From the Sector

The 2021 C.L.A.S.S. Icon Award Portuguese brand Duarte is ready to presents its Fall/Winter 2022/23 collection developed in collaboration with C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub during Milan Fashion Week. With the support of WHITE, Duarte’s creations will be featured as a special project at WSM (WHITE Sustainable Milano) platform space inside “Unveiling the fashion Backstage”, a docu-event focusing on an immersive journey into the amazing world of premium and smart supply chains that make innovative and responsible fashion wardrobes a reality.

For its second collection Duarte still counts on C.L.A.S.S. support in sourcing materials and communication activities as part of the Icon Award yearly program. The streetwear designer Ana Duarte, with the help of the Milanese hub, is back with a renewed collection that counts 40 pieces continuing the concept and the story behind the previous World Keeper: the irresistible superhero Tadao - Ana Duarte’s dog – fighting against the environmental issues created by mankind and personified as Smog Man (air pollution), Fire Man (climate change), Deforestation Man (forests destruction) and Wave Man (water overconsumption).

This time the inspiration is also Street Dance drawn directly from the city streets, with majorly unisex pieces (apart from some small specific details linked to sizes or ergonomics) and materials that both respect the planet and keep you warm. The prints drawn from ripped posters giving birth to a sort of new style named “Eco-Street Dance”.

The collection presents a selection of urban pieces for everyday superheroes, fighting against environmental issues - with a holistic approach to sustainability values thanks to the synergy with C.L.A.S.S. and its Back in the Loop area: a section dedicated to alternative and sustainable sourcing against the massive amount of materials and textiles produced that are not used and discarded by the fashion system. This is mostly powered by MAEBA International - and its ReLiveTex® fabrics - leader in selecting and repurposing premium Italian fabrics with exceptional 60 years of expertise in collecting high-quality materials from leading brands and textile manufacturers, and one of the first companies at an international level to be accredited for the UNI EN ISO 14021 certification which grants the traceability of the collected materials.

The linings complete the full sustainable picture, thanks to Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei fabrics by Gianni Crespi Foderami. Bemberg™ is a new generation material made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linter pre-consumer material, converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process.

For more than 70 years BRÜCKNER has been in the construction of drying and finishing lines for the textile and nonwovens industry. In the nonwovens sector, the company supplies worldwide thermofusion ovens, dryers, coating and heat-setting lines. On the IDEA 2022 trade fair in Miami, USA, BRÜCKNER presents together with its American representation FI-TECH new machine concepts and solutions for different applications in the mentioned fields.

The production of nonwovens always requires a bonding process after the nonwovens formation, where the loosely laid fibers are bonded to a resilient fiber composite. For this purpose, depending on the process, different ovens and dryers are used. BRÜCKNER supplies the necessary lines for all applications. The production program is completed by different impregnation and coating units as well as slitting and winding equipment. BRÜCKNER's customers produce geo nonwovens, filter media, hygiene and medical textiles or different fabrics for the automotive and transport industry

For the production of highloft nonwovens the double-belt thermofusion oven SUPRA-FLOW BX is used. This oven system operates according to the air-through principle and can be perfectly adapted to the product requirements in terms of flow speed, flow direction and temperature on a field-by-field basis.  
The SUPRA-FLOW BX can produce nonwovens up to a thickness of 280 mm and a basis weight of max. 8 kg/m². The available working widths vary between 2400 and 5200 mm at production speeds of up to 100 m/min.  
For geotextile projects, the POWER-FRAME stenter is usually used, which impresses with its uniformity in terms of temperature distribution as well as productivity. In addition, the fabric can be stretched in a targeted manner by transporting it in the stenter chain. This has a controlled influence on fabric width, fiber orientation and fabric shrinkage. Working widths of up to over 7 meters are not uncommon with geotextile finishing systems.

Bemberg™ is back at Première Vision to celebrate its 90th anniversary through its latest collections, premium partnerships with contemporary brands such as ECOALF and a brand new visual identity. The industry-leading textile fair will represent another pivotal occasion for Bemberg™ to showcase its latest claim “Crafted Elegance”, which perfectly embodies its values of preciousness, quality and refined aesthetic blended with innovation and responsible values.

Born in 2009, both the name and concept of ECOALF came after the birth of Javier Goyenche’s - founder and president - two sons: Alfredo and Alvaro. He wanted to create a truly sustainable fashion brand and believed the most sustainable action to take was to stop using natural resources in a careless way to ensure them to the next generation. Since then, Ecoalf’s mission has been to make a new generation of recycled products with the same quality and design as the best non-recycled.

Based on this design idea, the Mery dress and Patrica pants are part of Ecoalf’s FW21 collection and both made with 100% Bemberg ™ Cupro by Asahi Kasei.

The Parisian exhibition completes the company’s celebrative two-chapter journey. The first half was presented during Pitti Uomo, where Bemberg™ showed archival suits crafted by the historic Sartoria Litrico and lined in Cupro. Behind them stood the new visual image of Bemberg™, focused on exceptional beauty, one-of-a-kind uniqueness and joyful comfort.

CO₂ as renewable carbon source
Carbon is the main element in numerous materials used in industrial processes and in our daily lives. It is currently mostly provided from fossil sources. But what if carbon could be used directly from CO₂ emissions? Biotechnology shows particularly great potential for the eco-effective conversion of climate-damaging CO₂ emissions into valuable basic chemicals. A consortium of 12 partners investigated this pathway in the EU-funded BioRECO₂VER project, examining the conversion of CO₂ emissions from refineries and the cement industry into the chemical building blocks isobutene (C₄H₈) and lactate (C₂H₆O₃).

Innovative chemo-enzymatic concept for CO₂ Capture
Project partner Luleå University of Technology (LTU) focused on the first process step of capturing and concentrating CO₂ from industrial point sources. Their team developed a hybrid chemo-enzymatic process consisting of a novel solvent blend and an ultrastable carbonic anhydrase (CA) enzyme. The solvent blend included an amino acid ionic liquid and a tertiary amine and displayed a good compromise between enzyme compatibility, absorption rate, capacity and desorption potential. In addition, LTU generated ultrastable enzyme mutants that showed 50% increased resistance to selected flue gas inhibitors compared to the original CA. This 3-component CO₂ capture process was scaled up in a pilot rig, and the set-up further used for real off gas pre-treatment in the project.

Two unique pilots for biotechnological CO₂ Conversion/Utilization
The biotechnological conversion of (captured) CO₂ and the co-substrate hydrogen by microorganisms poses technical and economic challenges because it takes place in the liquid phase and the substrates are gases which are poorly soluble. The BioRECO₂VER project investigated two approaches to address this: fermentation under elevated pressure and bio-electrochemistry with in situ production of hydrogen.

Pressurized fermenter
Project coordinator VITO designed a flexible and multifunctional high-pressure fermenter, customized for research activities with advanced online sensors, monitoring and control, and also including a membrane filtration unit to achieve high concentrations of the microbial biocatalysts. The set-up was broadly tested in the BioRECO₂VER project both with pure CO₂ and CO₂-rich off-gases but can also be used for investigations involving other poorly soluble gases, such as methane, oxygen, or synthesis gas. Pressures up to 10 bar can be applied.

First solely CO₂-based bio-electrochemical platform
University of Girona designed and tested a bio-electrochemical platform. The key differentiators of the pilot plant are:

• Two parallel lines to test engineered strains and bio-electrochemical systems
• Fully automated pilot plant capable to control key operational parameters (pCO₂, pO₂, pH₂, pH, Temperature) to intensify the process performance
• Solid-liquid separation unit (membrane) to recover the planktonic cells and return them into the bio-electrochemical systems.

This unique infrastructure will be used beyond the project to support further research and development activities in the broad area of CO₂ capture and conversion.

• More than 30 leading pioneers of the chemical and material sector welcome the latest political papers from Brussels, Berlin and Düsseldorf

The political situation for renewable carbon from biomass, CO2 and recycling for the defossilisation of the chemical and materials industry has begun to shift fundamentally in Europe. For the first time, important policy papers from Brussels and Germany take into consideration that the term decarbonisation alone is not sufficient, and that there are important industrial sectors with a permanent and even growing carbon demand. Finally, the need for a sustainable coverage of this carbon demand and the realisation of sustainable carbon cycles have been identified on the political stage. They are elemental to the realisation of a sustainable chemical and derived materials industry.

The goal is to create sustainable carbon cycles. This requires comprehensive carbon management of renewable sources, which includes carbon from biomass, carbon from Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) – the industrial use of CO2 as an integral part – as well as mechanical and chemical recycling. And only the use of all alternative carbon streams enables a true decoupling of the chemical and materials sector from additional fossil carbon from the ground. Only in this way can the chemical industry stay the backbone of modern society and transform into a sustainable sector that enables the achievement of global climate goals. The Renewable Carbon Initiative’s (RCI) major aim is to support the smart transition from fossil to renewable carbon: utilising carbon from biomass, CO2 and recycling instead of additional fossil carbon from the ground. This is crucial because 72% of the human-made greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked to additional fossil carbon. The RCI supports all renewable carbon sources available, but the political support is fragmented and differs between carbon from biomass, recycling or carbon capture and utilisation (CCU). Especially CCU has so far not been a strategic objective in the Green Deal and Fit-for-55.

This will change fundamentally with the European Commission's communication paper on “Sustainable Carbon Cycles” published on 15 December. The position in the paper represents an essential step forward that shows embedded carbon has reached the political mainstream – supported by recent opinions from members of the European parliament and also, apparently, by the upcoming IPCC assessment report 6. Now, CCU becomes a recognised and credible solution for sustainable carbon cycles and a potentially sustainable option for the chemical and  material industries. Also, in the political discussions in Brussels, the term “defossilation” is appearing more and more often, complementing or replacing the term decarbonisation in those areas where carbon is indispensable. MEP Maria da Graça Carvahlo is among a number of politicians in Brussels who perceive CCU as an important future industry, putting it on the political map and creating momentum for CCU. This includes the integration of CCU into the new Carbon Removal Regime and the Emission Trading System (ETS).

As the new policy documents are fully in line with the strategy of the RCI, the more than 30 member companies of the initiative are highly supportive of this new development and are ready to support policy-maker with data and detailed suggestions for active support and the realisation of sustainable carbon cycles and a sound carbon management. The recent political papers of relevance are highlighted in the following.

Brussels: Communication paper on “Sustainable Carbon Cycles”
On 15 December, the European Commission has published the communication paper “Sustainable Carbon Cycles” . For the first time, the importance of carbon in different industrial sectors is clearly stated. One of the key statements in the paper is the full recognition of CCU for the first time as a solution for the circular economy, which includes CCU-based fuels as well. The communication paper distinguishes between bio-based CO2, fossil CO2 and CO2 from direct air capture when addressing carbon removal and it also announces detailed monitoring of the different CO2 streams. Not only CCU, but also carbon from the bioeconomy is registered as an important pillar for the future. Here, the term carbon farming has been newly introduced, which refers to improved land management practices that result in an increase of carbon sequestration in living biomass, dead organic matter or soils by enhancing carbon capture or reducing the release of carbon. Even though the list of nature-based carbon storage technologies is non-exhaustive in our view, we strongly support the paper’s idea to deem sustainable land and forest management as a basis for the bioeconomy more important than solely considering land use as a carbon sink. Surprisingly, chemical recycling, which is also an alternative carbon source that substitutes additional fossil carbon from the ground (i.e. carbon from crude oil, natural gas or from coal), is completely absent from the communication paper.

Berlin: Coalition paper of the new German Government: “Dare more progress – alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability”
The whole of Europe is waiting to see how the new German government of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals will shape the German climate policy. The new reform agenda focuses in particular on solar and wind energy as well as especially hydrogen. Solar energy is to be expanded to 200 GW by 2030 and two percent of the country's land is to be designated for onshore wind energy. A hydrogen grid infrastructure is to be created for green hydrogen, which will form the backbone of the energy system of the future – and is also needed for e-fuels and sustainable chemical industry, a clear commitment to CCU. There is a further focus on the topic of circular economy and recycling. A higher recycling quota and a product-specific minimum quota for the use of recyclates and secondary raw materials should be established at European level. In the coalition paper, there is also a clear commitment to chemical recycling to be found. A significant change for the industry is planned to occur in regards to the so-called “plastic tax” of 80 cents per kilogram of non-recycled plastic packaging. This tax has been implemented by the EU, but most countries are not passing on this tax to the manufacturers and distributors, or only to a limited extent. The new German government now plans to fully transfer this tax over to the industry.

Düsseldorf: Carbon can protect the climate – Carbon Management Strategy North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
Lastly, the RCI highly welcomes North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW, Germany) as the first region worldwide to adopt a comprehensive carbon management strategy, a foundation for the transformation from using additional fossil carbon from the ground to the utilisation of renewable carbon from biomass, CO2 and recycling. For all three alternative carbon streams, separate detailed strategies are being developed to achieve the defossilisation of the industry. This is all the more remarkable as North Rhine-Westphalia is the federal state with the strongest industry in Germany, in particular the chemical industry. And it is here, of all places, that a first master plan for the conversion of industry from fossil carbon to biomass, CO2 and recycling is implemented. If successful, NRW could become a global leader in sustainable carbon
management and the region could become a blueprint for many industrial regions.

AMUT’s strategic partnership with EREMA contributes to accelerate the transition towards a greener world.  In summer 2021, EREMA in collaboration with AMUT  has finalized the installation and commissioning of ALTO packaging ́s first extrusion line for food grade PET sheets in New Zealand market. At the ALTO Plastic Packaging site, in Albany, the plant now processes 100 % washed post-
consumer flakes into 100 % food contact grade monolayer thermoforming sheet. In New Zealand, this milestone represents the first system to be installed for this special application.

The plastic packaging company ALTO, a division of PACT Group, invested for this new food grade PET sheet extrusion line as a part of Pact Group ́s vision to lead Circular Economy through Packaging in Australia and New Zealand.

Thanks to the direct combination of VACUREMA® PET recycling technology and the AMUT Inline Sheet production technology there is no longer any extra process stage. This is, because the melt goes straight from the VACUREMA® 1716 T Basic to the AMUT plant without the detour of pelletising. The post-consumer PET material is already decontaminated and pre-dried prior to extrusion in the vacuum reactor of the VACUREMA® Basic, with a throughput of up to 1,500 kg per hour. After high capacity filtration by EREMA SW-RTF backflush filter and online IV measurement, the melt goes directly into the AMUT Inline Sheet plant where it is processed into thermoforming sheet from 0.15 mm till 1.2 mm thickness. The monolayer thermoforming sheet produced from pure rPET is not only 100 % food contact compliant, it also fulfils the FDA and further regulations. At ALTO it is further processed into trays and food containers.

AMUT played its part by providing a full range of downstream equipment ranging from the Automatic Tdie, three rolls stack calender with automatic gap control and motorized cross axing unit, lamination unit for welding and barrier films, thickness control gauge to anti-static silicon coating unit, fully automatic two shafts turret winder and in line edge trims grinding and recycling.

The special features of this extrusion line come from the complete automatic and easy management of the line. This is due to the new Amut`s software including the Easy Start and Easy Change functions that will allow the operator to start the extrusion line and change product formats in automatic mode.

EREMA and AMUT are long-term partners in the Inline Sheet sector. EREMA ́s VACUREMA® technology is currently in use in more than 100 Inline Sheet facilities around the world, also for PACT Group companies in Australia. 

Penn Textile Solutions GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of elastic fabrics for under-wear, corsetry, sportswear and swimwear, as well as highly functional textiles for technical applications. The fully integrated company with its own warping, circular knitting, warp knitting, dyeing and finishing facilities currently employs around 150 people.

Penn has long relied on Mahlo
Penn has relied on the cooperation with Mahlo for years. The manufacturer of measuring, control and automation systems for web-shaped goods has decades of experience in the field of process control. Until the summer of 2020, the textile manufacturer had been using a basis weight measurement system in the stenter frame outlet with beta radiation and manual control. "When the krypton preparations had passed their half-life, we had to make a decision: Exchange or replace the system right away", says operations manager Franz Schütte. They sat down with Mahlo representatives and looked for the best solution. Since the systems had already reached a high operating age and the measurement was limited to the basis weight, a new concept was decided upon. "Mahlo made us the best price-performance offer." The new system should be even more efficient and easier to operate for the special makes..

The compression zones of the functional fabric create corresponding distortions within the textile surface in its raw state, which have to be smoothed out in the fixing process. This work is now taken over by a process control system. The Mahlo Famacont PMC-15 with two measuring points automatically controls the leading of the stenter frame by continuously and contactlessly determining the mesh density. In addition, the Patcontrol PCS-20 process control system ensures that the dimensions of the different zones are recorded and also automatically controlled. "The previous beta-radiation facility was not able to collect this kind of data," explains the Penn operations manager. Another important aspect for the textile manufacturer: the complete and costly radiation protection is no longer necessary with the new systems.

Despite very good experience with Mahlo in the past, every change naturally involves a risk. Penn did not have to rely on theoretical considerations, however, but carried out tests in advance with appropriate sample material in the Mahlo test laboratory. The results convinced the decision-makers.

MS Plastic Welders, LLC, a leader in ultrasonic technology, announced today that it has changed its name to MS Ultrasonic Technology, LLC. This aligns the name with the sister companies worldwide as well as with the brand name MS Ultrasonic Technology Group.  

The name change reflects the growth of the company as well as its vision for the future.

COO, Peter Wall said “The new name really speaks to who we are as a company. Considering our current relocation to Howell, MI, it was the perfect opportunity to implement the name change at the same time.”

“We’re very excited about the name change as it fits perfectly with our slogan- We Are Ultrasonics.,” said MS Ultrasonic Technology, LLC CFO, Rouven Muell. “It makes it easier for customers, partners, and candidates to consistently recognize our company within the MS Ultrasonic Technology Group and clearly addresses our focus in Ultrasonics.”

More and more brands are actively speaking up against the use of PFAS chemicals in products and supply chains. ChemSec’s corporate initiative the PFAS Movement was started in 2020, with the aim of creating a network of companies that would like to see PFAS chemicals regulated more efficiently. As of September 2021, 50 companies have joined the movement.

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a chemical family consisting of almost 5,000 industrially produced chemicals. In manufacturing, PFAS are favored for their durability and well-functioning properties. They provide features such as non-stick, water repellency and anti-grease to many types of everyday products, including cosmetics, food packaging, frying pans and clothes, just to name a few.

Lately, more and more reports have been suggesting that PFAS are a serious problem. Human epidemiological studies have found associations between PFAS exposure and a number of health disorders.

One of the biggest challenges connected to PFAS is that, with very few exceptions, they are perfectly legal to use. This means that the brands and retailers who want to stop them from being used as ingredients in their products have very limited ways of communicating this in the global supply chain. As long as there is not a restriction in place, suppliers will continue to use these very effective chemicals in manufacturing. That’s why companies act together with a unified voice, like in the case of ChemSec’s PFAS Movement.

To ensure product protection and prevent brand piracy, GRAFE has developed a simple and elegant solution that also offers a high level of security. The basis is special markers. "The highly complex pigments with special physical properties designed for this purpose are used in minute quantities within the plastic matrix. With an appropriately calibrated detector, products equipped with them can thus be read and authenticated," explains Business Development Manager Florian Ludwig. At the same time no changes in properties can usually be observed. The detectors can use an LED display to check within seconds whether the unique marker is contained in the product and whether this item is the original product.

In general, there are two options: x ray and light fluorescence, i.e. fluorescent X-rays or light. With the first option, the base color has no influence (not even black) and the customer benefits from low addition dosage and batch price, but this method requires higher investment. "With light fluorescence, on the other hand, detection is done by a measuring device, which is preconfigured by our partner or by us directly. Different types are available, from handy hand-held measuring devices to stationary office solutions to inline spectrometers, in order to have a control take place directly during production," Ludwig explains. With this method, the masterbatch dosage is based on the base color, among otherv things. The method of operation is fast and simple, and the necessary investment is also manageable.

From injection molding and extrusion to transparent and fiber applications, almost all areas of plastics processing come into question.