From the Sector

At Booth 50, Eastman will present U.S.-produced Naia™ staple fibers and filament yarns for casualwear and activewear, supporting closer collaboration across the regional value chain.

As brands and retailers explore more diversified and responsive sourcing networks, the Naia™ from Eastman brand is strengthening its engagement with the textile and apparel value chain across the western hemisphere. From August 18 to 20, the company will participate for the first time in Apparel Sourcing Show Guatemala, a regional meeting point for apparel sourcing, manufacturing and nearshoring.

Produced in the United States, Naia™ offers regional manufacturers, brands and sourcing teams a cellulosic fiber option within the western hemisphere, creating opportunities for direct dialogue and new collaborations across the regional textile and apparel supply chain.

At Booth 50, Eastman will showcase both Naia™ staple fiber and filament yarn offerings for casualwear and activewear. A key focus of the presentation will be Naia™ On The Move, an application designed for active, everyday wear and built around Naia™ Renew staple fiber, made with 40% GRS-certified recycled materials* and 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp. The application demonstrates how Naia™ fiber blends can deliver next-to-skin comfort, breathability and a soft hand feel, together with moisture management and quick-dry performance. 

Developed to help garments stay fresh and comfortable throughout the day, Naia™ On The Move highlights the versatility needed for urban lifestyles, where changing temperatures, humidity and active routines call for adaptable apparel solutions. 

“The western hemisphere is becoming an increasingly important part of the sourcing conversation,” said Chad Doub, Global Segment Market Manager, Casual Wear and Home at Eastman. “Our participation in Guatemala gives us the opportunity to build new relationships and explore how Naia™ staple fibers and filament yarns can support innovative fabric developments for casualwear and activewear. We believe Naia™ On The Move, our application designed for this segment, is particularly well suited to the needs of the region and of the brands sourcing here, where versatility, comfort and performance are increasingly important.”

The Apparel Sourcing Show brings together businesses operating across the textile and apparel supply chain, including textiles, machinery, accessories, services and manufacturing. Eastman’s participation also builds on its engagement with the Americas Apparel Producers’ Network.

Following the 2026 pro:Americas Annual Conference in May, the Guatemala show represents another step in the company’s efforts to connect with businesses developing more integrated supply chains across the region.

Fashion for Good announced the launch of Project DW(O)R-X, a collaborative initiative designed to benchmark PFAS alternative durable water- and oil-repellent (DW(O)R) chemistries. Responding to growing market demand for alternatives to PFAS based finishes, the project aims to generate reliable, comparable data that can support informed sourcing decisions and the assessment of emerging chemistries.

Historically, durable water- and oil-repellent (DW(O)R) finishes have been used to help materials stay dry, clean and durable over time. Some formulations have contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals characterised by their high persistence. As a result, PFAS can remain in the environment for extended periods, bioaccumulate in humans and ecosystems, and have been associated with adverse health effects when exposure exceeds established thresholds. 

Despite the momentum towards PFAS-based alternatives, several challenges remain. First, many currently available alternatives do not match the oil repellency and long-term durability of PFAS-based finishes. Second, there is currently no unified approach to assessing performance, and existing protocols do not always reflect real-world use, making meaningful comparisons between solutions difficult. Third, current benchmarks no longer reflect the capabilities of today’s PFAS alternative solutions; updated benchmarks are needed to identify leading solutions and understand performance gaps, to help inform R&D and scale-up efforts. Finally, as the industry works to identify suitable alternatives, it is essential to carefully assess their environmental and health impacts to minimise the risk of regrettable substitution, where one problematic substance  is replaced by another without sufficient understanding.

To address these core challenges, Project DW(O)R-X will benchmark nine PFAS alternative solutions, ranging from early-stage innovations to established chemistries, across three dimensions: performance, environmental impact, and cost. To support this, project partners have developed a performance framework designed to better reflect real-world use by incorporating multi-condition testing and custom stains relevant to sportswear and outerwear, including soil, sunscreen, and sweat. 

This approach will enable the group to test a performance framework built on combining various standardised methods. The insights generated can help establish a common reference point for the industry: brands and mills can use it to inform internal decision-making, while chemical companies can rely on it to substantiate performance claims.

The project brings together an exciting group of industry stakeholders, including leading brands adidas and C&A, manufacturing partners Shahi Exports, Paradise Textiles, Positive Materials and Wujiang Fuhua Fabric Co., alongside technology providers Archroma, Daikin Chemicals Europe, Dow, Dryfiber, Jintex, Lamoral Coatings, Pulcra Chemicals, Rudolf, and vandeyk.tech. Performance testing will be conducted by SGS. 

“The challenge for the whole industry isn’t just phasing out PFAS: it’s ensuring we don’t replace it with something equally concerning that we understand less well. Right now, brands and mills are navigating this transition without updated benchmarks to compare these alternatives. Project DW(O)R-X gives them the data they need: performance testing that reflects real-world use, comprehensive impact assessment, and a better understanding of cost structures. This is how we enable informed decisions and genuine progress toward safer chemistry at scale.” Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good.
 
“We have not allowed the intentional use of PFAS in our products for many years. However, phasing out PFAS across the sector requires coordinated action across the value chain. A responsible transition depends on shared changes in manufacturing practices, supported by accessible and reliable alternatives that are understood and available at scale. Project DW(O)RX provides a rigorous benchmarking framework to evaluate alternatives across performance, environmental impact and cost. By collaborating with other brands and partners, we are contributing to a shared knowledge base that supports progress towards safer chemistry, while maintaining the quality and durability our customers expect.” C&A External Affairs

Circ announced that the first men's denim collection featuring TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology is now available at H&M, marking the commercial delivery of this unique pilot project first announced in October 2025. Featuring two styles available across the UK, Scandinavia, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, South Europe, Turkey, North America, Mexico, Canada, and the Middle East, the launch brings TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology into H&M's standard men's denim assortment for the first time.

The collection explores a fully integrated supply chain approach from textile waste to pulp to shelf, bringing together Circ’s textile-to-textile recycling technology, Lenzing’s fiber production expertise, AGI Denim’s manufacturing capabilities, and H&M’s global retail platform. Each garment contains TENCEL™ Limited Edition Lyocell fibers produced with 30% Circ® pulp recycled from textile waste.

"This launch is proof that recycled textile fiber is ready for mass-market supply chains," said Peter Majeranowski, CEO of Circ. "Seeing TENCEL™ | Circ® with REFIBRA™ technology in H&M's standard men's denim assortment is a milestone the industry has been working toward. It validates that next-generation recycled materials can move through existing supply chains at the quality that global retail demands."

“This collaboration highlights that by bringing together players of all steps across the textile supply chain will result in circular garments available to consumers. We are proud to work with pioneers like Circ to showcase innovation on a pilot production level, making fibers available for commercial garments. We continue to keep our commitment to exploring collaborations with innovators, bringing new TENCEL™ fibers on the market via pilot-scale productions.” explains Caroline Ledl, Senior Director Product Operations at Lenzing Group.

The two-style collection, available in both light and dark wash denim, is the result of a collaboration between Circ and Lenzing to integrate advanced textile recycling into fiber production, demonstrating a path to scale up. Circ's recycling technology separates blended textile waste, including cotton-polyester garments that have historically been unable to be recycled, into two material streams: dissolving pulp and polyester monomers. The resulting Circ pulp is fed into Lenzing's lyocell production process alongside wood from certified or controlled sources, yielding a fiber that carries both the TENCEL™ brand and the REFIBRA™ technology designation, Lenzing's framework for incorporating pre- and post-consumer textile waste into new fiber.

Thiscollaborative project between a legacy sustainable fiber producer and a next-generation textile-to-textile recycler — with H&M as the retail partner bringing it to shelf — reflects a model that advocates have long argued is the most viable path to scaling circular textiles: incumbent infrastructure and emerging technology working in concert, rather than in parallel.