From the Sector

ISKO and textile research and development company HKRITA are proud to announce a licensing agreement for HKRITA’s award-winning, revolutionary Green Machine – a one-of-a-kind technology that fully separates and recycles cotton and polyester blends at scale.

The technology is still in the pilot stage, but is an additional step in ISKO’s drive to improve and commercialize recycling technologies which will eventually enable the company to offer a 100% post-consumer recycling solution to all of its customers. In addition, ISKO and HKRITA will work together to develop related technology, further strengthening the company’s position in sustainability.

The Green Machine uses an innovative and ultra-efficient hydrothermal treatment method that decomposes cotton into cellulose powders and enables the separation of polyester fibres from blended fabrics. The process is a closed loop and uses only water, heat and less than 5% biodegradable green chemicals. Crucially, this method does not damage the polyester fibres and therefore maintains their quality; the cellulose powders, which are clean and toxic-free, can be used in a variety of ways.

The investment in this new technology is the latest in ISKO’s ongoing drive for advancements in sustainability. As part of the company’s R-TWO™ programme, it is also working to develop fabrics with a guaranteed minimum 50%+ GRS (Global Recycle Standard) recycled content blend. This will significantly reduce the carbon and water footprint of a fabric, as well as make it easy for consumers to trace a garment’s sustainable journey step-by-step from the beginning of the supply chain through to the end product they purchase.

Outdoor apparel company Patagonia and circular fashion and textile technology group Infinited Fiber Company have signed a multiyear sales agreement for Infinited Fiber Company’s unique, premium-quality regenerated textile fiber Infinna™, which is created out of textile waste. The move marks a major milestone for both companies towards making textile circularity an everyday reality: The deal guarantees Patagonia access to the limited-supply fiber over the coming years and secures future sales income for Infinited Fiber Company as it ramps up production.

Infinna is a unique, virgin-quality regenerated textile fiber with the soft and natural look and feel of cotton. It is created from cotton-rich textile waste that is broken down at the molecular level and reborn as new fibers. Because it’s made of cellulose – a building block of all plants – Infinna is biodegradable and contains no microplastics to clog our seas. Clothes made with it can be recycled again in the same process together with other textile waste.

In April, Infinited Fiber Company announced plans to build a flagship factory in Finland to meet the growing demand for Infinna from global fashion brands. It is currently supplying customers from its R&D and pilot facilities in Espoo and Valkeakoski, Finland. The planned flagship factory will have an annual production capacity of 30,000 metric tons, which is enough fiber for roughly 100 million T-shirts made with 100% Infinna. Infinited Fiber Company expects to have sold the new factory’s entire output for several years during 2021.

More than 92 million metric tons of textile waste is produced globally every year and most of this ends up in landfills or incinerators. At the same time, textile fiber demand is increasing, with Textile Exchange estimating the global textile fiber market to grow 30% to 146 million metric tons by 2030 from 111 million metric tons in 2019. Infinited Fiber Company’s fiber regeneration technology, which uses cellulose-rich waste streams as its raw material, offers a solution both to stop waste from being wasted and to reduce the burden of the textile industry on the planet’s limited natural resources.

• Excellent project to encourage ingenuity among young students
• Experiment on biodegradability of textiles and nonwovens produces impressive results
• EUR 30,000 in prize money for a total of 209 participating schools in and outside Austria
• Lenzing views supporting these kinds of projects as part of its sustainability mission

Lenzing – The Association of Chemistry Teachers in Austria – known by its German abbreviation, VCÖ – has been holding project competitions that thrill students and take them beyond the traditional syllabus for 30 years. Every two years, it highlights a key topic for ninth- and tenth-graders to explore by conducting special experiments and learning from their observations and conclusions.

This year, the 16th installment of the competition is called, “Achieving a cleaner climate and a circular economy with chemistry”. These topics are also near and dear to the heart of globally active fiber manufacturer Lenzing. That’s why the company promptly announced that it was prepared to support this project competition in several different ways. First, Lenzing made a contribution toward the sponsorship fund totaling EUR 30,000. Second, it initiated a special prize on biodegradability – a topic of growing importance given the huge challenges involved in reducing plastic waste. Finally, Lenzing placed a recognized expert at the students’ disposal to provide assistance and answer questions: Michaela Kogler, Project Manager Nonwovens & Technical Products.

Teaming up with rainworms

Two teams were tasked with biodegrading different fibers – just like those used to produce textiles and nonwovens – with the active participation of worms. Students at BRG solarCity in Linz buried fiber nonwovens, a basic material used in wet wipes and other products, in soil that was populated with numerous rainworms, while students at Vöcklabruck Junior High School for Sports and Integration layered textiles into a vermicomposting bin. Both experiments intended to determine the extent to which certain materials would biodegrade quickly. As it turned out, both projects showed that wood-based fibers, like those that Lenzing manufactures for the textile and nonwoven industry, break down very rapidly into natural constituents that swiftly pass into the soil. In contrast, fossil-based plastics such as polyester or polyethylene cannot be decomposed by worms or bacteria but remain in the soil, sometimes for hundreds of years.

The prizes for this year’s competition were awarded on June 11. The competition attracted entries from no fewer than 209 schools, including 11 from outside Austria. For more information on the projects and the winners, visit www.vcoe.or.at.

We aRe Spin Dye (WRSD) AB (publ) (“WRSD”) has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Norwegian brand Stokke®. Stokke AS, a Norwegian manufacturer of children's furniture and accessories, is well known among parents of young children, since their mission is to manufacture products that strengthen the bond between parent and child.

Stokke is known for creating products that are designed to last a lifetime. High production standards, durable and robust materials, flexibility and adjustment options, together with timeless design, is a guarantee of long life for Stokke's products.

Andreas Andrén, CEO of We aRe SpinDye views the collaboration with Stokke as a very exciting agreement with great potential:
-"Of course, our resource-efficient dyeing method is at the center of this collaboration. I have three children myself and as a parent of small children I know how important it is to have sustainable products. We aRe SpinDye will now be extending the life of Stokke's products. As a result of our textile fiber being homogeneously colored, our fabrics' test values are at the top for what is called "colorfastness to light". Our fabrics are thus bleached considerably less than conventionally dyed fabrics."

Janne Muri, project manager at Stokke for this collaboration, explains Stokke's view on sustainability.
"By taking care of our children, we also protect our planet. We strive for sustainable solutions in everything we do. High quality, sustainable materials and opportunities to adapt the products as the child grows, together with a timeless design, give our products a long lifespan that can last for generations. And with these core values in our group, it feels completely natural that we start a collaboration with We aRe SpinDye."

Progressive material innovations presented digitally: following the cancellation of this year’s fair due to the corona pandemic, Heimtextil is extending its range of digital services and launching a new online materials library entitled ‘Future Materials Library’. 24 future-oriented materials for interior applications can now be found at www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/future.

The curators of the new materials library are London-based futures-research agency, FranklinTill. “We are transitioning to a materials revolution that will help restore the balance in our relationship to our planet. As part of the Heimtextil Trends 21/22, we present a new selection of materials for interior applications with exciting innovations from all over the world”, says Caroline Till of FranklinTill.

A mix of commercially viable products and developments in an early stage

Imaginative designers and environmentally-aware manufacturers: the Future Materials Library 2021 offers materials pioneers a platform and presents a first-class mix of economically proven and revolutionary developments. FranklinTill has organised the materials in four themes: REGENERATIVE CROPS, REMADE FIBRES, HARVESTING WASTE STREAMS and SUSTAINABLE COLOUR.

Resources are running low

Thus, the new Heimtextil materials library tackles one of the main problems of the modern age: the shortage of resources on earth. In particular, textile production creates huge and continuously growing quantities of waste. And, over past decades, the design business has developed a ‘take, make and discard’ model of consumption that is incredibly harmful for our planet. In the climate-emergency era, however, future-oriented designers are learning from nature and working together with it. They endeavour to make use of the power of highly efficient natural circular systems to create textiles and materials that are better for both humans and the planet.

Heimtextil Trends: a guide for the international sector

The ‘Future Materials Library’ is part of the Heimtextil Trends that, for almost three decades, have been offering orientation for the sector by revealing design tendencies for the coming season. Even in the crisis, the Heimtextil Trends remain a vital part of the overall concept of the fair and provide important content for all target groups involved within the worldwide sector. Accordingly, Heimtextil aims to spotlight style-defining design developments taking place within the larger context of lifestyle trends. At the same time, the Heimtextil trend experts scan the exhibitors’ product world and identify unequivocal trends in the sector. In this connection, particular attention is paid to sustainable aspects along the entire value chain – in both the new digital library and live during the fair next January. 

Alchemie Technology, a leader in waterless, digital on-demand, smart dyeing technology, has today announced its partnership with HeiQ, a leader in textile innovation, as it prepares the production rollout of its NOVARATM digital multifunction finishing solution to the global textile market in Q3 this year.

NOVARA can apply single-sided, or simultaneous two-sided, coating of multiple finishes to specific areas of textile. For example, combining anti-odour and water repellence in one material.

“For example, using NOVARA for single-sided finishing of HeiQ Viroblock required 52% less chemistry, 66% water reduction and 50% less energy, whilst achieving a 99.7% reduction in antimicrobial activity after 15 washes at 400celsius. With the huge demand for high-performance antibacterial, antiviral finishing for face masks, medical apparel, gym wear, home furnishing, mattresses, and textiles for high-risk, high traffic areas such as train, plane seats, and more, our combined technology is critical for increasing protection and reducing environmental impact of these products” says Dr Simon Kew, Managing Director, Alchemie Technology.

NOVARA also enables unique lifestyle product innovations at lower production cost for fashion, sportswear, technical clothing, and upholstery such as combining sustainable odour control, skin care additives, and fragrance finishing, without impacting breathability, hand feel or wicking. It is suitable for finishing all fabric types, from 50 - 1000 gsm, including polyester, cotton, nylon and polycotton.

• Huntsman Textile Effects presents range of high-performance solutions for performance apparel

Huntsman Textile Effects, global leader in innovative solutions and environmentally sustainable products, will highlight its extensive end-to-end suite of protection effects and high-performance solutions for performance apparel at the Performance Days Digital Fair Week this May. Huntsman will also deliver a presentation on sustainability, showcasing the top megatrends impacting the textile industry.

With increasing adoption of active lifestyles and outdoor activities, consumers are demanding high-performance, yet comfortable and sustainably-produced sportswear. Consumers are looking for brands that incorporate sustainable processes and principles in their operations.

“The upward trend in the performance apparel segment is spurred on by the demands and evolving needs of consumers; sustainability also remains the top of mind amongst these consumers. At Huntsman, we are delighted to be able showcase our suite of solutions that are high-performing and sustainable, so that mills and brands are better able to meet the fast-changing market needs,” said Dhirendra Gautam, Senior Director – Global Market Strategy and Innovation, Huntsman Textile Effects.

Huntsman’s featured solutions:

• Complete end-to-end systems for protection effects, from pre-treatment to coloration and finishing
• Revolutionary antimicrobial and odor-control solutions from Sciessent - The Agion®, Lava X2® and Active X2® products will be featured at the upcoming show
• HIGH IQ® intelligent effects is a set of brand assurance programs that support accelerated evaporation, water and stain repellence, lasting color and cool comfort, ensuring garments dry quickly for long-lasting comfort

Performance Days Digital Fair Week will take place digitally from May 17-21, 2021. Huntsman will also deliver a presentation on May 18, 2021, at 2 p.m. (CEST) at the Expert Talk session. Titled “Sustainability & Textiles: Being the Change That We Want to See”, the presentation will showcase the megatrends that will define the next five years, and the textile and apparel industries’ quest for more sustainable design, product development, production methods and garment care.

• Global online fashion retailer and UK supplier - Asos and Fashion-Enter Ltd. - teaming with Kornit for adoption of efficient, low-impact direct-to-fabric digital textile printing with zero water waste and accelerated production speeds

Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced that global online fashion retailer ASOS and its supplier Fashion-Enter Ltd. are implementing Kornit Presto to explore the future opportunities presented by on-demand manufacturing.

Kornit Presto is the most advanced single-step solution for direct-to-fabric printing, enabling Fashion-Enter Ltd. to rapidly deliver test-and-repeat small product runs on behalf of ASOS. These production capabilities will enable ASOS and Fashion-Enter Ltd. to imprint designs on multiple fabrics at the push of a button, through a lower-impact production process that has zero water waste and accelerates production speeds by cutting out typical dyeing processes.

In Kornit’s pigment-based digital textile production capabilities and efficient workflow solutions, Fashion-Enter Ltd. sees an answer for brands serving the needs of today’s consumers, while reducing inventory waste and improving supply chain management and garment quality.

How to recognize truly sustainable fashion? How can responsible recycling of garments and fabrics - as well as new formulas for circular economy - make a difference in fighting the climate emergency? These are just some of the topics addressed during THE TEXTILE LIBRARY CIRCULAR SYMPOSIUM, the open-ended program of virtual meetings with some of the most influential fashion and sustainability experts organized by the Museo del Tessuto di Prato in collaboration with C.L.A.S.S. ecohub.

The museum and the international platform that creates awareness and supports professionals who believe in fashion and sustainable textiles have joined forces to talk not only to fashion enthusiasts but to everyone, and explore a hot and often underestimated topic that involves everyday life. The series of meetings deepens and complements the new section entirely dedicated to circular textiles in the museum's Textile Library.

Like a real symposium, THE TEXTILE LIBRARY CIRCULAR SYMPOSIUM is a conversation arena involving 10 game changers who have been able to innovate not only with high-tech and responsible products and materials but also with new formulas, business models and production systems that respect the planet and people. Among the speakers of the cycle, visionary innovators who generate change at all levels: from the entire production system and beyond to retailers, leading international brands, research companies and communication experts, all the way to the final consumer.

The first appointment is Wednesday, May 13 at 5 pm CEST with the talk THE SUSTAINABLE PERSPECTIVE. True sustainable fashion is a choral and capillary system in which every actor plays a fundamental role. During the meeting, professionals from different fields, from cultural institutions to industrial production, from marketing to retail, will share their perspective on sustainability.

Recycling is the key word in THE SECOND CHANCE, the second meeting scheduled for June 10 h. 5 p.m CEST.

On September 29, also at 5 p.m. CEST, appointment for the talk A TICKET TO FASHION... AND BACK entirely dedicated to the new models of circular economy.

You can register here.

• Successful measures to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the safety and health of employees, customers and partners and securing sustainable business development
• Implementation of strategic investment projects and climate targets progressing on schedule – launch of first TENCEL™ branded carbon-zero fibers
• New level of transparency in the textile industry: introduction of blockchain technology
• Target setting: Lenzing raises the bar even higher and sets new sustainability goals

The Lenzing Group presented its Sustainability Report 2020 on April 22, 2021, World Earth Day. Featuring the title “Stand up for future generations”, Lenzing once again emphasized its commitment to taking responsibility beyond the products it makes. The non-financial report, prepared in accordance with the reporting standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Austrian Sustainability and Diversity Improvement Act (NaDiVeG) and reviewed by KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, illustrates how the company is responding to the global challenges of our time.

The 2020 financial year of the Lenzing Group was largely dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lenzing took short-term measures to safeguard its business operations and mitigate the effects of fiber prices and fiber demand which came under increasing pressure. The priority was to protect employees and strengthen long-term partnerships with suppliers and customers. Following the current fight against the coronavirus and its consequences, the company continues to move ahead determinedly to achieve its sustainability targets, also against the backdrop of such a difficult market environment.

With the implementation of its science-based targets, the Lenzing Group actively contributes to mastering the problems caused by climate change. In 2019, Lenzing made a strategic commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent per ton of product by 2030. The overriding target is to be climate-neutral by 2050.*

The launch of the first carbon-zero TENCEL™ fibers certified as CarbonNeutral® products in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol – the leading global framework for carbon neutrality – represents another important milestone from the reporting year. As of June 2021, Lenzing will also market the first VEOCEL™ branded lyocell fibers as certified CarbonNeutral® products.

Promoting the circular economy
Lenzing also sets standards for the entire fiber, textile and clothing industry with respect to the circular economy which is of such crucial importance in climate and resource protection. In order to enhance resource efficiency and offer a solution for the global problem of textile waste, the company developed the REFIBRA™ recycling technology. REFIBRA™ is the only technology in the world enabling the production of new lyocell fibers on a commercial scale from cotton scraps derived from manufacturing cotton clothing as well as from used garments. In this way, an important contribution is made to promoting circularity in the textile industry.*

New level of transparency in the textile industry
In addition to environmental protection, the issue of transparency along the supply chain poses a major challenge to the textile industry. Working in cooperation with TextileGenesis™, Lenzing offers an innovative solution to ensure greater transparency on the basis of blockchain technology. Following several successful pilot projects with renowned fashion brands, this digital platform was ultimately launched in 2020 to enable the traceability of textiles, from the fiber to all stages of production and distribution. Thanks to the innovative Fibercoin™ technology of the TextileGenesis™ platform, Lenzing and its partners are able to issue so-called “blockchain assets” in direct proportion to the physical fiber deliveries of the brands TENCEL™ and LENZING™ ECOVERO™. These digital assets function like a “fingerprint” and thus prevent adulteration.*

Target setting: Lenzing raises the bar even higher
The Lenzing Group operates in line with three strategic principles within the context of its “Naturally positive” sustainability strategy: partnering for change, advancing circularity and greening the value chain.*

*See attached document for more information..