From the Sector

Partnership between Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Pellenc ST and ANDRITZ promotes circular economy for textiles.

France’s first industrial plant for automated sorting and recycling of textile waste was officially inaugurated at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Amplepuis, on November 30, 2023. The plant is the result of an ambitious partnership between textile recycling company Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, waste sorting specialist Pellenc ST and international technology group ANDRITZ, a specialist in textile recycling machinery and processes.

Capable of automatically sorting garments by composition and color, the new line meets the needs of both post-consumer and post-industrial waste markets. The line also removes hard parts such as buttons and zippers to prepare the material for further processing in an ANDRITZ tearing machine.

The automated textile sorting line at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles is dedicated to industrial-scale production, customer trials and projects, and the R&D activities of the partners. It will process textile waste to produce recycled fibers for the spinning, nonwovens, and composites industries.

Automated sorting was the last missing link needed to develop a complete ecosystem in France, where the fashion industry, social and solidarity economy actors, waste management companies, and textile producers from different sectors are working together towards a textile circular economy.

The EU's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to ensure that by 2030 textile products are made to a great extent of recycled fibers and incineration and landfilling of textiles are minimized.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, connected absorbent hygiene and personal care professionals throughout the supply chain at the ninth edition of Hygienix™, the event for absorbent hygiene & personal care markets, held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 13-16.

Senior-level leaders enjoyed presentations in these key topics affecting the future of absorbent hygiene:

• AHP Trends, Innovation & Market Statistics
• Redefining Absorbent Hygiene: Navigating Consumer Voice, Sustainable Innovations and the Circular Economy
• The Proof Is in the Pudding – Demonstrating What’s Possible in AHP
• Sustainability Inside & Out – Inputs & Packaging
• Words Matter! Shaping Consumer and Industry Thoughts
• Neither Fish nor Fowl: Designing Hybrid AHP Products
• There Be Dragons: Tales of Innovation

The winner of the Hygienix Innovation Award™ was the Sequel Spiral™ Tampon by Sequel. The Sequel Spiral™ Tampon features a proprietary spiral design that is engineered to be more fluid mechanically efficient, meaning it is designed to absorb more evenly and not leak before it’s full. In August 2023, the Sequel Spiral™ Tampon received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device and the company will now begin a series of consumer trials, with broad availability expected in Q1 of 2024.

New this year to Hygienix was Lightning Talks and pre-conference webinars. Lightning Talks are short presentations covering new trends, products and ideas in absorbent hygiene. The pre-conference webinar topics featured the new Quality Audit Program from INDA and EDANA, an in-depth look at the period care product category, and North American trends and insights in baby diapers.

Back was a hands-on workshop providing attendees with information on the various absorption systems used in disposable hygiene products. This workshop focused on the components and interaction of the absorption system in common commercial hygiene products. The workshop was led by Jim Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC.

Jim Robinson received the honor of being named the 2023 INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award winner for his decades of technical advancements that have grown the nonwovens industry. Robinson has 33 years in the absorbent hygiene industry, including 28 years as a Technical Service Manager at BASF. Robinson has extensive knowledge of SAP applications, absorbent core formation, and hygiene article design, performance and testing.

Hygienix 2024 will be held Nov. 18-21, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Carbios and L’Oréal have won the “Pioneer Awards” in the Industry category, presented by the Solar Impulse Foundation at the first World Alliance Summit. This prize was awarded to Carbios for its enzymatic PET recycling solution, labeled “Efficient Solution” by the Solar Impulse Foundation since 2019, and to L’Oréal for using this technology for the first time in a cosmetics bottle prototype. Carbios’ solution offers brands an alternative to petro-sourced plastic that helps them meet their sustainability commitments. This advancement paves the way for future applications in other sectors such as packaging, food and beverage, and textiles.

Carbios and L’Oréal: a long-term collaboration
Since 2017, Carbios and L’Oréal have been working together with a shared vision of accelerating the transition to a circular economy for plastic. In 2017, both companies created a Consortium to improve the recyclability and circularity of PET packaging.  Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe joined this Consortium in 2019 to scale up Carbios’ innovation. The world’s first enzymatically recycled PET packaging was made in 2021 using Carbios’ biorecycling process. The world’s first PET biorecycling plant is scheduled to be commissioned in 2025. In parallel, Carbios is rolling out its technology internationally through licensing agreements.

The environmental benefits of biorecycling developed by Carbios
Recent life-cycle analyses^[1] show a 57% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared with the production of virgin plastic^[2], and for every tonne of recycled PET produced, 1.3 tonnes of petrol are avoided. Compared with conventional recycling, enzymatic recycling is 4 times more circular (calculated according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Material Circularity Indicator). Thanks to its highly selective enzyme, optimized for efficient PET degradation, Carbios’ depolymerization process can process all types of PET waste, including colored, multilayer or textile waste that cannot be recycled using current technologies. Furthermore, the two monomers produced (PTA and MEG) make it possible to recreate recycled PET products of identical quality to virgin ones, and suitable for food contact.
 
 
^[1] Database ecoinvent 3.8
^[2] French scenario, taking into account the detour of 50% of PET waste from conventional end-of-life. Virgin PET: 2.53 kg CO₂/kg (cradle to gate)

• Revenue of EUR 1.87 bn and EBITDA of EUR 219.1 mn in the first three quarters of 2023
• Positive free cash flow of EUR 27.3 mn in the third quarter
• Implementation of performance program focusing on positive free cash flow, strengthened sales and margin growth and sustainable cost excellence
• Modernization and conversion of Indonesian site successfully completed – EU Ecolabel received

The anticipated recovery in markets relevant for the Lenzing Group has to date failed to materialize. The continued sharp increase in raw material and energy costs on the one hand and very subdued demand on the other had a negative impact on Lenzing’s business trends as well as on industry as a whole during the reporting period.

Revenue in the first three quarters of 2023 decreased by 5.3 percent year-on-year to EUR 1.87 bn. This reduction was primarily due to lower fiber revenues, while pulp revenues were up. The earnings trend was mainly influenced by the market environment. As a consequence, earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in the reporting period decreased by 16.7 percent year-on-year to EUR 219.1 mn. The net result after tax amounted to minus EUR 96.7 mn (compared with EUR 74.9 mn in the first three quarters of 2022), while earnings per share amounted to minus EUR 4.90 (compared with EUR 2.16 in the first three quarters of 2022).

Outlook
According to the IMF, a full return of the global economy to pre-pandemic growth rates appears increasingly out of reach in the coming quarters. In addition to the consequences of the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine, growth is also being influenced by restrictive monetary policy and extreme weather events. The consequences of the renewed military confrontation in the Middle East are not yet foreseeable. Overall, the IMF warns of greater risks to global financial stability, and expects the growth rate to decrease to 3 percent this year and to 2.9 percent next year.

The currency environment is expected to remain volatile in the regions of relevance to Lenzing.

The general market environment is continuing to weigh on the consumer climate and on sentiment in the industries relevant to Lenzing.

In the trend-setting market for cotton, the current 2023/24 crop season is emerging as a further 1.7 mn tonnes of inventory build-up, following 1.8 mn tonnes of inventory build-up in the previous season.

Earnings visibility remains severely limited overall.

Lenzing is fully on track with the implementation of the reorganization and cost reduction program and on this basis is implementing a comprehensive performance program focused on positive free cash flow, strengthened sales and margin growth as well as sustainable cost excellence. The overarching goal is to position Lenzing even more strongly and to further increase its crisis resilience.

In structural terms, Lenzing continues to anticipate growth in demand for environmentally responsible fibers for the textile and clothing industry as well as the hygiene and medical sectors. As a consequence, Lenzing is very well positioned with its “Better Growth” strategy and plans to continue driving growth with specialty fibers as well as its sustainability goals, including the trans-formation from a linear to a circular economy model.

The successful implementation of the key projects in Thailand and Brazil as well as the investment projects in China and Indonesia will further strengthen Lenzing’s positioning in this respect.

Taking the aforementioned factors into consideration, the Lenzing Group continues to expect that EBITDA for the 2023 financial year will lie in a range between EUR 270 mn and EUR 330 mn.

Australia is one of the highest waste generators in the world, with over 7.6 million tonnes of food ending up in landfill each year, costing over $36.6 billion and producing 17.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gas.

Deakin’s partnership with Jet Technology through REACH will explore ways to transform industry-generated organic waste into new products like organic textiles and stock feed using a rapid composting system.

Jet Technology’s Environmental Recycling System (ERS) will build a circular economy by creating valuable products for a range of industry sectors.

Australia is continuing to generate more landfill each year. A new partnership between Deakin’s Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH) and Japanese-based company Jet Technology aims to turn this around by repurposing organic waste and transforming it into new products.

Australia contributes more than 7.6 million tonnes of food to landfill annually, costing over $36.6 billion and producing 17.5 million tonnes of CO2.

Deakin University scientist Alfred Deakin Professor and Chair in Biotechnology Colin Barrow and his team from the Centre for Sustainable Bioproducts will work with Jet Technology to explore the possible reuses of organic waste using Jet Technology’s Environmental Recycling System (ERS). The project will focus on converting organic waste from the agriculture, dairy and fishery sectors by drastically shortening composting time so it can be used to make new products.

The four-year research project will be undertaken at the BioFactory at Deakin’s Waurn Ponds campus. It will initially focus on processing agricultural waste, converting apple pomace into a bioproduct for the textile industry. Apple pomace consists of the apple skin, pulp, seeds and stems left over from apple juice manufacturing. Its disposal in landfill can lead to greenhouse gas emissions and potential contamination of soil and groundwater.

If successful, it could lead to the establishment of a local multi-million-dollar bioeconomy where organisations such as councils, supermarkets and food and beverage businesses could cut costs while generating new revenue streams and job opportunities.

Deakin’s REACH initiative collaborates with progressive industry, government, and education partners to establish a multi-billion-dollar bioeconomy in Victoria and push the limits of technological innovation to deliver energy and recycling solutions that reduce landfill, fossil fuel emissions, and the devastating costs of global warming.

Ahead of the extra-ordinary Council on 6 October in Granada, EURATEX President, Alberto Paccanelli, and CIE President, Jose Vte Serna, call on the EU Presidency to develop a new competitiveness strategy, which can relaunch the European industry and ensure it will remain competitive in the decades to come. This means bringing together trade, energy, state aid and sustainability policies into a single, integrated, comprehensive approach, which can support a robust and modern European manufacturing industry.  
 
To consolidate a strong industrial structure in Europe, the Union should

1. secure the supply of clean energy at a competitive cost;
2. support innovation and foster the necessary talent pool and
3. be more assertive in achieving an international level-playing field on sustainability, based on the European model.  

During the past few years the implementation of incoherent and conflicting objectives under the trade, energy, industrial and sustainability policy has been observed. As a matter of fact, while the circular economy promised to be a recipe for a competitive industry of the future, the likelihood of pushing the EU industry out of the market and driving investment elsewhere than in Europe is very high. If this approach were to continue in the next years, it will result in a de-industrialised Europe, depending on imports from abroad. Such a Europe would be more exposed to geopolitical turmoil, with no agency to deliver its vision of peace, well-being and a healthy environment to its citizens.

It is fundamental for Europe to pursue a more coherent set of policies that put the competitiveness of its domestic industry at the core. In this context, all the industrial manufacturing sectors should be in the scope, including the textile industry, given its importance in providing essential products and applications to our society. A first impactful action that can be taken in this direction, would be to expand the scope of the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) to include the textiles and clothing industry.
 
The history of European industry is fully woven in the birth and expansion of the European textiles industry since the XVIII century. Still today, the European textiles and clothing industry holds a pivotal position in the market, encompassing a diverse range of sectors and applications. In terms of employment, our industry creates 1,3 million direct jobs in Europe, encompassing a wide range of roles, from design and production to distribution and retail. European textiles have a wide range of applications, the most common one is of course clothing and fashion. The industry has a long history of producing high-quality apparel, with various regions specializing in specific niches.
 
Beyond clothing, there is a wide range of industrial sectors were textiles play an essential role, including  Automotive (used for upholstery, interior components, and even lightweight composite materials), Aircraft and Shipbuilding (where textiles are employed for their lightweight and high-strength properties, to enhance fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and improve overall performance), Building and Construction (insulation, roofing, geotextiles, and architectural textiles), or Personal Protective Equipment, for medical personnel, firefighters, police and army officers. This includes masks, gowns, uniforms, helmets, and fire-resistant clothing, ensuring safety in hazardous environments.
 
Textiles are essential components of our society and our well-being. It is key for Europe to maintain its capacity to manufacture high-quality, sustainable and high-technology textiles.  With this in mind, the competitiveness policy of the future and the related funds to support it, should include the textile ecosystem in its scope.  

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical company, announced that it has recycled 100 billion post-consumer PET bottles since February 2011. This has diverted 2.1 million tons of waste from the environment and saved 2.9 million tons of carbon footprint from the product lifecycles. Demonstrating its commitment to support the establishment of a circular economy for PET, in the last ten years Indorama Ventures has spent more than $1 billion towards waste collection of used PET bottles.

The company has also committed a further $1.5 billion to expand its recycling business. To support increased recycling rates globally, Indorama Ventures has expanded its recycling facilities, infrastructure, and public education programs. The unique PET plastic used in soft drinks and water bottles is fully recyclable and is collected in practice and at scale. As a result, PET is the most recycled plastic in the world, and the company’s recycling achievements support that. Building on its position as the world’s largest producer of recycled resin used in plastic beverage bottles, Indorama Ventures is also seeking advanced technologies to deliver more recycling infrastructure globally and reduce lifecycle carbon emissions.

The company now has 20 recycling sites in Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Recent developments include doubling the capacity of a recycling site in Brazil; and the opening of PETValue, the largest bottle-to-bottle recycling facility in the Philippines, in partnership with Coca-Cola. Both part of a $300 million ‘Blue Loan’ Indorama Ventures received in 2020 from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. The loan has the objective of increasing recycling capacity and diverting plastic waste from landfills and oceans in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, India, and Brazil - countries seeking support in managing environmental waste. Indorama Ventures has also partnered with the Yunus Foundation, a leading non-profit organization promoting sustainable development with a global network, with the goal of educating one million consumers globally about recycling by 2030 with 200,000 reached so far.

On 5th September 2023, the Amsterdam: Best of Bangladesh Europe’ started in the venue of Wastergas in Amsterdam. The 2-day nation branding event was organized by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE), with support from the Embassy of Bangladesh, Ministry of Commerce, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) of Bangladesh and in association with PDS.

Tipu Munshi, MP, Commerce Minister, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Michiel Sweers, Vice Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Kingdom of the Netherlands; Shahriar Alam, MP, State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh; Md Siddiqur Rahman,  Former president of BGMEA; M Riaz Hamidullah, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands; Leslie Johnston, Chief Executive Officer, Laudes Foundation; Pallak Seth, Founder & Vice Chairman, PDS Limited; and Mostafiz Uddin, Founder & CEO, Bangladesh Apparel Exchange; attended the inaugural ceremony of the ‘Best of Bangladesh’.

Three MoU were signed in the inaugural for the development of the industries of Bangladesh.
The 1st MoU was signed between Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO). The 2nd MoU was signed between Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Apparel Impact Institution. The 3rd MoU was signed between Bangladesh Apparel Exchange and Oxfam.
More than 35 companies from various fields, including apparel, textiles, agriculture, handicrafts, and other sectors, participated in the initiative.

The event held six interactive panel sessions on the topics "Bangladesh – Perspectives from an Emerging Economy", "Sustainable Sourcing Realities: Challenges, Achievements & Next Steps”, “Empowering the Future: Advancing Safety & Well-being for Garments Workforce in Bangladesh", "Bangladesh Agro-Food: A Next Opportunity for Collaboration", "Impact Investing - The Next Frontier", and “Sustainable Synergy: Circular Economy, Climate Action & Bangladesh’s Future".

A Bangladesh Innovation Runway was presented by Pacific Jeans at the event. The Bangladesh Innovation Runway showcased the ability of the country in producing high end, sustainable and innovative apparel products.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced the conference program for Hygienix™ 2023, November 13-16 to be held at The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, LA.

The program details can be found on the Hygienix website.

The keynote speaker is Courtney Scharf, Chief Client Officer, Trend Hunter. Trend Hunter leverages big data, human researchers, and AI to identify consumer insights, and deep dive opportunities for the world’s most innovative companies, such as Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Georgia-Pacific, Kroger, Johnson & Johnson, Reckitt Benckiser, Samsung, and Bacardi. Trend Hunter utilizes Artificial Intelligence and research to identify and curate top insights and trends to advise brands and businesses in their pursuit of innovation.

The Hygienix program will feature thought leaders in consumer-centric innovations, the circular economy, raw material advancements in sustainability, opportunities for advanced recycling in absorbent hygiene, optimizing the packaging footprint, new approaches for odor control, and market trends and drivers.

Experts presenting at Hygienix include:

• Aquapak Polymers Ltd. – “Creating Sustainable Nonwovens for Hygiene Applications with Thermally Processable Polyvinyl Alcohol; A Water Soluble, Environmentally Friendly and High-Performance Polymer”
• Asahi Kasei Advance Corporation – “Continuous-Filament Cellulose Nonwovens”
• Confitex Technology – “Reusables Production: It’s Not All Green”
• Egal Pads, Inc. – “Closing the Circularity Gap One Used Pad at a Time”
• Essity – “Diaper Collection & Recycling in Australia”
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company – “Innovate New Levels of Strong Comfort with Hygiene Solutions”
• Henkel Corporation – “Reducing the Packaging Waste from Personal Hygiene Products”
• INNOVATEGRN – “Accelerating Innovation / Embracing a Consumer-Centric Approach”
• Kuraray Europe GmbH – “Safe and Eco-friendly Elastics for Absorbent Hygiene Products”
• Nexus Circular – “Increasing Plastics Circularity for the Hygiene Segment Through Advanced Recycling”
• W. Pelz GmbH –“Disposable Pads Meet Reusable Underwear”
• Price Hanna Consultants – “Squaring the Circle: Why Demonstration Projects = Good Sustainability Strategy” and “Wellness and Natural Materials”
• Rem Brands, Inc. – “Effective Reduction of Material Odors, In-use Odors, and Post-use Odors”
• Sequel – “Spiraling into Business: How a Dramatic Innovation to the Tampon Met the World’s Largest Manufacturer of Feminine Hygiene”
• Sparkle Innovations Inc. – Sustainability and Circularity in the Absorbent Hygiene Products Industry”

The Hygienix program will offer a hands-on workshop as well as two pre-conference webinars. Jim Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC, will lead the in-person workshop on AHP Absorbent Hygiene Systems, Monday afternoon, November 13th. This workshop evaluates SAP absorption for different SAPs and participants have the opportunity to deconstruct and examine several hygiene products including infant, adult, and period care products to increase the understanding of these systems.

The Lenzing Group, a world-leading provider of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries, has been awarded platinum status in the EcoVadis CSR rating. The rating comprehensively covers the four most important practices in the area of corporate social responsibility: environment, fair working conditions and human rights, as well as ethics and sustainable procurement.

For the third time, Lenzing has been awarded Platinum status for its sustainability performance by EcoVadis, a leading international provider of sustainability ratings for companies. This puts Lenzing in the top one percent of companies worldwide rated by EcoVadis.

EcoVadis has become the world's largest and most trusted provider of corporate sustainability ratings since its founding in 2007, creating a global network of more than 100,000 rated companies worldwide. The methodological framework assesses companies' policies, actions and activities, as well as their published reports, related to the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

In line with its sustainability strategy “Naturally positive”, the Lenzing Group has set ambitious targets in each of its core strategic areas to further strengthen its path from a linear to a circular economy model. Lenzing reports annually on the corresponding implementation measures and the progress made in its sustainability report. This level of commitment and transparency was particularly positively highlighted by EcoVadis in its assessment. The rating provider also emphasized the Lenzing Group's comprehensive measures in the areas of environment, ethics, and labor and human rights.