From the Sector

Textile companies could take full advantage of expanded print opportunities with EFI™ Reggiani textile solutions presented at the 8-13 December India ITME Exhibition in Greater Noida.

The EFI Reggiani TERRA Silver printer was shown at ITME 2022: a solution to enter the industrial printing segment with a short, smart and green process. The EFI Reggiani TERRA Solution eliminates the need for steaming or washing on direct-to-textile applications, using a greener, more efficient polymerisation process that takes place as the printed textile goes through the printer’s on-board dryer. As a result, users can achieve superior printing results while using less time, water, and energy.

The EFI Reggiani exhibit at ITME was also promoting:

•  EFI Reggiani HYPER printer, a scanning printer available in 1.8-metre, 2.4-metre or 3.4-metre widths that prints at up to 20 linear metres per minute peak speed, making it the fastest textile scanning printer on the market;
• Mezzera Concord, the continuous rope washing line from the specialist in washing solutions that transports fabric by overflow for tensionless running with an independent squeezing mangle for each channel;
• One of the industry’s broadest line-ups of high-end, superior-quality textile inks, including EFI Reggiani AQUA and EFI Reggiani Diamond reactive, IRIS dye-sublimation, ARIA direct disperse, FUOCO acid, and GEA and TERRA pigment inks; and
• Inèdit, recently acquired by EFI Reggiani, a developer of raster image processors (RIPs) and related software for digital industrial textile printing with their product portfolio that features proven, highly advanced workflow solutions for textile profiling, calibration, design integration and much more.

Mey GmbH & Co. KG, a global manufacturer of underwear, nightwear and lingerie based in Germany, is launching the world’s first men’s nightwear with CELLIANT® Viscose, which converts body heat into infrared energy.

Called mey Zzzleepwear - THE NEW SLEEP-LIFE BALANCE, the collection follows the successful debut of the similarly named women’s collection in 2021. It consists of four designs in Indigo available in T-shirts, short pants, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. CELLIANT works by recycling the heat emitted by the body into full-spectrum infrared energy and then returns it to the body. As a result, it increases the supply of oxygen to the cells and promotes a restful sleep.

CELLIANT Viscose was developed by Hologenix®, creators of CELLIANT, a textile-based infrared ingredient brand, and Kelheim Fibres, a leading manufacturer of viscose specialty fibers. CELLIANT Viscose features natural minerals embedded into plant-based fibers and is biodegradable. It provides all the benefits of being a viscose fiber — lightweight, soft, highly breathable, excellent moisture management — as well as the fiber enhancements from CELLIANT infrared technology. In addition, CELLIANT is durable and will not wash out.

Carbios published its first Sustainability Report using 2021 as the baseline year. The report outlines Carbios’ commitment to developing environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives that go beyond the industrial development of its innovative plastics biorecycling technologies. Although not subject to the regulatory requirement of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), Carbios has nonetheless structured its report in accordance with the requirements of the European directive on Extra-Financial Performance Statements.

Carbios’ sustainability strategy is based on three pillars (governance and ethics, the environment, social and societal issues) divided into 22 priority material challenges. Carbios’ Sustainability Report reflects the company’s dedication to transparency in action and highlights its efforts in areas such as environmental sustainability; employee relations, diversity and inclusion; and corporate governance.

Within its 2021 Sustainability Report, Carbios has formalized several targets including:

ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIVES

• Use the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to maximize circularity and aim for the lowest carbon impact
• Commit to depolymerizing 60 tons of PET in 2023 at the Demonstration Plant in Clermont-Ferrand: the equivalent of about 3.2 million plastic bottles or 4 million food trays

SOCIAL OBJECTIVES

• Contribute to local economic development in France: the world’s first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant in Longlaville will create 150 direct and indirect jobs
• In a context of strong growth, promote employee well-being and safety by developing training, and ensuring the management and prevention of psycho-social risks
• Strengthen commitment to supporting international research through academic partnerships and scientific publications

GOVERNANCE OBJECTIVES

• Achieve 40% female members of the Board of Directors by end 2023, and 40% on Executive Committee by end 2024
• Achieve 60% independent members of the Board of Directors by end 2024
• Structure CSR governance with the creation of a CSR committee and integrate sustainability objectives into Executive’s compensation starting fiscal year 2023

The UK’s new Business Secretary, Grant Shapps has visited the Henry Royce Institute’ hub in Manchester to seal the second phase of R&D investment in the institute of £95 million. Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET) of Leeds, England had previously installed its FET-200LAB wet spinning system at the University of Manchester site and this proved to be a focus for the Business Secretary’s interest, as he discussed the project with FET’s Research and Development Manager, Mark Smith.

This wet spinning technology enables fibres to be derived from sustainable wood pulp to produce high quality apparel and trials are now underway to perfect this process. FET is a world leading supplier of laboratory and pilot melt spinning systems, having successfully processed more than 35 different polymer types in multifilament, monofilament and nonwoven formats.

During his visit, Shapps spoke of the investment programme as a means of reinforcing the UK’s standing as a leader in advanced materials research, development and innovation.

“R&D investment is a critical way to turbocharge Britain’s growth. Growing an economy fit for the future means harnessing the full potential of advanced materials, making science fiction a reality by supporting projects from regenerative medicine to robots developing new recycling capabilities, right across the country. Today’s £95 million investment will do just that, bringing together the brightest minds across our businesses and institutions to help future-proof sectors from healthcare to nuclear energy.”

The Henry Royce Institute was established in 2015 with an initial £235 million government investment through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the latest £95 million sum represents the second phase of the investment.

Opportunities being investigated by Royce include lightweight materials and structures, biomaterials and materials designed for reuse, recycling and remanufacture. Advanced materials are critical to the UK future in various industries, such as health, transport, energy, electronics and utilities.

Wie ressourceneffizient neue Produkte in ihrem gesamten Lebensweg sind, wird schon in der Planung und Entwicklung des Produktes festgelegt. In dieser Phase unterstützt das VDI ZRE kleine und mittlere Unternehmen mit einer Sammlung von Handlungsempfehlungen und Methoden.

Abhängig von den eigenen produktbezogenen Rahmenbedingungen erhalten Unternehmen Empfehlungen für die Produktgestaltung. Die Online-Sammlung der Handlungsempfehlungen berücksichtigt dabei den Einsatz von Ressourcen in allen Lebensphasen eines Produktes.

Das Online-Tool Handlungsempfehlungen kann eingesetzt werden, wenn Produkte mit Blick auf die Ressourceneffizienz verbessert oder neu entwickelt werden. Entsprechend der Auswahl eigener Rahmenbedingungen werden den Nutzenden verschiedene Handlungsempfehlungen vorgeschlagen. Berücksichtigt werden Fragestellungen zu Produkttyp, Lebenswegphasen, Schadstoffen, Versorgungskritikalität sowieS Rezyklat- und Werkstoffeinsatz.

Den Empfehlungen sind Ressourceneffizienz-Strategien und Ökodesign-Prinzipien zugeordnet. Außerdem zeigen zu jeder Handlungsempfehlung Gute-Praxis-Beispiele, wie die Ansätze bereits erfolgreich umgesetzt wurden. Darüber hinaus werden passende Analyse- und Entwicklungsmethoden aufgeführt. Für einige Methoden steht ein Template zur Verfügung. Dieses lässt sich mit eigenen Parametern füllen und als Arbeitsgrundlage nutzen.

Das Set der Handlungsempfehlungen ist Teil des Baukastens „Design für Ressourceneffizienz“ des VDI ZRE. Der Baukasten wird, zusammen mit weiteren Arbeitsmitteln, in den kommenden Monaten veröffentlicht. Das vom Bundesumweltministerium beauftragte Tool wird in regelmäßigen Abständen aktualisiert und erweitert. Die Handlungsempfehlungen sind online abrufbar.

The Lenzing Group, a leading supplier of sustainably produced specialty fibers, and Renewcell, the Swedish textile-to-textile recycling pioneer, have signed a multi-year supply agreement to accelerate the transition of the textile industry from a linear to a circular business model. The agreement contains the sale of 80,000 to 100,000 tonnes of Renewcell’s 100 per cent recycled textile Circulose® dissolving pulp to Lenzing over a five-year period, for use in the production of cellulosic fibers for fashion and other textile applications.

“The textile industry must change. By signing the agreement with Swedish textile-to-textile recycling company Renewcell, Lenzing is able to further integrate recycling and accelerate the transition of the textile industry from linear to circular. As champions of sustainability, we know that moving towards a circular economy is vital to address the enormous textile waste challenges of the industry”, says Christian Skilich, Chief Pulp Officer of the Lenzing Group.

“Lenzing is a major player in our industry, with an inspiring track record of path-breaking technical excellence and sustainability leadership. Our new partnership fits perfectly into Renewcell’s strategy to accelerate the scale-up of circular materials by collaborating with fashion’s most important players. We are more than pleased to join forces with Lenzing with the shared goal of making fashion circular.” said Patrik Lundström, CEO of Renewcell, in a comment on the agreement.

Canopy, a not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting forests, species, and climate, welcomes the agreement between Lenzing and Renewcell.
“Accelerating the transition to low-impact, circular production is the challenge of the decade for the fashion industry. That is why this partnership between Renewcell and Lenzing is so refreshing – it will bring low-carbon Next Gen solutions to market at scale,” exclaimed Nicole Rycroft, Executive Director of Canopy. “With the climate and biodiversity clocks ticking, the race to circularity is one we need all companies to win.”
 
It is an essential part of Lenzing’s corporate strategy and ambitious sustainability targets to become a true champion of circularity and to offer TENCEL™ and LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded specialty textile fibers with up to 50 percent post-consumer recycled content on a commercial scale by 2025. To reach this goal Lenzing partners with recycling pioneers like Renewcell.
Circulose® originates 100 per cent from textile waste, like old jeans and production scraps, and turns into dissolving pulp. It transforms textile waste and production scrap into new high-quality textile products.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) has signed an ESG-Linked Revolving Credit Facility of €275 million with six syndicate banks, a further boost to the company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability-led corporate financing.

Tied to IVL’s ESG risk rating, the revolving credit facility’s pricing mechanism results in margin adjustments related to management score improvements across the Material ESG Issues as defined by independent sustainability and corporate governance research firms. The facility is available to IVL subsidiaries in Europe for two-years with the option to extend for one more year.

The facility is part of IVL’s corporate financing strategy across a range of instruments linked to the company’s ESG and sustainability commitments. In November 2021, the company issued a THB 10 billion triple-tranche Sustainability-Linked Bond (SLB), the largest SLB issued in Thailand. IVL is on track to achieve its 2025 ESG goals. More ambitious 2030 targets include a 30% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 combined greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity, 15% reduction in energy intensity, 25% use of renewable electricity, 20% reduction in water intensity, 90% diversion of waste from landfill, recycle 1.5 million tons in PET bale input annually.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) has been named winner of the Best Sustainable Product Award at the Chemical Week Sustainability Awards 2022. The award was for IVL’s DejaTM Carbon Neutral pellets, a carbon-neutral virgin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) resins, helping to reduce environmental impact.

The Deja™ brand covers carbon neutral virgin and recycled PET resins and a range of recycled PET (rPET) products, including flakes, resins, fibers, and yarns. It provides IVL’s global customers with a range of high-performance applications, including packaging, lifestyle, automotive, apparel, and medical equipment. The solutions help environmentally conscious companies meet their sustainability goals.

IVL has set ambitious 2025 and 2030 targets, which shall be met through its six-pronged decarbonization strategy, including energy transition, improving operational efficiency, circular feedstock, and future technologies. The company also has a goal to recycle 100 billion PET bottles annually by 2030.

Chemical Week Sustainability Awards recognize the industry's best efforts in addressing financial, operational, and strategic challenges by focusing on ESG and sustainable product development. The awards were assessed by S&P Global, the world's leading credit rating agency, and a panel of experts from various companies across the chemical industry's value chain.

The 11^th India ITME will take place from December 8.– 13., 2022, in Noida, India. Over 1,800 exhibitors and more than 150,000 trade visitors from the textile and apparel industry from all over the world are expected. Groz-Beckert will be presenting innovations from its various product areas..

India ITME takes place every four years and is the ideal technology platform for forward-looking innovations in the textile world. At the 11th edition of India ITME, exhibitors will be presenting their highlights from research and development across 15 halls.

The Knitting Product Division will be presenting several new products at India ITME: Among them the SAN™ SF staple fiber needle and the SNK SF staple fiber sinker, which are specially designed for use on large circular knitting machines. The division will also be exhibiting the SAN™ TT for application-related use in the field of technical textiles for flat knitting machines, as well as a needle which enables the advance into new dimensions of gauge in the flat knitting sector.

Groz-Beckert will also be demonstrating its competence as a system supplier in the field of warp knitting at the India ITME. The warp knitting machine needles and system parts from Groz-Beckert are precisely matched to one another and achieve a uniform and flawless warp knitting process.

With the WarpMasterPlus and the KnotMaster, the Weaving product division presents the latest generation of drawing-in and knotting machines from Groz-Beckert. They are particularly distinguished by their ease of operation and flexibility.

The product area Felting (Nonwovens) presents its product and service highlights for the nonwovens industry. These include the HyTec P jet strip for spunlace customers as well as the GEBECON felting needle, the dur needle, EcoStar felting needle and the Groz-Beckert customer product. The HyTec P-nozzle strip is characterized by improved handling and higher hardness. The patented GEBECON felting needle offers an improved surface finish and optimized breakage bending properties.

The Carding product area will present its further developments for the spinning industry. These include the new stationary flat series, the TV56 revolving top and the cylinder wire set with special tooth geometry. The new stationary flat series is characterized by an innovative tooth geometry and a new type of tooth distribution. The new TV56  revolving top with its new setting pattern and 560 points per square inch is particularly easy to clean. The improved cylinder wire convinces with its special and patented tooth shape, which has a positive effect on the maintenance effort. This makes it particularly suitable for quality-oriented cotton spinning mills producing high-quality yarns. Visitors can also look forward to the new InLine card clothing series for the nonwovens sector.

In the Sewing exhibition area, the focus is on technical textiles – in particular the manufacture of car seats. The answer to the high demands of sewing car seats is the special application needle SAN® 5.2 from Groz-Beckert. The special geometry gives it sufficient stability. The double groove at the point improves thread guidance and leads to a uniform seam pattern, especially in multidirectional sewing processes. The scarf chamfer on both sides of the needle prevent skipped stitches and optimize loop formation. The wear protection is increased by the titanium nitride coating GEBEDUR. In addition, the quality management INH will be exhibited and the functions and contents of the customer portal will be presented.

Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET) of Leeds, England has installed a FET-200LAB wet spinning system at the University of Manchester which will play a major part in advanced materials research to support sustainable growth and development.

This research programme will be conducted by The Henry Royce Institute, which operates as a hub model at The University of Manchester with spokes at other leading research universities in the UK.

The Henry Royce Institute identifies challenges and stimulates innovation in advanced UK materials research, delivering positive economic and societal impact. In particular, this materials research initiative is focused on supporting and promoting all forms of sustainable growth and development.
These challenges range from biomedical devices through to plastics sustainability and energy-efficient devices; hence supporting key national targets such as the UK’s zero-carbon 2050 target.

FET-200 Series wet spinning systems complement FET’s renowned range of melt spinning equipment. The FET-200LAB is a laboratory scale system, which is especially suitable for the early stages of formulation and process development. It is used for processing new functional textile materials in a variety of solvent and polymer combinations.

In particular, the FET-200LAB will be utilised in trials for a family of fibres made from wood pulp, a sustainable resource rather than the usual fossil fuels. Bio-based polymers are produced from biomass feedstocks such as cellulose and are commonly used in the manufacture of high end apparel. The key to cellulose and other materials like lyocell and viscose is that they can be recycled, treated and fed back into the wet spinning system for repeat manufacture.

Established in 1998, FET is a leading supplier of laboratory and pilot melt spinning systems with installations in over 35 countries and has now successfully processed more than 35 different polymer types in multifilament, monofilament and nonwoven formats.