Global Nonwovens Alliance Unveils Inaugural Board

The Global Nonwovens Alliance (GNA), a tax-exempt federation jointly founded by INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and EDANA, the Voice of Nonwovens, announces the appointment of its founding Board of Directors. This group of leaders represents some of the most influential executives across the nonwovens value chain and reflects GNA’s mission to foster global collaboration, innovation, and growth in the industry.  

This newly appointed Board unites leaders from North America and Europe to advance GNA’s core objectives: strengthening advocacy with a global voice, expanding education and networking opportunities, driving efficiencies, and promoting innovation and sustainability across the nonwovens sector. 

INDA representatives to the GNA Board include: 

Paul Schlack Prize 2025: Oil filtration with a bionic textile

On various biological surfaces, oil is adsorbed from water surfaces and transported along the leaf. In her dissertation, ITA Postdoc Dr Leonie Beek transferred this effect to a technical textile using her Bionic Oil Absorber (BOA), which can remove up to 4 litres of diesel per hour from water at technological readiness level 4. For this development, Dr Beek was awarded the Paul Schlack Prize 2025 for her dissertation ‘Bionic textiles for oil-water separation modelled on superhydrophobic biological surfaces’ on 10 September 2025. The award ceremony took place during the opening event of the Dornbirn GFC Global Fiber Congress in Austria.

Oil-water separation without additional energy or toxic substances 
Dr Leonie Beek's dissertation focused on the sustainable separation of oil and water. On various biological surfaces, oil is adsorbed from water surfaces and transported along the leaf. This effect differs from technical solutions in that oil-water separation is achieved without external energy and without toxic substances.

Lenzing AG: Cost savings, staff reductions, review of Indonesian location

The Management Board decided to start a review of strategic options including a potential sale for the Indonesian production site, which supports Lenzing’s strategic focus on branded high-performance fibers with higher margins. Accordingly, Lenzing AG expects to recognize impairment losses of the non-current assets, especially property, plant and equipment of up to EUR 100 mn in 2025. This non-cash charge impairment has a negative impact on consolidated EBIT and consolidated net income but no impact on Lenzing’s EBITDA. 

Textile Solutions Group appoints Anton Hofmeier as Group CEO

Anton Hofmeier has joined the Textile Solutions Group (TSG) as Group CEO, effective 1 September 2025. His appointment strengthens Group-level coordination and aligns strategy from ERP and CAD to MES and shop-floor automation, so textile manufacturers achieve faster, lower-risk improvements in processing cost, delivery reliability, and sustainability.

Anton Hofmeier is an enterprise-software executive with 20+ years of experience in revenue growth, market expansion and M&A integration. With electronic-engineering roots and recent global supply-chain leadership, he brings an operations-first mindset that matches mill reality: complex flows, short lead times and last-minute reorders, right-first-time pressure, and the need to make quick decisions on reliable, connected data - without losing the strengths of each specialist company.

Source Fashion: A Bold Rebrand and the 2026 Theme, Analogue Futures

Source Fashion, the UK’s leading fashion sourcing show, unveiled its new retro-inspired brand identity, which will come to life at the next edition, taking place 12–14 January 2026 at Olympia London. 

Borealis’ new polyethylene technology

• Proprietary Borstar® Nextension polyethylene (PE) technology delivers superior performance and processability, enables downgauging and design for recycling – meeting the evolving demands of flexible packaging applications
• Borealis introduces development materials with superior toughness and sealability
• This marks the launch of a dynamic innovation pipeline across industries

Borealis proudly unveils its groundbreaking Borstar® Nextension Polyethylene (PE) technology, representing a significant leap forward in polyolefin innovation. 

Building on the proven performance of Borstar® technology, the new Borstar Nextension PE platform incorporates proprietary single-site catalysts developed by Borealis. This breakthrough technology marks a new era in advanced polyethylene solutions, delivering superior toughness, sealing performance, and enhanced processability for packaging solutions that enable downgauging, improve cost efficiency, and support design for recycling—addressing the critical needs of today’s packaging industry.

OUTLOOK™ 2025: A Sustainable and Innovative Future for the Nonwovens Industry

EDANA concluded its flagship event, OUTLOOK™ 2025, marking it as a major success with 475 participants from 207 companies across the nonwovens industry addressing the biggest questions. The three-day conference highlighted the urgent need for a unified approach to sustainability, regulation, and innovation in the absorbent hygiene and wipes sectors.

EDANA concluded its flagship event, OUTLOOK™ 2025, last week, marking it as a major success with 475 participants from 207 companies across the nonwovens industry addressing the biggest questions. The three-day conference highlighted the urgent need for a unified approach to sustainability, regulation, and innovation in the absorbent hygiene and wipes sectors.

OUTLOOK™ conference always serves as a critical hub for dialogue, bringing together industry leaders, innovators, and policy experts. This year's conversations consistently centred on how to turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities.

Milliken acquires South Carolina Textile Facility

Global diversified manufacturer Milliken & Company has acquired the assets of Highland Industries, Inc. in Cheraw, South Carolina. The transaction strengthens Milliken’s domestic operations and position in technical textiles.

“This acquisition bolsters the capabilities of Milliken’s technical textiles business to benefit our customers,” said Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken. “We remain committed to the U.S. textile industry and grounded in our belief that precision manufacturing of innovative, high-performance materials is crucial for industrial resilience.”

The Highland facility will become a hub for Milliken’s technical textile weaving and knitting capabilities in the region.

“In addition to reinforcing current operations, acquiring Highland adds new offerings to the technical textiles portfolio,” said Allen Jacoby, EVP and president of Milliken’s technical textiles business. “Highland provides important assets to help us better serve our customers and opens the door to new growth opportunities.” 

Fourth Monforts Montex for Textil A. Ortiz

Through a planned programme of continuous expansion, including ongoing projects aimed at resource efficiency and environmental excellence, Spain’s Textil A. Ortiz has reinforced its position as one of Europe’s leading suppliers of premium quality lining fabrics.

The company, which celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2024, has just successfully commissioned a fourth Monforts Montex stenter at its plant in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda, 25 kilometres north of Barcelona. This is one of three plants operated by the company, with a second nearby in Catalonia and a third in Valencia. Its relationship with Monforts and local representative Aguilar & Pineda dates back to the 1970s.

Trusted supplier
The new Montex line is being employed to finish fabrics with softeners, water repellents and flame retardants and is already achieving significant cost savings. Linings are stocked in more than 1,000 colours with special finishing options for customers and a large database of designs and prints.

Soft bioelectronic fiber tracking hundreds of biological events simultaneously

Developed by Stanford researchers, NeuroString is a hair-thin multichannel biosensor and stimulator with promising potential applications in drug delivery, nerve stimulation, smart fabrics, and more.