adidas: Official Team Wear for Paris 2024

adidas unveils the team kits that will be worn at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With one central design story, all adidas teams and athletes are united under a design DNA that celebrates the unique identities of each nation.

All athletes share a passion for their sport, but this internal fire burns brightest around major international tournaments. In Paris, adidas will capture the flame that burns within every athlete through impactful fonts and detailed graphics – that feature across all apparel created for its 15 officially sponsored teams. To express the fire within athletes, the kits’ graphics, typeface, and all over print use a repeated line pattern which is brought to life through pops of color

Beyond team kits, adidas’ offering extends to the 2024 athlete pack – a 49-strong footwear collection which equips athletes across 41 different disciplines – more than 20 of which may be seen during the field of play this summer.

INDA: Clean Advocacy Summit in Washington D.C.

INDA held an Advocacy Summit in Washington, D.C. in partnership with ISSA’s, The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association, 2024 Clean Advocacy Summit. Over the course of two days, INDA members took to the nation’s capital to convene, connect, and advocate for issues important to the nonwovens industry, meeting with the staff and elected officials in over a dozen congressional offices.  

A key focus of these congressional meetings was education and support for the passage of the WIPPES Act (H.R.2964 / S.1350), the federal effort to implement consistent national Do Not Flush Labeling standards for non-flushable wipes. They also advocated for the renewal of the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill to provide tariff relief on items without domestic production as well as discussed various trade policy issues.

Lenzing AG: Elections to the Supervisory Board

On Thursday, April 18, 2024, the 80th Annual General Meeting of Lenzing AG discharged the members of the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board for the 2023 financial year and set the remuneration of the members of the Supervisory Board for the 2024 financial year in advance.

Dr. Markus Fürst retired from the Supervisory Board at his own request with effect from the end of the General Meeting. Dr. Markus Fürst has been a member of the Supervisory Board and various committees of Lenzing AG since 2021.

The General Meeting elected Dr. Cornelius Baur as a new member of the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG until the end of the General Meeting that decides on the discharge for the 2028 financial year. In addition, Melody Harris-Jensbach’s mandate was extended until the Annual General Meeting that decides on the 2028 financial year.

HeiQ: Anti-odor technology for feather and down products

HeiQ introduces an anti-odor product addition to its HeiQ Fresh range to eliminate persistent malodor on feather and down products. Biobased HeiQ Fresh for Feather & Down utilizes a combination of pre- and probiotics (synbiotics) which helps to break up the smelly components. This innovation will be showcased at the Techtextil 2024 Swiss Pavilion.

HeiQ Fresh for Feather & Down is a 100% biobased technology engineered to combat the persistent malodor often associated with feather jackets, duvets, and pillows. Developed to address a common challenge faced by manufacturers and consumers alike, this solution represents a leap forward in the field of odor management by removing a significant objection to purchase.

The key issue lies in the natural oil secretion of the duck or goose to provide its natural waterproofing. While essential, this oil becomes the source of the unwanted odors that persist despite conventional cleaning methods. HeiQ Fresh for Feather & Down tackles this problem head-on by harnessing the power of synbiotics (pre- and probiotics).

Devan Stain Release: PFC-free release technology for water and oil based stains

Devan Chemicals launched its latest textile finishing technology “Devan Stain Release”, that ensures that both water and oil based stains can easily be washed off.

Devan ‘s new release finish prevents water and oil based stains such as ketchup, mud, grass, tea, vegetable and corn oils from adhering deeply to the fibres and allows stains to be washed off easily from the surface. The technology combines both stain release and wicking properties, fitting for applications where this dual benefit is required. This technology is PFC-free and has 40% of bio-based content. Unlike many PFC-based solutions that require mixing of multiple products, Devan Stain Release is an easy to apply and ready-to-use product that doesn’t necessitate mixing of different products. The finish doesn’t require reactivation after washing at home with high temperature. Soft handle is maintained.

EEA/ECHA: Europe-wide assessment of chemical pollution

The transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals is progressing in some areas, while in others, it is just beginning. This is the finding of a first, joint Europe-wide assessment of the drivers and impact of chemical pollution by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). The benchmarking found that more work is still needed to reduce the impact of harmful substances on human health and the environment.

The number of industrial chemicals scrutinised under the EU’s chemicals legislation to determine their safety has increased substantially. Authorities now have much better knowledge about the hazardous properties of chemicals that are used across the EU, resulting in many actions to minimise and control the risks of several groups of substances.

Stahl: 2023 ESG Report

adidas: Preliminary results for Q1 2024

adidas announced preliminary results for the first quarter of 2024. In Q1, currency-neutral revenues increased 8% versus the prior year level. In euro terms, the company’s revenues grew 4% to € 5.458 billion (2023: € 5.274 billion). The company’s gross margin improved 6.4 percentage points to 51.2% during the quarter (2023: 44.8%). Operating profit reached € 336 million in Q1 (2023: € 60 million).

As a result of the better-than-expected performance during the quarter, the company has increased its full-year guidance. adidas now expects currency-neutral revenues to increase at a mid- to high-single-digit rate in 2024 (previously: increase at a mid-single-digit rate). The company’s operating profit is now expected to reach a level of around € 700 million (previously: to reach a level of around € 500 million).  

CARBIOS wins "So French So Innovative" award

CARBIOS was awarded 1st prize in the "So French So Innovative" Award organized by Business France, the Hong Kong Committee of French Foreign Trade Advisors (CCEF), La French Tech and its partners at InnoEX 2024 (taking place in Hong Kong from 13 to 16 April). The award recognizes French innovation to promote and support French Tech in the Asia-Pacific region. The final awards ceremony was held on the French pavilion in the presence of members of the Hong Kong Government and Christile Drulhe, Consul General of France in Hong Kong.

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of CARBIOS: "Asia-Pacific is a key market for our PET biorecycling solution, and the 'So French So Innovative' Award is a recognition that supports CARBIOS’ prospection and commercial deployment in the region. CARBIOS' technology is generating a lot of interest, leading to promising discussions and the exploration of commercial agreements to support the sustainability commitments and international operations of current and future partners."

Wacker Chemical Corporation under New Management

Christoph Kowitz, currently head of WACKER’s Corporate Research Department, takes charge of the Group’s U.S. subsidiary Wacker Chemical Corporation (WCC) at the beginning of May. He succeeds David Wilhoit who has been responsible for WACKER’s North and Central American business since 2015 and is now retiring.

Christoph Kowitz has already held various management positions. After obtaining his doctorate in organic chemistry and polymer chemistry, he began his professional career as a product developer at BASF AG in Ludwigshafen in 1996. From 1997 onwards, he worked for several years as a management consultant for McKinsey in Asia and Europe. After several management positions in the chemical industry, including Germany-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Cognis, Kowitz moved to WACKER in 2013, where he headed the Performance Silicones unit within the WACKER SILICONES division. Since 2018, he has been Head of Corporate R&D and thus also responsible for innovation management within the Group.