From the Sector

On Thursday, September 24, the Lenzing Group, a leading manufacturer of wood-based cellulose specialty fibers, and Hof University opened a new Nonwoven Development Center (VEZ). As a strategic partner, Lenzing has access to a state-of-the-art development line at the campus in Münchberg with immediate effect. This offers new opportunities for sustainable fiber and nonwoven innovations for a wide range of applications including hygiene, body care and medical.

In line with the sCore TEN corporate strategy, the Lenzing Group is focusing on sustainable innovations, which are agreed in an optimum manner to the needs of the value chain. „We offer our customers and partners a decisive competitive advantage: agility. The pilot plant in the VEZ allows the resource-efficient development of fiber and nonwoven innovations on a small scale”, Jürgen Eizinger, Vice President Business Unit Nonwovens at Lenzing, explains.

The VEZ was completed according to schedule in September 2020, after Lenzing and the University of Hof signed a cooperation agreement for its use in 2019. The timing is perfect. Developments at political level, such as the directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment, increase demand for responsibly manufactured nonwovens. The so-called Single-Use Plastics Directive aims at building awareness and greater transparency with regard to wet wipes and feminine hygiene products.

With its VEOCEL™ branded wood-based cellulose fibers, Lenzing has been laying the foundation for many years for sustainable nonwoven applications and will test and develop innovative ideas using the new possibilities offered by the VEZ. „We are noticing increasing interest in sustainable concepts from biodegradable cellulose fibers“, Jürgen Eizinger sums up the market development of the last months and adds: „We are aware that the fibers used have an enormous influence on the final product. For this reason our commitment goes beyond fiber production.“

With the spunlace pilot plant at the VEZ, Lenzing will support customers and partners more intensively in the development of new nonwoven applications and at the same time promote cooperation in the field of marketing. In the previous year, the company already established new certification standards for the VEOCEL™ brand. Since then certified manufacturers can only use the VEOCEL™ logo with blends of biodegradable cellulose fibers. With this measure, the VEOCEL™ brand allows consumers to make a more conscious product selection.

With its #ItsInOurHands environmental initiative, the VEOCEL™ brand also actively contributes to creating awareness. More detailed information can be obtained on itsinourhands.com.

Singapore – As global interest in sustainable textile production continues to soar, mills that have adopted Huntsman Textile Effects’ all-in-one ERIOPON® E3-SAVE textile auxiliary for polyester processing, which launched one year ago, have collectively saved more than 130 million liters of water.

Demand for polyester fabric is being driven by seemingly insatiable consumer appetite for sportswear and athleisure clothing. Sales in the sector have been on an upward trend for several years and are even proving resilient amid Covid-19 market disruption. However, dyeing of polyester and its blends has traditionally been resource intensive, time consuming and costly.

Huntsman Textile Effects’ next-generation ERIOPON® E3-SAVE textile auxiliary was engineered to address these challenges. It eliminates the need for separate pre-scouring, allowing pre-scouring, dyeing and reduction clearing to be combined in a single bath. Mills that use ERIOPON® E3-SAVE can thus dramatically shorten the polyester dyeing process and save water, energy and cost.

“Our innovations aim to help mills improve their productivity and competitiveness while also contributing to the textile industry’s shift to more sustainable practices and a reduced environmental footprint,” said Kerim Oner, Global Marketing Manager, Huntsman Textile Effects. “With ERIOPON® E3-SAVE, we have harnessed the unparalleled technical expertise and application know-how of our research and field teams to develop a product that is proven to reduce costs for mills and that meets current and anticipated industry sustainability standards.”

Dae Young Textile Vietnam Co., Ltd, a forerunner in sustainable textile production in Asia, was an early adopter of the ERIOPON® technology. Results from bulk production show that ERIOPON® E3-SAVE has reduced process time by over 20 percent and water consumption by over 50 percent, delivering annual cost savings of up to 30 percent.

“ERIOPON® E3-SAVE delivers a combination of best-in-class performance and value. It allows us to have the shortest possible processing cycle, which is key for us to deal with increasing industry pressure for faster turnarounds,” Jeong Won Oh, General Manager, Dae Young Textile Vietnam, said. “Alongside dramatic time savings, we are also saving water, energy and ultimately cost. Huntsman’s best-in-class products and high level of technical support help keep businesses like us productive.”

This unique polymer technology of ERIOPON® E3-SAVE promotes controlled exhaustion to ensure right-first-time level dyeing. It extracts oil and oil-based impurities from the fiber during processing and displays a high affinity to disperse dyes, enabling the rapid removal of unfixed surface dyes from the fiber during reduction clearing. The technology also enhances reproducibility and improves wet- and rub-fastness.

ERIOPON® E3-SAVE saves time, water, energy and cost in polyester dyeing by combining pre-scouring, dyeing and reduction clearing in a single bath. An advanced multi-action dyeing auxiliary in the dyEvolutionTM range, it delivers environmental and economic sustainability.

Textilien sind untrennbarer Teil des Interieurs, denn sie geben einem Raum Atmosphäre und eine gute Akustik. Doch welcher Stoff ist für welchen Zweck am besten geeignet?

• Einzigartige Beidseitigkeit: drapilux 173

Viele Menschen benötigen zum Schlafen vollkommene Dunkelheit. Im Hotel ist eine gute Verdunklung deswegen essentiell. Blackout-Artikel drapilux 173 vereint die funktionellen Ansprüche perfekt mit der Ästhetik der Gästezimmer. Das Besondere an diesem Blackout ist seine Beidseitigkeit: Im Digitaldruckverfahren wird die rohweiße Ware auf beiden Seiten mit der gleichen Struktur, aber in unterschiedlichen Farbnuancen bedruckt. Das raumhohe Dessin wechselt in der Farbpalette gekonnt zwischen klassisch und modern. Fünf Kolorits befinden sich im Non-Colour Bereich, die restlichen sieben setzen farbige Akzente.

• Trust the vibes, energy doesn’t lie!

Advanced design and sustainability, innovation, aesthetics and quality, made of “ethical” laces and tights of very high quality standards and a careful look at fashion. Iluna Group, strengthened by this heritage, with a smart approach, carefully selected materials, know-how on processes and particular attention to the ecosystem, is a leader in its sector

With the FW 21-22 collection, Iluna Group focuses on design excellence aimed at perfection driven by this particular historical moment, in which preferring quality over quantity has become necessary: offering ever higher standards of quality is combined with the choice of reducing minimum waste in a way of working that becomes more thoughtful, studied, focused and less hectic.

The range of sustainable products expands by adding to the GRS certified Green Label, the BIOLINE, made with raw materials such as the precious ROICA™ V550 premium stretch fiber which belongs to ROICA Eco-Smart ™ family produced by Asahi Kasei able to combine elasticity and comfort and other benefits in terms of circular economy related to the health of materials, as demonstrated by the Gold Level Material Health Certificate by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute, and by the world's first biodegradable polyamide 6.6 yarn AMNI SOUL ECO®, fibers that degrade completely in the environment under anaerobic conditions.

The exceptional natural dyes proposed are made with vegetable dyes extracted from various plants, with a color chart that now has 14 shades, all with solidity within the OEKO TEX® Standard 100 and all GOTS certified. No chemical product is used for the dyes, including the softening finish, for which an equally natural product is used.

All the products of the Iluna Group collections can be made in a recycled or organic variant.

Iluna Group participates to Milano Unica and digitally at all sector fairs, a new way of communicating that together with the use of social media - accompanied by the launch last year of the official website and e-commerce with all the collections and the ilunamasks.com site dedicated to the sale of the exclusive Iluna masks - it can be transformed from a necessity to a great resource and an opportunity to enhance a 360° sustainable attitude. Iluna, even before the pandemic, has always considered the sustainable aspect a priority in its work and now, in the light of this new landscape, the many years of experience gained benefits the company by pushing it to place itself more and more as a precursor of sustainable innovation.

The constant commitment to responsible solutions makes Iluna Group the only lace manufacturer to use - since 2017 - transformed stretch in the entire range of its elastic laces. Iluna Group excellence is based 100% on responsible innovation, guaranteed by the most important certifications. The creation of smart lace, strictly Made in Italy, is also Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified. Today Iluna is a reference point for international markets and boasts products with OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification.

• Gemeinsam für die Zukunft der Pflege

Berlin - Die Pflege- und Gesundheitsberufe sind vom Fachkräftemangel besonders betroffen. Um dem entgegenzuwirken, haben sich die Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin und die Vivantes Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH in der Hauptstadt zusammengeschlossen und in diesem Jahr einen Ausbildungscampus für Gesundheitsberufe gegründet. Für bis zu 3.500 Auszubildende wollen sie in Zukunft an einem Campus Aus- und Weiterbildungen für die Gesundheitsberufe anbieten. Bis dahin wird an drei Standorten in Berlin-Neukölln, Mitte und Reinickendorf gelehrt und gelernt.

Anfang 2020 ist mit dem Berliner Bildungscampus für Gesundheitsberufe (BBG) der größte Ausbildungscampus für Pflegeberufe in Deutschland eröffnet worden. Unter dem Motto „nah an der Praxis, nah am Menschen“ erlernen bereits jetzt 2.100 Auszubildende Pflege- und Gesundheitsberufe an drei verschiedenen Standorten in Berlin. In den nächsten Jahren werden die beiden Träger Vivantes und die Charité die Zahl der Ausbildungsplätze schrittweise auf 3.500 erhöhen. Neben den neun Ausbildungsberufen besteht am BBG auch die Möglichkeit, sich weiterzubilden und zu qualifizieren. Da Lehre und Forschung im Gesundheitswesen in den letzten Jahren immer näher aneinandergerückt sind, bietet der Campus in Kooperation mit drei Fachhochschulen außerdem Duale Studiengänge an. „So schaffen wir neue Dimensionen des Austausches, verbinden verschiedene Fachbereiche und Akteure des Gesundheitswesens und legen den Grundstein für ganzheitliche Pflegeansätze“, sagt Judith Sefzik, Marketingreferentin des BBG.

Für die zukunftsweisende Ausbildung mussten neue Räumlichkeiten her. In Reinickendorf wurde deswegen ein ehemaliges Bürogebäude angemietet und umgestaltet. „Die Herausforderung war, dass die bestehende Raumaufteilung nicht für den Schulbetrieb geeignet war“, so Ralf Ruske, Inhaber von r2_innenarchitektur und design und verantwortlich für den Umbau. „Entsprechend haben wir alle Wände bis auf die tragenden entfernt und die Stockwerke neu strukturiert.“ Die Restrukturierung erfolgte in Rekordzeit. Nach nur vier Monaten wurde im September 2019 der erste Bauabschnitt übergegeben, der zweite folgte nach einem weiteren knappen halben Jahr im März 2020. In den neuen lichtdurchfluteten, modern ausgestatteten Räumen des Campus Nord lernen nun die Auszubildenden der Pflegeschule 1, Pflegeschule 2 und Pflegehilfeschule. In jedem Klassenzimmer befindet sich ein Smartboard, das interaktiven Unterricht ermöglicht, dessen Ergebnisse allen Lernenden zur Verfügung gestellt werden können. Unterstützt und betreut werden die Auszubildenden von Lehrenden und Verwaltungsangestellten, die sich in hellen, freundlichen Räumen um alle Belange von der Anmeldung über die Erstellung von Unterrichtskonzepten bis zur Zeugniskonferenz kümmern.

Große Fenster sowie sandbeige Böden und Möbel in Weiß und aus hellem Holz verleihen allen Räumen eine gewisse Leichtigkeit und Großzügigkeit. Zur besseren Orientierung im Gebäudekomplex wurde ein gebäudeübergreifendes Farbkonzept für die Unterrichtsräume und die Verwaltung entwickelt. Dieses spiegelt sich an Wänden sowie in den Vorhängen wider. Für letztere fiel die Wahl auf Stoffe des Emsdettener Textilherstellers drapilux. „Wir haben Stoffe gesucht, die praktisch und strapazierfähig sind. Die drapilux-Stoffe passen sich hervorragend in das Gesamtkonzept der Innenausstattung ein und erfüllen die technischen Anforderungen. Sie sind flammhemmend, pflegeleicht und knitterarm“, erläutert Torsten Jacques, Raumausstatter und Geschäftsführer der zoom GmbH.

Insgesamt kamen 1,4 Kilometer des Faux-Uni 109 zum Einsatz. Passend zur Akzentfarbe der Stirnwand wurde in den Unterrichtsräumen ein beruhigendes Blau gewählt. In den Büros und Konferenzräumen der Verwaltung hängt ein helles, trendiges Grau vor den Fenstern. An sonnigen Tagen spendet der semi-transparente Stoff Schutz vor der Sonne, während die Räume weiterhin hell bleiben. Ausgestattet mit der intelligenten Zusatzfunktion drapilux air sorgen die Textilien zudem für eine gute Raumluft. Metallsalze, die in die Stoffe eingearbeitet sind, brechen Geruchsmoleküle auf und verwandeln sie in unbedenkliches Kohlenstoffdioxid und Wasser. Auf diese Weise werden schlechte Gerüche permanent abgebaut. „Wir sind sehr zufrieden mit den neuen Räumlichkeiten“, so Judith Sefzik. „Die helle, freundliche Atmosphäre schafft eine wunderbare Lernumgebung.“

• ECOSENSOR™’s new references combine high-performance and innovation to empower people with the possibility to live life naturally both for mind and body.
• The new range is woven from certified ingredients, a completely traceable production process and highly certified suppliers               

"A New Eco high-tech force of Nature", a bold claim, a daring attitude and true facts. ECOSENSOR™ by Asahi Kasei has concentrated all its key values into a Nature-driven and high-tech fabric collection that respects the environment and human being.

Sustainability, active climate control, exquisite touch and extreme performance co-habit the textiles: the collection is made of wovens and knits where the main technology is represented by GRS - Global Recycle Standard certified polyamide and polyesters, sometime combined with ROICA™ recycled stretch yarns and dyed and finished with Oekotex Standard 100 certified processes and/or by BlueSign® partners’ companies.

But there is much more than it meets the eye.

Behind the new collection is a great story of sustainability.

"Our international team strives to innovate with a human-based approach to research and develop solutions that meet high-performance standards as well as the transparency and traceability of both the ingredients and the supply chain", says Mr. Hashimoto, Senior Managing Director of Asahi Kasei Advance, the global materials innovator and manufacturer.

Indeed, the company has set the high bar all its suppliers and partners must match. Such criteria include: thoroughly transparency and traceability of both materials and production, corporate responsibility at all levels and a strategic commitment granted by influential certifications such as GRS - Global Recycle Standard for recycled ingredients and processes, as well as Bluesign® and OekoTex Standard 100 certifications, which focus on environmentally-friendly impact of the dyeing and finishing processes.

The human, environmentally-friendly and cutting-edge imprint of ECOSENSOR™ ultimate collection reflects a vision for a more responsible way of fabric manufacturing.

A new force of nature, because story telling truly must match the story making.

• Die beliebten Taschen, Rucksäcke und Accessoires aus gebrauchtem Feuerwehrschlauch sind auch bei zahlreichen Händlern erhältlich

Die einzigartigen Modelle des Kölner Kult-Labels Feuerwear bringen kreative Individualisten, Nachhaltigkeitsbewusste und Feuerwehrfans schon seit 15 Jahren sicher, praktisch und stylisch durch die Einsätze des Alltags. Alle Produkte werden aus gebrauchtem Feuerwehrschlauch hergestellt – jedes ein Unikat mit Charakter. Das umfangreiche Sortiment umfasst vielseitige Taschen, Rucksäcke, Gürtel, Portemonnaies, Handyhüllen, Kultur- und Sortierbeutel sowie Schreib- und Federmappen. Das kann sich sehen lassen! Für alle, die sich nicht nur ein Bild der Produkte über den Webshop, sondern hautnah im Einzelhandel machen möchten: Kein Problem. Mit der „Händlersuche“-Funktion lässt sich schnell das nächste Ladengeschäft finden, das Feuerwear-Produkte anbietet.

Jederzeit einsatzbereit, modern und umweltbewusst: Die individuellen Umhängetaschen und Rucksäcke von Feuerwear bieten viel Platz, Schutz und setzen ein Zeichen für Nachhaltigkeit. Schließlich bestehen sie aus gebrauchtem Feuerwehrschlauch, der sonst als Abfall die Umwelt belasten würde. Die Einsätze der Feuerwehren haben auf jedem Schlauch eigene Spuren hinterlassen. Hinzu kommen Aufdrucke von Prüfnummern, DIN-Normen und Schlauchlängen – so wird jedes Modell zum exklusiven Unikat mit einer eigenen Geschichte. Durch das Upcycling wird der Lebenszyklus des robusten Materials also verlängert.

Charmant und äußerst flexibel für jeden Einsatz gerüstet, präsentiert sich das Sortiment von Feuerwear wie ein Löschzug der amerikanischen Feuerwehr: Mit Phil als Handtasche, Scott Gordon als Messenger-Bags, Henry als Kulturbeutel und Eric, Elvis sowie Elliot als diverse Rucksacktypen. Einmal das besondere Material anfassen, den Tragekomfort testen und schauen, ob Farbe und Form zu einem passen? – Dafür ist der Gang zum lokalen Händler doch immer zu empfehlen.

• Members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – have adopted a range of new strategies in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, aimed at assisting manufacturers of textiles and apparel to adjust to a new normal, as Europe and other regions emerge cautiously from lockdown.

“Many European companies have been forced into testing new working methods and looking at what it’s possible to do remotely, and how to exploit automation to the full, in order to become more flexible,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “Others have been taking risks where they see opportunies and there’s a new sense of solidarity among companies.

“It’s extremely encouraging, for example, that over five hundred European companies from across our supply chain are reported to have responded to the shortages of facemasks and PPE – protective personal equipment – by converting parts of their sites or investing in new equipment.”

New supply chains

Amongst them are TMAS members of the ACG Group, who quickly established a dedicated new nonwovens fabric converting and single-use garment making-up plant to supply to the Swedish health authorities. From a standing start in March, this is now producing 1.8 million square metres of converted fabric and turning it into 692,000 finished medical garments each month.

“In 2020 so far, we have seen new value chains being created and a certain amount of permanent reshoring is now inevitable,” says Premler-Andersson. “This is being backed by the new funding announced in the European Union’s Next Generation EU plan, with €750 billion marked for helping industry recover. As the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has stressed, “green and digital” transitions hold the key to Europe’s future prosperity and resilience, and TMAS members have new solutions to assist in both areas.”

Remote working

Automated solutions have opened up many possibilities for remote working during the pandemic. Texo AB, for example, the specialist in wide-width weaving looms for the paper industry, was able to successfully complete the build and delivery of a major multi-container order between April and May.

“Our new Remote Guidance software now makes it possible for us to carry out some of the commissioning and troubleshooting of such new lines remotely, which has been helpful” says Texo AB President Anders Svensson.

Svegea of Sweden, which has spent the past few months developing its new CR-210 fabric relaxation machine for knitted fabrics, has also successfully set up and installed a number of machines remotely, which the company has never attempted before.

“The pandemic has definitely led to some inventive solutions for us and with international travel currently not possible, we are finding better methods of digital communication and collaboration all the time,” says Svegea managing director Hakan Steene.

Eric Norling, Vice President of the Precision Application business of Baldwin Technology, believes the pandemic may have a more permanent impact on global travel.

“We have now proven that e-meetings and virtual collaboration tools are effective,” he says. “Baldwin implemented a home office work regime from April with only production personnel and R&D researchers at the workplace. These past few months have shown that we can be just as effective and do not need to travel for physical meetings to the same extent that was previously thought to be necessary.”

Pär Hedman, Sales and Marketing Manager for IRO AB, however, believes such advances can only go so far at the moment.

“Video conferences have taken a big leap forward, especially in development projects, and this method of communication is here to stay, but it will never completely replace personal meetings,” he says. “And textile fabrics need to be touched, examined and accepted by the senses, which is impossible to do via digital media today. The coming haptic internet, however, may well even change that too.”

Social distancing

The many garment factories now equipped with Eton Systems UPS work stations – designed to save considerable costs through automation – have meanwhile benefited from the unintentional social distancing they automatically provide compared to factories with conventional banks of sewing machines.

“These companies have been able to continue operating throughout the pandemic due to the spaced nature of our automated plant configurations,” says Eton Systems Business Development Manager Roger Ryrlén. “The UPS system has been established for some time, but planned spacing has proved an accidental plus for our customers – with improved productivity.”

“Innovations from TMAS member companies have been coming thick and fast recently due to their advanced know-how in automation concepts,” Premler-Andersson concludes.  “If anything, the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic have only accelerated these initiatives by obliging our members to take new approaches.”

• There is an urban legend that hemp canvas was used to make the very first pair of Levi’s jeans.
• While this is a myth that originated in the counterculture of the 1960s, hemp is without doubt the fibre of the moment for the denim industry.

At the second Kingpins24 virtual denim show that was broadcast from New York on June 23rd and 24th, the sustainable benefits of hemp fibre were referenced by many Monforts customers who are now including it in their collections, including AGI Denim, Artistic Milliners, Black Peony, Calik, Cone Denim, Naveena Denim Mills (NDM) and Orta.

“Hemp is an easy to grow fibre which requires no irrigation, no fertilizers, no herbicides and no chemicals,” says Allan Little, Director of Product Development for Cone Denim, which has recently launched its Sweet Leaf collection featuring the fibre. “Significantly, it also uses fifty per cent or even less water than cotton in cultivation.”

It can also bring some new aesthetics to denim too, he adds.

“Hemp has a unique colour and adds a different cast to our indigo, the drape and texture of the fabrics is different and it even adds  a bit of a unique hand, so combined with its sustainable credentials we are proud to be bringing the Sweet Leaf collection to the market.”

US supply chain

Cone is currently sourcing its hemp from France, but with much of its manufacturing now in Mexico – and with the introduction of the US Farm Bill in 2018 which has legalised the growing of legal hemp – is exploring the possibility of investing in the US supply chain.

“With US hemp we’re really at the R&D phase,” Little emphasises. “It’s a unique crop, so coming up with the right stalk to provide the right fibre is challenging. We’ve experimented with different types of seed and various methods of decortication.”

Decortication, he explains, is the mechanical removal of the outside layer of the hemp stalk to useable fibre on the inside. A second process, cottonization, is necessary to make the fibre suitable for spinning, because compared to cotton, hemp is longer, stiffer, and less flexible.

100% success

At the end of 2019, Naveena (NDM), headquartered in Karachi, introduced fabrics featuring up to 51% hemp content in blends with Tencel and recycled polyester and this year has developed the first 100% hemp denims.

“The response to the fabrics we showed last year was incredible and we were looking forward to the response to this latest development – which everyone was asking for – at the Kingpins show in Amsterdam, which unfortunately was unable to go ahead,” says NDM’s Director of Marketing Rashid Iqbal. “We produced initial samples in an undyed state because we were not sure how the wet spun yarn would react in the dyeing, but I’m happy to say we have had success in this respect and are now able to provide one hundred per cent indigo dyed hemp denim.”

Environmental benefits

“Differentiation is the key in the highly-competitive denim industry and we have assisted our customers with trials and optimised processing parameters for a range of different fibres, including hemp, both at our Advanced Technology Centre in Germany and at their own mills around the world,” says Hans Wroblowski, Monforts Head of Denim. “Given the environmental benefits of hemp, and the liberalisation of its cultivation in many parts of the world, the interest in it now comes as no surprise. We have the technologies and know-how to help our customers to fully maximise their hemp denims at all post-weaving stages of production.”

Monforts has a dominant position in the field of denim finishing with its well proven Montex stenters. It has been enjoying further recent success with its Eco Line concept based on two key technology advances – the Eco Applicator and the Thermo Stretch.

The latest Monforts innovation for denim is the CYD yarn dyeing system. This technology is based on the effective and established dyeing process for denim fabrics that is now being applied for yarn dyeing.

The CYD system also integrates new functions and processes into the weaving preparation processes – spinning, direct beaming, warping and assembly beaming, followed by sizing and dyeing – to increase quality, flexibility, economic viability and productivity. A full CYD line is now available for trials at the company’s Advanced Technology Centre.

Masks yes, but with comfort, safety and also style: Cifra, Iluna Group, Rosti and Sitip launch masks with a fashion touch with the premium stretch fiber ROICA™
 
Big companies are updating their productions with high-performance and high technical characteristics masks, result of their historical experience and thanks to an exceptional partner in common: the premium stretch fiber ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei. And the solidarity race continues to donate them to hospitals and to the Red Cross
 
Forced to keep most of the face covered and often for a long time during the day, solutions that are above all performing and comfortable become increasingly necessary.

And solutions that are also a manifestation of our personality, which remains hidden and entrusted to the mere expression of the eyes. Walking on the streets we sometimes even don’t even recognize each other, since we are so hidden; and the desire to minimize the situation often takes over, together with that desire to make us recognizable, to possess and express an identity anyway. For fans of escaping homologation (now more than ever mandatory and for this reason even more difficult) “rescue comes” - and this is the case to say it - from illuminated companies who have thought about creative solutions for those with masks has to do all day, at home, at work, during sports and in leisure time. To feel more comfortable, there are many proposals: more “street style” for sports addicted and young people - inside and outside -, more elegant and sophisticated for women.

Textiles companies have joined the fight against Covid-19 engaging a strong and decisive personal and productive battle, which has seen many of them transform and convert their production units for the production of masks and gowns intended for medical personnel and the community.

Some of the most established excellences of the textile sector as Cifra, Iluna Group, Rosti and Sitip have made use of the precious collaboration of ROICA™, the premium stretch fiber by Asahi Kasei. ROICA™ is the innovative and smart premium ingredient chosen by these companies to guarantee even more comfort, thanks to an exceptional top-level component that gives elasticity for perfect adherence to the skin. Each of the companies then declined its production according to its specificity. And this is their important contribution.

Cifra presents the eco-sustainable version of the mask, the ECO-MASK™, which combines the high performance of Cifra knitting technology with the sustainability of the materials used. The 100% regenerated yarns create a 100% sustainable mask with 83% ECONYL and 17% ROICA™ V550 elastomer, the stretch fiber certified Cradle to Cradle Gold Health Level which allows excellent and lasting printability, as well as advantages regarding the circular economy as it does not release harmful substances into the test environment according to the Hohenstein Environmental Compatibility certification.

Iluna Group, European leader in the production of lace, has recently donated 400 protective “smart”  made with ROICA™ EF, the world first GRS - Global Recycled Standard – certified elastomer and which uses 58% of pre-consumer recycled content, mixed with Q-NOVA® by Fulgar. Multi-use, washable, bacteriostatic, breathable and water-repellent prevention masks gave to San Gerardo Hospital in Monza to answer to the Call to action launched on March 19th by the green journalist Diana De Marsanich, with the responsible and innovative materials expert Giusy Bettoni of C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub, the fashion designer Marina Spadafora of Fashion Revolution Italia and the entrepreneur Simona Roveda of LifeGate. Iluna Group also announces the launch of the website dedicated to the direct sale of the different kind of masks all made with three layers, antibacterial and anti-drip treatment and washable up to 10 times. Iluna Group has also created the “smart” masks made with ROICA™ EF, the world first GRS - Global Recycled Standard – certified elastomer and which uses 58% of pre-consumer recycled content, mixed with Q-NOVA® by Fulgar.

In addition to the “smart” masks, available for women, men and children, Iluna Group has created two special versions of Lace Masks, covered with refined lace. One embroidered on a cotton base and one with soft microfiber.

Rosti, historic knitwear factory based in Brembate specialized in the design and production of cycling clothing with the best technical fabrics and the most advanced technologies, has put its experience at the service of the production of protective masks washable up to 20 times, made with Sitip fabric and with the anti-drop treatment Ecoacquazero®. Fascinating and protective like a second skin, the masks are sold in a pack of 10 pieces with captivating, colorful, geometric and original graphics, designed for every personality.

Rosti masks contain the premium stretch fiber ROICA™ Resistance, a family of premium stretch yarn with particular performances of resistance and durability.