From the Sector

Coloreel has signed a two million dollar deal with a prominent Asian manufacturer. This agreement is a milestone for Coloreel and its innovative product.

The new partnership underscores Coloreel's capacity to meet the growing demand for innovative and sustainable solutions among manufacturers and brands worldwide. While the initial delivery of the on-demand digital thread-dying units is set for October this year, the majority of the volume will be shipped during 2024.

The Swedish company has rapidly gained recognition for its pioneering innovation in embroidery. The technology enables manufacturers to instantly dye a white thread into an unlimited spectrum of colors, all in real-time. At the same time, the technology makes production more efficient by using digital processes and automation, while saving up to 97% of water compared to traditional thread dyeing.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, is partnering with the Waterloo Filtration Institute to deliver the FiltXPO™ technical program on October 10-11, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. The Waterloo Filtration Institute was instrumental in recommending program topics and world-class presenters.

Engineers, scientists, and industry professionals will gain the latest insights into the filtration and separation topics affecting the industry today and into the future. The program features presentations include: filter media technologies, advancements and opportunities in filtration machinery and equipment, innovations in clean air for homes and urban areas, standards and testing, industry trends and new developments, and filtration challenges and opportunities.

The keynote for this year’s event is “IAQ Is the New Black” presented by Suzanne Shelton, President & CEO, Shelton Group. Shelton will share the latest data around consumer views on health, safety, people, and the planet. Participants will gain an understanding of the filtration opportunities and the challenges manufacturers face in communicating the value of their products.

A preview of the subject matter experts includes:

• AAF Flanders – “Air Filter Standards Activity and What It Means for Innovation”
• Ahlstrom – “Expanding Wetlaid Filtration Media Performance Through Innovation”
• Air Techniques International – “Application of Automated Filter Tester in Quality Control Testing: Importance of Consistent Aerosol Particle Size Distribution”
• American Truetzschler, Inc. – “How Really Good Filter Media Is Made”
• CEREX Advanced Fabrics – “The Antimicrobial Nylon Advantage”
• Elsner Engineering Works, Inc. – “When Does Automation Make Sense”
• Hollingsworth & Vose – “Accelerating Membrane Adoption with ROI”
• INDA – “Beyond Porter’s Five Forces – When Regulation Reshapes Markets”
• MANN+HUMMEL GmbH – “Filtration for Cleaner Urban Mobility – Introducing Horizon Europe Innovation Action Aersolfd”
• NatureWorks – “Optimizing Biopolymers to Improve Filter Performance – A Spectrum of Approaches and Opportunities”
• Palas GmbH – “Influence of Temperature and Humidity to Filter Efficiency and Dust Holding Capacity”
• Ptak Consulting – “Residential Filtration – Performance Against Infectious Aerosols”
• The University of Georgia – “Recent Advances in Melt Blown Nonwovens and Filter Media Research”

New this year to FiltXPO are Lightning Talks. Lightning Talks are an opportunity to connect with new trends, products, innovations, and ideas with speakers rotating every eight minutes. Presenting companies include Ahlstrom, Elsner Engineering Works, Inc., Gottlieb Binder GmbH, TSI, and the Waterloo Filtration Institute.

The FiltXPO exhibition takes place October 10-12 and will run concurrently with the technical program.

The new chairman of the Industrievereinigung Chemiefaser e. V. is Stefan Braun, managing director of Indorama Ventures Mobility Obernburg GmbH.

Braun, who had already held the chair twice between 2014 and 2020, was elected in June 2023 at the IVC annual members' meeting in Lenzing, Austria. Klaus Holz, Managing Director of Indorama Ventures Fibers Germany GmbH, was not available for re-election after one term as IVC Chair and two previous terms as Vice-Chair.

The IVC General Assembly appointed Dieter Feldmann, Managing Director of CERDIA Produktions GmbH, as Deputy Chairman. He succeeds Werner Häller, COO of Monosuisse AG, who did not stand for this position. The previous Treasurer of the IVC, Dr. Till Boldt, Managing Director of ENKA International Lux SE & Co. KG, was confirmed in office for the fifth consecutive term.

All elections took place according to rotation. Deviating from the usual mandate of 3 years, the Board of Directors had itself elected for a shortened term until June 2024.

IVC Managing Director Dr Wilhelm Rauch will leave IVC after almost 22 years when his contract expires on 31 January 2024 and will take on new tasks. The chemist with a doctorate and REACH expert is looking forward to making his expertise available to companies across sectors in the future.

The project "A Dress For Venice" get on the Red Carpet at the Venice Film Festival to advocate for sustainability. September 7th, actress Margot Sikabonyi will wear a dress from the collection designed by conscious designer Tiziano Guardini, illustrated by artist Jacopo Ascari, and produced by Martina Vidal Venezia, with the following materials:

• Bemberg™: The innovative and biodegradable fiber from the Japanese company Asahi Kasei.
• Burano lace: Produced by the historic Martina Vidal Venezia for four generations.

"Returning to Venice and experiencing the emotions of this place and the artists who have enriched it is exhilarating," says Tiziano Guardini. "It's a work based on volumes, shapes, three-dimensionality, colours and materials research… from Mariano Fortuny to the Ottoman Empire's Turcherie."

Illustrator Ascari adds, "I started with a careful study of the works of Canaletto, Guardi and Bellotto, masterpieces of Eighteenth-Century Vedutismo. I portrayed new perspectives on the city's splendour, enhanced by Guardini's vibrant shapes and color choices."

On Thursday, September 7th, at 12:30, in the Veneto Region's room at the Hotel Excelsior on Lido, Elena Donazzan, Councilor for Education, Training, Employment, and Equal Opportunities, will present the project alongside its creators Laura Scarpa and Lorenzo Cinotti of Venezia da Vivere, designer Tiziano Guardini, artist Jacopo Ascari, and actress Margot Sikabonyi.

"We conceived A Dress For Venice for Homo Faber in 2019, to celebrate Venice's 1600 years of craftsmanship," explains Laura Scarpa. "This year, the research extends to sustainable innovation thanks to an international team of designers, artisans and companies," continues Lorenzo Cinotti.

The project reaffirms Venice's role as an international laboratory to reflect on the planet's future. "A Dress For Venice" is a limited-edition collection realized with the support of a network of companies identified by the Tavolo Veneto della Moda (Confartigianato, CNA, Confindustria, Confesercenti and Confcommercio of Veneto), the global platform C.L.A.S.S. (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy), the partnership of Camera Buyer Italia and the media partnership of The Italian Rêve.

The presentation of the collection to buyers will take place at the Marina Guidi showroom in mid-September, while it will have its dedicated exhibition on Friday, October 20th, during the Venice Fashion Week.

"A Dress for Venice" is endorsed by the Comune di Venezia, the Regione del Veneto, and Homo Faber - Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, which promotes worldwide high craftsmanship and savoir-faire.

Partners in the project Infinity srl and Tessitura Grisotto, renowned Italian textile manufacturers who expertly craft Bemberg™ fiber into exquisite fabrics. Creazioni Digitali, a specialized company in sublimation digital printing, carries out the prints on Bemberg™ textiles with its unique project GreenDrop; with inks that reduces the water consumption.

Other partners include Marina Iremonger, Camera Buyer Italia, and the Tavolo Veneto della Moda, representing Confartigianato, CNA, Confindustria, Confcommercio, and Confesercenti.

Harnessing the synergy of the Texpertise Network of Messe Frankfurt and its global apparel flagship, the co-organisers of the Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) recently held a joint press conference on 28 August 2023, the first day of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition. Discussing the inaugural fair’s comprehensive, business-friendly nature, representatives of both Messe Frankfurt  and VIETRADE spoke in glowing terms about the potential of ASEAN’s new platform for the entire textile industry. Set to launch the spring sourcing season, the fair will take place from 28 February – 1 March 2024 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.

For its first edition, the fair is expected to attract over 500 exhibitors and around 35,000 visitors to an 18,000 sqm exhibition space. Ms Wendy Wen, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, considered the show’s importance on a worldwide scale: “Serving as a supplementary trade fair to our existing events in China, VIATT will effectively extend our market reach into South East Asia. We’ve designed it to reinforce our global Texpertise Network, spanning the entire textile value chain. The network, which links over half a million textile professionals globally and organises more than 50 international textile trade fairs across 11 different countries, will lend its full support to the fair.”
 
She continued: “In line with this commitment, we will harness our more than 30 years of experience organising Intertextile in China, and extend to the fast-growing textile sector in Vietnam. Intertexile has grown to be by far the most influential series within our Texpertise Network, covering a broad range of resources in apparel fabrics, home and contract textiles."
 
With Vietnam’s largest international airport and seaport, and its proximity to other textile producing countries and regions, Ho Chi Minh City is strategically located to hold an event of this nature. The city attracts 35%^[1] of Vietnam’s foreign direct investment projects, and is the venue of choice for a significant portion of the country’s trade fairs.
 
Discussing the event’s potential, Mr Vu Ba Phu, Director General of Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), said: “Vietnam has emerged as one of the leading textiles exporting countries worldwide, with particularly high growth in the past 10 years, ranging from 15% to 20% yearly. As companies seek to diversify supply chains, and Vietnam introduces lucrative trade agreements, the market is predicted to attract even more investments. A big importer of textile machinery, fabrics, and yarns and fibres, green production and durable goods have become increasingly important. VIATT 2024 will be an important hub helping suppliers and buyers in all categories to meet, source and unleash the full potential of this market.”
 
A comprehensive Vietnam-based textile fair is an attractive proposition for manufacturers and sourcing professionals alike. Exhibitors from around the world will showcase a full spectrum of apparel fabrics, yarns and fibres, and garments; the latest innovations in technical textiles and nonwovens, textile processing, and printing technology; as well as a wide range of home and contract textiles.
 
Apparel fabrics, yarns and fibres, and garments
This sector will contain quality exhibitors from Vietnam, ASEAN, and beyond, providing buyers with numerous, diverse sourcing options in apparel textile sub-categories such as accessories, casualwear, denim, lace and embroidery, ladieswear, pattern designs, shirting, sportswear, suiting, and many more.
 
Technical textiles and nonwovens, textile processing, and printing technology
With application areas that include everything from automotive, aerospace and shipping, to construction, healthcare and safety, products on display will include innovative machinery, as well as some of the latest developments in smart textiles, such as wearable technology, sensors, and advanced materials.
 
Home textiles
Exhibitors will feature high-quality bed linens, towels, curtains, and much more, suitable for visitors sourcing for both residential and commercial applications. The diverse collections of home textiles will be enhanced by globally on-trend interior designs and in-demand, organic materials.
 
The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE). Covering the entire textile industry value chain, the inaugural edition will be held from 28 February – 1 March 2024 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City.

^[1] ‘Investing in Ho Chi Minh City’, October 2022, Vietnam Briefing, retrieved August 2023, https://www.vietnam-briefing.com/news/investing-in-ho-chi-minh-city-why-the-megacitys-industry-economy-and-policy-are-key-to-developmen.html/

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, was highlighted for its advanced sustainable practices and innovation in Pakistan by the Swiss Embassy. Foreign Minister of Switzerland, Mr. Ignazio Cassis who was on an official state visit to Pakistan visited Archroma Center of Excellence at Karachi on 9 July 2023 along with high-level officials and three Members of Swiss Parliament.

Mr. Ignazio Cassis was greeted by Archroma employees at the Archroma Center of Excellence. He inaugurated the company’s "Wall of Pride", an impressive collection of recognitions, accolades and honors earned by Archroma in Pakistan since the company’s inception in October 2013.

Mr. Cassis visited the Research & Technology (R&T), Application, Analytical Laboratories & Training Academy spread on three floors at the Archroma Center of Excellence and saw the developmental work in progress. He was shown printing of multi-colored fabrics along with research based developmental analysis in the laboratories.

The globally acclaimed ‘Zero Liquid Discharge Sustainable Effluent Treatment Plant’ and the aniline-free* indigo produced at Jamshoro were the two of the main highlights showcased as best-in-class sustainable practices in the industry. Presentations and discussions were held on continued enhancement of these landmarks with the local industry.

adidas announced a further release of YEEZY inventory with a range of existing products being available in phases throughout the month of August across the world. As previously communicated, adidas will donate a significant amount to selected organizations working to combat discrimination and hate, including racism and antisemitism.

As with the release in May 2023, the second release will feature products which were initiated in 2022. The range available will include some of the most popular existing designs including the YEEZY BOOST 350 V2, 500 and 700 as well as the YEEZY SLIDE and FOAM RNR.

adidas will continue the support of partners combatting discrimination and hate with donations to existing and new partners. The company will continue to support the work of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change. In addition, adidas is proud to partner with Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS) to fight all forms of hate.

To create further impact adidas will show support for the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism by including blue square pins with selected products sold directly by adidas in North America. These blue square pins were established by FCAS through their #StandUpToJewishHate campaign launched earlier this year, as the universal symbol for standing in solidarity and unity in the fight against antisemitism and all hate.

Since terminating the YEEZY partnership in October, adidas has been exploring multiple scenarios for the potential use of the existing YEEZY inventory. The process involved seeking feedback and listening to a diverse group of employees, organizations, communities, and consumers for how to responsibly manage the existing product.

Bangladesh will stage the world’s first climate conference for the fashion industry this autumn, on 12 October. The Bangladesh Climate Action Forum will convene policy makers, garment manufacturers, fashion retailers and other industry stakeholders to look at solutions for decarbonising global textile supply chains.

The event will focus on technological and financial challenges around reducing emissions. Most of the world’s leading fashion brands have now set ambitious targets for reducing supply chain emissions. These targets relate to 2030 by which time many brands aim to reduce emissions by 50 per cent, and 2050 where most fashion brands aim to be carbon neutral.

The Bangladesh Climate Forum Action will examine causes of climate crisis, its urgency, impacts we have already seen, and what we can expect under both businesses as usual and rapid decarbonisation scenarios.

Also presenting at the event will be the Government of Bangladesh, which will address Bangladesh’s actions to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis. Bangladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change and is ranked the seventh extreme disaster risk-prone country in the world according to a report from the Global Climate Risk Index 2021. Tropical cyclones, tornadoes, floods, coastal and riverbank erosion, droughts and landslides are the major climate-induced hazards in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Climate Forum Action will also look at approaches towards decarbonization, including NetZero goals and timelines. Speakers will discuss globally recognised pathways for electricity/transportation/industry decarbonisation.

Renewable energy will also be under discussion. If fashion brands are to hit climate targets, it is imperative that supply chains switch to renewable energy and away from gas and fossil fuels. The event will look at challenges around the de-carbonisation of the electricity grid in Bangladesh, as well as the rate of transition toward renewable resources by garment factories, including solar power.

A key element of the event will be evaluation of practical solutions for Bangladesh’s RMG industry. It will profile specific solutions such as energy efficiency, machine upgrades, the electrification of thermal loads, direct power purchase agreements and biomass fed thermal systems. It will also discuss the challenges faced in the industry including business climate (and cycles), pricing, financing challenges, target setting and execution, policy opportunities, knowledge gaps and availability/scaling of solutions.

Financial challenges around decarbonisation of supply chains are significant, and it is far from clear who will pay for the technological upgrades required. While some investment support systems exist – such as lower interest financing – these are not always available, accessible or affordable for the majority of the RMG companies.

The event will explore financial options, changes to business/pricing models, opportunities for de-risking/underwriting investments, direct investment and other tools that need to emerge to address financial challenges and plug the funding gap. The event will also explore opportunities to decouple climate action from business cycles so that the 2030 targets can be met.

The textile machinery orders index for the first quarter of 2023, as processed by the Economics Office of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, declined markedly compared to January-March 2022 (-35%). In absolute terms, the index stood at 84.8 points (basis: 2015=100).

This result is mainly due to a reduction in the orders intake recorded by manufacturers on foreign markets. Indeed, foreign orders dropped by 40%, whereas the domestic market showed a 14% increase. The absolute value of the index settled at 78.3 points abroad, while it measured in at 148.1 points in Italy. During this year’s first quarter, booked orders stood at 4.2 months of guaranteed production.

ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi stated that, “The order index for the first quarter confirm a trend of the past few quarters, where uncertainty still predominates in global markets, both in terms of a macroeconomic framework that is characterized by a penalizing inflationary trend and ongoing geopolitical tensions. This is a scenario that this does not facilitate investment plans for businesses.”

However, this uncertainty does not appear to affect the sector’s operators, who are nonetheless permeated by a sense of optimism, as is also testified by the positive data drawn from a comparison with orders from the previous quarter (October-December 2022), for which total orders had been slightly on the rise at +3%. Indeed, the president of ACIMIT confirms that, “Manufacturers in our sector don’t lack for work, having filled up on orders last year and are now busy fulfilling them. The forecasts for 2023 remain positive”. Zucchi concluded, “I expect this confirmation of a healthy manufacturing sector to come from ITMA Milan, the world’s premier trade show dedicated to textile and clothing technologies, slated to open on June 8th at the Rho Fiera exhibition spaces. The exhibit will feature over 400 Italian manufacturers, taking up approximately 30% of the entire exhibition space. This figure is in itself a result that confirms the leadership role of Italy’s textile machinery manufacturers”.

adidas has announced a new milestone in its journey towards replacing virgin polyester with recycled polyester . 96% of all polyester used in adidas products is now recycled polyester. The achievement of the ambition that adidas first set in 2017 – to replace all virgin polyester with recycled wherever possible by the end of 2024 – is on track to be achieved earlier than expected.

Since the first adidas high-performance shoe was made with recycled materials in 2015, the brand has been working towards reducing its dependency on virgin polyester. Last year it announced that in 2021, more than 90% of the polyester used in adidas products was recycled, which – if it had been virgin polyester - would have accounted for 390 thousand metric tons of CO₂e – the equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions generated to provide power to 50 thousand homes in the US^[1].

According to Textile Exchange^[2], global recycled polyester fiber production volume increased in 2021, but still accounts for just 14.8% of all global polyester production.

Sport is about meeting challenges head-on and finding ways to overcome those – material innovation is no different. For the team at adidas, the road to 96% has been long and full of challenges. The confirmation of its polyester commitment in 2017 was a crucial step in helping to initiate a transformation across adidas and its entire supply chain. This transformation has been made possible through creating technical solutions and imagining new possibilities that previously didn’t exist.

To accompany the announcement, adidas has created a short film about its new ‘PB’, featuring star athlete Jazmin Sawyers. The film highlights the sports brand’s pride in making progress, and its determination to push further.

As the brand looks ahead to 2024 and beyond, it will continue to expand its focus beyond recycled polyester. It will be doing this through three main areas of focus: changing materials by testing and scaling new raw materials, rethinking entire processes to design products that have a circular end-of-life solution, and reducing its carbon footprint.

^[1] adidas Footprint Analytics team
^[2] Textile Exchange Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report, October 2021, https://textileexchange.org/app/uploads/2022/10/Textile-Exchange_PFMR_2022.pdf