From the Sector

With the organIQ BLEACH system the CHT Group was the first textile chemical supplier, who offered an ecological alternative to potassium permanganate as a bleaching treatment for Denim. Today, CHT's organIQ products reach beyond the limits of the standards and are state of the art in ecological jeans production worldwide.

In recent years, CHT has continued to research and further develop the organIQ system to find enhancements to the organIQ range that further optimise the system from an ecological point of view and at the same time provide even more variable and broader application possibilities.

organIQ EMS Jeans (Ecological Modular System for Jeans treatment) is based on several modules and every module corresponds to a treatment step. These steps can be mixed and matched in various ways and flexible orders to achieve a great deal of looks and effects.

The new EMS Jeans family supports most modern denim finishing processes. By using selected organIQ products together with water saving nebulization technologies, extremely low water consumptions can be achieved.

Due to this technology, all relevant treatments can be realized at room temperature which is a great energy saving opportunity. Moreover, the pollution of wastewater with toxic substances can be drastically reduced in comparison to common, previously applied denim treatments.

Leading Japanese computerized knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD., is participating in the “MIT Media Lab Summer Camp in Japan” hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab of Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

SHIMA SEIKI has been part of the MIT Media Lab as a Consortium Lab Member since 2018, collaborating on research for exploring next-generation technologies that open up new opportunities for the garment sector. The MIT Media Lab is now holding a series of online seminar sessions for middle/junior high school and high school students in Japan and around the world in order to share activities and experiences that address social issues through cross-sector and crossindustry collaboration.

SHIMA SEIKI is holding its own session as part of this series, titled “ZERo-WASTE FASHIon—Protecting the Planet from Fashion Loss.” The session highlights current issues faced by the fashion industry including environmental problems that have recently become the focus of attention, and aims to explain in simple terms, various sustainable solutions made possible by combining seam-free complete garment knitting technology with virtual sampling performed on design systems.

• Fraunhofer, SABIC, and Procter & Gamble join forces
• The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE and its Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT have developed an advanced recycling process for used plastics.
• The pilot project with SABIC and Procter & Gamble serves to demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop recycling for single-use facemasks.

Due to COVID-19, use of billions of disposable facemasks is raising environmental concerns especially when they are thoughtlessly discarded in public spaces, including - parks, open-air venues and beaches. Apart from the challenge of dealing with such huge volumes of essential personal healthcare items in a sustainable way, simply throwing the used masks away for disposal on landfill sites or in incineration plants represents a loss of valuable feedstock for new material.

“Recognizing the challenge, we set out to explore how used facemasks could potentially be returned into the value chain of new facemask production”, says Dr. Peter Dziezok, Director R&D Open Innovation at P&G. “But creating a true circular solution from both a sustainable and an economically feasible perspective takes partners. Therefore, we teamed up with Fraunhofer CCPE and Fraunhofer UMSICHT’s expert scientists and SABIC’s Technology & Innovation specialists to investigate potential solutions.”

As part of the pilot, P&G collected used facemasks worn by employees or given to visitors at its manufacturing and research sites in Germany. Although those masks are always disposed of responsibly, there was no ideal route in place to recycle them efficiently. To help demonstrate a potential step change in this scenario, special collection bins were set up, and the collected used masks were sent to Fraunhofer for further processing in a dedicated research pyrolysis plant.

“A single-use medical product such as a face mask has high hygiene requirements, both in terms of disposal and production. Mechanical recycling, would have not done the job”, explains Dr. Alexander Hofmann, Head of Department Recycling Management at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. “In our solution, therefore, the masks were first automatically shredded and then thermochemically converted to pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis breaks the plastic down into molecular fragments under pressure and heat, which will also destroy any residual pollutants or pathogens, such as the Coronavirus. In this way it is possible to produce feedstock for new plastics in virgin quality that can also meet the requirements for medical products”, adds Hofmann, who is also Head of Research Department “Advanced Recycling” at Fraunhofer CCPE.

The pyrolysis oil was then sent to SABIC to be used as feedstock for the production of new PP resin. The resins were produced using the widely recognized principle of mass balance to combine the alternative feedstock with fossil-based feedstock in the production process. Mass balance is considered a crucial bridge between today’s large scale linear economy and the more sustainable circular economy of the future, which today is operated on a smaller scale but is expected to grow quickly.

“The high-quality circular PP polymer obtained in this pilot clearly demonstrates that closed-loop recycling is achievable through active collaboration of players from across the value chain”, emphasizes Mark Vester, Global Circular Economy Leader at SABIC. “The circular material is part of our TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio, aimed at preventing valuable used plastic from becoming waste and at mitigating the depletion of fossil resources.”

Finally, to close the loop, the PP polymer was supplied to P&G, where it was processed into non-woven fibers material. “This pilot project has helped us to assess if the close loop approach could work for hygienic and medical grade plastics”, says Hansjörg Reick, P&G Senior Director Open Innovation. “Of course, further work is needed but the results so far have been very encouraging.”

The entire closed loop pilot project from facemask collection to production was developed and implemented within seven months. The transferability of advanced recycling to other feedstocks and chemical products is being further researched at Fraunhofer CCPE.

Laying the bases for a more sustainable world, adopting responsible strategies is no longer an option but an indispensable and compulsory structural revolution today and for the future to come. This topic is the subject of the Smart Voice "The Circular Stories of C.L.A.S.S.: the journey of Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei towards a smart, responsible and contemporary luxury" organised by C.L.A.S.S. eco hub that has taken place on Thursday 27th May at 4 pm CET. 4 unique and complimentary design realities has been sharing  the  Bemberg ™ choice as unique and precious fibre ingredient that gives rise to a performing design incorporating new generation values, for their unique paths of style and fashion to offer to the contemporary consumer.

Specialist and expert of innovative fibres, during the session Ettore Pellegrini, Marketing & Sales Manager-Marketing & Sales Manager Asahi Kasei Fibers Italia, illustrated the history of Bemberg™ starting from its origins to nowadays, reporting its various applications that have been then illustrated in their uniqueness by the speakers of the session.

Paolo Verdoia, Lining research and development raw materials at Ermenegildo Zegna, who has been involved in the development of accessory raw materials for the Ermenegildo Zegna Group for 14 years. During the digital meeting he talked about priority collaborations with responsible and high quality materials such as Bemberg™, the brand's approach to sustainability and future projects.

The session has also been attended by new generation designer Gilberto Calzolari winner of C.L.A.S.S. ICON 2020, who used Bemberg™ in his latest AW 2021-22 collection entitled "At this stage".

Camilla Carrara, founder and zero-waste designer Zerobarracento says "We select Bemberg™ for our creations for two fundamental reasons: firstly, from a stylistic point of view for its extreme versatility: in the various collections we have adopted it to create Kimonos, padded jackets, wrap dresses as well as for the interiors of our garments, which are intended to be soft embraces for total physical and mental comfort. The second but no less important reason is that this fibre has circular values in line with our zero-waste commitment."

“By choosing to work with Bemberg™, we have made an exclusive and sustainable choice in order to offer tailors, designers, brands and garment manufacturers who believe in and are committed to responsible but at the same time premium and exclusive fashion a new business opportunity" says Alessandro Ivaldi Director Business Unit of Carnet, a division of Ratti Group that produces and distributes worldwide fabrics for the creation of made-to-measure garments for men and women.

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd of Leeds, UK has now commenced construction of a new purpose-built Research & Development Centre to enable continued growth through innovation. This modern two-storey development will be situated on the adjacent site, providing state-of-the-art facilities, including a Visitor Centre and enhanced Process Development Laboratory (PDL) for client testing and product development. Central to FET’s success has been its ability to provide customers with advanced facilities and equipment, together with unrivalled knowledge and expertise in research and production techniques. The new expanded premises will further improve this service.

Clients frequently spend several days on site participating in development trials and technical sales meetings, so the Visitor Centre is designed to make their stay more efficient and comfortable. Sales, administration and design departments will also be housed in the new building.

The addition of the Visitor Centre will free up a considerable amount of space for production and other facilities in the existing premises. This major refurbishment phase for the existing premises is scheduled for completion at the end of 2021. As a result, FET’s manufacturing capacity will increase by more than 50% to cope with customer demand.  

Substantial year-on-year growth has driven this initiative and FET’s current order book in excess of £10million has provided the opportunity for equipping the company infrastructure for the future. Sustainability has been at the forefront of FET’s growth, supporting customers in their development of sustainable textiles and this principle is reflected in the choice of building materials and products for the Visitor Centre wherever possible.

It is expected that the new Visitor Centre will be opened in the first quarter of 2022.

Monforts Head of Technical Textiles Jürgen Hanel will take part in the next international webtalk to be held by the VDMA’s textile machinery division on May 20th.

He will be joined by Johannes Lutz, Research and Development Engineer at Pleva, to provide full details of how the latest Monforts coating technology is supported by special microwave measuring systems.

The Montex®Coat magnetic roller coating option allows a wide range of coatings and finishes to be carried out, while being easy to handle for operators and much easier to clean at the end of the process.

“This roller provides textile finishers with an expanded range of options due to the fully-adjustable positioning of the magnet within the roller and with four different magnet positions possible, can be set to operate both as a direct coating system and as an indirect coater,” Hanel said.

Lutz will provide an overview of the use of Pleva microwave measurement technology in coating processes, in addition to the latest developments in electronic evaluation.

To ensure a constant high quality in coating operations it is necessary to accurately measure and control the amount of chemical being applied, and Pleva’s series 700 devices achieve this via contact-free microwave moisture measurement technology which can be supplied either as single- or three-point units, or as a traversing measurement unit.

The free-to-attend webtalk will take place on May 20th from 2-3pm (CEST) and registration can be made here, along with further information.

At Lectra’s Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on April 30, members voted to appoint Céline Abecassis-Moedas as a new independent director. Nominated for a period of four years, she becomes a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee.

The appointment of Céline Abecassis-Moedas to Lectra's Board of Directors will notably strengthen the Strategic Committee, which will be called upon to examine an increasing number of investment projects in innovative companies and the continued development of our offers for Industry 4.0.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas will also draw upon her international experience as an independent director, through positions held for nearly ten years at four companies in Spain and Portugal: Europac (Papeles y Cartones de Europa) from 2012 to 2019, CTT (CTT Correios de Portugal) from 2016 to 2020, CUF since 2016, and Vista Alegre Atlantis since 2020.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas, 49, is now Dean for Executive Education and Associate Professor at Católica-Lisbon. She began her career in research at France Telecom R&D, before joining Lectra in New York as an e-business product manager in 1999, then AT Kearney in London as a consultant in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, she was Lecturer in Strategy at Queen Mary University of London, then joined Católica-Lisbon University as Assistant Professor in Strategic and Innovation Management.

From 2014 to 2020, Céline Abecassis-Moedas was also Affiliate Professor at ESCP and co-scientific director of the Lectra-ESCP Chair's "Fashion and Technology".

Céline Abecassis-Moedas is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, of the Université Paris Dauphine (DEA in Scientific management methods), holder of a Ph.D. in Management from the École Polytechnique and holder of the INSEAD Certificate in Corporate Governance obtained in 2017.

AMAC cooperates with ITA (Institute for Textile Technology of RWTH Aachen University and their ITA GmbH) for the business development in composites 

As of April 19th, 2021, AMAC is pleased to announce its cooperation with the Institute for Textile Technology, ITA, of RWTH Aachen University and their ITA GmbH. The aim of the cooperation is to strengthen and develop their business activities in composites.

ITA, as one of the largest institutes on the campus of the excellence University RWTH Aachen, Germany, develops complete solutions from the manufacturing of the fiber itself over the processing of textile intermediates with thermoplastic and thermoset resins, textile-based part manufacturing, capabilities such as braiding, pultrusion and in-situ impregnation of textile preforms. Top 3 focused industries are transportation and particularly the e-mobility sector, building and construction as well as the wind energy sector. Additionally, ITA GmbH is the partner of the industry in R&D, focusing on 8 business segments, providing technology and knowledge transfer, as well as offering comprehensive solutions along the entire textile value chain.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Gries, Director of ITA, explains the background of the strategic cooperation with focus on composites: „Our long-term experience and unmatched know-how with all aspects of continuous fibers, non-wovens and web-based reinforcements allows us to deliver to the composite manufacturers a complete technology and service offer around the development of technical textiles, from the development of glass and carbon fibers to the textile-based processing of composite parts. In all process steps of our research and developments, we focus on sustainable and recyclable solutions, an efficient cost-performance ratio, the possible use of bio-based materials and the reduction of the CO2 footprint. We are glad to cooperate with Dr. Michael Effing and AMAC in order to benefit from his door-opening network in the composites industry. “

Dr. Michael Effing, Managing Director of AMAC GmbH: „I am very happy to support the ITA to generate innovation thanks to further industrial networking and pre-competitive joint projects. ITA is indeed a one-stop source for composite solutions from the fiber to the cost-efficient manufacturing of final parts. In the context of the Covid-19 impact to the entire industry, it makes sense to bundle forces. Furthermore, ITA, with its long tradition and satisfied customers offers further valuable networking opportunities to the composites industry as well as access to relevant complementary fiber-based excellence and 250 different technologies in their machine-park with an outstanding infrastructure in Aachen.”

• Recycled polyester becomes a production standard for zips' tapes: a new step in Riri Group’s green path.
• Riri is the first company in the fashion accessories industry to complete its transition towards an exclusive use of recycled polyester for zips’ tapes.

To Riri, being ‘Responsible today for a sustainable tomorrow’ means looking ahead, toward a real effort in bringing sustainability in operational decisions, even if they mean more management issues and lead to changes out of the comfort zone which is the result of years of experiences and processes. Riri Group thus becomes the first manufacturing company in the fashion accessories industry to introduce the use of recycled polyester as production standard for its zip range. This achievement marks another essential one in the sustainability path that the Swiss-Italian Group has walked since the 90s. This change fits perfectly the Group’s green approach which sees innovation for the future as one of the main pillars of the corporate strategy, as well as the commitment to protecting natural resources and to improving the
traceability and transparency of both materials and processes, in a framework that sees to rethink social and economic models. Riri’s slogan “excellence in details” can also be read as “sustainability in details” as it speaks to the company’s will to act putting sustainability first.

By employing recycled polyester as production standard for the zip range, the contribution to sustainability on a quantitative level will be significant:

• The company, in fact, will reduce emissions resulting from polyester purchase by 32%; thus, carbon footprint will be cut down by 3%, for zip production. As a result, 460,000 kg of
CO2 per year is saved, the same as 169 return flights from Geneve to New York.

• All the recycled polyester is GRS (Global Recycled Standard)-certified, highlighting Riri’s constant commitment to choosing suppliers that meet the industry’s international standards.

• The recycled polyester used in tapes for zips is made from recycled polyester fibers, both  pre- (20%) and post-consumer (80%).

• An important contribution is made to the goal of increasing the global use of recycled polyester, as stated by Textile Exchange, from 14% to 20% by 2030.

This choice shows once more the ability of the company to develop products that keep in mind the environment whilst preserving functionality, reliability and that visual taste that the world of fashion requires.

Indeed, Riri has introduced its first recycled polyester tape in 2013 and since then has been consistently increasing the use of GRS-certified recycled polyester that comes from recycled materials.

“We are proud of this step and the effect that it has on sustainability and the cultural change through which we approach the development and improvement of our products” states Renato Usoni, Riri Group’s CEO. “Our innovation is the result of a tireless research of low environmental impact materials, an approach that has been the foundation of our identity for many years, but that now is renewed once more to make another step toward the future”.

• Swiss weaving machinery manufacturers are in the forefront of novel application development

Shoes and electronic calculators are probably not the first products people would associate with the textile weaving process. But they certainly signpost the future for woven fabrics, as two examples of the ever-wider possibilities of latest technology in the field. Fashion and function already combine in the increasing popularity of woven fabrics for shoes, and this is a present and future trend. Calculators in fabrics? That’s another story of ingenious development, using so-called ‘meander fields’ on the back and keys printed on the front of the material.

These glimpses of the outlook for modern weavers are among the highlights of developments now being pioneered by Swiss textile machinery companies. All weaving markets require innovation, as well as speed, efficiency, quality and sustainability. Member firms of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association respond to these needs at every point in the process – from tightening the first thread in the warp to winding the last inch for fabric delivery. They also share a common advantage, with a leading position in the traditional weaving industry as well as the expertise to foster new and exciting applications.

Technology and research cooperation
The concept of a ‘textile calculator’ was developed by Jakob Müller Group, in cooperation with the textile research institute Thuringen-Vogtland. Müller’s patented MDW® multi-directional weaving technology is able to create the meander fields which allow calculator functions to be accessed at a touch. A novel and useful facility, which suggests limitless expansion.

Today, the latest woven shoes are appreciated for their precise and comfortable fit. They score through their durability, strength and stability, meeting the requirements of individual athletes across many sports, as well as leisurewear. Stäubli is well known as a leading global specialist in weaving preparation, shedding systems and high-speed textile machinery. Its jacquard machines offer great flexibility across a wide range of formats, weaving all types of technical textiles, lightweight reinforcement fabrics – and shoes.

It’s possible to weave new materials such as ceramics, mix fibers such as aramid, carbon and other, and produce innovative multi-layers with variable thicknesses. Such applications put special demands on weaving machines which are fulfilled by Stäubli high-performance TF weaving systems.

Great weaving results are impossible without perfect warp tension, now available thanks to the world-leading electronic warp feeding systems of Crealet. Some market segments in weaving industry today demand warp let-off systems which meet individual customer requirements. For example, the company has recognized expertise to understand that geotextile products often need special treatment, as provided by its intelligent warp tension control system. Individual and connective solutions are designed to allow external support via remote link. Crealet’s warp let-off systems are widely used in both ribbon and broadloom weaving, for technical textiles applied on single or multiple warp beams and creels.

Functional, sustainable, automated
Trends in the field of woven narrow fabrics are clearly focused on functionality and sustainability. The Jakob Müller Group has already embraced these principles – for example using natural fibers for 100% recyclable labels with a soft-feel selvedge. It also focuses as much as possible on the processing of recycled, synthetic materials. Both PET bottles and polyester waste from production are recycled and processed into elastic and rigid tapes for the apparel industry.

For efficient fabric production environments, it is now recognized that automated quality solutions are essential. Quality standards are increasing everywhere and zero-defect levels are mandatory for sensitive applications such as airbags and protective apparel.

Uster’s latest generation of on-loom monitoring and inspection systems offers real operational improvements for weavers. The fabric quality monitoring prevents waste, while the quality assurance system significantly improves first-quality yield for all applications. Protecting fabric makers from costly claims and damaged reputations, automated fabric inspection also removes the need for slow, costly and unreliable manual inspection, freeing operators to focus on higher-skilled jobs.

Smart and collaborative robotics (cobots) offer many automation possibilities in weaving rooms. Stäubli’s future oriented robotics division is a driver in this segment with first effective installations in warp and creel preparation.

Control and productivity
Willy Grob’s specialized solutions for woven fabric winding focus on reliable control of tension, keeping it constant from the start of the process right through to the full cloth roll. Continuous digital control is especially important for sensitive fabrics, while performance and productivity are also critical advantages. In this regard, the company’s large-scale batching units can provide ten times the winding capacity of a regular winder integrated in the weaving machine.

The customized concept by Grob as well as design and implementation result in great flexibility and functionality of the fabric winding equipment – yet another example of Swiss ingenuity in textile machinery.  
There is even more innovation to come in weaving – and in other segments – from members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association in future! This confident assertion is founded on an impressive statistic: the 4077 years of experience behind the creative power of the association’s member firms. It’s proof positive that their developments grow out of profound knowledge and continuous research.