From the Sector

DyStar is pleased to announce the release of its eleventh annual Sustainability Performance Report. The report is written in accordance with the GRI Standards: Core option, while using the Integrated Reporting <IR> framework to communicate how DyStar drives value creation across multiple stakeholder groups in six capital categories, namely financial, manufactured, intellectual, natural, human capital and social capital.

In FY2020, COVID-19 has continued to present its challenges, such as the shortage of raw materials and rising freight costs. Gloomy global demand has also resulted in some raw and product material wastage in production plants worldwide, leading to increased non-hazardous waste output for FY2020. DyStar recognizes these global factors in play and will continue to make active efforts within the organization’s capability to reduce its environmental footprint in the years ahead.

The Group has set its sight on achieving the 2025 sustainability target of reducing its production footprint by 30% from 2011 levels for every ton of production. “We will continue to innovate and develop a wide range of products and processes that improve environmental performance and reduce carbon footprint across our value chain”, said Mr Xu Yalin, Executive Board Director of DyStar Group.

Mr Eric Hopmann, CEO of DyStar Group added: “We are also developing various projects in anticipation of future demands from customers as well as adopting more environmentally friendly technologies and improve our workflows and processes. Some of our projects include traceability programs, adopting renewable energy technologies, and digitalizing our business processes.” Understanding the importance of collaborative efforts to drive sustainability across the value chain, DyStar seeks to continually support industrial innovations and develop strategic partnerships to work towards becoming a sustainable and trusted leader in the industry.

• HIGHER, FASTER, FURTHER ! During the first physical Frankfurt Fashion Week in January 2022, PREMIUM GROUP will show more novelties than ever.

The anticipation is rising! With the actual move to Frankfurt in January 2022, Anita Tillmann, Jörg Arntz and the teams will not only present further developed versions of the PREMIUM and SEEK fashion fairs, but will also celebrate a major B2C festival for the first time with THE GROUND.

More than ever, the Berliners‘ passion for people and fashion, but also for business and trading, is at the heart of all their events. And where better to combine all this than in the power metropolis of Frankfurt am Main.

„No city in Germany - no city in Europe - stands for business relevance and trading power as much as Frankfurt am Main,“ explains Tillmann. „We now have a unique opportunity to actively shape the future together. PREMIUM GROUP provides the industry with the platform, the brands with the creative content. In addition, we do what we do best, introduce the right players to each other and connect them. We bring together the movers and shakers who have the same drive as we do. With this new mix of location, entertainment, creative industry and trading focus, we are creating a unique momentum after the pandemic - January is when the big deals are made and the c ourse is set for the future.“

To achieve this goal, the PREMIUM GROUP teams have also given the proven successful formats PREMIUM and SEEK a new coat of paint. More space, new areas and shorter distances provide visitors with a completely new trade event experience. Trends, brands and events can be discovered together with new and well-known partners - for the first time all in one place!

And PREMIUM, which is already entering its 19th year in January, is also showing a new side in Frankfurt. Instead of being spread out like in Station-Berlin, in Frankfurt all brands show their collections in one big hall. „We are so excited to finally unite all exhibitors in one hall. This way we create a universe with many different worlds - colorful and exciting,“ says Wiebus. „We are in close exchange with all the protagonists throughout the year and continue to develop the concepts together. The entire industry is positive about coming together in Frankfurt. Everyone is keen to experience and create something completely new! We offer the framework for this - that is our strength.“

And the Berliners have another surprise in store for the Frankfurt debut: With THE GROUND, they are organizing a large fashion festival for young end consumers for the first time. Responsible for the event concept, in addition to Tillmann, Arntz and the PREMIUM GROUP- team, is B2C expert Kai Zollhöfer, who already made the Bread & Butter by Zalando a crowd puller. “THE GROUND is a B2C festival aimed at a young, purpose-driven generation. This new generation has a strong stance on current social and environmental challenges and expects brands to reflect them. The overriding themes at THE GROUND are therefore sustainability, diversity and equality”, said Zollhöfer.

The 3-day event offers brands the opportunity to interactively exhibit purpose-driven stories and products. In addition to the thematic focus on fashion, brands from the fields of wellbeing, beauty, mobility and technology will also present innovative products and solutions.

nova-Institute and YNCORIS together with CO₂ Value Europe are looking forward to applications for the innovation award “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2022”. The award will be granted at the well-established “Conference on CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals”, 23–24 March 2022 in Cologne.

With the innovation award “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2022” together with YNCORIS and CO₂ Value Europe, the nova-Institute offers innovators in the CCU field the unique opportunity to present and market their carbon capture or carbon utilisation (Power-to-X) technology, CO₂-based fuel or chemical at one of the leading conferences on CO₂ as a raw material. The only requirement for participation in the competition is that the product is already on the market or about to be launched in near future.

The rescheduled Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, now taking place from 9 – 11 October, will once again provide the industry with insight into the future through its fringe programme’s four categories: Design Inspiration, Business O2O, Textiles & Technologies and Industry Empowerment. And with the Online Business Matching sourcing platform returning this edition, buyers worldwide can still participate in the fair.

Each of the fringe programme’s four categories – Design Inspiration, Business O2O (online to offline), Textiles & Technologies and Industry Empowerment – features a mix of conferences, seminars and presentations that reflect the future of the home textile industry. Highlights of each category are included below, while further details can be found on the fair’s website: https://intertextile-shanghai-hometextiles-autumn.hk.messefrankfurt.com/shanghai/en/programme-events.html.

Since 2019, Messe Frankfurt has been working with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and United Nations Office for Partnerships as part of the Texpertise Network and supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The goals will be presented gradually at global textile events in order to highlight the most pressing challenges facing the textile and fashion industry worldwide.

Industry Empowerment: antimicrobial technologies and licensing in the home textile sector

Growing awareness of health and hygiene has increased the demand for antimicrobial and other functional textiles. Seminars hosted by the Chinese Industry Association for Antimicrobial Materials & Products will further discuss the increasing prominence of these textiles, as well as how the adoption of new antimicrobial textile technologies is expected to evolve in the future. In addition, experts will share the new trends of licensing and IP with case studies for the furniture companies and fabric brands.

2022 China Home Textile Trends

The China Home Textiles Trend Area will feature the research of the China Home Textile Association, The Department of Home Textile Trend Research and Promotion and Concept & Style Fashion Project Group Italy who shared their knowledge, inspirations and exchanged their visions of trend evolutions considering consumer demand, retail expertise, the contract market and new technologies.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2021 will be held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition, Yarn Expo Autumn, PH Value and CHIC at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA).

A sector alliance that was formed to tackle issues relating to microplastics has completed the next phase of its project to develop a harmonised industry standard for the supply chain. The Cross Industry Agreement (CIA) has revealed the results of a fibre fragmentation trial that has been carried out in advance of establishing a CEN Standard (from the European Committee for Standardization). Once confirmed, the standard will also become an ISO standard under the Vienna Agreement, providing apparel manufacturers and policy makers with a vital tool as part of wider work to reduce microfibre shedding into the environment.

In 2018, five industry organisations agreed to join forces to proactively tackle the issue of microplastics, and signed the Cross Industry Agreement. The initial signatories were European industry associations that represent the European and global value chains of garments and their associated maintenance – the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E.), European Man-Made Fibres Association (CIRFS), European Outdoor Group (EOG), EURATEX the European apparel and textile industry confederation, and the Federation of the European Sporting goods Industry (FESI). Together, the five organisations understood that the very first step to enable global action around the topic, was to agree a harmonised test method which would allow the collection and comparison of globally generated data, to aid the identification of solutions.

The microfibre shedding test method was developed thanks to the joint efforts and cooperation of experts from 28 European, American and Asian organisations; the result was handed over to CEN in 2020. Since then, representatives from the CIA have been working with CEN to fine tune details in order to meet the requirements for a CEN Standard. To verify the reproducibility of the method, the partners have carried out a round robin trial (RRT) to determine if the method could be replicated in different laboratories and produce similar results. 10 organisations participated in the RRT, which was co-ordinated by the CIA, sending fabric samples to all of the laboratories involved and then collecting and analysing the data.

The results from the RRT show statistically significant consistency, both within and between participating laboratories, which demonstrates that the method is both repeatable in the same setting and reproducible in other laboratories.

The CIA has submitted the results of the RRT to CEN, with the intention that the CEN Standard is confirmed in the near future. Once that has happened, it will be promoted throughout the apparel industry and will become a key tool for researchers, businesses and governments as they accelerate efforts to reduce microfibre shedding associated with garment production.

• From fossil to renewable materials: Members advocate policy analysis and focused implementation of the renewable carbon strategy

The members of the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) (www.renewable-carbon-initiative.com), founded in September 2020, have joined forces to shape the transition from the fossil to the renewable age for the chemical and materials industry. This means spreading the concept of renewable carbon and developing new value chains based on renewable carbon as a feedstock.

In the meantime, several activities have started from which future members can benefit as well. First and foremost is the kick-off to comprehensive policy analysis. What influence will forthcoming regulation have on chemicals, plastics, and other materials? When and where should the renewable carbon idea be emphasized and referred to?

The policy analysis will examine pending policies in the European Union – and a later expansion to America and Asia is planned as well.

A particular focus will be placed on upcoming policies and regulations and how they impact renewable carbon. The members are currently deciding on where to start specifically, but questions that may be considered are: What does the new climate law and the “Fit for 55-Package” mean for chemicals and materials? What can be expected from REACH and microplastics restrictions? How relevant is the “Sustainable Products Initiative” and the coming restrictions for Green Claims? Circular Economy, Zero Pollution and Sustainable Financing are keywords of the future European landscapes, which might become very concrete for chemistry and materials in the next few years. To what extent the concept of renewable carbon for materials is considered in policy already and how it could be further introduced in future legislation are two of the main questions investigated in the working group “Policy”.

This working group is open to all members of RCI. Policy experts provide the respective analysis as a foundation, organising discussions between members of the policy group and plan meetings with policymakers to introduce the Renewable Carbon concept.

Additional working groups have been created, one with a focus on communication, the other looking at the development of a renewable carbon label. In early September, a renewable carbon community will be launched as a starting point for even more interaction between the members, to discuss strategies, create new value chains and start project consortia.

The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) is a dynamic and ambitious group of interested parties. Membership numbers have now more than doubled since the launch almost a year ago, with RCI now boasting 25 members, 6 partners and over 200 supporters. It welcomes all companies that are on the way to transform their resource base from fossil to renewable.

• The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) Welcomes Senate Passage of Infrastructure Bill

WASHINGTON—The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished products, issued a statement today welcoming Senate passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will provide billions of dollars in new spending to revitalize the nation’s roads, bridges and railways and help reconstitute a domestic supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE).

“We commend the Senate for passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which will provide critical resources for our nation’s aging infrastructure and at the same time help incentivize the reshoring of personal protective equipment (PPE) production, an important priority of the U.S. textile industry,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.

NCTO worked with congressional allies to include a version of the Make PPE in America Act, legislation co-sponsored by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), in the infrastructure legislative package. The bill ensures all PPE purchased by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs are Berry Amendment-compliant; guarantees long-term contracts (a minimum of two years) to U.S. manufacturers; and creates a tiered preference for PPE made in the Western Hemisphere by our free trade partners using U.S. components, after domestic manufacturing capacity has been maximized.

“We sincerely thank Senator Portman and Senator Peters for working to include their Make PPE in America Act in the infrastructure bill,” Glas said. “This bill will help onshore critical production of personal protective equipment (PPE) by guaranteeing long-term contracts for domestically produced PPE and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are utilized to bolster the federal purchase of American-made PPE.

The U.S. manufacturing industry has produced over a billion lifesaving PPE and other medical products over the last year, as NCTO members retooled production chains in response to the nation’s needs. We will continue to urge the government to purchase Berry-compliant products containing 100 percent domestic content for PPE to help bolster the full U.S. production chain in the future.”

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd, UK has completed the installation and commissioning of a new FET Laboratory Spunbond system for the University of Leeds.

This FET spunbond system is now an integral part of the research facilities of the CCTMIH (Clothworkers’ Centre for Textile Materials Innovation for Healthcare), led by Prof. Stephen Russell based in the School of Design, University of Leeds, who commented “The new spunbond system is perfectly suited to our academic research work, and is already proving itself to be extremely versatile and intuitive to use”.
 
This spunbond system complements existing research lab facilities at the university, which covers all areas of fibre and fabric processing, physical testing and characterisation. It forms part of a wider investment in facilities to support fundamental, academic research on ‘future manufacturing’ for medical devices, where the focus is on studying small-scale processing of unconventional polymers and additive mixes to form spunbond fabrics with multifunctional properties.
 
Key to this research is developing the underlying process-structure-performance relationships, based on the measured data, to provide detailed understanding of how final fabric performance can be controlled during processing.

As a rule, many exciting materials developed in academic research struggle to progress beyond the bench, because of compatibility issues with key manufacturing processes such as spunbond. By leveraging mono, core-sheath and island-in-the-sea bicomponent technology, the Leeds University team is working with polymer and biomaterial research scientists, engineers and clinicians to explore the incorporation of unusual materials in spunbond fabrics, potentially widening applications.
 
FET has built on its melt spinning expertise to develop a true laboratory scale spunbond system and is currently working on a number of other such projects globally with research institutions and manufacturers.

Avery Dennison, a global leader in innovation, materials science, branding and manufacturing, and Shenzhou International Holdings Ltd., one of the world’s largest vertically-integrated knitwear manufacturers, hosted a grand opening event for the launch of ADX Lab Ningbo, an experience hub co-created by the two innovators, located in Ningbo, China.

Themed “Newness is the Name of Your Game,” the opening event brought together leading global apparel and footwear brands. Offering a bespoke lab experience, an insightful seminar, and a plant tour, Avery Dennison shared the cutting-edge fashion trends for seasons ahead and launched new design concepts and solutions. Industry stakeholders saw how ADX Lab Ningbo empowers global apparel and footwear brands with Avery Dennison’s end-to-end solutions, bringing their innovative ideas to life, telling their brands’ story, and helping them create cutting-edge, diverse products.

ADX, which stands for “Avery Dennison Experience,” offers a future-focused platform for apparel industry stakeholders to see innovative technology, materials and solutions, and explore how these breakthrough technologies can be put into development. At ADX Labs, Avery Dennison engages apparel and footwear brands around the globe, co-creating the next breakthrough solutions. ADX Labs will launch new collections and solutions biannually across digital production techniques, external embellishments, packaging, automation and more. The newly-launched ADX Lab Ningbo is Avery Dennison’s fourth ADX Lab across the globe, joining the innovation and experience hubs in Norway, Italy, and Panyu, China. Avery Dennison will expand its hub in the USA in January next year.

During the ADX Lab Ningbo launch event, Avery Dennison’s revealed its newest portfolio for external embellishments. The collection was inspired by seasonal trends and featured sustainable production techniques, materials and designs. From larger graphics to small details, different materials and technology were juxtaposed and brought to life in novel ways. The results are over 90 bespoke graphic technique combinations – covering heat transfer labels, woven, embroideries and more, spanning performance, lifestyle and team sports.

“Avery Dennison joined forces with Shenzhou International to introduce a broader vision for innovation to our global customers to help apparel and footwear brands stay ahead of industry trends and, ultimately, achieve their business goals,” said Michael Barton, vice president and general manager, global commercial, apparel solutions, Avery Dennison. “We believe that inspiration and innovation should never be limited by geographic location. Therefore, virtual experiences will be available at the ADX Lab Ningbo starting July 30. Our customers can be inspired by this immersive experience from the comfort of their own homes.”

“The partnership between Avery Dennison and Shenzhou International can be traced back to 2005. Over the past 16 years, the innovation driven by this important partnership has allowed both corporations to expand the scope of services in our businesses. By incorporating innovation throughout the process to product offerings, our customers are empowered to scale their businesses in more creative, diverse and personalized ways,” said Ally Feng, vice president and general manager, Greater China, Avery Dennison RBIS. “The launch of the ADX Lab Ningbo is another momentous step forward in our joint pursuit to drive innovation for the industry. Moving forward, we will continue to work together closely to serve the needs of apparel and footwear brands around the world, accelerating innovation and shaping the future of the industry at large.”

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, wrapped up its 15th annual World of Wipes® International Conference, July 12-15, with a presentation of the World of Wipes Innovation Award® to Kimberly-Clark Corporation and the highest attendance record in six years.

This year’s WOW conference welcomed 475 enthusiastic professionals from 14 countries to its in-person World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference to advance their wipes business. Held in Atlanta, GA, the conference was notable as the first in-person conference in the nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry in 500 days due to the pandemic.

Industry professionals from 33 global companies delivered presentations and answered questions in sessions that included Wipes and the Growing Plastics Debate, Regulatory Requirements for Disinfecting and Sanitizing Wipes, Trends in the Wipes Markets and Among Consumers, Wet Wipe Preservative Innovations, Covid-19 Impacts on Wipes Consumption and Cleaning Habits, Sustainable Wipes Packaging and Dispensing, Nonwoven Substrates for More Sustainable Wipes, and Flushable Wipes: Loved by Consumers, Wrongly Accused by Utilities.

Highlights included the announcement of Kimberly-Clark Scott® 24-Hour Sanitizing Wipes as the winner of this year’s World of Wipes Innovation Award®. The annual award recognizes the product that most expands the use of nonwovens and demonstrates creativity, novelty, uniqueness, and technical sophistication within the entire nonwovens wipes value chain.

Other highlights included the presentation of the 2021 INDA Lifetime Technical Achievement Award to John Poccia. The annual award is nominated by INDA’s Technical Advisory Board and presented to an individual whose technical achievements over a long-standing career have significantly contributed to the technical advancement, success, and growth of the nonwovens industry.

Other presentation highlights included:

• Recent Developments Under the EU Green Deal and Plastics Strategy – Pandemic Update – Gyongyi David, Attorney at Law, V V G B Advocaten-Avocats, Director- EHS Regulatory, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
• FDA & EPA Framework of Regulations: Dry Wipes Claims – Tony Herber, Principal Regulatory Consultant/Assistant Federal Team Manager, Scientific & Regulatory Consultants, Inc. (SRC. Inc.)
• Consumer Wipes Usage During Covid-19 and Future Use – Chris Dresselhuys, Business Director-North American Retail Wipes, Rockline Industries
• Sustainable Solutions for Wipes – Vishal Bansai, Vice President, Innovation, and Silke Brand-Kirsch, VP, Marketing and Business Development, Glatfelter Gernsbach GmbH
• Sustainability Impacts Across the Value Chain of Wipes Packaging – Vicky Chang, Marketing Manager, Consumer & Industrial Products, Amcor Flexibles
• Unveiling Wet Wipes Preservation: New Findings on Microbial Risks and Preservative Solution – Paul Salama, Ph.D., CTO& Head of Innovation, Sharon Laboratories