From the Sector

Coloreel has signed a two million dollar deal with a prominent Asian manufacturer. This agreement is a milestone for Coloreel and its innovative product.

The new partnership underscores Coloreel's capacity to meet the growing demand for innovative and sustainable solutions among manufacturers and brands worldwide. While the initial delivery of the on-demand digital thread-dying units is set for October this year, the majority of the volume will be shipped during 2024.

The Swedish company has rapidly gained recognition for its pioneering innovation in embroidery. The technology enables manufacturers to instantly dye a white thread into an unlimited spectrum of colors, all in real-time. At the same time, the technology makes production more efficient by using digital processes and automation, while saving up to 97% of water compared to traditional thread dyeing.

The Lenzing Group has received certification from the internationally recognized EU Ecolabel for its fibers at the Indonesian site. This means that Lenzing fibers produced in Purwakarta (PT. South Pacific Viscose) meet high environmental standards. The product portfolio thus expands and qualifies for the production of LENZING™ ECOVERO™ brand fibers for textiles and VEOCEL™ brand fibers for nonwoven applications.

The substantial investment of EUR 100 mn to modernize the Indonesian site has enabled Lenzing to significantly reduce its specific emissions. In addition, the site recently began sourcing energy from renewable sources and is driving the conversion to biomass in line with Lenzing's goals of reducing group-wide carbon emissions per ton of product sold by 50 percent by 2030 and achieving carbon-neutral production by 2050.

Anthropogenic climate change is one of the most pressing problems of our time, to which both the global textile and nonwovens industries make a major contribution. LENZING™ ECOVERO™ viscose fibers (for textiles) and VEOCEL™ Viscose (for nonwovens) have been proven to cause significantly less greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution than conventional viscose. At the Indonesian site, Lenzing also plans to produce the innovative LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Black fibers in the future, which also require less energy and water in textile chain thanks to the spun-dyeing process and thus also have a lower carbon footprint in their life cycle as a textile product.

Technological progress often results from close collaboration, and industries that rely on continual improvement stand to benefit from the return to in-person business. Cinte Techtextil China’s first edition since eased pandemic measures is set to reflect a 27.9% increase in exhibitor numbers, with a rejuvenated international contingent further supplemented by the return of the European Zone. Taking place from 19 – 21 September across 40,000 sqm at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, the platform is expected to welcome buyers from across Asia, Europe, and beyond. Pre-registrations have doubled compared to the previous edition, and international buyers account for over 20% of the total.

The new zone, Marine Textile Zone, will be comprised of multiple Chinese green marine and nautical rope netting exhibitors, while also hosting the Technology Exchange Forum, and the awards ceremony of the Top 10 Suppliers in the China Rope Net Industry. Prominent exhibitors in this zone include Ropenet Group, Hunan Xinhai, and Zhejiang Four Brothers Rope.

Other domestic exhibitors, such as Shanghai Shenda Kebao New Materials, SIJIA New Material (Shanghai), Zhejiang Hailide New Material, and Zhejiang Jinda New Materials, will showcase products for applications in outdoor advertising, tents, boats, vehicles, environmental engineering, and much more.

Supplementing the fairground’s wide variety of domestic suppliers will be a much-increased showing of international exhibitors, with many to be found within hall E1’s European Zone. Several global industry leaders are featured in their categories below:

Nonwovens equipment

• Autefa Solutions, Germany: solutions provider for nonwovens lines and machines for carded-crosslapped needlepunching lines, spunlace lines and thermobonding lines.
• Dilo, Germany: in addition to offering general services, Dilo supplies opening and blending equipment, carding and airlay machines, and crosslapping and needling machines.
• Groz-Beckert, Germany: provider of industrial machine needles, precision parts and fine tools, as well as systems and services for the production and joining of textile fabrics.
• Reifenhäuser Reicofil, Germany: provider of innovative technologies and components for plastics extrusion, producing blown films, cast films, sheets as well as nonwovens.

Weaving equipment

• Itema, Italy: provider of advanced weaving machines, spare parts, and integrated services, specifically for rapier, air jet and projectile weft insertion technologies.
• Lindauer DORNIER, Germany: the company manufactures weaving machines, film stretching lines, and composite systems, also offering technical support and spare parts supply.
• Picanol, Belgium: producer and servicer of high-tech air jet and rapier weaving machines, with around 2,600 weaving mills utilising their systems worldwide.

Coating and lamination

• BRÜCKNER Textile Technologies, Germany: manufacturer of machines and lines for the coating and finishing of apparel fabric, technical textiles, nonwovens, glass fabrics and floor coverings.
• ROWA Lack, Germany: developer of high-quality materials and product solutions for the polymer industry, with applications including automotive, electrical engineering, construction, technical textiles, and medical technology.
• Stahl, the Netherlands: the Dutch company provides high quality coatings, dyes and process chemicals for leather, flexible coated substrates, textiles, films and foils, paper, and related products.

Fibre

• Monosuisse, Switzerland: with production sites in Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Mexico, and Germany, Monosuisse manufactures various precise, high-quality polymer monofilaments from 19µm to 3.00 mm in diameter.
• Perlon, Germany: specialised in the manufacture of synthetic filaments in diverse application areas, including paper machine clothing, dental care, and advanced technical textiles for agriculture, 3D printing, sports and leisure, home, and more.

Meanwhile, first-time exhibitors include Rökona (Germany), showcasing RE:SPACE, their range of recycled technical textiles; Testex AG (Switzerland), the official OEKO-TEX® representative in multiple countries including China; Hohenstein (Germany), the renowned testing laboratory and research institute; and zwissTEX (Germany), the knitted fabrics and lamination specialists. In addition, the returning Taiwan Pavilion is set to feature the debut of Shinih Enterprise Co Ltd (Taiwan China).

Beyond the innovation displayed at the booths, the fair’s programme is set to welcome global experts from various technical textile and nonwoven sub-sectors to offer specific insights and unveil innovations. Highlighted events include:

The 11th China International Nonwovens Conference
14 sessions cover topics such as the quality control of medical supplies; green development in technology and applications in the nonwovens industry; and the development and application of flashspun nonwovens in China.

Marine textiles and rope netting events
Events specific to this zone include the Top 10 Suppliers in the China Rope Net Industry; Conference on Textile Applications for Marine Engineering and Fisheries; and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) Rope Net Branch Council Meeting

"Nonwovens, Creating a Better Life” Innovation Showcase
Product display area showcasing around 100 nonwovens products with applications in five areas: medical and health, quality of life, human habitat, sustainable development, and innovative design.

Advanced Technical Textiles Industry Chain Synergistic Innovation Development Forum
Includes presentations from multiple key players in the technical textile industry, including Mr Steven Liu, Commercial Manager of Polymer Additives Business of Sanitized (China) Ltd.

Toray Composite Materials America, Inc. headquartered in Tacoma, Washington, has been awarded the "Boeing Supplier of the Year" award, a leadership-nominated award given to supplier companies that support and propel Boeing's strategic objectives through risk-sharing and enduring partnerships. This year, 12 companies were selected from among 11,000 Boeing suppliers worldwide, and CMA was selected as one of them for the Alliance Award. This is Toray's second award from Boeing, receiving the Supplier of the Year Excellence Award in 2019.

Toray began supplying Boeing in 1975 when it first qualified TORAYCA™ T300 carbon fiber for commercial application on the Boeing 737. Since then, Toray has provided high-performance carbon fiber and highly toughened, primary structure carbon fiber composite prepreg on various programs.

The trophy was presented by William A. Ampofo II, Vice President of Parts & Distribution Services and Supply Chain for Boeing Global Services and Chair of the Supply Chain Operations Council to CMA.

The viscose specialty fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres has entered into a collaboration with MagnoLab, an international network of companies in the textile industry based in the Biella region, Italy.

This partnership highlights the importance of collaboration between different companies to drive innovation and sustainability in the textile industry. Kelheim Fibres sees itself not only as a fibre supplier but also as an innovation partner for the entire industry. Through its Open Innovation approach, Kelheim Fibres fosters the exchange of ideas and knowledge to jointly develop sustainable solutions for the future.

Kelheim Fibres operates several pilot and technical facilities itself. The close collaboration with MagnoLab, which boasts an impressive array of state-of-the-art textile machinery, allows for even more efficient research and development.

The cooperation allows for practical testing, accelerating the implementation of innovations. It also contributes to a closer networking of the European (and thus regional) value chain. Thanks to shorter transport routes within Europe, not only is the environmental impact reduced, but also the realization of innovations in Europe is facilitated.

Dr. Marina Crnoja-Cosic, Director New Business Development, Marketing & Communications at Kelheim Fibres, emphasizes the advantages of the collaboration: " Through close networking with the companies organized under MagnoLab, we can produce small quantities of samples and prototypes using various technologies. This enables us to develop solutions based on our specialty fibres that can be directly transferred to our partners' production facilities within the textile value chain."

ANDRITZ has received an order from Lotus Teknik Tekstil A.Ş., Türkiye, to install a Metris All-In-One digitalization platform for its new WetlaceTM CP nonwovens production line from ANDRITZ. The integration will be finalized in September 2023.

Lotus Teknik Tekstil A.Ş. is a leading nonwoven roll good producer and a member of the Sapro group, one of the top three producers of wet wipes globally.

The Metris All-in-One platform developed by ANDRITZ provides full support for industrial plants throughout their entire life cycle. It combines a complete range of functionalities for professional production management, simulation and optimization using the latest artificial intelligence methods, plus cyber security, and condition monitoring with smart sensors in an integrated approach.

It will support Lotus Teknik Tekstil in further optimizing the operating efficiency of its ANDRITZ Wetlace CP line by

• ensuring a stable production process via data collection and process monitoring,
• reducing operational costs through optimized production traceability and energy monitoring,
• improving final product quality thanks to a stable process, and
• reducing production waste by optimizing raw material management.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced the conference program for Hygienix™ 2023, November 13-16 to be held at The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, LA.

The program details can be found on the Hygienix website.

The keynote speaker is Courtney Scharf, Chief Client Officer, Trend Hunter. Trend Hunter leverages big data, human researchers, and AI to identify consumer insights, and deep dive opportunities for the world’s most innovative companies, such as Unilever, Colgate-Palmolive, Georgia-Pacific, Kroger, Johnson & Johnson, Reckitt Benckiser, Samsung, and Bacardi. Trend Hunter utilizes Artificial Intelligence and research to identify and curate top insights and trends to advise brands and businesses in their pursuit of innovation.

The Hygienix program will feature thought leaders in consumer-centric innovations, the circular economy, raw material advancements in sustainability, opportunities for advanced recycling in absorbent hygiene, optimizing the packaging footprint, new approaches for odor control, and market trends and drivers.

Experts presenting at Hygienix include:

• Aquapak Polymers Ltd. – “Creating Sustainable Nonwovens for Hygiene Applications with Thermally Processable Polyvinyl Alcohol; A Water Soluble, Environmentally Friendly and High-Performance Polymer”
• Asahi Kasei Advance Corporation – “Continuous-Filament Cellulose Nonwovens”
• Confitex Technology – “Reusables Production: It’s Not All Green”
• Egal Pads, Inc. – “Closing the Circularity Gap One Used Pad at a Time”
• Essity – “Diaper Collection & Recycling in Australia”
• ExxonMobil Chemical Company – “Innovate New Levels of Strong Comfort with Hygiene Solutions”
• Henkel Corporation – “Reducing the Packaging Waste from Personal Hygiene Products”
• INNOVATEGRN – “Accelerating Innovation / Embracing a Consumer-Centric Approach”
• Kuraray Europe GmbH – “Safe and Eco-friendly Elastics for Absorbent Hygiene Products”
• Nexus Circular – “Increasing Plastics Circularity for the Hygiene Segment Through Advanced Recycling”
• W. Pelz GmbH –“Disposable Pads Meet Reusable Underwear”
• Price Hanna Consultants – “Squaring the Circle: Why Demonstration Projects = Good Sustainability Strategy” and “Wellness and Natural Materials”
• Rem Brands, Inc. – “Effective Reduction of Material Odors, In-use Odors, and Post-use Odors”
• Sequel – “Spiraling into Business: How a Dramatic Innovation to the Tampon Met the World’s Largest Manufacturer of Feminine Hygiene”
• Sparkle Innovations Inc. – Sustainability and Circularity in the Absorbent Hygiene Products Industry”

The Hygienix program will offer a hands-on workshop as well as two pre-conference webinars. Jim Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC, will lead the in-person workshop on AHP Absorbent Hygiene Systems, Monday afternoon, November 13th. This workshop evaluates SAP absorption for different SAPs and participants have the opportunity to deconstruct and examine several hygiene products including infant, adult, and period care products to increase the understanding of these systems.

SGS and FibreTrace®, a digital and physical traceability provider in traceable fiber technology, have joined forces to develop a new Fiber Integrity Protocol for the textile industry.

The partnership will support brands worldwide to strengthen confidence in product claims made across a range of materials through the integration of traceability technologies, such as FibreTrace® MAPPED and FibreTrace® Verified, with robustly audited pathways.

Work has begun on the development of the protocol which will combine testing, verification, chain of custody checking and product markers. To further enhance the robust implementation of verification and compliance across the full value chain, SGS is also supporting FibreTrace® to:

• Support suppliers to demonstrate compliance and accurate reporting within the FibreTrace® digital platform
• Review the compliance and traceability of fibers and materials prior to the application of FibreTrace® physical technology (for example at recycled polyester collection points)
• Help brands and retailers to carry out on-site scanning and to verify fibers with the use of FibreTrace® physical and digital technology

The Lenzing Group, a world-leading provider of specialty fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries, has been awarded platinum status in the EcoVadis CSR rating. The rating comprehensively covers the four most important practices in the area of corporate social responsibility: environment, fair working conditions and human rights, as well as ethics and sustainable procurement.

For the third time, Lenzing has been awarded Platinum status for its sustainability performance by EcoVadis, a leading international provider of sustainability ratings for companies. This puts Lenzing in the top one percent of companies worldwide rated by EcoVadis.

EcoVadis has become the world's largest and most trusted provider of corporate sustainability ratings since its founding in 2007, creating a global network of more than 100,000 rated companies worldwide. The methodological framework assesses companies' policies, actions and activities, as well as their published reports, related to the environment, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

In line with its sustainability strategy “Naturally positive”, the Lenzing Group has set ambitious targets in each of its core strategic areas to further strengthen its path from a linear to a circular economy model. Lenzing reports annually on the corresponding implementation measures and the progress made in its sustainability report. This level of commitment and transparency was particularly positively highlighted by EcoVadis in its assessment. The rating provider also emphasized the Lenzing Group's comprehensive measures in the areas of environment, ethics, and labor and human rights.

Biella Yarn’s new Fall/Winter 24/25 collection presents two collaborations. Both collaborations start with one common inspiration: with the clash of different cultures and the distant exotic markets. Rug making, fur-crafts and artisan hand work inspire patterns and textures which are translated into knitted fabrications and 3D designs.

MRC Knitwear Research Lab created these textures and patterns by using a small selection of very classic yarns and working them in special techniques to create rich textural fabrications. Each garment focuses on a special technique and combination of yarns and colours and show how versatile a single yarn can be.

The garments were knitted mainly with Victoria Nm 2/30 (100% Merino wool extrafine, 19.5 μ, anti-shrinkage). Victoria Nm 2/30 was used in an array of different techniques and on different gauges - from 14gg ribs, that have a beautiful drape to more tactile fabrics such as 3-dimensional stitches on 12gg and heavily patterned inlay jacquards on the 14gg Shima Seiki SRY. Within these inlay jacquard’s BaltoroPro Nm 2/28 (70% Merino wool extrafine, 19.5 μ, anti-shrinkage 30% Polyester GRS High Bulk) was selected as an inlay yarn - a special wool blend which helps create bulky 3-dimensional fabrications that remain lightweight. The classic Brisbane Nm 2/60 (100% Merino wool Superfine, 17.5 μ, anti-shrinkage) and new boucle yarn Fluffy Nm 14 000 (81% Merino wool extrafine, 19.5 μ, anti-shrinkage, 19% Polyamide) were worked together in fine plush jacquards to give an effect of shaved patchwork furs.

The structures and patterns were transitioned into the world of 3D designs by Shima Seiki Italia. The design software APEXFiz®, developed by Shima Seiki, not only allows for shaping but also converts them into knitted patterns. By replacing physical samples, virtual samples reduce time costs, and materials that would otherwise be wasted. Yarnbank®, Shima Seiki's platform for yarn and spinning research, has been the primary source of Suedwolle Group's digitized yarns used in the 3D models.