From the Sector

Under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) initiative to enhance transparency and traceability in the garment and footwear industry, Haelixa realizes a pilot project with Costach Cooperative and Peruvian textile company Creditex to give sustainable rural cotton producers in Peru more visibility in the value chain.

In 2019, UNECE and United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) have set up an initiative to drive transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry. The initiative is jointly implemented with the International Trade Centre (ITC) with financial support by the European Union. Haelixa is proud to be part of the group of experts that develops policy recommendations, traceability standards, and conducts projects to set traceability benchmarks. With the support of the +Cotton Project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) a pilot is being realized in this context to mark and trace the finest Pima cotton for Creditex directly at the gin in Piura, Peru. Haelixa’s DNA marker connects the actual lint cotton to the entry on a blockchain system provided by UNECE. The Haelixa technology ensures that the information about the product’s origin and the journey of the product along the value chain is always safely embedded into the product itself. The marked cotton will be used to make exclusive pajamas sets for Cat´s Pajamas. DNA traceability will enable the verification of the premium origin of Peruvian Pima cotton in the final garment produced using sustainable practices by family farmers associated with the Costach cooperative.

Costach is the main cooperative of cotton farmers in Peru. The cooperative consists of 5,200 family farmers in the Piura region, producing mostly extra-long fiber of Pima Cotton. Since 2017, the +Cotton project has been supporting the farmers with training on sustainable practices and has been providing technical assistance for improved markets access.

Creditex is vertically integrated from cotton ginning to fine thread, up to the production of high quality apparel for international premium brands. The company takes social responsibility and environmental stewardship very seriously and therefore makes a strong partner for this project, empowering the cotton family farmers that hold the majority of cotton production in Peru.

At the forthcoming Texprocess, Techtextil and Heimtextil shows taking place in Frankfurt from June 21-24 – members of the Swedish Textile Machinery Association TMAS will be showcasing a range of solutions aligning with the growing trend for more localised and automated textile manufacturing.

Digitalisation and the push for more sustainable, shorter and less expensive supply chains are currently making manufacturing in high-cost countries within Europe more attractive and there have been many other contributing factors to this over the past two years.

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of many countries to shortages of essential items like PPE while at the same time making the full exploitation of new digital options essential during national lock-downs and long periods of restricted travel. The escalating cost of global transportation, as well as the growth of online retailing and the associated benefits of on-demand digital manufacturing, are further reinforcing the many benefits of short-run and near-shore new operations.

Secure supply
At Texprocess, for example, Eton Systems will be unveiling its latest Ingenious software solution which further enhances the company’s Opta Unit Production System (UPS) introduced in 2021.

“Our automated technology has already had a great impact on the productivity of thousands of garment production lines,” says Eton’s Managing Director Jerker Krabbe. “Our systems help producers across the world to reduce repetitive manual tasks and increase efficiency, which evens out some of the differences between production in high and low-cost countries, making reshoring a feasible option. Creating a diversified production portfolio with a mix of production facilities, some closer to home, makes for a more secure product supply.”

Flexibility
Imogo meanwhile recently installed the first industrial scale dyeing system in Sweden for many years. The Dye-Max spray dyeing line has the potential to slash the use of fresh water, wastewater, energy and chemicals by as much as 90% compared to conventional jet dyeing systems. It is capable of carrying out the application of a wide range of fabric pre-treatments and finishing processes, providing users with unbeatable flexibility in production.

“Here in Scandinavia, we are currently seeing an explosion of companies developing sustainable new cellulosic fibres – many from waste clothing – but a problem is that all of the environmental benefits they deliver can potentially be lost in the further processing, and especially in conventional dyeing,” observes the company’s Founding Partner Per Stenflo. “The Dye-Max system positively addresses this, but interest in it has not just been confined to Europe. We are currently seeing a lot of activity in Turkey – largely as a near-shore partner to European brands – but also in Bangladesh.”

Robotics at Heimtextil
ACG Kinna Automatic specialises in automation solutions for filled products such as quilts, pillows and mattresses and its live demonstrations of robotics in action have proved a magnet for visitors to Heimtextil. This year’s show will be no exception.

“The use of robotics is now standard across many industries dealing in solid goods, but the handling of soft materials such as textiles is a little more complex,” says Managing Director Christian Moore. “Nevertheless, it’s something we have successfully mastered, and our robotic systems are proving highly beneficial to their users. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution when it comes to automation and our approach is always to carefully examine where it will make the difference in each bespoke system. A focus is on identifying and eliminating bottlenecks which will increase product flows.”

During the Covid-19 pandemic, ACG Kinna drew on all of its automation know-how and extensive network of contacts to build a new nonwovens fabric converting and single-use garment making-up plant in a matter of weeks, in order to supply the Swedish authorities with urgently-needed medical gowns.

Instant colour
Localised textile production is also booming in the USA, where Coloreel has recently secured multiple orders for its instant thread colouration technology via its US partner Hirsch.

“Coloreel technology enables the high-quality and instant colouring of a textile thread while it is actually being used in production and can be paired with any existing embroidery machine without modification, while also making it possible to produce gradients in an embroidery for the first time,” explains VP of Sales Sven Öquist.

“Advanced rapid colour formulation software and high-speed drive technology allow a single needle to carry out what it previously required many multiples of them to do – and with much more consistent stitch quality. By instantly colouring a recycled white base thread during production, our system enables complete freedom to create unique embroideries without any limitations. Colour changes along the thread can either be made rapidly from one solid colour to another, or gradually, to make smooth transitions or any colouring effect desired. This provides big benefits when it comes to sustainability and design creativity.”

Milestone
Svegea will be promoting its latest EC 300 collarette cutting machine at Texprocess 2022. This machine is used by garment manufacturers around the world for the production of tubular apparel components such as waistbands, cuff and neck tapes and other seam reinforcements. With its E-Drive 2 system and fully automatic FA500 roll slitter, the EC 300 has an output of around 20,000 metres per hour.

“Advances in automation are only making the specialised, bespoke machines we engineer even more efficient and we are expecting a very busy year,” says Managing Director Håkan Steene. “The garment components our collarette cutters produce make it logical for them to be integrated into the operations of making-up operations, wherever they are.”

Sensors
The advanced yarn tension monitoring technologies of Eltex of Sweden meanwhile play an essential role in rectifying defects in  weaving, tufting and composite reinforcement operations.

“A correct tension of the warp and weft threads ensures proper machine operation,” explains Eltex Global Marketing and Sales Manager Anoop K. Sharma “The constant tension monitoring and automatic control of the tension of the thread help to overcome unnecessary problems.

“We continue to make advances in both the hardware and software of our tension monitoring systems, such as the EyE™ for the warping process. With the EyE™, the yarn tension values from all yarns are continuously updated and displayed on screen. In addition, tension values outside the warning level are indicated both on the sensor’s LEDs and on the screen for complete quality control. No fabric can be woven without the appropriate and correct tension.”

• Hundreds of designers, brands, creators, e-com platforms, manufacturers, and virtual fashion pioneers expected to attend VIP events at Kornit’s headquarters, R&D and production centers, and in major venues of Tel Aviv     
• Kornit will unveil future technologies and solutions, including the revolutionary Kornit Apollo fully-digital mass production direct-to-garment (DTG) platform – considered a future game-changer for the mainstream mass production of fashion and apparel, a multi-billion-dollar market opportunity – constrained today by antiquated, analog, and polluting methods of production
• Mass production of textile, traditionally off-shored, is going through an accelerated shift to near-shore production, significantly shorter production runs, lean-to-no inventory risk, and unlimited creativity and flexibility for designers and creators – all possible with Kornit’s new solution for mass production
• Kornit will also unveil its Kornit Atlas MAX Poly – predicted to transform the multi-billion-dollar professional and recreational sports apparel and teamwear markets, suffering today from major limitations with mass customization of polyester

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT) (“Kornit”), a worldwide market leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashionx and textile production, announced today the Company will present the convergence of design, technology, and sustainable fashion at Kornit Fashion Week Tel Aviv 2022, April 3rd – 6th. Rewriting the rules for fashion and textiles, the transformative event will unveil vibrant runway collections together with game-changing industry-first product and technology introductions that bring digital production to the mainstream.

The four-day event is attended by some of the top designers, retailers, brands, fulfillers, and ecommerce players, in addition to global investors and press – and will include exclusive VIP experiences demonstrating the confluence of the design, technology, and fashion worlds. Together, these three elements are central to Kornit’s 4.0 strategy, bringing sustainable, on-demand fashion to the mainstream with end-to-end workflow solutions.

Kornit Fashion Week Tel Aviv 2022

Kornit Fashion Week features an immersive runway showcase produced by worldwide fashion icon, producer, director, and entrepreneur Motty Reif. The week follows successful Kornit events in 2021 across Los Angeles, New York, Milan, and Tel Aviv – displaying the creative freedom associated with sustainable, on-demand fashion fulfillment. Attendees will experience runway events showcasing designer creativity across a broad array of collections. These fascinating collections were created in just a few weeks, unlike typical fashion and textile production processes that take over six months.

Industry-First Introductions

Looking behind the scenes at Kornit Fashion Week, attendees will witness Kornit’s disruptive mass production technology in action. Unveiled for the first time, the Kornit Apollo direct-to-garment (DTG) system addresses accelerated post-pandemic market trends for streamlined supply chains and production nearshoring. Demonstrated at an exclusive VIP event, Kornit Apollo features the Company’s proven MAX technology offering the highest retail quality combined with full automation control and integrated smart curing processes, utilizing functionality from Lichtenau, Germany-based Tesoma (Kornit’s recently announced acquisition). The solution is the most comprehensive digital, single-step end-to-end system for nearshore short-and-medium-runs mass production and offers optimal TCO and highest output per operator. The result far surpasses performance of screen printing and analog techniques. With early customer engagements in the second half of 2022, the system will be available mid-2023.

Physical and Virtual Worlds

Kornit enables customers to exchange supply chain headaches and materials waste for unsurpassed creativity and a frictionless pixel-to-parcel-to-doorstep production experience. Supported by the KornitX workflow solution, customers have access to a scalable and modular ecosystem for on-demand decorated apparel and textiles. Supporting diverse supply chain models, the infrastructure-agnostic system enables on-demand, automated production, end-to-end from initial order to package delivery.

• Flat knitting is one of the most versatile textile forming technologies. What is possible here is shown by STOLL's regular trend collections.
• STOLL from the KARL MAYER Group launches its new "WONDERFUL" trend collection

The latest compilation of inspiring designer pieces is entitled "WONDERFUL". On display are wonderful products designed to make the viewer pause and marvel. "WONDERFUL" shows what it means to create wonderful knitted articles. In today's world, moments of true wonder seem rare, but with the right technology, creative visions become products that inspire and amaze. With STOLL's technological solutions, wonderful product ideas can be realized for everything that is important to us: our children, our home, our appearance and our well-being.

Accordingly, the new trend collection serves different areas of application: Extraordinary STOLL-knit and wear® products in the new gauge of E 10.2 and in established gauges, such as E 7.2, inspire the market for seamless articles. Extravagant combinations of intarsia, STOLL-weave-in® and STOLL-ikat plating® techniques create novel pattern possibilities, material usages and color impressions. The possibility of individualization is supported by selected products via STOLL-autocreate®.

The trend collection causes amazement, but also stands for responsibility and environmental awareness. One chapter presents a sustainable footwear fabric solution that was created in collaboration with renowned players in textile value creation.

"WONDERFUL" was launched in March 2022. The first presentations took place in front of customers in Italy and were a great success. "Our "WONDERFUL" designs were very well received. Some customers have adopted the new pattern options contained there directly into their current collection, and ordered the necessary technical kids to convert their machines," explains Jörg Hartmann, Head of Fashion & Technology at STOLL with satisfaction.

• 2021 Annual Results: First IFRS consolidated statements integrating the subsidiary Carbiolice
• Plan to build a first industrial facility with a strong financial support from the French Government and the Grand-Est Region: site selected in France in partnership with Indorama Ventures, world leader in the production recycled PET
• Successful commissioning of a demonstration facility in September 2021 and confirmation of the validity of the scale-up of Carbios’ enzymatic recycling technology
• Takeover of Carbiolice and full integration in the consolidated IFRS statements since June 4th, 2021
• Appointment of Philippe Pouletty as Chairman of the Board of Directors on April 1st, 2022
• Appointment of Emmanuel Ladent as CEO of the Company on December 1st, 2021
• Strengthening of Carbios’ financial structure: capital increase of €114 million with French and International investors and €30 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB)
• Group’s cash position of €105 million as of December 31, 2021, which does not include the €30 million EIB loan due to be drawn down in the first half of 2022

Carbios, a pioneer in the development of enzymatic solutions dedicated to the end-of-life of plastic, announced its operating and financial results for the year 2021. The financial statements as of December 31, 2021, were approved by the Company’s Board of Directors at their meeting on March 31, 2022.

“In 2021, Carbios achieved several technical and industrial milestones testifying of the soundness and successful execution of our strategy. The excellent results obtained from our demonstration plant confirms the industrial scale-up potential of our biological technology for the recycling of PET plastics and fibers. Together with our Consortium members, we also produced the world’s first food-grade PET sample bottles produced entirely from enzymatically recycled plastics; a world first. In addition, we have strengthened our financial structure by raising a landmark €114 million in May 2021 and we have taken full control of Carbiolice in June. In line with our objectives and with a strong financial support from the French Government and the Grand-Est Region, we will soon enable France to host the world’s first industrial facility dedicated to the biological recycling of plastics. Carbios’ enzymatic process will make it possible to recycle more than 50,000 tons of PET plastic waste per year,” comments Emmanuel Ladent, CEO of Carbios. “Our priority for 2022 is to finalize the terms of our partnership with Indorama Ventures, which will host the world’s first industrial facility operating our biological recycling process at its French production site in Longlaville. This year will also be about optimizing our commercial strategy, while continuing our innovation efforts on the end-of-life of other polymers.”

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In 2021, nonwovens production in Greater Europe increased in volume by 2.0% to reach 3,120,967 tonnes (and 87.6 billion square metres).

EDANA, the international Association serving the nonwovens and related industries today released its statistics on Nonwovens Production and Deliveries for 2021. Following the impressive growth recorded in 2020, the updated figures for Greater Europe (incl. Western and Eastern Europe countries, Turkey, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine) highlight again the ability of the European industry to innovate and to invest in order to meet the challenges of the pandemic crisis.

In 2021, nonwovens production in Greater Europe increased in volume by 2.0% to reach 3,120,967 tonnes (and 87.6 billion square metres). Since 2019, the European output increased by nearly 9%.

Jacques Prigneaux, EDANA’s Market Analysis and Economic Affairs Director commented “This 2% average growth is in line with European forecasts disclosed in October 2021 in our Global Nonwoven Markets 2020-2025 report. In 2021, significant growth areas for nonwovens were recorded in building construction (+17.4%), agriculture (+11.3%), electronic materials (+10.1%) and air filtration (+9.1%). Countering this, a further decline of -1% was recorded in automotive interior applications. In some market segments, a comparison with the pre-COVID situation is probably more relevant. This is particularly true in hygiene, medical and wipes nonwovens, which were almost flat or slightly decreasing compared to the level reached in 2020, but still much higher than in 2019”.

He added: “Looking at the different production processes of nonwovens, various trends were observed in 2021. The production of fiber-based materials, including Drylaid, Wetlaid, and Airlaid technologies, recorded divergent growth rates (respectively +2.4%, +1.1% and -4.8%), and spunmelt nonwovens recorded a growth rate of +3.1%. In Drylaid, the highest growth in tonnes was observed in needlepunched, with a 6.4% increase. The production of drylaid-hydroentangled, which peaked in 2020, was at the same level a year later”.

According to the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development, the fashion and textile industry represents one of the major polluters of water in the world, with an estimated 93 billion cubic metres of water used per year.

On the occasion of Water Day, C.L.A.S.S. CEO and Founder Giusy Bettoni talked to Sensil® BioCare, Kornit, Ecoalf and Unesco on how their strategies and processes can preserve our most precious, yet limited resource.

Key Takeaways from the Speakers:
"The ocean is absolutely crucial for the survival of this planet, since it almost covers 71 percent of its surface. Writer Arthur Clarke once said: how inappropriate is to call this planet earth, when it is clearly planet ocean."
- Francesca Santoro, Programme Specialist at IOC UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe

"Sensil® BioCare is our solution to reduce the persistence of textile waste in the ocean. We embedded technology in it so that if any microfiber is released in the washing, they will break down faster than conventional nylon. Based on an external study, we have seen an almost 60 percent microplastic reduction in two years"
- Michelle Lea, Vice President Global Marketing at Nilit

"When it comes to our printing processes, almost no water is in use and the waste is minimal. We have never seen this before in this industry. Based on LCA tests, when compared to screen printing our "Atlas Max" printer saves up to 93 percent of water, while the "Presto" printer saves up to 95 percent of water".
- Michal Arbel, Sustainability Communication Lead at Kornit Digital

"One of the most important projects of the company is Upcycling the Oceans, with the aim of tackling the marine litter in collaboration with the fishing sector. Last year, we collected 300 tons of litter from the seabed, and we promoted circular economy by transforming the waste in products."
- Irene Diez, Director at Ecoalf Foundation

Less than 24 hours after winning Paint the Future awards, three startups have already signed their letters of intent to continue working together on sustainable business opportunities with AkzoNobel.

It’s the next step of a continuing collaborative innovation journey. The startups had the opportunity to explore their solutions with their mentors and industry experts through each phase of the global startup challenge, including an intense three-day bootcamp. Now having signed the letters of intent, they will develop their solutions even further with AkzoNobel.

“The winning startups are joining our go-to-market acceleration program, connecting them to a global network of people and resources,” says Menno van der Zalm, Director of the AkzoNobel Incubator. “Over the next six months, we’ll work together to validate their solutions for our customers and develop a joint value case.”

The following three solutions won over the international jury of experts and business leaders:

• Winner: SolCold
  The solution from Israeli startup SolCold is a sustainable self-cooling coating based on anti-Stokes. It uses the sun’s energy to keep the inside temperature much cooler without having to use any electricity.
• Winner: Aerones
  Latvian startup Aerones brings a robotic solution to wind turbine maintenance. Their crawling robot allows technicians to safely and efficiently perform inspections, cleaning and repairs at height.
• Winner: SprayVision
  From the Czech Republic, SprayVision brings a data-driven approach to optimizing spray application of paint, offering customers full control over the process. The solution helps to reduce environmental impact by saving material and improving quality.

Five players in the textile service industry announce the establishment of Cibutex (Circular Business Textiles). This new cooperative is dedicated to the recycling and recovery of fibres from discarded textiles. Cibutex wants to contribute to a circular textile chain through cooperation in the whole sector.

The textile service has been implementing key Circular Economy solutions for some time: rental, care, repair and reuse of textiles for professional use. "As an industry, we are in a position to delve even deeper into the world of the circular economy. Every linen rental company has many of the same products, which go through the same process every time: the textiles are washed, sorted and collected again after the period of use. After many washes, the textiles are rejected. With this rejected textile, we see a unique opportunity to finally put the idea of a closed textile chain into practice. The used textiles that have reached the end of their useful life can be recycled on an industrial scale and the fibre raw materials can be recovered to make new textiles. We want to exploit this potential to the full by founding Cibutex, a cooperative for all textile service providers in Europe," says Cibutex director Jan Lamme, explaining the background of the unique project.

Cross-competitive goal
The founders of Cibutex are four well-known, competing textile service companies and one supply partner: Blycolin Textile Services (Zaltbommel, NL), Dibella (Aalten), Edelweiss Groep (The Hague), Lamme Textile Management (Amsterdam, NL) and Nedlin (Elsloo, NL). The companies have deliberately joined forces in order to implement sustainability in textiles and clothing by means of closed material cycles throughout the sector.

"Important resources are hidden in our B2B used textiles. We want to recover these in cooperation with relevant recycling companies and thus promote textile recycling as demanded by the EU Commission. We have come together to achieve sufficient critical mass to determine the final recycling of our discarded laundry, with the goal of moving from textiles to textiles," says co-founder Luuk de Win (Nedlin).

Sustainable eco-balance
"By recycling the raw materials of our used textiles, we contribute to reducing the social, environmental and climate impacts of the textile industry related to cultivation and production, and this leads to a long-term improvement of the ecological footprint of our industry," adds co-founder Marc van Boekholt (Blycolin).

Increasing value
To make the final transformation step of the circular economic model "textile service" a success, any European textile service company can become a member of Cibutex. The cooperative takes care of the collection, transport to the recycling partners and remuneration for the old textiles, which are now limited to bed linen, table linen and bath linen. In the future, however, the group wants to develop solutions for other textiles as well. For example, the recycling of workwear is also on the agenda. The founders of Cibutex agree that this too is a treasure trove of resources that must be addressed.

The Chief Creative Officer is the lead within the adidas design community and is responsible for shaping, defining, and shepherding the creative direction for the global brand and its three major labels – Performance , Originals, and Sportswear – to deliver a unified adidas brand experience. Willis will begin his contract beginning of April, reporting to Executive Board Member of Global Brands, Brian Grevy.

Willis is a creative visionary with a long-standing connection to adidas that dates back to 2005, most notably through his role in the concept and development of adidas by Stella McCartney in partnership with Stella McCartney He has remained integral to the growth and development of the partnership since its launch.

Beyond adidas by Stella McCartney, Willis has built a strong understanding of the company’s consumers, brand, labels, and categories through his work on a number of breakthrough projects, including a lead role in developing some of adidas’ most iconic material innovations.

Outside of his work with adidas he is revered for his tenure as Creative Director of British fashion heritage brand, Hunter, transforming what was a small single product business into a multi-category global fashion brand, and as co-founder of the trailblazing Wallpaper* Magazine. It is through this diverse experience that Willis brings not just creative expertise, but the ability to deliver across commercial, strategic, and leadership functions.

As Chief Creative Officer at adidas, Willis will provide global creative leadership, develop and nurture the brand’s creative culture, and empower teams across all design functions.

“Stepping into a permanent role at adidas and evolving our partnership is a great privilege and feels like an incredibly exciting and natural next step,” said Willis. “The power and influence of the brand on sport , sports culture, and beyond is immeasurable. I welcome the opportunity to help establish a new era of design and brand leadership at adidas and, together with the team, take adidas to even higher levels.”

“Alasdhair is a true icon of the industry and together we have produced some of adidas’ most innovative work, so to now have him lead our design community and set the future of our brand expression is a wonderful thing,” said Executive Board Member of Global Brands, Brian Grevy. “We are looking forward to seeing the influence of his unique creative vision, experience and expertise from developing and establishing some of the world’s most recognised brands.”