From the Sector

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from the Swiss-Russian key converter Laboratoire Naturel and the ZetTechnology group of companies, based in Kaluga, Russia, to deliver their first complete neXline spunlace line. Start-up is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022.

The high-capacity line is designed to process various types of fibers, especially polyester/viscose and cotton blends, and is dedicated to the production of high-end hygiene and cosmetic wet wipes to serve private label clients. The ANDRITZ spunlace line with its CPC design (CPC: Card – Pulp – Card) will enable to process a multilayer spunlace fabric including wood pulp as a raw material. Such a configuration will allow Laboratoire Naturel and the ZetTechnology group of companies to produce fabrics from 30 to 60 gsm. In addition, the line configuration will enable the production of bio-wipes.

Laboratoire Naturel and the ZetTechnology group of companies have been pioneers in the converting industry and manufacturing of wipes in Russia since 1996. The two companies were the first manufacturer of wipes for the Russian hygiene market. The ANDRITZ line will address the local Russian market for wipes end-uses as well as more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia.

The Hygiene Division of Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) is pleased to announce that two of its manufacturing sites have achieved International Sustainability Carbon Certification Plus Certification.

FiberVisions’ Varde site in Denmark, a polypropylene fiber producer, and Avgol’s Uzlovaya site in Russia, a spunlaid nonwovens producer, satisfied audits related to traceability and the reasonable use of biomaterials.

Shachar Rachim, CEO, IVL Hygiene Division, part of IVL’s Fibers business segment, said: “This accreditation underscores our commitment to support our customers to achieve their carbon dioxide reduction targets through using carbon neutral fibers. The certification is assurance that our nonwoven fabrics and fibers meet all the ISCC’s demanding standards for recycled-renewable materials. Our certified facilities can trace the product’s composition through the supply chain, without needing to requalify the materials.”

IVL expects that the ISCC Plus certification of these two sites will be followed by similar certifications at other manufacturing plants. A broad portfolio of technologies is being developed to address how component materials interact with the environment to improve recyclability, reduce raw material consumption, and minimize the impact of fugitive wastes.

Sateri’s Lyocell facility in Rizhao, Shandong Province, has been awarded the Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) certification for responsible production, making it the first Lyocell producer in China to be certified to the rigorous standards set by independent Swiss-based certification organisation OEKO-TEX®. Sateri’s Lyocell facility has also obtained the highest ranking of level three in the certification assessment scoring for exemplary implementation of best manufacturing practices.

Together with its earlier achievement of the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification that confirms its Lyocell fibre is free from any harmful substances and complies with European standards, Sateri’s lyocell products are qualified to carry the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® product label. This label not only attests to Sateri’s Lyocell fibre as safe and manufactured in environmentally-friendly, socially responsible and safe facility, but also the Group’s commitment to higher levels of transparency and accountability through the product traceability feature of the label.

The STeP by OEKO-TEX® certification comprises three levels describing the extent to which a company has achieved sustainable production and working conditions of factories in the textile industry. The areas of assessment include chemicals management, environmental performance, environmental management, social responsibility, quality management, as well as occupational health and safety.

Sateri’s Lyocell fiber factory in Rizhao commenced operation in May 2020, with an annual output of 20,000 tonnes of Lyocell fiber. The same site houses a 5,000 tonne Lyocell pilot production line dedicated for the development of Lyocell application technology. In March 2021, the Group announced plans to expand its Lyocell annual production capacity in China up to 500,000 tonnes by 2025.

A natural and biodegradable fibre, Sateri’s Lyocell is made from wood pulp sourced from certified and sustainable plantations. It is manufactured using closed-loop technology, requiring minimal chemical input during the production process, and utilising an organic solvent that can be almost fully (99.7%) recovered and recycled.

Sateri’s Lyocell is used to produce high quality textiles and personal hygiene materials. Using a unique high technology manufacturing process, it has outstanding dry and wet strength, high uniformity and consistency, and superior quality. It blends well with various textile fibres to create different fabric styles and characteristics for wide downstream applications.

DiloGroup would like to thank all customers and interested parties for visiting the Dilo booth in Geneva. Despite the existing worldwide Covid, we were able to welcome a great number of well-known faces as well as meet new contacts, among them the most important nonwovens producers from across the world in all application areas: hygiene and lightweight nonwovens, technical textiles and needled nonwovens including geotextiles, filter media and automotive. The interest in using resource saving plant engineering, energy saving and the processing of natural fibres remains.

Dilo presented its latest developments in industry 4.0. Systematic plant monitoring and analysis of machine data allows simplified operation and more effective production. This smart system was illustrated with the aid of live analysis of the performance, quality and availability parameters of the production lines in our Textile Research Centre. The new production systems Hyperpunch Alpha, HyperTex and 3D-Lofter were explained with the aid of videos which led to a very positive responsive from the many different producers which are interested in running trials at the Dilo Textile Research Centre to further explore these subjects. These highlights and further new developments were the basis for fruitful technical discussions.

• Results of experiments conducted by the University of California’s prestigious Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego provide further scientific proof that LENZING™ fibers offer an effective substitute to synthetic fibers that are part of the pressing problem of plastic pollution in our oceans.

Lenzing/San Diego – The Lenzing Group, a world-leading provider of wood-based specialty fibers, has received further scientific proof of the biodegradability of its fibers. In a study published in October 2021 , scientists from the prestigious academic research institute Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) at the University of California, San Diego confirmed that wood-based cellulosic fibers biodegrade in the ocean within a short period of time at the end of their life cycle, making them a better alternative to fossil-based fibers. The research was the result of an independent project trying to understand the “end-of-life” scenarios for textiles and nonwovens discarded in the environment.

SIO has a global reputation for being one of the oldest, largest and most important marine research centers worldwide. In this study, SIO compared the degradation processes of nonwovens made from fossil-based synthetic materials such as polyester with those of cellulosic materials such as Lenzing’s wood-based lyocell, modal and viscose fibers in specific scenarios – under various real oceanic conditions and controlled aquaria conditions. The results of these experiments are striking: while wood-based cellulosic fibers fully biodegraded within 30 days, the fossil-based fibers tested were practically unchanged after more than 200 days.

The biodegradability of LENZING™ fibers was also tested in the laboratory of Organic Waste Systems (OWS) in Belgium – one of the world's leading companies in biodegradability and compostability testing – which showed data confirmed by those found with the real-life measurements at Scripps. The OWS assessment was conducted in accordance with applicable international standards and reflects relevant natural and artificial conditions in which biodegradation can occur. Certificates from the certification organization TÜV Austria show that LENZING™ fibers rapidly biodegrade in all test environments (soil, industrial composting, home composting, fresh water and marine water) within the time frames set by the applicable standards.

Lenzing also welcomes the EU’s targeted measures to combat plastic waste in general, such as those relating to the single-use plastic directive (EU) 2019/9043. In its recently adopted guidelines for implementing the directive, the EU Commission stipulates the specific products that fall under this category, which is a well-needed effort to provide clarity to the EU member states for their joint campaign against environmental pollution from plastic waste. Lenzing’s wood-based, biodegradable cellulosic fibers can be part of a sustainable and innovative solution to this man-made problem that will continue to grow. As of July 2021, the single-use plastic directive sets out standardized labelling requirements for certain products, either on packaging or on the products themselves, which include plastic-based feminine hygiene products and wet wipes for body care or household use. This is a start to tackle the problem: educate the consumer and offer alternative materials with better circularity.

The Hygiene Fibers Group of Indorama Ventures (IVL) came together at the Index Show to present an all-inclusive range of recycled and biodegradable solutions for Hygiene Fiber and Nonwoven applications.

The combination of polymers, technologies, processes and global reach supported by the Hygiene Fibers Group – one of three business segments that make up Indorama Ventures – positions it within the Hygiene industry to meet increasingly challenging market demand for innovative sustainable solutions within the hygiene sector. Across the six brands and companies that make up Hygiene Fibers Group – Auriga, Avgol, FiberVisions, Indorama Asia, Trevira and Wellman International – sustainability and supporting customers to achieve circular objectives is integral to all efforts and fundamental to the ethos of the Hygiene business segment.

At the Index Show, the Hygiene Fibers Group launched CiCLO®, a textile technology which allows polyester and other synthetic materials to biodegrade like natural materials do in wastewater treatment plant sludge, sea water and landfill conditions, reducing synthetic microfiber pollution generated during washing, and minimizing plastic accumulation in landfills caused by discarded textiles.

In line with the company’s commitment to support customers with high performance products, while also reducing the impact on the environment, several of the  Hygiene Fibers brands, including Wellman International, Trevira GMBH and Auriga, have been working closely over the last 12 months with the IAM team and the CiCLO® technology. Developments have focused on PET and rPET staple fiber and filament sustainable solutions for applications where recycling is particularly challenging, such as Hygiene, Home Textiles and Automotive applications.

Strengthening the profile of biodegradable offerings within the Hygiene Fibers Group’s sustainability portfolio, Trevira introduced a new range of bicomponent fibres based on PLA and PBS (polybutylene succinate) at the Index show. Both biopolymers offer an exceptional technological opportunity in terms of environmental care and sustainability, while delivering optimum performance. Equally to PLA, PBS is recyclable and up to 100% biodegradable under industrial conditions.

Efforts towards supporting customers to achieve circular objectives are a priority within the Hygiene Fibers Group. This is reflected in the recycled fibers expertise deployed across the segment. Four Hygiene Fibers Group brands, IVL Asia, Auriga, Trevira and Wellman International offer an extensive range of 100% recycled, accredited PET fibers, across a multitude of fiber and nonwovens applications.

The development and evolution of sustainable technologies is central to activity across IVL’s Hygiene Fibers Group, with particular focus on sustainable polyolefin solutions. FiberVisions and ES-FIBERVISIONS, leading Polyolefin mono and bico fiber brands and sister company Avgol, have partnered with UK-based Polymateria to commercially harness the innovative ‘biotransformation’ technology pioneered by Polymateria. The patented technology alters the properties of polyolefins to make them biodegradable in a natural process.  Other polyolefin sustainable innovations within the Hygiene Fibers Group were featured at Index include biosurfactant and biocolourant developments being undertaken by the Avgol team with FiberVisons progressing sustainable design solutions, including lightweight, high performance, reduced carbon solutions.

Reifenhäuser Reicofil will exhibit at the world's leading nonwovens trade show INDEX in Geneva from October 19 to 22, 2021. Under the slogan "Living Nonwovens", the nonwoven line specialist will showcase solutions for the production of sustainable nonwovens for a wide range of applications.

Sustainable nonwoven production starts with the amount of material used - the less raw material needed, the better. The "Reicofil 5x" line series is specialized in this application and achieves fabric weights of 8 gsm (grams per square meter) or even less through efficient downgauging, even on 1000 m/min Composite lines containing 3 Spunbond beams.

In addition, Reicofil customers can reduce the use of fossil raw materials on request by processing biobased raw materials as an ecological alternative - for example for diapers. The topsheet material, made of bulky, soft, and industrially compostable high-loft nonwovens, meets maximum hygiene requirements at the same time.

For industrial applications, high-strength nonwovens can be processed even from up to 90% PET flakes from post-consumer waste. This is how Reicofil shows ways to combine sustainability and high-performance nonwovens.

In the medical sector, the line manufacturer will also be exhibiting its leading solutions for high-barrier medical protective clothing. In addition, meltblown nonwovens for face masks - still in great demand in many regions due to Covid - provide reliable safety and are helping to combat the pandemic worldwide. Reicofil technology therefore guarantees maximum safety, with filtration efficiencies of up to 99% (N99 / FFP3 standard), minimum quality fluctuations, and extremely high line availability at the same time.

With the current RF5 machine generation, Reicofil also sets benchmarks in terms of quality, performance, availability, efficiency, and machine intelligence - for challenging applications in hygiene, medical, and industrial sectors.

• International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022, 2-3 February in Cologne, Germany and online
• Call for Innovations
• Six nominees will get the chance to present their unique products

The footsteps are big: in 2021, Stora Enso from Sweden won the innovation award, granted on the first day of the “International Conference on Cellulose Fibres”. Their new cellulose foam for packaging fully convinced the audience. Second place was taken by Kelheim Fibres (Germany) with their high-quality hygiene products made of cellulose ahead of third place occupant Metsä Spring from Finland that presented a new cellulose fibre production process.

nova-Institute has opened the Call for Innovations for the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2022” award until 15 November 2021. All producers, inventors and pioneers along the entire value chain from feedstock to final product are invited to enter the competition. Developments of new technologies and applications are welcome. An independent expert jury will select a total of six new materials and products from all entries for the award. The innovators get a free 2-day ticket for the conference and the unique opportunity to present and market their product or technology to a huge professional audience. After short presentations of the six candidates at the conference, the three winners will be elected by the participants of the conference and honored with the innovation award at a festive gala dinner.

Following the conference, nova-Institute issues an international press release to announce the winners.

Call for Innovations
More information about the innovation award and the application can be found at www.cellulose-fibres.eu/award-application
Deadline for submission: 15 November 2021

Lenzing presented at FILO its sustainable approach and on a selection of key innovations such as TENCEL™-branded specialty fibers.

As part of the space dedicated to Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto and Fashion B.E.S.T., the first Italian collective of responsible fashion designers, a selection of TENCEL™’s key technologies were under the spotlight:

• TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™, using cotton textile waste and wood pulp as the feedstock for cellulosic fibers, creating a circular solution;
• TENCEL™ x Indigo Color, infusing pigment into fibers directly during the spinning process;
• TENCEL™ Luxe, providing superior aesthetics, performance and comfort to be the perfect partner of other noble fibers such as silk, cashmere or wool;
• TENCEL™ Carbon Zero, offering carbon-zero CarbonNeutral®-certified products by Natural Capital Partners;
• TENCEL™ x Eco Clean, bringing totally chlorine-free-bleached TENCEL™ Modal fibers to the textile industry.

Lenzing's priority has been to produce fibers for many sectors (fashion, beauty care, cleaning, hygiene and home textiles) in a sustainable way. Each Lenzing product is made of cellulose from wood, a renewable natural resource, coming only from certified sustainable sources.
The Lenzing Group operates two commercial-scale biorefineries with 100% wood utilization, which ensure that the totality of wood constituents are used to produce fibers, biobased chemicals, and bioenergy, thus maximizing value creation from an economic and environmental perspective. This concept was illustrated by Carlo Covini, Lenzing Business Development Manager Italy & Switzerland, in his presentation “Lenzing’s biorefinery concept”.

• At this year’s INDEX from October 19th to October 22nd, Truetzschler Nonwovens, Truetzschler Card Clothing and Voith introduce new solutions for manufacturing a broad range of sustainable nonwovens for wipes, hygiene or medical textiles at booth 2327.

Plastic-free initiatives worldwide affect everyone: consumers, product developers, nonwoven producers and finally nonwoven machinery suppliers.

Truetzschler Nonwovens and Voith address the quest for more sustainable and affordable nonwovens in the wipes segment by two proven technologies for manufacturing pulp-based nonwovens. Firstly, WLS (Wet-Laid/Spunlaced) lines. More than a handful are in service worldwide and mainly target the flushable wipes market. At INDEX we’ll introduce our latest nextLevel/WLS baby and body wipes, a joint development by Voith and Truetzschler.

The second focus is on carded/pulp (CP) products. A CP line – including a TWF-NCT card placed between the HydroFormer and the AquaJet is already running to full capacity at customer site. Various CP materials, including innovative nextLevel/CP wipes, will be on display at the booth and invite visitors to discuss characteristics, benefits, line concepts and equipment.

When talking sustainable nonwovens, solutions for efficiently manufacturing biodegradable nonwovens from virgin cotton fibers, comber noils and viscose/lyocell fibers must not be missing. Visitors can look forward to directly comparing cotton nonwovens to a broad range of cellulose-based material.

Truetzschler Card Clothing, our in-house competence center with respect to card clothings and comprehensive service, presents its latest development, the Z wire for high-speed roller cards. A new geometry minimizes fiber fly and allows for better carding and more stable web forming.