From the Sector

• Project delivered on schedule and at budget after two and a half years of construction despite challenges arising from a global pandemic
• New state-of-the-art lyocell plant with a capacity of 100,000 tons will help serve the growing demand for sustainably produced fibers
• Important milestone towards a carbon-free future has been set

The Lenzing Group is pleased to announce the completion of its key lyocell expansion project in Thailand. The new plant, one of the largest of its kind in the world with a nameplate capacity of 100,000 tons per year, started production on schedule and will help to even better meet the increasing customer demand for TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibers. For Lenzing, the project also represents an important step towards strengthening its leadership position in the specialty fiber market and into a carbon-free future.

The construction of the plant located at Industrial Park 304 in Prachinburi, around 150 kilometers northeast of Bangkok, started in the second half of 2019 and proceeded largely according to plan, despite the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. The recruiting and onboarding of new employees has been successful. Investments (CAPEX) amounted to approx. EUR 400 mn.

“The demand for our wood-based, biodegradable specialty fibers under the TENCEL™, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and VEOCEL™ brands is growing very well. In Asia in particular, we see huge growth potential for our brands based on sustainable innovation. With the production start of the lyocell plant in Thailand, Lenzing reached an important milestone in its growth journey, supporting our ambitious goal to make the textile and nonwoven industries more sustainable”, said Robert van de Kerkhof, Member of the Managing Board.

In 2019, Lenzing made a strategic commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 50 percent by 2030. The target is to be climate-neutral by 2050. Due to the established infrastructure, the site in Thailand can be supplied with sustainable biogenic energy and contribute significantly to climate protection.

Together with the key project in Brazil and the substantial investments at the existing sites in Asia, Lenzing is currently implementing the largest investment program in its corporate history (with more than approx. EUR 1.5 bn). Lenzing will continue to drive the execution of its strategic projects, which are to make a significant contri-bution to earnings from 2022.

• Company underlines commitment to helping customers meet 2030 sustainability goals

Avgol® Industries 1953 Ltd, a global leader in the manufacture of high-performance nonwoven fabric solutions, will use this month’s IDEA22 to underline its commitment to helping customers meet their long-term sustainability objectives.

The company will highlight the latest work in biodegradation technology for polyolefin nonwoven fabrics at the Miami Beach event, showcasing its own range of component nonwoven fabric solutions. Together with its sister companies from Indorama Ventures Limited (‘IVL’) – who will be presenting biodegradation capable polyolefin and polyester fibers – Avgol will discuss with visitors how specific products can help businesses achieve their 2030 sustainability goals.

Over 600 delegates from 58 countries subscribed to the latest VDMA textile machinery webinar on sustainable dyeing held on February 3rd, 2022 – a record since the monthly online series started in June 2020. The webinar, entitled ‘Resource-saving in Textile Processing – Continuous Dyeing and Washing’, involved the three companies Monforts, DyStar® and Goller.

In outlining the capabilities of Monforts Thermex hotflue lines for the Econtrol® continuous dyeing process, the company’s Textile Technologies Engineer Jonas Beisel observed that the current industry focus is very much on cleaner processes and products in accordance with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments of the major fashion brands, and with further regulations to be expected.

Cellulosics
Econtrol® is a continuous process for the dyeing of woven cellulosic fabrics that has already been well proven on the market, with over 150 Monforts Thermex lines already in operation at mills worldwide.

Reactive dyestuffs are fixed into the fabric in a one-step dyeing and drying process with a controlled combination of steam and air. The entire pad-dry process takes just two-to-three minutes at a temperature of between 120-130°C and a relative humidity volume of 25-30%.

Benefits
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.

Complementary services and systems
Complementing the Monforts presentation during the webinar, Bertram Seuthe, Global Business Development Manager at DyStar, outlined the importance of specific Levafix® /Remazol® reactive dyes and Dianix® disperse dyes for sustainable dyeing processes such as Econtrol®, Cadira® Continuous and CPB knit. In these processes Sera® auxiliaries are also employed for optimised wash-off results.

Guido Seiler, Area Sales Manager at Fong's Europe, also introduced the latest developments of the Goller brand for the washing process, which can reduce water consumption by between 10 to 20%, as well as reductions in both heating energy and waste generation, depending on the specific fabric construction and required shade.

IDEA, the North American nonwovens show, will take place in Miami from March 28th to 31st. Trützschler’s booth focuses on the needs of the American market. It's about local service, the efficient production of sustainable nonwovens and the digital support of production processes.

Tomorrow’s products are sustainable
In addition to the in-depth know-how, Trützschler Nonwovens has a broad portfolio of line concepts for the production of sustainable, biodegradable nonwovens. Cotton is an important raw material for American producers, which is why Trützschler is showing solutions for processing raw cotton, comber noils and blends of viscose and cotton. Another focus is on the Voith/Trützschler concepts for wet-laid, hydroentangled WLS and CP nonwovens. Nonwovens made from viscose fibers and NBSK pulp, the raw material for the paper industry, not only offer a good cost/performance ratio, but also a small CO2 footprint.

Digital solutions optimize the production floor
In order to ensure lasting quality, Trützschler Nonwovens presents a modular, digital work environment that systematizes, digitizes and simplifies typical work processes. With the help of Industry 4.0 technologies, line, process and quality data relevant to a production lot can be stored, aggregated, visualized and analyzed with regard to process improvements.

Trützschler USA
With its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and more than 100 employees, Trützschler USA is the first point of contact for all matters relating to American nonwovens producers. The company is able to equip and convert machines according to customer specifications (certified UL508A panel shop), carry out factory acceptance tests and a wide range of repairs in Charlotte.

The final program will provide valuable information on the various use-opportunities for cellulosic fibres through a policy overview, a special session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks, as well as the latest developments in pulp, cellulosic fibres and yarns. In addition, examples of non-wovens, packaging and composites will offer a look beyond the horizon of conventional application fields.

You can expect to see the “Top 6” candidates of the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2022” in Cologne. For the second time, the innovation award will be granted to the innovative cellulose fibre industry for developing new technologies and applications. All producers and inventors along the entire value chain from feedstock to the final product are invited to join the competition. The Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2022 Award will be voted for by conference delegates as well as online participants on the afternoon of 2 February.

The internationality of this Cellulose Fibres gathering is reflected in its colourful line-up of international speakers. 42 speakers from 12 countries will demonstrate the differences in regional development paths and their transferability to other areas.

You can view the final program here.

Strict protective measures will make the industry meeting possible at the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres in Cologne on February 2 and 3, 2022. The latest innovations will be shocased: from hygiene and textiles to non-wovens and carbon fibre alternatives to lightweight construction applications. Online participation is also possible.

Cellulose fibres show an increasingly expanding wide range of applications, while at the same time markets are driven by technological developments and political framework conditions, especially bans and restrictions on plastics and increasing sustainability requirements. The conference provides rich information on opportunities for cellulose fibres through policy assessment, a session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks as well as latest development in pulp, cellulose fibres and yarns. This includes application such as non-wovens, packaging and composites.

Live at the conference, host nova-Institute and sponsor GIG Karasek GmbH will grand the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year” award to one of six highly interesting products, ranging from cellulose made of orange and wood pulp to a novel technology for cellulose fibre production. The presentations, election of the winner by the conference audience and the award ceremony will take place on the first day of the conference.

The conference sessions reflect the current topics of industry and research. “Strategies and Market Trends” provides an overview of the rapid development of cellulose fibres and their technological progress across the fibre market. An analysis of the key cost components of these fibres to benchmark against current cost levels will highlight future opportunities and challenges for novel textile fibres. The session will conclude with an overview of the industry's recent strategies to defossilize the fibre market.

The session “New Opportunities for Cellulose Fibres in Replacing Plastics”, focusses on questions such as: “What impact does the ban on plastics in single-use products have on the industry?” and “What are the latest regulatory issues and policy opportunities for cellulose fibres?”. This part of the conference presents new opportunities for the replacement of fossil-based insulating materials with cellulose-based technologies suitable for use in a variety of applications, from aerospace to mobility and construction.
Institutefor Ecology and Innovation

“Sustainability and Circular Economy” highlights crucial issues with regard to the overall goal of keeping the environmental impact of cellulose fibres low. A core theme of the session is the responsible use of wood and forests. With this objective, the five speakers discuss the importance of circular concepts for cellulose feedstocks. Exciting insights into the important “Hot Button Report” are offered by Canopy. The “Hot Button” report enables the producers of cellulose fibres to better understand the impact their raw materials have on forests and the climate development worldwide.

The full conference programme is available at www.cellulose-fibres.eu/program.

• Session "Recycling and Other Alternative Feedstocks"

Cellulose fibres are a true material miracle as they offer a steadily expanding, broad range of applications. Meanwhile markets are driven by technological developments and policy frameworks, especially bans and restrictions on plastics, as well as an increasing number of sustainability requirements. The  presentations will provide valuable information on the various use-opportunities for cellulosic fibres through a policy overview, a special session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks, as well as the latest developments in pulp, cellulosic fibres and yarns. In addition, examples of non-wovens,  packaging and composites will offer a look beyond the horizon of conventional application fields.

The fourth session, "Recycling and other alternative raw materials", will cover topics ranging from textile recycling - both cotton and regenerated cellulose fibres - to the use of hemp shives as raw material. Self-initiated cooperation and waste management pave the way to a fully closed European material loop where textile waste is collected, recycled and reprocessed into new raw materials.

The speakers will demonstrate the importance of cooperation in recycling fabrics already in circulation, perfectly following the topics and discussions of the previous conference day.

• Heikki Hassi - SciTech-Service (FI):  Textile Recycling and MMCFs; Systemic Challenges, Market Opportunities and Advancing Technologies
• Valerie Langer - Canopy (CA): The Perfect Storm – A Five Year Feedstock Shift Forecast
• Helena Claesson - Södra (SE): Two is better than one – Lenzing and Södra together Face the Challenge of Recycling of Textiles
• Marina Crnoja-Cosic - Kelheim Fibres (DE) and Harald Cavalli-Björkman - re:newcell (SE): Sustainable Cellulosic Fibres from Recycled Raw Materials – A Solution for Europe
• Frank Meister - Thüringisches Institut für Textil- und Kunststoff-Forschung (DE): Lyohemp Fibres Made of Dissolving Pulp Based on Hemp Shives
• Miguel Sanchis-Sebastiá - ShareTex (SE): Expanding Textile Recycling Beyond Cotton: Innovations to Recycle Regenerated Cellulose Fibers

• The leading denim ingredient brand joins lablaco’s virtual reality Circular Fashion Summit 2021 as an Innovation Partner

ISKO continues to reaffirm its commitment towards circularity by participating as an Innovation Partner in the Circular Fashion Summit 2021 by lablaco. The summit will bring together leaders of change across design, technology and sustainability to share knowledge and take action towards creating a circular future for fashion. The event will be held in a VR version of the Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris and will take place on 9-12 December.

ISKO’s approach to circularity is built on creating a future where no virgin resources are needed to produce beautiful durable and high performing woven fabrics To achieve this, the leading denim ingredient brand is working to remove its reliance on fossil fuels and virgin materials by employing only renewable energy and by setting the challenging target of using 100% recycled or reused materials.

This impressive goal is possible thanks to the cutting edge technologies ISKO is working with such as a one of a kind process which fully separates and recycles cotton and polyester blends at scale, and collaborative partnerships with MoRe Research that are aimed at discovering new possibilities for cellulose based materials. ISKO’s new generation of R TWO™50+ fabrics are also playing a role in moving towards this goal. E ngineered for nature’ they use a minimum of 50% pre and post consumer recycled blend reducing carbon and water footprints by 45% and 65% respectively, and are all GRS certified ISKO also believes that the transition to a circular economy cannot happen without addressing the impact on biodiversity and our ecology. Tackling the over-sourcing of raw materials is key, as the extraction of new natural resources and the impact on carbon emissions in processing them contributes to more than 90% of biodiversity loss.

RadiciGroup is exhibiting at the A+A trade fair, an international event focusing on safety solutions for the workplace, to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, from 26 to 29 October. This international show gives RadiciGroup the opportunity to present its latest developments in personal protective equipment (PPE) for industrial use, including coveralls, gowns, caps, full hoods, shoe covers and boots.

This international show gives RadiciGroup the opportunity to present its latest developments in  personal protective equipment (PPE) for industrial use, including coveralls, gowns, caps, full hoods, shoe covers and boots. These products are part of a new line, Radipeople, a trade name identifying the new protective workwear sold by RadiciGroup: end products of a traceable supply chain, in which special attention is paid to the choice of raw materials and the quality of the final products offered the market.

At RadiciGroup, care for the health and safety of people is one of the pillars of the Group's sustainability strategy, combined with a strong commitment to safeguarding the environment. Radipeople Eco, the first protective coverall with 100% end-of-life recyclability is proof of such commitment. All parts of Radipeople Eco: the fabric, lamination, zipper and thread are made of the same material, 100% polypropylene. Furthermore, the Group’s offering includes garments made with Respunsible®, a spundbond obtained from recycled polypropylene or materials certified under the ISCC Plus scheme.

Thanks to their versatility and technical characteristics, the nonwoven solutions proposed by RadiciGroup are suitable for many industrial sectors, including oil and gas, utilities, construction, food, automotive painting and shipbuilding, maintenance, agriculture, laboratories, microprocessor manufacturing and the pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Radipeople personal protective equipment delivers excellent protection against external agents (liquids, splashes, jets, particles and sprays), high protection against biological hazards and infectious agents, and high robustness and lightness to optimize protection, on the one hand, and comfort, on the other. All Radipeople protective equipment is made of fully traceable materials, manufactured by a totally Italian production chain involving hundreds of workers, and sold in packaging designed with an ecodesign approach, that is, fully recyclable minimized packaging.

The Hygiene Fibers Group of Indorama Ventures (IVL) came together at the Index Show to present an all-inclusive range of recycled and biodegradable solutions for Hygiene Fiber and Nonwoven applications.

The combination of polymers, technologies, processes and global reach supported by the Hygiene Fibers Group – one of three business segments that make up Indorama Ventures – positions it within the Hygiene industry to meet increasingly challenging market demand for innovative sustainable solutions within the hygiene sector. Across the six brands and companies that make up Hygiene Fibers Group – Auriga, Avgol, FiberVisions, Indorama Asia, Trevira and Wellman International – sustainability and supporting customers to achieve circular objectives is integral to all efforts and fundamental to the ethos of the Hygiene business segment.

At the Index Show, the Hygiene Fibers Group launched CiCLO®, a textile technology which allows polyester and other synthetic materials to biodegrade like natural materials do in wastewater treatment plant sludge, sea water and landfill conditions, reducing synthetic microfiber pollution generated during washing, and minimizing plastic accumulation in landfills caused by discarded textiles.

In line with the company’s commitment to support customers with high performance products, while also reducing the impact on the environment, several of the  Hygiene Fibers brands, including Wellman International, Trevira GMBH and Auriga, have been working closely over the last 12 months with the IAM team and the CiCLO® technology. Developments have focused on PET and rPET staple fiber and filament sustainable solutions for applications where recycling is particularly challenging, such as Hygiene, Home Textiles and Automotive applications.

Strengthening the profile of biodegradable offerings within the Hygiene Fibers Group’s sustainability portfolio, Trevira introduced a new range of bicomponent fibres based on PLA and PBS (polybutylene succinate) at the Index show. Both biopolymers offer an exceptional technological opportunity in terms of environmental care and sustainability, while delivering optimum performance. Equally to PLA, PBS is recyclable and up to 100% biodegradable under industrial conditions.

Efforts towards supporting customers to achieve circular objectives are a priority within the Hygiene Fibers Group. This is reflected in the recycled fibers expertise deployed across the segment. Four Hygiene Fibers Group brands, IVL Asia, Auriga, Trevira and Wellman International offer an extensive range of 100% recycled, accredited PET fibers, across a multitude of fiber and nonwovens applications.

The development and evolution of sustainable technologies is central to activity across IVL’s Hygiene Fibers Group, with particular focus on sustainable polyolefin solutions. FiberVisions and ES-FIBERVISIONS, leading Polyolefin mono and bico fiber brands and sister company Avgol, have partnered with UK-based Polymateria to commercially harness the innovative ‘biotransformation’ technology pioneered by Polymateria. The patented technology alters the properties of polyolefins to make them biodegradable in a natural process.  Other polyolefin sustainable innovations within the Hygiene Fibers Group were featured at Index include biosurfactant and biocolourant developments being undertaken by the Avgol team with FiberVisons progressing sustainable design solutions, including lightweight, high performance, reduced carbon solutions.