From the Sector

The Committees for Risk Assessment and Socio-Economic Analysis support Germany’s proposal to restrict the use of undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and related substances. The potential restriction is expected to reduce further environmental and human exposure to these chemicals resulting mainly from uses in food contact materials, textiles and fire-fighting foams.

The Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) has adopted its final opinion on Germany’s proposal to restrict undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and related substances. This follows an earlier opinion by the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) in June 2021 to restrict these substances that are very persistent and mobile in the environment and can damage the human reproductive system.

RAC supported the proposed restriction for uses where it is not possible to minimise emissions through other means, especially for consumer uses in food contact materials and textiles as well as for fire-fighting foams used by municipal fire departments and at home.

SEAC considers that a restriction of PFHxA is, in general, an appropriate measure to address the identified risks and to ensure a consistent level of protection for people and the environment across the EU. However, while SEAC concluded that a restriction on certain uses was likely to be proportionate (e.g. textiles in consumer apparel, paper and cardboard in food contact materials and cosmetic products), uncertainties in the available information prevented SEAC from concluding that the proposed restriction as a whole was the most appropriate means to address the identified risk.

During their meetings, SEAC also adopted its opinion on the French proposal to restrict substances in single-use baby diapers, and RAC adopted 11 opinions on harmonised classification and labelling. In addition, RAC and SEAC adopted an opinion on an application for authorisation on the use of chromium trioxide and sodium dichromate for passivation of electrolytic tinplate, and RAC agreed on six and SEAC on five draft opinions on applications for authorisation mostly on electroplating uses of chromium (VI) substances. More about these and other topics can be found in the annex.

Huntsman Textile Effects is bringing its complete end-to-end suite of high-performance solutions for sports apparel to Performance Days Digital Fair from December 1 to 2, 2021 virtually.

Driven by growing consumer interest in active and healthy lifestyles, coupled with the growing number of national sports participation programs that promote healthy living, the global sportwear market shows no signs of slowing. Brands that aim to satisfy this high-growth market need to be able to produce performance apparel that not only delivers sought-after functional capabilities and desirable aesthetics, but also comes with low environmental impact.

Huntsman will introduce the latest addition to the third generation of its revolutionary AVITERA® SE polyreactive dye range at Performance Days. AVITERA® ROSE SE delivers bluish-red shades while reducing the water and energy required for production by up to 50% and increasing mill output by up to 25% or more. It also significantly outperforms available dyeing technologies for cellulosic fibers and blends in terms of value, reducing recipe costs, minimizing processing costs and eliminating reprocessing.

Also in the spotlight are eco-friendly solutions for the challenges of achieving full whites and consistent shades on recycled polyester (rPET) with right-first-time quality. Huntsman’s rPET processing solutions include pre-treatment chemicals, fluorescent whitening agents, state-of-the-art washfast dyes, and finishing solutions for high-performance protection and comfort.

In partnership with Sciessent, Huntsman is also bringing revolutionary antimicrobial and odor-control solutions to Performance Days. These include Sciessent’s Agion Active® X2, a next-generation odor-control solution that combines advanced technologies to both capture and fight odor-causing bacteria for garments that smell fresh for longer and need less frequent washing. The partners are also previewing a new solution: Sciessent’s NOBO™, a cost-effective odor adsorber that provides odor control on virtually any fabric.

Other featured innovations include Teflon Eco Dry with Zelan™ R2 Plus technology. A breakthrough in sustainable water repellency, it contains 30% renewably sourced plant-based raw materials and meets or exceeds performance levels possible with traditional fluorinated technologies. Another exciting Huntsman solution is the new PHOBOL® Extender UXN – a product that optimizes water-repellent finishes for long-lasting fabric protection. It is free from butanone oxime, which has recently been re-classified in Europe and restricted above certain limits in products by bluesign®.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a world-class sustainable chemical company, introduced the first independent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report developed by the private sector in Thailand. The report provides details of the company’s sustainability strategy, aligned with the United Nation’s SDGs.

Renaud Meyer, UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative to Thailand, said, “We support countries in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals through integrated solutions. Achieving the goals at global level requires the partnership of governments, private sector, civil society and citizens alike to make sure we leave a better planet for future generations. The Sustainable Development Goals Report developed by the private sector is one way to urge more constructive collaboration among sectors.”  

The report presents IVL’s progress in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The company outlined five focus areas for contributing to the SDGs: Recycling and the Circular Economy, Climate Change and Energy, Environmental Stewardship, Health Safety and Well-being, and CSR and Collaborations. IVL believes it can have the greatest impact on these areas while also growing its business and bringing about constructive change. Activities in these five areas help IVL align with 13 of the 17 SDGs, totaling 39 targets.

Yash Lohia, Chief Sustainability Officer at Indorama Ventures, said, “Businesses can make a significant contribution to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. IVL, as a responsible industry leader, is committed to contributing to the SDGs and addressing the world's environmental and economic concerns. We need to be accountable to our stakeholders, including our 25,000 employees and their families, our customers and industry partners. Furthermore, we believe that complying with the SDGs will provide us with considerable business prospects.

The Chairman of the Walter Reiners-Stiftung foundation of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, Peter D. Dornier has awarded prizes to three successful young engineers. The award-winning works provide practical solutions on the topic of circular economy. For example, the recycling of carbon fibres, which are used to produce lightweight components for the automotive industry. Or the environmentally friendly production of yarns from crab shells. Another topic was medical applications: The processing of ultra-fine yarns into stents for aortic repair. The award ceremony took place online on 9 November as part of the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference.  

With a creativity prize, endowed with 3,000 euros, the foundation honoured the diploma thesis of Irina Kuznik, TU Dresden. She used a creative approach to realise solutions for processing chitosan into fibre yarn.

Mr Kai-Chieh Kuo was awarded the diploma/master's thesis promotion prize of 3,500 euros. With his master's thesis, which was written at RWTH Aachen University, Mr Kuo contributes to the production of vital components used in medicine. The stents made of ultra-fine yarns are made possible by an innovative modification of the classic tube weaving process.

The Walter Reiners Foundation rewarded the doctoral thesis of Dr. Martin Hengstermann with the promotional prize in the dissertation category, endowed with 5,000 euros. The thesis deals with the production of recycled carbon fibres. These can be used to produce lightweight components for motor vehicle and aircraft construction or the wind energy sector.

New Prize Sustainability / Circular Economy
The environmental conditions of the textile industry and machine construction are changing. Topics such as climate protection and the circular economy are becoming central. From this perspective, the board of the Walter Reiners Foundation has decided to further develop the foundation's prize system.

In 2022, the foundation will for the first time offer a prize with a focus on design / sustainability. Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Foundation, explained: "Already in the design phase, one can set the parameters so that a textile product can be reintroduced after use into the economic cycle for a high-quality application. For example, through the appropriate use of materials and finishing. We are looking for solutions for resource-saving design, technology and manufacturing processes."   

• IVL is celebrating a decade of PET recycling and carbon reduction milestones
• Over 10 years, IVL has achieved a 100x increase in recycled PET

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a world-class sustainable chemical company, launches its 10th annual Sustainability Report and a video celebrating a decade of ambitious PET recycling and carbon reduction milestones. The company is committed to intensifying its drive towards ending plastic waste and a more circular economy in the decade ahead.

Since its first Sustainability Report in 2011, IVL has grown its sustainability initiatives through the 3Ps – People, Planet and Prosperity. From the baseline in 2013, the company achieved a 10% reduction in GHG intensity, 4% in energy intensity and 7% in water intensity. It also increased total waste diverted from landfill from 48% to 84% in 2020. Moreover, IVL’s global PET recycling capacity has improved almost 100 times from 3,576 tons per year in 2011 – the first entry of IVL to the PET recycling business – to more than 330,000 tons per year in the second quarter of 2021.

Celebrating 10 years of sustainability reporting
Throughout the decade, IVL has voluntarily adopted international standards for its sustainability reports to drive benefits for the environment, society and economy. The effort resulted in recognition by world-class sustainability ratings agencies such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) and the Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI).

Recent Sustainability Reports have featured business cases and special situations such as COVID-19. In 2016, IVL was the first Thailand-based company to introduce an additional, shorter version of the report called the Sustainability Report Executive Summary. This year, IVL has made further improvements with an interactive approach, including links to videos and shortcuts to highlighted articles. As a global company operating in 33 countries, the report is available in 15 languages.

On track to recycle 50 billion bottles per year by 2025
In 2020 IVL recycled 10.1 billion PET bottles and is on track to recycle 50 billion bottles per year by 2025. The company’s global reach and leadership position as the world’s largest PET and recycled PET resin producer allow IVL to leverage a closed-loop system. In 2020 IVL invested in three additional recycling facilities and recently acquired CarbonLite’s recycling assets in Texas.

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from Albaad Massuot Yitzhak Ltd. to supply a neXline wetlace hybrid line for their Dimona facilities, Israel. The line will produce a wide variety of pulp-based wet wipes and is scheduled for start-up during the third quarter 2023.

The state-of-the-art neXline wetlace hybrid is the perfect combination of inline drylaid and wetlaid web forming with hydroentanglement and drying, including quality control equipment and a Metris Industry 4.0 package. All components will be delivered by ANDRITZ and are designed to produce first-class fabrics, including biodegradable, carded-pulp and flushable/dispersible nonwovens for end uses as wipes.

Tobias Schäfer, Vice President Sales at ANDRITZ Nonwoven, comments: “Our innovative production line gives Albaad enormous flexibility in the production of wipes. In addition, the Metris digitalization package by ANDRITZ will provide Albaad with highly efficient and smart operation.”

Dan Mesika, CEO and President of Albaad, says: “We are dedicated to developing new products – such as eco-friendly, biodegradable wipes. As pioneering manufacturers of our Hydrofine® flushable wipes, we are committed to environmental sustainability. Thanks to the new ANDRITZ line, we will enlarge the product portfolio at our Dimona production site with innovative fabrics and high efficiency.

Gadi Choresh, President of the Nonwovens Division at Albaad, says: “Our knowledge and experience in drylaid and wetlaid technology, together with the state-of-the-art equipment supplied by ANDRITZ, will enable us to provide the market with natural-source nonwovens and the best answer to the market demand.”
 
Albaad is one of the world’s three largest wet wipe manufacturers and is committed to delivering excellent wipes for every need. The company runs world-leading production facilities on three continents, each equipped with the latest technologies. Albaad produces spunlace and flushable fabrics in its facilities as well as purchasing from other roll goods suppliers in order to support production of a wide variety of wipes.

Officina+39, an Italian sustainable chemical developer, attends Superstudio Più in Milan to show its technical progress and share its concrete contribution to a more Trustainable™ denim. Under the spotlight, among multiple innovations, the latest addition to the Officina+39 family: the brand-new NOVASCRAPER INDIGO.

NOVASCRAPER INDIGO, the new technology for classic aesthetics
NOVASCRAPER INDIGO allows to give a natural vintage look to denim garments through laser finishing, an actual innovative alternative to manual scraping. NOVASCRAPER INDIGO guarantees a natural effect with unparalleled quality and accuracy, requiring less manpower and less rejection rate when compared to manual scraping.

The Sixth Sense: less water, more Trustainability
Officina+39 and Tejidos Royo joined forces to create a denim line that drastically reduces water consumption: this is “The Sixth Sense”, a project concretely inspired by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and specifically by its SDG6, calling to action to ensure access to water and sanitation for all. Officina+39 personally accepts this global challenge by contributing to the realization of “The Sixth Sense” with its AQUALESS MISSION. Featuring three cutting-edge laundry products for one innovative process, AQUALESS MISSION combines the application of REMOVER BC, AQUALESS AGED – a waterless compound to give denim abrasion effects –, and OZ-ONE POWDER – an advanced product to give garments a bleached yet eco-friendly treatment in a dry application, for a worn and distressed look. Compatible with conventional washing and treatment machinery, it allows for water consumption savings up to 75%.
Focused on driving sustainability in the textile industry, Tejidos Royo uses low-impact fibers and yarns as a raw material and the implementation of foam-dyeing technology with its Dry Indigo®, the first-ever technology to foam-dye denim with zero water use and no water discharge.

CircularKromia: a colorful path for preloved garments
At Officina+39 the word “waste” becomes synonymous with opportunity, a source to create something new, fostering true, Trustainable™ circularity. This is the background to the collaboration with Atelier Riforma, an innovative startup born in Turin (Italy) with a social vocation. Through the contribution of Officina+39’s RECYCROM™, it has been possible to obtain new pigment and dyestuff pulverizing discarded garments and pieces usually difficult to recover through tailoring transformation alone. The collection made it possible not to generate any waste, no new raw materials were required to create CircularKromia.

The Circle Book 2: the power of collaboration and circularity
A collective project gathering a total of ten companies with common goals focused on transparency and circularity in denim design, The Circle Book is now in its second edition that culminated in CULTURE.IN, a circular capsule collection transparently made from recycled and degradable materials.

Officina+39 opens its doors, with Lenzing and Meidea
In the evening of October 13, the recently inaugurated brand-new headquarters of Officina+39 in Biella opened their doors to welcome denim personalities, brands, designers and partners to show where Officina+39's innovative technologies are created, to network and celebrate while preparing new steps towards the design of a more circular and – of course – Trustainable™ fashion Industry.

• JUMBO-Textil offers elastic high-tech braids – produced on high-tech systems

Developing narrow textile solutions for our customers – quickly, flexibly and precisely – that is our claim. For us and for our technology. Because first-class industrial solutions require first-class technology. Highly automated and digitally controlled. Technology like that found in our variation braider from Herzog – the high-performer among modern braiding machines. JUMBO-Textil is the first narrow textile manufacturer ever to produce elastic hole cords on the special system.

High-performance system for extremely stable textile components
The special system combines sophisticated bobbin lace technology with digital control and thus enables the production of highly complex, individually specifiable braided structures. The variation braider's technology ensures an uninterrupted fibre course across all branches. This not only allows individual, idiosyncratic geometries, it also and above all helps with the stability of the components. This is because where other methods create branching points that are susceptible to breakage due to laser cutting, seams or knots, the variation braider simply braids through the branched strands. As the fibre course is not interrupted in braided branches, the resilience of the textiles is significantly increased. And individual braids are created for very different applications.

Bobbin lace technology for highly complex structures
Unlike in classical braiding systems, the impellers of the variation braider are arranged in a square. Up to eight different strands can be braided and interlaced with the textile all-rounder. All bobbins can be programmed separately and thus the bobbin lanes can be combined variably and individually. JUMBO-Textil also produces tubular braids with precisely defined braided openings, triaxial braids and highly complex preforms with the variation braider. The geometries of the narrow textiles range all the way to net structures. For braided cables, we create stable connections in the core-sheath braiding by weaving the core and the protective sheathing, which provides protection especially at the turns: there is no longer any undesired core and sheath slippage.

Individual braid architectures – for automotive, outdoor and more
Complex non-elastic cords from the variation braider have been in operation at JUMBO-Textil for a long time. For hole cords – or bifurcation cords (from the Latin: furca, the fork) – the bobbin points are individually programmed so that the arrangement and length of the branching precisely meet the requirements. It is used, among others, in the automotive sector, in the construction industry and in the outdoor sector to hang or unhang elements without using metal.

Elastic hole cord from the elastics specialist
The elastic hole braids by JUMBO-Textil are new on the market. "The variation braider offers us fantastic possibilities: we can pre-configure what we want to braid and are completely free to do so. The repeat is computer-controlled," explains Holger Vehring, Project Engineer at JUMBO-Textil. "A seamless braided cable harness tubular that organises the cable mess (for automotive), braided hoses with defined openings for conductive elements in smart textiles or rehab applications, as tensioning elements in backpacks or functional clothing – the possible applications are vast. Thanks to this technology, textile – i.e. lighter, quieter and more flexible – components can be used for numerous applications in which metallic materials were previously used due to the fragile branching points."

WEIDMANN GmbH in Süßen is known worldwide as a specialist for the finishing of fiber and down-proof articles and woven industrial fabrics. Customers particularly appreciate the company's reliability and flexibility with regard to their individu-al requirements, and consistently high quality of its products. The Swabian textile manufacturer finishes premium fabrics, mainly for the bedding industry, using the latest technology and in an environmentally conscious manner.

The complex production and finishing processes for high-quality fabrics require a reliable and efficient machine technology. With this in mind, WEIDMANN has always relied on the proven stenter technolo-gy from BRÜCKNER. For many decades, the German textile machinery manufacturer has been a world leader in the con-struction of production lines for the finishing of classical textiles, woven industrial  fabrics, nonwovens, glass fabrics and floor coverings. In addition to stenters, the company's production program also in-cludes coating lines, relaxation dryers, sanfor lines, continuous dyeing lines as well as ovens for the bonding of nonwovens and other special lines. All machines are produced 100% in-house in Germany.

Both companies continuously invest in new and innovative technology in order to be successful and competitive today and in the future. Only Recently, a completely newly developed BRÜCKNER stenter was installed in the ultra-modern plant at WEIDMANN. During the intensive project engineering phase it soon became clear which features are of special importance for their daily production requirements:

• uniform moisture distribution in the machine entry and during pick-up of the specialized   chemicals in the finishing padder before the thermoprocess
• weft-straight fabric flow with minimized residual distortion
• very good accessibility for maintenance and daily cleaning
• sensor technology and automation of setting parameters for energy optimization
• heat-recovery with hot water generation for the dye house
• the line must be fully Industry 4.0 capable

• Sustainability Report 2020 published

As an internationally positioned company, the CHT Group is one of the leading suppliers of speciality chemicals. The company supplying chemical products for the most diverse applications and industries, presented their annual edition of the Sustainability Report, for the period January to December 2020,

The report has been prepared in accordance with the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and is based on the Core option. The focus is on human resources development, energy and water consumption as well as company-wide emissions and waste management.

Particularly noteworthy here is the group-wide reduction in specific resource consumption in the areas under review. In relation to the volume produced, for example, the following key figures show the reduction of environmental impacts:

• 21% share of renewable energies in total consumption
• 440,000 EUR investment in environmental protection and nature conservation
• 5.8% less energy consumption and less CO2 emission

62% of CHT Group's 2020 sales were generated with sustainable products. For this, 91% of the strategic raw material volume was sourced from suppliers classified as sustainable.

At the center of the report are the current working topics and outlooks that showcase CHT's commitment to sustainability and its innovative strength to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

CHT considers 11 of the SDGs to be particularly relevant for the future of the Group of companies. For this reason, the recently revised global corporate strategy is directly geared to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

The current edition of the report, which is published for the first time exclusively online in a resource-saving manner, is available here: https://sustainability-report.cht.com