From the Sector

Since 85 years, Riri Group is a point of reference for the creation of details of style providing fashion brands with accessories, including zippers, buttons, metal components, and fashion jewels. Fashion is necessarily a reflection of social changes, cultural turmoil, popular aspirations, and the needs of the final customer: from these assumptions comes Riri Group’s FW 23-24 collection. The newly released collection presents two dynamic paths to explore the needs of the market targeting self-expression through style: Extreme Outverse and Fluid Glamour.

EXTREME OUTVERSE: Accessories for accessing multidimensionality
Art, space travels and the metaverse experience provide the inspiration for transparent and glossy digital prints, laser markings, use of colored paints, use of jacquard ribbon and iridescent lurex, invisible button caps, PVD finishes (rainbow, matt black), reverse coated nylon zips.

FLUID GLAMOUR: Redefine infinitely (elegance) standard
Fluid Glamour expands the processes of representing the individual in an elegant interpretation of its complexity. This concept of fluidity and uniqueness meets the new frontier of the space tourism race and intergalactic style to create futuristic atmospheres and sculptural silhouettes: rhinestones and black stones developed by Amom, wool yarns, jacquard, and a variety of tapes – metallised genuine leather and eco-leather, GOTS-certified cotton and GRS-certified recycled polyester, knitwear, white with silver lurex – that reflect the space exploration and dark desert landscapes.

The international eco hub C.L.A.S.S. brings its next generation Smart Shop’s offer to the 10th edition of the Future Fabrics Expo from the28th to the 29th of June 2022 in London.

Since 2018, C.L.A.S.S. has been offering the access of the top of its Material hub innovations to small and new generation of designers and brands through its Smart Shop, the online store of smart materials. C.L.A.S.S. intent at FFE is to share the unique values of its design driven, conscious, high-tech materials, in order to start synergies with an audience characterized by the interest in responsible innovations, the main expertise of CEO and founder Giusy Bettoni and her team.

C.L.A.S.S. offers smart solutions – from 1 meter to max 50 meters - for the contemporary wardrobe which include all the different expressions of textile ingredients: natural, transformed, innovative and back in the loop materials, giving everyone the possibility to create design, innovative and yet responsible products in line with their new generation of contemporary values.

Among the conscious, yet technological materials which will be presented at Fabrics for Future there are Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, Albini’s organic and scientifically traceable cotton, Re.VerSo™ recycled wools, NewLife™ recycled polyester and Maeba International’s Back in The Loop fabrics.

AkzoNobel has announced that Gregoire Poux-Guillaume will become the company’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as of November 1, 2022.

He will succeed Thierry Vanlancker, who has been CEO and member of the Board of Management since 2017, and whose term of office is coming to an end.

Gregoire (52), a French national, is an international business leader with 25 years of experience. He has a distinguished track record of building successful, profitable businesses in challenging environments, accelerating business growth and improving margins.

Previous roles include CEO of Sulzer, CEO of GE Grid Solutions (previously Alstom Grid) and Senior Managing Director of CVC Capital Partners.

Catering to the acoustic requirements of electric vehicles, Autoneum has extended its concepts for noise-reducing engine encapsulations to new applications related to electric drives. Hybrid-Acoustics PET and the foam-based alternatives Hybrid-Acoustics FLEX and Fit FLEX ensure optimum noise protection in e-cars and thus improve driving comfort. All three technologies are characterized by a high acoustic performance tailored to specific customer needs and zero waste production.

Disturbing noises such as the high-frequency sounds of e-motors and other electric devices or the whining noise of the gearbox are posing new acoustic challenges for vehicle manufacturers worldwide. Anticipating the increasing demand for sound-reducing components in both the front and the rear of e-cars early on, Autoneum has expanded its technologies for noise protection in the engine bay to new tailor-made applications for electric vehicles.

With the fibrous technology Hybrid-Acoustics PET and the two foam alternatives Hybrid-Acoustics FLEX and Fit FLEX, the Company offers three standardized technologies that reduce noise directly at the source, thereby improving driver comfort. All three technologies are produced waste-free and their adaptive capacity to different sizes and shapes allows for a broad spectrum of uses in electric vehicles: from e-motor encapsulations to the reduction of noise and vibration of inverters, gearbox, pumps and compressors. By offering both fibrous and foam-based variants, Autoneum is able to flexibly cater to individual customer needs and preferences with regard to material, acoustic concept, sustainability and costs.

In terms of sustainable noise protection in the engine bay, Autoneum’s patented innovation Hybrid-
Acoustics PET sets the tone: it is made of 100 percent PET with up to 50 percent recycled fibers; cut-offs in production are reclaimed, processed and reused and the material can be fully recycled at the end of product life. The unique textile technology, which is part of the Company’s sustainability label Autoneum Pure, is particularly suited to attenuating high-frequency sounds of the electric drive unit and offers the optimum balance of absorption and insulation. Moreover, components made of Hybrid-Acoustics PET are up to 40 percent lighter compared to standard insulators.

To accommodate the differing preferences of vehicle manufacturers, Autoneum has complemented its lightweight textile technology with two foam-based alternatives. Since the foam is injected in both technologies, no waste is generated during production either. Hybrid-Acoustics FLEX is based on the same acoustic concept as Hybrid-Acoustics PET, but the decoupler is made of foam instead of felt. Autoneum’s Fit FLEX, on the other hand, combines the foam decoupler with an injection molded heavy layer. Thanks to the high geometrical adaptability of foam to even complex shapes, both technologies offer outstanding acoustic performance in the insulation of e-motors and other noise sources in electric vehicles. Furthermore, the absorbing or insulating acoustic quality of the foam can be flexibly tuned to specific customer needs.

The Management Board of the European Chemicals Agency has selected Dr Sharon McGuinness as ECHA’s next Executive Director. As part of the appointment procedure, she will make a statement before the European Parliament and answer questions from its members. This is tentatively scheduled for 4 July 2022.

Dr Sharon McGuinness, an Irish national, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) in Ireland since 2018. Prior to this, she was the Assistant Chief Executive for the Chemicals and Prevention Division within the Authority, with responsibility for division management, policy provision, advice and enforcement for a wide range of occupational health and safety, chemical and market surveillance legislation aimed at protecting human health and safety for workers and consumers.

She was a member of ECHA’s Management Board between 2014-2020 and Chair of the Board between 2016-2020. She graduated from the University College Dublin with a B.Sc. (Hons) in pharmacology and chemistry, and she holds a PhD in pharmacology, as well as diplomas in Legal Studies and Company Direction.

Dr McGuinness was one of the candidates preselected by the European Commission after an open competition and interviewed by the Management Board for the post.

Her selection follows that of Bjorn Hansen who retired in March 2022. Since 1 April 2022, Shay O’Malley has been ECHA’s acting Executive Director.

The term of office of the Executive Director is five years. It may be prolonged by the Management Board once, for a further term of five years.

• New product initiatives and a system solution.

In the year of its 100th birthday RUDOLF will be at TECHTEXTIL to present its latest innovations and process solutions. Since 1922, RUDOLF offers a wide portfolio of specialty chemicals aiming to increase innovation and sustainability along the entire value chain, from fiber to finish.

At TECHTEXTIL, RUDOLF will present four new product initiatives and one system solution. The Company will hold “Conscious Performance” short seminars at its booth to present them.

New product initiatives
BIO-LOGIC® - Performance products with bio-carbon at core. Textile functionality is ensured through natural, renewable raw materials that are neither chemically nor genetically modified and that are not competing as food, feed or fuel.

CYCLE-LOGIC® - A new path: the upcycling of post-consumer, disposable and non-returnable plastics into valuable textile chemistry. Recycled PET bottles are now raw material for the manufacturing of some of our textile auxiliaries without attacking new, virgin resources.

PRISTINE® - Hygiene and freshness from continuous R&D advances. RUDOLF’s new ingredient brand that groups all high-performing technologies for textile hygiene, protection and freshness.

BIONIC FINISH® ECO - An idea borrowed from Mother Nature. Based on proprietary dendrimer technology, RUDOLF presents an extended family of unique fluorine-free DWR formulations suited for different materials and designed for different applications and needs.

New system solution
ECO-LOGIC® - Two-steps process designed and managed by RUDOLF’s specialists in textile process chemistry. It simulates, analyses and measures the environmental impact of a given industrial textile process to then provide insights into the optimization of resources, costs and CO₂ emissions..

Due to the impact of the war in Ukraine on the automotive industry and vehicle production as well as of rising inflation, Autoneum is adjusting its corporate outlook for the 2022 financial year. The market recovery will be delayed by current developments.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, new bottlenecks in global supply and logistics chains have been impacting vehicle manufacturer production volumes and thus slowing the revenue and earnings development of the automotive supply industry, especially in Europe. Current developments are accompanied by accelerated inflation and significant price increases on the commodities markets, which have been further exacerbated by the war. These are felt at Autoneum through rising material, energy and transport costs. With regard to the rising costs, automotive manufacturers and suppliers are now required to ensure a fair burden sharing as partners.

In addition, renewed coronavirus-related lockdowns in China are delaying growth in Asia. According to the revised market forecasts1), global automobile production is expected to reach 80.4 million units in 2022, which represents an increase of 4.1% compared to 2021. Growth will thus be significantly lower than was still expected in mid-February.

Autoneum will do its utmost to minimize the impact on the Group. Despite the present challenges, the strategy will continue to be consistently implemented with a focus on innovative and sustainable technologies for growing markets of the future.

Based on current developments and knowledge, Autoneum has updated the forecasts that it presented at the Media Conference, which had not yet included the impacts of the war as outlined above. Autoneum continues to expect revenue to develop in line with the market. For the first half of the year, the Company expects an EBIT margin at break-even level. On the basis of the ongoing collaborative discussions with customers to participate in the sharing of the sharply increased energy and material costs, Autoneum anticipates an improvement in the EBIT margin to 2.0 to 3.0% (previously: 4.0 to 5.0%) for the full year 2022. Free cash flow for 2022 is expected to be in the mid to high double-digit million range.

Autoneum is very well positioned for the transformation of the automotive industry towards e-mobility and sustainability. Our product portfolio is suitable for all drive types, whether internal combustion, hybrid or pure electric vehicles. The medium-term forecasts that Autoneum published in November 2021 remain unchanged positive. The timing of the market recovery will be delayed by current events and will also depend on further geopolitical developments.

Archroma will be at Techtextil 2022 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 21 to 24 June 2022, to launch its latest innovations and system solutions aimed to help textile manufacturers with optimized sustainability, productivity and value creation in their markets.

Archroma will present 9 new solution systems and 3 innovations, and will hold 2 booth events.

3 innovation highlights

• PFC-free* Smartrepel® Hydro SR, a new solution developed for the repellence of water-based soil;
• Biocide-free OX20, a new odor-neutralizing technology newly launched by our partner SANITIZED AG;
• Perapret® AIR, a new mineral finishing technology for air purification is activated by natural and artificial light sources and can be applied on all fabrics

9 new solution systems
Archroma introduced its first ever solution systems at the Techtextil 2019 edition, and since then has developed more than 30 systems for technical textile and nonwoven applications.

• CLEAN AIR, a mineral air purification system that stays put on all kinds of fabrics and is activated by artificial and natural light, for as long as there is light; ➔ based on the new Perapret® AIR;
• CONSCIOUSLY DEEP, a metal-free one-step scouring and dyeing system for medium to very dark colored nylons that stay deep and bright day after day, and are good for you and the planet;
• EARTH SOFT, a biomass-based and vegan softening system that is suitable for all kind of fibers and makes you comfortable in your own skin;
• NATURE BOUND, a compostable binder system for food filtration materials that protect you and the planet;
• ODOR CONTROL 2.0, a system for odor-free sportswear where permastink cannot build up on your favorite clothes, that’s applicable on polyester, cotton and nylon; ➔ based on the new OX20;
• RAG N’ROLL, a compostable binder system for nonwoven cleaning rags, that protect you and the planet;
• SAFE SEATS NextGen, a PFC-free* and halogen-free* modular surface treatment system for safer and cleaner seating materials, ➔ based on the new Smartrepel® Hydro SR;
• SWEET DREAMS, a metal and particle free* system that redefines protection for mattress ticking fabrics, with long-lasting hygiene and outstanding softness, that protects you and the environment;
• TAKE A BREATH, an enhanced filtration system that keeps your air clean and fresh for longer putting health first and your competition behind;

2 booth events
A WORLD WITHOUT ODORS, FIGHT OR FLIGHT?
Innovation highlight: Biocide-free OX20 odor management solution by SANITIZED AG

Speakers:

• Nuria Estape, Panel Moderator, Head of Marketing & Promotion, Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, Archroma
• Georg Lang, Head of CC Finishing, Archroma
• Stefan Müller, Head of BU Textiles Additives Sanitized
• Yann Ribourdouille , Global registration expert Product Stewardship, Archroma

A WORLD WITHOUT PFC, DREAM OR REALITY?
Innovation highlight: PFC-free* Smartrepel® Hydro SR

Speakers

• Nuria Estape, Panel Moderator, Head of Marketing & Promotion, Brand & Performance Textile Specialties, Archroma
• Roland Borufka, Head of Competence Center Repellents, Archroma
• Wolfgang Knaup, Head of R&D repellents, Archroma
• Yann Ribourdouille, Global registration expert Product Stewardship, Archroma

The European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA) has published a report from its latest conference, which focuses on advances in sustainability and recycling.

More than 130 professionals from the global pultrusion community gathered at the 16th World Pultrusion Conference in Paris on 5-6 May 2022. Organised by EPTA in collaboration with the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA), the event featured 25 international speakers sharing insight on market trends, developments in materials, processing and simulation technologies, and innovative pultruded applications in key markets such as building and infrastructure, transportation and wind energy.

‘Bio-pultrusion’:  
Composites based on natural fibres offer a number of benefits, including low density and high specific strength, vibration damping, and heat insulation. The German Institutes for Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are developing pultrusion processes using bio-based resins and natural fibres. Projects include the BioMat Pavilion at the University of Stuttgart, a lightweight structure which combines ‘bamboo-like’ natural fibre-based pultruded profiles with a tensile membrane.

Applications for recycled carbon fibre (rCF):
The use of rCF in composite components has the potential to reduce their cost and carbon footprint. However, it is currently used to a limited extent since manufacturers are uncertain about the technical performance of available rCF products, how to process them, and the actual benefits achievable. Fraunhofer IGCV is partnering with the Institute for Textile Technology (ITA) in the MAI ÖkoCaP project to investigate the technical, ecological and economic benefits of using rCF in different industrial applications. The results will be made available in a web-based app.

Circularity and recycling:
The European Composites Industry Association (EuCIA) is drafting a circularity roadmap for the composites industry. It has collaborated with the European Cement Association (CEMBUREAU) on a position paper for the EU Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) which outlines the benefits of co-processing end-of-life composites in cement manufacturing, a recycling solution that is compliant with the EU’s Waste Framework Directive and in commercial operation in Germany. Initial studies have indicated that co-processing with composites has the potential to reduce the global warming impact of cement manufacture by up to 16%. Technologies to allow recovery of fibre and/or resin from composites are in development but a better understanding of the life cycle assessment (LCA) impact of these processes is essential. EuCIA’s ‘circularity waterfall,’ a proposed priority system for composites circularity, highlights the continued need for co-processing.

Sustainability along the value chain:
Sustainability is essential for the long-term viability of businesses. Resin manufacturer AOC’s actions to improve sustainability include programmes to reduce energy, waste and greenhouse gas emissions from operations, the development of ‘greener’ and low VOC emission resins, ensuring compliance with chemicals legislation such as REACH, and involvement in EuCIA’s waste management initiatives. Its sustainable resins portfolio includes styrene-free and low-styrene formulations and products manufactured using bio-based raw materials and recycled PET.

With global consumers becoming more conscious about personal hygiene and environmental protection, exhibitors at Cinte Techtexil China will spotlight materials and technologies for products that respond to these trends. The fair will probe into the associated growth opportunities as the country is one of the leading markets for nonwovens and technical textiles. The event will be held from 6 – 8 September at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

The technical textiles and nonwovens industries, the latter notably, are significantly expanding amid the pandemic. A recent forecast[1] predicts that the global polypropylene nonwoven fabric market will continue to rise at a CAGR of 6.7%, reaching USD 39.23 billion by 2028. The anticipated growth is bolstered by demands in end-use industries such as sanitation, medical, automotive and more. In 2020, Asia Pacific was named the largest regional market in the world and is expected to grow significantly over the forecasted period.

The prediction reaffirms the growth prospects of nonwovens. In this regard, industry players expressed much optimism about associated future opportunities during Cinte Techtextil China last year. “The field of nonwovens is poised for a positive growth as the awareness of personal hygiene and pandemic prevention sustains in the domestic market,” commented Mr James Gao, Head of Marketing and Textile Technologies, Uster Technologies (China) Co Ltd. He added: “We decided to join the fair and showcase our new launches as we remain confident in the future development of the industry, especially since China is dominating the global scene.”

Going green is the way forward
Turning to yarns and fibres, the sector is shifting to greener and smarter production that echoes the trend towards sustainability that is gaining considerable traction across the globe. Meanwhile in China, this movement was observed by many exhibitors at the 2021 edition, including Mr Roberto Galante, Plant Manager of FMMG Technical Textiles (Suzhou) Co Ltd, the Chinese subsidiary of the Fil Man Made Group. He mentioned: “The market is paying more attention to environmental protection, and we receive enquiries about special yarns for this every day. We focus on technical yarns for filtration as well as anti-bacterial properties, which are very important for the environment. The potential here in China is incredible and this is a big opportunity for everybody.”

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