From the Sector

Photo: Messe Frankfurt

28.08.2026

Cinte Techtextil China 2026 to open next week

As Asia’s premier platform catering to the evolving needs in technical textiles and nonwovens, Cinte Techtextil China will open next week at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, gathering over 300 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions. Across Halls W3 to W5, this edition will create chances for fast-growing sectors and emerging trends – such as Mobiltech, Medtech & Protech, Indutech and more. The curated zones, pavilions, and fringe programme are designed to better connect exhibitors with targeted buyers from across China, Asia-Pacific, and further afield. Meanwhile, the Association Village will gather international industry associations to foster even more global collaboration.

As a hub for global innovation, the fair will feature a strong contingent of international industry leaders in Hall W5’s Overseas Zone, including Andritz (China) Ltd, Groz-Beckert (Germany), A.Celli SPA (Italy), and Dilo (Germany), while others such as Picanol NV (Belgium) will showcase in Hall W4.

The sought-after European and German Zones will also be in Hall W5, featuring high-performance solutions from such markets. Key suppliers in the European Zone will include Monosuisse Group (Switzerland) and Comerio Ercole S.p.A (Italy), while the German Zone will include IBENA Textilwerke GmbH and Mahlo GmbH + Co KG. Nearby, the Textile Chemicals and Dyes Zone will return to offer advanced solutions for diverse technical applications.

A key highlight of Hall W5 is the Association Village, designed to showcase expertise, foster international trade networks and collaboration, as well as present the latest trends that shape the industry’s future. Key organisations anchoring this feature include the Asia International Hemp Federation (AIHF) (Thailand), UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), Government of Tamil Nadu India, and Nonwoven Federation of India (NWFI).

Targeted solutions displayed across high-demand application areas
With the technical textiles and nonwovens markets evolving, exhibitors are presenting advances engineered for critical application areas across the show floor:

Mobiltech: highlighted suppliers include JR Ltd (Korea) and Eastex Industrial Science & Technology (China). Also on the domestic side, Tiandingfeng Holdings Co Ltd will showcase high-strength PET filament needle-punched nonwovens. The Mobiltech Zone, set to feature other key exhibitors, will also be in Hall W4.
Medtech: featuring first-time exhibitor NIPPON Paper Industries Co Ltd (Japan) with its Cu-TOP product – a functional material derived from wood pulp combined with copper technology. The Reifenhauser Group from Germany will also be in Hall W5, with Reifenhauser Reicofil presenting full nonwoven production lines, and Reifenhauser Enka Tecnica the service components that aid their longevity. Joining the lineup, Yixiang Health Technology Co Ltd and Zhejiang Kingsafe Hygiene Materials Technology Co Ltd will both showcase medical and hygiene nonwovens.
Protech: key Protech exhibitors include a new exhibitor Tepar Tekstil San Ve Tic A S (Turkiye), and Dawnsens New Materials (Xiamen) Co Ltd (China), both showcasing advanced safety materials.
Indutech: IMAE Industries Ltd (Japan) will make its debut at the fair. The company specialises in thermal insulation fibre products and supplies fine ceramics for heavy industry, automotive, iron and steel, chemical, power generation and more.

Other first-time international brands will include Care Holdings Pte Ltd (Singapore) and Texbond Nonwovens (India); while China’s innovation will be spotlighted with domestic pavilions in Hall W3 featuring medical and hygiene textiles and in Hall W4 featuring filtration and separation textiles. Exhibitors are set to be greeted by a wide range of industry visitors.

Before the fair, overseas visitor pre-registrations have risen notably compared to the same period last year. These include 139 VIP buyers from 27 countries and regions, such as Hyundai Motor Company and Sejong Healthcare (Korea), Meditec Japan Co Ltd (Japan), ALSICO (Belgium), Focus Industries Limited (Hong Kong), Freudenberg Performance Materials Service GmbH and MöllerWerke GmbH (Germany), seeking high-demand solutions across Mobiltech, Medtech and Protech, Indutech, and more. In addition, seven international buyer delegations, from industry hubs across Asia-Pacific and beyond, will add to the fair’s global business appeal.

Fringe events explore innovation, emerging markets, and automotive trends in Halls W4 and W5

Panel Discussion (Day 1 morning) (W5 E20): the discussion topic, Industrial Hemp Fibre – Building the Future of Sustainable Materials, will take Thailand as a successful example to explore the use of advanced hemp fibre materials through cross-sector innovation and international investment. Complemented by the AIHF display area (W5 B20), featuring the evolution of raw hemp stalks into modern bioplastics, composites, mobility components, lifestyle products and other engineered applications.
2026 Nonwovens Industry High-Quality Development Conference (Day 1 afternoon) (W4 D38): under the theme ‘Redefine the growth paradigm’, Ms Guimei Li, President of China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association, will show China’s nonwovens development during the 15th Five-Year Plan. Guest speaker Mr Anshumali Jain, Vice President of the Nonwoven Federation of India, will discuss the situation and opportunities of India’s industrial ecosystem, while Mr Tony Fragnito, President of the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, will explore the state of the US market.
Automotive textile panel (Day 2 afternoon) (W5 E20): titled “Defining the Future Cabin: Multi-functional Evolution of Nonwoven Materials in Automotive”, the panel will include automotive end users, Tier-1 automotive interior suppliers, and upstream nonwoven technology providers. The Mobiltech Display Area (W4 F25) will complement the panel, with exhibits from Groz-Beckert, AIHF, Care Holdings Pte Ltd, Swisstulle (Qingdao) Co Ltd, and more.

Other key events include a presentation on sustainability by UKFT and the Sustainability Tour by Mr Karl Borgschulze, Managing Director of Consulting Service Intl Ltd (both on Day 2 morning) (W5 E20); other guided tours led by industry experts (covering medical, protective, automotive, and tents & coverings); Technology Innovation and Product Development for Future Technical Textiles; Deeyeo Flushable Wipes Scientific Consensus Release and Industry High-Quality Development Dialogue; and a display zone dedicated to Industrial Textiles in the 15th Five-Year Plan.

The fair’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span a full range of potential uses in modern technical textiles and nonwovens. These categories also cover the entire industry, from upstream technology and raw materials providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This scope of product groups and application areas ensures that the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry.

More information:
Mobiltech MedTech ProTech Indutech Cinte Techtextil China Messe Frankfurt Shanghai

Source:

Messe Frankfurt

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28.08.2026

NC State joins $160 million initiative for biobased fibre materials

NC State University is a core partner in the BRIDGES Engine initiative backed by the US National Science Foundation, with up to $160 million available over ten years. A central focus is the development of miscanthus and switchgrass as feedstocks for biobased products.

The plant fibres are intended for applications including automotive, construction and packaging. NC State will contribute techno-economic assessment, sustainability analysis and processing expertise to convert agricultural feedstocks into fibre materials suitable for industrial use.

For technical textiles, the initiative is particularly relevant because it goes beyond laboratory-scale material development and aims to build supply chains, processing capacity and regional markets in parallel.

More information:
NC State University Biomaterials Automotive Buildtech research

Source:

NC State University

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Photo (c) Avient Corporation

Dyneema SK80 fiber

28.08.2026

Dyneema SK80 targets significantly longer service life for mooring lines

Avient is introducing Dyneema SK80, a new HMPE fibre grade for mooring lines and offshore applications. According to the company, the fibre was engineered at polymer level to deliver at least twice the durability and fatigue resistance of Dyneema SK78 in demanding mooring applications.

The technological emphasis is therefore less on headline tensile strength than on service life under cyclic loading. In mooring systems, repeated load cycles, abrasion, bending stress and environmental exposure are major failure drivers. Improved fatigue resistance can therefore have a direct effect on maintenance intervals, operational safety and lifecycle costs.

The new fibre will be presented at SMM in Hamburg in early September. For Textination, the development is relevant because high-performance fibres are increasingly being positioned not only through weight and strength advantages, but through durability, reliability and the total cost of technical textile systems.

More information:
Avient Corporation polymer DSM Dyneema High-Performance Fibres Marine Applications

Source:

Avient Corporation

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Photo by Fashion for Good

10.08.2026

Moving Beyond PFAS: Fashion for Good Launches New Project

Fashion for Good announced the launch of Project DW(O)R-X, a collaborative initiative designed to benchmark PFAS alternative durable water- and oil-repellent (DW(O)R) chemistries. Responding to growing market demand for alternatives to PFAS based finishes, the project aims to generate reliable, comparable data that can support informed sourcing decisions and the assessment of emerging chemistries.

Historically, durable water- and oil-repellent (DW(O)R) finishes have been used to help materials stay dry, clean and durable over time. Some formulations have contained per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a group of chemicals characterised by their high persistence. As a result, PFAS can remain in the environment for extended periods, bioaccumulate in humans and ecosystems, and have been associated with adverse health effects when exposure exceeds established thresholds.

Despite the momentum towards PFAS-based alternatives, several challenges remain. First, many currently available alternatives do not match the oil repellency and long-term durability of PFAS-based finishes. Second, there is currently no unified approach to assessing performance, and existing protocols do not always reflect real-world use, making meaningful comparisons between solutions difficult. Third, current benchmarks no longer reflect the capabilities of today’s PFAS alternative solutions; updated benchmarks are needed to identify leading solutions and understand performance gaps, to help inform R&D and scale-up efforts. Finally, as the industry works to identify suitable alternatives, it is essential to carefully assess their environmental and health impacts to minimise the risk of regrettable substitution, where one problematic substance is replaced by another without sufficient understanding.

To address these core challenges, Project DW(O)R-X will benchmark nine PFAS alternative solutions, ranging from early-stage innovations to established chemistries, across three dimensions: performance, environmental impact, and cost. To support this, project partners have developed a performance framework designed to better reflect real-world use by incorporating multi-condition testing and custom stains relevant to sportswear and outerwear, including soil, sunscreen, and sweat.

This approach will enable the group to test a performance framework built on combining various standardised methods. The insights generated can help establish a common reference point for the industry: brands and mills can use it to inform internal decision-making, while chemical companies can rely on it to substantiate performance claims.

The project brings together an exciting group of industry stakeholders, including leading brands adidas and C&A, manufacturing partners Shahi Exports, Paradise Textiles, Positive Materials and Wujiang Fuhua Fabric Co., alongside technology providers Archroma, Daikin Chemicals Europe, Dow, Dryfiber, Jintex, Lamoral Coatings, Pulcra Chemicals, Rudolf, and vandeyk.tech. Performance testing will be conducted by SGS.

“The challenge for the whole industry isn’t just phasing out PFAS: it’s ensuring we don’t replace it with something equally concerning that we understand less well. Right now, brands and mills are navigating this transition without updated benchmarks to compare these alternatives. Project DW(O)R-X gives them the data they need: performance testing that reflects real-world use, comprehensive impact assessment, and a better understanding of cost structures. This is how we enable informed decisions and genuine progress toward safer chemistry at scale.” Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good.

“We have not allowed the intentional use of PFAS in our products for many years. However, phasing out PFAS across the sector requires coordinated action across the value chain. A responsible transition depends on shared changes in manufacturing practices, supported by accessible and reliable alternatives that are understood and available at scale. Project DW(O)RX provides a rigorous benchmarking framework to evaluate alternatives across performance, environmental impact and cost. By collaborating with other brands and partners, we are contributing to a shared knowledge base that supports progress towards safer chemistry, while maintaining the quality and durability our customers expect.” C&A External Affairs

More information:
Fashion for Good PFAS-free PFAS DW(O)R-X project water repellency oil repellency

Source:

Fashion for Good

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With UMT, Freudenberg Performance Materials becomes a full-service provider of advanced wound care.

03.08.2026

Freudenberg Performance Materials acquires Foshan United Medical

Effective July 31, 2026, Freudenberg Performance Materials (Freudenberg), a leading global manufacturer of technical textiles, has acquired Foshan United Medical Ltd. (UMT). The sellers are UMT founder Dr Xiaodong Wang and a private Chinese founding partner. UMT is a leading full-service supplier of advanced wound care products. The company with headquarters and state-of-the-art production facilities in Foshan, China, has a workforce of some 200. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

“Freudenberg Performance Materials and Foshan United Medical are a perfect strategic match. Going forward, the merger will enable us to offer a unique portfolio of technologies and products as an innovative full-service supplier in the market for advanced wound care”, Dr. Andreas Raps, CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials, commented. Dr. Xiadong Wang, CEO and founder of UMT, underscored: “The innovative strength and high level of customer orientation characteristic of both our companies make for an ideal fit, they are the cornerstone for expanding our success.”

Technologies and regulatory know-how
UMT has state-of-the-art technologies at its disposal. Core competencies range from fiber manufacturing or functionalization to nonwoven production and final packaging, sterilization and marketing authorization.

UMT’s regulatory know-how, successful international first approvals for products as well as patents granted in China, Europe and the USA are another key element for expanding the healthcare business of Freudenberg Performance Materials.

Individual solutions for customers
With the UMT takeover, Freudenberg Performance Materials can cover all important steps in the value chain in-house, and thus offer one of the broadest technology platforms in the market for advanced wound care. In future, the company will provide a wide range of solutions for different applications: dressings made of polyurethane foam, with silicone coatings or antimicrobial agents such as silver. Alginate-based absorbent fiber solutions, chitosan- and CMC-based wound dressings supplement the portfolio. The broad technological foundation unlocks comprehensive options for individual adaptation and enables tailormade solutions for customers all over the world.

More information:
Freudenberg Performance Materials Foshan United Medical Ltd. China wound care

Source:

Freudenberg Performance Materials

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03.08.2026

SGL Carbon & X-energy: Capacity expansion for Nuclear-Grade Graphite

SGL Carbon and X-energy announced a binding agreement to double SGL’s production capacity for medium-grain isotropic graphite (“NBG-18”), a specialized material central to X-energy’s Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. X-energy and SGL Carbon’s agreement would expand the supply chain for a critical long-lead material, supporting execution of X-energy’s commercial pipeline.

Under the agreement, X-energy will invest up to $8 million in milestone-based payments to support new facilities and equipment upgrades at SGL’s site in Chedde, France, enabling the facility to produce graphite billets for up to eight new Xe-100 reactors per year. SGL Carbon has concurrently agreed to expand U.S. capacity for machining of billets into graphite blocks, helping to ensure greater supply chain continuity for a safety-critical material. Full execution would double European manufacturing capacity for NBG-18 by 2030, with additional capacity investments under consideration across multiple regions to further debottleneck initial billet production.

The expansion builds on a 10-year Supplier Framework Agreement established in January 2026, which included an initial three-year award valued at over $100 million for X-energy’s first commercial projects. The first NBG-18 graphite blocks produced under this award at SGL’s site in Chedde have since been shipped to SGL sites in the United States, for machining into components. This follows a successful prototyping campaign which began earlier this year, consisting of non-nuclear testing and validation at X-energy’s Technology and Advancement Center in Frederick, Maryland (USA) in advance of final production.

“Commercializing new nuclear at scale rests first and foremost on our ability to significantly expand the new nuclear supply chain, a challenge that extends beyond any one company, supplier, or nation,” said J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy. “We look forward to driving this work forward with SGL, and to engaging with potential partners who share our bold vision for a robust, resilient, U.S. and allied nuclear supply chain.”

“By jointly expanding our production capacity for nuclear-grade graphite, we are reinforcing the importance of our partnership and ensuring reliable supply to X-energy. For SGL Carbon, this agreement is a strategically important step that strengthens our position in the highly specialized growth market for nuclear-grade graphite, underscores the importance of our graphite expertise for safety-critical applications, and opens up attractive opportunities for further growth,” said Andreas Klein, CEO of SGL Carbon.

NBG-18 is a nuclear-grade graphite central to the Xe-100 design, functioning as a neutron moderator, and a structural component of the pebble-bed core. The material was first developed for South Africa's Pebble Bed Modular Reactor program, and later the U.S. Department of Energy's (“DOE”) Next Generation Nuclear Plant project, two direct predecessors to X-energy’s Xe-100. Through these, X-energy’s and SGL Carbon’s own initiatives, NBG-18 has undergone extensive qualification work for commercial nuclear operation, gathering operational data that helps to validate the material’s performance over decades of high-temperature operation.

Initial NBG-18 production is intended to support X-energy’s first commercial deployment of the Xe-100 reactor, a proposed four-unit plant in partnership with Dow Chemical Company under the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), with additional capacity secured for follow-on projects to support manufacturing readiness for safety-critical, long-lead materials. SGL Carbon’s and X-energy’s partnership is part of a growing, diversified portfolio of experienced suppliers supporting Xe-100 deployment, as well as the continued development of a global industrial supply chain.

More information:
SGL Carbon SGL Carbon SE X-energy NBG-18 Nuclear-Grade Graphite

Source:

SGL Carbon SE

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From the Sector

Cinte Techtextil China 2026 to open next week

NC State joins $160 million initiative for biobased fibre materials

Dyneema SK80 targets significantly longer service life for mooring lines

Moving Beyond PFAS: Fashion for Good Launches New Project

Freudenberg Performance Materials acquires Foshan United Medical

SGL Carbon & X-energy: Capacity expansion for Nuclear-Grade Graphite