From the Sector

A digital twin supply chain has recently been established by Swedish start-up PaperTale for Sail Racing – a brand well known for its durable and long-lasting performance garments for the marine industry.

The PaperTale system for Sail Racing fully maps a complex network, beginning with farmers in Australia, moving to garment workers in Pakistan and finally reaching consumers in Scandinavia. It incorporates data collection from the three countries using NFC tags and blockchain technology to provide detailed supply chain insights and ensure regulatory compliance for the brand.

Introducing the usually anonymous factory workers responsible for each individual garment to the person buying it is what sets PaperTale apart from other tracking systems – a next level of personalisation that will make a valuable contribution to raising the debate on the true cost of textiles.

“Our system captures the supply chain of a product from cradle to grave, in real-time,” says company founder Bilal Bhatti. “By integrating it into existing planning and management systems, factories and brands can gather and verify the flow of material and their social and environmental data in real-time. Data is added to a public blockchain so it is extremely hard to tamper with, further increasing trust. When a product is finalised, consumers can scan an NFC tag or QR-code to view the entire journey a product has travelled, which craftsmen were involved in the production, and if they have been paid fairly.”

“This technology is a game-changer in that we provide verified information about the social aspects of the manufacturing process and not just information about the components of the garment,” says Bilal. “We need products and processes to be much more connected with people, especially in such a complex supply chain where a high percentage of the work is carried out by contract workers who are unregistered and often exploited.

“When the entire product journey is visible using real-time and verified data, higher trust is created all the way from factories to consumers. Our system makes it possible to start the dialogue on the cost of sustainability, paving the way to increase incentives that result in proper wages, contracts and workplace safety. In respect of environmental sustainability, real-time data makes real-time measurement possible, which will also stimulate brands and factories to reduce emissions, water usage and pollution.”

The collaboration is further highlighted as the primary case study in a just-released white paper prepared by Deloitte, as a guide to how companies could most effectively prepare for the European Commission’s upcoming Digital Product Passport (DPP) and other related legislation.

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.”

On the occasion of World Cotton Day 2024, Cotonea presented comprehensive CO2 and energy analyses of a total of 460 fabrics for the first time. Unlike conventional life cycle assessments, the brand analyzes its entire value chain from the cotton plant to the finished fabric and measures energy consumption and associated CO₂ emissions in detail. This enables comprehensive transparency and creates comparability.

“Our analyses and the consistent use of renewable energies along the entire supply chain show that some of our fabrics still act as CO2 sinks even after finishing. This is a clear signal of our commitment to environmental protection,” says Roland Stelzer, Managing Director of the long-established company Elmer & Zweifel and founder of the Cotonea brand.

Precise data
Cotonea examined the CO₂ and energy footprint for a total of 460 different fabrics so precisely that even differences in colors, such as yellow or black, could be determined exactly. Only the energy consumption for the yarn dyeing required for a few fabrics and means of transportation such as trucks, ships and trains as well as the assessment of primary energy sources are based on average values. “Instead of blanket CO₂ footprints or LCAs, we at Cotonea document exactly how our fabrics are manufactured and how much CO₂ and energy are consumed in the individual production stages,” emphasizes Stelzer.

Some fabrics act as CO₂ absorbers even after finishing. This is partly due to the natural CO2-binding properties of cotton fibers in organic cultivation and partly due to the use of hydropower and solar systems in the production facilities.

Advanced technology for comprehensive sustainability
For the analysis, Cotonea, with the support of the Industrieverband Veredelung - Garne - Gewebe - Technische Textilien e.V. (IVGT), used the “Umberto” life cycle assessment software, in which all relevant steps of the production process have been modeled and mapped. The calculations comply with ISO standards 14040 and 14044 for life cycle analysis (LCA). Since the end of 2012, Cotonea has provided items with a product passport that shows the individual production steps. In 2020, the organic cotton brand contributed its supply chain expertise to the “Textile Trust” blockchain project by IBM and Kaya & Kato, which was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

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.

OUTLOOK™ 2024 took place on 24-26 September 2024 in Rome, gathering a record of 549 delegates from 212 companies and 37 countries across the nonwovens personal care, hygiene & wipes products value chain.

OUTLOOK24 Conference
The conference, structured across five key sessions, featured 26 speakers covering a diverse array of critical topics impacting not only the nonwovens industry but society at large. These topics included cutting-edge innovations and eco-design, evolving market dynamics, navigating new EU regulations, the future of absorbent hygiene products, sustainability, retail strategies, and the challenges posed by China's influence on European commerce.

The event's first day opened with a compelling presentation by Joachim De Vos, Managing Partner and Founder of Living Tomorrow & TomorrowLab. As an expert in strategic innovation and scenario planning, he shared valuable insights on guiding organizations towards future-readiness. He highlighted the emerging success factors, emphasizing how Generative AI can be leveraged to develop scenarios for the nonwovens industry, serving as a powerful roadmap for future innovation.

On the second day, James Kynge, the Europe-China correspondent for the Financial Times, delivered a keynote address., "The China Challenge", emphasizing China's rapid rise as a global tech superpower, noting that the country produced more than half of the world's robots last year. He explored the far-reaching impact of this growth on European commerce, highlighting the challenges and outlined strategies for European companies.

The final day of OUTLOOK™ Jack Stratten, Director of Insider Trends. highlighted in his presentation, “The polarization of choice: How retailers and brands are responding to market and product saturation,” in an unprecedented market saturation that leaves 64% of consumers feeling overwhelmed by choices. He discussed how massive retail platforms drive product saturation, influencing both quality and variety and concluded that differentiation in this crowded landscape occurs by focusing on high-quality, curated selections.

OUTLOOK24 Exhibition
As part of its commitment to fostering connections within the industry, OUTLOOK™ 2024 continued its tradition of offering extensive networking opportunities to its delegates. This year’s event featured a tabletop exhibition, where 20 companies had the chance to showcase their expertise over the 3 days.

The next edition of OUTLOOK™ will take place from 23-25 September 2025, in Budapest, Hungary at the Marriott Hotel, Budapest.

A collaboration that unites Monforts’ dyeing and finishing equipment, BW Converting’s Baldwin TexCoat G4™ digital spray technology and Archroma’s chemistries towards sustainable solutions is charting the course for the future of sustainable textile finishing.

Together, the three companies will support dyeing and finishing manufacturers, a critical part of the textile supply chain, in their development projects, boosting the quality and performance of their finished products, while at the same time maximizing the productivity and resource utilization of the finishing application process.  

Kicking off the partnership in the second half of this year, Monforts will install BW Converting’s full-width Baldwin TexCoat digital spray unit on a stenter frame at its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) at its headquarters in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

“Our ATC already houses two full Montex stenter finishing lines engineered to accommodate an extremely diverse range of processes, in addition to a Thermex range for the continuous dyeing of denim and other woven fabrics, a full color kitchen and a number of lab-scale systems for smaller batch trials,” explained Monforts Junior Technologist Saskia Kuhlen. “It enables our customers to test their own textiles and technical fabrics under fully confidential, real production conditions and using the results from these trials we are also able to make recommendations for improving many fabric finishes. The new TexCoat installation will make an important contribution to what we can achieve.”
 
TexCoat G4 revolutionizes the traditional water- and energy-intensive pad-dry-cure finishing process by precisely applying chemistry including softeners, antimicrobials, durable water repellents, flame retardants, resins and most other water-based chemicals across the textile surface only where it is required, on one or both sides of the fabric. The system can therefore reduce water, chemistry and energy consumption by up to 50% compared to traditional pad application processes.

The TexCoat G4 installation brings together the surface functions, fabric transport and thermal processing technology of Monforts stenter frames with Archroma’s specialty chemicals, applied with TexCoat’s contactless precision, to achieve optimum absorption and maximum efficacy, exceeding the performance of traditional pad applications.

“Archroma’s commitment to advancing sustainability solutions for technical textiles has led to a pivotal partnership with Baldwin, where the benefits of contactless precision spray combined with our innovative solutions have helped textile manufacturers achieve greater energy and water savings,” said Michael Schuhmann, Global Marketing Segment Manager for Technical Textiles, Archroma Textile Effects. “We are thrilled to take the partnership to the next level with the integration of a renowned equipment expert. Together, we will bring the best of our expertise in sustainable technologies to our customers around the world.”

“Baldwin has enjoyed a great relationship with Monforts and Archroma over the last few years,” added Rick Stanford, Baldwin’s Vice-President of Business Development for Textiles “Individually, we are working hard to assist our customers to achieve their sustainability and environmental targets but this is the first time the three companies have committed to working together with a focus on bringing transformative change to the dyeing and finishing space. It will result in significantly lower energy, chemical and water consumption with increased productivity and higher quality.  We strongly believe that this partnership will be greater than the sum of its parts.”

Beyond textile finishing, Monforts, Baldwin and Archroma will work together to develop a versatile offering that will include coloration concepts and in the not-too-distant future the partners additionally plan to expand their collaboration to continuous spray dye applications developed by Baldwin.

CARBIOS, a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, and SELENIS, a leading supplier of high-quality specialty polyester solutions, have signed a Letter of Intent to cooperate in the production of PETG. By leveraging CARBIOS’ enzymatic depolymerization technology and Selenis’ expertise in polymerization, the companies aim to develop a premium, sustainable PETG material made from PET waste for the Cosmetic and Healthcare packaging sectors across Europe and the U.S. This partnership follows a two-year collaboration between the two companies and represents a significant advancement in the plastic recycling industry.

PETG is an indispensable packaging material in both the cosmetics and healthcare industries due to its exceptional clarity, durability, mechanical and chemical resistance. CARBIOS’ enzymatic depolymerization solution breaks down all types of PET waste into PTA and MEG monomers, which are then transformed into PETG through Selenis’ advanced polymerization processes. Thanks to the purity of these monomers, PETG issued from biorecycling presents the same properties as virgin PETG, allowing for products packaged in thick, molded pots and lids to be protected and presented attractively. In the medical and pharmaceutical industries, PETG properties are also critical for guaranteeing top packaging performance, sterility, transparency and optical brightness, making it an ideal choice for complex medical device packaging, pharmaceuticals blisters, or any other packaging of diagnostic equipment. The material’s value is therefore further underscored by combining a sustainable recycling solution whilst guaranteeing all needed properties, aligning with consumer sustainability demands and stringent regulatory requirements.

CARBIOS and Selenis’ partnership is the result of extensive pilot and industrial polymerization trials that have refined the quality of the end product. The result is high-specialty PETG grades issued from biorecycling that meet the strict requirements of sectors like cosmetics and healthcare, where Selenis has a strong presence through its Selcare brand.

The Salvation Army announces a collaboration with celebrity fashion stylist Rebekah Roy for Sustainable Fashion Week. Rebekah will join as special guest for an exclusive online second-hand fashion event and share expert tips on styling second-hand fashion.  The webinar will be held on Tuesday 24th September at 8 pm (BST). The partnership presents an opportunity to promote second-hand shopping and create lasting change.  
 
Listed as one of the top 100 "Most original and influential people in the UK creative and media industries” by Time Out, Rebekah is an award-winning stylist whose career boasts working on more than 75 catwalk shows, including for London Fashion Week, Rolls Royce, Ascot and Harrods. Beyond the runway, Rebekah has collaborated with iconic musicians including Duran Duran, Billy Idol, Enya, Kate Nash and Max Rae.
 
As a strong advocate for sustainability, Rebekah has also pioneered the UK’s first vegan fashion show and regularly curates the Source Fashion show at London Olympia, reflecting her commitment to a sustainable lifestyle and her vision for a fashion industry that respects our planet.
 
Sustainable Fashion Week unites the community in taking creative action; to change the fashion system from the bottom up and the programme features a series of events to take action locally and change fashion globally.  As part of SATCoL’s commitment to sustain our planet and transform lives, the 30-minute webinar with Rebekah Roy will be available to the public for free and it will encourage second-hand shopping as she shares expert tips on styling vintage looks to make your wardrobe last. In addition to this, guests will receive a free guide to take away to support them further after the event.
 
The webinar is a call to action to drive lasting change and SATCoL will take the opportunity to introduce the great work they do to help sustain the planet and give used textiles a second lease of life whilst, helping to raise vital funds for charity. The webinar will be hosted by Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL), who operates around 250 stores and a UK-wide clothing bank collection service on behalf of the charity. SATCoL has received industry wide recognition in fashion for their efforts to support brands and retailers to meet their sustainability goals and the webinar encourages the public to also take part in diverting more items away from disposal and to shop second-hand.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announces the release of the International Fiber Journal’s (IFJ) special sustainability issue dedicated to nonwovens. This special edition, which was sponsored by INDA, is a key piece of the association’s 2024 strategic sustainability initiative, launched at the beginning of 2024 in response to feedback that sustainability remains one of the nonwovens industry’s highest priorities.

The IFJ special issue features exclusive content from industry leaders, including Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Glatfelter, Lenzing Fibers, NatureWorks LLC, Hollingsworth & Vose, MANN+HUMMEL, Nexus Circular, Henkel Corporation, and INDA. This edition explores key sustainability topics, structured around three core pillars vital to the industry’s future: Responsible Sourcing, Innovations in Sustainability, and End-of-Life Solutions. Featured topics include:

• Environmentally sustainable nonwoven materials
• Circularity in single-use plastics
• Potential of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials in nonwovens
• Navigating regulatory challenges
• Advances in bio-based nonwovens
• The role of plastics and polymers in sustainability

“This special issue of the International Fiber Journal is a vital part of our multi-faceted sustainability initiative aimed at providing new and enhanced offerings to INDA members and the nonwovens industry. We are excited to see the industry come together to share insights on the sustainability challenges we face,” said Tony Fragnito, President of INDA.

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd (FET) of Leeds, UK will be exhibiting for the first time at COMPAMED 2024 in Düsseldorf, taking place between between 11 – 14 November 2024, to reflect the company’s increasing profile in the medical sector. COMPAMED is a international trade fair for the medical technology supplier sector, showcasing a range of high-quality medical technology components, services and production equipment for the medical industry.

FET are experts in medical fibre technology and innovations, designing and delivering high performance equipment for a range of precursor medical products. This includes turnkey solutions for nonwoven medical devices, wound care and dressings and synthetic absorbable sutures.

FET’s expertise lies in laboratory and pilot melt spinning equipment for a vast range of applications, especially precursor materials used in high value medical devices and specialised novel fibres from exotic and difficult to process polymers. FET has processed over 100 different polymer types and its systems can melt spin resorbable polymers in multifilament, monofilament and nonwoven formats, collaborating with specialist companies worldwide to promote greater sustainability through innovative manufacturing processes. Where melt spinning solutions are not suitable, FET provides an alternative with pilot and small scale production wet and gel spinning systems.