From the Sector

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. has announced the installation of its TexCoat G4 finishing system at Graniteville Specialty Fabrics, a recognized leader in the production of specialty coatings and coated fabrics. With Baldwin’s cost-efficient and highly sustainable spray finishing technology, Graniteville Specialty Fabrics has been able to increase production efficiency, and minimize chemical and water waste.

Based in Graniteville, South Carolina, Graniteville Specialty Fabrics produces coatings and coated fabrics that are resistant to water, fire, UV and weather for the military, marine and tent markets, and others. The company excels in developing and sourcing custom coatings, and creating specialized technical solutions to meet specific, and often unique, end-user requirements. The installation of Baldwin’s TexCoat G4 is part of a major facility upgrade to maximize production efficiency and capacity in the durable water-repellent finishing and coating line to meet growing customer demand for advanced engineered products.

With extensive sustainability benefits, unprecedented tracking and process control, and Industry 4.0 integration, the TexCoat G4 provides consistently high-quality fabric finishing, with no chemistry waste, as well as minimal water and energy consumption. This system utilizes non-contact precision-spray technology, ensuring precise finishing coverage with the exact amount of chemistry for reaching the optimal performance of the fabric. Changeovers (pad bath emptying, cleaning and refilling) are significantly reduced, resulting in substantial chemical conservation and increased productivity.

• Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) organized in Dhaka to Accelerate Apparel Sustainability in Post-Covid

Policy makers, industry leaders, brands’ representatives and fashion campaigners from home and abroad gathered in Dhaka yesterday to accelerate momentum of sustainability in Bangladesh apparel industry.

More than 50 speakers as well as 20 green growth exhibitors from over 20 countries participated in the 3rd edition of Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) organized by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) partnering with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Five plenary sessions on ‘Demystifying Climate Action’, ‘Purchasing Practice’, ‘ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) & Green Finance’, ‘Closing the Loop: Circular Economy in the Fashion Industry’, and ‘Due Diligence and Legislation’ held at the SAF along with an opening plenary and a closing plenary.  

Cooperating alliances for lightweight technology: The European Lightweight Association (ELA) and the European Lightweight Clusters Alliance (ELCA) have decided to work together. Both European lightweight clusters are united by the common goal of giving the enormous economic and ecological potential of lightweight technology more visibility in politics, business and science at European, national and regional level. In addition, complementary expertises of work form the basis for the future partnership, from which European lightweight technology can optimally benefit.

"We see great potential in the future cooperation of the ELA and the ELCA to advance lightweight technology in Europe with combined forces," says Dr Katharina Schöps as representative of the ELCA. "In this way, we are strengthening the global competitiveness of European companies and at the same time making a significant contribution to climate protection," says Jean-Pierre Heijster of the ELA about the cooperation of the European lightweight technology networks.

Together, ELCA and ELA represent a growing network of more than 4,500 companies and more than 600 research institutions from 12 European countries active in lightweight technology across different
sectors and industries. This brings together the two largest lightweight technology communities in Europe. Lightweight solutions from Europe can thus gain visibility and be implemented more quickly in global markets.

Joining forces to strengthen lightweight technologies ́ market position at the European level ELCA and ELA want to improve the positioning of lightweight technologies and materials with joint activities and events, in particular to prioritise them on the agenda of the European Commission. The cooperation thus wants to send a clear signal to Brussels. Especially with the view to achieve European climate protection goals; lightweight technology has the potential to conserve valuable resources and reduce CO 2 emissions. At the same time, the improved sustainability with the same or even optimised performance brings valuable competitive advantages for companies. Lightweight products and technologies Made in Europe can thus become a unique selling point for European stakeholders on international markets.

With this cooperation, ELCA and ELA combine their respective strengths: ELCA, as the European Lightweight Clusters Alliance, has very successfully created a resilient pan-European innovation ecosystem for lightweight technology in recent years. ELA, on the other hand, is particularly characterised by its close ties to industrial users. As a result, the existing ecosystem is enriched and a more demand-oriented development and faster market introduction is made possible. In this way, both lightweight technology networks will complement each other optimally in the future in order to bring technology and markets together in a targeted manner.

The DiloGroup informs at Techtextil in Frankfurt (June 21 – 24, 2022) about new developments aimed at improving production technologies with a focus on needlefelts.

It becomes more evident that the textile industry comes into the focus of regulatory authorities who push respecting sustainability principles and who initiate a new body of laws. Hence all industrial sectors are requested to achieve savings in material and energy. The textile machine building, of course, plays an important role by seizing this initiative and offering solutions for fibre pulp recycling and reduction of energy, water and ancillaries. DiloGroup has made big efforts to meet these challenges together with a circle of partner companies. In this regard focal points of the development work are:

1. Intense Needling
   Needling per se is a mechanical production method with a high energy efficiency. For this reason, the development efforts of DiloGroup aim at producing nonwovens by “intense needling” instead of water entangling, even for light nonwovens made of fine fibres for the medical and hygiene sector with an area weight of 30 – 100 g/m². This would result in a reduction of the environmentally relevant production costs; per annum to about 1/3 to 1/5 of current.
   Despite the prospective advantages of the mechanical intense needling method over the hydrodynamical, water entanglement is at the moment the most important production method for low area weights and highest production capacity and is also offered by the DiloGroup as general contractor in cooperation with partner companies.
2. “Fibre Pulp Recycling”
   Fibrous material in nonwovens and particularly used clothes can be successfully recycled, if staple length can be conserved in the tearing process. In the classical tearing process, staple lengths are dramatically reduced and therefore these fibres can only be used as base material for inferior uses in thermal or acoustic insulation or in protective textiles, transportation or protective covers etc.
   When recycling textile waste in the context of the collection of used clothes, the so called “filament-saving” tearing using special tearing machines and methods must be used to produce fibres with longer staple lengths which can be fed to a nonwoven installation. Hence product characteristics can be better specified and controlled.
3. Additive nonwoven production
   The additive production method of the “3D-Lofter” is especially suited for automotive parts with differently distributed masses; but there may also be potential for increasing uses in the sector of apparel and shoe production.
4. “IsoFeed”-card feeding
   In the field of card feeding, the “IsoFeed” method offers great potential for a more homogeneous card feeding at the same time reducing the variation in cross-machine fibre mass distribution and thus the fibre consumption while conserving the end product quality.

C.L.A.S.S. has taken another strategic step with Training, an educational offer made of three moments aimed at sharing valuable and practical information concerning three main areas of sustainable development. Training will be adding value to the Smart Academy offer by C.L.A.S.S., a program of events and conferences, lectures or customized training services, united by an important goal: to educate, raise awareness and inspire professionals, students and even consumers with an eye to the values of responsibility.

There are three trainings offered:

1. Introduction to a new generation of fashion
   C.L.A.S.S. team will introduce and explain the new generation of value-driven fashion where the fusion of design, innovation, communication and responsibility shapes an informed and competitive business, able to play both at an economic and social level. Since 2007, at the base of our philosophy is a formula: Virtuous Fashion, the one with the capital F, is the product of an integration of design (D), innovation (I), sustainability (S) and communication (C). In brief: F = D x I x S x C.
    
2. Introduction to Smart Ingredients
   What is a responsible material? How to source responsibly? Which are the latest smart ingredients that can enrich with new generation fashion collections?
   During the session participant will be guided through materials available in the market, and will have the chance to have an “informed background“ of each one of the materials' journey. Conscious Choices can be made ONLY IF we have all the true full information in our hands. This training informd participant to make the best informed choice for their objectives. A simple but facts driven introduction to the key available innovative and sustainable materials: naturals, transformed and innovative where traceability, transparency, innovation, performance, responsible measurements are leading both the storymaking and the storytelling of each one of them.
    
3. Introduction to Sustainability Report
   The preparation of the company's sustainability report is a fundamental moment to define objectives, identify improvement actions, and measure its environmental and social impact. It is a job that involves the entire company team, which can transform the report into an opportunity for growth.
   The package offered by C.L.A.S.S., in collaboration with Silvia Gambi, sustainable fashion journalist and podcaster of Solo Moda Sostenibile, combines training with personalized consulting with a coaching action to guide the company team in the preparation of its sustainability report, offering the necessary support to create a document that tells about the company, its values, its commitment and also its objectives.

Leading knit solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its U.S. subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI U.S.A. INC., will participate in the Techtextil North America exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. this month. Under the theme “techKNITians—Technical Engineered Knit Applications,” the company will display its latest computerized flat knitting machines and computer graphic design system technology, aimed at promoting knitted applications in the field of technical textiles.

Pioneered by SHIMA SEIKI, WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology is capable of producing knitted items in their entirety without the need for sewing, and allows complex 3D forms to be knit such as car seat covers and interior furnishings. Selective compression allows control over placement and amount of pressure for various compression wear in sports and medical applications. The seam-free nature of WHOLEGARMENT® also ensures continuity of yarn, allowing functional yarns such as conductive yarns to wrap around the entire body without interruption, for applications in smart garments and wearable technology. Demonstrating the latest in WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology at Techtextil will be the flagship MACH2XS machine that features the company’s original SlideNeedle™ on 4 needle beds and patented springloaded full-time sinker system. Capable of WHOLEGARMENT® knitting in all-needles, MACH2XS offers great flexibility for knitting high-quality WHOLEGARMENT® products with a seemingly endless variety of knit patterns at very high speed and efficiency, all while minimizing dependence upon labor-intensive sewing and linking. At Techtextil North America MACH2XS will be shown knitting a seam-free balaclava in one entire piece using fire-resistant yarn.

Also shown will be the SWG091N2 compact WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine, also featuring SlideNeedle™ technology. Capable of producing small knitted items from safety gloves and compression socks to more sophisticated industrial applications such as tubular shields and harnesses, SWG091N2 offers unique solutions for the automotive, aerospace, sports, medical, safety, outdoor and other markets by knitting items in 3D without seams. SWG091N2 will be knitting fire-resistant gloves at Techtextil North America. SHIMA SEIKI’s SDS®-ONE APEX4 3D design system will also be available for demonstrations in design and simulation of various technical textiles. Of particular interest is its ultra-realistic simulation capability that realizes virtual sampling. When numerous variations must be evaluated before arriving at a final design, virtual product samples can be used to streamline the decision-making process by minimizing the enormous amount of time and cost normally associated with producing actual physical samples for each variation. The sustainability factor is also undeniable considering the amount of material normally gone to waste in the sampling stage.

Designed by Creative Director Alessandro Michele, adidas x Gucci merges the emblems of the House with those of the iconic sportswear brand. The collection expands on the sartorial streetwear creations that debuted on the runway with a spectrum of sport-inspired pieces, distinguished by the same kaleidoscopic aesthetics of the show.

To present the selection, Alessandro Michele envisioned a series of images inspired by archival catalogs as a cast of characters strikes dynamic poses against brightly colored backdrops alongside sporty props, captured by photographer Carlijn Jacobs.

With the heritage of both brands encoded in a trio of lines, a fixation on stripes plays out across ready-to-wear pieces that echo the silhouettes of athletic staples and leisurewear. Track pants feature the white Three Stripes of adidas on one leg, while the other is defined by the red and green Web of Gucci. Energetic prints portray how motifs like the adidas Trefoil and GG monogram find synergy to amplify two legacies. Conventionally formal pieces like leather heels, suede loafers, and silk scarves enter hybridized territory as well, as they are marked with casual codes. Similarly, retro aesthetics become intrinsically contemporary as they proclaim there are no rules when it comes to dressing up.

Reflecting a shared commitment to innovation, progress, sustainability goals and collective action, the collection features multiple pieces crafted with future-conscious material fabrications including polyester, cotton and viscose.

Hexcel will present a wide range of high-performance composite innovations for the Automotive, Marine, Wind Energy and Recreation markets during JEC World 2022 in Paris on May 3 – 5.

G-Vent Technology for Marine Structures
Hexcel has developed a new technology for out-of-autoclave (OoA) processing that delivers a game-changing reduction in process time and cost for marine manufacturers without compromising mechanical performance. Hexcel has leveraged its experience in aerospace and wind energy to develop its new G-Vent technology for OoA processing of highly loaded, thick section marine structures such as masts, foils, and wind-assisted ship propulsion (WASP) components. A full range of Hexcel marine prepregs are now available with integrated G-Vent technology, reducing the requirement for debulking steps and ensuring extremely low porosity (<1%) regardless of the laminate thickness. Leading marine non-destructive testing specialists Q.I. Composites recently confirmed that the thick section G-Vent panels they had evaluated had void contents and laminate quality in line with state-of-the-art autoclaved prepreg components. Visitors to the Hexcel stand will see a unique 400mm carbon cube cured in a single stage using 695 layers of HexPly M79 carbon fiber UD600 prepreg with G-Vent technology.

New HexPly® Nature Range Sustainable Prepregs
HexPly® Nature Range prepregs feature proven resins such as HexPly M49, M78 and M79 with bio-derived epoxy resin content. Created for use in all industrial markets, HexPly Nature Range materials can be seamlessly integrated into existing production processes, maintaining consistent mechanical performance and processing properties. A dedicated sustainability corner of the Hexcel stand will detail Nature Range products optimized for automotive, marine, wind energy and winter sport applications. The display will include an alpine ski produced by leading manufacturer Tecnica Group Ski Excellence Center which produces skis for Blizzard and for Nordica using HexPly Nature M78.1 UD flax prepreg material. In addition to the reduced environmental impact of the sustainably grown reinforcement, the flax fiber laminates also improve impact resistance and vibration damping in the ski.

HexPly® XF Surface Technology for Improved Part Surface Finish Quality
HexPly XF is a lightweight, semi-preg material that replaces traditional in-mold gel coat. It eliminates time-consuming refinishing work typically required to obtain a paint-ready surface and produces lighter, more consistent parts with shorter cycle times and a cleaner working environment. Visitors to the stand will see a composite panel illustrating a high-quality painted surface enabled with XF technology in a diverse range of industrial applications such as super yacht roof parts, Class A surface automotive panels, and both prepreg and infused wind turbine blades.

HexPly® M49 Prepreg for Automotive Visual Carbon Parts
HexPly M49 is easy to process and is especially suitable for visual carbon fiber-look applications such as the Brabus hood scoop on display on the Hexcel stand at JEC.

HexPly® Prepregs and HiMax® Reinforcements for Performance Marine Structures
Using a scale model of a Gunboat 68 performance sailing catamaran, Hexcel will illustrate how its HexPly and HiMax materials provide manufacturers with a complete set of lightweight composite solutions for high-performance marine structures. HexPly prepreg was selected for critical structural parts of the Gunboat 68 and provides very high mechanical performance including high dry and wet Tg.

Heavyweight HiMax reinforcements offer high deposition rates and remain easy to handle after cutting, making them highly suitable for industrial applications. In combination with a lightweight PrimeTex® woven fabric, the package of carbon fiber HiMax materials developed for the Gunboat 68 enabled consistent resin flow during infusion with reduced surface print-through.

Hexcel Fibers and Reinforcements for Lightweight Sporting Equipment
Sporting equipment manufacturers rely on Hexcel composite materials to deliver the ultimate performance at the lowest possible weight. Hexcel will exhibit a number of the latest high-performance sporting equipment applications such as a Bauer hockey stick featuring PrimeTex 98 gsm AS4C 3K fabric and a Corima tri-spoke cycling wheel made with lightweight Hexcel carbon fiber UD tape. Hexcel will also demonstrate how its HexTow® carbon fibers are used in key leisure and marine applications by displaying an AEROrazr solid carbon rigging component manufactured by spar and rigging manufacturer Future Fibres for the 36th America’s Cup.

• Dividend of EUR 4.35 per share approved
• Lenzing Supervisory Board reduced from ten to nine elected members
• Dipl.-Bw. Peter Edelmann steps down from the Supervisory Board at his request
• Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, elected Chairman of the Supervisory Board

The 78th Annual General Meeting of Lenzing AG on April 26, 2022, passed a resolution to pay a dividend of EUR 4.35 per share in accordance with the Managing Board’s profit distribution proposal, which had been approved by the Supervisory Board. As a consequence, the payment of the dividend amounts to a total of EUR 115,492,500. The payment will be made on May 03, 2022.

The Annual General Meeting formally discharged the members of the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board from liability for the 2021 financial year, and set in advance the remuneration for the members of the Supervisory Board for the 2022 financial year. In addition, a vote was hold concerning the principles for the remuneration of the members of the Managing Board and the Supervisory Board (remuneration policy). The remuneration policy of Lenzing AG for the performance-based remuneration of the Managing Board is linked not only to financial performance criteria but also to non-financial sustainability criteria (ESG), which further promote the sustainable business strategy.

Elections to the Supervisory Board
Dipl.-Bw. Peter Edelmann stepped down from the Supervisory Board upon his own request, at the end of the Annual General Meeting. Mr. Edelmann has served as a member of the Supervisory Board since 2018 and as its Chairman since 2019, as well as on all committees of Lenzing AG.

The Annual General Meeting passed a resolution to extend the Supervisory Board mandates of Mag. Patrick Prügger (until the AGM that passes related resolutions concerning the 2022 financial year) and of Dr. Astrid Skala-Kuhmann (until the AGM that passes related resolutions concerning the 2025 financial year).

The Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG now consists of nine members elected by the AGM: Mag. Helmut Bernkopf, Dr. Christian Bruch, Dr. Stefan Fida, Dr. Markus Fürst, Dr. Franz Gasselsberger, Melody Harris-Jensbach, Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, Mag. Patrick Prügger and Dr. Astrid Skala-Kuhmann. Herbert Brauneis, Ing. Daniela Födinger, Helmut Kirchmair, Georg Liftinger und Johann Schernberger were appointed to the Supervisory Board by the Works Council.

At the constitutive Supervisory Board meeting following the AGM, Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, who had returned to the Supervisory Board after serving as CEO on an interim basis, was elected Chairman, and Dr. Stefan Fida was elected Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

• Focus on the embossing technique applied to the recycled fabrics collection of the NATIVE Sustainable Textiles line

Performance Days, the leading trade fair on the latest trends in the development of fabrics for the functional textile industry, has as main focus the PERFORMANCE FORUM, where the most recent innovations and developments are presented with a prize awarded to the winner of the category chosen for the current year, which for 2022 will be “The Journey to Carbon Neutrality - CO₂ Reducing Technologies and Measuring Tools”.

Protagonists are therefore all those materials that contain carbon in reduced form and the strategies/technologies that companies implement to ensure the reduction of CO₂ emissions during production and how these reductions are actually measured (through energy saving, careful use of resources, use of more sustainable materials, local production and other technological and production measures).

In this sense, Sitip’s strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions and maximizing the use of resources is based on consolidating and optimizing the layout and logistics of the production plants, installing a cogeneration plant and a new generation smoke smoke abatement system and the transition to an energy-saving lighting system.

Regarding products, at Performance Days Sitip brings its latest innovations with an absolute focus on the embossing technique, a particular system of mechanical processes that can also be used on the recycled items from the NATIVE Sustainable Textiles line, a technology that is applied to fabrics produced with recycled yarns and chemicals with low environmental impact, implementing the GRS standard (Global Recycle Standard), result of the journey towards sustainability implemented by the company.

The collection of embossed designs combines performance, style and sustainability: thanks to special mechanical processes that combine heat and pressure, the fabric is embossed with geometric and design motifs for a more structured and palpable texture.