From the Sector

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) and Carbios, a biotech company developing and industrializing biological solutions to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, announce the signing of a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a Joint Venture for the construction of the world’s first PET biorecycling plant in France.  

Based on and subject to the comprehensive terms set out in the MOU, Indorama Ventures plans to mobilize about €110 million for the Joint Venture in equity and non-convertible loan financing , pending final engineering documentation and final economic feasibility studies. Both parties have acknowledged their mutual support for the implementation of the project and their intent to finalize contract documentation before end 2023.

Subject to the successful performance of this first plant in France, Indorama Ventures confirms its intention to potentially expand the technology to other PET sites for future developments.

Under the agreement signed June 1, Carbios, which filed for plant permitting in December 2022, should acquire 13ha land from Indorama Ventures’ existing PET plant at Longlaville and expects to be granted permits by Q3 2023, allowing start of construction by end of 2023 and targeted commissioning in 2025.  The land surface offers the possibility to double capacity. Pursuant to this MOU, Indorama Ventures shall ensure 100% of output repolymerization and both partners shall collaborate to secure feedstock supply.

The total capital investment for the new plant is re-estimated to be around €230 million, taking into account recent impact from inflation. Project costs shall be financed by the sums mobilized by Indorama Ventures, the French State and Grand-Est Region subsidies available for the project , and by equity capitalization of the Joint Venture by Carbios. Part of Carbios’ equity injection into the Joint Venture shall be financed by a portion of Carbios’ current cash position (i.e. €86 million as of 30 April 2023). Carbios is actively examining the best options to finance its remaining equity injection into the Joint Venture and will choose the most appropriate solution and timeline based on market conditions.

The project is part of Indorama Ventures’ Vision 2030 ambition to build on its leadership as a global sustainable chemical company. The company’s ESG commitments include spending $1.5 billion to increase its recycling capacity to 50 billion PET bottles per year by 2025 and 100 billion bottles per year by 2030. To meet these goals, Indorama Ventures, the world’s largest producer of recycled PET resin used in beverage bottles, is investing in new recycling technologies, including advanced recycling, in addition to expanding its global footprint of mechanical recycling sites, including two in France.

Carbios has developed a disruptive enzymatic depolymerization technology that enables efficient and solvent-free recycling of PET plastic and textile waste into virgin-like products with an aim to achieve true circularity. Carbios has ambitious plans to become a leading technology provider in advanced recycling of PET by 2035. After successful ongoing operations in its demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand in France, Carbios has been collaborating with Indorama Ventures for over a year to assess the commercial and technical feasibility of the technology. The world’s first industrial-scale enzymatic PET recycling plant at Longlaville will have a capacity to process about 50,000 tons of post-consumer PET waste per year, including waste that is not recyclable mechanically, equivalent to 2 billion PET colored bottles or 2.5 billion PET trays.

Lenzing Group, a global producer of wood-based specialty fibers, is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its biorefinery and co-product brand LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased. The brand was first introduced on May 4, 1983, and has since become one of the leading and most trusted biobased acetic acid providers.

Over the past 40 years, LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased, which has a reduced carbon footprint that is 85% lower than that of fossil-based acetic acid, has continued to gain trust and support from customers. Specialty chemical company Evonik, and food production company Speyer & Grund Group, have been incorporating LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased in the production of their products since 1983. LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased has also been in high demand from the hygiene industry during the COVID-19 pandemic as an all-purpose cleaning agent in conventional and green products.

Pioneering a carbon neutral future in the biorefinery segment with a new offering
To mark the important occasion, Lenzing will introduce its first carbon neutral LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased to meet the growing sustainability needs of industries which predominately rely on fossil-based materials. Similar to the standard LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased, the carbon neutral LENZING™ Acetic Acid Biobased is produced using sustainably sourced beech wood as a universal replacement for non-renewable raw materials such as crude oil. By calculating, reducing and offsetting emissions during production processes, this expansion will create a more sustainable supply chain with highly functional products across various industries. From now on, Lenzing customers across the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemical and textile industries will be able to choose between carbon neutral and reduced carbon footprint acetic acid products.

Advancing circularity and carbon neutrality through efficient use of valuable resources
Lenzing’s biorefinery concept ensures that 100% of wood components are used to produce pulp for Lenzing’s botanic fibers, biorefinery products, as well as bioenergy, which is used to power Lenzing’s facilities. This makes Lenzing’s biorefinery sites almost fully energy self-sufficient to remain as carbon neutral as possible. To ensure a low carbon footprint, rail transportation is the preferred means for transporting LENZING™ biorefinery products, with trucks being leveraged in regions where rail transportation is not available.

Together with ClimatePartner, a recognized global leader in the design, development, and delivery of corporate climate action programs, Lenzing strives to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero through a mix of higher production efficiencies, use of renewable energy sources, low-carbon materials, and the dedicated support of an external nature-based carbon removal project. For instance, to offset remaining carbon emissions that cannot be reduced, Lenzing works with ClimatePartner to support and finance the switch to biomass as an energy source at a ceramic factory in Kitambar in northeastern Brazil. Using natural waste materials, like coconut shells, as renewable biomass for its energy production, the factory is able to produce roof tiles in a more climate-friendly way while saving on carbon emissions. Besides contributing to the fuel switch, the project also helps to reduce the deforestation rate in Brazil and avoid methane emissions that could result from the uncontrolled rotting of biomass.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry, announces the publication of a new study, North American Nonwoven Materials Annual Study 2022.

Based on actual surveys and interviews with producers, enhancing the accuracy and relevance, this study tracks machine additions, closures, and productivity improvements. This study is the industry benchmark for capacity and production information for North America and provides an estimate of operating rates, based on nameplate machine capacity, through the year 2022. The 72-page study contains 43 figures and 11 tables.

Findings from this year’s study include:

• North American capacity continues to increase with investments being made across all the processes and for a variety of end-uses. The industry’s nameplate capacity utilization has increased year-over-year, for the fifth consecutive year.
• In 2022, capacity of nonwovens in North America reached 5.565 million tonnes, an increase from the previous year of 2.4% (net growth of 128,700 tonnes) and an improvement over the previous year’s growth rate of 1.8%.
• North American imports, in tonnage, decreased 24.3% in 2022 and exports decreased 16.3% due to market stabilization after COVID. Nonwoven production tends to stay within the region, so the net trade balance (imports less exports) accounted for less than 5.5% of the region’s capacity.

CELLIANT® with REPREVE®, introduced by Hologenix with global textile solutions provider UNIFI®, makers of REPREVE®, has been awarded a Top 5 Selection in the Accelerated Eco category of the Spring/Summer ISPO Textrends 2025 Awards.

Last fall CELLIANT with REPREVE was also awarded a Selection in the Fibers & Insulation Category of the ISPO Textrends Fall/Winter 2024/2025. In addition, in the spring the fiber was shortlisted in the Drapers Sustainable Fashion 2023 Awards in the Sustainable Textile Innovation category.

Twice a year, ISPO recognizes innovative fibers, fabrics and components that are used to manufacture sports apparel. Both companies are excited that this innovation, whereby CELLIANT infrared (IR) technology is embedded into REPREVE, a brand of recycled fiber, has achieved these honors. CELLIANT with REPREVE is a performance fiber made from recycled materials that have been enhanced with IR technology to provide wellness benefits to the consumer.  

CELLIANT is a natural blend of IR-generating bioceramic minerals, which, when embedded into textiles, allows them to convert body heat into infrared energy, returning it to the body and temporarily increasing local circulation and cellular oxygenation. This aids in muscle recovery, increases endurance, and improves overall performance in healthy individuals, among other benefits.
 
REPREVE recycled performance fiber consists of high-quality fibers made from 100% recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer waste. It is also certified and traceable with UNIFI’s U TRUST® verification and FiberPrint™ technology, which provide assurance that the product comes from recycled materials. Compared to virgin fiber, REPREVE helps to offset the use of petroleum, conserving water and energy and emitting fewer greenhouse gasses.

This award marks the third year in a row that Hologenix has had its CELLIANT technology recognized in the ISPO Textrends Awards. CELLIANT in pure white was a Top Ten Winner in 2022. The prior year, CELLIANT Viscose was a Selection Winner as well. 

• Flame Retardancy for Composites Applications in the Transport Sector

On 10-11 May 2023, the AVK - Industrievereinigung Verstärkte Kunststoffe e. V. in cooperation with the FGK - Forschungsgesellschaft Kunststoffe e.V. in Berlin organised for the first time an international, English-language conference on flame retardancy.

In 18 compact lectures, more than 20 experts informed nearly 80 participants about new developments, requirements and innovations regarding specific flame retardant properties of components made of fibre-reinforced plastics/composites for the transport sector.

Among others, there were presentations by industry representatives from Saertex, BÜFA, Clariant, Diehl Aviation and Airbus, but also from institutes such as the Fraunhofer Institutes or the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing. Presentations on the topics of standardisation, raw materials, automotive or recycling were on the agenda, but also flame retardants for connectors and battery housings for electric vehicles or fire-retardant systems for rail vehicles or fire-retardant CFRP made from recycled CF nonwoven were presented.

BDG [By Urban Outfitters] and the denim mill, ISKO have come together to develop a 10-piece collection made up of workwear-inspired denim pieces with finishing designs by British Artist, Dwayne Coleman.

Partnering with ISKO, Urban Outfitters has developed more sustainable denim pieces for this collaboration, utilizing recycled cotton yarns made from cutting waste. All pieces are washed using innovative technology to reduce the chemical, water, and energy footprint so that each item has a low environmental impact score. The development of these washes were done with the help of ISKO’s Creative Room London. The collection features an innovative style that uses no virgin cotton, and yet the authenticity and durability remains the same.

The collaboration incorporates the principles of circular design, including minimal wash processing, recycled cotton content, minimal metal trims and removable shank buttons. The styles are designed to last, and after many wears they will be readily recyclable for their next life. Urban Outfitters are members of Better Cotton whose mission is to help cotton communities survive and thrive, while protecting and restoring the environment as part of the brand's wider sustainability initiatives.

In the run-up to ITMA, VDMA is presenting an overview of the textile recycling technologies offered by member companies exhibiting at ITMA. VDMA and its members are committed to a responsible use of all resources used in textile production. VDMA members create the technical prerequisites for the efficient reuse and recycling of textile raw materials.

In the spirit of the circular economy, VDMA companies offer solutions for the entire processing and production chain. The production programme and services include equipment and technologies for recycling textile production waste, textiles, textile auxiliaries or waste heat and for processing recycled materials into textiles.

An overview of the available technologies is provided here: Way2ITMA-Recycling
The short descriptions of the solutions offered by the member companies are structured according to the following headings:

• Recycling of textile production waste and textiles
• Recycling of caustic soda and waste heat
• Processing of recycled materials

The Dibella sales team is growing. Since May 1st 2023, Marvin Groß-Hardt has been supporting the company's national and international customers.

Dibella welcomes Marvin Groß-Hardt, an experienced sales employee, to the team. The trained wholesale and foreign trade merchant and graduate in business administration brings many years of experience in supporting and advising customers. He is also familiar with the special features of contract textiles due to a previous position in product and sales management for hotel beds and bedding.

At Dibella, the 30-year-old from Bocholt is responsible for looking after existing customers and building up new customer relationships at home and abroad, and will establish new contacts.

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. will present its TexCoat™ G4 precision spray finishing system at ITMA 2023.

ITMA 2023 will be held June 8-14 at the Fiera Milano Rho Exhibition Centre (Milan). Baldwin will demonstrate TexCoat G4 as well as its Plasma Pure treater. ITMA participants can stop by and “touch” Baldwin’s wide array of TexCoat G4-applied fabric samples from textile mills around the world and experience what precision finishing “feels” like.  Experts will be on hand to discuss how Baldwin Technology can assist in transitioning the textile supply chain to reach their sustainability and carbon footprint goals while improving performance and saving money.

TexCoat G4 processes a wide range of low-viscosity water-based chemicals, such as durable water-repellants including PFAS-free, softeners, anti-microbials, easy-care and flame retardants, just to name a few. The company's technology uses the same chemicals as found in traditional pad baths with no special auxiliaries required.

In addition to TexCoat G4, Baldwin is offering its Plasma Pure treatment for textiles. The system enhanced and more efficient dyeing, coating and lamination of textiles and nonwovens. Its ceramic electrodes generate an air plasma used to efficiently treat the fabric surface. Key benefits include dramatically improved absorption and adhesion properties of the fabric, boosting productivity while enhancing the absorption properties with an optimized and uniform dyeing result and a significant acceleration of the absorption process. Laminated fabrics benefit from Plasma Pure technology with greater bonding strength.

adidas announced it will begin selling some of the remaining inventory of adidas YEEZY products, with an initial release end of May 2023. A significant amount will be donated to selected organizations working to combat discrimination and hate, including racism and antisemitism. These include but are not limited to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change.  

The release will mark the first time that products have been available to consumers since adidas terminated the YEEZY partnership in October 2022. The products will be existing designs and designs initiated in 2022 for sale in 2023.  Additional releases of existing inventory are currently under consideration, but timing is yet to be determined. Today’s announcement has no immediate impact on the company’s current financial guidance for 2023.

Since terminating the YEEZY partnership in October, adidas has been exploring multiple scenarios for the potential use of the existing YEEZY inventory. The process involved seeking feedback and listening to a diverse group of employees, organizations, communities, and consumers for how to responsibly manage the existing product. The company went ahead with already committed production orders after the partnership was terminated. This was done to help protect its supply chain partners from being negatively affected by cancellations.