From the Sector

• Looking to the future – Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself with a consistently sustainable agenda and propelling the transformation of a modern, resource-efficient fashion industry.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign (CFC), working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), will be the presenting partner and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a prerequisite for all exhibitors by 2023. And the Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit by CFC is set to become the leading international conference for sustainability in the fashion world. The future of fashion has begun – and its key players will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021.
 
Frankfurt am Main, 2 December 2020. Joining forces to improve the fashion industry: Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself as the host of the future of fashion and actively driving forward the transformation towards a future-oriented, more sustainable fashion and textile industry. All decision-makers looking to instigate this change will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021. The initiators of Frankfurt Fashion Week – Messe Frankfurt and the Premium Group – have achieved a real coup: Conscious Fashion Campaign, working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will be the presenting partner. Messe Frankfurt will build on its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and establish Frankfurt Fashion week as the platform on which to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and help guide the fashion industry into the 'Decade of Action'.
 
“Frankfurt will play host to the whole world. We are seeing a very positive response indeed,” confirmed Peter Feldmann, Senior Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, at today’s digital press conference, before going on to say: “The fact that the initiators are able to rethink the concept of a Fashion Week in such a way is extremely impressive and proves that the fashion industry is correctly interpreting the signs of the present and future. The time has come for value creation and values to be reconciled. Consistent alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals is an important step in this direction.”
 
“Frankfurt Fashion Week aims to play a crucial role in finding solutions for macrosocial challenges and supporting the goals of international politics such as the European Green Deal. The fashion and textile industries are also expected to be climate-neutral by 2050. If we want to achieve this, we all need to pull together. Frankfurt Fashion Week is inviting all initiators and supporters of sustainable concepts and congresses or shows dedicated to sustainability to meet in Frankfurt, partake in discussions and make tangible decisions for the greater good. We will connect the most relevant players and pave the way for a future-proof fashion and textile industry,” says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt.
 
“Given its global reach, the fashion industry is uniquely positioned to collaborate and engage on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular on climate action and responsible production and consumption,” said Annemarie Hou, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “Frankfurt Fashion Week and the Summit will serve as an important platform for education and engagement of the fashion and textile industry in the Decade of Action,” emphasised Ms Hou.
 
The aim of Frankfurt Fashion Week is for all exhibitors, participants and partners to align with the Sustainable Development Goals by 2023. The SDGs will also be incorporated into all formats of Frankfurt Fashion Week. This will help to make the UN’s sustainability goals visible and tangible for the Fashion Week audience, therefore bringing its claim, goals and specific proposals for implementation to an international opinion-forming fashion and lifestyle community. During a one-day Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit presented by Conscious Fashion Campaign, topics like gender equality, clean water, climate protection, social justice and their significance for a forward-looking fashion industry will be examined in greater depth. Another point on the sustainability agenda: Frankfurt Fashion Week is launching a Sustainability Award for outstanding, innovative, sustainable design, alongside other categories with a global appeal for the fashion and textile industry.
 
"We are committed to setting the wheels of transformation in motion. Not only does the overall mindset have to fundamentally change; the entire industry also needs to have the courage to be transparent and honest. It’s important to see values and value creation as opportunities rather than contentious. We are doing what we do best: connecting the relevant players at all levels. With its ecosystem, Frankfurt Fashion Week will become the enabler. We are creating a platform that will orchestrate industry-wide change. With this as our inspiration, we are also developing our tradeshow formats from a ‘marketplace of products’ to a ‘marketplace of purpose and ideas’,” explains Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the Premium Group.
 
A new start in Frankfurt: In summer 2021 the entire fashion industry will be coming to the metropolis on the Main river to inform themselves, be inspired, discuss, negotiate and celebrate. “There’s a huge need to finally meet in person again, to exchange ideas and be inspired. At the same time, digital tools and formats have become an integral part of the fashion industry,” says Markus Frank, Head of the City of Frankfurt’s Department of Economic Affairs and therefore also responsible for its creative industry. “To implement such a future-oriented, all-encompassing overall concept, Frankfurt’s business and creative scenes offer an almost unique concentration of different expertise with its internationally networked agencies, universities and museums. The city’s multifaceted, high-end club, bar and restaurant scene, diverse hotel industry and internationally renowned retail landscape will become the stage for this. This network will be a key factor in the successful implementation of Frankfurt Fashion Week and the way in which it will expand into the public space as a cultural and social happening.”
 
A number of major publishing houses are also showing their commitment to the new Fashion Week in Frankfurt with conferences, events and awards: Textilwirtschaft, the leading professional fashion journal by the Deutscher Fachverlag publishing house, is moving its traditional meeting of the industry’s top decision-makers – the TW Forum, the presentation of the renowned Forum Award, as well as its subsequent conference – from Heidelberg to Frankfurt’s Palmengarten botanical gardens, and will therefore be kicking off Frankfurt Fashion Week on Sunday evening and Monday morning. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung will be hosting its traditional fashion party for the first time in Frankfurt and publishing a special edition of its FAZ Magazin on Frankfurt Fashion Week. And the ZEIT publishing group is holding its ‘UNLOCK Style by ZEITmagazin’ conference, which was established in 2014, and the ZEITmagazin Fashion Week party in Frankfurt for the first time and will dedicate the whole new issue of ZEITmagazin Frankfurt to Frankfurt Fashion Week. Condé Nast will also be involved in next summer’s Frankfurt Fashion Week with an exclusive event by GQ. And the Burda publishing house will also be represented with various event formats from its lifestyle and fashion brands.There will also be talks with SHINE  Conventions, the organiser of GLOW, about what a mutual collaboration could look like.
 
Frankfurt Fashion Week is also delighted to have the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) on board.  The FCG is theinstitution when it comes to German fashion design. It promotes designers, is committed to gaining more political relevance and strengthens the international visibility and awareness of German fashion. At Frankfurt Fashion Week, the FCG will contribute selected formats, such as its already established Fireside Chat, and a future-oriented accelerator format to support German designers.
 
“What really impresses me about Fashion Week is the whole networking aspect: the creative industries will meet the financial world and sustainability is the common denominator. The Green Finance Cluster is another project that we could link with Frankfurt Fashion Week in the future. This will provide new inspiration in the fashion industry, which will certainly extend way beyond its own horizon of Frankfurt and Hesse. After a very difficult year for the trade fair industry, the concept is an encouraging breath of fresh air,” sums up Tarek Al-Wazir, Hesse’s Minister of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional Development and Deputy Minister-President of the state of Hessen.

• Monforts customer Kipaş has been selected as the sole denim manufacturing partner in the €6.7 million European Union-funded New Cotton Project, involving the brands adidas and H&M, working in a consortium with suppliers, innovators and research institutes.

Kipaş, based in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, is currently installing its third Monforts Montex stenter along with a third Monfortex compressive shrinkage system in a combined configuration dedicated to denim production.

This follows the successful installation and commissioning of the second Montex and Monfortex lines at the Kahramanmaraş plant in 2018, which Kipaş Vice Chairman of the Board Ahmet Öksüz said had immediately exceeded expectations.

“We performed a very thorough technical investigation based on the latest Industry 4.0 analysis before the purchase, to determine what we needed, and the Monforts technology met all our requirements,” he said, in an interview with Textilegence magazine. “The Monfortex is equipped with a variety of features not found on classical shrinkage machines and the production can be monitored from beginning to end. It also exceeded our expectations in energy cost savings.”

Kipaş subsequently received a special certificate from Monforts in recognition of its exceptional utilisation of the technology to its full potential.

The latest Montex stenter now being installed at Kipaş is a 12-chamber unit with a working width of 2 metres featuring all of the latest automation features. The Monfortex unit, also with a working width of 2 metres, is in a ‘double rubber’ configuration, comprising two compressive shrinkage units and two felt calenders in line. This allows the heat setting of elastane fibres and the residual shrinkage of the denim to be carried out simultaneously, for a significant increase in production speeds.

“Around 90-95% of denim fabric production now contains elastane fibres and the Monforts system has allowed us to simultaneously increase our production and quality in this respect,” Mr Öksüz said.

Regenerated cotton
For the next three years within the New Cotton Project, Kipaş will manufacture denim fabrics based on the cellulose-based fibres of Infinited Fiber Company of Finland, made from post-consumer textile waste that has been collected, sorted and regenerated.

The patented technology of Infinited, which is leading the consortium of 12 companies, turns cellulose-rich textile waste into fibres that look and feel like cotton.

“We are very excited and proud to lead this project which is breaking new ground when it comes to making circularity in the textile industry a reality,” said Infinited co-founder and CEO Petri Alava. “The enthusiasm and commitment with which the entire consortium has come together to work towards a cleaner, more sustainable future for fashion is truly inspiring.”

Take-back programmes
Adidas and H&M will establish take-back programmes to collect the clothing that is produced, to determine the next phase in their lifecycle. Clothing that can no longer be worn will be returned to Infinited, for regeneration into new fibres, further contributing to a circular economy in which textiles never go to waste, but instead are reused, recycled or turned into new garments.

The aim is to prove that circular, sustainable fashion can be achieved today, and to act as an inspiration and stepping stone to further, even bigger circular initiatives by the industry going forward.

The EU has identified the high potential for circularity within the textile industry, while simultaneously highlighting the urgent need for the development of technologies to produce and design sustainable and circular bio-based materials. Making sustainable products commonplace, reducing waste and leading global efforts on circularity are outlined in the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan.

Fashion brands produce nearly twice as many clothes today as they did 20 years ago and demand is expected to continue growing. At the same time, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second. Most of the textile industry’s environmental problems relate to the raw materials used by the industry – cotton, fossil-based fibres such as polyester, and viscose as the most common man-made cellulosic fibre, are all associated with serious environmental concerns.

• A new collaborative business model gives life to ECONNECTION: an eco-high-tech collection designed thinking of the “end of life”

Three premium textile companies, one common goal: jointly offer ready to use, coordinated solutions that are design driven, performing and responsible also at the end of life.

Penn Textile Solutions/Penn Italia - international company producing and developing innovative fabrics through warp and weft knitting technologies, Tessitura Colombo Antonio, famous for the processing of lace and ribbons dedicated to the world of corsetry , Elastici Besana specialized in the production of narrow elastic for corsetry and underwear, have been working together to expand the frontiers of sustainable manufacture practices and to offer an innovative collection , a new set of incredible eco high tech innovations delivering a responsibility concept including also the end of life : ECONNECTION.

The responsible ECONNECTION collection, in which the words ECO and CONNECTION mixed to underline the importance of connect and come together for a sustainable project, features:

• 7 advanced knitted stretch fabrics by Penn Textile Solutions/Penn Italia,
• 3 precious laces by Tessitura Colombo Antonio
• 3 functional bands by Elastici Besana

So, 3 key leading companies with a key target : to design and deliver the market amazing responsible fabrics able to offer a responsible end of life. This opened up the door to new generation of ingredients such as:

• ROICA™ V550 made by leading fiber manufacturer Asahi Kasei, a premium sustainable stretch yarn that at the end of his life smartly breaks down without releasing harmful substances in the environment according to Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certification and also boasting the Gold Level Material Health Certificate by Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute** as it has been evaluated for impact on human and environmental health.
• Amni Soul Eco®, the world’s first biodegradable in anaerobic conditions polyamide 6.6 yarn that degrades in around 5 years* after disposing in landfill, developed by SOLVAY and produced and distributed in Italy by FULGAR.

The collection is presented in its BIO -BOX that will be sent to selected brands at worldwide level

A smart project that highlights the importance of synergies between companies know how, and new generation of materials , that is able to take products to a new level of responsible innovation, technology and exceptional performances where beauty and function will be able to carry the smart factor for the values they represent for the consumer and highlighting for the first time also the importance of their end of life.

• The stunning niLuu collection by former professional volleyball player Nilufer Bracco features smart Bemberg™ fabrics by Ipeker
• Wonderful kimonos for women and men, sleep and face masks are the key pieces of the PETA certified and cruelty-free collection, 100% Bemberg™ and vegan

Former professional volleyball player Nilufer Bracco recently launched niLuu, a PETA approved cruelty-free loungewear brand using 100% Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei that combines the iconic elegance of traditional silk with a socially and environmentally ethical production process.

Bemberg™ is a fiber made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linters bio-utility materials that are converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process; the Bemberg™ Ipeker Textile  fabric’s uniqueness comes from the exceptional quality characteristics achieved in design. The end result is a luxurious fabric so soft and smooth that it is almost like a second skin, breathes like cotton, drapes beautifully like silk, and reflects the cultural tradition of luxury textiles from founder Nilufer Bracco’s native country, Turkey. The first collection released by Miami based niLuu features premium quality kimono robes, sleep masks, face masks, and pillowcases that are available in a variety of deep and vibrant colors, and with a soft-brushed finish typical of premium sand-washed silk.

Designed to not only feel and look amazing but the entire niLuu collection is sustainable, biodegradable and 100% vegan.  Ipeker Textile, one of the major Bemberg™ fabric producers in Europe, proudly holds the title as the first vegan fabric producer in the world, receiving Vegan V-Label certificate on around 150 different products that adhere to the guidelines of the European Vegetarian Label, most of them developed with Bemberg™ yarn.

niLuu’s innovative Bemberg™ collection is hypoallergenic, antistatic, easy to care for, and it is also known to have several benefits for the skin. The breathability of the fabric helps to maintain body temperature; excellent moisture control means the fabric doesn’t dry out the skin or hair in the ways that cotton would and minimal friction against the skin means it is also known to have anti-aging benefits.  Speaking of niLuu’s high-quality Bemberg™ fabric, Founder, Nilufer Bracco adds, “Our innovative Bemberg™ vegan silk delivers the best of both worlds. Not only does our luxury fabric feel amazing when you use it, but you can also feel good knowing that it caused minimum harm to the planet when it was produced and that it will leave only the slightest trace when it reaches the end of its lifecycle.”

The luxury textiles brand has also shown its commitment to responsible practices, by partnering with 1% for the Planet pledging to donate 1% of their annual revenue to environmental organizations that work hard to protect our planet.

• Technology, creativity and sustainability
• Recycled materials, bright colours, eclectic shapes: excellence is in the details, and the new creations by the Italian-Swiss group have plenty to say.

Mendrisio – Looking at the new Fall-Winter 2021-2022 collection of the Riri Group, it almost seems as if the difficult months to which the pandemic has forced the whole world, have been another new – though unwanted – challenge for the Italian-Swiss company. A testbed that sparked the mind and lit the fire of creativity. Therefore, today, the brand ingredient which for over 80 years has embellished the
garments designed by major fashion system brands with top-quality zips and buttons, also introduces a wide range of heterogeneous creations, intended to cover different aesthetic and functional requirements on the market.

This collection has been divided into three macro-topics; it is a new chapter in the history of the Group.

LIFE SERVING
Keyword: sustainability. Or, more romantically, “Reuse with love”. From the use of materials produced using organic waste and recycled plastics to actual destocking – the re-introduction on the market of unsold items to give them new life through a restyled shape: the topic of “life serving”, for Riri, translates into the meticulous and constant search for materials with a low environmental impact and in the committed attempt to reduce the use of plastic to a minimum. This is why the Group has decided to use recycled polyester tapes, made with new organic cotton, pullers coated with cork, created using 100% recycled plastics or rubber taken from the sole of shoes. Stainless steel – an exceptionally resistant and sturdy material, as well being subject to no galvanic treatments and highly recyclable – characterizes chains and pullers, while the Nylon zip consists of fully recycled tape and chain, and Decor introduces a new 100% polyamide version. On the button side, “life serving” includes buttons with a cork coating, the Zero button with coating made of recycled Meryl polyamide and the F4 with a 100% recycled Nylon head and the heads made of APILON 52 (rubber made of 65% vegetable oils and energy from renewable sources) coated with microfiber from the company Alcantara.

ENGINEERING
This is definitely the most rigorous yet progressive section in the collection, drawing on technological innovation and on uncertainties related to the current situation, to play with shapes, colours and materials. Between zips and buttons there is a prevalence of squared and minimal shapes, also on the tapes of the zips through sublimation and digital printing techniques. The leading colour is grey in its variation of hues, where the insertion of coloured tones sometimes stands out. The leading material, on the other hand, is metal.

OVER SHOCK
A creative topic where “exaggeration” is the keyword, a trend whose style and character somehow remind us of Gen-Z, apart from being especially suitable for outdoors. “Over state” uses the hip hop mood and settings of the Nineties, taking them to the extreme, enlarging shapes and focusing on bright and fluorescent colours such as purple, yellow, blue, orange or green. An example of this is Storm Evo, a zip which is popular in the outdoor sector for its high levels of water resistance and strength, which features a new electric blue chain and tape with reflecting side strips. Also outstanding in terms of originality is the new purple puller, with its anti-theft shape, fixed onto a fluorescent yellow chain. The perfect expression of this category are zippers such as Decor, Nylon and Aquazip, especially recommended for the outdoor sector in general.

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS: RESTYLING AND INNOVATION
All the macro-categories selected for the FW 21-22 seasons are included in some special product innovations, most notably the even more minimal and thin shapes of some buttons and the introduction of five different colours for the small synthetic ring, a real point of strength in Cobrax pressure buttons. Also the range of magnetic buttons is complemented by the addition of two extra snaps. As regards zips, the Riri Group team has been working on careful restyling of shapes, more specifically in the shapes of Decor zip bodies – ideal for the luggage industry – further improved from both an aesthetic and functional viewpoint.

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. will be offering two virtual opportunities for customers to learn more about the company’s innovative non-contact spray finishing systems. These technologies will be showcased in October during an in-depth webinar event, as well as during the Innovate Textile and Apparel Virtual Trade Show.

The interactive and free webinar “How to Deliver Sustainability with Non-Contact Spray” will be held twice on October 13, with a recording provided for all who register for later viewing. During this event, industry veteran Rick Stanford, Baldwin’s Business Development Leader for textiles, will discuss the sustainable functionality of the Precision Spray and Ahlbrandt Rotor Spray technologies.

The Innovate Textile and Apparel Virtual Trade Show will take place online October 15 to 30. In Baldwin’s virtual booth, the company will showcase its non-contact spray systems for finishing and remoistening. Its TexCoat G4, TexMoister G2 and Ahlbrandt Rotor Spray technologies are designed to save chemistry, time and production costs, while enabling sustainable textile production.

“We are excited to present our revolutionary non-contact spray systems during the webinar and the virtual Innovate Textile and Apparel show,” said Stanford. “Participants will learn how non-contact spray has become a game-changing technology in sustainable textile finishing. It dramatically cuts chemical waste and energy consumption, while increasing productivity and quality. We will show attendees how our systems work and in what applications they are ideal for, as well as take questions. These are great opportunities to experience innovations that drastically improve both the process and product quality, while saving time and chemistry, and contributing to a more sustainable future.”

Sappi Europe received a platinum score in the latest EcoVadis rating. On of the leading global providers of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions retained its top position from the previous year among the leading one per cent of all companies assessed which exhibit high activity and responsibility with regard to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

• Sappi Europe receives top rating for sustainability
• Unlocking the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities and the planet

As part of its clear strategic goals in relation to sustainability and environmental protection, Sappi reached a new milestone. A market leader in environmentally friendly packaging and graphic papers received a platinum score in this year’s sustainability rating from EcoVadis, establishing itself as one of the top performers, with a score well above the overall average. The EcoVadis rating covers a total of 21 criteria, which in turn are divided into four general areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Encouraging sustainable operations across the entire value chain have been a key part of Sappi’s corporate strategy for many years. Sappi’s entire business model and investments in research and development are based on the use of renewable materials. The environment management approach of the global company includes a variety of strategies designed to improve its ecological footprint. For 2025, Sappi has linked its sustainability targets to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Sappi has long held principles based around People, Planet and Prosperity and with  a heightened focus on seven of the SDG’s they believe they can deliver  real impact and contribute to the global sustainable development agenda.

The platinum rating from EcoVadis demonstrates that Sappi not only talks about sustainability, but actively works towards ensuring it in a very practical way. The whole world is talking about sustainable solutions and looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. Sappi is focused on providing product solutions to the market. A few weeks ago, the market leader presented a number of solutions relating to functional paper packaging as part of its ‘Pro Planet Paper Packaging’ campaign to enable sustainable, high-quality packaging for food and non-food products.

Sappi Europe is extremely proud to have obtained the EcoVadis Platinum rating and while certification and recognition go a long way to helping our work we also acknowledge at Sappi Europe that we are part of a global community that need to continue to strive in all our business areas to create the change needed to help our customers become truly sustainable. The recyclable nature of products derived from woodfibre are essential to creating a more circular economy, where the world’s resources are kept in use longer and more creatively. By responsibly sourcing materials, reducing material waste and emissions , carefully considering product end-of-life, and aiming to use the full potential of trees, we actively promote more sustainable systems explains Sarah Price, Sappi Europe’s Sustainability Manager

Following the successful commissioning of two new Monforts Montex wide-width stenter lines and additional environmental management equipment at its plant in Germany, GtA – Society for Textile Equipment GmbH – is aiming to be the first textile finishing company to become entirely CO2-neutral in the manufacture of all of its products by 2025.

GtA is a partner company to Germany’s large-format digital printing fabric leader, Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH, which has has this year been able to considerably expand its portfolio due to the new Monforts lines.

Headquartered in Gross-Zimmern, close to Frankfurt, Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH and its partners in Germany have an annual production of 37 million square metres of warp knits for a range of end-use applications, including garments, automotive interiors and technical textiles, but increasingly with a concentration on digital printing substrates.

Fault-free textiles

A new standard in pure white, 100% clean and fault-free textile substrates has been demanded by this market in recent years due to the rapid growth in digitally-printed banners and billboards – often referred to as ‘soft signage’.

The substrates of choice for digital printing are 100% polyester warp knits which are resilient and allow excellent take-up of inks, and vibrant colours and clear and precise images to be achieved with digital printing techniques. The knitted construction also has the advantage of elasticity, which is a plus in terms of flexibility for installers.

Critically, the warp knitted fabrics have extremely smooth surfaces which is becoming increasingly important due to the general move away from PVC coatings which were the standard in the past.

It was to finish these fabrics for Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH as well as providing such services for many other customers, that the GtA plant in Neresheim, Baden-Württemberg, was established in 2015.

The purpose-built plant on a greenfield site was initially equipped with a fully-automated, 72 metre long Monforts installation comprising a washing machine integrated with a 3.6 metre wide, seven-chamber Montex stenter. The line quickly went from single to double shift production and then to 24/7 operation  to meet demand.

Expanded widths

Building on the success of this installation, GtA has now installed two more Montex stenter lines – both in expanded working widths of 5.6 metres and purpose-built at Montex GmbH in Austria.

A six-chamber Montex unit is combined with a washing machine to guarantee the purity of the substrates, while a five-chamber line is integrated with a wide-width coating machine. This new coating capability at GtA has led to a number of new additions to the Georg and Otto Friedrich DecoTex range for digital printing, including wide width fabrics with flame retardant, antimicrobial and non-slip finishes.

The new Montex stenter lines benefit from all of the latest innovations from Monforts, including the Smart Sensor system for the optimised maintenance planning of key mechanical wear components on the stenters. A comprehensive overview of the condition of all parts at any time is now available for operators within the highly intuitive Qualitex visualization software.

With Qualitex, all article-specific settings can be stored and the formulations for thousands of treatment processes called up again at any time. Individual operators can also personalise their dashboards with the most important machine functions and process parameters.

Environmental commitment

GtA is run by a seasoned team of textile professionals led by Managing Director Andreas Niess.

“We have received excellent service from Monforts from the outset and we were happy to place the order for these two new lines as part of our ongoing cooperation,” he says. “With all of the latest Monforts advances in technology we are fully in control of all production and quality parameters with these lines, as part of our significant commitment to innovative environmental technology.”

The GtA plant, which operates in near-cleanroom conditions, has also been equipped with proprietary technology to fully exploit the Monforts air-to-air heat recovery systems that are now standard with Montex stenters.

“Around 30 per cent of our investment volume at the site goes to energy-saving measures and we are sure that this commitment is worthwhile,” Mr Niess says. “As an example, our integrated heat recovery system fully exploits the waste heat from the process exhaust air and the burner exhaust gases of the Monforts stenters, allowing us to achieve an exhaust air temperature of  between 30 to 34°C, compared to what would conventionally be between 140 to 160°C. Another focus has been on exhaust air purification technology and here too, the latest technology has been installed with integrated heat recovery elements.”

This, he adds, saves 52% of the energy that would normally be used – equating to 5,800,000 KwH per year. The necessary audits for energy-efficient companies are also carried out annually.

In addition, GtA has purpose-designed the automatic chemical mixing and dosing systems that feed the padders for the key treatments that are carried out on the fabrics through the stenters.

The company is going further, however, in its pursuit of clean production and raw materials.

"We want to be an asset and not a burden on our immediate environment and therefore do not use any additives containing solvents," Mr Niess says. “We were the first to use fully halogen-free flame retardant chemistry, and we use bio-based, finely ground alumina products for the washing process instead of surfactants. PES polyester yarns made from recycled material are also increasingly used and the latest additions to our raw materials portfolio, the RC-Ocean products, are made from recycled sea plastic.

“We are now planning a combined heat and power plant for the production of electrical energy and heat and we will also build a photovoltaic system that converts solar radiation into electrical energy. GtA wants to be the first textile finishing company to be CO2-neutral in the manufacture of all of its products by 2025. The complete heat supply and heating for the 13,000 square metre production hall, as well as the office building and the hot water supply for the domestic water, is already energy-neutral. We are convinced that this commitment will pay off in the long term and our positive business development proves that sustainability and business profitability are perfectly compatible.”

In addition to the products for Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH, GtA  offers its manufacturing capacities for other customers as a contract service.

All products are manufactured in accordance with Öko-Tex Standard 100, product class 1 and the company is also involved in the research and development of new sustainable manufacturing processes, in cooperation with many regional universities and funding project partners.

Starting midth of July, brands and retailers can join the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, a new system for responsibly grown cotton that will provide annual data for six areas of sustainability in line with the UN Sustainability Goals. This year-on-year data available for the first time will allow brands and retailers to better measure progress towards meeting sustainability commitments.

The Trust Protocol underpins and verifies sustainability progress through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification. By working with Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture and Control Union Certifications North America, the Trust Protocol enables brands and retailers to better track the cotton entering their supply chain. Brands who become members of the Trust Protocol will have access to aggregate year-over-year data on water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, soil carbon and land use efficiency.

The Trust Protocol is a complement to existing sustainability programs and is designed from the ground up to fit the unique cotton mass-growing environment of the United States.

Last month the Trust Protocol was added to Textile Exchange’s list of 36 preferred fibres and materials that more than 170 participating brands and retailers can select from as part of Textile Exchange’s Material Change Index programme.

• ISKO and Bluesign announce their partnership for the creation of a cleaner, safer, and transparent world of denim. ISKO just released its landmark
• Sustainability Report, setting the target of achieving bluesign® APPROVED accreditation by the end of 2020.

Denim is a timeless staple in wardrobes around the world. ISKO, the leading denim ingredient brand, and Bluesign, the architects of a sustainable and responsible textile supply chain, are joining forces in a partnership. Alliances like this are the source of effective improvements.

ISKO has a long-standing commitment to ensure the integrity of its ingredients and the traceability of the fibers and materials used in its denim apparel. By releasing the Sustainability Report, ISKO again demonstrates its commitment to creating and designing denim apparel that has a positive connection with the planet. In this report, a primary target of ISKO is to achieve bluesign® APPROVED accreditation for its denim textiles, attaining the strictest industry standard for consumers and environment alike.

With the goal of completing this process by the end of 2020, the company has already performed bluesign® COMPANY ASSESSMENT at an above-average level. This shows how ISKO anticipates changes rather than simply reacting to legal or stakeholder requirements, pursuing an approach that has a huge potential and includes several actions for further improvements. Through this partnership, ISKO and Bluesign continue the movement of the textile and fashion industry into a future that pays more attention to people and the environment, because only when both are considered can the industry truly make a positive long-lasting impact.

“ISKO, as the soul of jeans, has a vision for denim that is creative in design and innovative in the use of technologies. These distinct qualities in combination with a determined commitment to a sustainable supply chain makes ISKO a true leader in the textile industry. We look forward to the next impactful steps we will take together.” Jill Dumain, CEO, bluesign technologies. “As the leader of this industry, we feel it is our responsibility to be and act as a force for good. We have always prioritized transparency and accountability, highly valuing every improvement that can be achieved by sharing values and goals through partnerships. This one makes us particularly proud, as it raises the bar of our efforts and challenges us to maintain our improvement efforts.” Ebru Ozkucuk Guler, Senior Sustainability & CSR Executive.