From the Sector

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.

• ESD protection in harsh environments:
• Polymer-coated chemical-resistant fabrics and fireproof special textiles with expanded electrostatic discharge (ESD) safety function have been developed.
• Graphene nanotubes used as an electrostatic dissipative material make it possible to add ESD protection without compromising resistance to aggressive environments.
• Efficient working loadings starting from 0.06% are sufficient for stable anti-static properties fully compliant with safety standards and position graphene nanotubes far ahead of other conductive materials.

Protective clothing, upholstery, and industrial fabrics that experience harsh conditions require advanced performance. Depending on the final application, specialty textiles can be augmented with flame retardancy, durability, chemical protection, and other properties. Additionally, ESD protection is obligatory in the chemical, rescue, mining, oil & gas, automotive manufacturing, and many other industries that are subject to safety regulations.
 
In applications where multifunctionality of textile is required, graphene nanotubes overcome the limitations of other conductive materials such as unstable anti-static properties; degradation of strength, or chemical or fire resistance; complicated manufacturing processes; dusty production; carbon contamination on the material’s surface; or limited color options. Recent developments show that graphene nanotubes provide ESD protection to textiles in full compliance with safety standards and without degrading the textile’s resistance to harsh environments, greatly enhancing the value of textiles.
 
One such example is textiles coated with fluoroelastomer (a polymer that is highly resistant to chemicals) augmented with graphene nanotubes from OCSiAl. Nanotubes provide the material with surface resistivity of 10^6–10^8 Ω/sq compliant with EN, ISO, and ATEX standards for personal protective equipment. This new technology opens the door for the fabric to be used in high-level protective suits, combining exceptional protection from chemicals with electrostatic discharge protection.
 
Another example is how graphene nanotube technology is being acknowledged as a replacement for metal yarns in fireproof and anti-static textiles, protecting against sparks, splashes of molten metal, high temperatures, and the risk of sudden electrostatic discharge. While metal yarns require a specific knitting process and storage conditions, incorporating nanotubes in a fabric does not require any changes in the manufacturing process as the water-based dispersion is introduced into the fabric at the fluoro-organic treatment stage. The fabric with OCSiAl’s graphene nanotubes has been proven to maintain the pre-set level of ESD protection (surface resistance of 10^7 Ω) after numerous washes.
 
Permanent and stable electrical conductivity, facilitated by graphene nanotubes, is not only a matter of safety but brings additional value in augmenting dust-repellent properties and touchscreen compatibility for comfort and time savings. At the same time, the ultralow nanotube concentrations result in maintained manufacturing processes and mechanical properties, and improve product aesthetics by making it possible to use a wide range of colors. Altogether, these benefits allow textile manufacturers to create next-generation special textiles with expanded functionality.

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.

First insights, first new materials and trend highlights: On 29 and 30 November 2022, the European premium fabric sector will meet for an important exchange with international producers at VIEW in Munich to find out about the first colour and material trends for spring/summer 2024 at the earliest possible time. A selected range of around 300 pre-collections will be on show at the MVG Museum. This means that VIEW will once again be strong and business-relevant this season.

The past VIEW Premium Selection in June 2022 was a great success. Completely booked out and more international than ever, the Preview Textile Show of Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmbH was an important contact point for the buying and design teams of companies such as Akris, Baldessarini, Bogner, Calvin Klein, Cinque, Comma, Drykorn, Escada, Hugo Boss, Lala Berlin, Lagerfeld, Laurél, MAC, Marc Cain, Marc O'Polo, Riani, Schumacher or Strellson. The trend towards an increasingly international range continues in November. Numerous buyers, designers and product managers from European ready-to-wear manufacturers are expected in Munich the week after next, looking for new material innovations and trends at VIEW and the parallel ISPO.

International exhibitor portfolio with many new names
Material influences from Europe to Asia bring a highly exciting mix for the trend research of the new collections. Exhibitors from Bulgaria, China, Denmark, Germany, France, Great Britain, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, Spain and Turkey are among the participants.

The newcomers and returnees include, in addition to others:
AGNSTR / ALA CAMPOLMI / BAIRD MC NUTT / BELL & THUNDER / CB STILE / COLORA / EKOTEN / FABRIC LAB / GUARISCO / JECA LIMITED / KING BUTTON / LANIFICIO CAVERNI / LIMONATA EAST / M.T.T. MANIFATTURA / MANTERO / MILIOR / MTP PIEROZZI / PADROCASAS / PIZVAL / RIBBONTEX / SITIP / TEKSTINA SINCE 1828 / TEXMODA / VIVOLO und WAY.

Fibres, fabrics, epoxy resins and adhesives from Sicomin have been used by Grand Largue Composites (GLC) to construct the first Class40 racing yacht to feature a significant quantity of flax-fibre reinforcements.
The yacht, called Crosscall, won the Class40 World Championships in June 2022 and is a prototype of the new Lift V2 design by Marc Lombard, one of the leading naval architects in this field.

Class40 is one of the most competitive fleets in yacht racing. The hulls of Class40 yachts must be light in weight, strong and stiff, and durable in the most extreme of conditions. Furthermore, to keep costs down, they cannot be reinforced with carbon fibres. The quality and reliability of the resins used for the infusion and lamination of the hulls are therefore of paramount importance.

Crosscall's cockpit was designed to be effectively non-structural, with the mainsheet, which can generate huge shock loads, supported separately. This would allow the cockpit to be made from a hybrid biaxial fabric comprising 50% flax fibres. Other parts of the boat that incorporate flax fibre include the tunnel, the engine cover, the ballast tanks and the cap. The rest of the boat is reinforced with 100% glass-fibre fabrics.

To help it realise this ambitious design, GLC, an infusion specialist, turned to its long-time material supplier, Sicomin. The hull was moulded and infused in one piece and the deck – including the hybrid flax-fibre cockpit – was also infused as a single part. The internal structure was then laminated into the hull by hand before the hull and deck were finally bonded together.

The infusion resin selected was Sicomin’s SR 1710, a high-modulus structural epoxy. Designed specifically for use in infusion and injection processes, it has exceptionally low viscosity and its low-reactivity hardener makes it suitable for the production of large parts. Composites components made from SR 1710 possess high interlaminar shear-strength and the resin retains its mechanical properties in wet environments.

Sicomin’s low-toxicity SR 8200 was used to laminate the internal structures onto the skin of the hull. Ideal for hand laminating, this system includes a choice of hardeners with a wide range of reactivities, which makes it equally suitable for making large or small parts. The hull and deck were joined together with Sicomin’s Isobond SR 7100, which demonstrates high fatigue strength and is very resistant to microcracking.

An epoxy bonding primer – called Undercoat EP 215 HB+ and supplied by Sicomin’s sister company, Map Yachting – was applied to the moulds first to make demoulding easier. It also serves as an undercoat in the polyurethane exterior paint system that is used instead of gelcoat to protect the epoxy hull from UV damage.

Since the launch of Crosscall, GLC has started building a second Lift V2 Class40 and a third one is now planned, both for which Sicomin will supply the materials.

Monforts will be presenting its finishing technologies at the forthcoming Igatex textile machinery exhibition, which takes place from December 1-4 at the Lahore Expo Centre in Pakistan.

The importance of the textile industry to Pakistan’s economy cannot be overstated – it accounts for 60% of the country’s overall exports and some of its industry’s players are very major employers. In the year to June 2022, Pakistan’s textile exports climbed by 25% to a record value of $19.3 billion according to the country’s Bureau of Statistics, as security of deliveries – especially to Europe and the USA – worked in the country’s favour, in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues. It has a key role to play in quickly getting the country back on its feet after the devastation.

Monforts customers in the regions around the country’s three biggest cities of Karachi, Lahore and Faisalbad include all of the main players in the fields of home textiles and denim production, including Afroze, , Al Karam Artistic Milliners, Azgard-9, Crestex, , Gul Ahmed, Interloop, Liberty Mills, Lucky Textile Mills, Mustaqim, Naveena (NDL), Rajby Industries, Sapphire Finishing, Soorty, Style Textile and US Denim.

These companies rely on established Monforts technologies including Montex stentering equipment, Monfortex sanforizing units and Thermex dyeing ranges. The company’s Matex Eco Applicator minimum application system has also proved a big hit in recent years.

Monforts has also achieved considerable success in Pakistan with its Econtrol®* dyeing system  – an effective and established dyeing process. More than 40 Thermex continuous dyeing ranges have been installed in Pakistan in recent years and operator training on the Econtrol®* process by sophisticated technologists is an additional service.

The Econtrol® pad-dry process has a number of immediate benefits. Compared to the common pad-dry-pad-steam process, no salt is used and no steamer is required for a separate fixation step. Compared to the pad-dry-thermofix process, no urea is used and no smoke or deposits are generated, and unlike with the cold pad batch process, direct feedback of the dyeing results ensures no batching time is necessary and guarantees good reproducibility from the lab to bulk production.

An immediate wash off is also unnecessary, allowing for flexible production planning. The process is suitable for pale to dark shades with very good fastness properties. Also waste water treatment is improved by this technology.

*Econtrol is a registered mark of Dystar Colours Distribution GmbH.

adidas and RIMOWA have come together to announce their inaugural capsule collection that seeks to offer explorers of the world the perfect tools to navigate and escape the cities of today.

Exclusively made in Germany, the cross-category collection features two contemporary designs: RIMOWA’s first-ever aluminium backpack and the ADIDAS NMD_S1 sneaker.

The RIMOWA x ADIDAS NMD_BACKPACK boasts new technical solutions that makes it suitable for outdoor needs and overnight trips. Made from RIMOWA’s signature grooved aluminium, it features a number of thoughtful functionalities, from padded utility shoulder straps fitted with a carabin and thumb loops to rope weight-bearing straps and grab handle. The piece also features foam ridges inspired by ADIDAS Boost foam overlaying the backpack’s grooved surface to ensure comfort, as well as an elasticated webbing running through its middle to secure the backpack onto the suitcase’s telescopic tubes. To allow for flat packing, a detachable gusset opens the backpack to reveal two deep zipped pockets, as well as a 16-inch laptop pocket inscribed with both brands’ logos.

The RIMOWA x ADIDAS NMD_S1 iteration features the futuristic sneaker’s signature Primeknit uppers in a titanium-inspired colourway, with the flexible ADIDAS Boost midsole in a light, almost translucent base colour.

Iluna Group is back at MarediModa (November 8-10), the international fair dedicated to fabrics and accessories for the beachwear, underwear and athleisure sectors, to present its latest innovations, with a focus on a new beachwear sets able to combine aesthetic research and environmental responsibility.

In terms of aesthetic innovation, exploration continues with matchy pareos and allovers, double laces with colorful charmeuses and multicolour laces enriched with iridescent effects (Lurex). A novelty of this season is the new double face printing on polyamide with a high sea fastness and iridescent effects on GRS-certified tulle.

The GRS certified Green Label collection uses Renycle® and Q-NOVA®, both GRS-certified pre-consumer recycled polyamide yarns in addition to the recycled stretch ROICA™ EF by Asahi Kasei.

The BIOLINE embraces the circular economy and presents proposals containing Amni Soul Eco® and ROICA™ V550. Moreover, the continuous path through the new dimension of responsibility continues in several directions: experiments with 16 different natural dyestuffs; and continued investment in technologies that can ensure significant savings in water and energy consumption, including GREENDROP, the new GOTS-certified digital pigment printing system.

• Revenues: 392.1 million euros (+50%)
• EBITDA before non-recurring items: 74.9 million euros (+73%)
• Net income: 35.4 million euros (multiplied by 2.1)
• Free cash flow before non-recurring items: 31.6 million euros

Lectra’s Board of Directors, chaired by Daniel Harari, reviewed the consolidated financial statements for the third quarter and first nine months of 2022, which have not been reviewed by the Statutory Auditors.
To facilitate the analysis of the Group’s results, the financial statements are compared to those published in 2021 and to the 2021 pro forma financial statement ("2021 Pro forma"), prepared by integrating the three acquisitions made in 2021 – Gerber Technology (“Gerber”), Neteven, and Gemini CAD Systems (“Gemini”) – as if they had been consolidated from January 1, 2021, whereas they have been consolidated since June 1, July 28 and September 27, 2021 respectively.

See attached document for full report.

• Focus on the guiding principle of "textile intelligence" and sustainability

Long before sustainability became a trend in the textile industry, Schoeller Textil AG, which has been innovating technical fabrics and smart textile finishing technologies for more than 150 years, made it its mission to develop textile innovations in harmony with nature. Now the company is undergoing an extensive rebranding, whilst unveiling its strong brand foundation in the process. The result embodies the newly defined guiding principle of “Textile Intelligence” - the development and successful implementation of innovative textiles and intelligent textile technologies.

Innovations in the textile industry must meet requirements on several levels – offering both new and optimized solutions to sociological, ecological, and economic challenges of our time. Creating this holistic added value is firmly rooted in the Schoeller brand origin and is still the top priority in textile product development today. The brand essence has thus remained the same, but it has been embodied anew.

“At the beginning of the rebranding process, it was clear to us we had to root ourselves in (Swiss) tradition in order to fully realize Schoeller’s entire brand potential and successfully explore new, digital paths,” said Antonio Gatti Balsarri, Schoeller chief commercial officer.

“The goal of the rebranding is to communicate our traditional brand values in a completely new brand presence. The result was a sharpened brand profile, a clear brand strategy and tonality, as well as a clean, modern corporate design. We will specifically address our sustainability commitment through the expansion of digital touchpoints, their cross-media use, and an increased online presence. Simplified, straightforward, sustainable - in accordance with our greatest source of inspiration: nature.”

Transparency and Sustainability
Paramount to Schoeller’s corporate identity is the full disclosure of brand principles and transparency around all business divisions. A simplified logo design was established by reducing logo elements and colors for a modern look and feel that can be produced in a much more resource-efficient manner. Schoeller’s new brand mantra of “Textile Intelligence” speaks to its company mission of more than 150 years.

Schoeller has been a bluesign system partner from the very beginning and uses the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) to assess sustainable performance. In addition to environmentally-friendly manufacturing processes and careful material selection, the highest quality and sustainability standards in production also mean guaranteeing fair working conditions. Schoeller follows a Code of Conduct that guarantees transparent production chains, environmental protection, and fair working conditions.

“Zero Textile Waste” becomes a targeted brand strategy. While the production of textiles and textile technologies is continuously being optimized to preserve resources, the manufacturing processes are often costly and complex. To this end, Schoeller offers new approaches to efforts around Zero Waste in the industry. Its new online shop, “Schoeller re-Fabric” sells textile remnants from production directly to designers and smaller productions to increase its overall production volume efficiency and avoid textile waste.