From the Sector

One piece at a time - work with precision, grow with wisdom: Luciano Vivolo unveils the strategy that has enabled his company to navigate these challenging years for the world of luxury and, particularly, leather: technological investments, diversification of supply and markets, sustainable innovation, and hope for the future, without ever conceding on quality.

In a demanding and competitive field such as haute couture, achieving nearly fifty years of success does not happen by chance. It requires consistently staying one step ahead, designing the future in its most elegant details while safeguarding the identity and uniqueness that form the foundation of a company’s heritage. What distinguishes Vivolo, for example, is its refined and original designs, the ability to develop prototypes in just 24 hours, and the capacity to produce over 8 million articles a year, all adhering to the company’s high-quality standards.

These founding values of Vivolo are rooted in the prestigious manufacturing tradition of Made in Italy. However, as founder and president Luciano Vivolo explains, while these values remain essential, they are no longer sufficient to guarantee success for Italian companies. "In recent years, we have faced all sorts of variables, unpredictable or, worse, unforeseen. The belief of luxury, like many cornerstones of our society and industry, is no longer as firmly established as it once was. The sector is experiencing a crisis with deeper roots than many might imagine. At Vivolo, we are tackling this situation as we always have, by working patiently, designing, cutting, sewing, and creating one piece at a time, but always looking towards the horizon to recognize new opportunities and needs."

In 2024, just one year after inaugurating its efficient and modern headquarters in Bologna (San Lazzaro), Vivolo announced the expansion of its production department. This 1,000 square-meter addition of machines, dedicated to footwear and leather goods, complements the company’s existing 10,000 square-meter production facility. The strategic decision to invest more than one million euros in these segments materialized not only in the purchase of advanced machinery but also in the hiring of highly qualified personnel and structural improvements that enabled the company to increase production volumes.

In addition to this vertical growth, Vivolo has also pursued horizontal expansion by strengthening its network of sales agents in Northern Europe, particularly Germany, Holland, and Scandinavia, and the Far East, focusing on South Korea and Japan. These regions, especially important for Vivolo’s denim sector, value the company’s iconic leather labels, which are hot-printed, high-frequency (HF) or digitally produced, making each garment unique. Vivolo’s innovative capabilities are further enhanced by a state-of-the-art 3D machine, which eliminates the need for die-casting facilities, significantly optimizing costs, time, and resources. A prototype can now be produced in just a few hours.

However, the range of Vivolo’s accessories extends far beyond this. Each season brings dozens of new themes that explore sustainable materials, innovative processes, original designs, and unique techniques to anticipate fashion trends and offer unexpected, inimitable solutions to luxury brands. At the heart of Vivolo's business is environmental ethics, a vision that embraces the product in all its dimensions while integrating both working and human processes and relationships.

"As rhetorical as it may sound, our corporate culture is built on the idea of leaving a better world, or the best possible world, for future generations. For me, this need is closely and pragmatically tied to my four children. From the first patches I created to mend my son Salvatore’s trousers in the 1970s to the investments in our new headquarters and the recent production expansion, every decision has been driven by the desire to build a better future for the Vivolo family and company, and for generations to come," adds Luciano Vivolo.

Looking ahead, the company, which prides itself on maintaining up-to-date certifications, including the recently added OEKO-TEX® LEATHER STANDARD, and transparent communication, is currently in the preparatory stage of drafting its first sustainability report. This milestone will provide an opportunity to reflect on objectives achieved and set goals for the future. "The Sustainability Report 2025 is a goal we have set for ourselves as a concrete demonstration of our commitment to creating and sharing value for all stakeholders," says Luciano Vivolo. "We expect 2024 to close on a positive note for our company, even though it is difficult to define precise figures at this time. Certainly, our goal for 2025 is to raise our standards even higher while hoping for a recovery in the luxury market, to which we have been connected for decades."

Thermore prepares for next phase of growth into the end-consumer market: Thermore, an Italian manufacturing firm and leader in sustainable synthetic insulation, welcomes Laura Beachy as Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications. Beachy joins Thermore from Hyla Strategies, a NYC-based boutique marketing firm, where she served as a Managing Partner since 2014. Over the past decade, she has guided a diverse portfolio ranging from Shark Tank startups to Fortune 500 companies. Beachy’s understanding of sustainability, passion for the outdoors, and proven track record of success makes her poised to amplify Thermore’s brand story and drive its mission to new heights.

In the outdoor industry, Beachy’s consumer-facing knowledge has supported iconic brands like Xero Shoes, Oiselle, HOKA, Altra, and Kinetic. Her strategies have driven measurable growth—transforming online communities into buyers.

Beachy’s leadership represents a significant step for Thermore as it makes its first foray into the end-consumer market. Beachy will lead Thermore’s efforts to enhance brand presence, driving customer engagement while continuing to innovate in B2B channels. Her in-depth experience of B2C consumer engagement in the outdoor industry and specialized marketing development work in B2B climate tech, positions her as the perfect leader to guide Thermore as it expands its influence into the consumer market.

Green Threads DPP, the Hampshire-based supplier of Digital Product Passports (DPP) to the uniform, workwear, and outdoor apparel industries, is officially launching to help brands fight greenwashing, create value chain transparency, and stay ahead of pending EU Green Deal DPP mandates.

Working directly with universities, textile suppliers, brands, governmental agencies, and manufacturing facilities around the world, Green Threads will help companies quickly and effectively navigate the DPP landscape, engage consumers, and bring in the next era of product transparency.

By 2030, all apparel sold in the EU will require some form of DPP. Scannable at all points along the value chain, DPPs will come in the form of a QR code, RFID tag, or NFC chip. Anyone from brand representatives to compliance officers to consumers will soon have access to a wide range of product information at their fingertips, including a product’s origin, carbon footprint, water consumption, materials composition, credentials, and end of life considerations.

Once a brand’s supply chain has been audited and a range of DPP have been created for the garments being produced, Green Threads will actively identify areas for sustainability improvements and make recommendations through the use of tailored Carbon Reduction Plans which are designed to help factories and suppliers set and reach decarbonization goals.

The use of a DPP comes with several benefits:

• Comply with Green Deal regulations for the sale of footwear and apparel in the EU
• Eliminate Greenwashing
• Set and communicate sustainability goals to buyers
• Showcase Ethical and Sustainability credentials
• Provides quantifiable / actionable data with which to make future sourcing decisions
• Market brand messaging directly to the end consumer by creating another touch point for engagement.

Beyond simple compliance with EU regulations, anyone using DPPs will be able to showcase sustainability credentials, differentiate themselves from the competition, and incorporate next-level marketing directly to consumers, all while making “greenwashing” a thing of the past.

“Between pending regulations and concerns around greenwashing, brands have a lot to gain from adopting a Green Threads DPP solution,” said Iain Kettleband, CEO of Green Threads. “By working with our clients and partners, we audit and measure the various elements throughout the entire product journey, facilitating continuous improvement and accountability. We add value by empowering consumers and businesses through easy to access data by which to make informed buying decisions. Most critically our solution goes above and beyond legislation and delivers complete environmental supply chain transparency as well as a dynamic platform through which to showcase a wealth of information related to recycling, care instructions, corporate objectives and ethical certifications”.

For the first time, a piece of clothing is made entirely from textile waste – no bottles, no packaging, no virgin plastic. 100% biorecycled fibers. By developing and industrializing CARBIOS’ enzymatic depolymerization technology to achieve 100% “fiber-to-fiber” recycling, the consortium collectively advances the textile industry's shift towards a circular economy.

CARBIOS, a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, and its “fiber-to-fiber” consortium partners On, Patagonia, PUMA, Salomon, and PVH Corp., parent company of Calvin Klein, unveil the world’s first enzymatically recycled polyester garment made from 100% textile waste using CARBIOS’ pioneering biorecycling technology.

This technological feat contributes to advancing textile circularity when, today, the majority of recycled polyester is made from PET bottles, and only 1% of fibers are recycled into new fibers.  The collective achievement marks an important milestone for the consortium’s ultimate aim of demonstrating fiber-to-fiber closed loop using CARBIOS’ biorecycling process at an industrial scale, and marks an important step forward for the textile industry’s shift towards a circular economy.

A plain, white T-shirt was a deliberate choice to showcase the technological achievement that made its production possible from mixed and colored textile waste.  By using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology, polyester is broken down using enzymes into its fundamental building blocks which are reformed to produce biorecycled polyester whose quality is on par with oil-based virgin polyester.  Petroleum can now be replaced by textile waste as a raw material to produce polyester textiles, that will in turn become raw materials again, thus fueling a circular economy, with the added benefit of a lower carbon footprint and avoidance of landfill or incineration.

The t-shirt’s production began with all consortium members (On, Patagonia, PUMA, PVH Corp. and Salomon) supplying rolls and production cutting scraps to CARBIOS in Clermont-Ferrand, France.  This textile waste consisted of some mixed blends with cotton or elastane, as well as various treatments (such as durable water repellent) and dyes which render them complex to recycle using conventional methods. The collected waste was deconstructed into its original monomers, PTA and MEG, using CARBIOS’ biorecycling technology at its pilot facility. The resulting monomers were then repolymerized, spun into yarn and woven into new fabric by external partners, demonstrating the seamless integration into existing manufacturing processes.  The resulting sports t-shirt made from 100% textile waste meets the quality standards and sustainability objectives of the apparel brands present in the “fiber-to-fiber” consortium.

CARBIOS’ demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, France, has been up and running since 2021, and its first commercial plant, the world’s first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant, is currently under construction in Longlaville, France.  In addition, CARBIOS recently announced several letters of intent with PET producers in Asia and Europe, confirming global interest in its biorecycling technology and advancing the international roll-out of its licensing model.

The LYCRA Company, a leader in developing innovative and sustainable fiber and technology solutions for the apparel industry, presented the first garment and fabric samples made with seed quantities of bio-derived LYCRA® EcoMade fiber at Kingpins Amsterdam. This highly anticipated fiber is launching in the first half of 2025 and will be the world's first large-scale production of renewable elastane.

Bio-derived LYCRA® EcoMade fiber is made with 70 percent renewable content, certified under the USDA Bio-Preferred Program. Garments and fabrics made with this fiber deliver equivalent performance to those made with original LYCRA® fiber, and no re-engineering of fabrics, processes, or garment patterns is required.

“There’s no need to sacrifice performance for renewable content with bio-derived LYCRA® EcoMade fiber,” said Nicolas Banyols, chief commercial officer of The LYCRA Company. “We are committed to transitioning to renewable resources as a key part of our sustainability strategy, and it can help brands and retailers reduce their environmental impact, too.”

DyStar, a specialty chemical company with a heritage of more than a century in product development and innovation, announced that they won the Champion Award for outstanding contribution and performance at the Adidas adiFormulator Award, an annual program launched in 2023.

Mrs. Fanny Vermandel, Vice President of Global Marketing Coloration at DyStar Group said, “DyStar is very pleased to receive the newly minted accolades from Adidas, as it further demonstrates our unwavering commitment to supporting the success of our customers, including brands and retailers, in their sustainability journey towards achieving their 2030 goal of 100% ZDHC MRSL Conformance.”

As a responsible leader in dyestuff and chemical manufacturer, DyStar offers over 2,100 products listed on the ZDHC Gateway that meet the ZDHC MRSL V3.1 specifications. Brands and Retailers and other stakeholders can leverage DyStar’s expertise to support their journey towards ZDHC MRSL conformance. To date, 99.7% of DyStar’s products listed on ZDHC have achieved the highest accreditation level of 3.

Utilizing renewable materials* and formaldehyde-free chemistries, the industry-first Archroma NTR Printing System combines newly created pigment black and customized auxiliaries for enhanced sustainability, comfort and durability
 
Archroma, a company in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, introduced the NTR Printing System to make bio-based pigment printing commercially possible for the first time. Based on renewable raw materials and designed for safer chemistry, it helps apparel and textile brands reduce their environmental footprint while producing brilliant black shades on garments that deliver both comfort and durability.

Bio-based pigment printing is an emerging technology that is attracting major interest from brands that want to use pigments derived from natural sources, such as plants, in the production of environmentally conscious textiles. Until now, however, bio-based pigments have not delivered color fastness that is comparable to synthetic pigments, and color quality and production performance have not been sufficient to support commercial-scale production.

Archroma’s NTR Printing System is the first to utilize renewable feedstock across pigment dispersion, binder and fixing agent. Crucially, it ensures good wet-rubbing and dry-rubbing fastness, with outstanding softness on all kinds of fabrics. Furthermore, it is suitable for most popular application technologies, including printing, coating and continuous pigment dyeing, with outstanding runnability for production efficiency.

“These properties make the new NTR Printing System ideal for the highly competitive denim market, where sustainability, comfort and durability are important; for knits, where very soft handfeel is essential; and on babywear, where both exceptional softness and safety are required,” Joaquin Femat, Market Segment Director for Printing, Archroma, said.

The result of more than two years of research and development, the innovative new NTR Printing System required Archroma to create customized binding and fixing agents to ensure fastness for the pigment black dispersion comparable to current petroleum-based printing systems. All three printing elements are partially based on renewable feedstock to reduce reliance on non-renewable petrochemicals. Archroma also developed the new system to avoid toxic input streams and impurities, including formaldehyde. Two successful bulk trials were conducted with Textprint S. A. and Jeanologia.

The NTR printing system comprises the following highly efficient and robust printing elements:

• PRINTOFIX® BLACK NTR-TF: A non-gelling pigment black with 79% renewable carbon content*, designed for use in textile applications with no impact on fastness levels.
• HELIZARIN® NTR-SS: A formaldehyde-free super-soft binder with 40% renewable carbon content, designed to ensure very good overall fastness levels.
• LUPRINTOL® FIXING AGENT NTR-HF: A formaldehyde-free fixing agent with 40% renewable carbon content**, designed for high wet fastness in rubbing and laundry.

All three elements are currently being evaluated for compliance with globally accepted standards like bluesign®, the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC). The system also supports major industry restricted substances list (RSL) requirements.

Specialty chemicals innovator Perstorp, a wholly owned subsidiary of PETRONAS Chemicals Group Berhad (PCG), received a platinum medal for being among the top 1 percent of companies assessed for sustainability by EcoVadis.

Perstorp progressed in all four assessed areas compared to the previous year; Environment, Labor & Human rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

Since its founding in 2007, EcoVadis has grown to become one of the world's largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, creating a global network of more than 130,000 rated companies. The EcoVadis sustainability assessment methodology is an evaluation of how well a company has integrated the principles of Sustainability/CSR into their business and management system. The methodology is built on international sustainability standards, including the Global Reporting Initiative, the United Nations Global Compact, and the ISO 26000, covering 220+ spend categories and 180+ countries.

The Lenzing Group, a supplier of regenerated cellulose fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, acquired of a minority share in TreeToTextile AB, joining the existing shareholders H&M Group, Inter IKEA Group, Stora Enso, and LSCS Invest. The group of owners is united by the strong belief that sustainably produced fibers will have the power to change the textile industry to the better.

TreeToTextile was established as a joint venture in 2014 with the objective of developing a more sustainable process for cellulosic fiber production. The company has operated pilot lines since 2015 and invested in a demonstration plant in 2021. The next step in the company's evolution will be to scale up the production and make its fibers available on the market.

Lenzing Group has produced sustainable regenerated cellulosic fibers and dissolving wood pulp for over 85 years. “We are excited about TreeToTextile’s award-winning technology and production process, which further reduces environmental impact, promotes the transition to a more sustainable future and is fully in line with our corporate strategy,” says Rohit Aggarwal, CEO of the Lenzing Group.

Dr. Roxana Barbieru, CEO of TreeToTextile, adds: “Now with the additional expertise and sustainability leadership of our new shareholder Lenzing Group, our speed to market will increase significantly, to reach our ambitious goals and become an important player in the textile industry.”

The Cleanzone, the trade fair for cleanroom and purity technology, hygiene and contamination control, took place in Frankfurt am Main on September 25 and 26, 2024. The Cleanzone Award is presented at the trade fair to recognize groundbreaking advances in innovation, automation, sustainability and efficiency in the field of cleanroom technology. This year, the award went to the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) and the Dastex Group GmbH for the development of a test method for cleanroom garments - the ReBa².

With the Realistic Bacterial Barrier (ReBa²) test method, the DITF offer a new biological method for determining the bacterial penetration for cleanroom garment textiles. Particularly in the manufacturing of sterile pharmaceuticals, bacteria, skin flakes and fiber particles that can originate from persons and their clothing pose a risk to the products manufactured in the cleanroom. Special cleanroom garments have the task of minimizing this risk. To assess the barrier function, the “bacterial penetration” is determined, among other properties. This provides information on how many bacteria from the human skin flora pass through the cleanroom garments to the outside when worn.

The ReBa² test method largely reproduces the situation when wearing cleanroom garments and thus enables a meaningful determination of the bacterial penetration. It is also possible to consider numerous test scenarios. In addition to the influence of intermediate garments worn under the cleanroom garments, the sweating process or the pre-wetting of the cleanroom garments by liquid splashes in the manufacturing process or by disinfectants can also be tested. The method was developed at the DITF in collaboration with the Dastex Group GmbH.