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Berndt Köll on the Stubai Glacier: Initial field tests showed convincing results. (c) Lenzing AG
22.11.2023

Glacier protection rethought: Nonwovens made of cellulosic fibers

Protection for snow and ice: Cellulosic LENZING™ fibers offer solution for preservation of glacier mass

In field trials on Austrian glaciers, nonwovens made of cellulosic LENZING™ fibers are being used to cover glacier mass. They are showing promising results and offer a sustainable solution for glacier protection. Nonwovens containing fossil-based synthetic fibers might cause negative environmental consequences such as microplastics on glaciers.

Protection for snow and ice: Cellulosic LENZING™ fibers offer solution for preservation of glacier mass

In field trials on Austrian glaciers, nonwovens made of cellulosic LENZING™ fibers are being used to cover glacier mass. They are showing promising results and offer a sustainable solution for glacier protection. Nonwovens containing fossil-based synthetic fibers might cause negative environmental consequences such as microplastics on glaciers.

Geotextiles are already widely used to protect snow and ice on glaciers from melting. The use of nonwovens made from cellulosic LENZING™ fibers is now achieving a sustainable turnaround. Geotextiles show great success in Austria in protecting glaciers, which are highly endangered by global warming. By covering glacier mass, its melting is slowed down and mitigated. So far, the nonwovens used to protect glaciers are usually made of fossil-based synthetic fibers. The problem with that might occur as microplastics left behind after the summer flow down into the valley and can enter the food chain through small organisms and animals.

Sustainability from production to reuse
An innovative and sustainable solution for the protection of snow and ice is now possible with the help of nonwovens made of cellulosic LENZING™ fibers. "LENZING™ fibers are derived from renewable, responsibly managed wood sources and are produced in an environmentally responsible process. Thanks to their botanic origin, they have the ability to break down, returning into nature after use" explains Berndt Köll, Business & Innovation Manager at Lenzing.

In a field trial on the Stubai Glacier, the covering of a small area with the new material containing cellulosic LENZING™ fibers was tested for the first time. The result was convincing: 4 meters of ice mass could be saved from melting. Due to its success, the project is now being expanded. In 2023 field tests started in all Austrian glaciers, which are used for tourism.

"We are pleased with the positive results and see the project as a sustainable solution for glacier protection - not only in Austria, but beyond national borders," Berndt Köll continues. There should also be a possibility to explore for recycling after the nonwovens are used: These geotextiles can be recycled and ultimately used to make yarn for textile products.

Awarded with the Swiss BIO TOP
The sustainable glacier protection and its results also convinced the jury of industry experts of the BIO TOP, a major award for wood and material innovations in Switzerland. With this award innovative projects in the field of bio-based woods and materials are promoted and supported. At the award ceremony on September 20, 2023, Geotextiles containing LENZING™ fibers were honored with the award for its solution.

Source:

Lenzing AG

Photo unsplash.com
05.09.2023

Ananas Anam and TENCEL™ collaborate with Calvin Klein

The search for better, planet-friendly footwear material reveals a solution in one unlikely ingredient: pineapple leaves. This unique textile ingredient is the recent focus of the latest footwear design collaboration between Ananas Anam, TENCEL™ and Calvin Klein, launching Calvin Klein’s first-ever trainer featuring a knitted upper made of PIÑAYARN® blended with TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers.

Known as “The Sustainable Knit Trainer”, the trainers are a timeless closet staple, available in classic colors such as black and off-white and etched with the signature Calvin Klein logo. The PIÑAYARN® knit upper, made of 70% TENCEL™ Lyocell and 30% Anam PALF™ pineapple leaf fiber, is both from botanic origin and bio-based.

The search for better, planet-friendly footwear material reveals a solution in one unlikely ingredient: pineapple leaves. This unique textile ingredient is the recent focus of the latest footwear design collaboration between Ananas Anam, TENCEL™ and Calvin Klein, launching Calvin Klein’s first-ever trainer featuring a knitted upper made of PIÑAYARN® blended with TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers.

Known as “The Sustainable Knit Trainer”, the trainers are a timeless closet staple, available in classic colors such as black and off-white and etched with the signature Calvin Klein logo. The PIÑAYARN® knit upper, made of 70% TENCEL™ Lyocell and 30% Anam PALF™ pineapple leaf fiber, is both from botanic origin and bio-based.

As the fashion sector has begun to realize the negative environmental effects of synthetic materials, a lot of brands have turned towards plant-based materials such as PIÑAYARN®. Using a low-impact manufacturing process, PIÑAYARN® is derived from pineapple leaf waste and involves a water-free spinning process. The addition of TENCEL™ Lyocell, a fiber made from wood pulp obtained from responsibly managed forests and produced using a solvent spinning process that recycles both the solvent and water at a recovery rate of more than 99%, offers full traceability of the TENCEL™ fiber in the final blended yarn.

Melissa Braithwaite, PIÑAYARN® Product Development Manager at Ananas Anam said “The inspiration for PIÑAYARN® came from the need to provide the textile industry with an alternative to overused, often polluting, conventional fibers, such as cotton or polyester. We have an abundance of available raw material within our business, and broadening our product offering means we can valorize more waste, increasing our positive impact on the environment and society.”

Indeed, as the consumer demand for more eco-responsible textile products and footwear grows, so too has the popularity of wood-based fibers as a material alternative. Ananas Anam and TENCEL™’s collaboration with Calvin Klein has been a success in that the physical characteristics and planet-conscious benefits of both PIÑAYARN® and TENCEL™ fibers complement each other perfectly, creating a blended material that is soft and usable for various woven and knitted applications.

For material developers like Ananas Anam seeking the ideal fiber blend partner to create PIÑAYARN®, TENCEL™ Lyocellfibers are celebrated for their versatility and ability to be blended with a wide range of textiles such as hemp, linen and of course Anam PALF™ pineapple leaf fiber, to enhance the aesthetics, performance and functionality of fabrics. Additionally, beyond being used in shoe uppers, TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers can be used in every part of the shoe including the upper fabric, lining, insoles, padding, laces, zipper and sewing thread. TENCEL™ Lyocell can also be used in powder form for use in the outsoles of shoes.

“We are extremely excited about this collaboration with Ananas Anam for the launch of The Sustainable Knit Trainer by Calvin Klein, an eco-responsible and planet-friendly shoe for conscious consumers. This partnership is the perfect example of our commitment to provide education and expertise to support anyone who chooses to improve the environmental and social credentials of their products by using more responsible materials,” said Nicole Schram, Global Business Development Manager at Lenzing.

Source:

Lenzing AG

(c) nova-Institut GmbH
07.12.2021

Finalists for „Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2022” announced

Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2022: Cellulose Fibre Solutions are expanding from hygiene and textiles as well as non-wovens up to alternatives for carbon fibres for light-weight applications.

Great submissions made the nomination for the Innovation Award difficult. All of them present promising sustainable solutions in the field of cellulose fibres value chain. Six of them now get the chance to demonstrate their potential to a wide audience in Cologne (Germany), and online.

Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2022: Cellulose Fibre Solutions are expanding from hygiene and textiles as well as non-wovens up to alternatives for carbon fibres for light-weight applications.

Great submissions made the nomination for the Innovation Award difficult. All of them present promising sustainable solutions in the field of cellulose fibres value chain. Six of them now get the chance to demonstrate their potential to a wide audience in Cologne (Germany), and online.

For the second time, nova-Institute grants the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year” within the framework of the “International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022” (2-3 February 2022). The advisory board of the conference nominated six  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.

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.

Here are the nominees:
Carbon Fibres from Wood – German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (Germany)
The HighPerCellCarbon® technology is a sustainable and alternative process for the production of carbon fibres made from wood. The technology starts with wet spinning of cellulosic fibres using ionic liquids (IL) as direct solvent in an environmentally friendly, closed loop filament spinning process (HighPerCell® technology). These filaments are directly converted into carbon fibres by a low-pressure stabilisation process, followed by a suitable carbonisation process. No exhaust fumes or toxic by-products are formed during the whole process. Furthermore, the approach allows a complete recycling of solvent and precursor fibres, creating a unique and environmentally friendly process. Carbon fibres are used in many lightweight applications and the fibres are a sustainable alternative to fossil-based ones.

Fibers365, Truly Carbon-Negative Virgin Fibres from Straw – Fibers365 (Germany)
Fibers365 are the first carbon-negative virgin straw fibres on the market. The Fibers365 concept is based on a unique, state of the art process to provide functional, carbon negative, and competitive non-wood biomass products such as virgin fibres for paper, packaging and textile purposes as well as high value process energy, biopolymer and fertilizer side streams. The products are extracted from the stems of annual food plants such as straw by a chemical-free, regional, farm level steam explosion pulping technology, allowing an easy separation of the fibres from sugars, lignin, organic acid and minerals. In the case of annual plants, CO2 emissions are recaptured within 12 months from their production date, offering “instant”, yearly compensation of corresponding emissions.

Iroony® Hemp and Flax Cellulose – RBX Créations (France)
Iroony® is a branded cellulose made by RBX Créations from hemp. This resistant hemp plant grows quickly within in a few months, massively captures carbon and displays a high content of cellulose. The biomass is directly collected from French farmers who cultivate without chemicals or irrigation, in extended rotation cycles, contributing to soil regeneration and biodiversity. For a diversified supply, the hemp can be combined with organically-grown flax. Through its patented process, RBX Créations extracts high-purity cellulose, perfectly suitable for spinning technologies such as HighPerCell® of DITF research centre. The resulting fibres display versatile properties of fineness, tenacity and stretch, for applications like clothing or technical textiles. Iroony® combines low impact, trackability and performance.

SPINNOVA, Sustainable Textile Fibre without Harmful Chemicals – Spinnova (Finland)
Spinnova’s innovative technology enables production of sustainable textile fibres in a mechanical process, without dissolving or any harmful chemicals. The process involves use of paper-grade pulp and mechanical refining to turn pulp into microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). The fibre suspension consisting of MFC is extruded to form textile fibre, without regeneration processes. The Spinnova process does not generate any side waste, and the environmental footprint of SPINNOVA® including 65 % less CO2 emissions and 99 % less water compared to cotton production. Spinnova’s solution is also scalable: Spinnova targets to reach 1 million tonnes annual production capacity in the next 10 to 12 years.    

Sustainable Menstruation Panties: Application-driven Fibre Functionalisation – Kelheim Fibres (Germany)
Kelheim’s plant-based and biodegradable fibres contribute significantly to a sustainable future in the field of reusable hygiene textiles. Through innovative functionalisation they are specifically adjusted to the requirements of the single layers and thereby reach a performance comparable to that of synthetic fibres. A unique duality in fibre technology is created: sustainably manufactured cellulosic fibres that allow for high wearing comfort and reusability with extraordinary, durable performance. Fibre concepts comprise Celliant® Viscose, an in-fibre infrared solution and Danufil® Fibres in the top sheet, Galaxy, a trilobal fibre for the ADL, Bramante, a hollow viscose fibre, in the absorbing core and a water repellent woven fabric, a biodegradable PLA film or a sustainable coating as a back sheet.

TENCEL™ branded Lyocell Fibre made of Orange and Wood Pulp – Orange Fiber (Italy)
Orange Fiber is the world's first company to produce a sustainable textile fibre from a patented process for the extraction of cellulose to be spun from citrus juice leftovers, which are more than 1 million tonnes a year just in Italy. The result of our partnership with Lenzing Group, leading global producer of wood-based specialty fibres, is the first ever TENCEL™ branded lyocell fibre made of orange and wood pulp. A novel cellulosic fibre to further inspire sustainability across the value chain and push the boundaries of innovation. This fibre, part of the TENCEL™ Limited Edition initiative, is characterized by soft appeal and high moisture absorbance and has already obtained the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certificate and is undergoing a diverse set of other sustainability assessments.

(c) Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
22.12.2020

Decade of Action: Texpertise Network launches further measures to implement the Sustainable Development Goals

Since 2019, the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network has been working with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships to bring the Sustainable Development Goals to all 58 textile events in the network worldwide. Numerous measures have already been implemented. Others are imminent.

Shortly before the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutérrez hailed the start of the Decade of Action. As of 2020, the international community now has just ten years to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which the UN Member States committed themselves in the 2030 Agenda. As part of the collaboration with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network will put the SDGs on the agenda of additional events in December, thus further supporting their implementation in the fashion and textile industry.

Since 2019, the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network has been working with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships to bring the Sustainable Development Goals to all 58 textile events in the network worldwide. Numerous measures have already been implemented. Others are imminent.

Shortly before the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutérrez hailed the start of the Decade of Action. As of 2020, the international community now has just ten years to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to which the UN Member States committed themselves in the 2030 Agenda. As part of the collaboration with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships, the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network will put the SDGs on the agenda of additional events in December, thus further supporting their implementation in the fashion and textile industry.

Virtual event “Discover the SDGs – To Power the Decade of Action”
From 1-30 December 2020, the Texpertise Network is taking part in the virtual learning experience “Discover the SDGs”, which was initiated by the Conscious Fashion Campaign in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships. The aim of the event is to strengthen the knowledge and commitment within the fashion industry that is needed to further support the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. One component of the event is a virtual and interactive exhibition on the 17 goals, as well as on-demand discussions with industry leaders, United Nations representatives and advocates of the United Nations, including Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board, and Thimo Schwenzfeier, Director Marketing Communications Textiles and Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt, as well as from Kering, Lenzing, Allbirds, Arch and Hook, Artistic Milliners, Orta, ITL, Vogue Business, CFDA, Collina Strada and the Swarovski Foundation.

“This is a critical time to accelerate partnerships to address the world's biggest challenges – from eliminating poverty, hunger and inequalities to reversing climate change and unsustainable consumption and production practices,” said Annemarie Hou, acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “The fashion industry is an important ally for the United Nations in this Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs by 2030.”

Conscious Fashion Campaign becomes a presenting partner of Frankfurt Fashion Week
Joining forces to improve the fashion industry: Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself as the host of the future of fashion and actively driving forward the transformation towards a future-oriented, more sustainable fashion and textile industry. All decision-makers looking to instigate this change will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021. The initiators of Frankfurt Fashion Week – Messe Frankfurt and the Premium Group – have achieved a real coup: Conscious Fashion Campaign, working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will be the presenting partner. Messe Frankfurt will build on its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a prerequisite for exhibitors by 2023. And the Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit by CFC is set to become the leading international conference for sustainability in the fashion world.

Expansion of internal sustainability communication
17 goals, 58 textile events worldwide, around 600,000 visitors and 23,000 exhibitors in 2019: with its global events, the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network offers unique reach for supporting the SDGs, even during the corona pandemic. The participating subsidiary companies, sales partners and Messe Frankfurt partners abroad who organise the relevant events play an important role in this. To actively expand knowledge about and further commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Texpertise Network is organising several online seminars, including for staff members in Argentina, Ethiopia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa and the USA and thus expanding its internal sustainability communication.

SDG actions up to now
Ever since the expanded collaboration between the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network, the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships was announced at the UN headquarters in New York in December 2019, the international Messe Frankfurt textile events have implemented numerous measures to support the SDGs.

At the Messe Frankfurt textile events in Germany alone, a number of things came to fruition: the most recent physical and digital editions of Heimtextil, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles and Neonyt, global hub for fashion, sustainability and innovation, offered panel discussions, press conferences and video messages, including with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and United Nations Office for Partnerships. An SDG Lounge in the Green Village at Heimtextil and selfie walls with the SDGs inspired exhibitors, visitors and influencers alike to engage with the 17 goals and share them on their social network channels. Podcasts were produced that can still be listened to on the Neonyt and Heimtextil channels and Neonyt also hosted e.g. the influencer challenge “Let's wear the goals!”.

A great deal has also already been achieved internationally: in March 2019, Neonyt organised a showcase with selected Neonyt brands to mark the foundation of the “UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion” in Nairobi. Techtextil India launched Techtextil NEXT at its 2019 edition, India’s first hackathon for technical textiles and sustainability. Among those who attended were Shrikar Dhole, founder and CEO of the SDG Foundation and Niharika Gautam, who campaigns for the achievement of the SDGs in the fashion industry and co-leads the fashion section of the All Ladies League Delhi. The Heimtextil Russia 2020 Digital Edition was able to attract a prominent figure to give a message of greeting, namely Vladimir Kuznetsov, head of the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Moscow. The digital edition of Texworld USA (now Texworld New York City) and Apparel Sourcing USA in summer 2020 offered a talk by the Conscious Fashion Campaign and supported the production of a podcast with Claire Kells from the UN Global Compact.

With its SDG actions to date, Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network is estimated to have reached around 146,000 visitors, 170,000 followers on social media channels and 65,000 subscribers to newsletters about participating events at home and abroad. Added to this is also the approx. 2.5 million followers of the influencers involved in the actions.

(c) Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
30.04.2019

SUSTAINABILITY A MAJOR TOPIC AT TECHTEXTIL AND TEXPROCESS

"Sustainability at Techtextil" and "Sustainability at Texprocess" are the two topics by which these leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and non-wovens, and for the processing of textile and flexible materials, will be explicitly turning their focus for the first time onto their exhibitors' approaches to sustainability. To this will be added a broad complementary programme on this topic. Among those contributing will be major players in the industry, such as Kering, Lenzing and Zalando.

"Sustainability at Techtextil" and "Sustainability at Texprocess" are the two topics by which these leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and non-wovens, and for the processing of textile and flexible materials, will be explicitly turning their focus for the first time onto their exhibitors' approaches to sustainability. To this will be added a broad complementary programme on this topic. Among those contributing will be major players in the industry, such as Kering, Lenzing and Zalando.

Fibres made of recycled polyester, bio-based high-tech textiles, waterconserving dyeing and finishing processes, functional and work clothing, using little or no solvents and adhesives: in the field of technical textiles, and when processing textile and flexible materials, more and more firms are adopting approaches to greater sustainability. Through "Sustainability and Techtextil" and "Sustainability at Texprocess" the leading international trade fairs, from 14 to 17 May, will be demonstrating exactly these approaches taken by their exhibitors. In addition, numerous event formats will be taking up the topic of sustainability at both fairs.

Fair guide for selected exhibitors
In the run-up to Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitors at both fairs were able to submit their approaches and evidence of their work on every aspect of sustainability to the fairs' organisers. An independent, international jury of experts on sustainability assessed the submissions, in accordance with the relevance and validity of current national and international product-sustainability labels, such as currently mainly Bluesign, Cradle-to-Cradle, EU Eco Label, ISO 14001, GOTS, GRS as well as SteP by Oeko-Tex.

Overall, 47 firms were selected, including 44 exhibitors at Techtextil and three at Texprocess. Visitors who are interested will find the selected firms in their own Fair Guide, which will be available at the Fair, via filter function under "Sustainability" in the online visitor search facility, and on both fairs' apps. In addition, the exhibitors so selected will be publicizing their participation at their exhibition stands.

Members of the international jury of experts: Chairman: Max Gilgenmann, Consulting Service International Ltd. (Germany and China); Claudia Som, Empa (Switzerland); Jan Laperre, Centexbel (Belgium); Heike Illing-Günther, Textile Institute of Saxony (Sächsisches Textilinstitut e.V., Germany); Karla Magruder, Fabrikology (USA); Lauren Zahringer, SAC Social Apparel Coalition (Netherlands).

Techtextil Forum featuring theme of sustainability
Taking "Towards sustainability" as its motto, the Techtextil Forum on 14 May between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. will be providing a series of contributions devoted exclusively to sustainable textile innovations. Chaired by Braz Costa, managing director of the Portuguese technology centre CITEVE, among the topics on the programme will be: textile recycling (TWD Fibres, Velener Textil), sustainable construction with wool (Minet S.A., Romania), sustainable textile coatings (Centexbel), biopolymers (RWTH Aachen University), traceability of GMO-free cotton (Hohenstein Institute) and low-cost, bio-based carbon fibres (Jules Verne Research Institute, France).

Techtextil Innovation Award
For the first time the Techtextil Innovation Award will be presented to two firms in the category of sustainability. The winners will be announced and the awards presented on the first day of the fair during the opening ceremony. During the whole time of the fair visitors will also be able to find out about the prize-winners and their award-winning projects at the Techtextil Innovation Award Exhibition Area in Hall 4.2.

Texprocess Forum with branch of Fashionsustain Conference
Through a branch of Fashionsustain Berlin, Messe Frankfurt's conference on every aspect of sustainable textile innovations, the Texprocess Forum on the morning of the 14 May will be devoted exclusively to the theme of sustainability in the textile and fashion industries in all its aspects. The first keynote, "Sustainable innovation – a matter of survival", will come from Micke Magnusson, co-founder of the Swedish start-up We are Spindye. Next, posing the question "Is Sustainability the Key to Textile Innovations?", will come a discussion by leaders in the industry such as Clariant Plastics and Coatings, Indorama, Lenzing, Perpetual Global, Procalçado S.A., Kering und Zalando. Fashionsustain will be chaired among others by Karla Magruder, founder of Fabrikology International.

Innovation Roadshow features sustainable footwear production
Next at the Fashionsustain Conference fibre manufacturer Lenzing, knitting-machinery producer Santoni and shoe-component manufacturer Procalçado S.A. will be presenting the Innovation Roadshow, entitled "The Future of Eco-Conscious Footwear Manufacturing." The roadshow will be supported by the Messe Frankfurt Texpertise Network. It will feature examples of the sustainable production process of a shoe, thus demonstrating how a fundamental change to sustainability can already be a reality in the fashion and textile industries today. The panel will be chaired by Marte Hentschel, founder of Sourcebook, the B2B network for the fashion industry.

Performance Days November 2017 © Performance Days
28.11.2017

NEW RECORDS SET AGAIN AT PERFORMANCE DAYS IN MUNICH

The recently concluded trade fair once again demonstrates: The PERFORMANCE DAYS concept works! At the 19th edition of the trade fair for functional fabrics and sport accessories, new top ratings were achieved in all areas.

The recently concluded trade fair once again demonstrates: The PERFORMANCE DAYS concept works! At the 19th edition of the trade fair for functional fabrics and sport accessories, new top ratings were achieved in all areas.
Innovation is the specialty at PERFORMANCE DAYS. The functional fabric trade fair has a reputation for being the first to show the newest trends way ahead of the other trade fairs and industry gatherings. The fair offers several unique tools such as the Focus Topic, the PERFORMANCE FORUM with the PERFORMANCE TABLES and the PERFORMANCE WALL, the PERFORMANCE AWARDS, the comprehensive presentation and workshop program as well as the guided tours. What makes this fair so special? Not only the free admission to the fair, but all of the top quality programs are also free of charge! So much commitment to service and trend scouting pays off: The recent trade fair held on November 8-9th, 2017 at the MTC in Munich once again broke all previous records!

Visitor and Exhibitor plus
The halls of the MTC were filled to maximum capacity and recorded significantly more visitors than the previous fair last April and even more than the fair in November 2016. The number of trade visitors rose from 1868 in November 2016, to 2001 breaking the 2000 mark for the first time. This growth corresponds to a 7.1 percent increase. In comparison to the previous year, the number of exhibitors was also greater in autumn 2017, registering a 9.9 percent increase. A total of 177 exhibitors from 23 countries occupied all of the halls to capacity, confirming the decision to relocate to the halls of Messe München, which is scheduled for November 2018. Even now, shortly after opening the exhibitor registration period, demand is already higher than the number of available spaces.

The move to Riem
When the doors of PERFORMANCE DAYS open next year on November 28-29th, 2018, the trade fair will be celebrating not only its 10-year anniversary, but also the first edition of PERFORMANCE DAYS at the new location. In the future, one of the large halls on the exhibition grounds in Munich-Riem will be provided twice a year for functional fabrics. For the debut, it will be located in Hall C1, with easy access via the north-west entrance from the west parking garage.

All highlights also provided online
As usual, when the most recent exhibit comes to a successful close, a special service is made available to all those who did not have enough time: All the highlights and important information like the presentations (also as a podcast!), as well as all the fabrics at the Forum will be available directly at www.performancedays.com. Even more interesting for you: Samples of all featured PERFORMANCE FORUM fabrics can be ordered online, which means direct sourcing of materials is now possible from the comfort of your office.
A special highlight of the past exhibition was the Focus Topic "Thermal Technologies – From Fibre to Smart Textiles." The topic covered the entire spectrum of heat retention and generation in sports clothing, as well as the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD. The award winner was Pontetorto for the development of the first fleece to be produced with a brushed inside and with particles and fibers that are biodegradable even in sea-water. This innovation was a joint development between Vaude and Lenzing. The workshop presented by Ana Kristiansson about the possibilities of founding a sportswear brand was also very well received.
Besides the familiar exhibitors like Invista, Cocona/37.5, Lenzing, Microban, 3M, bluesign, Burlington, Dyneema, Nilit, Outlast, Pertex, Polartec, Pontetorto, PrimaLoft, Schoeller, Singtex, Sympatex, Südwollle, Toray, and YKK; the Messe welcomed new exhibitors like Freudenberg Performance Materials, Clo Insulation, Flying Textile, Inuheat Group, ISKO ARQUAS, Manifattura Effe Pi, The Woolmark Company, and Tough Knitting Enterprise.

About PERFORMANCE DAYS
PERFORMANCE DAYS — The “functional fabric fair” launched in 2008, is the first and only event created especially for functional fabrics for sports and work clothing. The aim of the semiannual trade fair is to give leading and innovative textile manufacturers, suppliers and service providers the opportunity to present their functional fabrics, membranes plus treatments, laminates, paddings, fin-ishes, and accessories such as yarns, tapes, prints, buttons and zippers.
The industry experts who come to this fair – the sports fashion designers, product managers, and decision-makers (see online: Visitor List) represent almost every European active clothing and func-tional wear manufacturer – can find a complete selection of high quality materials available at just the right time in April/May and November. The dates are intentionally scheduled early thanks to our expertise in functional fabrics and are optimal for summer and winter sport collections. (All trade fair catalogs from past events are available online at Catalogs as well as a listing of current exhibitors at Exhibitor List).
 
The relaxed and focused workshop-like atmosphere at PERFORMANCE DAYS differentiates it from the other fairs which are often unmanageable and more stressful. That is one of the reasons why the Munich trade fair at the heart of the European sportswear industry has become one of the top addresses for new fabrics, innovations, and is the preferred meeting place to conduct business.
In the unique PERFORMANCE FORUM of PERFORMANCE DAYS, the visitor receives an inspiring and well-grounded overview of the new materials, trends, and innovations of the exhibitors. The PERFORMANCE AWARD and the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD are also presented here. Qualified guest speakers present special topics and their collaborative ventures in guided tours, workshops and presentations to complete the range of information provided at PERFORMANCE DAYS within the Program (see after the fair online in the Presentation Library).
No entry fee and free admission to all events for industry visitors.

Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
15.08.2017

Home Textiles Sourcing Expo showcases 158 international exhibitors

  • Exhibitors from 9 countries showcased products across 6 categories: upholstery, bed, bathroom, table, window and floor
  • Summer 2017 Seminar Series highlights include home furnishings color trends, sustainability and post-consumer recycling, and appealing to the millennial shopper

The 8th edition of Home Textiles Sourcing Expo opened its show floor to exhibitors and buyers alike on Monday July 17, 2017. As a long-term joint venture partnership between Messe Frankfurt and CCPIT-TEX, the show is the only trade event in North America to focus solely on home textiles and finished soft goods for all home applications.

  • Exhibitors from 9 countries showcased products across 6 categories: upholstery, bed, bathroom, table, window and floor
  • Summer 2017 Seminar Series highlights include home furnishings color trends, sustainability and post-consumer recycling, and appealing to the millennial shopper

The 8th edition of Home Textiles Sourcing Expo opened its show floor to exhibitors and buyers alike on Monday July 17, 2017. As a long-term joint venture partnership between Messe Frankfurt and CCPIT-TEX, the show is the only trade event in North America to focus solely on home textiles and finished soft goods for all home applications.

Over the last eight years, Home Textiles Sourcing Expo has become a go-to event for manufacturers, retailers, jobbers, converters, contract specifiers and designers searching for the perfect fabric or manufacturing resources for their next home collection. This July’s edition showcased home products in six categories, including upholstery, bed, bathroom, table, window and floor.
 
Home Textiles Sourcing Expo Summer 2017 featured 158 exhibitors representing 9 countries, making this edition the most globally diverse group in show history. Countries represented included USA, Taiwan, Thailand, Korea, Bangladesh and more. Dedicated pavilions included the Handloom Export Promotion Council (HEPC)-sponsored India pavilion, the Pakistan pavilion featuring 8 suppliers, and the always popular Turkey pavilion. The Suzhou China pavilion also made its debut on the show floor with suppliers specializing in quality silk bedding and home textiles.

High-quality cotton, kitchen textiles, premium bedding and luxury bath textiles were also to be found among July 2017 exhibitor product offerings. “The Summer 2017 edition of Home Textiles Sourcing Expo was the most diverse showing of exhibitors in the history of the show from both a product and sourcing destination perspective”, said Jennifer Bacon, Show Director. “Our attendees were able to source quality textiles and finished goods from both established and emerging sourcing destinations. The access our show gives buyers to products in almost every home category – bedding, bath, floor, upholstery and more – is hard to find elsewhere. “

Once again taking place alongside Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA, as well as the debut edition of Avanprint USA, the Summer 2017 edition of Home Textiles Sourcing Expo ultimately welcomed a diverse group of visitors from 45 countries. Together the four co-located shows welcomed a record-breaking number of visitors from a combined 72 different countries, making the Summer 2017 shows the most well attended in show history.
   
Texworld USA Seminar Series, organized by Lenzing Innovation, cater to home furnishings and home goods industry with timely topics
The Lenzing Innovation seminar series once again proved to be a big draw for Home Textiles Sourcing Expo attendees. Several home trendfocused seminars catered specifically to the home market and spoke directly to issues that the industry is facing.

Home-industry focused seminars included:
INSPIRING AND EXPRESSING COLOR: DEFINING THE ESSENTIAL TRENDS FOR HOME FURNISHINGS 2018
Laurie Pressman, Vice President - Pantone Color Institute
Color palettes for 2018 break free from traditional thinking. Colors are revitalized, hues are mixed in novel combinations and new color directions instantly and effectively express a fresh approach. While commerciality is still critical, taking a more unique approach to color will help you stand out from the mainstream. Colors range from classic arrangements through to fully saturated, punchy narratives all the while leading to newer and more unique color expressions.

BREATHE EASIER: ASTHMA AND ALLERGY-FRIENDLY TEXTILES
Dr. John McKeon, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer - Allergy Standards
Asthma and allergies strike one-in-four Americans, that’s 60 million people who spend an estimated $10 billion a year on products marketed to this group! But claims made by companies today can’t be verified because there is little or no governing regulation. What can companies do to capture a piece of this growing market?    

APPEALING TO THE MILLENNIAL SHOPPER: WHAT HOME TEXTILE RETAILERS ARE DOING TO CAPTURE THIS CRITICAL DEMOGRAPHIC
Jennifer Marks,  Editor-In-Chief - Home & Textiles Today Magazine
Moderator - Nina Nadash, Home Textile Manager (Americas) - Lenzing Fibers, Inc.

Despite the fact that Millennials are coming of age in one of the most frenetic economic climates in the past century, research shows almost 3 out of 4 are willing to pay extra for sustainable offerings. Marketers of products and services committed to positive social and environmental impact need to ensure they are communicating their brand message in a way that builds confidence with this critical consumer demographic. Jennifer Marks, Editor-in-Chief of Home & Textiles Today will be on hand to give her perspective on the Millennial market, highlighting the importance of matching your brand message to the personal values of this important consumer group.