From the Sector

Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel launches the complete RCY 99xx series recycled polyester (rPET) shirt interlinings. This product line serves as a sustainable counterpart to Freudenberg's renowned 95xx series, which has been a staple in the industry for over twenty years.

The 95xx series, celebrated for its unique bi-elastic properties, has earned its place as one of Freudenberg Apparel's most sought-after shirt interlining ranges.

Now, taking a leap towards sustainability, Freudenberg Apparel introduces the complete RCY 99xx series. Crafted from rPET, these bi-elastic interlinings are designed to complement an array of contemporary fabrics, including pure cotton, T/C, flannel, oxford, cotton & linen blends, seersucker, jersey, and all types of stretch knits. The RCY 99xx series not only preserves the natural hand-feel, texture, and shape of these fabrics but also infuses a fresh creative dimension into shirt design.

The RCY 99xx series boasts an weight range of 30-150 g/m2, offering versatility for a diverse spectrum of shirt styles, from men’s casual shirts and women's blouses to polo shirts, sports shirts, and denim shirts. This adaptability ensures that designers and manufacturers have the flexibility to meet the evolving demands of the market while upholding sustainability principles.

Archroma has won awards in two categories at the Just Style 2024 Excellence Awards. It took home two coveted Innovation Excellence awards for its SUPER SYSTEMS+ solutions and AVICUERO® leather tanning process, as well as a Social Excellence award for its longstanding and holistic commitment to community engagement in Baroda, India.

The awards recognize how Archroma is driving change with innovations that advance sustainability and through initiatives that contribute to the socio-economic progress of communities near to its Baroda manufacturing plant.

Innovation Awards
Archroma was recognized for advancing sustainable manufacturing in two Just Style Excellence Awards for Innovation.

SUPER SYSTEMS+ is a comprehensive suite of solutions that addresses the textile industry's key challenges, including water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, circularity, chemical management and compliance.

By providing end-to-end, fiber-specific solutions that enhance process efficiency and offer intelligent effects, SUPER SYSTEMS+ enables mills and brands to meet their sustainability targets as well as consumer demand for durable products with enhanced functionality and sustainability. With end-to-end solutions from pre-treatment to finishing, SUPER SYSTEMS+ can be deployed without additional investment. With future compliance in mind, the solutions also go beyond current regulations and industry standards to anticipate upcoming restrictions.

Archroma’s AVICUERO® is a system for sustainable leather tanning and dyeing. Developed in collaboration with UK-based leather technology expert Dr Leather, it is both chrome- and metal-free and yet maintains the quality and performance of traditional tanning methods. Tanners enjoy shorter processing times, eliminate the pickling process and reduce salt usage, leading to lower pollution effluent discharge loads. In addition, AVICUERO® can offer energy savings of up to 25% and CO₂ emissions reductions of up to 23% compared to traditional chrome tanning.

Social Award for Community Engagement
Archroma has also been recognized for the positive impact it is having on communities in the vicinity of Baroda through multifaceted initiatives that span early childhood development, student scholarships, agricultural education and the empowerment of women.

Archroma recently set up an Anganwadi Centre to provide a range of services in the community, including nutrition and health education and pre-school learning. It also runs a scholarship program for students in vocational training, helping to create a skilled talent pool for the region. Archroma is also collaborating with a local NGO to empower farmers with modern agricultural methods and insights.

The building of a Household Biogas Plant in Umraya village is another example of Archroma's sustainable initiatives. The conversion of manure into clean renewable energy by the plant tackles several issues, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing soil health. It also liberates rural women from the burden of sourcing conventional fuel sources and the health risks associated with burning dung cakes for fuel.

KARL MAYER Technische Textilien launches the new MAX GLASS ECO, a composite machine with a focus on standard non-crimp fabrics made of glass fibers.

The MAX GLASS ECO incorporates proven solutions from the KARL MAYER GROUP's range of multiaxial machines, including features from its predecessor, the MAXTRONIC®, and combines these with sophisticated new technical developments. The result is a production machine for the economical manufacture of standard glass fiber articles, especially non-crimp fabrics for the wind power industry.

The multiaxial warp knitting machine is extremely efficient, affordable and, unlike the previous MAXTRONIC®, sufficiently flexible thanks to various optional functions. At a rotational speed of up to 1,800 min^-1, a maximum output of 410 m/h is achieved.

The MAX GLASS ECO is available with a working width of 101″ and is suitable for laying angles of +/-45°. A complementary layering system ensures a uniform take-up speed and therefore gentle processing of the fiber material. This sophisticated weft tension compensation device is one of a whole series of tried and tested features of KARL MAYER multiaxial technology that have been integrated into the new machine. Other adopted solutions include the Fiber Chopping Unit, which allows glass fiber chips to be introduced into the laying process and thus cover more fields of application, and a single pin transport chain for a processing method with less waste.

Newly developed innovations also ensure even better performance, including the fixed layer system, which ensures high placement precision at all laying angles. Other equipment details with added value for the customer include a conveyor belt across the full working width, the walking needle system, which prevents the formation of lanes even with long stitch lengths, and the fitting of single compound needles, which can be changed efficiently.

Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies has signed a binding agreement to acquire two strategic business units of the Swiss company Cilander, much renowned worldwide for its expertise in the supply of high-end textile fabrics and finishing services for complex textiles used in a wide range of applications.

The project includes the acquisition of the historic factory of the company, Geissbühler, located in Lützelflüh. The factory is a cornerstone of its finishing activities for high-tech textile solutions to address demanding markets such as the military, interior design, sports, and mobility. The site is the legacy of an industrial history that began in 1677, almost 350 years ago. With its Planofil® brand, Cilander markets high-performance textile fabrics for outdoor use, particularly in the nautical world. Cilander also offers a range of finishing options and can tailor-make products to customer specifications.

Under the agreement, CFT PCC also plans to acquire the shirt fabrics business, which mainly comprises the ALUMO brand, founded by Karl Albrecht, joined by Robert Morgen in 1941. For over a century, ALUMO has been at the forefront of offering fabrics made from the finest, highest-quality cotton for men's shirts. The company is the preferred supplier of tailors and specialized luxury brands worldwide, relying on its E-commerce platform.

In addition, Cilander's fabrics business includes the Eugster & Huber brand, aimed at women's fashion brands. The portfolio also comprises Brennet, known for its high-quality fabrics with a contemporary touch, and Swiss Ghutra, a brand specializing in high-end fabrics and headpieces for a clientele in the Middle East.

When completed, this acquisition will strengthen the development capabilities of Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies, a leader in interlinings for the garment industry. Thanks to Cilander’s high-tech products and solutions, the business line will open doors to new, particularly demanding niche markets, notably the military market and reinforce its market share in the apparel segment, especially shirt-making.

The EREMA Group, based in Ansfelden near Linz, Austria, closes the financial year 2023/24 with total revenues of EUR 380 million. A joint venture with the Lindner Group sees the group of companies expand its portfolio to include washing technology. EREMA Group GmbH now has eight subsidiaries: EREMA, PURE LOOP, PLASMAC, KEYCYCLE, Lindner Washtech, UMAC, plasticpreneur and 3S.

"With our machines and components, we have now reached a recycling volume of more than 25 million tonnes per year worldwide, which makes a significant contribution to the development of a circular economy for plastics," says Manfred Hackl, CEO of the EREMA Group. The group of companies manufactured 290 extruders for recycling plastic in the past financial year, supplemented by over 100 add-on components such as filter systems and ReFresher anti-odour technology. These recycling solutions generated total sales of EUR 380 million. Around 8,500 machines and components from the group are in operation in more than 100 countries. The EREMA Group employs 950 people worldwide.

Strategic investments in all areas of the plastics recycling industry
In recent years, the EREMA Group has invested in developing specific machines, applications and infrastructure. "The opening of the new R&D Centre in Ansfelden last summer and the new machines in the Customer Technology Center at EREMA North America at the beginning of this year, have seen us complete the largest phase of investment in our history to date. We have invested more than EUR 110 million in the expansion and modernization of our international locations over the past five years," emphasizes Horst Wolfsgruber, CFO of the EREMA Group. Another important milestone is the founding in August 2023 of the holding company BLUEONE Solutions together with the Austrian family-owned company Lindner. Incorporating Lindner Washtech means that the EREMA Group's extensive portfolio now also includes washing technology.

Developments in post consumer and PET recycling
The new DuaFil® Compact technology, which EREMA developed specifically for challenging applications with high levels of contamination and moisture, is proving successful. Since the launch at K 2022, around 20 INTAREMA® TVEplus® DuaFil® Compact systems have been sold. In the post consumer segment, ReFresher technology for the production of odour-optimised recycled pellets is also gaining ground and is now in use worldwide with a total capacity of one million tonnes per year for film and regrind applications. Another interesting new component is the DischargePro control system for the EREMA laser filter, which has been nominated for this year's Plastics Recycling Awards Europe. The discharge control system responds automatically to fluctuations in flow rate during the recycling process and reduces melt loss by up to 50 percent. With its new Fast-Track scheme, EREMA is responding to the demand for machines available at short notice at an attractive price-performance ratio.

For bottle applications, VACUREMA® systems have been proving their performance for 25 years. Over 400 EREMA PET systems for food grade are in operation worldwide, notching up a total capacity of more than 4.5 million tonnes per year. PET recycling is also becoming increasingly important in the textile industry. FibrePro:IV technology was developed especially for fibre-to-fibre recycling, which is used together with machine combinations from EREMA or PURE LOOP, who specialise in shredder-extruder technology, depending on the geometry and contamination of the PET fibre waste. For these applications, the EREMA Group has set up a fibre technical centre at its headquarters in Ansfelden.

Big potential for plastics recycling
The amount of plastic produced worldwide is currently around 400 million tonnes per year - and the figure is still rising. Around 9 percent of it is recycled globally. This represents big potential for the EREMA Group, as Manfred Hackl emphasizes.

The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative and sustainable fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, is a 2024 thought leadership partner of the United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network and will be participating in the third annual meeting on June 3 at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City.

Jean Hegedus, The LYCRA Company’s sustainability director, will be joining the panel discussion on “Elevating Fashion: Sustainable Practices and Strategic Insights in the Apparel Industry.” She will highlight The LYCRA Company’s collaboration with Qore® to use its QIRA® product to potentially help reduce the carbon footprint of LYCRA® fiber by up to 44 percent.*

Available in early 2025, patented bio-derived LYCRA® fiber made with QIRA® will consist of 70 percent renewable content derived from dent corn. This renewable spandex will be the first available on a large scale and it will deliver equivalent performance to traditional LYCRA® fiber without requiring re-engineering of processes, garment patterns or fabrics.

This annual meeting brings together media, industry stakeholders, governments, and UN entities to advance knowledge, promote collaboration and enable action to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the fashion and lifestyle sectors.

The United Nations Fashion and Lifestyle Network is led by the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Fashion Impact Fund. The Network stands as a catalyst for sustainable development within the fashion and lifestyle sectors.

*Estimate from Cradle-to-Gate Screening LCA for a representative LYCRA® fiber manufacturing facility, June 2022, prepared by Ramboll Americas Engineering Solutions, Inc.

British technology company Hypetex has been awarded a significant grant from Innovate UK to develop the world’s first technical coloured flax fibre, which will have applications in the sustainable manufacturing of cars, boats and other products that are usually made with carbon fibre.

Called FlaxTex the material is strong, lightweight and 100 per cent biodegradable, having a net positive carbon footprint at point of manufacturing. It can be colourised whilst enhancing its performance properties, with the process adding some important manufacturing attributes compared to standard flax fibre.

As such, FlaxTex’s mechanical properties represent the closest sustainable substitute for robust and lightweight materials like glass fibre and carbon fibre in composite structures.  

The performance of standard flax fibre is often hindered by its high moisture absorption, resulting in reduced structural integrity when used in composite construction. In addition, the natural brown colour of flax has been deemed unappealing for product use.

Flaxtex solves these issues by removing moisture through the colouring process and sealing the fibres, which waterproofs them and enabling their core mechanical properties. Hypetex’s patented nano-pigment technology changes the colour adding an aesthetic quality to the material.  

This colouring process is set to transform industrial design possibilities of Flax natural fibres by enhancing the strength and performance while simultaneously reducing post-processing requirements and total energy usage. This also aligns with Hypetex's commitment to supporting the green transition and helping manufacturers meet government expectations on the path to UK Net Zero targets and the European Green Deal.

Over the course of a 12-month industrial research project, Hypetex will further optimize its resin systems and processes, expanding the use of FlaxTex across various markets.  

FlaxTex has a range of industry uses, including on construction, automotive, sports equipment and furniture products.

• Revenue up 5.7 percent year-on-year to EUR 658.4 million
• EBITDA more than doubles year-on-year to EUR 71.4 million
• Free cash flow of EUR 87.3 million (compared with minus EUR 132.3 million in the first quarter of 2023) and thereby positive for the third consecutive quarter
• Performance program shows positive effect on revenue, EDITDA, and free cash flow
• Lenzing confirms EBITDA guidance for 2024

The Lenzing Group, a leading supplier of regenerated cellulose for the textile and nonwovens industries, recorded a further improvement in fiber sales volumes in the first quarter of 2024. An expected recovery in markets relevant for Lenzing has to date failed to materialize. Fiber prices remained at a low level. Although the costs of raw materials and energy continued to decrease, they remained higher than in the pre-crisis 2019 year.

Outlook
Even though the IMF has upgraded its growth forecast for 2024 from 3.1 percent to 3.2 percent, a number of risks remain for the global economy: potential geopolitical shocks, persistently higher inflation and key interest rates, as well as market risks emanating from the Chinese real estate market are currently considered to be the most relevant.

General inflation and falling incomes in real terms are continuing to exert a negative impact on consumer sentiment. A recovery in the consumer clothing market, which is important for Lenzing, will also depend on a further normalization of stock levels.

The currency environment is expected to remain volatile in regions relevant to Lenzing.

In the trend-setting market for cotton, a stable price trend is expected for the 2023/2024 harvest season.

Earnings visibility remains limited overall.

Revenue and earnings in the first quarter exceeded Lenzing’s expectations, despite the persistently difficult market. Lenzing is ahead of schedule with the implementation of its performance program. By appointing a separate Managing Board member, the projects identified to date are to be implemented even more rapidly, and new potentials are to be leveraged. Lenzing expects that these measures will increasingly contribute to further earnings improvement over the coming quarters compared to the first quarter of 2024.

Taking the aforementioned factors into consideration, the Lenzing Group confirms its guidance for the 2024 financial year of year-on-year higher EBITDA.

In structural terms, Lenzing continues to anticipate growth in demand for environmentally responsible fibers for the textile and clothing industry as well as the hygiene and medical sectors. As a consequence, Lenzing is well positioned with its “Better Growth” strategy and plans to continue driving growth with specialty fibers as well as its sustainability goals, including the transformation from a linear to a circular economy model.

Major developments:

• Currency-neutral sales up 8% driven by growth in all regions except North America
• Double-digit DTC growth reflects strong adidas sell-through
• Gross margin improves 6.4pp to 51.2%, reflecting healthier inventory levels, reduced discounting, lower sourcing costs and a more favorable business mix
• Operating profit of € 336 million compared to € 60 million in the prior-year period
• Inventories down more than € 1.2 billion versus the prior year to € 4.4 billion
• Top- and bottom-line guidance upgraded on April 16 due to successful start to the year

Full-year outlook
adidas expects revenues to increase at a mid- to high-single-digit rate in 2024
On April 16, adidas upgraded its full-year financial guidance as a result of the better-than-expected performance in the first quarter. adidas now expects currency-neutral revenues to increase at a mid- to high-single-digit rate in 2024 (previously: increase at a mid-single-digit rate). Within this guidance, it is assumed that the remaining Yeezy inventory will be sold on average at cost, resulting in sales of around € 200 million throughout the remainder of the year. This corresponds to a projected total amount of Yeezy-related sales of around € 350 million in FY 2024 (previously: around € 250 million), of which around € 150 million were generated in the first quarter. For its underlying business, adidas remains focused on scaling its successful franchises, introducing new ones, and leveraging its significantly better, broader, and deeper product range. Improved retailer relationships, more impactful marketing initiatives, and the company’s activities around major sports events are also expected to contribute to sales increases throughout 2024.

Outlook impacted by significant currency headwinds
Unfavorable currency effects are projected to weigh significantly on the company’s profitability in 2024. They are expected to continue to adversely impact both reported revenues and the gross margin development in the remainder of the year.

Operating profit of around € 700 million projected
Following the better-than-expected performance in the first quarter, the company also increased its full-year profit guidance on April 16. The company’s operating profit is now expected to reach a level of around € 700 million (previously: to reach a level of around € 500 million). The improved bottom-line guidance includes a contribution of around € 50 million from Yeezy (previously: no Yeezy contribution) related to the drop in Q1. The sale of the remaining Yeezy inventory is assumed to result in no further profit contribution during the remainder of the year.

Integrated textile mill Nuevo Mundo is partnering with Archroma to offer collections utilizing Archroma’s EarthColors® agricultural waste based dyes and produced with zero liquid discharge and substantial resource savings.

A strategic partner of apparel brands, Nuevo Mundo is a market leader in South America with a 75-year history. It helps brands expand into new markets with value-added products that capture growing consumer demand for quality and sustainability. The company is a pioneer in the adoption of water-saving processes and chemicals that have minimal impact on the environment.

Nuevo Mundo is now reinforcing its commitment to sustainability with the creation of new collections that utilize Archroma’s biowaste-based EarthColors® dyes. Based on patented Archroma technology, these high-performance dyes are from non-edible agricultural or herbal industry waste in a process that helps to reduce the negative impact on water footprint, natural resources and climate change compared to conventional synthetic dye production where toxic and non-renewable oil derivative products are used as raw material.*

The organic raw materials used for the dyes created for Nuevo Mundo include residues from cotton plants, beets and saw palmetto. In addition to using these biowaste-based dyes, the EarthColors® collections will be produced in Nuevo Mundo’s zero liquid discharge facilities, providing savings in time, water and energy, as well as emissions.

Nuevo Mundo and Archroma intend their alliance to be a long-term collaboration, with plans to release new collections based on EarthColors® in the coming year and beyond.

*Based on internal LCA comparative screening