From the Sector

The Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference 2022 as face-to-face event takes place on-site in Aachen on December 1-2, 2022.

There is the opportunity to contribute to the conference program and submit an abstract for a talk or poster presentation. The Call for Abstracts for oral presentations ends on May 6, 2022. The Call for Abstracts for poster contributions is open until July 31, 2022.

The ADD-ITC is a conference for experts from the fields of
·    Textile chemistry, finishing & functionalization
·    Synthetic Fibers & Materials
·    Machinery, Processes & Composites

The conference program includes plenary lectures and themed sessions in the areas of
·    Sustainability in the textile industry
·    Future of textile production
·    Textiles for medicine and health
·    Smart textiles & fashion
·    Historic textiles
·    Technology transfer (IGF-ZIM projects)
·    Textile developments by start-ups
 

Further information about the conference program, plenary and keynote speakers as well as the call for abstracts are online availabel.

Suominen launches a carbon neutral nonwoven, BIOLACE^® Zero. BIOLACE^® Zero is an excellent product for many kinds of wiping applications like baby, personal care, and household wipes. It has excellent wet and dry strength and it’s very soft. It is made of 100% cellulosic lyocell fibers and the product is 100% biodegradable, compostable and plastic free.

BIOLACE^® Zero utilizes VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers from Suominen´s long-term partner Lenzing. BIOLACE^® Zero is made of 100% carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers.

“We are very excited to introduce BIOLACE^® Zero, which is not just Suominen´s first carbon neutral product, but also one of the first carbon neutral nonwovens on the market. BIOLACE^® Zero will be available as part of Suominen's sustainable product portfolio”, says Marika Mäkilä, Senior Manager, Category Management, Europe.

Suominen’s BIOLACE^® Zero and Lenzing’s VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers are certified as carbon neutral products by globally recognized company, ClimatePartner. Carbon neutrality means that the greenhouse gas emissions of nonwoven have been calculated – from the raw material production to the client’s production facility – reduced and are offset through certified carbon offset projects.

Suominen is a pioneer in sustainable nonwovens and we have a wide range of sustainable nonwoven products for different applications. Suominen’s R&D team has excellent know-how on sustainable fibers and we are also continuously collaborating with innovative partners to develop new and innovative solutions with a reduced environmental impact into our product portfolio.

“With this new carbon neutral product BIOLACE^® Zero we are able to support our customers in their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Innovating new products in collaboration with partners such as Lenzing by using carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers is well aligned with our strategy and vision to be the frontrunner in sustainable nonwovens”, says Noora Rantanen, Manager, Sustainability & Marketing.

Suominen launches a carbon neutral nonwoven, BIOLACE® Zero. BIOLACE® Zero is suitable for many kinds of wiping applications like baby, personal care, and household wipes. It has wet and dry strength and it’s very soft. It is made of 100% cellulosic lyocell fibers and the product is 100% biodegradable, compostable and plastic free.

BIOLACE® Zero utilizes VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers from Suominen´s long-term partner Lenzing. BIOLACE® Zero is made of 100% carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers.

“We are very excited to introduce BIOLACE® Zero, which is not just Suominen´s first carbon neutral product, but also one of the first carbon neutral nonwovens on the market. BIOLACE® Zero will be available as part of Suominen's sustainable product portfolio”, says Marika Mäkilä, Senior Manager, Category Management, Europe.

Suominen’s BIOLACE® Zero and Lenzing’s VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers are certified as carbon neutral products by globally recognized company, ClimatePartner. Carbon neutrality means that the greenhouse gas emissions of nonwoven have been calculated – from the raw material production to the client’s production facility – reduced and are offset through certified carbon offset projects.

“With this new carbon neutral product BIOLACE® Zero we are able to support our customers in their greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Innovating new products in collaboration with partners such as Lenzing by using carbon neutral VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers is well aligned with our strategy and vision to be the frontrunner in sustainable nonwovens”, says Noora Rantanen, Manager, Sustainability & Marketing.

Avgol® America Inc., a North American leader in the manufacture of high-performance nonwoven fabric solutions, and YanJan USA LLC, the professional material supplier for disposable hygiene products, have announced a new partnership to deliver exclusive product offerings to the North American market.

Under the terms of the new partnership, Avgol will be offering apertured spunbond products made exclusively by YanJan USA using its specific know-how and capabilities. YanJan USA will obtain the base spunbond materials exclusively from Avgol, with the partners developing and manufacturing products tailored to each company’s skill set and to meet customer needs.

“This partnership enables both YanJan and Avgol to diversify our overall product ranges and to push effectively into new market opportunities,” said Jian Weng, President and General Manager of YanJan USA LLC.

“This is in an exciting partnership for our companies,” said Ronnie Batchler, VP Americas Region at Avgol. “The spunbond ‘precursor’ material will be specifically designed to meet customer specifications and deliver optimum perfomance. Aperturing of the spunbond will then give the nonwoven material additional unique attributes, such as improved physical performance and aesthetic appeal.

With just 3 months to go before Techtextil Frankfurt, UK company Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET), is looking forward to exhibiting at this trade show once again. Techtextil attracts international blue-chip companies at the cutting edge of technology, seeking innovative solutions to technical challenges, so this event represents an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how FET can help achieve their goals.

FET is an acknowledged leader in laboratory and pilot meltspinning equipment for a vast range of applications, such as precursor materials used in high value technical textiles, sportswear, medical devices and specialised novel fibres from exotic and difficult to process polymers. Where melt spinning solutions are not suitable, FET provides a viable alternative with pilot and small scale production wet spinning systems.

However, FET will also showcase at Techtextil its more recent laboratory scale spunbond system, which enables client development of nonwoven fabrics in a number of formats and polymers. FET already has a number of spunbond systems in the field, including composite systems which utilise both spunbond and meltspun functions.

A major theme to be highlighted on the FET stand is Sustainability. The FET range of laboratory and pilot extrusion lines is ideally suited for both process and end product development of sustainable materials.

FET has successfully processed almost 30 different polymer types in multifilament, monofilament and non-woven formats, collaborating with specialist companies worldwide to promote greater sustainability through innovative manufacturing processes.

• INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, today announced six new board members and its 2022 slate of officers to guide the success of the nonwovens industry and its members.

Elected by the INDA membership to three-year terms that began on March 1, the new board members bring a high level of diverse expertise and insight to the management of the association as it moves forward with its vibrant growth.

“I am delighted to welcome such a strong group of new board members who bring deep industry knowledge and insights to provide strategic stewardship for our association,” said Dave Rousse, INDA President. “We look forward to working with them to advance INDA’s new value proposition to enhance our industry’s leadership position and deliver greater value to our members.”

The new board members are from global leaders Lenzing Group, Bast Fibre Technologies, Reifenhauser Reicofil, Rockline Industries, Hollingsworth & Vose Company and Principle Business Enterprises.  

INDA also announced Bryan Haynes, Ph.D., R&E Technical Director Kimberly-Clark, has been named Chairman of the Board. Barbara Lawless, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Medical Products, Precision Fabrics Group, Inc. has been elected Vice Chair of Finance, and Richard Altice, President and CEO of NatureWorks, has been appointed to INDA’s Executive Committee.

The new board members are:

• Jürgen Eizinger, Senior Commercial Director, Nonwovens Business EU/AM/MEA, Lenzing Group

Eizinger has nearly 20 years of fiber industry experience. He has been with the Lenzing Group since 2001 and most recently was Vice President of the Global Nonwoven Business. He has worked at multiple locations around the world and held various commercial, engineering and technical customer services roles.

• Jim Posa, President and General Manager, Bast Fibre Technologies, Inc.

Posa has 30-plus years of nonwovens experience and has successfully led businesses from startups to some of the largest companies in the nonwovens market. He has developed and implemented strategic business, development, operational and acquisition growth plans. His teams have worked with businesses focused on most of the major end use markets such as hygiene, wipes, filtration, medical and industrial. As a senior executive, Posa has led global businesses at Fiberweb, BP/Amoco, CEO of a Nisseki/Amoco joint venture (ANCI), Lydall, and Nitto America. A long-time INDA supporter, he has previously served on committees and as a Board member.

• Markus Mueller – Sales Director and Board Member, Reifenhauser Reicofil

Mueller brings to the INDA Board 35 years of experience with Reifenhauser in the nonwovens and film industries. His experience has included roles as PLC Engineer, Commissioning Engineer, Project Manager and Sales Manager. Mueller has extensive knowledge of the global hygiene and medical nonwovens markets. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Cologne.

• Matt Koele, Director of Global Materials Development, Rockline Industries

Koele is based at Rockline’s headquarters in Sheboygan, WI.  Before joining Rockline in 2012, he has held several business and Research and Development (R&D) leadership positions at SC Johnson and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. An inventor with over 10 patents, Koele is a magna cum laude graduate of Michigan Technological University in Chemical Engineering.

• Mike Clark, President, Filtration Solutions, Hollingsworth & Vose Company

Clark joined H&V in 2003 and has held numerous leadership positions in the U.S. and Germany. He previously served as the President of the High Efficiency and Specialty Filtration Division from 2009 to 2020.  Before joining H&V, Clark was a strategy consultant for eight years working with Fortune 100 manufacturing companies. He holds a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

• Andrew Stocking, Ph.D., President and CEO, Principle Business Enterprises, Inc. (PBE)

Stocking joined PBE in 2017 after a career in engineering, technology, nonprofits and government. He was named President and COO in 2018, then President and CEO in 2020, becoming the third-generation leader of the family-owned organization. He previously held roles in the private sector and within federal government offices, including the Department of Energy and Congressional Budget Office. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Resource Economics from the University of Maryland.

The 21-member board is comprised of elected Board Officers. One-third of the entire Board is elected each year for a three-year term by a majority vote of INDA’s general membership. INDA’s Executive Committee, empowered to act on behalf of the Board between meetings, consists of the Board Officers plus four appointees.

• The “new normal” by Südwolle: responsible, seasonless and high performance

The concept of seasonality in the F/W 2023/24 collection is increasingly vague, in favour of more functional categories in terms of performance, sustainability, innovative content and style.

Yarns are predominantly pure wool or blends, corresponding with the new concept of “dressing well” which is gaining ground among consumers – an individual style that promotes wellbeing at various times of the day, a fluid, personal idea of elegance, that fits daily activities with ease.

The new formal replaces the traditional suit with “smart casual” jackets and trousers -comfortable, and carefully cut, they feature quality materials that guarantee wearability as well as durability. Focus on these factors makes for more informed and less impulse buying.

The renewed interest in heritage is met with Südwolle's wool know-how and its basic essentials, updated to make them more sustainable by choosing certified fibres and chlorine-free anti-shrink treatments, for products with a longer lifespan thanks to domestic washing at low temperatures.

Sustainable innovation attentive to performance and durability goes hand in hand with the selection of earth-friendly recycled, recyclable and traceable materials blended with natural fibres.

Overview of the collection
The words inspiring the new collection are: sustainable, responsible, natural, recycled and high-performance.

A leading position goes to the OTW® line of weaving yarns made with Omega Twist® technology, developed and patented by Südwolle Group, which gives yarns enhanced performances in terms of reduced pilling, greater elasticity, strength and durability.

Espresso TEX Nm 48/2 (100% untreated wool,20.5μ) was created to value the authentic naturalness of wool. Made with undyed, untreated merino wool, it is a twisted yarn for weaving, ideal, for example, for flannel suits and jacket. It is available in 4 shades of brown obtained by mixing different percentages of untreated raw wool and undyed, naturally brown wool.
Eolo Nm 24/2 (100% wool 20.5 µ) is an example of circular production and reuse of recycled wool within the Karma project. Starting with in-house pre-and post-production waste, a partly carded, partly combed, product is created at Südwolle Group facilities where this type of process can be carried out.

Rhein GOTSNm 64/1 and Nm 64/2 (100% wool 19.5 µ) is the new pure woolyarn with GOTS –Global Organic Textile Standard certification, which certifies its organic provenance. The same traceable origin applies to Lerici GOTS X-COMPACT®Nm 60/1 (70% GOTS certified wool 19.5μ, 30% Schappe Mulberry silk), a glossy yarn with reduced pilling effect for improved anti-abrasion performance, obtained with X-COMPACT® spinning technology.

Performance paired with reduced energy consumption is the added value of SRP ClarkNm 60/2 (48% wool 23.5μ, 44% cationic polyester, 8% Donegal viscose), also available in a stretch version. The cationic polyester can be dyed blended with the wool, making double dying unnecessary and so saving on water and energy consumption. The addition of pre-dyed red, green or brown Donegal viscose to the blend creates a fluid look enhanced with slubbing and micro-nep effect.

Rosvic Nm 40/2 (98% wool 19.5μ, 2% Lycra®44 dtex) is a twisted yarn with Basolan treatment for comfort fabrics. It has a slightly textured surface with a contrasting or tone on tone micro mouliné pattern.

Key players among the circular knitting and hosiery yarns are Basak Nm 80/1(80% wool TEC. 20% polyamide 2.2 dtex), OTW® Barone GRS Nm 60/2(60% wool 23.5 µ TEC, 40% RENU™ recycled cationic polyester 2.2 dtex) and OTW®Concorde Nm 88/2(100% wool 19.3 µ TEC), available in the new colour cards.

Altri has awarded AFRY engineering, site selection and integrated environmental authorization services assignment for a greenfield textile fiber factory in Spain. In addition, AFRY will support Altri to conceive, create and implement foundations for Industry 4.0 technologies in this new plant.

The demand for sustainable textile fibres is growing quickly globally. To support this growth, the Portuguese pulp producer Altri has become the industrial partner to public-private consortium Impulsa (Society for the Development of Strategic Projects of Galicia) as the lead investor and technologist to study the wood-based textile fibers biofactory exclusively. This biofactory will use Galician wood as the primary raw material together with recycled remains from the textile industry to produce dissolving pulp and Lyocell fibre. The plant will be designed based on the best available techniques (BAT), best environmental practices, as well as cutting-edge proven technologies and the production will be fossil-fuel-free. The project is expected to benefit from the “Next Generation EU” program.

Altri is responsible for designing and developing the biofactory project to transform wood into a textile fiber, evaluating site locations and exploring alliances with the entire value chain. Altri has assigned AFRY to support the project development and planned project implementation.  

The industrial biorefinery to be built from scratch will be able to provide the textile cluster of the Iberian peninsula with sustainable cellulosic fibers, contributing to the strengthening of the circular economy and decarbonisation of an important economic sector such as the textile sector.

AFRY has been involved in the project development from the very early stages. AFRY supported the project concept idea initially developed by Altri and led the preliminary feasibility study. A multi-disciplinary team of AFRY’s engineering and consulting experts is currently supporting Altri on the site selection activities, engineering and permitting processes.

For the second time in a row, the speciality viscose fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres was awarded a place on the podium at the Cellulose Fibre of the Year Awards. The concept for sustainable menstrual underwear made from Kelheim’s functionalised speciality fibres achieved third place. Kelheim Fibres thus emerges from the competition as the most innovative fibre manufacturer.

Project manager New Business Development Natalie Wunder presented the promising concept from Kelheim at the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres: "We have been able to use our experience as a long-established supplier for the tampon industry to develop further sustainable solutions in the feminine hygiene sector, in this case reusable menstrual underwear. As an innovation pioneer, we are thus helping to break the taboos that surround the topic of menstruation. We offer women the choice between different environmentally friendly products which also offer high levels of performance - depending on what fits their lifestyle."

For the next step, the commercialisation of the concept, Dr Marina Crnoja-Cosic, Director New Business Development at Kelheim Fibres, puts her trust in the proven open innovation approach: "We want to bring partners from the entire value chain together. By bringing in our joint expertise, we can significantly accelerate the path from idea to finished product in the market. At the same time, through open dialogue, we ensure that the concept works seamlessly from fibre through processing to the final product.

• Sustainability at Milano Unica:  Ecodesign for an environmentally friendly fashion industry.

A ski suit made of yarn obtained from recycled materials and fully recyclable at end-of-life, without giving up on style, design and technical performance: this is RadiciGroup’s business card at the 34th Milano Unica, the international high-end textiles trade show taking place at the Milan Rho Fairground on 1-2 February.

In the Innovation Area of TexCubTec, Sistema Moda Italia’s technical and functional textile section, visitors can see and touch the new uniform of the RadiciGroup Ski Club designed by RadiciGroup in collaboration with the DKB sportswear brand.

“The ski suit, consisting of jacket and trousers, is fashioned with fabric made of RENYCLE®, a RadiciGroup yarn obtained from mechanically recycled nylon,” pointed out Marco De Silvestri, sales & marketing manager – Apparel and Technical of RadiciGroup Advanced Textile Solutions business area. “In addition, the suit’s padding and numerous accessories, such as zippers, Velcro, buttons and thread, are also made of polyamide. It was an ambitious project and we reached a definitive goal: circularity in sportswear without compromising on performance. A goal achieved through continuous close collaboration with other companies in the chain to develop chemically compatible materials that guarantee the high technical performance required by this kind of application.”

At Milano Unica, besides RENYCLE®, RadiciGroup is showcasing garments made of   REPETABLE®, a polyester yarn obtained from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, and articles made of BIOFEEL®, a brand identifying both nylon and polyester yarn made from renewable source materials.