From the Sector

• The companies UBE and ZIKNES, the University of Valencia, and the AIMPLAS Plastics Technology Centre are collaborating on this project, funded by IVACE+i Innovation with support from ERDF funds.
• Applications include packaging, agricultural covers, automotive components and large-scale 3D demonstrators.
• Collaboration with Sea2See ensures the supply of recovered nets from Ghana and strengthens the project’s circular value chain.

The abandonment of fishing nets in seas and oceans is one of the most persistent environmental problems. In response to this situation, the REDES4VALUE project works to recover and recycle disused fishing nets, transforming them into new sustainable, high value-added products such as recycled nylon, films for packaging and agricultural covers, automotive components, and large-format parts produced by additive manufacturing. These developments are achieved through innovative mechanical and chemical recycling processes, combined with reactive extrusion technologies.

This initiative, funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) and ERDF funds, brings together a consortium formed by AIMPLAS (Plastics Technology Centre), UBE, ZIKNES and the University of Valencia. Their shared objective is to close the life cycle of polyamides and reduce marine pollution through innovative, industry-ready solutions.

Although many nets are made of polyethylene or polypropylene, the project focuses on polyamide nets, a material with great potential for chemical recycling. Its molecular structure allows the recovery of monomers such as caprolactam, enabling the production of new polyamides with properties virtually identical to those of virgin materials.

‘We are achieving optimised conditions for depolymerising fishing nets and recovering monomers with purities above 95% in some laboratory-scale streams, and over 80% at pilot scale”. This will allow us to repolymerise and obtain new polyamides with quality equivalent to virgin material,’ explains Nairim Torrealba, a researcher in Chemical Recycling at AIMPLAS.

Recycled polyamides are intended for sectors such as packaging, agriculture, automotive and 3D printing. Companies such as UBE are already analysing their commercialisation and ZIKNES is adapting its equipment to validate large-format parts. Initial applications include packaging films, agricultural covers, automotive components and large-scale 3D demonstrators.

‘These materials have immediate industrial applications and a clear sustainability advantage over conventional polyamides. These solutions not only reduce dependence on virgin raw materials, but also open up new opportunities for industry in terms of sustainability and the circular economy,’ said Torrealba.

Disruptive technology and international collaboration
REDES4VALUE is advancing in processes such as hydrothermal depolymerisation, ionic liquid-assisted solvolysis and reactive extrusion, as well as comprehensive life cycle and feasibility assessments. One of the main challenges of the project is the treatment of highly degraded nets with a high presence of impurities, but the results are very promising.

Collaboration with the Sea2See brand has ensured access to fishing nets recovered in Ghana since 2019 and has been key to structuring the project’s circular value chain from the waste source. ‘Without this supply of material, it would not be possible to move forward. The nets that arrive from Ghana are essential for validating the processes and obtaining real results,’ said Torrealba.

Consortium and next steps
The project involves AIMPLAS, which is responsible for chemical recycling tasks, UBE for scaling and repolymerisation, ZIKNES for 3D printing validation, and the MATS group at the University of Valencia (MATS-UV) for solvolysis and kinetics studies. ‘Our goal is to consolidate a chemical recycling line that can be applied to complex waste and demonstrate that it is a real and necessary solution,’ concluded Torrealba.

This initiative is funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i), through the Strategic Cooperation Projects programme in its 2024 call for proposals, with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

At this year's supplier conference held by polyamide yarn manufacturer Yongrong on January 17, Barmag was honored with the Gold Partner Award. The company presents the award to suppliers who make a significant contribution to the sustainable growth and success of the group.

The Yongrong Holding Group's supplier conference 2025 took place in Fuzhou, China, under the motto “Shaping the future together with a focus on value.” As a long-standing strategic supplier, Barmag was invited and represented by Hou Xiaoguang, Head of Barmag China, and Felix Chau, Head of Sales China.

Barmag and the Yongrong Group have maintained a partnership-based business relationship since 2004, which has developed from a strategic to a value-adding collaboration over more than two decades. In the field of polyamide yarn production, the Yongrong Group is now one of Barmag's most important customers worldwide.

While the company initially used mainly standard equipment from Barmag, the focus is now on customized, innovative solutions that have been jointly developed and continuously optimized. High-quality, cutting-edge technology from Barmag, combined with the Yongrong Group's forward-looking strategy, has contributed significantly to the successful development of both partners.

In the future, both partners intend to further intensify their cooperation. The focus will be on developing environmentally friendly and intelligent production processes for the nylon industry, as well as a new model for a high-quality and sustainable industry.

Borealis announces a EUR 49 million strategic investment to scale up production of Borstar® Nextension polypropylene (PP) at its manufacturing site in Burghausen, Germany. This will expand commercial production of next-generation single-site polypropylene (ssPP) grades that deliver enhanced purity, processability, and performance - supporting customers in key sectors including packaging, healthcare, mobility, and fibers, to meet evolving market and regulatory demands.  
 
Enabling the shift to circular design with monomaterials  
The investment will support the transition to high-performance monomaterial PP solutions. By integrating a tailored combination of performance properties into a single PP material, Borstar Nextension technology facilitates material substitution in complex multilayer structures – supporting design for circularity, reducing weight, and improving overall performance. 
 
Meeting recyclability requirements 
In packaging, this innovation enables brand owners and converters to comply with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), including the target of achieving 100% recyclable packaging by 2030. A growing portfolio of Borstar Nextension PP grades is already demonstrating these benefits in flexible packaging applications, combining improved processability with superior sustainability and a step change in purity, clarity and sealing performance. 
 
Driving customer growth and sustainability 
“By scaling up Borstar Nextension PP production, we empower our customers to stay ahead in a rapidly changing regulatory and market landscape. It’s another example of our commitment to increase the availability of innovative, recyclable polymer materials suitable for a wide range of applications across multiple industries,” says Craig Arnold, Borealis EVP Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Base Chemicals. 

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) will hold its 83rd Plenary Meeting on 23–24 March 2026 at the Parliament building in Bremen. The meeting will take place immediately ahead of the 38th International Cotton Conference Bremen (25–27 March 2026) and marks a historic premiere: for the first time, the ICAC Plenary will be hosted in close cooperation with the Bremen Cotton Ex-change and the Faserinstitut Bremen e.V. (FIBRE). 

The ICAC is a government-level association headquartered in Washington, DC. Its member countries produce, process, or trade cotton. The ICAC Plenary Meeting will be held under the motto “Uniting the Cotton and Textiles Value Chain for a Sustainable Future” and highlights the organization’s commitment to supporting its member gov-ernments and advancing sustainability, innovation, and economic prosperity across the entire cotton and textile value chain—from seed to retail.

“Hosting our 83rd Plenary Meeting at Bremen’s Parliament House marks a first-ever, historic collaboration between ICAC and the Bremen Cotton Exchange,” said Eric Trachtenberg, Executive Director of ICAC. “For decades, our organizations have worked together to benefit the global cotton and textile industry, and this joint week of programming promises to be a can’t-miss event for professionals from every segment of the value chain. We are thrilled to connect high-level government delegates with the technical and commercial expertise that Bremen’s conference delivers so success-fully.”

Fritz Grobien, President of the Bremen Cotton Exchange, said, “We are very pleased to welcome the ICAC to Bremen as a government-level organization. The ICAC, the Bremen Cotton Exchange, and the Fibre Institute Bremen are three institutions in the global cotton industry that represent the topic of cotton in different ways and at the highest level. Therefore, I am even more delighted to have the ICAC Plenary as a valuable contributor at the beginning of our own conference.”

The International Cotton Conference Bremen is known for addressing topics such as cotton cultivation, quality assessment, textile processing, innovative cotton products, and the interconnected textile value chain.

The Bremen Cotton Exchange, FIBRE, and the ICAC are looking forward to welcoming delegates from government, industry, and research to Bremen in March 2026.

Conventional sports textiles made from petroleum-based synthetic fibres are to be replaced in the future by sustainable, bio-based, cooling textiles. Polyethylene, previously used mainly in the packaging industry, is thus qualified for use in textiles and, as a bio-based drop-in solution, offers a cost-effective, sustainable alternative for the future.

TECNARO (Ilsfeld/Germany), BB Engineering (Remscheid/Germany), FALKE (Schmallenberg/Germany) and the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University have developed textiles from bio-based polyethylene (bioPE) in the bioPEtex project of the BIOTEXFUTURE Innovation Space.

TECNARO develops the bio-based PE compounds and handles their dyeing. ITA is concentrating on the process development for melt spinning (partially-oriented yarn, POY) and false-twist texturing (draw-textured yarn, DTY) of the bioPE yarns. BB Engineering implements the false-twist texturing on an industrial scale, and FALKE is developing the final T-shirt, which will be treated with a bio-based finish for improved elasticity.

The successful creation of a first T-shirt from the yarns developed in this project underscores their promising characteristics. This represents a key milestone and forms the basis for investigating potential market readiness in subsequent phases. Above all, the white BioPE T-shirt impresses with its pleasantly cool and soft touch. However, additional development, characterisation, and optimisation steps are necessary to make a market introduction possible.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, and HeiQ, a Swiss deeptech materials innovator active in functional textiles and sustainable fibers, have entered into a co-marketing agreement that combines their complementary strengths to deliver advanced, planet-conscious anti-odor and antimicrobial technologies to brands, retailers, and textile mills worldwide.

Together, Archroma and HeiQ will provide brands and textile manufacturers access to an expanded portfolio of high-performance, sustainable effects, underpinned by global reach, application expertise, and proven market innovation.

“This partnership marks an exciting chapter for Archroma and HeiQ, and a huge step forward for the textile industry,” said Dhirendra Gautam, VP Commercial, Archroma. “By uniting our global reach and application know-how with HeiQ’s powerful innovation engine, we are bringing high-performance, sustainable technologies to more customers and accelerating the industry’s transition towards a more planet-conscious textile value chain.”

“HeiQ has always been driven by a mission to pioneer deeptech material innovation for people and planet,” said Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ. “Together with Archroma’s extensive network and expertise, we are scaling our technologies globally, ensuring that brands and mills can access functional, sustainable solutions that enhance product performance while lowering environmental impact.”

The collaboration enables HeiQ’s advanced technologies to be delivered through Archroma’s well-established global customer network, making it easier for textile manufacturers to integrate functional, compliant, and sustainable performance effects into their products. The alliance is also about scaling innovation. Together, we will empower brands and manufacturers to meet consumer demands for hygiene, freshness, and sustainability.

Scientifically, color is the visual perception of light reflected by objects: some wavelengths are absorbed, others reflected, and our brain interprets them as color. Yet its role goes far beyond science, it is deeply connected to emotions. It is precisely this emotional dimension that Iluna Group explores. 

For the Spring/Summer 2027 collection, the brand chose to focus on the three primary colors — Yellow, Blue, and Red — as symbols of origin, energy, and identity: 

• Yellow: the light that opens the day, fresh and clean, an energy that sparks the right idea and guides you toward who you choose to be. It translates into luminous transparencies and romantic details, a contemporary ray that captures the eye without overwhelming it.  
• Blue: depth, breath, and mental space—a slow rhythm that invites listening and reflection. It becomes a soft, almost liquid texture, essential and modern, capable of instilling balance Yellow and calm without dimming vitality.  
• Red: impulse and presence, the courage to reveal oneself without filters. It vibrates through dynamic structures and sensual florals, creating space and inviting the wearer to live every moment with contemporary intensity.  

The collection is a true journey through the colors of the soul, where every lace and every shade becomes a new story on the skin of those who wear it.
But if color becomes identity, the unique expertise and creativity of Iluna Group allow lace to break free from its boundaries, from its limitations and seasonality, carrying it directly toward the company’s vision. 

In this context, lace is no longer just a technical and recognizable product: in the hands of ILUNA Group, it transforms, elevates itself, and transcends its traditional limits. Here, expertise becomes essential, knowledge and creativity merge to generate unexpected visual and tactile effects, redefining the very identity of lace. 

• Pre-dyed viscose for multicolor yarns capable of creating refined Moiré effects for all over applications, designed for a versatile use ranging from fashion to lingerie, up to interpretations dedicated to beachwear.  
• Material experimentation aimed at creating flocking made with Silk, cotton and linen, where texture and surface engage in a natural, sensorial dialogue.   

 Since 2018 Iluna Group has been GRS certified for its sustainable Green Label range. A collection that proposes a new responsible approach towards the environment and people, combining innovation, aesthetics, and quality at 360°. From the polymer to the finished lace, Iluna is able to guarantee full control and total traceability of the entire production chain, measuring the company’s sustainability growth through the Higgs Index. 

At Heimtextil 2026, Eastman Naia™ builds on its All-Night Comfort concept, a holistic sleep comfort platform that brings together bed sheets, comforter fill and sleepwear. This year, the concept expands with new fill solutions for comforters and the firstever Heimtextil showcase of sleepwear and loungewear made with Naia™ Renew staple fiber. Across sleep-focused home textile applications, these developments highlight the versatility and performance of Naia™ Renew circular fiber, produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% GRS-certified recycled content.

Naia™ Renew-based fill solutions expand for comforters 
Naia™ fill solutions are now offered in two forms: insulation and loose fill. In insulation, the offering includes options blended with recycled polyester and, as new additions, wool and recycled polyester, alongside a new 100% Naia™ Renew silky touch solution. In loose fill, the new options include fiber ball formats blended with recycled polyester or with wool and recycled polyester, as well as a down blend option. The expanded fill offering is designed to deliver breathable comfort, softness, effective moisture and odor management, and ease of care. Thanks to versatile blending possibilities, these solutions support all-season and cross-seasonal comfort, helping maintain a balanced sleep microclimate across different conditions and preferences.

Sleepwear debuts at Heimtextil
For the first time at Heimtextil, Eastman showcases sleepwear and loungewear made with Naia™ Renew staple fiber, confirming sleepwear as a strong application within the All-Night Comfort platform. Known for its next-to-skin softness, breathability and moisture comfort, Naia™ staple fiber is particularly well suited to garments designed for rest and relaxation.
This debut extends the concept of sleep comfort beyond bedding, reinforcing the connection between what surrounds the body and what touches the skin throughout the night. 

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., a leader in spider silk technology, announced that it has taken possession of its third silkworm rearing center, completing the core physical infrastructure upgrades, underpinning the Company's massive recombinant spider silk production scale-up planned for 2026.
 
This newest facility represents the final major component of the Company's multi-year production expansion strategy. With three fully operational rearing centers, Kraig Labs will be able to run three simultaneous production cycles, providing both production diversity and the capacity required to meet and exceed one metric ton of finished spider silk per month.
 
This production scale-upis the culmination of years of development and refinement. Each element of the Company's expansion, including facility design, staffing, geographic location, operational workflows, and training programs, has been optimized based on lessons learned from prior production campaigns.
 
The newly acquired facility is the largest single-site rearing center the Company has ever operated. This new facility is designed to support significantly higher throughput while maintaining the operational discipline and biological consistency required for large-scale spider silk manufacturing. This facility is expected to unlock the next level of production capacity as the Company rapidly accelerates spider silk output.
 
Importantly, this new rearing center has been strategically positioned to leverage the Company's recently acquired mulberry fields, which will supply the expanded feedstock necessary to support this substantial increase in silkworm and spider silk production. These mulberry resources form a critical foundation of the Company's vertically integrated production model and are expected to play a key role in enabling continuous, high-volume operations across all of its facilities.
 
The Company is now bringing this new rearing center online and expects to begin operations later this quarter.
 
"This milestone represents a critical step forward in our evolution as a world-leading supplier of spider silk," said Kim Thompson, Kraig Labs Founder and CEO. "With this final rearing center secured and supported by expanded mulberry cultivation, we now have the infrastructure and feedstock capacity in place to support continuous, scalable production at levels that position Kraig Labs to fulfill our vision of commercially scalable and cost-effective spider silk production."
 
The Company expects to provide additional updates as the facility is commissioned and fully integrated into its 2026 production campaign.

Beginning January 2026, the production at Asahi Kasei’s Nobeoka facility – Bemberg™’s only production site – will gradually resume, marking a new chapter following the partial shutdown caused by the April 2022 incident. 

This progress is the result of significant investments and continuous work to reinforce safety measures, restore full operational capacity, and establish long term stability. As production progressively increases, Asahi Kasei renews its initiatives to support the market with reliability, efficiency, and confidence. 

“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our customers, partners, and employees for their patience and continued trust throughout this period,” stated Kaoru Hashimoto (Bemberg™ Senior General Manager). “Restoring production is a crucial milestone, and together with our stakeholders we remain committed to contributing to the development of a responsible and future-oriented business.”