From the Sector

The John Lewis Partnership announces the appointment of Jason Tarry as its seventh Chairman following Sharon White’s decision to step down at the end of her term.

Jason brings over 33 years of experience at Tesco where he was most recently the UK & Ireland CEO, a role he held for six years. His experience spans grocery, general merchandise and fashion in senior commercial, operational and general management positions, having joined the Tesco graduate programme in 1990.

In addition to delivering market leading grocery performance in the UK, he led the expansion of F&F Clothing across Europe as Group CEO. Jason is expected to take up the role in September, at which point Sharon will step down and support the transition as required.

Rita Clifton, Deputy Chairman and Chair of the Nomination Committee, said: “The Board extends its huge thanks to Sharon for successfully leading the Partnership through one of the most testing periods in its history - first Covid and then the cost of living crisis. She has faced into the toughest decisions and overseen the Partnership's financial recovery; we are in good financial health with a return to profit, and have a strong balance sheet with record investment planned this year. Sharon has also helped ensure that employee ownership of the Partnership is secure, is demonstrably focused on its purpose as a force for good and with an open and inclusive culture.

“As the Partnership moves into the next phase of its modernisation focused on our core retail business as well future growth, we are confident that Jason will provide the kind of inspirational leadership, a proven track record in multi-channel, multi-category retail success and a strong identification with Partnership values that we are seeking in this role. Jason has impressed everyone throughout the interview process with his warmth, his belief in the Partnership’s ideals and democratic principles and his appreciation for our unique and special brands.”

The association has launched another initiative to promote upskilling and reskilling in the textiles, clothing, leather and footwear industry: the “TCLF SkillBridge” project will focus on establishing regional skills partnerships.

In the context of the EU TCLF Pact for Skills, EURATEX will work together with CEC  and COTANCE  to support the creation of regional partnerships in the area skills; this new SkillBridge project, supported by the European Commission DG GROW, will specifically help to develop action plans with regional authorities, local TCLF industry and education providers. These action plans should respond to the changing needs of the TCLF industry in the area of education and skills. The project will also offer a mobility scheme for regional stakeholders from the industry and offer support to SMEs, to help them develop reskilling or upskilling initiatives in their company.

The TCLF SkillBridge project complements the MetaSkills and Aequalis projects, which have been launched earlier this year. They all share the same objectives which have been established in the TCLF Pact for Skills, and thus contribute to addressing one of the most critical bottlenecks which is faced by the TCLF industry: the shortage of qualified labour. These 3 projects will, collectively, allow EURATEX and its partners to work with all relevant stakeholders from our sector across the EU and beyond.

Dirk Vantyghem, EURATEX Director General, welcomes these initiatives to support the TCLF industries: “Addressing the skills gap, and attracting young people with the right set of skills, is essential to strengthen the European textiles industry. We are grateful to the European Commission to offer the necessary support, and want to reach out especially to the regional authorities, to work together and design a skills strategy that works for its local TCLF industry.”

At the "International Conference on Cellulose Fibers 2024" in Cologne, Germany, the Nova Institute for Ecology and Innovation awarded first place in the Innovation Prize to the project partners of the EU-funded HEREWEAR project. They presented a dress made of cellulose fibers, which is entirely made of straw pulp.

HEREWEAR is an EU-wide research project that brings together partners from research and industry. They are working to establish a European circular economy for locally produced textiles and clothing made from bio-based raw materials.
The HEREWEAR consortium consists of small and medium-sized enterprises and research institutions. HEREWEAR covers all the necessary expertise and infrastructure from academic and applied research and industry from nine EU countries.

The HEREWEAR approach includes technical and ecological innovations in the production of fibers, yarns, fabrics, knitwear and garments, as well as the use of regional value chains and the circular development of fashion items.

New technologies for wet and melt spinning of cellulose and bio-based polyesters, e.g. PLA, from which yarns and fabrics are produced, form the technical basis. Coating and dyeing processes have been developed and tested as part of the project. In addition to reducing the carbon footprint of the product, another environmental goal is to reduce the release of microfibers throughout the textile manufacturing process and life cycle.

Improving the sustainability and recyclability of the developed garments is ensured by design for circularity and digitally networked production means. On-demand production is realized in so-called "microfactories", which are individualized and produce only for actual demand. This production method can be achieved through regional, networked value chains and enables the traceability of materials and manufacturing processes.

The dress presented at the award ceremony is an example of the cooperation and the different qualifications of the project partners: TNO (Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research) provided sustainably produced pulp. The HighPerCell fibers were produced in DITF's spinning facilities. At the same time, designers from the fashion label Vretena created the design for the flexible, two-piece dress, which can be knitted without cutting waste. DITF textile experts worked with the designers to develop the knitting pattern. DITF textile engineers and technicians produced the knitted fabric and assembled the dress at the institutes’ technical center. DITF computer scientists and engineers created the "value chain" and "digital twins" for digital traceability of the production processes.

The innovation prize was awarded to the HEREWEAR consortiu for their joint achievement. Representatives of DITF Denkendorf and Vretena accepted the award on behalf of the EU project partners.

Archroma has developed a new wet-fastness improver that helps brands and mills produce durable clothing, towels, linens and other textile products with long-lasting colors without compromising on quality or introducing hazardous chemicals.

ALBAFIX® ECO PLUS is a next-generation fixing agent that delivers a strong wet-fastness for all reactive dyes on cotton and other cellulosic fibers and polyester-cotton blends. It will not change the shade of the dyed fabric or negatively impact light-fastness. The product also avoids production challenges – such as foaming, acid hydrolysis and migration problems during drying – to promote efficiency and quality output.

ALBAFIX® ECO PLUS is suitable for jet applications, and for other dyeing and washing equipment with vigorous liquor circulation, and can also be applied by exhaustion, by padding or from the last bath of the soaping process after dyeing or printing.

Like ALBAFIX® ECO, the latest addition to the ALBAFIX® family has a positive influence on chlorine-fastness. When applied with double fixing, it achieves the same high performance on polyamide and PA/Elastane fabrics, as it does on cellulosic fibers. This makes it ideal for the production of swimwear, as well as sportswear and outdoor clothing.

ALBAFIX® ECO PLUS complies with global eco-standards and initiatives, including Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), bluesign® and the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Roadmap.

Texhibition Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories Fair, organised by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB), is ready for its fifth edition. From 6 to 8 March 2024, 558 exhibitors will present themselves to the 30,000 expected visitors from over 100 countries, including the European Union, Great Britain, the USA, North Africa and the Middle East. With this edition, Texhibition has more than doubled the space compared to the last event to 35,000 square metres.

The fifth edition of Texhibition Istanbul offers a comprehensive overview of all product groups in the textile prepress sector: from woven fabrics to knitwear, from denim to artificial leather and textile accessories

Due to popular demand, the fair has been expanded to five halls, including the new Yarn Hall (Hall 8) with exhibitors such as Sasa, Aksa, Karafiber, Kortex, Tepar, Ensar, Kaplanlar and Iskur and the BlueBlack Denim Hall (Hall 7), which showcases the latest denim trends and presents a wide range from blue shades to black denims with exhibitors such as İsko, Çalık Bossa, Kipas and İskur. BlueBlack Denim is designed by the  designer Idil Tarzi in cooperation with the creative directors Gönül Altunisik and Selvi Yigci.

Curated by Idil Tarzi and her creative team, the Texhibition Trend Area in Halls 4 and 5 presents the latest colour trends, materials and accessories.

Under the direction of designers Arzu Kaprol and Filiz Tunca, the Innovation Hub showcases technological innovations that add value to textile production: from fibre to yarn, from fabrics to clothing.

Digital art installations in the entrance area, which run through the entire trade fair, as well as piano performances in the foyer await visitors at the upcoming Texhibition.

Seminars and workshops with industry experts shed light on current topics in the industry, including innovations, production processes and design developments. These opportunities offer participants a platform to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest developments in the textile industry.

Textiles for technical applications often derive their special function via the application of coatings. This way, textiles become, for example wind and water proof or more resistant to abrasion. Usually, petroleum-based substances such as polyacrylates or polyurethanes are used. However, these consume exhaustible resources and the materials can end up in the environment if handled improperly. Therefore, the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are researching materials from renewable sources that are recyclable and do not pollute the environment after use. Polymers that can be produced from bacteria are here of particular interest.

These biopolymers have the advantage that they can be produced in anything from small laboratory reactors to large production plants. The most promising biopolymers include polysaccharides, polyamides from amino acids and polyesters such as polylactic acid or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), all of which are derived from renewable raw materials. PHAs is an umbrella term for a group of biotechnologically produced polyesters. The main difference between these polyesters is the number of carbon atoms in the repeat unit. To date, they have mainly been investigated for medical applications. As PHAs products are increasingly available on the market, coatings made from PHAs may also be increasingly used in technical applications in the future.

The bacteria from which the PHAs are obtained grow with the help of carbohydrates, fats and an increased CO₂ concentration and light with suitable wavelength.

The properties of PHA can be adapted by varying the structure of the repeat unit. This makes polyhydroxyalkanoates a particularly interesting class of compounds for technical textile coatings, which has hardly been investigated to date. Due to their water-repellent properties, which stem from their molecular structure, and their stable structure, polyhydroxyalkanoates have great potential for the production of water-repellent, mechanically resilient textiles, such as those in demand in the automotive sector and for outdoor clothing.

The DITF have already carried out successful research work in this area. Coatings on cotton yarns and fabrics made of cotton, polyamide and polyester showed smooth and quite good adhesion. The PHA types for the coating were both procured on the open market and produced by the research partner Fraunhofer IGB. It was shown that the molten polymer can be applied to cotton yarns by extrusion through a coating nozzle. The molten polymer was successfully coated onto fabric using a doctor blade. The length of the molecular side chain of the PHA plays an important role in the properties of the coated textile. Although PHAs with medium-length side chains are better suited to achieving low stiffness and a good textile handle, their wash resistance is low. PHAs with short side chains are suitable for achieving high wash and abrasion resistance, but the textile handle is somewhat stiffer.

The team is currently investigating how the properties of PHAs can be changed in order to achieve the desired resistance and textile properties in equal measure. There are also plans to formulate aqueous formulations for yarn and textile finishing. This will allow much thinner coatings to be applied to textiles than is possible with molten PHAs.

Other DITF research teams are investigating whether PHAs are also suitable for the production of fibers and nonwovens.

Nearly 8,000 international visitors came to meet the 1,300 exhibitors at Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris. This year's event was enhanced by a boldly designed showcase in the heart of Paris.
The offer was broader, more diversified and more accessible. Despite increasing requirements in the industry, visitor numbers remained stable. It was on these two objective notes that the latest edition of the Texworld and Apparel Sourcing Paris trade shows for the fashion industry came to a close, held from 5 to 7 February 2024 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. During these 3 days, nearly 8,000 visitors came to meet 1,300 weaving and clothing companies from 25 countries on the two levels of Hall 7 (7.2 and 7.3).

Visitors: a Euro-Mediterranean Top 5
This unprecedented concentration of international companies in Europe, which exceeds in number that of February 2019, is a reminder of the central role of European markets for the global fashion industry. This position is confirmed by the weight of buyers from the Euromed zone in the visitor structure: Top 5 is concentrated around buyers from France (20% of the total, up sharply on 2023), the UK (8.3%), Italy (7.9%), Turkey (7.2%) and Spain (6.8%). This Parisian event is proving to be an essential point of contact between designers, buyers and suppliers of fabrics or finished products.

Making the offer ever more accessible “Despite the slowdown in the clothing market, Europe remains a major market for textile and finished goods manufacturers" explains Frédéric Bougeard, President of Messe Frankfurt France. “For some players, it is becoming a strategic market to offset the uncertainties weighing on the Russian and American markets" he continues. Our mission is to fulfill our role as a market place, to adapt to these changes and to make the international offer more and more accessible." The February event also highlighted near sourcing. Nine Ukrainian companies grouped together under the banner of the Ukrainian Association of Textile and Leather Industry Companies (Ukrlegprom), as well as Bulgarian, Italian and Dutch companies, were able to take advantage of the show's visibility to include their expertise in the sourcing plans of French and European buyers.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris, a new name for our trade fairs
Reflecting the adaptation of Messe Frankfurt France's strategy to changes in the market, Texworld Evolution Paris is changing its name to Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris. This move reflects developments in fashion sourcing and the expansion of brand universes. A growing number of buyers now want to be able to select materials, while also sourcing finished products directly to complement collections or expand their range. The new name is accompanied by a new dual baseline - Weaving the future; sourcing I business I solutions - to underline these developments and reinforce the fairs' service-led positioning.

From 1 to 3 July 2024 at Porte de Versailles
This new signature will be fully expressed at the next edition of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris, including Avantex and Leatherworld, which will take place from 1 to 3 July 2024 in Hall 7 (7.2 and 7.3) of the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. The show, which will remain the same size and offer a more selective range of products, will reflect this convergence between textiles and finished products. This session will also have no interaction with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which are due to open on 26 July, three weeks after Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris

Refashion, a textile industry’s eco-organisation, has renewed its authority approval until 2028. 6 years during which it will continue to transform the industry in keeping with the objectives set by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and the French Ministry of the Economy, including the objective to collect 60% of CHF (clothing, household linen and footwear textiles) placed on the market by 2028. This new period is reflected in an ambitious road map and significantly increased investment. Nearly 1.2 billion euros, financed by the marketers, will be spent on transforming the industry during this new period of authority approval.

Determined to achieve the objectives set out in the ambitious specifications set down by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Berangère Couillard, Refashion has worked on a road map with all of its stakeholders involved in the transformation that is underway. Maud Hardy, nominated as the eco-organisation’s CEO in January 2022, started a collaborative working method that will continue throughout this new period to support areas that are key in this transformation. In the next few months, projects will begin and will visibly highlight the progress made in the three phases of a product’s life cycle: production consumption, regeneration.

Production

• Recognising eco-design initiatives through the eco-modulation of the fees paid by marketers (durability, environmental information labelling, integration of recycled materials). For marketers, these initiatives should represent the scheme’s cornerstone. The aim is to involve all stakeholders in reducing the environmental impact of products.

Consumption

• As from 2023, Refashion will spend 5 million euros minimum per year in awareness-raising activities and on information to the general public by supporting an array of local authority initiatives.
• The launch of a repair fund in 2023, in particular to prolong the usage of textiles and footwear products. More than 150 million euros will be invested between 2023 and 2028 to change the habits of the French population to increase repairs by 35% (guideline target by the ADEME 2019).

Regeneration

• Accelerating clothing, household linen and footwear collection, in particular thanks to an operational mix in the sector. Funding traditional sorting operators will remain central, but Refashion will also develop an additional operational system in order to achieve the collection target of 60% of products placed onto the market (versus 34% in 2021).
• 5% of fees paid to Refashion will go towards the redeployment/reuse funds to provide support for reuse within the remit of stakeholders in the Social and Solidarity Economy. In addition to this funding, additional funding arrangements open to all stakeholders will be established. The total budget throughout the authority approval period represents 135 million euros.
• 5% of fees, i.e., 58 million euros in 6 years, will be spent on R&D to help achieve these milestones in order to industrialise the recycling of used CHF: recyclability that is considered during the design stage; automated sorting and recycling.

On 10 January, Re:NewCell AB ("Renewcell") announced that they are planning to start negotiations with the relevant trade unions regarding restructuring of the organization to improve efficiency while maintaining focus on sales.

As part of the restructuring, the local authorities (Arbetsförmedlingen) will also be notified. The planned restructuring will lead to a decrease in workforce of approximately 25%, just over 30 persons, and will also result in annual savings – reduction of personnel cost and other operating costs – of approximately 35 SEKm in total per annum when finalized.

Magnus Håkansson, acting CEO, says: “This kind of decision is never easy to make and would not be planned for unless it was absolutely necessary for our long-term success. The planned restructuring of the organization means that Renewcell will maintain conditions for efficient production while continuing to focus on the development of sales to fiber producers as well as focusing on marketing activities to the major clothing brands that determine the final demand in the supply chain.”

A collaboration between Deakin University researchers and Australia’s largest commercial linen supplier Simba Global is tackling a critical global issue, the spread of harmful microplastics through our laundry.

Clothing and textiles are estimated to generate up to 35 per cent of the microplastics found in the world’s oceans, making them one of the biggest contributors. But there is still a lot to be learnt about the characteristics of these microplastics and exactly how and why they are generated.

Researchers at the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres in Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) have teamed up with Simba Global, a global textile manufacturing and supply company, to better understand the extent and type of microplastics shed when their products are laundered. Simba Global wants to lead the charge to reduce the environmental impact of textiles.

Lead scientist IFM Associate Professor Maryam Naebe said working with an industry partner on the scale of Simba Global meant the research could have a huge real-world impact.

Simba Global is the major linen supplier to Australia’s hospitals, hotels and mining camps, resulting in 950,000 tonnes of textile products – including bedsheets, bath towels, scrubs and much more – going through the commercial laundering process each year. It also supplies international markets in New Zealand, Singapore and the US.

“As part of our research, we will investigate potential solutions including the pre-treatment of textiles to reduce the shedding of microplastics, or even increasing the size of the plastics that break down so they can be better captured and removed by filtration during the laundering process,” Associate Professor Naebe said.

“Microplastics are now ubiquitous in the environment, they’re in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the earth we walk on. The magnitude of the problem is bigger than previously thought.

“Of serious concern is the mounting evidence that microplastics are having a negative impact on human and animal health. There are not just physical, but chemical and biological impacts.”

Associate Professor Naebe’s team have taken the first steps in the project, analysing wastewater samples from commercial laundries with high-powered electron microscopes in their Geelong laboratory, part of the largest fibres and textiles research facility in Australia.

The team recently presented a new scientific paper at the Association of Universities for Textiles (AUTEX) Conference 2023, which started the important process of formally categorising these types of microplastics, as well as developing standard terminology and testing methods.

“Because our understanding of microplastics is still in its infancy, we needed to start right at the beginning,” Associate Professor Naebe said.

“We need to have a standard definition of what is a microplastic. Up to this point that has been lacking, which makes it difficult to compare and incorporate other studies in this area.

“We are now developing a systematic method for sampling and identifying microplastics in laundry wastewater. It has been tricky to measure the different sizes, but this is important information to have. For example, there are studies that suggest some sizes of microplastics are causing more issues in certain animals.

“The next step will be establishing an essential method to prevent the release of microplastics from textile laundering. This may involve a coating on the surface of the textile or better ways to collect the waste during the washing process.”

Simba Global Executive Chair Hiten Somaia said the company had a strong focus on sustainability, driven by the business’ purpose statement.

“We are proud to partner with Deakin University in what is the first significant research into textile microplastic pollution in Australia. What we are most excited about is sharing the results of this research with all other textile markets in Australia – including clothing – and putting an end to microplastic pollution from textiles.”