From the Sector

adidas and IVY PARK CEO Beyoncé announce IVY HEART, a new capsule collection inspired by love , just in time for Valentine’s Day, from the ongoing adidas x IVY PARK creative partnership.

As with previous adidas x IVY PARK offerings, this latest collection features distinct looks with inclusive and in gender-neutral sizing in fashion styles, performance gear, footwear, and accessories. The line is available online at adidas.com on February 9th and February 10th in selection stores globally.

The Campaign
The campaign focuses on the guiding thematic color behind the collection. In the Western world, red is commonly associated with love , romance and sensuality. While in the East, red is attributed to good fortune and joy. Wherever you are, it’s clear that this color represents positivity. The concept is centered around bringing people together from all different backgrounds through this one color that’s sentimental to so many. This theme is illustrated through enhanced lighting, bold yet minimal production design, elevated styling and most importantly the international cast. Cultural cues from specific iconography and symbols are explored in visual motifs with sensitivity and intention. IVY PARK pays homage to various cultures inspired by this color, incorporating red through a futuristic yet authentic lens.

The Collection
No matter how you define it, love - most importantly love of one’s self - is at the core of IVY PARK ’s newest drop. Bold and sexy looks are an integral part of IVY HEART, which is aptly decked out in a spectrum of vibrant reds, playful pinks, and nuanced neutrals. In colors that include Candy Paint (Shock Pink), Lipstick Smudge (Red), Raspberry Beret (Power Red), Red, Red Whine (Cherry Wood) and Cheeks (Off-White), the line is punctuated by tactile materials like velour, ribbed knit, and faux latex.  IVY PARK ’s latest collaboration with adidas is further complemented by performance fabrics and graphic prints, allowing ample designs to mix-and-match from work out to night out.

The capsule collection’s design touchpoints are rooted in Beyoncé’s love of athleticism and fashion, merged with adidas’ performance and innovation. The references culminate in a collection of silhouettes that are sporty, stylish, and above all, unique. Conceived around three pillars of foundation, active, and fashion, IVY PARK ’s latest collection is highlighted by the Velour Dress and Tracksuit, Faux Latex Puffer, Pique Jumpsuit and Sequin Duster. Accessories include a 5-Panel Hat, a clutch and a Heart-Lip Belt Bag.

Footwear consists of both on-the-court and off-duty models.  The range is highlighted by a new iteration of the classic Stan Smith sneaker in Cheeks (Off-White), with a rubber dipped midsole.  Additionally, the collection introduces a new silhouette, the IVP Superstar Plim, a mule style shoe inspired by the iconic adidas Superstar in Cheeks (Off-White).  The line also features a new colorway of the IVP Savage sneaker in Cheeks (Off-White), a IVP swim slide in Lipstick Smudge (Red) and the Ultra boost in Candy Paint (Shock Pink).

Sistema Moda Italia confirms its Innovation Area for the 34th edition of Milano Unica, an area which responds to the growing demand for innovation in products, processes and services able to give specific performances or made with innovative and sustainable systems. And right here we find Sitip’s technical fabrics for clothing, with the COSMOPOLITAN Fashion-tech fabrics collection, modern and comfortable, dedicated to contemporary urbanwear/sportswear style and which perfectly meets the new needs required by the market and by the final consumer: performance and design.

COSMOPOLITAN Fashion-tech is declined into urbanwear through the sartorial technical fabrics that the company has defined Techno Sartorial: a tailoring that combines flawless cuts with exceptional fabric performance.

For the production of contemporary urbanwear, thought for the city, Sitip showcases the man’s suit made of jacket+trousers in warp-knit Cosmopolitan Citylife fabric: bi-stretch nylon with UV protection (UPF 50+), quick drying, easy care and skin comfort. Highly performing, breathable, comfortable, insulating and with an exceptional fit: incredible elegance and comfort that enhance the contemporary urbanwear style.

For women, Sitip presents COSMOPOLITAN Fashiontech fabrics dedicated to athleisure, with leggings made - for the summer version - in Cosmopolitan London, a bi-stretch circular knitted fabric, no seethrough, breathable, comfortable on the skin with UV protection (UPF 50+), with easy care and perfect shape retention, and - for the winter version - in Cosmopolitan Paris GZ, a circular knitted fabric raised on the reverse side, with the same properties as the previous one and thermoregulation characteristics.

The Instinct fabric is available in the recycled and raised version NATIVE INSTINCT GZ: a GRS certified thermal fabric made with pre-consumer recycled yarns, bi-stretch, breathable, resistant to pilling, easy care and high comfort, ideal for sporty knitwear and urbanwear part of the NATIVE SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES family, the Sitip fabric collection produced with GRS certified recycled yarns and low environmental impact chemicals with a lower consumption of natural resources , able to respect the environmental and social criteria extended to all the stages of the production chain, including the traceability of raw materials. Sitip also operates in line with international certifications such as OEKO-TEX®, BLUESIGN®, GRS and adheres to the ZDHC gateway, adding to these an ISO 14001 environmental management system, which certifies the company’s commitment to reducing pollution risks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition is scheduled to hold its 28th edition at the National Exhibition and Convention Center from 15 – 17 August 2022. This leading international trade fair in Asia for home and contract textiles will continue to provide an essential business platform for the industry to meet global sourcing demands. Suppliers can now apply for a booth with an early-bird discount to showcase their trending products.
 
Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd commented: “We were pleased that both the Spring & Autumn editions could go ahead in 2021 to provide a strong platform for exhibitors and buyers to do business and network in person during these challenging times. To allow for global participation in the show, we will continue to offer value-adding digital solutions in the coming Autumn Edition to help international participants to stay connected with their Chinese business counterparts and open up new possibilities into the growing Chinese market. Interactive webinars, live streaming product presentations, plus the featured Online Business Matching platform, will all be featured again in the hybrid fair, along with a variety of concurrent onsite events for in-person visitors.”

The August fair is preceded by the Spring Edition which will be held from 14 – 16 April. It will take place concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Yarn Expo, CHIC and PH Value at the same venue.

A place for the entire home textile industry to connect
The 2021 Autumn Edition welcomed 20,106 trade buyers from 41 countries & regions and 749 exhibitors from 10 countries & regions during the three-day fair. The show also saw the return of the Belgium Pavilion, where it once again introduced a selection of high-end and premium products in its 10th consecutive year of participation.

In order to allow buyers to benefit from a time-saving and effortless sourcing experience, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles 2022 will once again serve as a hub for an array of home textile product categories, including:

• Bedding, Bath, Kitchen & Table
• Upholstery & Sofa Fabrics
• Curtains & Curtain Fabrics
• Carpets & Rugs
• Wall
• Design & Technics
• Whole Home
• Editors
• Contract Business

EU-ALLIANCE aims to support SMEs internationalisation in the fields of technical textile, connectivity and advanced materials to address dual use markets in four targeted countries: The United States, Canada, Japan and Indonesia. The EU-ALLIANCE project is funded by the European Union's COSME programme. It brings together 6 key clusters representing nearly 900 companies: Techtera (France); Systematic (France); PO.IN.TEX - Textile innovation cluster (Italy); NTT - Next Technology Tecnotessile (Italy); NIDV - Industries for Defence and Security (Netherlands); SIIT - Intelligent System Integrated Technologies (Italy).

On November 25, the partners hosted a webinar to present the project and the opportunities it will generate. This webinar was also an opportunity to position the participants to benefit from the services generated by the project (market research, commercial missions, B2B meetings, etc.), communicate your needs and thus join the selection of companies that will be able to benefit from European support for these actions. Beyond this internationalisation objective, the project also aims to encourage intra-European collaboration and synergies between the various members of the partner clusters.

118 organisations signed today the TCLF (= Textiles, Clothing, Leather and Footwear) Pact for Skills, an initiative promoted by the European Commission and coordinated by EURATEX. The signatories acknowledge the skills challenge in the textiles ecosystem, and commit to invest in reskilling and upskilling workers, integrating green and digital skills and improving the attractiveness of the sector. Members of the Pact will benefit from networking, guidance and resources offered by the EC to implement the targets which are proposed in the Pact.

The Pact for Skills is part of the EU Industrial Strategy, addressing the competitiveness of 14 critical ecosystems, including textiles. The main aim of the Pact is maximising the impact of investments in improving existing skills (upskilling) and training in new skills (reskilling). To reach such an ambitious goal, the Pact gathers various actors in the TCLF sectors: industry, employers, social partners, national and regional authorities, education and training providers. These actors should work together and invest in large-scale skills partnerships, guarantee exchange of best practices and increase the attractiveness of the sector.

Specifically, the TCLF Pact for Skills focuses on 5 objectives and for each of them, the signatories identified a certain number of target actions:

1. Promoting a culture of lifelong learning for all: one of the actions is to design and roll out courses promoting latest technologies and digital tools such as VR and AI (digital skills) and promoting durability, repair and waste management activities (green skills), in particular circular design skills.
2. Building a strong skills partnership with relevant stakeholders: signatories foresee to build regional and cross-sectoral partnerships between industry, education providers and authorities, which are adapted to their specific needs. .
3. Monitoring skills supply/demand and anticipating skills needs: to reach it, industry, policy and education stakeholders will establish the TCLF Skills Observatory.
4. Working against discrimination and for gender equality and equal opportunities: signatories will launch a TCLF manifesto of diversity and a supporting initiatives to improve the gender balance and ensure equal opportunities for all.
5. Raising awareness & attractiveness on the TCLF industries, i.a. though dedicated information campaigns, showcasing the opportunities in the sector and promoting mobility for young workers.

As of early 2022, the European Commission will offer signatories of the Pact for Skills to benefit from collaboration at EU, national and regional levels and in particular gain access to networking, knowledge and guidance & resource hubs.

“EURATEX is proud to coordinate this initiative” says Alberto Paccanelli, EURATEX President. “Our companies’ success is based on finding the right people with the right set of skills. This becomes increasingly difficult, so this Pact is a wake-up call to work together and develop a forward looking strategy, where people are put at the heart of our sector.”

As the demand for recycled plastics grows, so does the size of the machines. This applies to the processing of polyolefins as well as to PET recycling. With its unique dimensions and production capacity, this new size of plant features a screw diameter of 280 mm, implemented for the first time in a VACUREMA® Basic 2628 T large-scale project for producing rPET pellets. EREMA has just shipped the plant to a customer in Brazil.

Up to 40,000 tonnes per year of rPET meeting the highest quality standards can now be produced. "For this purpose, we installed a screw with a length of ten meters, a diameter of 280 millimetres and a weight of 3.5 tonnes, which is the largest ever used in one of our recycling machines," explains Managing Director Michael Heitzinger. The screw was manufactured by 3S, a subsidiary of EREMA GmbH. No less impressive is the reactor of this recycling system, which, with a height of around 10 metres, is also unique and almost reaches the roof of the new production hall. 500 tonnes of input material were recycled during the test phase, which was subject to strict quality control. "The entire project was a great team effort," Heitzinger said, thanking everyone involved.

EREMA as a partner for large-scale projects
Just four years ago, the largest extrusion line supplied by EREMA was designed for a throughput of 15,000 tonnes per year. This size of plant was ordered by customers once or twice a year. In the meantime, machines like this leave the production site in Ansfelden every month. As early as 2020, EREMA proved to be a pioneer and reliable partner for implementing unique large-scale projects. That was when the food and beverage packaging manufacturer Envases Universales Mexico commissioned two VACUREMA® Basic 2625 T machines, each with a screw diameter of 250 mm and a capacity of 30,000 tonnes per year.

US Vice President Kamala Harris announced significant multimillion-dollar investments by Parkdale Mills and six other companies today, as part of the Administration’s Call to Action to the private sector to promote economic opportunity in the region, as her office works to address the root causes of migration.

Vice President Harris, who is overseeing diplomatic efforts with El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, announced several private sector commitments to strengthen economic opportunities in the Northern Triangle and made remarks at a White House roundtable, which included Anderson Warlick, Chairman and CEO of Parkdale Mills. The textile and apparel co-production chain is one of the most essential supply chains for employment and economic development in both the United States and the Northern Triangle region, currently supporting over 1 million jobs in the United States and the Central American region. The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and its strong rules of origin are the primary reasons this co-production chain exists, which is seeing significant growth this year.

North Carolina-headquartered Parkdale Mills, one of the largest manufacturers of spun yarn and cotton consumer products in the world, will make a multimillion-dollar investment in a new yarn spinning facility in Honduras and make an additional substantial investment to support existing operations in Hillsville, Virginia. This investment will help customers shift 1 million pounds of yarn per week away from supply chains in Asia and China and enhance U.S. and CAFTA-DR co-production resilience and increase regional product offerings. Parkdale’s announced investment will create hundreds of jobs in Honduras and further support hundreds of employees in Parkdale’s Hillsville operations.  

Recently, administration officials from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the Vice President’s office met with the U.S. textile industry to reaffirm the importance of rules of origin in nearshoring production chains, helping address labor and environmental challenges and mitigating supply chain risk.

“I would like to sincerely thank Vice President Harris for making this announcement and leading the effort with private industry to create more economic opportunities in northern Central America and the United States,” said Anderson Warlick, Chairman and CEO of Parkdale Mills. “Parkdale’s investments will support good paying jobs in the United States and in the Central American region and significantly increase our extensive product offering and capacity, including the production of sustainable specialty yarns.

Parkdale sees an enormous opportunity for brands and retailers to re-shore and nearshore production supply chains and double the size of U.S.-CAFTA-DR trade, because of the rules of origin in our trade agreement and a shift in sourcing by brands and retailers mitigating their supply chain sourcing risks.  We are excited about what this opportunity means for jobs in the U.S. and the region for this critical production chain and couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of this effort.  We look forward to working with the Vice President and her team on strengthening the textile and apparel production chains in the U.S. and region.”

National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas, said, “This is an exciting and important announcement by Parkdale and Vice President Harris. Our industry has invested billions of dollars in the U.S. and in the region as a result of the investment-based rules of origin in the CAFTA-DR agreement, which ensures the job benefits of the agreement are reserved for the parties to the agreement.  Additional substantial announcements on further investment in textile and apparel production are expected soon.

As brands and retailers are seeking more environmentally sustainable, vertically integrated, transparent, and quick turnaround supply chains, our collective industries stand ready to work with companies that are seeking to mitigate sourcing strategies as Asian supply chains have faced enormous production constraints.  Further verticalization in the industry, like Parkdale’s announcement today, allows broader product diversification and grows jobs across the textile and apparel production chain.

We are thrilled with today’s announcement because it is a win-win for American and Central American workers and our environment and a huge opportunity to further recalibrate supply chains out of China and Asia. This valuable co-production chain between the U.S. and the CAFTA-DR region accounts for $12 billion in two-way trade and billions of dollars of investment. Significant growth is occurring in our sector and is expected to continue as supply chains continue to recalibrate.  We are delighted about this today’s announcement and appreciate the Administration’s strong support.”

NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas testified at a hearing on “Supporting U.S. Workers, Businesses, and the Environment in the Face of Unfair Chinese Trade Practices” before the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee.

In written testimony submitted to the committee, Glas outlines China’s rise to dominance of global textile and apparel production and its adverse impact on the U.S. textile industry, details ways to strengthen onshoring and nearshoring of supply chains, and provides recommendations on the critical policies needed to address these illegal trade practices and rectify inequities.

“China holds the dubious distinction of being the world’s leading purveyor of illegal trade practices that are designed to unfairly bolster a blatantly export-oriented economy,” NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas says. “These predatory practices take many forms, from macroeconomic policies that grant across-the-board advantages to their manufacturers, to industry specific programs intended to dominate global markets in targeted areas. The U.S. textile industry has been a longstanding victim of China’s predatory export practices.”

“China’s virtually unlimited and unrealistic pricing power coupled with its subsidies and lack of enforceable labor and environmental standards strips benefits and undermines policy objectives throughout the U.S. free trade and preference program structure,” Glas further notes.

“A program of maximum pressure must be developed and fully enforced to reconfigure textile and apparel sourcing patterns that currently place an unhealthy and heavily weighted dependance on China,” Glas adds. “With a strong trade policy holding China accountable, the opportunities are ripe to unlock further domestic and regional investment to bolster this critical textile and apparel production chain because of the important rules of origin for this sector.  We can nearshore more production, help address the migration crisis, and assist in addressing the urgent issue of climate change and create a win-win-win for workers in the United States, workers in the region, and consumers.”

Glas outlines key policy recommendations to the committee, including:

• Enact tax incentives and other targeted critical investments to strengthen Western Hemisphere trade relationships and re-shore manufacturing
• Close the Section 321 De Minimis Tariff Loophole
• Step up enforcement of forced labor of Uyghurs and others in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)
• Firmly maintain Section 301 penalty duties on China for finished textiles and apparel products
• Immediately pass the MTB to help manufacturers with a limited list of critical inputs not made in the U.S. and review/close the mechanism in the MTB renewal which allows for finished products
• Strengthen buy-American practices for PPE and other essential products
• Block expansion of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to include textile and apparel products
• Use trade enforcement in free trade agreements to mitigate transshipment schemes by unscrupulous importers seeking to illegally circumvent duties

Huntsman Textile Effects has released the latest addition to the third generation of its revolutionary AVITERA® SE polyreactive dye range with the introduction of AVITERA® ROSE SE for brilliant bluish-red shades. The innovative new dye significantly outperforms the available dyeing technologies for cellulosic fibers and blends, delivering substantial water and energy savings, exceptional overall fastness, and reduced costs.

AVITERA® ROSE SE slashes the water and energy required for production by up to 50% thanks to its unique low-temperature and high-speed wash-off technology. It further delivers excellent right-first-time performance, with outstanding compatibility, levelling properties, and on-tone build-up. The cost-effective formulation reduces recipe costs for medium-dark shades while both minimizing processing costs and eliminating reprocessing. It also increases mill output by up to 25% or more.

Using AVITERA® ROSE SE, brands can stand out with brilliant bluish-red textile products in a broader shade gamut. The dyes offer very good light fastness levels for classic bluish trichromatic element, with exceptional overall fastness performance. Products dyed with AVITERA® ROSE SE have the highest chlorine resistance, tailormade for stringent Japanese and US laundering requirements, and are suitable for use with Huntsman’s HIGH IQ® Lasting Color Eco color-retention program. With minimal chance of cross-staining, they are ideal for red-white striped cotton knit fabric.

AVITERA® ROSE SE is fully compliant with the most stringent industry and brand-specific restricted substance lists. It is bluesign® approved and is suitable for STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified textile products.

Launched by Huntsman Textile Effects in 2010, the first-generation AVITERA® SE dyes set the benchmark for sustainability in the textile industry. The second generation expanded the range’s color palette from the palest to the deepest and darkest shades. The third generation further enhances the economic sustainability of the AVITERA® range while delivering unrivalled environmental benefits, outstanding operational performance, and attractive textiles with exceptional overall fastness.