From the Sector

Girbau, a leader in complete textile care solutions, has been awarded the Gold Medal by EcoVadis, an international authority on business sustainability ratings. 

This new recognition marks a major step forward from last year’s Bronze Medal and reinforces Girbau’s ongoing commitment to integrating sustainability across all areas of its business. The award places Girbau among the top 4% of companies worldwide evaluated by EcoVadis and underscores the company’s leadership in Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. 

Girbau’s sustainability strategy is built on a foundation of continuous improvement, transparency, and responsible practices throughout its value chain. The company focuses on developing resource-efficient technologies, such as water reuse and treatment systems, implementing zero-waste production processes, and promoting durable, low-emission equipment. 

As part of its environmental commitment, Girbau aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and has already reduced its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 35% since 2021 — a significant milestone on its journey toward decarbonization. 

“Moving from Bronze to Gold in just one year is an extraordinary achievement,” said Joan Vilaseca, Sustainability Officer at Girbau. “It recognizes our continuous effort to embed sustainability into every aspect of our operations and business, creating a positive impact across our extended value chain. It also validates our progress toward becoming a global benchmark for responsible industrial innovation.” 

The EU project TEX 4.0 is an innovative initiative that aims to revolutionize vocational education and training in the textile industry. The focus was on developing a tailor-made curriculum that takes into account the specific needs of trainers and learners in the field of new technologies. This curriculum provides important tools to help learners acquire digital skills. In addition, the project offers a comprehensive and innovative training package focusing on Industry 4.0 skills to optimally prepare learners for the technological requirements of the modern working world. 

TEX4.0 provides engaging and attractive training materials to make the textile industry more appealing to younger generations. A key objective of the project is to promote active engagement and the use of participatory approaches in vocational education and training to ensure a more interactive and effective learning experience. Through these efforts, TEX4.0 aims to set a new standard in vocational education and training, making it more relevant, attractive, and effective in order to prepare learners for the challenges and opportunities of the digital age in the textile industry.

The project, which began on November 1, 2023, will end on October 31, 2025. The six partners from Greece (KAINOTOMIA), France (IDL – Institut de la Mode), Romania (UPB-CAMIS), Belgium (CAMARABELUX – Chamber of Commerce Belgium-Luxembourg), Italy (Lottozero Textillabore), and Germany (TU Dresden) worked together for two years as part of the EU-co-funded Erasmus+ project TEX 4.0.

The TEX4.0 training suite comprises three different areas:

• E-learning platform with 12 modules on new technologies in the textile industry for vocational training students;
• Trainer's Corner with modules in PPT format and quiz questions for self-assessment in raw format, aimed at vocational training instructors and stakeholders in the textile industry;
• Textile4all area with 18 case studies on the various areas of application of Industry 4.0 technologies in the textile industry, aimed at all target groups. Six case studies were developed using augmented reality (AR) technology to make them more attractive to learners. 

The TUD carried out the national pilot activities in Germany at the Institute for Textile Machinery and High Performance Materials Technology. The aim of these activities was to present the TEX 4.0 project and the developed learning platform to textile trainers and learners. Over 40 participants took part in the pilot trials, including highly qualified lecturers from the textile sector, experts from the textile industry, and future learners. The pilot tests in Germany successfully confirmed the relevance and quality of the TEX 4.0 project and developed the training suite. Participants rated the project positively for improving the digital skills of both learners and trainers and promoting innovation and new technologies in the textile industry.
 
All learning materials developed are freely accessible on an online platform, so that everyone—from vocational students and teachers to small business owners—can explore the materials, earn certificates of completion, and apply new skills directly in their professional practice.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) 2025 Sustainability & Innovation Award for DENIM HALO, an innovated denim pretreatment and dyeing process. It gives brands and mills a simple way to produce highly sought-after distressed denim looks with a significantly reduced environmental footprint and cleaner chemistries.

The ITMF Awards celebrate achievements in two categories: Sustainability & Innovation and International Cooperation. Winners were honored at the ITMF Annual Conference, held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia from October 24-25, 2025.

A consumer favorite for decades, distressed denim is more popular than ever. But achieving the coveted worn and faded look remains problematic, involving manual scraping, hazardous potassium permanganate sprays or energy-intensive stone-washing. Traditional indigo and sulfur dyeing processes add to the burden, with high water and energy consumption and significant effluent discharge.

DENIM HALO is an alternative. It draws on a unique new chemistry, DIRSOL® RD, and a broad portfolio of textile dyes based on decades of advanced research to produce laser-friendly denim with outstanding contrast on intense black and indigo shades.

DIRSOL® RD p is a new viscosity-modifying and patented pretreatment that enables superficial dyeing while also reducing water, energy, and greenhouse gas emissions in processing and wash-off. In DENIM HALO, it is combined with a tailored Archroma dye solution according to mill-specific production needs:

• DENISOL® pre-reduced indigo dyes, including an innovative aniline-free formulation;
• DIRESUL® pre-reduced sulfur dyes, including an energy-saving black formulation; and
• EarthColors®, biosynthetic earth-tone dyes made from agricultural waste.

Impact assessments using Archroma's ONE WAY Impact Calculator demonstrate substantial environmental benefits for DENIM HALO versus standard processes with ZDHC Level 3 MRSL compliance. Results include water savings of 40-56%, energy reductions of 30-36%, and CO2 emission cuts of 33-34% depending on the dye formulation used. [See infographic: DENIM HALO Environmental Impact Results]

The benefits extend beyond sustainability to safety, and economics. Mills can produce distressed effects without modifying standard dye recipes or equipment setup. The process enhances worker safety by enabling high-contrast laser etching, eliminating potassium permanganate and manual scraping. DENIM HALO also reduces caustic soda consumption in sulfur mercerizing and enables easier washdown. Technical advantages include reduced yarn shrinkage and improved garment tensile strength, especially on black denim, with lower chemical use in dyeing and finishing.

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., a leader in spider silk technology*, announced the promotion of Dr. Xiaoli Zhang to the position of Chief Scientist. This promotion follows a series of groundbreaking scientific achievements under Dr. Zhang's leadership that are laying the foundation for the next generation of spider silk-based super materials.
 
Dr. Zhang joined Kraig Labs in October 2024 and was challenged with accelerating the Company's research program and unlocking new scientific frontiers. Tasked with ambitious and transformative objectives, she not only met but exceeded every milestone in record time, positioning Kraig Labs at the forefront of breakthrough discoveries in advanced fibers and bioengineered materials.
 
"These achievements are nothing short of revolutionary," said Kim Thompson, founder and CEO of Kraig Labs. "When Dr. Zhang came on board, we asked her to take on challenges that many believed were impossible. In less than a year, she has led our team to breakthroughs that open the door to entirely new categories of super materials. Her promotion to Chief Scientist reflects both the incredible work she has already done and the even more extraordinary advancements we expect under her continued leadership."
 
The innovations driven by Dr. Zhang's research are now forming the blueprint for a new era of material science, pushing the boundaries of what spider silk can achieve. These advancements promise to redefine performance materials and open new opportunities in higher-margin end markets.
 
"I am deeply honored by this recognition," said Dr. Zhang. "The past year has shown us what's possible when science, vision, and determination come together. What we've achieved is just the starting point, we are now poised to pioneer materials that will set entirely new standards for strength, flexibility, and performance. The future for spider silk is brighter than ever."