 100% recycled into pellets again.

The new Greencare collection is made with 100% recycled and recyclable upholstery fabrics and is certified with the the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) label. The company used recycled yarns from regular post-consumer PET bottles from the oceans, landfills and upcycled cotton from garments.
For this, Tessutica partnered with the Seaqual project, which brings plastic waste back into the manufacturing chain. Through the recycling process there is no usage of new petroleum which decresases the CO₂  emissions significantly compared to the use of virgin polyester.

With growing demands for sustainability within the business world as well as from end-consumers, Tessutica felt it was the right choice to offer a product line that comes with a full guarantee of environmental consciousness.

Today, environmental not-for-profit organization Canopy, third-party auditor NEPCon, and Kelheim Fibres released the results of Kelheim’s CanopyStyle Audit. The company’s current supply chain is confirmed as low risk of sourcing wood from Ancient and Endangered Forests or other controversial sources.

Key findings of the audit include:

• The company is at low risk of sourcing from Ancient and Endangered Forests;
• The company has a limited fibre basket and uses a significant proportion of FSC-certified fibres in its viscose products; and
• The company has begun supporting forest conservation solutions in key areas of Ancient and Endangered Forests.

In the spirit of continuous improvement, Canopy recommends that the company increase the proportion of FSC-certified fibre, and make efforts to source 100% FSC, as well as continue to invest in research and development of low-impact alternative fibres, with the goal of launching a fibre line that contain these products.

This audit, which reflects a snapshot in time, is to be conducted annually to ensure that the company continues to meet the expectations of the CanopyStyle initiative. The audit findings contribute to Hot Button Issue Report.

The public report from Kelheim Fibre’s audit evaluations is available for download here: www.kelheim-fibres.com/en/sustainability/certificates/

Non-contact precision spray technology enhances productivity, sustainability and process control

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. has announced that it will showcase the TexCoat G4 non-contact precision spray fabric finishing system at the Techtextil North America tradeshow, held from May 12 to 14, 2020, in Atlanta (booth #3048).

With extensive sustainability benefits, unprecedented tracking and process control, and industry 4.0 integration, the TexCoat G4 provides consistently high-quality fabric finishing, with no chemistry waste, as well as minimal water and energy consumption. 

Baldwin’s innovative non-contact spray technology eliminates chemistry dilution in wet-on-wet processes. The TexCoat G4 consistently and uniformly sprays chemistry across the fabric surface and applies it only where needed, on one or both sides of the fabric. Customers can expect no bath contamination during the finishing process, as well as minimal downtime during changeovers, which are made easy with recipe management that includes automated chemistry and coverage selection.

The TexCoat G4 also enhances sustainability by wasting no chemistry during color, fabric or chemistry changeovers, and because only the required chemistry volume is applied to the fabric, wet pick-up levels can be reduced by up to 50 percent—leading to 50 percent less water and energy consumption. Furthermore, in single-side applications, drying steps can be eliminated for various textiles, including those that are back-coated and laminated, thereby streamlining and simplifying the production process.

Focus on Sustainability and Climate Change

Passion for Cotton: The 35th International Cotton Conference Bremen starts on 25 March in the Hanseatic city’s historic Town Hall. But before subject-specific questions are discussed in depth in the individual sessions, the concise and inspiring keynotes by leading business experts from science and industry will draw attention to the current trends and challenges in the industry at the start of the conference. A large part of the presentations is shaped by the current discussion on environmental and sustainability issues and the resulting consequences for the global economy.

Climate Change and Sustainability

“Climate change - a storm in a teacup?” asks Kai Hughes, Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee, Washington D.C., USA, in a provocative speech. The aim of his presentation is to work out the challenges of climate change especially for agriculture and cotton production. This should form the basis for later discussion on concrete approaches and solutions within the cotton community.

With his lecture “The HUGO BOSS sustainability programme ... and what our customer has to do with it” Andreas Streubig, Director of Global Sustainability at Hugo Boss AG, Metzingen, Germany, rolls up the textile value chain from a different angle, starting at the consumer level. As a representative of a premium brand for women's and men's clothing, Streubig discusses sustainability as a strategic element of the corporate strategy and provides information on how elements of the strategy are being implemented at Hugo Boss.

Rüdiger Senft, Head of Sustainability at Commerzbank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, looks at the changing role of banks in financing the cotton market. In addition to a general introduction to the topic of sustainability and banking regulation, Senft's presentation deals with the financing of the cotton trade from a social and ecological point of view.
The opening session on 25 March is hosted by Bill Ballenden, founder and owner of Dragontree, Swindon, UK, an online auction platform for the cotton trade. As a former cotton manager for Louis Dreyfus in Europe and Asia, Bill Ballenden has many years of experience in the industry.

Cross-Cutting Issues: Digitalisation, Gender, Value Chains

The subsequent session in the conference programme with the headline “A Wider View” is devoted to currently defining trends and important cross-cutting issues in the industry. This goes far beyond classic cotton themes.

A lecture by Mark Messura, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing for Cotton Incorporated, Cary, North Carolina, deals with the role of cotton in an increasingly digitally controlled supply chain. Significant keywords here are faster delivery times, vertical integration, transparency and traceability.

The presentation by Roger Gilmartin, Managing Director of Tri-Blend Consulting, Charlotte, USA, entitled “The secret recipe for timely, cost-optimised and high-quality cotton clothing” promises exciting and enlightening insights. Tri-Blend Consulting conducts studies on the performance of different cotton varieties during the entire consumption process to the finished yarn and evaluates them from an economic point of view.

Amy Jackson, from the Better Cotton Initiative, London, UK, presents ICA Liverpool's “Women in Cotton” initiative. With this commitment, the initiative aims to increase the influence of women in the cotton industry and give them a stronger voice, for example by building networks in cooperation.

Navdeep Singh Sodhi, International Strategic Management Consultant at the Gherzi Textile Organisation, Switzerland, gives an insight into the current development of the value chain for cotton, textiles and clothing in Africa. Looking ahead to the coming decades, also in view of population growth, Africa is seen as having a high potential for building economic structures to improve income and prosperity.

Thomas Schneider, Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and active in the field of production planning and control, textile materials and materials testing will host the session. A leading light in his field, Thomas Schneider has more than 30 years of experience in scientific and application-oriented research in the textile and fibre sector, including at the Fibre Institute Bremen e.V.

THE S/S 2021 SMART COLLECTION AND STRATEGY: “TEAMING UP IS THE RESPONSIBLE WAY FORWARD”
At Première Vision in Paris, February 11th – 13th Jersey manufacturer TINTEX presents its S/S 2021 collection and a new strategic approach to make the world a better place, a garment at a time in  Hall 5 Booth R50/S43, and Hall 3 Smart Creation Booth S7. “That’s why we decided to update our statement-motto in Naturally Advanced Evolution: a promise and an invitation to work together to develop further collections combining an environment-driven approach with cutting-edge technology.” Says Ricardo Silva, Head of Operations of TINTEX.

“Textile producers and fashion brands should develop their partnership in a much more collaborative way.” Say Says Ricardo Silva, Head of Operations of TINTEX. In a move towards his partners, the company has re-organised its products collection into 4 distinct categories and further evolved its production process in order to guarantee the highest quality and performance of its fabrics and, at the same time, to become more competitive and to allow its clients to orientate better and easily find the most suitable and practical solution. COLLECTION focuses on seasonal proposals while EXPRESSIONS includes a range for all-year-round collections.

THE SS 2021 COLLECTION is imbued with sustainability, innovation and a collaborative attitude. The new range comprises 24 new references built focusing on responsible materials – including recycled or recyclable (100% same raw material), tactile finishes and active performances with smart and cutting-edge technical background. “The main area we developed for the S/S 2021 collection was carefully selected starting from the inputs we had from our partners during some of the most successful collaborations in the past 2 years,” adds Ana Eusebio, designer.

And just to keep the conversation about sharing innovation at best, TINTEX is officially shading the light on its Coating Unit that, thanks to continuous investments, will be able to deliver Naturally Advance Solutions in terms of finishings, not just for TINTEX but also for woven producers that are aligned with the corporate commitment. Come to discover TINTEX portfolio of smartly developed coatings at its booth at Smart Creation, hall 3.

Bemberg™ gears up for Première Vision - February 11th-13th, Paris, France; with a great deal of novelties and a key statement on sustainability: Let’s Make it Circular! That’s why the Japanese brand of regenerated cellulose fibers joins the fair with two booths, one in the yarn-focused sector – Hall 6 C52 6D53 – the other one in the Smart Creation area, the curated district showcasing cutting-edge sustainable innovation for the textile and fashion business. Hall3 S14.

“We simply could not miss out on the Smart Creation Area as sustainability is the founding pillar of our company,” says SHUNSUKE SATO, sales manager of Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei. “Indeed, the smart fiber is made from a cotton linter which is pre-consumer material, a natural derived source, that doesn’t deplete forestry resources. The strategy beyond our double presence is to highlight our deep commitment to responsible innovation to a larger target of professionals.”

Let’s take it circular! is the motto at the Smart Creation booth. The lifespan of Bemberg™’s regenerated cellulose fiber derived from cotton is fully circular: from the source to manufacturing. The whole sustainable closed-loop process is supported by the LCA study, signed by ICEA and validated by Paolo Masoni. Recyclability is granted by the Global Recycle Standard - GRS certification by the renown Textile Exchange. An influential guarantee that involves the whole production process and supply chain behind the company’s smart yarns. Bemberg™ yarns are entirely biodegradable and ecotoxicity-free – meaning that at the end of their life circle they break down into the environment leaving no trace in terms of toxic substances as attested by the Innovhub-SSI report.

On show at Première Vision some of the most recent collaborations with GRS-certified partners such as FIVEOL, SMI TESSUTI, TESSITURA UBOLDI, INFINITY, SIDONIOS, MATIAS & ARAUJO, TINTEX, IPEKER, EKOTEN, for fashion fabrics as well as PEZZETTI and BRUNELLO & G.CRESPI from lining partners.

The first Bemberg™ partner to present a commercial collection enriched by Velutine™ Evo is the Portuguese Matias & Araújo. With an innovative spirit, dynamism and a determined entrepreneurial spirit, the company is a leading knitwear producer for the textile industry.

In the Hall 6 Bemberg™ displays key commercial items developed by premium brands such as CAALO that is making its mark in the outerwear market with its Sustainably produced Functional-Luxury proposal. For SS20, CAALO utilized Bemberg™ lining because of the sustainability properties and it's unique colour.

CAALO looks to utilize as much eco-friendly and sustainable materials as possible without compromising on design or quality. This Bemberg™ lining was a perfect fit.