From the Sector

“When it comes to working on new developments, we always start from new ideas and the constant research that starts from a concept that becomes reality, by increasingly raising the bar of sustainability” said Alice Tonello, R&D and Marketing Director of Tonello. “The research for technologies and solutions have always been part of our DNA, is a daily commitment to the environment, the market, our people and all human beings with their needs.  Based on this vision, two revolutionary patent-pending process, are born, Wake and OBleach, that allow to create incredible and totally responsible effects on garments” continued Alice Tonello.

This is how The Laundry (R)Evolution was born: a radically new conception thought to simplify and optimize the entire garment finishing process.

It involves only 2 technologies in the entire finishing cycle, reducing waste and optimizing resources: LaserBlaze, and The All-in-One-System. Metro is used, a software that processes real data, in real time to check all laundry consumption, optimizing processing times and improving performance.

The All-in-One System performs all washing operations by integrating 4 sustainable technologies into a single machine: ECOfree 2, which uses ozone in both the water and air; NoStone® for authentic and pumice-free stone-wash effects; UP, for washing processes with at least 50% less water; Core, a nebulizing system improving performance and reducing water consumption.

In terms of effects, the latest results of the Laundry (R)evolution are OBleach and Wake.

OBleach is the new Tonello patent-pending process which, by using only ozone, “returns to the future” with an authentic, sustainable and cool Bleach.

Wake is the first totally natural dyeing system. In fact, it uses only plants and vegetable waste, organic items like flowers, berries and roots left to dry and infuse, without harmful chemicals additives.

Tonello will be live during DenimsandJeans Virtual Show on October 14th and 15th.

ISKO presented its 100% responsible platform, R-TWO™.

The denim ingredient brand hosted a special panel to discuss some of the advancements in technology that are making the fashion industry more responsible: from R-TWO™ to automated laser technology.

With the fashion industry being considered one of the world’s most polluting businesses-sectors, collaborating and knowledge sharing are key in finding solutions for a better future. Fully aware of this scenario, ISKO was the headline sponsor at The Drapers Sustainable Fashion Forum brings together responsible players to discuss what can be done to tackle the industry’s environmental and social issues through innovation and creativity.

Sharing knowledge, collaborating for change.
As evidence of its Responsible Innovation™ approach, ISKO presented the R-TWO™ program, its latest
responsible achievement. Stemming from the mill’s holistic vision, R-TWO™ represents a great example of how reducing, reusing, and recycling strategies can be implemented in a textile business to improve its  environmental performance.
The R-TWO™ reduces the amount of raw material sourced by using a blend of reused cotton and recycled polyester – both certified –, improving sourcing efficiency throughout the entire field-to-fabric production.
Reused cotton is certified with the Content Claim Standard – or CCS – from the Textile Exchange. As for recycled polyester, it can be either Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified, depending on the content percentages. Together with this cutting-edge and fully responsible program, ISKO also uses automated laser
technology developed in partnership with Jeanologia.

“How technology can help make the fashion industry more sustainable”:
On March 11th, ISKO hosted a discussion about ways, to make the fashion industry more responsible
The panel was moderated by David Shah, consultant on design and marketing development, Publisher and CEO at Metropolitan Publishing BV and Associate Professor at ARTez (Arnhem, the Netherlands) and Associate Professor at Renmin University, (Beijing, China). The talk involved Keith O’Brien, ISKO Marketing & Business Development Manager, Victoria Soto, Jeanologia Custom Technology Consultant and Filippo Ricci, Fashion Open Studio Program & Partnership Manager.

Sicomin continues to assert itself as the leading formulator and supplier of high-performance, bio-based epoxy resin systems with the launch of new bioresins at JEC World 2020, Hall 6, Booth 43. The group will unveil a variety of products that are each available in industrial quantities for series production within Automotive, Wind Energy and Civil Engineering.

Bio Fire Retardant Epoxy Gelcoat for Wind Energy and Infrastructure
Sicomin will showcase SGi 128, an innovative intumescent epoxy gelcoat developed specifically for fire retardant coating applications for critical components found in the Wind Energy and Civil Engineering markets.
SGi 128 Gelcoat is produced with 38% of its carbon content derived from non-oil sources and is a halogen free gelcoat that provides outstanding fire protection for epoxy laminates and extremely low smoke toxicity. Available with both fast and slow hardeners, this easy to apply epoxy system forms a much tougher and waterproof part surface than traditional intumescent coatings. Sicomin’s SGi 128 is available in industrial volumes with short lead times and has been successfully tested to EN 13501 (EUROCLASS B-S1-d0) and ASTM E84 (Class A).

NEW Bio Resin for HP-RTM processing for Automotive
Sicomin’s new bio-resin specifically formulated for HP-RTM processing, SR GreenPoxy® 28, is the sixth product in Sicomin’s renowned GreenPoxy® range. SR GreenPoxy® 28 is a fast cycle, low toxicity, third generation bio-based formulation aimed specifically at the HP-RTM moulding processes used for both high performance Automotive structural parts and aesthetic carbon fibre components. The new formulation has been optimized for fast production cycle times and superior mechanical performance and is a more sustainable alternative to traditional resins providing exceptional performance and quality for high volume programmes.

GreenPoxy® InfuGreen 810 on display with the GREENBOATS Flax 27 Daysailer on the JEC Planets
With very low viscosity at room temperature, InfuGreen 810 has been formulated to support manufacturers seeking bio-based alternatives for producing parts using injection or infusion techniques. Produced with 38% plant-based carbon content, InfuGreen 810 holds the DNV GL certification, providing extra assurance of the product’s quality, efficiency and safety standards. This high-performance epoxy infusion system is demonstrated at JEC World through the display of the GREENBOATS Flax 27 daysailer on the JEC Planets.

From smart collections born from the collaboration with style-setting brands to the company’s ultimate yarns, the cutting-edge ingredients empowering sportwear with a responsible attitude.

For the 2020 edition of ISPO Munich, the influential fashion and textile fair dedicated to sportwear and athleisure-wear, ROICA™ has created an interactive booth inviting visitors to explore a backward path from the final sportwear to the yarn. The sustainable premium stretch fiber by leading materials manufacturer Asahi Kasei, has conceived the exhibition as a sort of ‘reversed’ journey in three acts.

THE NEXT LEVEL – For ROICA™, being a world’s leader in smart stretch is not enough. The company shows that responsible innovation is not only about how the premium yarn is made but its functionalities as well. “It’s time to go to the next level of innovation: empowering sustainability with additional performances”. At ISPO, ROICA™ presents the new Global Recycled Standard -GRS- certified ROICA™ EF which innovates with excellent dyability and the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Gold level-certified ROICA™ V550 yarn which allows excellent and durable printability.

THE ‘REVERSED’ JOURNEY: the first section of the backwards path showcases ROICA™’s ultimate collaborations for the contemporary wardrobe with leading brands. Guests are then guided to explore the cutting-edge innovation interwoven into high- performing textiles and finally led to discover the company’s sustainable yarns and ultimate products.

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 Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment will be presenting itself at the Egy Stitch & Tex 2020 between March 5 and 8, 2020 in Cairo – with a clear focus on the needs of the African market. In Hall 1, Stand B2 The Oerlikon Barmag and Oerlikon Neumag experts will also be showcasing the comprehensive product and service portfolio of the world market leader for manmade fiber systems at the stand of Oerlikon’s representative ATAG Export & Import.

The spotlight of the Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment’s trade fair attendance will be on two core technologies: the new generation of Oerlikon Barmag eAFK Evo texturing machines is to be unveiled within the African market for the very first time. It promises higher speeds and productivity with consistently high product quality, along with lower energy consumption and simpler operation vis-à-vis comparable market solutions. In particular, the numerous value-added features include two that convince with cutting-edge technology: the optimized, innovative EvoHeater and the EvoCooler, a completely newly-developed active cooling unit.

The second technology focus offers new opportunities for the Egyptian market and the Middle Eastern markets in particular: with Oerlikon Neumag’s BCF S8 monocolor and tricolor system, the segment will be unveiling its new carpet yarn production flagship. Superlative spinning speeds, up to 700 individual filaments, finer titers of up to 2.5 dpf – the performance data and technological finesse of the new system have already made a huge impression at numerous trade fairs and roadshows over the past year. The tricolor’s core component is the new, patent-pending Color Pop Compacting unit (CPC-T) for even more flexible and more even color separation. With the CPC-T, individually-controllable air pressures for each color provide pre-tangling, which accentuates the colors and hence makes more than 200,000 different shades possible. Whereas it has been very difficult to manufacture strongly color-separated or color-accentuated BCF yarns from polyamide 6 to date, this will in future be possible thanks to the CPC-T system. As a result of the new design, the CPC-T is now also suitable for processes with low yarn tensions.
 
Expanded product offering for manufacturing carpet yarns
Know-how covering all relevant technologies deployed in manmade fiber spinning plants enables Oerlikon – as the world’s only manufacturer – to expand its range of products and services for making carpet yarns. The POY- and texturing-based system concept is designed for a carpet and home textiles segment that demands particularly soft and bulky polyester yarns with BCF-like properties. Here, the aim is to produce yarns with titers of max. 1300dtex and typically more than 1,000 filaments, with typical products including, for example, 1300dtex f1152, 660dtex f1152 and 990dtex f768. The machine concept comprises the well-known WINGS HD POY winder, along with the eAFK Big-V texturing machine.

So far, ROICA™ has become a global success in the market reaching in the end consumer’s wardrobe. At Première Vision, the company takes place at the Smart Creation Area, the fair’s centre of sustainability. On show in Paris premium collaborations for the wardrobe of tomorrow starting from G-Star Raw smart jeans and Licia Florio’s soft sports apparel.

“A true pioneer cannot only be the first one of the leading one. It must commit to raise the bar.” Says Shinohe Hiroaki, ROICA™ Chief Marketing Officer based in Germany. “That’s why we are working to evolve and empower the smart yarns of the certified ROICA Eco-Smart™ family with additional performances.”

Bemberg presents fabric innovations and collaborations with fashion brands from the US and beyond

Bemberg will present a full range of new fabric innovations at Première Vision New York. These include manufacturers from around the world including Brunello S.p.A. and Cotonificio Albini S.p.A. from Italy, as well as luxury linings already installed at the Bemberg Lining Showroom in the heart of the Garment District hosted by CHH America. Relevant to report, the luxury yarn dyed jacquard linings made in Japan that can be customized following brands’ designs. While usually minimums are not met by emerging brands and start-ups, Bemberg decided to cooperate with a Japanese producer to offer customized yarn dyed Jacquard lining starting from 55 yards, per colour. Indeed, Bemberg will offer attractive designs, precious aesthetic while keeping its usual technical performances and the precious touch.

“On show in New York there is the whole process of sustainable fashion making,” explains Junshu Furusawa, Sales of Bemberg. “Indeed, through these fabric suppliers, we will be showcasing also new premium brand fashion range adoptions and collaborations with brands such as CAALO that is making its mark in the outerwear market with its Sustainably produced Functional-Luxury proposal

The participation at Première Vision New York is the second step of a global tour pointing to some of the most cutting edge design innovations on planet Fashion. #Bember2020 kicked off in Florence for Pitti Uomo, the next appointments will be ISPO in Munich. At each ‘sustainable pit-stop’ the company will showcase a different aspect of its multitasking and sustainable imprint.

Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG will be providing information on its extensive range of coating and finishing technologies for the production of nonwovens and technical textiles at the forthcoming Techtextil India exhibition.

“India is already a very important market for Monforts and there are exciting prospects ahead for Indian manufacturers of technical textiles, who are well positioned to capitalise on growth opportunities,” says Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski, who will be at the Monforts stand in Hall 4, booth C52 at the show. “India has one of the largest working-age populations in the world and a complete textile value chain for both natural and synthetic fibres.”

In addition, he adds, India’s government, through its Ministry of Textiles, has been actively promoting the growth of technical textiles through various programmes based on investment promotion, subsidies, the creation of infrastructure and the stimulation of consumption.

As a result, India’s Ministry of Textiles is forecasting that the growth of technical textiles in the country will be over 18% annually in the next few years, from a value of US$16.6 billion in 2018 to US$28.7 billion in 2021.

Value addition

High value-added technical products such as wide-width digital printing substrates, carbon fabrics for high-performance composites, filter media, flame retardant barrier fabrics and heavy-duty membranes are now being coated on Monforts texCoat ranges and finished with the company’s industry-leading Montex stenters.

“Since we acquired the technology that our coating units are based on in 2015, we have made a lot of refinements,” says Hans. “All of these developments are reflected in higher coating accuracy and the resulting quality of the treated fabrics. At the same time, our latest multi-functional coating heads offer an unprecedented range of options, with a wide range of modules available.”

The texCoat user interface is now equipped with the unique Monforts visualisation system and the magnetic doctor blade has greater power reserves. Options include a carbon fibre-reinforced composite coating drum with a more scratch-resistant surface and maximum rigidity and remote control which simplifies exact adjustment for the operator.

Montex stenters in special executions are meanwhile ideal for the drying and finishing of both technical woven fabrics and nonwovens and characterised by high stretching devices in both length and width.

“The European-built Montex range of stenters has earned its leading position in the technical textiles market due to the overall robustness, reliability and economy of these machines,” Hans concludes. “Whatever the intended end-product – and we continue to discover potentially new areas in which technical textiles can be utilised all the time – we have the machine specification and know-how to turn ideas into reality. In India we also benefit from the strong sales and service support of A.T.E. Enterprises.”

Texchtextil India takes place alongside World of Composites at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from November 20-22.

ROICA™ smart innovations are The Sustainable fil rouge at Performance Days, the influential fair for innovations, trends, safety & durability and sourcing of fabrics and accessories in functional sportswear & athleisure. Leading fabrics manufacturers and nearly all the well-known sportswear and active clothing brands have chosen the company’s premium stretch fibers of the ROICA Eco-Smart™ family to create their ultimate collections combining comfort, movement and responsibility.

“We are excited to see such a brilliant response from both manufacturers and brands which have decided to use our premium stretch sustainable fibers. We are excited because it really shows that sustainability is not only a marketing hype, but more and more literally interwoven into garments.” Says Shinohe Hiroaki, ROICA™ Chief Marketing Officer based in Germany.

The company’s partners empowering their ultimate collections with ROICA™ are CIFRA S.p.A. (IT), Maglificio Ripa S.p.A. (IT), M.I.T.I. S.p.A. (IT), Payen group ESF (FR), Piave Maitex S.r.l. (IT), SITIP S.p.A. (IT), Sofileta S.A.S (FR), Sportswear Argentona S.A. (ES), TINTEX Textiles S.A. (PT) and TVB GmbH (DE).