From the Sector

With the fully recyclable 100% polyester trunk side trim, Autoneum is putting the rear of the vehicle at the center of its efforts for a more circular economy in the automotive industry. The latest addition to Autoneum’s growing portfolio of sustainable monomaterial products made entirely from polyester is based on the existing Pure technology Propylat PET. The component demonstrates an excellent environmental performance in terms of recycled content, waste-free manufacturing and end-of-life recyclability.

New regulations such as the revised End-of-Life Vehicles Directive in Europe are accelerating the automotive industry’s transition from a linear to a circular economy. In this context, the recyclability of vehicles at the end of their service life is becoming increasingly important. This in turn raises the demand for automotive components that have an excellent environmental performance across the product life cycle and at the same time meet the highest standards of material quality and technical performance. Autoneum’s new 100% polyester trunk side trim helps customers achieve their ambitious sustainability targets while offering optimum durability, design flexibility and aesthetics.

As with Autoneum’s environmentally friendly monomaterial carpet systems, the new 100% polyester trunk side trim is fully recyclable. Production cut-offs can be reclaimed, processed and reused, ensuring a closed material loop. Thanks to Autoneum’s high-value recycling concept, the recycled fibers can also be granulated and spun into new fibers, which reduces the need for virgin raw materials and thus conserves natural resources. The carrier material is based on the lightweight Autoneum Pure technology Propylat PET and contains at least 50% recycled fibers. Like all variants of Propylat, the technology features a high proportion of recycled material and can be produced waste-free thanks to its complete vertical integration. In addition, Propylat PET consists of 100% PET and is therefore fully recyclable. The new monomaterial trunk side trim made exclusively from polyester is also available under the Autoneum Blue sustainability label. Blue products feature at least 30% recycled PET that was collected from coastal areas, thus making an important contribution to preventing plastic pollution in the oceans.

Autoneum’s sustainable concept for 100% polyester trunk components is not limited to side trim but can also be applied to tailgate and other trunk trim. Thanks to their unique material composition, the Propylatbased trunk trim parts are lightweight and sound-absorbing, thus contributing to the attenuation of tire and rear e-motor noise. In addition, their geometry can be tailored to individual customer needs while the textile surface improves the overall aesthetic of the parts and at the same time offers a high resistance to scratches. Autoneum’s eco-friendly 100% polyester trunk trim is available in Europe, North America and China.

In sync with the fair’s 30th anniversary, the sourcing platform will host around 12 fringe events for fairgoers to stay ahead of the curve, under the following segments: Design Inspiration, Business O2O, Textiles & Technologies, and Industry Empowerment. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles has joined forces with Danish trend agency SPOTT trends & business to present the design theme for 2025 – ‘Healing Home’ – together with eight trend directions set to captivate the home textiles market. Set to be a hotspot for in vogue sourcing and industry exchange, the show will take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from 14 – 16 August 2024.

To help home textile industry players set the tone and direction for the upcoming business season, the fair will present Trends 2025 along with leading trend agency SPOTT trends & business, to illustrate the ‘Healing Home– Spaces for Thriving Living’ theme that marks the path ahead for the evolving sector. This concept conveys the idea of a home that promotes a remedial, prosperous lifestyle, improving peoples’ general health and well-being, with several key factors contributing to the overarching theme:

• Eight key directions: Age-Old Crafts, Nature-Tech Synergies, Regenerative Possibilities, Wellbeing Spaces, Colourful Gatherings, Bio-Engineered Innovations, Transitional Practices, and Circular Systems.
• Five key colours: deep burgundy, warm terracotta, light creamy shade, saturated nostalgic green, and vaporous blue.

The founder of SPOTT trends & business, Ms Anja Bisgaard Gaede, will be onsite to share insights related to these new design trends. Fairgoers are invited to join her interactive trend tour, and physically experience the concepts steering the industry's future.

With the intention of sparking further design inspiration for industry players, an expert panel discussion of Chinese interior architects and designers, InterDesign Forum, will be held on the afternoon of Day 1. Focusing on design trend topics related to sustainability, Mr Shen Lei, Founder and Design Director of Interior Architects Design and the Chinese representative of the Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend Committee, will lead the discussion. Adding an international perspective, Ms Anja Bisgaard Gaede will join them for the accompanying round table talk.

In addition to serving as a gateway for efficient sourcing, the show will inspire fairgoers through its fringe programme, with various formats and topics unpacking current talking points.

Highlighted sessions include:    

• Round table discussion: Bridging Borders: A Designer x Producer Talk on Sustainability – a dialogue between designers and manufacturers, exploring how to collaboratively overcome sustainability challenges and reconcile the demands of both sides, from both Eastern and Western perspectives.
• Econogy Talks: selected exhibitors, including 3M, Advansa and many more, as well as a representative from Indorama will showcase their innovative green products, giving attendees in-person insights into some of the market’s latest sustainable developments in the Sustainable Fibre Forum. Additionally, a Messe Frankfurt representative will explain the Texpertise Econogy concept, the combination of economy and ecology that represents the sustainability activities in the company’s Texpertise Network. The discussion will show how crucial sustainability is for the economic success of a business today, and indicate how fairgoers can benefit from such an approach.

Beyond the subject of a greener textile industry, other topics will be explored at various events. With more to be announced in the coming weeks, the following seminars hosted by international experts will provide the latest trends and market updates:

• Bridging Worlds: Design Strategies for Success in Middle Eastern Markets: Ms Esra Lemmens (Day 1)
• How Psychology Impacts the Way We Design Spaces: Ms Pallavi Dean (Day 1)

Moreover, the 10th Home Textiles and Furniture Industry Ecological Integration Forum will bring together home textile and furniture brands to explore cross-industry collaboration and provide one-stop home solutions. The 30th China Home Textiles Design Festival & Designer Recommended Brand Awards will showcase the latest trends and achievements in home design, allowing participating brands to gain recognition from designers. Meanwhile, the 7th China International Fibre Art Exhibition will invite influential artists from home and abroad to present diverse contemporary fibre artworks; and the China Intangible Cultural Heritage of Textile Exhibition will showcase some remarkable displays.  

The start to the premiere of the CHINA WAVE pavilion at Pitti Uomo 106: the first stop of the "2024 China National Garment Association Overseas Programme" was a complete success for the participating designer labels from China. The Chinese brands impressed the international fashion world with their exclusive and extraordinary collections at the Costruzioni Lorenesi in the Fortezza da Basso in Florence. The famous fashion journalist, Suzy Menkes, was also impressed by the creations.

The styles and current looks from from VALLEYOUTH, KB HONG BY K-BOXING, RAXXY, JDV, FENGGY, BLACKHEAD, KEYONE BY HATTERSHUB, TYPETAIL impressed buyers, fashionistas and media representatives alike with their design expertise, creativity and product quality. The combination of contemporary styles with traditional Chinese elements, as seen in the collections of KB HONG by BY K-BOXING, JDV and VALLEYOUTH, among others, attracted international audience from Italy, Germany, France, Great Britain, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the USA, Mexico, Canada, Australia and many more.

Among those welcomed to the pavilion was Suzy Menkes, who emphasised the combination of tradition and modernity in collections such as those from KB HONG by BY K-BOXING and VALLEYOUTH in the CHINA WAVE pavilion. VALLEYOUTH's new collection was presented by fashion photographer Acielle from style du monde at Vogue World, while fashion blogger Augusto Ferretti commented on the brands' designs as "artistic sculptures". The appearance of the famous Chinese actor and singer AYUNGA as a testimonial for the new KB HONG by BY K-BOXING collection at Pitti Uomo attracted particular attention.

Further stops of the "2024 China National Garment Association Overseas Programme" are Who's Next in Paris and TheOne Milano in Milan in September.

The next CHINA WAVE presentation at Pitti Uomo is planned for January 2025.

Maintaining a focus on innovation despite the uncertainties that characterize the current international scenario was emphasized during the General Assembly of ACIMIT, the Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association, held in Milan on July 9. ACIMIT president, Marco Salvadè, showcased the data of the Italian textile machinery industry. In 2023, production decreased by 16%, settling at a value of 2.3 billion euros, as did exports, which also fell by 16% (2 billion euros).

China, Turkey, India, and the United States remain the main destinations for Italian textile machinery manufacturers. In 2023, demand for machinery in these markets was weak, but some positive signals emerged in the first quarter of the current year, especially from the Chinese market and again from Egypt, Pakistan, Brazil, and Japan. “2024 will still be a year characterized by many uncertainties,” commented Salvadè, “mainly due to the uncertainty of the geopolitical situation and fluctuations in final demand”.

In an especially difficult international scenario and with a still sluggish market, the Italian textile machinery sector remains a leader alongside a few other Countries, such as China, Germany, and Japan. “Our sector is renowned worldwide for its reliability, know-how, and the uniquely Italian ability to combine tradition and innovation,” noted the ACIMIT president. Accelerating innovation remains crucial, particularly to meet the challenges that await Italian manufacturers in supporting textile companies on their sustainable transition journey.

To highlight the opportunities that the European green transition opens up for technology suppliers, the public section of the ACIMIT General Assembly addressed a very current issue: textile recycling. The EU’s legislative guidelines aim to accelerate the green and circular transition of the textile sector with various actions: from ecodesign to EPR, from waste export regulation to green claims. Meanwhile, there is a growing demand for recycled textile fibers driven by the sustainable policies of brands that should not be underestimated.

Thus, technologies play an important role in providing solutions to companies engaged in the new circularity supply chain: from sorting and selection of garments to preparation phases and recycling processes. During the event several speakers agreed that the experience and capabilities of the Italian textile and textile machinery sector should be fully leveraged at this crucial stage for the entire supply chain. As President Salvadè noted, “Textile machinery companies intend to increase R&D activities in this area, collaborating with their textile customers in the belief that the circular transformation of business models also represents an opportunity for technology suppliers to increase their competitiveness.”

Coloreel Group AB, a pioneering Swedish technology company known for its instant thread dyeing technology, today announced that it has filed for bankruptcy. The decision comes after the company's inability to develop its business volume quickly enough and, related to this, secure the necessary financing.

Despite many in-depth discussions with financial investors and potential industrial partners to secure additional funding, Coloreel has been unable to overcome its financial hurdles.

Coloreel has aimed to transform the textile industry with unique coloring and design possibilities through a sustainable and efficient thread dyeing process. The company has over 90 customers in the global market, many of them well-known brands. Over 120 granted patents across 45 markets ensure robust protection of the innovative technology.

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the filing for bankruptcy today. We have been working very hard to introduce a new technology and new ways of working on the global textile market. Despite relentless efforts to grow the business, minimize operational costs, and secure additional funding, the challenges are too great. The board and the management are incredibly proud of what our team has achieved, and we are grateful for the support we have received from our partners, customers, and investors”, states Anders Persson, Chairman of the Board, Coloreel Group AB.

The filing also applies for the daughter company Coloreel AB.

Salvation Army charity shops have won two major awards from the Charity Retail Association for Outstanding Charity Retailer of the Year, and Environmental and Sustainability at the CRA Annual Conference held at the Harrogate Convention Centre on 26th June 2024.

This is the second time the charity has won the Outstanding Charity Retailer of the Year Award in the past four years - winning it outright in 2022 and 2024, and also being shortlisted in 2021 and 2023.

The Environmental and Sustainability Award sets out specific criteria that organisations must demonstrate, including the introduction of green policies, and new ways of dealing with textile recycling.

Both award categories focused on retail initiatives and key achievements over the previous 12 months. SATCoL recently announced its highest trading results and a record-breaking donation to its parent charity of over £11.2m.

In 2022 SATCoL launched its 5-Year Strategic Plan under the theme of ‘Dare to CARE’ – this included new performance measures for People, Planet and Profit. CARE represents SATCoL's values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Equality. The company continues to invest in its donation centres and refurbishing more high street shops – 10 new donation centres opened and 9 high street shops were refurbished in the year 2022-23.

SATCoL has also invested heavily in innovations including FibersortTM, an automatic sorting process that identifies and sorts second-hand garments by fibre type, and Project Re:claimTM, a commercial-scale polyester recycling plant designed to recycle end-of-life textiles. Project Re:claim is a joint venture with Project Plan B.

After navigating the challenges of 2023, Vietnam's textile and garment exports have been gradually recovering. Additionally, foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam during the first five months of this year reached USD 11 billion, a 2% year-on-year increase, according to the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI). To cater to Vietnam’s renewed business opportunities, the Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) will return from 26 – 28 February 2025 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC).

The fair’s inaugural edition attracted 409 exhibitors and 17,262 visits from 17 and 55 countries and regions respectively. Building on this solid foundation, VIATT 2025 will continue to showcase the latest industry trends, and expand its focus on various pertinent areas. This will include the fair’s new Econogy Hub, a dedicated zone to advance the topic of sustainability in the textile industry, and to relate it closely to the demands of economic and social change. Together with the evolving environmental landscape, the fair will also help industry players adapt to the rapid adoption of new technology in the business world with the debut of the Innovation & Digital Solutions Zone. This zone will allow exhibitors to unveil the latest technology and solutions such as AI design, digital manufacturing, big data analytics, and more.

Concurrently, VIATT 2025 will continue to present a diverse range of exhibitors across the apparel, home textile and technical textile sectors, with positive feedback received from many quarters at the fair’s inaugural edition.

Apparel Fabrics & Fashion
In the first four months of 2024, textile and garment exports grew 6.3% year-on-year to over USD 10 billion. The US remains Vietnam’s top export market, followed by the EU, South Korea, China, and Japan. To meet this demand, Vietnam's textile industry continues to import a significant amount of raw materials. At VIATT 2024, yarns, fibres and fabrics for casualwear, sportswear and uniforms, as well as garment accessories, were in high demand.

Home & Contract Textiles
Vietnam’s home textile market is projected to undergo a steady CAGR of 2.4% from 2024 – 2032, driven by the rising need for modern and stylish home textiles, e-commerce expansion, and favourable government initiatives. At the fair’s previous edition, product groups included bedding, loungewear and bathroom textiles, curtains and curtain fabrics, upholstery and sofa fabrics, and home textile accessories.

At VIATT 2025, exhibitors can additionally present their latest offerings in the Home Textiles Display Zone or at dedicated product presentations, to maximise their visibility to potential buyers.

Technical Textiles & Technologies
Across the textile industry, investors are now focusing on optimising production capacity, streamlining supply chains, and enhancing product quality to maintain competitiveness in both domestic and international markets. With the new Innovation & Digital Solutions Zone to supplement the textile technology category, VIATT 2025 is set to play host to providers of textile and nonwoven machinery, CAD/CAM, CMT, and technology for embroidery, knitting, sewing, printing, and more. Exhibitors can draw more attention to their latest solutions by participating in the fair's new innovation showcase area.

The Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies (VIATT) is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (VIETRADE), covering the entire textile industry value chain. The second edition will be held from 26 – 28 February 2025.

Bcomp announces its support on the new Italdesign Quintessenza™, a concept car unveiled at the 2024 Auto China in Beijing. Reflecting the harmonious relationship between nature and technology, the all-electric Quintessenza™ offers a blend of the functionality of a load-bearing pick-up and the dynamism of a GT-inspired family sports vehicle. The architectural concept breaks new ground in the automotive industry, as does its focus on the use of sustainable materials and finishes with the integration of Bcomp’s natural fibre composites across both its interior finishes and exterior body parts.

The Quintessenza™ is the world’s first vehicle to feature black-tinted NF (natural fibre) as a visual layer, showcasing Bcomp’s commitment to innovation. The interior design includes a foundational layer of ampliTex™ biaxial fabric combined with a layer of black-tinted NF. This advanced natural fibre composite, developed through a customised process that infuses the ampliTex™ fabric with a custom black resin, not only offers a durable and visually appealing surface finish but also facilitates the recycling process through its monomaterial composition.

The concept car also uses ampliTex™ material for several exterior parts, the front and back bumpers, the side rocker covers and the wheel arches. Not only does this enhance the vehicle’s appearance and cut CO₂ emissions by up to 85%, compared to carbon fibre, but as parts reach their end-of-life, natural fibre components can be processed through waste-to-energy plants, serving as a renewable energy source and avoiding the landfill route of carbon and glass fibres.

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from the Turkish insulation felt manufacturer Şiteks to supply a complete needlepunch line for its production plant in Tekirdag.

With this investment, Şiteks will expand its production capacity to meet the international demand for needlepunched nonwoven insulation products in the automotive and construction sectors. The line is scheduled to start up in the first quarter of 2025. This is the second line that Şiteks has purchased from ANDRITZ.

The ANDRITZ needlepunch eXcelle line for Şiteks can process different types of fibers, including natural fibers, and is specifically designed to meet the customer’s requirements in terms of productivity, quality, and sustainability.

Şiteks Şişmanlar Tekstil San. ve Tic. A.Ş, a member of the Hassan Group, is one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of thermal and acoustic insulation felts. Its products are used in a wide range of applications in the automotive, white goods, construction, and mattress and furniture industries.

Dilo Temafa, a specialist in machinery and equipment for fibre preparation and natural fibre processing, announces the sale of a line extension to Eco-Technilin. The machines will complement an existing flax fibre preparation plant in France to enable higher fibre quality.

Eco-Technilin, a producer of sustainable materials, has chosen the machines to expand its production capacity and increase its efficiency. The plant expansion is specifically designed to efficiently clean flax scutcher tow and meet the high demands of modern manufacturing, while increasing process stability and plant availability.

Dilo Temafa has been active in the field of natural fibre extraction for more than thirty years and has supplied numerous systems for the processing of bast fibres, e.g. flax and industrial hemp. The fibres obtained are used in various industries, including the construction, automotive, nonwovens and textile industries, and make a contribution to minimising the ecological footprint.