From the Sector

Suedwolle Group introduces ACTIVEYARN®, the company’s first seasonless corporate collection: ACTIVEYARN® is composed of a selection of weaving, flat and circular knitting, hosiery and technical yarns, with advanced spinning technologies, wool blends and other natural and traceable fibres. It is a seasonless collection of yarns suitable for different occasions, to support everyone’s attitude and style.

This idea is expressed by the concept of “Get active”, which is not just about using Suedwolle Group’s products in sports applications, but about a new mindset, a changing perspective. By taking a fresh look at the company’s wide offer, ACTIVEYARN® provides new opportunities and inspiration to explore Suedwolle Group’s full potential in terms of technology, sustainability and innovations. It considers with a new point of view on the collections for knitting, weaving and technical uses, creating new connections among them and offering a mosaic of new possibilities and versatile combinations.

This theme of the collection and the new mindset may be represented in the concept of a “kaleidoscope”, symbol of the active change inspiring Suedwolle Group’s creativity.

The yarns in the ACTIVEYARN® collection embody the company’s six strategic pillars of innovation – sustainability, circularity, traceability, design, performance and technology – drivers of the entire process of design and production.

Jasmin GOTS Nm 2/48 (100% wool 19,5 μ X-CARE) is a natural, renewable and biodegradable yarn with GOTS certification that meets the company’s demand for sustainability. X-CARE, the innovative treatment by Suedwolle Group, uses eco-friendly and chlorine-free substances that make wool environmentally friendly and suitable for easy-care quality.

Tirano Betaspun® RWS FSC (41,5% wool 17,2 μ TEC RWS certified, 41,5% LENZING™Lyocell 1,4 dtex 17% polyamide filament 22 dtex GRS certified) is a fully traceable high performance yarn, suitable for sportswear and activewear.

OTW® Midway GRS Nm 2/60 (60% wool 23,5 μ X-CARE, 40% polyamide 3,3 dtex GRS certified) comes from the recycling of pre-consumer polyamide and thus is a perfect example of circular production. Suitable for weaving, it combines the added performance that comes from our OTW® patented technology applied to a high durability blend, ideal for active garments.

Wallaby Betaspun® Nm 1/60 (87,5% wool 18,4 μ TEC, 12,5% polyamide filament 22 dtex) is the result of application of latest-generation Betaspun® technology to a natural fibre like wool, allowing production of fine yarns with extra strength and abrasion resistance, ideal for seamless and wrap knitting.

Banda TEC X-Compact Nm 2/47 (100% wool 17,2 μ TEC) is a 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable yarn benefitting from the innovative X-Compact, permitting production of particularly linear yarns ideal for clean design and fabrics appropriate for today’s fashions.

Caprera GRS Nm 1/60 (45% wool 19,3 μ Non mulesed X-CARE 55% COOLMAX® EcoMade polyester 2,2 dtex GRS certified) increases the performance of the wool-based non mulesed fibre through combination with COOLMAX® EcoMade polyester. This is a material coming from recycling of post-consumer PET bottles, dyeable at low temperatures, that aids evaporation of moisture from the skin to maintain stable body temperature, enhancing the comfort of activewear and urban garments.

In cooperation with the Swiss company Haelixa, Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions will, in future, be able to make the entire value chain of a textile end product transparent and hence sustainable. The two development partners are offering a solution for the comprehensive traceability of products, as required by the European Green Deal.

An essential part of the solution is the DNA marker technology developed by Haelixa that enables complete traceability of materials. These markers survive all production process steps, validating that the end product is identifiable. "This innovative technology employs distinct DNA tailored for each project, establishing a unique identity for the material," explains Holly Berger, Marketing Director at Haelixa. "Once the DNA is integrated into the material, it becomes irremovable, impervious to falsification or alteration." Handling is straightforward: the DNA marker is fed into the spinning process with the preparation oil, for example. The preparation system is modified accordingly. Further feeding options are currently being developed.

Smart factory: total transparency with atmos.io
The concept is complemented by atmos.io, Oerlikon's digital platform, which records and evaluates extensive production and process data during the yarn manufacturing process. Atmos.io gives the yarn its digital identity during its time on Oerlikon systems, from the melt to the packaged package. This technology has been used successfully for some time to monitor the production process. With atmos.io, deviations in process parameters and yarn data can be identified and rectified within a very short time, which in turn keeps the yarn quality stable and reduces waste rates.

Combining both technologies enables clear traceability of the yarn produced, even in the downstream process steps. Hence, the yarn's components, qualities, manufacturing conditions, and origin are traced beyond doubt in the finished garment. "The unique DNA carries the 'roots' of the yarn digitally recorded in atmos.io into the everyday life of the end consumer," says Jochen Adler, CTO at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers. The textile end products meet the requirements of the digital product passport required by the EU, which contains the information needed to assess their life cycle assessment and circularity. Initial long-term tests have shown 100% traceability of the yarns in the POY and FDY spinning process. If the yarn manufacturer relies on the atmos.io platform, production systems can be adapted relatively easily to use the DNA markers.

Sustainable fashion and sportswear must be high on the political agenda:
Three University of Manchester academics who specialise in fashion and textiles have criticised the Government for failing to take action to boost sustainability in the UK fashion and sportswear industries.

In an article published by the University’s policy engagement unit Policy@Manchester to coincide with the 20th annual Recycle Week, Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead and Dr Jo Conlon highlight that, of the one million tonnes of textiles disposed of every year in this country, 300,000 tonnes end up in landfill or incineration with figures suggesting 10 per cent of global CO2 emissions may come from the fashion industry.

And they warn that the damage inflicted by discarded sportswear is often overlooked, “despite an over-reliance on polyester garments, which are harmful to the environment as the fabric releases microfibres and takes hundreds of years to fully biodegrade.”

Pressdee, Benstead and Conlon stress the importance of establishing “sustainable behaviour throughout the supply chain” and praise the European Commission for proposing an “extended producer responsibility (EPR)” for textiles in the EU which “aims to create appropriate incentives to encourage producers to design products that have a reduced environmental impact at the end of their life.”

This contrasts with the UK where, they argue, “tackling sustainability in the fashion industry has lost its place on the political agenda.”

"We are calling on the Government to reintroduce textiles as part of the school curriculum to engage young people in sustainable materials and equip them with the basic skills required to repair clothes.”
Lindsay Pressdee, Dr Amy Benstead and Dr Jo Conlon

The University of Manchester academics contend that there has been “disappointing lack of progress from the UK Government” following the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion report in 2019.

They continue: “This report included a call for the use of EPR as well as other important recommendations such as a ban on incinerating or landfilling unsold stock that can be reused or recycled and a tax system that shifts the balance of incentives in favour of reuse, repair and recycling to support responsible companies. We urge the Government to think again and drive forward the Committee’s recommendations in order to put sustainable fashion back on the political agenda.”

Pressdee, Benstead and Conlon also criticise Ministers for abolishing the standalone GCSE in textiles which provided many young people with the ability to mend clothing such as football kits instead of throwing them away.

They write: “We are therefore calling on the Government to reintroduce textiles as part of the school curriculum to engage young people in sustainable materials and equip them with the basic skills required to repair clothes.”

The University of Manchester has launched a new project dedicated to tackling the impact of textile waste in the football industry through the provision of workshops tasked with transforming surplus football shirts into unique reusable tote bags, whilst educating local communities on the environmental impacts of textile waste and how to extend the life of garments. The initiative aims to provide a fun, responsible way to keep kits in circulation while shining a light on the problem.

The global fashion retailer H&M has joined forces with Coloreel to introduce a pioneering approach to customized embroidery. This new partnership allows customers at the H&M Alexa store in Berlin to personalize their apparel with a myriad of expressive designs.

The program marks the start of a new and innovative in-store pilot developed by H&Mbeyond. Customers can select from a diverse library of designs that will be updated on a weekly basis.

Coloreel redefines the art of embroidery, offering an unlimited spectrum of colors at the touch of a button. The technology reduces wastewater by 97% and utilizes recycled thread, marking a significant step towards more sustainable production.

“Our partnership with Coloreel reflects our commitment to enhance the shopping experience through innovative solutions,” states Oliver Lange, Head of H&Mbeyond. “By embracing this advanced technology, we can offer our customers a unique and engaging store visit."

With the collaboration, H&M and Coloreel want to explore ways to create brick-and-mortar shopping experiences and analyze the influence that a technology like Coloreel’s has on in-store purchases.

The service is offered at the H&M Alexa store in Berlin during Q4 2023. While the service currently extends to products within the store, plans for embroidering customers’ own garments might be added later. This approach would extend the lifespan of garments, creating a positive environmental impact.

Trumpler has teamed up with Archroma to offer a leather production process that can be used to produce high-performance leather in a more eco-friendly and cost-efficient way.

The new process DyTan®combines offers an alternative to existing metal-free and chrome-tanned leather. It enables the reliable production of leather with great shavability, color depth and migration and abrasion resistance. Free from metal salts and reactive aldehydes, DyTan® is suitable for a wide range of leather applications, from garment and footwear to automotive and furniture upholstery, for today’s eco-conscious leather producers and consumers.

At the core of the DyTan® process is Archroma’s patented AVICUERO® System, which is based on novel molecules that enable more sustainable leather tanning and dyeing, developed by Archroma in cooperation with leather technology consultant Dr Leather. It enables collagen fibers in the leather to be covalently cross-linked through a simplified process at low temperatures. As a result, the system shows strong potential to save energy and water, while also reducing process time and CO₂ emissions by up to 23%.*

The DyTan® process combines the AVICUERO® System with Trumpler’s bio-based fatliquors and retanning agents based on functional biopolymers produced from hydrolyzed shavings – resource-saving technology that Trumpler has been refining for 15 years.

As a global partner of Archroma, the Trumpler Group is responsible for the distribution of the AVICUERO® System worldwide. Delivering technical support and first-class customer care, Trumpler will help leather manufacturers and brands to implement sustainable tanning and draw on its comprehensive product portfolio and process knowledge of tanning, retanning and fatliquoring processes.
 

* Estimations carried out with the Archroma ONE WAY Impact Calculator show energy savings of up to 25% and reduced process time leading to a reduction in CO₂ emissions of up to 23%, compared to traditional chrome tanning. They also show significant water savings compared to other metal-free tanning systems¹. With the ONE WAY Impact Calculator, customers will be offered personalized calculations for their specific processes.

¹ Trials made at Trumpler GmbH application lab.

Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel (Freudenberg) launches two advanced thermal insulation products made from low-level Bisphenol A (BPA) recycled PET fibers (rPET) into the global range of comfortemp®, Freudenberg’s thermal insulation brand.

The additions of DOWN FEEL WA 150LB and FIBERBALL WB 400LB to the comfortemp® global range serve as high-quality and ecologically-minded alternatives to down, enhancing the comfort and sustainability of your garments. DOWN FEEL WA 150LB is an extremely-lightweight, loose fiber thermal insulation with a super-light loft, while FIBERBALL WB 400LB uses clusters of extra-fine fibers to offer optimal breathability, maximum comfort, and minimal clumping after washing and drying.

GRS-certified and OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Class I certifications
Both products utilize 100% GRS-certified rPET fibers, customizable to any desired fill levels. Additionally, these new products not only comply with but significantly surpass the stringent OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Class I certifications. While OEKO-TEX® categorizes low-level BPA as less than 100 parts per million (ppm), these new products contain less than 1 ppm BPA, a testament to Freudenberg’s unyielding standards.

DOWN FEEL WA 150LB and FIBERBALL WB 400LB are available globally and more low-level BPA thermal insulation options are available in Asia.

Once again Tonello will be present their technologies and partnerships at Kingpins from October 18-19.

DyeMate, the ozone, THE Laser
DyeMate is Tonello's new "patent-pending" technology that reinterprets the traditional indigo garment dyeing process, by making it automatic and repeatable, efficient and sustainable: carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere, without oxygen, with controlled reduction and oxidation, to achieve results that are perfectly comparable, in terms of authenticity and "aesthetic flavor," to those of denim that fades and becomes vintage with the passage of time.

Tonello will present a collection of garments with super bleach effects. With OBleach, EGO and O-Zone triad redefined the garment bleaching process, including no harmful chemicals such as chlorine and permanganate, in favor of sustainable and healthy production.

The entire collection will be embellished and finished with aesthetic solutions and details: the natural overdyeing of Wake, the ultra-thin graphics made with THE Laser Lab, the reproducible breakages of THE Laser T and TM.

Collections, design, collaborations
The MSP - Most Sustainable Product - collection, developed together with Kingpins and Denim House, designed by Piero Turk and Serena Conti, and processed in Tonello's Research and Development Center with the latest responsible finishing technologies, returns this year.

Tonello will also present another project: ONE Denim. A collection that aims to combat resource waste in the denim industry by demonstrating concretely how many new denim garments could be made from a single fabric by optimizing processes and choosing appropriate technologies and production methods. The fabrics chosen are from Sharabati Denim, the design is by Piero Turk, and the collection is processed by Tonello.

SA-KE
This project was born out of a dialogue between Tonello's technology and the creativity of British designers Sadia Rafique and Kelly Harrington, who produced as many as 70 artworks that are partly physically present at Kingpins and partly published in a book-zine that tells the philosophy and logic of this unique and original work. A work that combines technology, expressive research and all new forms of image generation, across the boundary between natural and artificial, but still totally human.

Digital fashion outlet Otrium announces the launch of a dedicated garment refurbishment and repair programme for damaged returns following a successful pilot scheme. The initiative is being run in partnership with Bleckmann, experts in supply chain management for fashion and lifestyle brands. Working with Bleckmann’s team of circular fashion experts from The Renewal Workshop, Otrium is taking the next step in its strategic journey to help reduce the number of that might ultimately end up in landfills or destroyed.
 
Most of the returns that Otrium currently receives can be easily restored and put back on sale. However, in rare cases, returned items are damaged. “Preventing waste is an important part of Otrium’s DNA, and thanks to our partnership with Bleckmann and their Renewal Workshop team, we can now repair the majority of damaged returns and put them back into circulation,” said Kevin Carolan, Director of Logistics at Otrium. “We are happy that we can use our position in the fashion supply chain to create lasting change and accelerate towards our mission of reducing the volume of garments that go to landfill.”

Since 2020, Otrium is exploring refurbishment and repairs with their third-party logistics provider Bleckmann. In April 2023, both partners started a three-month pilot at Bleckmann’s facility in Almelo, the Netherlands, to expand the programme with a broader range of repairs and optimised processes through data use. During the pilot, the Renewal Workshop team at Bleckmann refurbished more than 1,000 returned garments, shoes and accessories for Otrium each month.

“With hundreds of high-end labels on the platform, we needed an efficient solution tailored to the needs of a wide range of products – from shoes and coats to bags,” explained Marlot Kiveron, Head of Sustainability at Otrium. “The Renewal Workshop team worked closely with us to develop a streamlined and scalable process that could grow in line with our ambitions, delivering like-new repairs at the speed of e-commerce. Their combination of purpose, professionalism, agility and expertise makes them the ideal partner for this kind of project.”
 
Bleckmann’s integrated data capabilities were also crucial to the success of the partnership. “Data collection and analysis can be vital in demonstrating the commercial viability of sustainability initiatives,” said Tamara Zwart, Director of Renewal at Bleckmann. “Using our advanced stock tracking systems, we determined that 70% of the renewed Otrium stock had been sold within seven weeks. We’re all delighted with the results!”
Furthermore, carbon-tracking software Vaayu calculated that on average, a refurbished return sold on Otrium avoids 2.760kg of carbon emissions and 69g of waste proofing that this programme can have a positive impact on both: the planet and the business.

Having established the business case, the team decided to expand the initiative beyond the pilot phase. “This project is a milestone in our sustainability journey,” concluded Marlot. “It’s a key part of our ongoing commitment to finding more ways to reduce our environmental impact while helping to ensure that more clothes get worn. By the end of 2023, we aim to repair at least 25,000 damaged garments. Together with Bleckmann and their renewal experts, we’re well on our way to proving that this circular business model can be a valuable part of our future growth.”

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), in cooperation with the Hague-based UpRights Foundation, launches the GOTS Due Diligence Handbook for Certified Entities. This landmark publication is a crucial step forward in the promotion of sustainability, human rights and ethical business conduct in the textile sector.

Clear Guidance for GOTS Certified Entities Based on Recognised International Standards
The GOTS Due Diligence Handbook for Certified Entities is based on the recognised international frameworks, including the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector (2018) and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). The Handbook offers GOTS Certified Entities clear guidance on integrating due diligence processes into their operations, thereby helping them to comply with domestic due diligence laws such as the German Supply Chain Law, French Vigilance Law, and upcoming EU legislation.

A Comprehensive Blueprint
The GOTS Due Diligence Handbook for Certified Entities was developed as a structured roadmap, leading Certified Entities through the process of establishing and refining their management systems. The emphasis of the Handbook is on a holistic due diligence approach, ensuring that GOTS-certified companies not only identify but also proactively prevent and effectively mitigate potential adverse impacts on human rights and the environment. The Handbook ensures that GOTS Certified Entities are equipped with the knowledge and tools to respond to potential challenges, transforming them into leaders in responsible business conduct within the textile sector. The GOTS 7.0 criteria, bolstered by this Handbook, paves the way for a more sustainable and socially conscious business approach in the textile sector.

OECD Standards Assessment
GOTS is currently undergoing the OECD Alignment Assessment, a three-stage process that will result in a reputable, independent evaluation of the GOTS Criteria's alignment with the OECD's due diligence guidance documents. The process includes a Standards Assessment, an Implementation Assessment and a Credibility Assessment. As GOTS enters the Standard Assessment phase, it effectively showcases its dedication to sustainable practices, in line with the comprehensive international framework for responsible garment and footwear supply chain laid out in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. This process, supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, began in July 2023 and is expected to be completed in January 2024.

Radilon® Chill-fit is the new solution to maximise the breathability and freshness that a fabric can offer. The highly functional nylon yarn is capable of ensuring an intrinsic and permanent thermoregulation without the need for additional treatments while offering high protection against UV rays. Visitors will be able to touch and feel the yarn for the first time at the autumn edition of Performance Days, the reference trade fair for trends and innovations in yarn, fabric and accessories, to be held in Munich (Germany) on 4 and 5 October.

Radilon® Chill-fit’s high breathability allows air and moisture to pass through quickly, keeping the wearer fresh and comfortable: a result also proven by a specific test on body temperature changes (thermocamera test) comparing a garment made with traditional yarn and one made with Chill-fit.