From the Sector

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp participats at JEC World 2026, featuring a significantly expanded presence and an enhanced offering for the global composites industry.

Building on previous successes, the Alliance members will be at the core of a newly renamed and enlarged Bio-Materials Village in Hall 5. The village has grown by more than 30%, expanding from 250 m² to 333 m², and will feature 14 Alliance members and partners representing the full natural fibre composite value chain from fibre cultivation and processing through to semi-finished materials, resins, and industrial applications.

This year’s village welcomes several new members, including Norafin, which brings advanced technical nonwoven expertise using flax and hemp fibres, and innovative start-up Biofibix developing next-generation bio-based composite solutions. Another new participant is GreenPoxy by Sicomin, a leading supplier of bio-based epoxy resins that complement natural fibre reinforcement systems and enable lower-impact composite structures.

Innovations Showcase
The Bio-Materials Village will highlight several award-winning and shortlisted developments, including exhibits from JEC Innovation Award winners and finalists.

Bcomp has received the Automotive & Road Transportation Parts Award for its series-production exterior flax composite components developed for BMW, demonstrating the scalability and performance of flax reinforcements in demanding automotive applications. 

Safilin will also present its collaboration with Stratiforme on the Ecotrain project, showcasing the successful integration of natural fibre composites into rail interiors, delivering weight reduction, improved environmental performance, and industrial feasibility.

Biofibix, shortlisted among the 20 finalists of the 2026 JEC Startup Booster, will present its proprietary reinforcement technology designed to overcome one of the key challenges of natural fibre composites : structural consistency. Biofibix develops flax-based reinforcement systems that combine controlled fibre orientation with thermoplastic and thermoset compatibility, enabling improved mechanical performance and process reliability. 

Visitors will also discover the Ssuchy-Next project, an initiative focused on wind energy applications. The project explores the use of hemp-based composite solutions for a 12.6 m wind turbine blade, combining optimized fibre architecture, bio-sourced materials, and industrial manufacturing processes. Ssuchy-Next demonstrates how natural fibres can contribute to reduced carbon footprint, improved vibration damping, and end-of-life advantages, while meeting the mechanical and durability requirements of the wind energy sector.

Additional cutting-edge innovations on display will be showcased by other Alliance members and partners that include BComp, Circular Structures, DEMGY, Depestele, Ecotechnilin, Emanuel Lang Flax Composites, Flaxco, Libeco, Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale, Norafin, Safilin, Terre de Lin Technique, and many more. 

Industry Conference 
As part of the JEC Composite Exchange programme, Alliance experts will organize a round-table discussion on Wednesday 11 March at 2:00 pm Agora 5, titled:

“From Data to Applications: How Environmental and Technical Flax-Linen & Hemp Data Help Build Industrial Solutions.” The discussion will highlight how environmental metrics and technical performance data are essential tools for designers, engineers, and manufacturers in accelerating the adoption of natural fibre composites, while exploring the latest technical advances in flax-linen and hemp composites, their environmental performance, and the strategic pathways supporting the industrial deployment of bio-based composites in Europe.

January, 17 marks a historic milestone with the signing of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, creating the biggest trading block in the world. European business – represented by more than 28 associations across a wide range of sectors – warmly welcomes this signature. It sends a strong and timely signal that the EU remains open and is committed to rules-based global trade. In a time of global uncertainty, this agreement is a key growth booster. 

By opening access to over 270 million consumers via the elimination of trade barriers and the removal of tariffs on over 90% of EU exports, the agreement provides the thrust European companies need to export, invest, and grow, as well as to diversify their supply chains, sourcing essential products and raw materials from Mercosur. By 2040, according to DG Trade’s calculations, the agreement is expected to add 77.6 billion euros to the EU GDP, resulting in a 39% increase in EU exports to Mercosur. 

With the agreement now signed, the ball is firmly in the court of the European Parliament in ensuring rapid ratification. We therefore call on Members of the European Parliament to give their consent and allow Europe’s engine of economic growth and prosperity to be switched on and move ahead decisively. After over 25 years of negotiations, we are finally in sight of the finish line. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

The German Federation of Reinforced Plastics (AVK) is calling for entries for the prestigious AVK Innovation Award 2026. The association is looking for outstanding innovations in the field of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP) / composites in the following categories:

• Innovative products/components or applications 
• Innovative procedures/processes 
• Research and science 

The aim of the AVK Innovation Award is to promote forward-looking products, components, and applications made from FRP, as well as innovative manufacturing methods and processes. Another focus is on recognizing excellent scientific work from universities, colleges, and research institutes.

Sustainability plays a central role in all categories. Awards are given not only to the innovations themselves, but also to the companies and institutions behind them. In this way, the AVK aims to highlight the performance, innovative strength, and future viability of the entire composites industry.

The submissions are evaluated by a high-caliber jury of proven experts from the composites industry.

The deadline for submitting application documents is March 27, 2026. Further details and evaluation criteria can be found online.

The award ceremony will take place on October 20, 2026, as part of the JEC Forum DACH in Cologne (October 20-21, 2026).

Members of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) can look back on 2025 as a year marked by notable technological advances and continued progress in global trade, despite an uncertain and volatile market.

“Our members have been very active over the past 12 months and this has resulted in new technologies for the production of technical fibres and fabrics, the introduction of AI and machine learning into process control systems and significant advances in materials testing,” says BTMA CEO Jason Kent. “There’s real excitement about what can be achieved in 2026 as we look ahead to upcoming exhibitions such as JEC Composites in Paris in March and Techtextil in Frankfurt in April.”

Composites momentum
Cygnet Texkimp, for example, has been nominated for a 2026 JEC Innovation Award for its collaboration with McLaren Automotive on the ART rapid tape-deposition system. Capable of depositing dry fibre tapes at up to 2.5 metres per second with exceptional precision, ART reduces scrap, shortens cycle times and delivers structural improvements already being realised across McLaren’s composite-intensive vehicle platforms.

Cygnet is the world’s largest independent manufacturer of prepreg production machinery, alongside a broad portfolio of handling and converting systems for the composites industry. 

In addition, the company is licensed to design and build the DEECOM® composite recycling system developed by fellow BTMA member Longworth Sustainable Recycling Technologies. DEECOM® is a zero-emission, low-carbon pressolysis solution that uses pressure and steam to reclaim fibres and resin polymers from production waste and end-of-life composites.

Other BTMA members supporting the composites sector include Emerson & Renwick, which applies deep expertise in print, forming, vacuum and coating technologies to carbon fibre processing, while Airbond is a pioneer in pneumatic yarn splicing for high-value carbon and aramid fibres. Slack & Parr meanwhile supplies high-accuracy gear metering pumps across the manmade fibre market, where they process a wide range of polymers and fibres with uniformity and consistency.

Gel spinning
Further resource savings in high-end fibre processing have been realised by Fibre Extrusion Technology through the introduction of a new process for manufacturing ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The company’s patented solvent extraction system exploits supercritical carbon dioxide. 

“Current UHMWPE systems are huge in scale and extremely complex,” says FET R&D Manager Jonny Hunter. “That makes the supply chain inflexible and limits new product development. These disadvantages have been addressed in our new FET-500 series lab and small-scale gel spinning system.”

Quality assurance
Alongside materials innovation, BTMA members are also reshaping quality assurance via digitalisation and data-driven manufacturing. Shelton Vision has significantly advanced automated fabric inspection with the latest generation of its WebSpector system. Using patent-pending image processing techniques, WebSpector now enables reliable real-time defect detection on complex patterned fabrics, including those subject to distortion, shear or stretch during processing.

Building on its leadership in plain fabric inspection, the Shelton system now adapts to intricate designs such as camouflage and delivers clean, stable images that allow full fault detection at high running speeds. While automotive interiors and one-piece woven airbags remain key applications, WebSpector systems are increasingly being supplied to producers of performance wear, fashion, denim, outdoor upholstery, mattress ticking, window dressings and even carbon fibre composites.

Continuous colour
A comparable shift from intermittent checks to continuous monitoring is taking place in colour management through the work of C-Tex. Traditionally reliant on periodic swatches, mills can now apply laboratory-level colour measurement directly in production. 

“What we are doing is taking a lab capability and putting it into production,” says Managing Director Rob Ricketts. Working with Shelton, C-Tex has combined inline defect detection with continuous colour variation analysis, enabling both parameters to be assessed simultaneously.

Importantly, this data is now shared across supply chains. When fabrics reach garment, automotive or furniture manufacturers, downstream users know exactly what they are receiving and whether it meets their requirements. 

“This visibility is a big breakthrough,” says Ricketts. “It’s well established in automotive, but now it’s coming to textiles too.”

Intuitive testing
Advanced testing remains another cornerstone of BTMA innovation. James Heal has long supplied advanced textile testing systems and its latest Performance Testing collection focuses on speed, simplicity and intuitive operation for parameters such as airflow and water resiliency. Water repellency testing has similarly been improved with the TruRain system which dramatically reduces wastewater and energy consumption.

During 2025, the company also introduced the new Martindale Motion.
The new nine-station instrument with individual lifting heads now offers the flexibility to run each station independently for carrying out different textile tests simultaneously. Once set up, the Martindale Motion can be left running with the sample holders automatically lifting at the required evaluation points, freeing up the operator’s time to do other work without the need to return until the abrasion or pilling test is fully completed, including overnight.

Colour accuracy is addressed by the VeriVide DigiEye system which provides non-contact colour measurement and digital imaging, enabling objective data capture and rapid sharing across organisations. Recent developments include 100% LED illumination, integrated dust filtration, software-controlled lighting geometry and automated image capture, improving both precision and efficiency.

Tactility challenge
The tactile sensation experienced when touching and manipulating fabric is meanwhile a critical aspect of textile evaluation, but to date has been very subjective. One of the biggest challenges faced by designers and manufacturers is in describing and sharing information about fabric aesthetics before manufacturing, or without the costly and time-consuming process of transporting physical samples.

These limitations are being overcome with the new Sentire fabric handle tester from Roaches International.

“No two people will describe how a fabric feels in the same way and the lack of a common language to describe fabric tactility poses communication challenges across the complex global fashion and textile supply chain,” says Roaches International MD Sean O’Neill. “The Sentire has been developed to allow our customers to objectively measure qualities such as softness, smoothness, drape and stiffness and market response during 2025 has been extremely positive.”

Convergence
Bringing these developments together, Jason Kent sees a clear strategic direction emerging. 

“Across the BTMA we’re seeing a convergence of advanced machinery, intelligent software and rigorous testing,” he says. “Our members are responding to today’s challenges around efficiency, sustainability and quality, while laying the foundations for a more transparent, data-driven and resilient textile manufacturing sector. Despite market uncertainty, there is genuine confidence about what lies ahead for British textile machinery and its global customers.”