From the Sector

Girbau is driving more efficient and connected automation with the new version of its Genius system, the expanded-capacity Genius washers, and the intelligent Sortech sorter.

Girbau will once again take part in Clean Show, the leading industrial laundry event in North America, held from August 23 to 26 in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). This year, the company’s proposal focuses on connectivity, efficiency, and innovation in professional and self-service laundry. 

The company will host live demonstrations of its latest industrial and commercial laundry solutions, including new machine models, connected systems, and integrated platforms designed to optimise efficiency, performance, and user experience.

Among the main highlights this year are the new Genius XL washers, which expand the Genius range with high-capacity models — available in 40, 57, and 110 kg versions. The entire range now features Genius 3.0, an upgrade that enhances connectivity and introduces new functionalities such as remote updates, customised programme and screen management,and daily reports without the need for additional systems, making it easier to optimise consumption and maintain operational control.

The company will also showcase industrial equipment such as the CompactPro folder and ironer, the DRE automatic feeder, and notably, the Sortech sorting system – an advanced solution that automates the sorting and classification of soiled laundry using UHF RFID technology. This system improves efficiency and safety while reducing training and maintenance time, making it ideal for high-volume laundries.

During Clean Show, attendees will have the opportunity to connect directly with Girbau staff, customers, and distributors, and engage in dynamic interactions at the booth, where new products will be presented alongside sessions on commercial sales, the Sortech system, the Genius range, and the Tunnel Batch System, providing a comprehensive overview of the company’s latest innovations. There will also be attractive financing options, special promotions, and a lively live programme.

PureCycle Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:PCT), a U.S.-based company revolutionizing plastic recycling, announced a partnership with Emerald Carpets, a leader in trade show carpets. This collaboration aims to transform the trade show carpet industry by creating closed-loop circularity in carpet production.

As part of the partnership, Emerald Carpets signed an commercial supply agreement with PureCycle for approximately 5 million pounds annually of PureFive™ resin. PureFive Choice™ resin will be blended into Emerald Carpets' existing fiber production, enabling them to immediately exceed the current policy-mandated recycled content requirement in California. PureCycle and Emerald Carpets qualified the resin for numerous applications and are currently testing additional applications to expand the portfolio offering.

The partnership includes PureCycle recycling used trade show carpets from Emerald
Carpets, designed to transform the material into purified fiber-grade recycled polypropylene (rPP) pellets. Successful recycling of the materials would allow Emerald Carpets to then manufacture new carpets out of the rPP, creating a sustainable carpet-to-carpet solution. This should allow Emerald Carpets to meet California's carpet-to-carpet (closed loop) recycled content requirements that go into effect in 2028.

Throughout 2025-2026, Emerald Carpets and PureCycle plan to work together at their respective production facilities in Dalton, Georgia, and Ironton, Ohio, to develop, test and ultimately scale the process, anticipating the use of more than 5 million pounds annually, with the goal of delivering circular trade show carpets to the marketplace.

The partnership has experienced successful trials by Emerald Carpets using purposeformulated PureFive Choice™ resin, including Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) material. The trial demonstrated the potential of high-performance carpets made with PCR rPP content to meet the demands of trade show environments. Traditionally, sourcing drop-in PCR rPP for carpet production has been a challenge due to the complex nature of carpet fiber manufacturing and the limitations of mechanically recycled rPP material.

Currently, polypropylene represents a significant part of carpet fibers, as alternatives have been scarce. PureCycle's innovative, dissolution recycling technology enables carpet manufacturers to reduce their reliance on virgin materials in the production of high-quality carpets, paving the way for a more sustainable carpet and events industry.

The Global Electronics Association, based in Illinois, announces the release of IPC-8911, Requirements for Conductive Yarns for E-Textiles Applications. This first-of-its-kind global standard establishes a clear framework for classifying, designating, and qualifying conductive yarns—helping to address longstanding challenges in supply chain communication, product testing, and material selection within the growing e-textiles industry. The Global Electronics Association retains the IPC brand for the industry’s standards and certification programs, which are vital to ensure product reliability and consistency. 
 
Developed by the IPC Conductive Yarns for E-Textiles Test Methods Task Group, IPC-8911 defines key yarn categories, introduces a standardized designation system, and includes qualification and conformance requirements tailored to conductive yarns. The standard is supported by eight new IPC-TM-650 Test Methods, designed to evaluate performance characteristics such as conductivity, mechanical durability, and resistance to environmental and chemical exposures.

By clearly defining the performance characteristics and communication protocols for conductive yarns, IPC-8911 supports faster product development, more consistent sourcing, and improved reliability for all e-textiles product applications, from consumer to medical to aerospace and defense.
 
The release of IPC-8911 marks a critical step in advancing e-textile integration—establishing conductive yarns as true electronic building blocks while supporting better collaboration between yarn suppliers, product developers, and OEMs and brands.

The task group included global experts from both textile and electronics sectors, with leadership from Joe Geiger of Bally Ribbon Mills and Sahar Rostami of Meta.
 
“This standard gives manufacturers tools to know what to ask for when ordering yarns and helps yarn suppliers understand the electrical needs their products must meet,” said Geiger. “It brings clarity to the entire process—acting almost like a recipe for building reliable e-textile systems.”
 
Rostami added, “IPC-8911 eliminates the guesswork. It gives developers, researchers, and engineers a common framework and accelerates R&D by reducing the need to reinvent the wheel when selecting and testing conductive yarns.”

To ensure swimwear not only looks good in summer but also performs reliably, textile precision is essential. Behind every bikini and swimsuit lies a sophisticated production process, where even the smallest errors can have major consequences.

Elastic, Shape-Retaining, and Chlorine-Resistant
Swimwear must meet a wide range of requirements: high elasticity, recovery, UV resistance, and durability against chlorine are basic standards. These properties are made possible by technical knits based on polyamide or polyester combined with elastane. Typically produced in tricot knit, these fabrics are stretchable in both directions – ideal for a close fit and full freedom of movement in water.

But to achieve a perfect final product, the material composition alone is not enough. Processing in the earlier production stages – especially fabric forming and finishing – plays a crucial role. Elastic materials are particularly prone to distortion. If this isn’t corrected before further processing, the result can be skewed patterns, uneven seams, or misshaped silhouettes.

Distortion-Free Fabric as a Quality Feature
This is where Mahlo’s Orthopac RXVMC comes into play. The latest addition to the weft straightener family is designed specifically for elastic materials with high distortion dynamics – a common feature in swimwear. Equipped with two independently driven straightening modules – one at the fabric’s entry and one at the exit – the system enables particularly fine and rapid corrections. It reliably compensates for skew and bow distortions before the fabric continues to the next production steps. The result is not only improved fit but also stable printing and finishing outcomes.

Technology for Perfect Finishing
Only when the fabric is precisely aligned can finishes like chlorine resistance, UV protection, or the popular lotus effect be applied evenly. Accurate dosage is critical: too little finish limits functionality; too much wastes raw materials and drives up costs.

To ensure precise control of these processes, Mahlo has developed the Qualiscan QMS – a modular online measurement system equipped with application-specific sensors for thickness, basis weight, or moisture. It continuously monitors the finishing process, ensuring consistently high product quality.

Swimwear may look light and playful at first glance – but in reality, it’s backed by highly sensitive textile technology. Only when all stages – from fabric alignment to straightening and finishing – are perfectly coordinated, can a product emerge that passes the ultimate summer test. With technologies like Orthopac RXVMC and Qualiscan QMS, Mahlo provides the tools to manufacture summer textiles that are not only stylish but also functional and cost-efficient.

The third edition of the SMCCREATE conference, organised by AVK and the European Alli-ance for SMC BMC, will take place again in Prague (Vienna House Diplomat Prague), Czech Republic, on November 04th – 05th, 2025. The event brings together international experts to discuss the latest developments and applications in the field of SMC/BMC.

SMC and BMC – Innovative materials for modern designs
SMC (sheet moulding compound) and BMC (bulk moulding compound) are high-performance fibre composites that are particularly suitable for the manufacture of light-weight, complex-shaped components – they combine structural properties with a smooth surface. For this reason, SMC and BMC are increasingly being used in a wide range of end applications and markets.

Application-oriented content for the areas of design and development
SMCCREATE will once again offer a compact and high-quality program in 2025:
Over the course of one and a half days, leading companies and research institutions such as AOC, Owens Corning, Menzolit and TU Delft will present the latest findings, best prac-tices and innovative solutions relating to the use of SMC and BMC in modern construction processes.
Participants can look forward to a total of 15 presentations on the topics of market & trends, sustainability and design.

Ahead of this year’s ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition in Singapore from October 28-31, industry leading companies Archroma, BW Converting and Monforts will take part in a webtalk with German association VDMA on September 18th.

The three companies will share insights from recent trials conducted at the Monforts Advanced Technology Center in Germany, where a Baldwin TexCoat™ G4 spray unit has been integrated into a Montex stenter to apply Archroma’s latest waterborne chemicals. The collaborative effort aims to maximise resource efficiency and throughput in textile finishing. In addition, the partners will unveil details of a new, cutting-edge line concept set to debut at ITMA Asia in Singapore.

Installed in 2024 at the Monforts Advanced Technology Center in Mönchengladbach, the full-width Baldwin TexCoat G4 unit has enabled extensive real-world testing of advanced finishing formulations. The system’s integration into the Montex stenter has provided a valuable platform for evaluating performance, precision, and sustainability across a wide range of application scenarios.

“This work now enables us to guide manufacturers through the transition from standard impregnation processes to spray application systems, which have the potential to reduce water and energy consumption as less water is needed to transport the chemicals to the textile surface,” explains Michael Schuhmann, Global Marketing Segment Manager for Technical Textiles at Archroma Textile Effects. “Our latest addition to this range of options is a patent-pending, highly wash durable hydrophilic softener which enhances the longevity of the treated fabrics and will be commercially available soon.”

Commercial success
BW Converting is already seeing commercial success with the Baldwin TexCoat G4 system in the field. In Pakistan, for example, its integration into Montex stenters using Archroma chemistry has proven to be a highly effective line concept for bed sheet production.

“We have helped our customers double their stenter output, while also significantly enhancing the hand feel of the finished fabrics,” says Rick Stanford, Vice President of Business Development for Textiles at BW Converting.

Independent testing by Fashion for Good, a global platform for sustainable textile innovation, compared TexCoat G4 spray application with traditional pad-based finishing, using a Monforts stenter and Archroma formulations. The results confirmed that combining advanced equipment design, process expertise, and tailored chemistry can significantly reduce energy and water consumption while improving capacity utilisation for textile mills.

Monforts has long focused on developing optimised processes paired with energy-efficient machine layouts. Building on the success of their recent collaboration, the three partners are now working on a similar resource-saving concept, combining Monforts’ Thermex continuous dyeing range with the new Baldwin TexChroma spray dyeing system and Archroma dyestuffs.

“We are committed to continuing to work together with a focus on bringing transformative change to the dyeing and finishing space,” says Monforts Technologist Saskia Kuhlen.

The VDMA webtalk, Driving Innovation in Sustainable Textile Finishing and Beyond, will take place from 14.00 – 15.30 CET on September 18th and invitations will be published a week in advance via the VDMA LinkedIn channel.

AZL Aachen GmbH, a leading engineering partner for lightweight technologies, is initiating a new cross-industry collaboration titled “High Value Composite Applications – A Joint Market and Technology Study on Opportunities for Fiber-Reinforced Plastics in Space & Defence Applications.” The project brings together international companies to explore and quantify the potential of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) in two of the most dynamic innovation markets: space and defence. 

Shaping Emerging Markets with Composites 
The demand for high-performance, lightweight, and modular components is accelerating rapidly in both sectors. With more than 50,000 satellites projected in orbit by 2035 and significant defence investments being implemented across Europe and beyond, the relevance of scalable composite-based structures has never been greater. This Joint Partner Project (JPP) aims to provide participants with a consolidated market and technology roadmap, combining deep technical insights with actionable strategic data.  

A Proven Collaboration Format 
The project will be executed as a Joint Partner Project – a pre-competitive, cost-shared initiative moderated and conducted by AZL. This format allows companies from across the value chain to jointly define focus topics, benefit from AZL’s expertise in market and technology analysis, and contribute their own perspectives throughout the process. Having coordinated over 15 such industry projects with more than 200 participating companies, AZL offers proven processes for delivering structured outcomes and fostering effective exchange between partners. 

Kick-off and Participation 
The project will begin with a Kick-off Meeting on July 15th, 2025. All participating companies will have the opportunity to introduce their organizations, share their expectations, and help define the specific scope of the study. This setting fosters transparency, engagement, and cross-industry insights. Companies interested in participating are invited to request the detailed project description and schedule an individual consultation with AZL’s industrial services team:

Contact
Philipp Fröhlig 
Head of Industrial Services 
Email: philipp.froehlig@azl-aachen-gmbh.de 
Telefon: +49 241 475 735 14 

Source Fashion opens Tuesday, 8th July, at Olympia London, welcoming buyers, retailers, and sourcing professionals from around the world. Running until 10th July 2025, the show will host over 250 makers and manufacturers from over 22 key sourcing regions, including UK, Portugal, Morocco, India, Nepal, Italy, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Türkiye, France, and China, to name just a few.
 
With leading retailers and brands such as AllSaints, Burberry, Frasers, French Connection, Gymshark, Harrods, JD Sports, John Lewis, JoJo Maman Bebe, Killstar, Lyle & Scott, Next, Paul Smith, Primark, River Island, Selfridges, Tottenham Hotspur, Victoria Beckham, Zalando, and more, already pre-registered, Source Fashion is set to be a must-attend event for businesses looking to source responsibly and discover innovative solutions to industry challenges. 
 
Exhibitor Highlights
Returning this season, Amplebox Ltd is a Leicester-based womenswear manufacturer with over 30 years' experience delivering fast-turnaround outerwear to major UK and European retailers. Specialising in design-to-delivery solutions, the company has sharpened its focus on sustainability and ethical production.
 
Deni Mai, based in Istanbul with design offices in London and LA, brings premium denim and knitwear across womenswear, menswear, and childrenswear. Known for flexible minimums, quick lead times, and sustainable techniques like laser finishing, they offer full-service production tailored to today’s market demands.
 
Glovika, a rising Nigerian label from Abuja, showcases bold, bespoke garments that fuse contemporary style with vibrant African textiles. Their presence underscores the global momentum behind African fashion and the demand for culturally rich, responsibly made collections.
 
Exhibiting as part of the Made in Ethiopia initiative, a delegation of Ethiopian manufacturers will showcase the country’s growing strength in sustainable apparel production. Supported by the Sustainable Industrial Clusters project (backed by the British and German governments), the pavilion highlights Ethiopia’s capacity as a reliable sourcing destination, with over 100,000 workers in the sector and a focus on ethical manufacturing within its industrial parks. With duty-free access to the UK under the EBA agreement, Ethiopian producers are poised to connect with international buyers seeking scalable, responsible solutions.
 
From Insight to Impact: Exploring Trends, Innovation, and Ideas on the Source Stage
Visitors can immerse themselves in the latest trends and insights shaping responsible fashion with the Source Catwalk Show, presented three times daily. This season, the catwalk puts pre-loved garments centre stage through a new partnership with leading circular fashion platform Reskinned. Curated by the Source Fashion team, the show features womenswear looks built from exhibitor collections and pre-loved pieces, highlighting how resale, reuse, and repurposing can deliver trend-led, high-impact style. The result is a bold, visual statement that proves pre-loved fashion is not only sustainable, but undeniably stylish.
 
Source Fashion’s thought-leading content programme returns this July with a sharp focus on how to thrive in a volatile world. Running across two stages over three days, the agenda tackles the real challenges facing fashion businesses today, from supply chain resilience and ethical sourcing to pricing pressures and changing consumer behaviour. Back by popular demand, the Source Debates Stage delivers bold, provocative conversations designed to spark honest reflection and collective problem-solving. 
 
Key Speaker Highlights 

• Finding clarity from chaos – leading with purpose. Fireside chat, Lynda Petherick, Chief Information Officer, New Look and Non-Executive Director, British Fashion Council shares honest reflections on steering teams through disruption.
• Leading and collaborating through geopolitical and economic upheaval. Hash Ladha, Former CEO, Jigsaw delves into how strong internal alignment, cross-functional communication, and strategic supplier partnerships can build resilience and help businesses navigate global instability with confidence.
• The new ‘New’ - is pre-loved the future of fashion? Fashion Director and renowned sustainability advocate Bay Garnett explores whether the explosion of second-hand marketplaces and rental platforms represents a lasting shift or passing trend.
• When will consumers really pay more – are they ready? Panel with Anna Berry, Co-Founder and Director, Retail 100, Berni Yates, Knowledge Exchange Lead, CSM and Mark Sumner, Textiles Lead, WRAP
• Rethinking the rules - what would a smarter fashion system look like? Mark Sumner, Textiles Programme Lead – WRAP on Source Debates Stage to reimagine fashion’s supply chain from the ground up

After being previewed at key industry events like Kingpins Amsterdam and Denim Première Vision Milan and following the success of several industrial-scale trials, Officina39 announces the official launch of ZeroPP|ALL.IN, a breakthrough process that allows for the complete replacement of Potassium Permanganate (PP) in denim finishing. The innovation lies in a significant simplification: the entire workflow can now be performed directly onto raw garments using just one product, making the system more accessible, efficient, and sustainable than ever before.

Despite its well-documented toxicity and environmental risks, PP remains widely used for its ability to deliver worn, vintage effects at low cost. Finding a viable replacement has been a key challenge for the industry, until now. Finally, Officina39 presents a unique innovative product that replaces Potassium Permanganate at the beginning of the process and can be applied directly to raw garments.

ZeroPP|ALL.IN offers a four-step workflow:

1. Spray or nebulization application – The ZeroPP|ALL.IN single product is applied directly onto raw denim garments.
2. Laser marking – Performed immediately after ZeroPP|ALL.IN single product application, to define graphics or wear patterns.
3. Dry Ozone treatment – Executed immediately after Laser marking without rinsing; ozone reacts with the laser-marked areas to replicate the typical indigo corrosion of PP.
4. Final washes and finishing – To deliver the complete, ready-to-market garment. This one-cycle process reduces time, energy, and water consumption, while enhancing safety, transparency, and creative control. It’s the ultimate solution for brands and laundries aiming to transition away from hazardous legacy practices, positioning ZeroPP|ALL.IN as a feasible and cost-efficient real solution for the industry.

“ZeroPP|ALL.IN represents the fulfillment of a path we began years ago,” says Andrea Venier, Managing Director of Officina39. “Through continuous refinement, real-world  testing, and feedback from our customers and partners, we’ve achieved a true turning point. The result is a streamlined, single-product process applied directly to raw garments, finally making the full replacement of Potassium Permanganate both sustainable and industrially viable.”

EURATEX and its Danish member Dansk Mode & Textil are calling upon the Danish Presidency of the EU to bring back stability and transparency to the European agenda. These last few months major upheavals and turbulence in global markets have been seen, as well as uncertainty surrounding a number of regulatory initiatives. All this creates a climate of uncertainty for European industry and anxiety with the consumers. As a result, demand for textile and garments is low, and entrepreneurs are hesitant to make any further investment decisions.

The Danish Presidency should do its utmost to restore confidence in the EU, by setting clear timelines and a regulatory pathway, which will allow our companies to make their investment and business plans for the next 5 years. 

Specifically, the associations encourage the Presidency to move forward on some specific dossiers:

• Ensure that the Circular Economy Act will support the demand for sustainable textile products and create a single market for textile waste (en-of-waste criteria);
• Accelerate the much needed reform of the Union Customs Code, and adopt specific measures much faster (e.g. on the de minimis threshold) and much bolder (e.g. going beyond the €2 handling fee for on line parcels);
• Move forward on implementing the Waste Framework Directive, allowing EPR schemes to be rolled out across the EU in a harmonised way. 
• Clarify the future of the Green Claims initiative, which is an important initiative to avoid greenwashing in the fashion industry. 
• Put the ratification of the Mercosur FTA back on track as quickly as possible, as European textile companies stand to gain from that agreement
• By contrast, carefully monitor the negotiations with India, to ensure a comprehensive and balanced agreement can be reached (as against a quick and partial deal).
• Quickly move forward with the Energy Union, which should result in much needed lower energy prices for our European manufacturers.
• Ensure a more efficient and coherent regulatory chemicals framework through a REACH revision, which increases transparency and predictability, and retains companies from relocating outside of the EU.

Thomas Klausen from DM&T commented as follows: “In these uncertain times we need the EU as a stabilising factor, and this also goes for the Danish fashion and textile industry. It is crucial that EU creates a level playing field and ensures the predictability, the industry needs to make the necessary investments. We hope that the Danish Presidency will be a key driver in ensuring this.” 

Dirk Vantyghem from EURATEX added: “Our textile companies face too many uncertainties. While the EU cannot solve them alone, we expect from the Danish Presidency to show some leadership and move forward on these many urgent topics. We have no time to loose if we want to safeguard the competitiveness of our industry.”

The Danish textile and clothing industry contributes 87 billion Danish kroner annually to Denmark's total GDP and helps create 96,000 jobs in Denmark.

The industry accounts for six per cent of total Danish goods exports and thus plays a central role in Danish the economy as a whole.