From the Sector

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, led by Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), adopted nearly 150 policy recommendations in a bipartisan report that outlines a strategy to fundamentally reset the United States' economic and technological competition with the People's Republic of China.

After the adoption of the policy recommendations on an bipartisan basis, Chairman Gallagher and Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi said, “With this report, the Select Committee has shown that the bipartisan will exists to meet the call of history. It embraces the clear reality that our current economic relationship with the People's Republic of China needs to be reset in order to serve the economic and national security interests of the United States, while offering nearly 150 bipartisan recommendations for Congress to legislate. Collectively, these recommendations will reset the terms of our relationship with the PRC, prevent the flow of American capital and technology from supporting its military advances and human rights abuses, and build collective economic resilience in concert with our allies and partners while ensuring American leadership for decades to come."

Members of the Select Committee spent the past year investigating the CCP's decades-long campaign of economic and technological warfare. The members define three key pillars that inform each recommendation and the United States' path to correct 30 years of misguided policy:

• RESET: Reset the Terms of Our Economic Relationship with the People's Republic of China.
• PREVENT: Stem the Flow of U.S. Capital and Technology Fueling the People's Republic of China's Military Modernization and Human Rights Abuses
• BUILD: Invest in Technological Leadership and Build Collective Economic Resilience in Concert with Allies

Recently, OETI awarded the OEKO-TEX® STeP certification to two companies in the sector of personal protective equipment (PPE) and workwear: Ötscher - Berufskleidung Götzl GmbH, Austrian producer and wholesaler and longstanding PPE and OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 customer, and ALSICO MOROCCO (Cindico), a Moroccan PPE and work wear producer and part of the global Alsico Group, which has already introduced the certification for production facilities in Belgium and Laos.

OEKO-TEX® STeP stands for Sustainable Textile and Leather Production and is a certification system for production facilities in the textile and leather industry. The STeP system analyses critical areas of businesses using six modules: Chemical Management, Environmental Performance, Environmental Management, Social Responsibility, Quality Management, and Health protection and Safety at work.

For ALSICO MOROCCO (Cindico), OEKO-TEX® STeP offers the benefit of "a unified certification system and standardised audits to monitor social and ecological responsibility processes at global production locations," says Managing Director Mary Meylaers.

For the Austrian company Ötscher – Berufskleidung (workwear), Managing Director Thiemo Götzl emphasises the strengths of the certification in transparent communication with customers and stakeholders and a comprehensive overview of all aspects of the supply chain. "The certification also supports compliance with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act requirements through transparency and risk mitigation," says Thiemo Götzl.

The Trevira CS® brand will be presenting itself with 17 customers and partners as well as an innovative special exhibition at Heimtextil, which takes place in Frankfurt from January 9 to 12, 2024.

Trevira CS customers and partners will be exhibiting their flame retardant products and new collections for the home textiles and contract market at individual stands on the joint booth. Visitors can discover innovations in the areas of yarn production, woven and knitted fabrics and interior solar shading. The exhibitors at the Trevira CS stand will represent all textile applications with their products, from lightweight curtains to heavy upholstery fabrics. In addition to the yarn and fabric manufacturers, one exhibit is dedicated to presenting a traditional craft at the Trevira CS joint stand. The trimming maker Jende Manufaktur will be demonstrating the manufacture of trimmings from flame retardant, UV-stable, spun-dyed Trevira® yarns as well as from materials from the co-exhibiting yarn manufacturers.

The following Trevira CS customers and partners will be exhibiting a wide variety of flame retardant products at the joint stand in January:
Casalegno Tendaggi S.r.l., Chamatex SAS, F.lli Baroni s.r.l., FIDIVI Tessitura Vergnano S.p.A., Hoftex Färberei GmbH, Ilcat by Lei Tsu s.r.l., Jende Manufaktur GbR, Lodetex S.p.A., Mattes & Ammann GmbH & Co. KG, Mottura S.p.A., Pozzi Arturo S.p.A., PUGI R.G. S.R.L., Tessitura Mario Ghioldi & C. s.r.l., Tintoria Sala s.r.l., Torcitura Fibre Sintetiche S.p.A., Torcitura Padana S.p.A. and Wintex S.r.l..

The Trevira CS special showcase 2024 will be held under the motto #treviracsCore. The term "core" means core element / heart and is used in conjunction with a hashtag and another defining term in the digital media for a trend / lifestyle that people feel connected to and follow.

This time, the special show is about demonstrating what Trevira CS fabrics are capable of achieving in addition to their functionality and performance in the design of textile spaces. From a sustainably furnished lounge, to a luxurious interior or a casual outdoor area, to a cozy retreat.

For the design of the special show, all Trevira CS customers were invited to submit their latest Trevira CS products as part of the annual Trevira CS fabric competition. A total of well over 200 articles from more than 50 customers were available. This year's special show will also feature trimmings made from Trevira CS yarns.

In a world where water-repellent textiles play an important role in various industries, Pulcra Chemicals has joined forces with its subsidiary, Devan Chemicals, to introduce DEVAN REPEL. The first product, DEVAN REPEL ONE, is a durable water repellent for Polyester and blends. The development of DEVAN REPEL ONE is a joint to Devan and Pulcra's dedication to innovation and sustainability.

The solution offers a range of benefits:

• Superior Performance: The technology offers outstanding water repellency performance, ensuring that textiles remain dry. Whether it's rain and outdoor wear, outdoor furnishing, shower curtains or multiple technical textiles, the new solution can handle it, making it a strong choice for industries where water resistance is paramount.
• Flexibility: The versatility of this technology can be applied to a wide range of materials, with especially good results on polyester and its blends, offering flexibility for various applications across industries.
• Enhanced Sustainability: This technology is free from perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), and free from isocyanates.
• Longevity: Products treated with this water repellency technology are protecting from the elements for a longer lifespan.

Performance, particularly on effect durability, can be boosted to meet different requirements with new DEVAN EXTENDER GEN3. This extender is free of Isocyanate, Butanone-oxime and 2-dimethylpyrazole.

HeiQ introduces a 100% biobased and long-lasting cosmetic finishing technology for textiles to the market. The newest addition to the HeiQ portfolio harnesses the power of active probiotics and selected prebiotics to enhance the skin microbiome, turning the human’s largest organ into the best-looking one.

HeiQ Skin Care is a synbiotic textile finish aimed at providing a balanced microbiome for glowing skin, even after repeated use and washing of textiles. Unlike conventional products, HeiQ Skin Care utilizes slow-release prebiotics and probiotics seamlessly integrated into a biobased textile matrix, enriching the skin's microbiome diversity, and offering long-lasting cosmetic benefits.

The synergistic combination of prebiotics and probiotics, known as synbiotics, delivers a soothing cosmetic skin treatment while relaxing, working, or sleeping. Probiotics not only restore and improve the skin's natural balance but also enhance its self-repair capabilities. Synbiotics promote skin renewal, rebalancing, and improved appearance, reducing the signs of aging and establishing a favorable environment for the skin's natural repair mechanisms.

A second skin that takes care of the first
The skin, the largest organ in human body, is home to a diverse community of microorganisms called the skin microbiome. It plays a crucial role in maintaining good skin condition, acting as a protective barrier against harmful agents. However, various factors, such as hormones, diet, smoking, environmental exposures, and excessive UV radiation, can disrupt its balance, leading to skin conditions like rashes, acne, psoriasis, rosacea, skin irritation, redness, eczema, and odor. Maintaining a balanced skin microbiome is essential for preserving skin integrity.

HeiQ Skin Care is suitable for all textile fibers, both natural and synthetic, and can be applied to all textile items that come in direct contact with the skin. This versatility makes it an ideal choice for daily use- at work, during sports, leisure activities, or as bedding items like bed sheets and pillows.

Intensive wear trials conducted during the development stage have proven the consistent release of synbiotics (prebiotics and probiotics) onto the skin, creating conditions to foster a well-balanced microbiome.

Tampon for Men by Finnish hygiene product brand Vuokkoset aims to alleviate the distress transgender men feel related to menstruation. The creative partner behind the idea is TBWA\Helsinki. The product was launched during the international Transgender Awareness Week and sparked a discussion in Scandinavia of the inclusivity of the health and wellness industry.

Research has shown that 93% of transgender men have experienced gender dysphoria related to menstruation. With a tampon designed for men, Vuokkoset sparked a vivid conversation in Finland during the International transgender awareness week (Nov 13 to 19, 2023) with an aim to change perceptions of menstruation and reduce the distress it causes to transgender men.

“Marketing has a huge role in shaping the world around us. As Finland’s leading creative agency and the leading global agency collective, we have an immense responsibility in actively making the world more inclusive. Vuokkoset is a brand that shares this value base and was brave enough to put the campaign together with us in just four short weeks” says Heidi Taina, creative director from TBWA\Helsinki.

Trans men and non-binary individuals may still have menstrual cycles, regardless of hormone therapy choices. This highlights the diversity in experiences related to menstruation among different gender identities.

"When I was young, menstruation felt not only strange but somehow wrong. Our culture does not really acknowledge the diversity of menstruating individuals" says DEI consultant and face of the campaign Dakota Robin, who has been through the gender affirming process himself.

The Tampon for Men will be available as a limited edition in Finland and wider distribution will begin in early 2024. Total sales proceeds are donated to Trasek ry, an organization focused on gender diversity and sexual health. A fully gender-neutral tampon product by Vuokkoset is also being considered.

"Menstrual products - from visuality, advertising to store location - are strongly feminine. It’s time to acknowledge the diversity of menstruating individuals" says Sanna Karhu, CEO of Delipap Oy, the company that manufactures Vuokkoset products.

"This is definitely a step in the right direction. By changing attitudes and broadening perspectives, we can also remove discrimination against gender minorities," concludes Dakota Robin.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, connected absorbent hygiene and personal care professionals throughout the supply chain at the ninth edition of Hygienix™, the event for absorbent hygiene & personal care markets, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 13-16.

Senior-level leaders enjoyed presentations in these key topics affecting the future of absorbent hygiene:

• AHP Trends, Innovation & Market Statistics
• Redefining Absorbent Hygiene: Navigating Consumer Voice, Sustainable Innovations and the Circular Economy
• The Proof Is in the Pudding – Demonstrating What’s Possible in AHP
• Sustainability Inside & Out – Inputs & Packaging
• Words Matter! Shaping Consumer and Industry Thoughts
• Neither Fish nor Fowl: Designing Hybrid AHP Products
• There Be Dragons: Tales of Innovation

The winner of the Hygienix Innovation Award™ was the Sequel Spiral™ Tampon by Sequel. The Sequel Spiral™ Tampon features a proprietary spiral design that is engineered to be more fluid mechanically efficient, meaning it is designed to absorb more evenly and not leak before it’s full. In August 2023, the Sequel Spiral™ Tampon received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device and the company will now begin a series of consumer trials, with broad availability expected in Q1 of 2024.

New this year to Hygienix was Lightning Talks and pre-conference webinars. Lightning Talks are short presentations covering new trends, products and ideas in absorbent hygiene. The pre-conference webinar topics featured the new Quality Audit Program from INDA and EDANA, an in-depth look at the period care product category, and North American trends and insights in baby diapers.

Back was a hands-on workshop providing attendees with information on the various absorption systems used in disposable hygiene products. This workshop focused on the components and interaction of the absorption system in common commercial hygiene products. The workshop was led by Jim Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC.

Jim Robinson received the honor of being named the 2023 INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award winner for his decades of technical advancements that have grown the nonwovens industry. Robinson has 33 years in the absorbent hygiene industry, including 28 years as a Technical Service Manager at BASF. Robinson has extensive knowledge of SAP applications, absorbent core formation, and hygiene article design, performance and testing.

Hygienix 2024 will be held Nov. 18-21, in Nashville, Tennessee.

The adoption of composite parts based on flax fibres by the Marine Industry continues to grow, with major OEMs as well as smaller shipyards now aiming to take advantage of the reduced carbon impact and impressive mechanical properties they can provide.

“Over the last ten or fifteen years, several innovative flax fibre boats have been built and the fibre has started to gain significant traction,” says Julie Pariset, Innovation & CSR Director at the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp. “In addition to the environmental benefits, manufacturers are realising significant technical and processing gains with flax fibre composites.”

“Flax is a very low-density fibre, with a high specific stiffness,” she explains. “It can be used to manufacture composite laminates with mechanical properties not dissimilar to typical E-glass composites and the coefficient of thermal expansion of a flax fibre epoxy part is also quite close to that of a carbon fibre part.” This allows the materials to work well in combined assemblies with carbon fibre composites and the flax parts are also highly impact resistant.

Flax fibres also provide acoustic and vibration damping in composite applications, as well as providing a warm and aesthetically pleasing appearance below decks.

ecoRacer30
As a member of the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp, Bcomp, headquartered in Fribourg, Switzerland, has this year been working with Northern Light Composites (nlcomp), based in Monfalcone, northern Italy, on the creation of what is billed as the first fully recyclable nine-metre-long sailing boat – the ecoRacer30.

The boat is based on nlcomp’s proprietary rComposite technology – a combination of thermoplastic resins and BComp’s ampliTex high-performance natural fibre reinforcement fabrics and patented powerRibs technology.

It was built in a collaborative effort with the help of Barcelona-based Magnani Yachts, which took care of the composite manufacturing, and Sangiorgio Marine, which provided technical assistance as the boat was being assembled at its shipyard in Genova, Italy.

Magnani Yachts has subsequently become the first shipyard to hold an rComposite license and others are now being encouraged to adopt the technology.

The second ecoracer30 is currently under construction and has already been sold and nlcomp is planning to build a fleet of eight of these boats in time to enter a series of regattas in the summer of 2025.

Flax 27 Daysailer
Greenboats, based in Bremen, Germany, is another specialist in building boats from natural fibre composites and has this year launched the Flax 27 daysailer.

The lower hull of this vessel is also made from Bcomp’s ampliTex technical fabrics in combination with a sandwich core of recycled PET bottles. Using a vacuum infusion process, the fibres were integrated with a plant-based epoxy resin in order to further reduce the CO₂ footprint of the vessel.

The light structure and modern shapes of the lower hull of the boat result in very fast, sharp and agile handling on the water.

Greenboats has also recently announced significant new backing from alliance member Groupe Depestele, which manages 13,000 hectares of flax land in Normandy, France.

Blue Nomad
A project in Switzerland has meanwhile proposed the use of flax fibre composites in solar-powered habitats designed for comfortable living on the oceans – as the world grapples with the frightening implications of climate change and rising sea levels.

As envisaged by students from Institut auf dem Rosenberg in St Gallen, Switzerland working with Denmark-based SAGA Space Architects, Blue Nomad structures would form modular blocks to establish large communities and oceanic farms.
 

Carbios and L’Oréal have won the “Pioneer Awards” in the Industry category, presented by the Solar Impulse Foundation at the first World Alliance Summit. This prize was awarded to Carbios for its enzymatic PET recycling solution, labeled “Efficient Solution” by the Solar Impulse Foundation since 2019, and to L’Oréal for using this technology for the first time in a cosmetics bottle prototype. Carbios’ solution offers brands an alternative to petro-sourced plastic that helps them meet their sustainability commitments. This advancement paves the way for future applications in other sectors such as packaging, food and beverage, and textiles.

Carbios and L’Oréal: a long-term collaboration
Since 2017, Carbios and L’Oréal have been working together with a shared vision of accelerating the transition to a circular economy for plastic. In 2017, both companies created a Consortium to improve the recyclability and circularity of PET packaging.  Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe joined this Consortium in 2019 to scale up Carbios’ innovation. The world’s first enzymatically recycled PET packaging was made in 2021 using Carbios’ biorecycling process. The world’s first PET biorecycling plant is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025. In parallel, Carbios is rolling out its technology internationally through licensing agreements.

The environmental benefits of biorecycling developed by Carbios
Recent life-cycle analyses^[1] show a 57% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with the production of virgin plastic^[2], and for every tonne of recycled PET produced, 1.3 tonnes of petrol are avoided. Compared with conventional recycling, enzymatic recycling is 4 times more circular (calculated according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Material Circularity Indicator). Thanks to its highly selective enzyme, optimized for efficient PET degradation, Carbios’ depolymerization process can process all types of PET waste, including colored, multilayer or textile waste that cannot be recycled using current technologies. Furthermore, the two monomers produced (PTA and MEG) make it possible to recreate recycled PET products of identical quality to virgin ones, and suitable for food contact.
 
 
^[1] Database ecoinvent 3.8
^[2] French scenario, taking into account the detour of 50% of PET waste from conventional end-of-life. Virgin PET: 2.53 kg CO₂/kg (cradle to gate)

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has found that substances causing cancer, genetic mutations or harming reproduction are present in childcare products, such as car seats, bibs and baby changing mats. Its investigation will help the European Commission to prepare an EU-wide restriction to limit these chemicals, with the aim of safeguarding children.

ECHA’s investigation, drawing on information from 48 different sources, shows that substances which are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR) may be present in childcare products (articles). Metals like cobalt and lead, along with phthalates like DEHP, are the most common CMR substances found in childcare products.

CMRs were most often found in items like car seats, bibs, products related to toiletries, and bedding and mattresses. Children may be exposed to these hazardous substances during use, for example through skin or oral contact, and are particularly vulnerable to the harm caused by chemical substances because of their small size, developing physiology and behaviour.

ECHA’s report provides elements to support the European Commission in the preparation of a potential future restriction. These include information on how childcare articles are defined, what the restriction could cover, potential derogations, recommended concentration limits and timeframes for implementation. The report also includes views from ECHA’s Enforcement Forum on how feasible it would be to enforce such a restriction.

The report will now be sent to the European Commission, who will use it to prepare a draft restriction proposal under REACH Article 68(2). This procedure allows the Commission to prepare a restriction proposal without involvement of ECHA’s scientific committees.

Background
The purpose of ECHA’s investigation is to support the European Commission in preparing a restriction under the REACH Regulation to protect children from exposure to CMR substances in childcare articles. It focused on substances that have a harmonised classification under the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation as a CMR in category 1A (known human carcinogen, mutagen or reproductive toxicant) or 1B (presumed human carcinogen, mutagen or reproductive toxicant).

During the investigation, ECHA organised two public calls for evidence and a consultation on the draft report. The Agency contacted 233 different stakeholders to inform about the work and considered their feedback.