From the Sector

For its 2021 Green Collection, the Italian luxury hosiery brand Sarah Borghi presents a broadened product offer in terms of colors and categories, meeting the needs of a stylish, yet sustainable consumer. By mixing fashion, quality, innovation and research, the tights and stockings powerhouse continues its development in the journey towards a conscious future.

A decisive step has been added to the brand’s history thanks to the publication of the Integrated Report by Gizeta Calze. Sarah Borghi is one of the first Italian companies in the hosiery sector to include sustainability throughout its business model. A commitment of responsibility and transparency on a path that has been carried on for years and that, today more than ever, becomes of the utmost importance, as stated by Luca Marzocchi, CEO of Gizeta Calze. The Integrated Report provides a complete view of the business strategy, operating model and governance, which combines financial information with sustainability insights, conceived as complementary to other strategies and, indeed, essential for increasing business value.

The collection presents a range of versatile, colorful products combined with extra-luxury comfort and designed for every type of woman: from seductive tights to everyday socks, together with knee- highs, up to athleisure with leggings.
 
The collection features two new generation materials. One is Amni Soul Eco®, a biodegradable in anaerobic conditions polyamide 6.6 yarn that degrades in around 5 years* after disposing of in landfill, developed by SOLVAY and produced and distributed by FULGAR. The other is ROICA™ V550 by leading fiber manufacturer Asahi Kasei, a premium sustainable stretch yarn boasting the Gold Level Material Health Certificate by Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute** as it has been evaluated for impact on human and environmental health. Moreover, it smartly breaks down without releasing harmful substances in the environment according to Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certification. Key elements that makes ROICA™ V550 a precious choice when it comes to Circular Economy material approach.

*Reference System: ASTM D5511 - Standard Test Method for the Determination of Anaerobic Biodegradation of Plastics Under High-solids Anaerobic Digestion Conditions
** The Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute, a non -profit organization, administer the Cradle-to-Cradle Certified™ Product Standard. It was created to bring about a new industrial revolution that turns the making of things into a positive force of society, economy and the planet. The Cradle-to-Cradle Certified Product Standard™ provides designers and manufacturers with criteria and requirements for continually improving what products are made of and how they are made aiming to achieve a circular economy approach.

With just 3 months to go before Techtextil Frankfurt, UK company Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET), is looking forward to exhibiting at this trade show once again. Techtextil attracts international blue-chip companies at the cutting edge of technology, seeking innovative solutions to technical challenges, so this event represents an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how FET can help achieve their goals.

FET is an acknowledged leader in laboratory and pilot meltspinning equipment for a vast range of applications, such as precursor materials used in high value technical textiles, sportswear, medical devices and specialised novel fibres from exotic and difficult to process polymers. Where melt spinning solutions are not suitable, FET provides a viable alternative with pilot and small scale production wet spinning systems.

However, FET will also showcase at Techtextil its more recent laboratory scale spunbond system, which enables client development of nonwoven fabrics in a number of formats and polymers. FET already has a number of spunbond systems in the field, including composite systems which utilise both spunbond and meltspun functions.

A major theme to be highlighted on the FET stand is Sustainability. The FET range of laboratory and pilot extrusion lines is ideally suited for both process and end product development of sustainable materials.

FET has successfully processed almost 30 different polymer types in multifilament, monofilament and non-woven formats, collaborating with specialist companies worldwide to promote greater sustainability through innovative manufacturing processes.

Sustainability has become a major trend in the global home textiles industry. It is more common nowadays to find natural and sustainable fibres in an extensive range of home furnishing products. From this angle, the Lenzing Group (Lenzing) will take led in a brand new pavilion at Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition. Lenzing is the world’s leading manufacturer of renewable specialty fibres, and will highlight the latest eco-friendly fibres that can meet the ever-rising sourcing demand. The fair is set to take place from 14 – 16 April 2022 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

As an upswing from the growing public awareness of environmental issues, consumers are now more willing to switch to sustainable products. According to a CottonWorks’ survey, 90% of the interviewed Chinese consumers want their home textiles to be environmentally friendly[1]. It also found that more consumers are paying attention to the fibre content that can deliver safe and sustainable home textiles.
Furthermore, the Chinese government’s ‘Outline Of the Development of the Textile Industry during the 14th Five Year Plan’, also encourages the acceleration of low cost, functional and sustainable renewable fibres in the local textile industry.

The Lenzing satellite pavilion: a one-stop platform for green home textile materials
To help home textile suppliers source a variety of eco-friendly materials efficiently, one of the fair’s long-time exhibitors is set to form a new pavilion at the upcoming Spring show. Lenzing, the Austrian brand widely known for its ecologically responsible production of specialty fibres made from renewable raw material wood, gathers seven of its local downstream supply chain manufacturers to showcase their renewable products.

Mr David Dai, Senior Commercial Director Textile China of Lenzing spoked about why they decided to organise a new pavilion at the show: “As we received positive feedback from our pavilion at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, our business partners from the home textile supply chain were hoping for a similar arrangement in this sector. We believe all the participating manufacturers can benefit from this pavilion by finding ways to better serve their clients and consumers.”

Brands in the Lenzing satellite pavilion will include:
•    Lenzing Group will introduce the first Carbon-zero TENCEL™ fibres which are CarbonNeutral™ certified products by Natural Capital Partner.
•    Botou Jinglun Textiles Co Ltd focuses on new fibre yarns. The company develops multi-component yarns for cotton, wool, silk and linen with combinations of MODAL, TENCEL™ fibres and various functional materials.
•    Fujian Yongtai County Huaerjin Textile Co Ltd provides high-quality, natural, renewable pure and blended yarns including TENCEL™ fibres, US cotton, Australian cotton, acrylic cotton, silk and other plant-based yarns.
•    Jiangsu Dasheng Group Co Ltd has one of the largest cellulosic fibre yarn spinning mills in China and focuses on producing top-quality home textiles.
•    Qingdao Textiles Group produces natural fibres, cellulose fibres, copper antimicrobial fibres and other nature-based materials for home and contract textiles.
•    Suzhou Zhenlun Spinning Co Ltd is an advanced enterprise specialising in regenerated cellulose yarns like ECO VERO, FSC Viscose, Circulose, Carbon Zero Yarn and more.
•    Ton Design Industrial Co Ltd produces medium and high-end bedding fabrics. The brand’s TENCEL™ Lyocell fibres and TENCEL™ fibres blend cotton series products are certified by Lenzing.
•    Wuxi Tianmu Extra Width Printing Dyeing Co Ltd mainly produces extra-wide, high-count and high-density down-proof fabrics and fabrics for bedding. The technique can handle different procedures for dealing with pure cotton, bamboo fibres, TENCEL™ fibres and other fibre fabrics.

In addition to the new pavilion, a number of other featured exhibitors will also showcase their sustainable products at the fair. This includes Cotton Council International (CCI) promoting US cotton fibres and cotton products, and Zhangjiagang Coolist Life Technology Co Ltd bringing their unique bedding products made from organic and environmental-friendly materials.

• Unveil UK’s first-ever sustainable Fashtech Innovation Centre, displaying mass customization capabilities empowering designers, apparel brands, and other creatives

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashionx and textile production technologies and Fashion-Enter - a social enteprise, which strives to be a centre of excellence for sampling, grading, production, and for learning and development of skills within the fashion and textiles industry – today announced a first-of-its-kind Fashtech Innovation Centre in London. Aimed at bringing on-demand fashion and textile mass customization back to the UK, and unveiled on March 3rd and 4th, 2022 at Fashion-Enter's state-of-the-art training and manufacturing site, the Centre is fully supported by Kornit Digital's revolutionary, direct-to-fabric and direct-to-garment digital production solutions.

According to Kornit Digital’s Impact and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, 30 percent of textile production is overproduction, while 95 percent of water waste is created as companies globally look towards more sustainable futures with customized, creative, and real-time offerings. Using proprietary streamlined, eco-friendly digital production technologies, Kornit Digital is transforming the fashion industry with more efficient and sustainable processes. According to the same report, by 2026, the Company’s systems will use up to 95 percent less water, 94 percent less energy and produce 83 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to highlighting production capabilities that minimize carbon footprint, the Fashtech Innovation Centre serves as a prototype for brands and fulfillers seeking to mitigate logistical complexities, time-to-market, and supply chain risks by bringing production nearer to the end consumer. Eliminating overproduction and producing on demand, this nearshoring model drives profitability even in highly regulated and high-cost markets while contributing to local economies and removing transport-related waste.

Serving as a fulfilment site and academy for training production, the Centre includes both Kornit Presto direct-to-fabric and Kornit Atlas MAX direct-to-garment systems, as well as numerous graphic design and workflow tools and systems to enable cut-and-sew operations for a comprehensive “pixel to parcel to doorstep” cycle. Consolidating the process into a single location helps maintain full visibility and control of operations and products. Taking this one step further for creators and brands, visitors can experience the KornitX Global Fulfilment Network, enabling customers to create both new sales channels and accessibility to enable production on demand. Attendees can see how Kornit’s single-step digital production technology empowers unlimited graphic expression using less floor space, resources, waste, and time—all at higher margins.

“This Innovation Centre makes it possible to capture the full, end-to-end production process in one, single location,” said Jenny Holloway, Chief Executive Officer, Fashion-Enter. “The beauty of having print on demand means there are no minimums, so we can make one garment, or we can make up to 30,000 garments a week from all locations at the same fixed cost. Here, we can also train future generations on the right way of producing garments for today, responsive to demand, with minimal waste—ethical and sustainable. This is the future of fashion and textiles.”

Up to the age of three, a baby uses around 5,000 diapers. Despite the convenient handling of common disposable diapers, parents are increasingly looking for a healthy and sustainable alternative to these products to avoid waste. In Germany alone, 10 million diapers are disposed of every day.

Ways to solve this dilemma, would be disposable products that are made from bio-based or biodegradable materials, or reusable products with a longer life span replace disposable products.

Founding team Luisa Kahlfeldt and Caspar Böhme combine both with their "Sumo Diapers." These cloth diapers are made entirely of sustainable materials while offering high performance and innovative design.

The Sumo Diaper is a fitted cloth diaper that consists of a waterproof cover and absorbent inserts. The cover is sewn in such a way that a pocket is formed: this is where the absorbent pad is inserted to prevent slipping.

To further enhance the performance of this absorbent pad, the Sumo team partners with the viscose special fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres, who brings decades of experience from the hygiene sector, especially for sensitive applications where high absorbency is required (such as tampons). Together, Sumo and Kelheim Fibres have developed a high-performance absorbent pad that uses no fossil materials.

The basis are functionalised specialty viscose fibres with adapted cross-sections. Needle-punched / thermobonded nonwovens with a blend of specialty viscose and PLA bicomponent fibres were chosen to ensure the product's washability. PLA stands for polylactic acid made from natural and renewable raw materials. By combining nonwovens, usually found mainly in the single-use sector, with reusable products, Sumo and Kelheim Fibres have chosen a completely new approach.

Inside the pad, the speciality fibres from Kelheim score with their special properties: In the distribution layer (ADL), the trilobal cross-section of the Galaxy® fibre forms capillary channels that enable efficient and optimized liquid distribution and thus optimum use of the capacity of the absorbent core, offering the lowest rewet values.

In the absorbent core, the segmented hollow fibre Bramante stores liquid not only between but also inside the fibre. The liquid remains there even when pressure is applied to the construction, providing excellent rewet values. Bramante can absorb up to 260% of its own weight in liquid. Cotton only achieves values of around 50% here.

The innovative nonwoven construction with the speciality fibres from Kelheim performs significantly better in tests in terms of air permeability, liquid absorption and rewetting than commercially available solutions made of synthetic fibres or cotton in knitted structures, and has earned Sumo diapers a place among the finalists for the IDEA® Long-Life Product Achievement Award.

The launch is scheduled for the first of May.

Manufy, a marketplace for sustainable fashion production has reached its thousandth production request. The platform connects conscious brands with sustainable manufacturers in hopes to create a cleaner future for the clothing industry.

The right conditions
The start-up, which launched in december of 2020, has seen a sharp increase in production requests the last couple of months. With trade shows being cancelled due to covid, lots of manufacturers and brands are looking for new ways to do business. Going digital was one of the logical steps. “We’ve seen many users that were used to more traditional ways of working join Manufy,” says co-founder Michiel Dicker. “Some of them didn’t have a website, so our platform helps them become visible online.”

An increase was also noticed on the brand side of Manufy. With most new brands being digital natives that have a strong focus on sustainability, the platform helps them to get started.

One-stop-shop
The production requests being placed on the platform cover a wide range of garments. Hoodies and t-shirts are popular, but the Manufy team also sees lots of shoes, caps, bags, dresses, swimwear and lingerie requests coming in. “This sometimes leads us to having to find manufacturers specifically for the job, but it helps us to create a better user experience!” explains Dicker.

Manufy uses feedback from its users to keep improving the platform. Aside from finding new manufacturers to fill production requests the team has been working on a lot of new functionalities based on input from users. A new version of the platform will be released very soon. “With Manufy 2.0 it will become easier to organise your projects, place re-orders and have all your production details in one place. Manufy will be your one-stop-shop for all your sourcing needs!” says Dicker.

• Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) published a strategy paper on the defossilisation of the chemical and material industry with eleven policy recommendations

The Renewable Carbon Initiative, an interest group of more than 30 companies from the wide field of the chemical and material value chains, was founded in 2020 to collaboratively enable the chemical and material industries to tackle the challenges in meeting the climate goals set by the European Union and the sustainability expectations held by societies around the globe.

RCI addresses the core of the climate problem: 72% of anthropogenic climate change is caused directly by extracted fossil carbon from the ground. In order to rapidly mitigate climate change and achieve our global ambition for greenhouse gas emission reductions, the inflow of further fossil carbon from the ground into our system must be reduced as quickly as possible and in large scale.

In the energy and transport sector, this means a vigorous and fast expansion of renewable energies, hydrogen and electromobility, the so-called decarbonisation of these sectors. The EU has already started pushing an ambitious agenda in this space and will continue to do so, for instance with the recently released ‘Fit for 55’ package.

However, these policies have so far largely ignored other industries that extract and use fossil carbon. The chemical and material industries have a high demand for carbon and are essentially only possible with carbon-based feedstocks, as most of their products cannot do without carbon. Unlike energy, these sectors cannot be “decarbonised”, as molecules will always need carbon. The equivalent to decarbonisation via renewable energy in the energy sector is the transition to renewable carbon in the chemical and derived materials industries. Both strategies avoid bringing additional fossil carbon from the ground into the cycle and can be summarised under the term “defossilisation”.

To decouple chemistry from fossil carbon, the key question is which non-fossil carbon sources can be used in the future. Rapid developments in biosciences and chemistry have unlocked novel, renewable and increasingly affordable sources of carbon, which provide us with alternative solutions for a more sustainable chemicals and materials sector. These alternative sources are: biomass, utilisation of CO2 and recycling. They are combined under the term “renewable carbon”. When used as a guiding principle, renewable carbon provides a clear goal to work towards with sufficient room to manoeuvre for the whole sector. It enables the industry to think out of the box of established boundaries and stop the influx of additional fossil carbon from the ground.

The systematic change to renewable carbon will not only require significant efforts from industry, but must be supported by policy measures, technology developments and major investments. In order to implement a rapid and high-volume transition away from fossil carbon, and to demonstrate its impact, a supportive policy framework is essential. The emphasis should be put on sourcing carbon responsibly and in a manner that does not adversely impact the wider planetary boundaries nor undermines societal foundations. An overarching carbon management strategy is required that also takes specific regional and application-related features into account, to identify the most sustainable carbon source from the renewable carbon family. This will allow for a proper organisation of the complex transition from today’s fossil carbon from the ground to renewable energy and to renewable carbon across all industrial sectors.

RCI has developed eleven concrete policy recommendations on renewable carbon, carbon management, support for the transformation of the existing chemical infrastructure and the transformation of biofuel plants into chemical suppliers. The policy paper “Renewable Carbon as a Guiding Principle for Sustainable Carbon Cycles” is freely available for download in both a short version and a long version.

Link for Download: https://renewable-carbon-initiative.com/media/library/

• Record high: 12,338 (+19%) GOTS certified facilities in 79 countries in 2021  

Twenty years after its inception, the textile processing standard for organic fibres records new all-time high figures: 18 GOTS Approved Certification Bodies report a total of 12,338 certified facilities (+19%) in 79 countries (+11%).  

Among the countries with the largest increase in GOTS certified facilities in 2021 are Turkey (+61% to 1.799), Italy (+53% to 894), Germany (+19% to 817), Portugal (+35% to 608), France (+22% to 122), Denmark (+14% to 115), Switzerland (+15% to 61), Belgium (+55% to 59), Sweden (+34% to 51) and Vietnam (+264% to 51).

“What seemed utopian to many in 2002 has become a reality in the past 20 years. We have created an organic textile standard, certified by approved certification bodies, which is accepted in all major markets. GOTS is a standard that gives consumers the power to choose truly organic products sourced from sustainable supply chains.” says Claudia Kersten, Managing Director at GOTS. “Despite ongoing difficulties and uncertainty caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, decision-makers continue to pursue their sustainability goals and value GOTS as a tool to accomplish them”.

The results of the annual GOTS Survey among certified entities underline this. Out of 1.114 respondents (+39%), 63% indicated a permanent shift in their sustainability strategy with a focus on the environment and health of their workers and staff.

Growing interest from industry, the public, and the media drove website visits up an impressive 48%. Media exposure grew by 64% and GOTS social media followers across several platforms jumped by 57%.
“As much as we are pleased with the development so far, we don’t intend to rest on our laurels” adds Rahul Bhajekar, Managing Director at GOTS. “In March 2022 we begin revision for GOTS version 7.0 involving all stakeholders including associations, organisations, companies, and individuals to further advance the progressive, innovative, stringent yet practical standard of GOTS”.

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.

More than 150 exhibitors will be presenting their Green Fashion collections at INNATEX 49 next week, from 25 to 27 February. Given the pandemic situation and the shift in dates for the ordering fair in Hofheim-Wallau, organisers MUVEO GmbH say they are more than satisfied with the number of brands.

“For the original dates in mid-January we had over 200 registrations as usual,” says Alexander Hitzel, INNATEX Project Manager. “"Since we had to postpone another time, the date no longer made sense for many. However, if you consider this in addition to the fact that almost all trade fairs had to be cancelled and the general uncertainty makes decisions virtually impossible, 75 per cent is actually a very good result.”

The fair catalogue, published today, shows that visitors can expect a multifaceted range of goods.
Alongside popular classics and natural textile providers, there will as usual be young and adventurous new concepts. Newcomers are also to be found, including the linen womenswear from Lithuanian brand Luel, Canadian footwear label Native Shoes with its compostable materials derived from algae and other plants, and the yoga accessories from Southern Shores. As well as the labels, the International Association of Natural Textiles (IVN) and the Global Organic Textile Standards body (GOTS) will also be attending.

“We are assuming that by summer the situation will be more relaxed,” says Hitzel. “Originally we had a lot of plans relating to the fair programme and opportunities for dialogue, with various representatives from the community. We are therefore looking forward all the more to implementing these and other ideas at the end of July, on the 50th anniversary of INNATEX. Our deepest wish is that we will then be able to joyously celebrate 25 years of INNATEX with the entire community all together again and under largely normal conditions.