From the Sector

Deakin University has signed a partnership agreement with Geelong-based company Xefco as part of its Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH) to conduct new research to transform how our clothing, including jeans, get their colour.

Jeans are one of the most worn garments in the world, but they are also one of the least environmentally friendly, taking around 75 litres of water to dye just one pair.

Deakin’s work with Xefco is helping to explore if a waterless manufacturing process can replace the water intensive processes the clothing industry has used for hundreds of years. The new technology in development is called ‘Ausora’.

Associate Professor Alessandra Sutti, from Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials, said it was exciting to be on the commercialisation journey with Xefco, working with the company to discover what is possible and hopefully reduce the world’s fashion footprint.

“If successful, the Ausora technology, which colours fabrics without the need for large quantities of water, will put us a step closer to more efficient and sustainable clothing manufacturing,” Associate Professor Sutti said.

Xefco CEO Tom Hussey said the company’s new pilot plant, housed at Deakin in Geelong, will test different materials, including specialised fabrics such as waterproof items like outdoor jackets and jeans.

“This is the first stage of Xefco’s vision for the technology, with the REACH project focused on demonstrating the commercial viability of the technology at pilot scale and developing processes so it can be scaled up for commercial production,” Mr Hussey said.

“Together, Deakin and Xefco will push the limits of innovation and see what is possible.”
Xefco’s pilot plant is co-located with Deakin researchers at ManuFutures, the state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing hub at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds campus.

Founded in 2018 Xefco now employs 17 people and its products are already making a difference across the world. Its XReflex technology, which reduces consumption of insulation materials, is being used by some of the world’s leading apparel and fashion brands including The North Face.

Backed by a $50 million grant from the Australian Government’s inaugural Trailblazer Universities Program, with industry and university support taking the total project value to $380 million, REACH is facilitating the development of greener supply chains and accelerating business success as markets move from a throughput economy to a circular economy.

The Lenzing Group, a leading provider of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries, has made significant technical improvements to its Purwakarta site (PT. South Pacific Viscose). Lenzing has invested more than EUR 100 million since 2021 to convert existing production capacity to specialty viscose. With the imminent completion of the investment, Lenzing is in a better position to serve the strongly growing demand for specialty fibers.

Lenzing is striving for certification according to the standard of the internationally recognized EU Ecolabel1. The product portfolio would thus include LENZING™ ECOVERO™ branded fibers for textiles and VEOCEL™ branded fibers for nonwoven applications. In the course of these substantial investments, Lenzing has set the goal of significantly reducing emissions at the site. Moreover, the site started to obtain renewable grid electricity and promotes a changeover to biomass in line with Lenzing's goals of reducing carbon emissions per ton of product by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving carbon-neutral production by 2050.

“Demand for specialty fibers with low environmental impacts continues to grow structurally. We see enormous growth potential in Asia in particular. Through our investments in Indonesia and also at other Lenzing sites worldwide, we are in a better position to serve this growing demand. At the same time, we continue working tirelessly to make the industries in which we operate even more sustainable and to drive the transformation of the textile business model from linear to circular,” says Stephan Sielaff, Chief Executive Officer of the Lenzing Group.

The Lenzing Group, a world-leading provider of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries, has been awarded platinum status in the EcoVadis CSR rating. The rating comprehensively covers the four most important practices in the area of corporate social responsibility: environment, fair working conditions and human rights, as well as ethics and sustainable procurement.

For the third time, Lenzing has been awarded Platinum status for its sustainability performance by EcoVadis, a leading international provider of sustainability ratings for companies. This puts Lenzing in the top one percent of companies worldwide rated by EcoVadis.

EcoVadis has become the world's largest and most trusted provider of corporate sustainability ratings since its founding in 2007, creating a global network of more than 100,000 rated companies worldwide. The methodological framework assesses companies' policies, actions and activities, as well as their published reports, related to the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

In line with its sustainability strategy “Naturally positive”, the Lenzing Group has set ambitious targets in each of its core strategic areas to further strengthen its path from a linear to a circular economy model. Lenzing reports annually on the corresponding implementation measures and the progress made in its sustainability report. This level of commitment and transparency was particularly positively highlighted by EcoVadis in its assessment. The rating provider also emphasized the Lenzing Group's comprehensive measures in the areas of environment, ethics, and labor and human rights.

Dibella supports organic Fairtrade cotton farmers in sourcing non-GMO seeds for the next harvest.

Together with the Chetna Organic cooperative, Dibella has long supported Indian smallholder farmers, on whose fields the organic Fairtrade cotton for the company's sustainable contract textiles grows. To secure the livelihoods of the smallholders, Dibella is taking action this year with a special measure: at the beginning of the new growing season, the company pre-finances the procurement of the genetically unmodified (GMO-free) seeds.

The beginning of the monsoon season (June to September) marks the start of the cotton year in India. The small family farms where the organic Fairtrade cotton for the sustainable Dibella range is grown prepare their fields for sowing. The seeds needed this year come directly from their buyer Dibella. The company organised and co-financed the procurement of the seeds together with the Chetna Organic cooperative.

Ending the debt trap
"At the beginning of the cotton season, smallholder farmers are often forced to take out a loan to finance the seeds they need. For this, very high double-digit interest rates are charged in India, which can lead to excessive debt for families, especially when there are crop failures due to pest infestations or unfavourable weather conditions, for example," reports Simon Bartholomes, Purchasing Manager at Dibella. "We decided years ago to break this vicious circle by pre-financing the genetically unmodified seed. It is procured by our partner Chetna Organic and distributed free of charge to the farming families whose organic cotton is processed into our organic Fairtrade textiles after the harvest. This year we have allocated a sum of USD 50,000 for this purpose.

Win-win situation
This measure offers advantages for all parties involved: Through direct access to the seeds, Dibella enables the farmer families to have a more adequate livelihood. At the same time, the farmers benefit from the expertise of Chetna Organic staff, who support them in organic farming. Dibella, in turn, covers its annual demand for organic Fairtrade cotton with a right of first refusal. This gives the company full control over its entire supply chain, which starts at the cotton field.

Lectra supports the transformation of fashion, automotive and furniture companies by providing them with technological solutions that accelerate their transition to a more efficient and more sustainable Industry 4.0. In February, as part of the launch of its new roadmap, Lectra confirmed the importance of CSR in its strategy and presented its new priority measures for 2023-2025. By joining the UN Global Compact, Lectra demonstrates its commitment to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

Over the last few years, Lectra has stepped up its CSR initiatives. In 2011, the company implemented a CSR purchasing charter that covered 98% of its industrial purchases in 2022, excluding Gerber Technology (which was acquired in June 2021). In 2023, the new version of our CSR purchasing charter will be extended to Gerber suppliers, with the objective of enrolling 90% of all our industrial suppliers by 2025. Lectra also favors local procurement and production, as demonstrated by the recent inauguration of its manufacturing facility in Tolland, United States.

Another example: knowing that textiles generate 90% of the CO₂ emissions produced during the total lifecycle of a cutting room, Lectra strives to offer its customers solutions that optimize the use of materials. Lectra's equipment makes it possible to achieve material saving of 5 to 10%. In addition, to better inform consumers about product authenticity and provenant, the company has also expanded its software offer to material traceability, as show by the recent majority acquisition of TextileGenesis’ capital. Lectra is committed to systematically using eco-design principles by 2025 for its new equipment platforms in order to reduce its environmental footprint.

For 2023-2025, Lectra has decided to focus on 5 key areas through 12 measures:

1. MEETING THE HIGHEST ETHICAL STANDARDS
   - Uncompromising business ethics
   - Extension of our CSR purchasing policy
2. DESIGNING ECO-RESPONSIBLE OFFERS
   - Developing eco-designed products and services
   - Supplying products and services that help reduce our customers’ impact on the environment
   - Developing safe, accessible and easy-to-use solutions
3. FOSTERING AN INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE AND STIMULATING WORKING CULTURE
   - Zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment and equal opportunities for everyone
   - A working environment conducive to employee engagement
   - Balance between work and private life
   - Sustainable development of talents, team expertise and professional careers
   - Employees’ health and safety
4. REDUCING THE ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT OF OUR ACTIVITIES
   - Reducing the environmental impact of our company's activities
5. SUPPORTING FUTURE GENERATIONS
   - Supporting the development of professional skills and the employability of future generations

The Sorting for Circularity USA consortium project welcomes new partners and expands its North American geographical scope. Fashion for Good is pleased to announce the addition of lululemon as an external brand partner, joining the existing seven brand partners. They also welcome their new implementation partners Helpsy, United Southern Waste Material, Goodwill Industries International Inc., and its members Goodwill of Colorado, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc., Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, and Goodwill of San Francisco Bay. Additionally, Fashion for Good is pleased to recognise adidas as the project's lead sponsor, facilitating the complete realisation of the project scope.

Fashion for Good, together with Resource Recycling Systems, launched the Sorting for Circularity USA consortium project in January 2023. The project will conduct an extensive consumer survey to map the journey of a garment from closet to end of use, and present a comprehensive snapshot of textile waste composition generated in the United States. The insights gained from this 18-month project will help to scale collection, sorting, and recycling innovations and inform decisions on necessary investments and actions.

Within the first 6 months, the project has expanded to cover 6 key states: California, Texas, Florida, New York, New Jersey and Colorado. Additional implementation partners have also signed on to support the fibre composition data analysis: Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association, Helpsy, United Southern Waste Material, and Goodwill Industries International Inc., with its members Goodwill of Colorado, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc., Goodwill of the Finger Lakes, and Goodwill of San Francisco Bay. Resource Recycling Systems will drive the dissemination and analysis of the consumer survey together with New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management and Syracuse University Center for Sustainable Community Solutions, and execute the textile composition analysis using Matoha’s near infrared devices with advisory support from Circle Economy.

Demonstrating the importance of pre-competitive collaboration in tackling the industry’s biggest challenges, lululemon joins Eastman, H&M and Nordstrom as key project partners, together with Fashion for Good corporate partners adidas, Inditex, Levi Strauss & Co., and Target. Adidas' lead sponsorship ensures a deeper analysis of USA textile waste infrastructure and the identification of valuable opportunities for advancement.

In the USA, textile waste is the fastest-growing segment of the country's waste stream, with 85% of discarded textiles ending up in landfills*. Understanding the composition of material, volume and location of used textiles is crucial for capturing them and sorting them for the best and highest quality end use. Moreover, the range of national and regional geographies within the Sorting for Circularity project series enables for nuanced cross-country comparisons - revealing differences in the textile waste generated and infrastructure required.

Sorting for Circularity, a framework co-developed by Fashion for Good and Circle Economy, aims to (re)capture textile waste by unlocking the feedstock potential for recycling, expedite the implementation of game changing automated sorting technologies such as near-infrared spectroscopy and advanced textile-to-textile recycling, and drive circularity within the fashion value chain. The project builds on the success of Sorting for Circularity Europe and India, which revealed insights on material composition, volume, and location of used textiles and provided a solid foundation to accelerate textile recycling in those respective geographical locations.

*United States Environmental Protection Agency (2019). National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling.

wet-green GmbH announced today that it has earned the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Certified Biobased Product Label for wet-green® OBE 1 tanning agent for Olivenleder®.

wet-green® OBE 1 is made of 100% biobased raw materials coming from by-products of olive growing, covered by a global patent. wet-green® OBE 1 is applied as a pre-tanning agent and replaces standard tanning technologies e.g. Chromium, Glutaraldehyde, Zeolites etc., is non-corrosive, metal-free, free of synthetic reactive tanning chemicals, formaldehyde-free, glutaraldehyde-free, bisphenol-free, syntan free, viscous, pumpable and pleasant smelling. wet-green® OBE 1 is the next generation vegetable tanning agent suitable for a wide range of leather articles and applied since many years in areas e.g. automotive, upholstery, garments, shoes and accessories.

The wet-green® tanning agent for Olivenleder® can now display a USDA label that highlights its percentage of biobased content. Third-party verification for a product's biobased content is administered through the USDA BioPreferred® Program, which strives to increase the development, purchase, and use of biobased
products.

Biobased products help address climate change by offering renewable alternatives to petroleum-based products; sequester carbon dioxide, lowering the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere that contribute to climate change; create and expand markets; are generally safer for people and the environment than their petroleum-based counterparts; and represent incredible technological advances and innovations.

• Reactive dyes for water and energy saving dye processes with significantly shortened process time

BEZAKTIV ONE covers a broad color spectrum with tinctorial very strong dyes. This enables a cost-efficient dye process with significantly less dye and salt. The excellent wash-off behavior allows short rinse cycles at lower temperatures and therefore offers further ecological and economic advantages. The dyes are particularly suitable for durable textiles due to their good multiple wash fastness.

Cellulosic fibers are often dyed with reactive dyes, as these are commercially available in a wide range of colors that result in dyeings with high wash fastness. However, reactive dyeings require a lot of water due to the necessary rinsing processes. Due to increased ecological requirements, the development of energy and water saving processes is not just a trend, but rather a core prerequisite for new dyes.

A minimal number of rinsing baths and generally lower temperatures for dye exhaust, rinsing and soaping contribute to an overall efficient water and energy saving dyeing processes.

BEZAKTIV ONE dyes can be dyed, rinsed and soaped between 40 and 60 °C. Therefore, the BEZAKTIV ONE exhaust dyeing process is significantly shorter compared to conventional reactive dyeing processes, where temperatures between 60 and 98 °C are required. This advantage means savings in process time and higher productivity for the textile dyer.

The advantages become particularly clear when dyeing medium to dark shades with the BEZAKTIV ONE process. Due to the high fixation level in combination with good color build-up dark shades can be matched with lower dye concentrations of BEZAKTIV ONE than with conventional bifunctional reactive dyes. The addition of the auxiliary COTOBLANC SEL in the second soap bath has an additional positive effect, so that a washing process with low water and energy consumption generates excellent wet fastness properties on the textile.

Sustainable solutions provider Perstorp has turned its ambitious sustainability targets for 2030 into actionable roadmaps on the corporate level as well as for each of its production plants, outlining hands-on activities to lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce waste, save fresh water and enable sustainable transformation throughout the value chain.

Over the last year, Perstorp has presented ambitious sustainability targets for greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1, 2 and 3), as well as for water and waste, to be reached by 2030. The company has now supplemented those targets with roadmaps outlining the steps and actions needed to fulfil them and support customers in reducing their carbon footprint as well as lead Perstorp toward its long-term ambition of becoming Finite Material Neutral.

The largest greenhouse gas emissions are found in Scope 3, which includes raw materials and end-of-life treatment of Perstorp’s products. The Scope 3 roadmap includes the steps necessary to drive the transition of the product portfolio from fossil-based to more sustainable, lower carbon footprint alternatives. This, in turn, will help enable Perstorp’s customers to achieve their own sustainable transition. One key project in this roadmap is Project Air, an initiative aiming to replace all the fossil methanol that Perstorp uses in Europe with methanol produced from residue streams such as carbon capture and utilization (CCU) and renewable sources like biogas. This alone is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 500,000 tons per year.

The corporate Scope 1 & 2 targets (direct greenhouse gas emissions from Perstorp´s production plants and purchased energy), as well as the targets for water and waste, have been broken down into local targets and roadmaps, firmly anchored in the specific prerequisites for each production plant.

Initiatives on reducing energy consumption and shifting to energy from non-fossil or recovered sources can, for example, be found in the local roadmaps, while the steps to reach those targets are tailored specifically to each location. Among the planned local activities are also initiatives to replace fresh water used in the production with purified wastewater and to find different ways to reuse and recycle waste from production.

On 30 March 2022, the European Commission presented its vision for the future of the textile industry. The strategy mainly focuses on reducing the environmental footprint and promote sustainability and transparency in the value chain.

EURATEX has welcomed the publication of the strategy, as it recognises the strategic importance of the European textile industry, and its core competitive values of quality and creativity. At the same time, the association has warned that translating that vision into reality is a delicate process, as the industry needs to reconcile sustainability with competitiveness. Making the green (and digital) transition should make companies stronger; the benefits should outweigh the costs.

This premise had a serious blow by the Russian war in Ukraine, which erupted at almost the same time when the strategy was launched, and has dramatically changed the economic context. Energy prices increased by a factor of 10 (!), putting the European industry at a significant disadvantage with its global competitors, leading to company shutdowns or relocations. Extended lock downs in China and defensive trade policies in the US and elsewhere have further generated uncertainty on the market and disrupted supply chains.

Today, one year after its publication, EURATEX remains carefully optimistic about the implementation of the strategy, but needs to warn against some important pitfalls on the road ahead.

1. Despite these turbulent times, the Commission is moving ahead “swiftly” in translating their EU Textile Strategy into (draft) legislation. At present, at least 16 pieces of legislation are on the table, which will turn the textile industry into a strictly regulated sector. The quality of this new regulatory framework is critical to the success of the strategy: upcoming rules need to be coherent, technically feasible and enforceable, and have a minimal cost for SMEs. EURATEX calls for a realistic timetable and “competitiveness test” for each piece of legislation before it is adopted.
2. Textile companies need to be informed and supported to comply with this new framework. This requires substantial funding which should be earmarked exclusively to the sector, covering areas of innovation and digitalisation, skills development, support to start ups and internationalisation, as well as access to affordable energy. In this regard, EURATEX calls on the Commission to translate the current “good intentions” into concrete decisions.
3. The EU strategy will not work if there is no demand for sustainable textiles, both from individual consumers and public authorities (procurement). Concrete measures need to be taken to offer a competitive advantage to sustainable and high quality textile products, e.g. through a different VAT rate, strict procurement rules, closer cooperation between the brands/retailers, producers and consumers.
4. The EU strategy could also fail, if the global dimension of the textile industry is ignored. Up to 80% of clothing products are produced outside the EU; these products need to comply with the new framework, but it remains unclear how to ensure that level playing field. Market surveillance needs to be stepped up massively – also targeting on line sales – but this would require significant efforts from member states, which are not available as of today.

Despite these important challenges, EURATEX remains committed to the successful implementation of the EU Textile Strategy. Director General Dirk Vantyghem commented: “We want to be a global leader in sustainable textiles, building on the entrepreneurship, quality and creativity of nearly 150,000 European textile companies. Creating this new framework is an incredible challenge, requiring a close dialogue between the industry and the regulator. But if well designed and carefully implemented, it can set a new era for the European textile industry”.