From the Sector

• 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.

Bemberg™ is teaming up with MagnoLab, a network of Biella-based companies apt to carry out projects related to sustainability and circular economy, to create and display T-shirts that combine environmental responsibility and aesthetic research at the 102nd edition of Pitti Uomo.

Bemberg™ is used in shirts, cocktail dresses, dust coats, coordinates, outerwear and more by international brands operating in the fashion and luxury industries. To demonstrate its journey and evolution in contemporary style, Bemberg™ has collaborated with MagnoLab to develop a project that resulted in contemporary cut I-shirts presented both in sheer and blends with other certified fibers, including GOTS cottons and RWS wools, capable of enhancing both the hand of the final garment and the performance of the yarn.

The project conceived for Pitti Uomo 102 stems from the spirit of Bemberg™ and fits perfectly into the philosophy of MagnoLab, whose mission is to carry out projects related to environmental responsibility through a joint and participatory approach of partners, and to create value by developing innovative products and processes with rapid testing cycles, according to a lean management model.

Suominen further strengthens its position as the frontrunner in sustainable nonwovens by launching HYDRASPUN® Circula, the market’s first ever nonwoven made with recycled paper.

HYDRASPUN® Circula is biodegradable, plastic-free and can be used in multiple applications. The product was created in cooperation with Codi Group, one of Europe’s leading wet wipe producers. Drawing from both parties’ industry expertise, the new product offers a variety of applications to meet consumers’ daily needs.

“It is important for Suominen to continuously develop new sustainable products to be able to offer even more choices to our customers. HYDRASPUN® Circula is a perfect example of how we can develop our nonwovens with innovations and more sustainable raw materials. HYDRASPUN® Circula is also a proof of great product development towards circular economy without compromising excellent quality and functionalities,” says Johanna Kivistö, Manager, Category Management, Europe.

A new interview study from NGO ChemSec shows that there is a gap between supply and demand when it comes to recycled materials, causing confusion and bottlenecks. Among other things, suppliers go out of their way using elaborate trade schemes to reach the coveted ”100% recycled” tag, which – it turns out – is not that important to consumer product brands. Far more crucial aspects, according to several major B2C companies, are:

• Honest communication towards customers
• Comprehensive information from suppliers
• Clear standards for recycled material

These are some of the conclusions from NGO ChemSec’s survey and interview study with 26 highly well-known consumer product brands. All brands responded to a survey concerning their current plastic use, as well as their needs, expectations and challenges regarding using more recycled material, to enable the shift to a circular economy for plastics.

Ten of the brands then participated in in-depth interviews on the same topics:, Essity, H&M, IKEA, Inditex , Lego, Mars,  SC Johnson, Tarkett, Unilever and Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Is non-mechanical recycling the answer?
Only about ten percent of all discarded plastics is recycled today, which is of course not nearly enough to achieve a circular plastics economy. Despite ambitions and initiatives to reduce plastics use – replacing the materials with other, more sustainable ones – the “plastic tap” is not expected to be turned off anytime soon. Quite the opposite, which makes raising the recycling rates more important than ever.

Although commercially viable, traditional (mechanical) recycling is afflicted with severe flaws, such as legacy chemicals, quality and functionality issues, as well as the lack of clean and sorted waste streams. The brands cited quality and functionality issues as the main obstacles for using more recycled material in their products.

This opens up for non-mechanical recycling, sometimes referred to as chemical recycling, where the plastic is either dissolved or broken down into smaller building blocks. Harmful additives and other hazardous chemicals can be removed in the process, and a material comparable to virgin plastic can be achieved – at least in theory.

So far, however, non-mechanical recycling technologies are costly, energy-intensive, and often require the addition of a great deal of virgin plastic to work – the very material that needs to be phased out.

The chain of custody models needs to be detangled
Apart from these production issues, there is a wide range of chain of custody models surrounding non-mechanical recycling, including mass balance and book & claim, which enable trade of credits or certificates for recycled material.

This cuts the physical connection between input and output, making it possible for a supplier to sell a material as “100% recycled”, when the actual recycled content could be zero.

This is a major issue for the brands ChemSec has spoken to, who value honest and correct communication towards customers. It turns out, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that being able to slap a “made from 100% recycled plastic” label on a product is not all that important to brands.

To the brands, a physical connection between input (the discarded plastic waste headed for recycling) and output (the product at least partially made from recycled plastics) is far more important.

A physical connection, along with correct and adequate information from suppliers, as well as clearer standards and guidelines than what is available today, is what brands require to increase the use of recycled material and move us closer to a circular economy for plastics.

Hologenix® announces that its newest innovation has achieved two recognitions. In addition to being a Top Ten winner in the Fibers & Insulation Category of ISPO Textrends Fall/Winter 2023/24, pure white CELLIANT has been shortlisted in the Drapers Sustainable Fashion 2022 Awards. The company is sharing the spotlight with recognized brands such as H&M, Sweaty Betty and Timberland. According to Drapers, the leading authority on fashion retailing in the UK since 1887, which sponsors these awards annually, this year they received the most entries ever, making them very competitive.

To create pure white CELLIANT rPET fiber, Hologenix developed a strategic partnership with the Ireland-based Wellman International Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Indorama Ventures. Indorama Ventures is investing $1.5 billion on sustainability initiatives, allowing them to recycle 50 billion PET bottles globally by 2025 to support the growth of the circular economy. Wellman International has been a pioneer of recycling technologies for almost 50 years, offering specialist solutions for the medical, hygiene, automotive, home care and apparel sectors.  

Pure white CELLIANT rPET fiber is sustainably manufactured, with a low-impact supply chain. It is achieved by embedding bioceramic materials, that are naturally derived and ethically sourced, into fibers, yarns and fabrics. Wellman International has converted 100% of pure white CELLIANT Polyester production into rPET. This conversion to rPET has been implemented across all CELLIANT product categories, replacing traditional polyester and dramatically enhancing CELLIANT’s sustainability initiatives.

Pure white CELLIANT is recognized as a Class 1 medical device in the European Union and is able to carry the CE mark. Like CELLIANT, pure white CELLIANT captures and converts body heat into infrared energy, powering bio-responsive textiles. This energy is reflected back to the body, resulting in increased local circulation and cellular oxygenation. These advantages have a variety of wellness benefits, including stronger performance, faster recovery and better sleep, as well as many functional properties such as thermoregulation, quick-dry properties and odor inhibition.  

Wellman International distributes pure white CELLIANT fibers across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the USA.

• Lenzing continues to march purposefully towards Group-wide climate neutrality
• Lenzing recognized as “sustainability champion” several times worldwide – one of only 14 companies awarded “AAA” rating by CDP
• New, innovative reporting methods – Lenzing presents its Online Sustainability Report for the first time
• Sustainability Report 2021 based on the results of the updated materiality analysis

Lenzing – The Lenzing Group, the world’s leading supplier of wood-based specialty fibers, released its Sustainability Report 2021 today, April 05, 2022, on the occasion of “Earth Month”. Bearing the title “Linear to Circular”, the report emphasizes the company’s focus on carefully balancing its needs with those of nature in the spirit of the circular economy. The report has been prepared in accordance with the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Austrian Sustainability and Diversity Improvement Act (NaDiVeG) and audited by KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft.

The Lenzing Sustainability Report 2021 is available on the company website.

Today, March 30, the European Commission released its long-awaited Strategy for Sustainable Textile, with the ambition to move the sector towards the path of sustainability. EURATEX welcomes the EU ambitions to act on sustainable textiles and investments, in order to change how textiles are made, chosen and recovered, but calls for a smart and realistic implementation. Many European companies have already chosen this path, therefore the strategy should support them in this process, especially considering today’s energy crisis.

The strategy recognises the strategic importance of textiles, which are not only used as apparel or furniture, but applied in cars, medical equipment, agriculture, etc. It acknowledges the European Industry pro-active initiatives to tackle microplastics, to solve challenges of market surveillance and the skills needs. More cooperation is needed for re-use and recycling of textiles and to set up an EU market for secondary raw materials. On this last point, EURATEX ReHubs initiative is developing proposals to size EPR potential, to transform waste into value, and create a new capacity and jobs.

The proposed “transition pathways”, which will translate the strategy into action, will be critical in this respect: how will these sustainability targets be reached, what will the cost for SMEs be, how can companies be supported in that green transition, what about the impact on global competitiveness? These are essential questions to be addressed in the coming months.
The Textile strategy is part of much broader package, including as many as 16 new legislative actions and other policies which will directly impact on textile value chain. In particular the Sustainable Product Initiative Regulation released on March, 30 includes game-changing provisions on Digital Product Passport, Eco-Design, SMEs and Green Public Procurement.  The Regulation has an overwhelming ambition and, to be realistic, it would require a new way of joint working between institutions and business, and which builds on lessons learned on data flow across value chains, interoperability, conformity assessment and effective measures to support SMEs.

If wrongly implemented, such an unprecedented wave may cause a complete collapse of the European textile value chain under the burden of restrictions, requirements, costs and unlevel playing field. On the contrary, the changes ahead can boom the entire textile ecosystem and create a model of successful green and digital transition in manufacturing, which starts in Europe and expands globally.

Already in 2019, EURATEX asked policy makers to work together and remove barriers to circular economy, solve the market surveillance paradox in which laws are made but not checked, and to help create scale economies to make sustainable textiles affordable, hence the norm.

For example, there are 28 billion products circulating per year in EU, which is an impressive task for market surveillance authorities including customs. EURATEX has been stressing non-sufficient market surveillance and it is actively working on solutions for a fair and effective market surveillance of textile products through Reach4Textiles. EURATEX very much welcomes that the European Commission recognizes our work and the need for market surveillance by establishing more harmonised efforts in the EU.

EURATEX also welcomes the establishment of the Digital Product Passport. It has a high potential to improve every step in the textile value chain, from design and manufacturing to recycling and purchasing. At the same time, EURATEX calls the co-legislators to take into account the role of SME’s in this transition and to put forward pragmatic initiatives, supporting SME’s across the EU in a systematic approach.

Alberto Paccanelli, EURATEX President, concludes: EURATEX calls for true cooperation with all policy makers and other stakeholders across the value chains to advise, pressure-test and use this opportunity for a successful transition. Our ambition must be to reconcile sustainability, resilience and competitiveness; we know it can be done”.

• Revenue Increases to HK$8,316 Million with Net Profit After Tax Surging Significantly
• Recording a Turnaround to HK$381 Million
• Re-Establishes ESPRIT’s Market Leadership

ESPRIT HOLDINGS LIMITED has announced its audited financial annual results for the year ended 31 December 2021, highlighted by a significant increase in both revenue and profit attributable to shareholders of the Company to HK$8,316 million and HK$381 million respectively, in which the profit attributable to shareholders of the Company also recorded a turnaround versus the loss attributable to shareholders of the Company of HK$414 million for the six months ended 31 December 2020. Gross profit margin was 48.6%, 7.0% higher than the Corresponding Period. Please refer to the Company’s results announcement for the Current Year for further details.

Such financial improvement was attributable to various reasons, including (i) the new infrastructure and strategies instituted by the current management team; (ii) improvement in sales with higher gross profit margin; (iii) positive results of efficient cost control measures; (iv) improved inventory management; and (v) growth in E-commerce.

Although revenue in the Current Year was affected by lockdowns in the Company’s major European markets during the first quarter of 2021, and due to increased restrictions on entry requirements into stores during the fourth quarter of 2021, the Group generated revenue via three main channels: E-commerce, wholesale, and owned retail stores. As the ESPRIT brand website and third-party E-commerce partners continued to trade during lockdown, a large portion of the Group’s sales were generated online. This business model allowed it to mitigate some of the negative impacts of the Pandemic in the retail segment. Another driver of growth came from selling fewer discounted products from the Company’s retail business compared to 2020.

The Group has not forgotten the ESPRIT mission and long-standing commitment to sustainability. The Company has continued to work tirelessly towards developing cutting-edge materials that set new standards in terms of environmental sustainability. The Company has formulated and further advanced its ESG strategies to establish ESPRIT as an industry pioneer. Such strategies involve the greater use of sustainable fibers, developing new and innovative product options that support a circular economy, and ensuring environmental awareness is a key message that underpins all of the Group’s projects. To achieve these objectives, the Management has identified four key pillars of growth (Sourcing and Procurement; Marketing and Product; IT, Internet, and E-commerce; and The ESPRIT Brand Story) that are paramount in maintaining the loyalty of existing ESPRIT patrons and attracting new customers.

Looking ahead, the global economy is anticipated to be negatively affected by the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine. The already unstable logistics industry and disrupted supply chain will likely be further impacted, which in turn will result in higher logistic service costs. Despite the unfavorable global economic outlook, the Group believes that under the leadership of its current management and with the support of dedicated staff members, the Company is on track to ongoing profit growth.

• Complete fibre portfolio for geotextiles, hygiene & wipes, floor coverings, automotive, upholstery, filtration, RTM and construction
• Increasing nonwoven & engineered fabric performance with new fibres that reduce carbon footprint & support design for recycling
• Exploring new possibilities for collaboration using BFI’s expertise, pilot line and equipment

 Beaulieu Fibres International, the largest and most differentiated European staple fibre producer, turns the spotlight on future-focused solutions for nonwovens & engineered fabrics at IDEA®22, 28-31 March. A key priority is innovation in polyolefin and BICO fibres to advance sustainable design, end-of-life recyclability, and resource and carbon footprint reduction for industrial and hygiene applications.

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.

Bio-based fibres
From June 2022, Beaulieu Fibres International will offer ISCC+ certification on mono-PP and BICO PP/PE fibres. The fibres will be offered in 1,3-8,9 dtex and will be available with all the main available finish classes (ie. hydrophilic, hydrophobic, etc.) suitable for the main carding and consolidation technologies. These drop-in solutions with no loss in quality will support customers looking to reduce reliance on virgin fossil carbon in their nonwoven and engineered fibre applications. The bio-based fibres enable customers to contribute to the transition towards a circular economy.

Achieving material savings
For customers in industrial segments like geotextiles, high-tenacity HT8 staple fibres enable customers to achieve nonwovens for construction projects with high mechanical performance but with 15% less weight. The durability of the fibres means that customers can use less raw material for a longer service lifetime, supporting more sustainable design in addition to resource reduction.
For hygiene nonwovens, the Meralux fibres provide significant sustainable design advantages. Meralux fibres deliver substantial sustainability benefits including around 55% savings in raw materials, with equivalent carbon emission savings. These emission savings are thanks to weight reduction in nonwovens with the same coverage level and also the higher recyclability of PP/PE compared to BICO materials.

In Anwesenheit des deutschen Bundesministers für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, Robert Habeck, unterzeichnete eine Delegation der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft und des Ministeriums für Energie und Infrastruktur der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (MOEI) in Abu Dhabi ein »Memorandum of Understanding« (MoU).

Mit dieser Absichtserklärung bekräftigen beide Parteien ihre Pläne für eine Zusammenarbeit. Zum einen sollen dabei innovative Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekte vorangetrieben werden, unter anderem in den Bereichen integrierte Energiesysteme, nachhaltige Energien, grüne und blaue Wasserstofftechnologien und -infrastruktur, Wasserentsalzungs- und Aufbereitungstechnologien, nachhaltige Baustoffe sowie Dekarbonisierung des Verkehrs- und Gesundheitssektors, der Bioökonomie und der Lebensmittelketten. Zum anderen sollen potenzielle Forschungs- und Entwicklungsdienstleistungen, die Fraunhofer für die Einrichtung eines nachhaltigen MOEI-FuE- und Innovationszentrums in den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten erbringen könnte, geprüft werden.

An der Zusammenarbeit zwischen dem MOEI und Fraunhofer sind bislang vier Fraunhofer-Institute beteiligt: das Fraunhofer-Institut für Schicht- und Oberflächentechnik IST, das Fraunhofer-Institut für Silicatforschung ISC, das Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE und die Fraunhofer-Einrichtung für Energieinfrastrukturen und Geothermie IEG.

Fraunhofer-Forschung weltweit gefragt
Robert Habeck, Bundesminister für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz, erklärte: »Ich begrüße die geplante Zusammenarbeit von Fraunhofer und dem Energieministerium der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate. Fraunhofer ist einer der führenden Akteure der angewandten Energieforschung. Wir sehen hier große Potenziale, im Rahmen der emiratisch-deutschen Energiepartnerschaft die Zusammenarbeit zur Entwicklung von Energiestrategien, zum Aufbau von Reallaboren und generell im Bereich Wasserstoff auf eine nächste Stufe zu bringen. Ziel ist es, gemeinsam die Dekarbonisierung des Energiesektors zeitnah zu ermöglichen und damit einen Beitrag zum Erreichen des Pariser Klimaschutzabkommens zu leisten. Insbesondere bei Erzeugung, Speicherung, Transport von grünem Wasserstoff in den VAE und dem Import und der Anwendung in Deutschland gibt es einen großen Forschungsbedarf.«

»Die Abkehr von konventionellen Energieträgern ist eine Herausforderung, die einen weltweiten Kraftakt und die Zusammenarbeit auf überstaatlicher Ebene erfordert. Gerade internationale Forschungskooperationen sind hier gefragt, Synergien zu heben und neue nachhaltige Technologien zu entwickeln, die auf eine globale Energiewende einzahlen«, erläuterte Prof. Reimund Neugebauer, Präsident der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. »Die Unterzeichnung des MoU zwischen dem MOEI und der Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft ist ein wichtiger Schritt, künftigen Forschungs- und Entwicklungsprojekten zum beiderseitigen Nutzen den Weg zu bereiten. Unser Ziel ist der Aufbau eines Innovationsökosystems für ein gemeinsames nachhaltiges Wirtschaften, in dem Elemente der Energie- und Wasserstoffwirtschaft zusammenspielen – mit geschlossenen Stoff- und Materialkreisläufen im Sinne einer Circular Economy.«