From the Sector

Freudenberg Performance Materials (Freudenberg) will be presenting Evolon® eco-friendly microfiber reinforcement material for leather goods that is manufactured in Europe with no solvent and no chemical binder at the Lineapelle international trade show for the leather industry. Another sustainability highlight is binder-free strobel material made from 100% recycled PET for the shoe industry. The company will also be showing a nonwoven crimping material that meets the increasing demands of manufacturers and consumers alike in the footwear market.

Evolon® contains 80% recycled PET. It is produced at Freudenberg’s facility in Colmar, France, where the manufacturing process is highly sustainable: it is certified to STeP by OEKO-TEX® and fully complies with the DETOX TO ZERO by OEKO-TEX® criteria. In addition, shorter transport routes help to secure supply chains for players in the European leather goods industry.

The binder-free strobel material is made from 100% recycled PET. It is GRS-certified for reliable traceability. The GRS certification recognizes the share of recycled materials in the strobel material. This allows customers to calculate the total amount of recycled material in shoes. Moreover, the mono-component material itself is fully recyclable. In terms of performance, the material is lightweight and also demonstrates a high tensile strength.

Made from nonwoven fabric, the innovative crimping material optimally combines high permanent moldability and shape retention with flexibility and suppleness. This crimping material enables manufacturers to reduce their production costs, while consumers benefit from increased comfort. Compared to conventional knitted fabric-based crimping materials, the nonwoven crimping material offers multi-directional stretching properties, improved fitting, greater design freedom and reduced weight.

• An innovative European project to process and recycle plastic textile waste
• A partnership to reach the objectives set by the European Union in reducing CO2 emissions by 2030
• A unique consortium rallying 16 public and private European organizations working together for more circular economy

Carbios joined WhiteCycle, a project coordinated by Michelin, which was launched in July 2022. Its main goal is to develop a circular solution to convert complex^[1] waste containing textile made of plastic into products with high added value. Co-funded by Horizon Europe, the European Union’s research and innovation program, this unprecedented public/private European partnership includes 16 organizations and will run for four years.
 
WhiteCycle envisions that by 2030 the uptake and deployment of its circular solution will lead to the annual recycling of more than 2 million tons of the third most widely used plastic in the world, PET^[2]. This project should prevent landfilling or incineration of more than 1.8 million tons of that plastic each year. Also, it should enable reduction of CO2 emissions by around 2 million tons.
 
Complex waste containing textile (PET) from end-of-life tyres, hoses and multilayer clothes are currently difficult to recycle, but could soon become recyclable thanks to the project outcomes. Raw material from PET plastic waste could go back into creation of high-performance products, through a circular and viable value chain.
 
Public and private European organizations are combining their scientific and industrial expertises:

• industrial partners (Michelin, Mandals, KORDSA);
• cross-sector partnership (Inditex)
• waste management companies (Synergies TLC, ESTATO);
• intelligent monitoring systems for sorting (IRIS);
• biological recycling SME (Carbios);
• product life cycle analysis company (IPOINT);
• university, expert in FAIR data management (HVL);
• universities, research and technology organizations (PPRIME – Université de Poitiers/CNRS, DITF, IFTH, ERASME);
• industry cluster (Axelera);
• project management consulting company (Dynergie).

 
The consortium will develop new processes required throughout the industrial value chain:

• Innovative sorting technologies, to enable significant increase of the PET plastic content of complex waste streams in order to better process them;
• A pre-treatment for recuperated PET plastic content, followed by a breakthrough recycling enzyme-based process to decompose it into pure monomers in a sustainable way;
• Repolymerization of the recycled monomers into like new plastic;
• Fabrication and quality verification of the new products made of recycled plastic materials

 
WhiteCycle has a global budget of nearly 9.6 million euros and receives European funding in the amount of nearly 7.1 million euros. The consortium’s partners are based in five countries (France, Spain, Germany, Norway and Turkey). Coordinated by Michelin, it has an effective governance system involving a steering committee, an advisory board and a technical support committee.

^[1] Complex waste: multi materials waste (Rubber goods composites and multi-layer textile)
^[2] PET: Polyethylene terephthalate

Genomatica (Geno) alongside longtime collaborator Aquafil [ECNL:IM] successfully completed the first demonstration scale production runs for plant-based nylon-6. The material is intended to reshape the $22B nylon industry, enabling brands to meet demand from consumers for sustainable everyday materials from apparel to automotive parts to carpets. Geno and Aquafil have produced the first several tons of plant-based nylon-6 building block caprolactam, have converted it to nylon-6 polymer, and are now in the process of transforming it for evaluation in nylon applications such as yarns for textile and carpet and engineering plastics as part of pre-commercial quantities from demonstration production taking place in Europe.

The companies have been collaborating to first produce pilot-scale quantities of plant-based nylon-6 and have now advanced to produce pre-commercial quantities at demonstration scale which will help determine the final design of future commercial plants. The material will go to leading global brands and their value chain partners who are eager to explore and develop renewable products, create showcase goods and test feedback with customers.

Plant-based nylon-6 is Geno’s third major product line on a path to commercialization. The company has executed high impact deals with a range of brands to accelerate the global commercialization of sustainable materials, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tons in upcoming years. Recent milestones advancing the sustainable materials transition include: a collaboration with lululemon (NASDAQ: LULU) to bring plant-based materials into lululemon’s products, a production milestone with partner Covestro (OTCMKTS: COVTY) for plant-based HMD used in sustainable coatings, and a partnership with Asahi Kasei (OTCMKTS: AHKSY) and a newly formed venture with Unilever (NASDAQ: UL) to commercialize and scale plant-based alternatives to feedstocks like palm oil or fossil fuels, to make key ingredients used in everyday cleaning and personal care products.

Bodyshops can now take advantage of the vehicle refinish industry’s first repair calculator to measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions, which has been developed by AkzoNobel.

Designed to help customers improve their carbon footprint when using the company’s premium refinish products, the CO₂eRepairCalculator* is part of a new initiative which aims to encourage bodyshops to become more sustainable.

The tool is the latest digital innovation from AkzoNobel focused on making a long-lasting difference to customers. It identifies the carbon levels associated with the painting and drying process – including the energy consumed – and is linked directly to the vehicle refinishing products being used. It also provides data relating to the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), therefore helping customers to understand where improvements can be made.

When using the tool, the emissions and energy consumed are calculated based on a controlled two-panel repair in a spray booth to Greenhouse Gas Protocol accounting standards. The results are presented in an online dashboard, which allows local energy prices to be factored in.

The launch means it will now be easier for bodyshops to take positive action in an effort to meet their sustainability and carbon reduction targets. This is becoming increasingly important, as insurance companies are putting greater pressure on preferred bodyshop partners to cut their emissions in line with supply chain ambitions that meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The CO₂eRepairCalculator is currently being introduced in the UK market to Sikkens customers (with Lesonal to follow shortly). It will be rolled out across markets in Europe during the next few months.

*CO₂e stands for carbon dioxide and equivalent gases. The tool measures carbon dioxide (CO₂) and equivalent gases such as methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O), which all fall under the term greenhouse gases (GHGs).

• New yarns for the contract furnishing world, for industrial sewing threads and the challenge of biodegradable polyester

At the product level, big impulse has been given to the range of industrial sewing threads for various uses, with new references both in the polyester + polyester compositions as well as in cotton + polyester. The industrial threads, marketed as raw material, allow the company to consolidate its position on some strategic markets, such as in Germany.

As a result of the partnership with Trevira® for the spinning of the flame-retardant Trevira^®CS fibre, Filidea Technical Yarns reinforces its offer of non-dyed performant yarns aimed at the world of contract furnishings. The sector of hospitality, of furnishings for public and work spaces, fairs and areas for social-cultural gatherings will find a comprehensive answer to its demands in the Trevira^®CS-based yarns: with regard to fireproof standards, versatility, resistance to wear and tear, excellent colour rendering, and last but not least, the component of fibre sustainability, an essential value for the design of spaces for collective use.

Continuing in the development of sustainable production across the sector, the company has undertaken two important initiatives with other actors in the textile supply chain. Filidea participates in Trick, the European blockchain project – part of the European Horizon 2020 programme – involving 29 partners from six different nations to reinforce the circular economy thanks to the development of a digital platform which is complete, traceable and available to operators in the textile sector.

MagnoLab, the network of enterprises in the textile supply chain, and of which Filidea is one of the founding members, gives the impulse to constant R&D activities. MagnoLab was established in 2022 in order to develop tangible solutions for the sector, to create values and to collaborate with regard to current and future demands.

MagnoLab brings together textile companies which are active at various stages of and with complementary roles in the supply chain, and which work in synergy and share objectives, resourcefulness and long-sightedness, with the aim of developing innovation in a structured way. MagnoLab is also open to welcome new partners.

The sustainable collaboration and innovation between Indorama Ventures (IVL), Auping and TWE Group presented a certified cradle to cradle process for mattress components across nonwoven applications, at Techtextil, Frankfurt, 21st to 24th June 2022.

Using circular research and design, the industry partnership between IVL Mullagh (Ireland), Auping and TWE Group has resulted in a perpetual, sustainable economic business model, for manufacturers globally. The inclusion of safe raw materials within mattress manufacturing allows the materials to be easily disassembled at the product’s end of use in order to be further reused as same components or recycled into new raw material at the same quality level, to enable versatile textile applications.

Designed for disassembly to optimize the use of existing resources, reduce carbon footprint and support customer objectives all along their customers’ supply chain. This circular industry collaboration begins with design, where the mattress is constructed using only two different base materials, 100% PET polyester textiles and steel wire pocket springs connected with Niaga®️, a non toxic reversible adhesive, making the mattress easy to disassemble and recover.

IVL, Auping and TWE’s shared vision for a better world is demonstrated through their connected and innovative circularity that helps to close the loop. Auping collects, sorts and separates the collected fabrics, which then go to IVL Mullagh for processing, melting and extrusion to form polyester staple fiber. These staple fibers are then converted by TWE Group into nonwovens for use in Auping’s Evolve mattress, a fully circular mattress. Following the end of mattress use, the material recovery process simply starts again.

Auping estimates that annually more than 40 million mattresses are disposed of in Europe alone, the majority of which are incinerated. Their take back system in the Netherlands ensures that when their new mattress is delivered, the old mattress is retrieved and recycled, irrespective of the brand, ensuring existing materials are continually optimized, diverted from landfill and kept in use to achieve a circular economy.

• Bio circular Fibre - Shaping Sustainable Living

The European staple fibre producer Beaulieu Fibres International turns the spotlight on future-focused solutions for nonwovens & engineered fabrics at Techtextil 22. A key priority is innovation in polyolefin fibres and bicomponent polyester/polyolefin fibres, to advance sustainable design, end-of-life recyclability, and resource and carbon footprint reduction for industrial and hygiene applications.

The new sustainability roadmap - Route 2030 outlines how the company is targeting the reduction of our environmental footprint to zero, taking care of people and doing business in a transparent, ethical way. Sustainability is key to Beaulieu Fibre International’s long-term strategy, and the company is heavily focused on defining its green portfolio to support evolution in diverse market applications and to work towards a circular economy with the whole supply chain.

Beaulieu Fibres International will offer ISCC Plus (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus) certified bio circular MONO-PP and BICO PP/PE fibres in 1,3-8,9 dtex, available with all the main available finish classes. These drop-in solutions, with no loss in quality, will support customers reduce reliance on virgin fossil carbon in their nonwoven and engineered fibre applications, contributing to the transition towards a circular economy.

• Finnish fashion and textile technology company Infinited Fiber Company plans to build its first commercial-scale Infinna™ fiber factory at Stora Enso’s Veitsiluoto industrial site in the city of Kemi in Finland’s northernmost region of Lapland. Infinited Fiber Company plans to convert a building currently housing a discontinued paper production line.
• The size of Infinited Fiber Company’s planned investment is around EUR 400 million.
• The planned factory is expected to create around 270 jobs at the Veitsiluoto industrial site.
• The factory is expected to operate at full capacity in 2025.

Fashion and textile technology company Infinited Fiber Company plans to build a commercial-scale factory to produce regenerated textile fiber for the world’s leading apparel companies at the site of renewable materials company Stora Enso’s closed Veitsiluoto paper mill in Kemi, a Finnish city on the northern shore of the Baltic Sea. The size of the investment is estimated at EUR 400 million, and it is expected to create around 270 jobs in the area. The annual fiber production capacity of the planned factory is expected to be 30,000 metric tons, which is equivalent to the fiber needed for about 100 million T-shirts.  

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology enables cotton-rich textile waste to be transformed into a versatile, high-quality regenerated textile fiber called Infinna™, which looks and feels like cotton. Major international fashion and apparel companies – including Zara’s parent company Inditex, PVH Europe, which is known for the Tommy Hilfiger brand, Patagonia, PANGAIA, H&M Group and BESTSELLER – have already committed to Infinna™ purchases through multi-year agreements as they look for materials that enable the industry to shift towards circularity. Infinited Fiber Company expects to export most of the output of its planned factory. This makes Kemi an ideal location as the city’s port serves as an efficient link to the rest of the world.

Infinited Fiber Company will convert a building housing a discontinued paper production line into an Infinna™ fiber factory. Both the factory engineering and project implementation as well as the related financing negotiations were commenced at the beginning of the year and are progressing well. Infinited Fiber Company has also agreed on the provision of energy and water related services with utility infrastructure company Nevel.

Once up and running, the factory is expected to provide direct employment for around 220 people, and for a further 50 through on-site support functions such as services, maintenance, and logistics. The additional indirect employment impact is estimated to be around 800 jobs. The construction and installation phase is expected to create jobs equaling around 120 person-years. The factory is anticipated to operate at full capacity in 2025.

TEXAID as a professional collector and sorter with roots in Switzerland contributes to this ecosystem to enable the textile-to-textile recycling.  The creation of Swiss Textile Recycling Ecosystem marks a key milestone in the upscaling of Worn Again Technologies’ recycling process technology with technology scale-up partner Sulzer Chemtech in Winterthur. It also supports its ambition to create a circular economy where non-reusable, hard-to-recycle textiles can be reintroduced into supply chains to become new fibers.

To cause a paradigm shift in the fashion industry and realize true circularity requires all members of the value chain to be on the same page and working towards the same goals. The Swiss Textile Recycling Ecosystem is a network comprising fabric and textile manufacturers, waste collectors and sorters, as well as retailers, brand owners and technology providers – all coordinated by Swiss Textiles. All these parties will cooperate to make their shared vision of a more sustainable fashion industry a reality, where used textiles can be recycled into new textiles.

TEXAID as a stakeholder in the Swiss Textile Recycling Ecosystem and as leading textile recycling company with over 40 years of experience will support the initiative through collecting, sorting, pre-processing and providing pre- and post-consumer feedstock to the Demonstration Plant. At its headquarters in Schattdorf (CH), TEXAID will investigate possibilities to automate the sorting and pre-processing of textile feedstock for recycling. Currently, TEXAID processes more than 80,000 tons of end-of-use textiles and footwear every year all over Europe and the US.

The European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA) has published a report from its latest conference, which focuses on advances in sustainability and recycling.

More than 130 professionals from the global pultrusion community gathered at the 16th World Pultrusion Conference in Paris on 5-6 May 2022. Organised by EPTA in collaboration with the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the event featured 25 international speakers sharing insight on market trends, developments in materials, processing and simulation technologies, and innovative pultruded applications in key markets such as building and infrastructure, transportation and wind energy.

‘Bio-pultrusion’:  
Composites based on natural fibres offer a number of benefits, including low density and high specific strength, vibration damping, and heat insulation. The German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are developing pultrusion processes using bio-based resins and natural fibres. Projects include the BioMat Pavilion at the University of Stuttgart, a lightweight structure which combines ‘bamboo-like’ natural fibre-based pultruded profiles with a tensile membrane.

Applications for recycled carbon fibre (rCF):
The use of rCF in composite components has the potential to reduce their cost and carbon footprint. However, it is currently used to a limited extent since manufacturers are uncertain about the technical performance of available rCF products, how to process them, and the actual benefits achievable. Fraunhofer IGCV is partnering with the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) in the MAI ÖkoCaP project to investigate the technical, ecological and economic benefits of using rCF in different industrial applications. The results will be made available in a web-based app.

Circularity and recycling:
The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) is drafting a circularity roadmap for the composites industry. It has collaborated with the European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU) on a position paper for the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) which outlines the benefits of co-processing end-of-life composites in cement manufacturing, a recycling solution that is compliant with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and in commercial operation in Germany. Initial studies have indicated that co-processing with composites has the potential to reduce the global warming impact of cement manufacture by up to 16%. Technologies to allow recovery of fibre and/or resin from composites are in development but a better understanding of the life cycle assessment (LCA) impact of these processes is essential. EuCIA’s ‘circularity waterfall,’ a proposed priority system for composites circularity, highlights the continued need for co-processing.

Sustainability along the value chain:
Sustainability is essential for the long-term viability of businesses. Resin manufacturer AOC’s actions to improve sustainability include programmes to reduce energy, waste and greenhouse gas emissions from operations, the development of ‘greener’ and low VOC emission resins, ensuring compliance with chemicals legislation such as REACH, and involvement in EuCIA’s waste management initiatives. Its sustainable resins portfolio includes styrene-free and low-styrene formulations and products manufactured using bio-based raw materials and recycled PET.