From the Sector

• Lectra extends its software offer to material traceability

Lectra announces the signature of an agreement to acquire 51% of the capital and voting rights of the Dutch company TextileGenesis. As a major player in the fashion, automotive, and furniture markets, Lectra contributes with boldness and passion to the Industry 4.0 revolution by providing software, equipment, data, and services to brands, manufacturers, and retailers.

Founded in 2018, TextileGenesis provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that enables fashion brands and sustainable textile manufacturers to ensure a reliable, secure and fully digital mapping of their textiles, from the fiber to the consumer, and thereby guarantee their authenticity and origins. This solution ensures the traceability of TextileGenesis’ customers' entire sustainable textile supply chain in order to meet the demands for transparency, driven by changes in legislation in a growing number of countries and by growing consumer awareness, thereby encouraging sustainable development.  

Its innovative traceability mechanism, which addresses both ends of the textile value chain, as well as its network of partners for material certification, and its technology platform guarantee the exchange and tracking of reliable and secure data throughout a material's life cycle.

Several of the world's most prestigious fashion brands as well as leading sustainable fiber producers are already convinced of the value of TextileGenesis' innovative offer, which enables the connection of multiple actors of the sustainable fashion ecosystem on this platform.

At the beginning of January, Lectra will acquire 51% of TextileGenesis for 15.2 million euros. The acquisition of the remaining share capital and voting rights is expected to take place in two stages, in 2026 and 2028, for an amount that will be calculated based on a multiple of the 2025 and 2027 recurring revenues.

Automotive carpets are typically multi-layered systems that can be challenging to recycle. By introducing a carpet made of 100% polyester, Autoneum now opens up new opportunities for vehicle manufacturers to meet their sustainability targets. The innovative carpet systems are fully recyclable, thus paving the way for an improved and more sustainable end-of-life recycling of electric vehicles. In addition, the high content of recycled PET as well as the zero waste and less energy-intensive production process further improve the carbon footprint of Autoneum’s new monomaterial needlepunch and tufted carpets.

Autoneum’s fully recyclable carpet systems ensure a closed material loop and are thus proof of the Company’s commitment to improving the sustainability performance of its products and manufacturing processes. The 100% polyester carpets build on the existing lightweight and particularly sustainable Autoneum Pure technologies: the carpet surface, for example, is made of Di-Light or Relive-1, while Hybrid-Acoustics PET is used for the decoupler. Thanks to Autoneum’s innovative alternative backcoating (ABC) process, which uses a thermoplastic adhesive instead of latex, the production of the new monomaterial needlepunch and tufted carpets also requires significantly less energy and no water at all.

Autoneum’s sustainable tufted carpet system made of 100% polyester is already in development for an electric model of a German vehicle manufacturer that will be available in Europe and Asia.

• Fully traceable and sustainable wool via blockchain
• Transparent supply chains

Schoeller strives to offer more high-quality fabrics made from sustainable NATIVA™ wool in the future.

The NATIVA™ wool comes from certified farms in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, North America, Uruguay and Argentina. The farms comply with strict levels of animal welfare, and management and ethical work policies. To ensure animal welfare each farmer has a management plan, assessing feeding, breeding, behaviour, animal handling and health and infrastructure. This includes the prohibition of mulesing and stress free shearing.

All following steps such as wool sourcing, combing, spinning and weaving are also monitored and certified to the highest ethical and quality standards. NATIVA™ is the first global wool brand to provide Blockchain traceability from farm to consumer. This transparency in the supply chain, enabled by the NATIVA™ certification and powered by Blockchain, means brands can truly show the journey of their wool.

A unique QR code is generated for each product of each brand. This code is a connection between the NATIVA™ Blockchain Platform and the NATIVA™ Blockchain Website. Customers can scan the QR code to view the NATIVA™ Blockchain Website, where they can trace in real time the journey of their wool, from farm to brand.

Benefits:

• Complete transparency over the supply chain and product transformation.
• End to end traceability.
• A fantastic marketing tool for any brand.

Confirming its commitment as a global sustainability player.

The Sharm el-Sheikh Climate Change Conference (COP 27) has turned out to be one of the most closely watched events in recent years, an opportunity to bring together leaders from around the world in the face of a pressing and undeniable need

ISKO had the honor to be the only manufacturer representative of the fashion industry at the United Nations event by taking part on 12 November at the focus talk “Circular Systems for a Net Positive Fashion Industry” organized by the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) and the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).

Elena Faleschini, Senior Manager Brand Partnerships ISKO, and the other speakers (Federica Marchionni, Lily Cole, Miranda Schnitger, Samata Pattinson, Holly Syrett and Tarek Alkhoury) have agreed that:

• Harmonization and transparency in goals are critical.
• Vertical and horizontal partnerships are key.
• Investment in innovation is vital to a circular business model in fashion.
• Fashion must be part of the discussions around climate change and net positive.

• Future plans for the nonwovens market

The two companies will develop sustainable materials solutions based on CJ Biomaterials’ PHACT™ PHA and NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ PLA technologies NTR and CJ Biomaterials

CJ Biomaterials, Inc., a division of South Korea-based CJ CheilJedang and leading producer of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), and NatureWorks, an advanced materials company that is the world’s leading producer of polylactic acid (PLA), have signed a Master Collaboration Agreement (MCA) that calls for the two organizations to collaborate on the development of sustainable materials solutions based on CJ Biomaterials’ PHACT™ Biodegradable Polymers and NatureWorks’ Ingeo™ biopolymers. The companies will develop high-performance biopolymer solutions that will replace fossil-fuel based plastics in applications ranging from compostable food packaging and food serviceware to personal care, films, and other end products.

The initial focus of this joint agreement will be to develop biobased solutions that create new performance attributes for compostable rigid and flexible food packaging and food serviceware. The new solutions developed will also aim to speed up biodegradation to introduce more “after-use” options consistent with a circular economy model. The focus on compostable food packaging and serviceware will create more solutions for keeping methane-generating food scraps out of landfills, which are the third largest source of methane emissions globally, according to World Bank. Using compostable food packaging and serviceware, we can divert more food scraps to composting where they become part of a nutrient-rich, soil amendment that improves soil health through increased biodiversity and sequestered carbon content.

CJ Biomaterials and NatureWorks plan to expand their relationship beyond cooperative product development for packaging to create new applications in the films and nonwoven markets.  For these additional applications, the two companies will enter into strategic supply agreements to support development efforts.

Hosted outside of Copenhagen for the first time in its 13-year history, on 3 November, Global Fashion Summit assembled over 250 stakeholders representing manufacturers, garment workers, retailers, brands, suppliers, NGOs, policy, and innovators in Singapore and online to spur industry action. The Summit was presented by Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), the non-profit organisation that is accelerating the transition to a net positive fashion industry.
 
The latest edition of the Summit was centred around the theme ‘Alliances for a New Era’, building on dialogues from the June edition in Copenhagen and gathering leaders from across the entire value chain to elevate diverse voices and foster alliances within the fashion industry and beyond, to drive sustainable impact.
 
The Summit’s first international edition facilitated more conversations with manufacturer and supply chain voices to discuss crucial challenges and opportunities around working collaboratively with brands on equal terms. The programme featured bold panels, case studies, masterclasses and leadership roundtables reflecting on topics including ‘Data Scarcity: A Crisis of Measurement?’, ‘Disruption for Better Wage Systems’, ’Community and Circularity’, ‘Connecting the EU Textiles Strategy with the Value Chain’ and ‘Our Energy Transformation Moment’.
 
Attendees heard from over 50 speakers including H.E. Sandra Jensen Landi, Ambassador of Denmark to Singapore & Ambassador-Designate of Denmark to Brunei; H.E. Iwona Piórko, Ambassador of the European Union to Singapore; Anne-Laure Descours, Chief Sourcing Officer, PUMA; Baptiste Le Gal, Chief Revenue Officer APAC, Vestiaire Collective; Christian James Smith, Head of Sustainability Stakeholder Engagement, Zalando; Ninh Trinh, Director of Responsible Sourcing & Sustainability, Target; Roger Lee, CEO, TAL Apparel; Wilson Teo, President, Singapore Fashion Council; Edwin Keh, Chief Executive Officer, The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, Ashila Dandeniya, Founder, StandUp Lanka; and more.

Key takeaways and highlights from the event include:

• Global Fashion Agenda announced a new alliance with BBC Storyworks Commercial Productions to launch a film series on BBC.com, which is currently in the early stages of development. The new series will present human-centric stories focusing on both social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry. It will be released to a wide audience in 2023.
• Federica Marchionni outlined the crucial need for accurate and robust data to substantiate sustainability claims and credentials but acknowledged that the focus on finding ‘perfect’ data cannot be allowed to stifle progress. Global Fashion Agenda will build upon Summit discussions to reflect on how the industry can accurately measure and communicate sustainability performance and illuminate the data credibility challenges.
• The session ‘Establishing circular fashion systems in Cambodia & Vietnam’ outlined the first steps taken by the Global Circular Fashion Forum to establish circular fashion systems in Vietnam and Cambodia with regional stakeholders, government, brand and manufacturer representation.
• Throughout the Summit, the Innovation Forum connected fashion companies with sustainable solution providers. Exhibitors included Better Work , Circular Fashion Partnership, Compreli, Kno Global, Planatones by Noyon Lanka, Redress Design Award and The ID Factory.
• Through conversations such as ‘Disruption for Better Wage Systems’ and ‘Empowering the Worker Majority’, there was a resounding message for people to consider the real people in the value chain. Ensuring dignified livelihoods for these workers should have the same sense of urgency as emissions reductions. 

To further advance the system, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is significantly raising the requirements for GOTS-certified gins, to ensure transparent and traceable processing for organic textiles from field to finished product:

1. GOTS is introducing a compulsory farm-gin registry for all farms and farm groups whose certified raw material enters the GOTS system, including information on farm yields. The registry will be implemented progressively, starting in India.
2. Raw cotton is not allowed to travel more than 500 km from the farm to the certified gin. The shorter trade chain protects vulnerable points and optimises the process for buyers.  
3. Increase of unannounced audits of gins where there is a high perception of risk.

These new requirements are added to the numerous checks and balances which are already performed throughout every processing stage. Seed cotton entering the GOTS supply chain is tested for the presence of genetically modified organisms according to the applicable ISO protocol. GOTS-approved Certification Bodies (CBs) include further testing (such as pesticide residue) and are fully authorised to reject material that does not meet GOTS requirements. Additionally, before certification bodies issue a Transaction Certificate (TC), GOTS requires that a thorough assessment takes place, including a plausibility check in the form of volume reconciliation.

To strengthen integrity and traceability, GOTS also stipulates that the Farm TC number appears on the first GOTS TC at the ginning plant, which is the first step for cotton in the GOTS supply chain. The TC must state the origin for raw material, including region, state, and province. This effectively traces material back to the field and adds another layer of accountability to GOTS-certified fibre. It also supports all buyers in their purchasing decisions.

GOTS is not only improving its own system but also coordinating efforts with other key players to support the integrity of organic textiles. As GOTS provides certification of first processing stages to Textile Exchange's Organic Content Standard (OCS), GOTS and TE discussed new requirements for OCS while they were being developed. GOTS supports these requirements as they provide a dual protection shield for materials entering the GOTS or OCS supply chains, at the same time maintaining necessary data privacy. The new requirements will help increase traceability and transparency throughout the organic textile sector which are among the main objectives of GOTS. There are no changes necessary to the requirements of GOTS regarding any of the new OCS rules.

Hologenix, creators of CELLIANT®, and global textile solutions provider UNIFI®, makers of REPREVE®, have announced their partnership to introduce CELLIANT® with REPREVE®. CELLIANT with REPREVE has the infrared properties of science-backed CELLIANT infrared technology and the sustainable footprint of REPREVE, a brand of recycled fiber.

CELLIANT is a blend of IR-generating bioceramic minerals, which, when embedded into textiles, allows them to convert body heat into infrared energy, returning it to the body and temporarily increasing local circulation and cellular oxygenation. This aids significantly in muscle recovery, increases endurance, and improves overall performance in healthy individuals, among other benefits.

REPREVE recycled performance fiber consists of high-quality fibers made from 100% recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer waste. It is also certified and traceable with U TRUST® verification and FiberPrint™ technology, to back up customers' recycled claims. Compared to virgin fiber, REPREVE helps to offset the use of petroleum, emitting fewer greenhouse gasses and conserving water and energy in the process.

CELLIANT with REPREVE’s official preferred North America knitting partner is Beverly Knits, one of the largest circular knitters in the US, developing fabric for all markets including intimate apparel, activewear, outdoor products, mattress and bedding, automotive, industrial and medical. Beverly Knits also operates Creative Dyeing & Finishing, LLC.

The first Cradle to Cradle Certified^® clothing collection is on the market one year after the collaboration platform for Swiss textile labels was launched. The Circular Clothing cooperative has succeeded, in close cooperation with European suppliers, in gaining access to circular materials and equipment and using this for the Black Denim Collection by the ethical fashion label “the Blue suit”. An important step for the cooperative, which receives funding from the Migros Pioneer Fund, is the development of an online assessment tool which can be used to help check the readiness of textile labels to operate in a circular manner.

The black denim was developed by a renowned manufacturer in Italy. Since no toxic chemicals are used in the production process, this denim is safe for biological cycles and Cradle to Cradle Certified^® Gold. Cradle to Cradle Certified^® Gold certified material by the Swiss company OceanSafe was used for the lining of the jacket. Special innovative design elements and production processes, such as the printed lining, also meet the stringent Cradle to Cradle Certified^® Gold requirements. Currently, 1% of the material of the Black Denim Collection is Cradle to Cradle Certified® Bronze. In the next few months, this percent and thus also the whole garments should reach the gold level.

The Cradle to Cradle^® certification is based on the following five principles: Material Health, Product Circularity, Clean Air & Climate Protection, Water & Soil Stewardship, and Social Fairness. Depending on the extent to which all of these criteria are met by the manufacturing process, there are various levels of certification from bronze to silver, gold and platinum.

Kornit Digital Ltd. unveiled its Impact Report for 2021 highlighting progress made against goals and further expanding its commitment to a long-term strategy designed to transform the world of fashion and textiles into one that is more sustainable. The comprehensive analysis details Kornit’s performance related to climate action, waste management, green chemistry, and diversity in the workplace, as well as other areas of the Company’s Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG) framework.

Key Accomplishments Against Baseline (2021)  
Kornit’s ongoing dedication to improving ESG practices within its own operations has resulted in Company-wide achievements in the areas of:

Climate Action and Waste Management*

• ~16% reduction in GHG emissions intensity from x 9.11-e to 7.68 MTCO2-e
• 39% reduction in hazardous waste intensity from 1.7 tons to 1.04 tons
• 57% reduction in non-hazardous waste intensity from 33 tons to 14 tons

Green Chemistry

• Complete elimination of Acute Toxic Amines (CLP category 1, 2, 3) CMR
• 20% reduction of VOC level in Robusto Inkset and 30% of VOC in Eco Ink/Green

DEI and Community Engagement

• An increase in women in management, from 30% to 35%
• Reporting 88% of employees feeling respected and free to be authentic at work - *Intensity measures are per $1 million of revenue.

Kornit Digital’s Impact Strategy
Propelled by an ambition to make a positive impact across all areas of its business and throughout the fashion and textile industries, Kornit further adjusted its Impact Strategy this year towards more expansive, longer-term goals and objectives. Kornit’s refined strategy reflects the Company's dual role as a change agent in the industry—both as a leader empowering the fashion industry to be more sustainable, and as an accountable participant responsible for embracing social and environmental change to make the world a better place.  
The holistic strategy accounts for both roles, across two fundamental pillars—"Enable the Change” and “Be the Change”—and incorporates both social and environmental KPIs designed to meet the Company’s goals and respond to stakeholders’ input, as well as industry and ecosystem needs

Kornit is officially unveiling the report during a press event at PRINTING United Expo 2022.

*Intensity measures are per $1 million of revenue.