From the Sector

• As of 1st February, 2021, Benoit Moutault has resumed the position as Group Vice President Business Field Textile (Auxiliaries and Dyestuffs) from Ralf Kattanek.

He reports to the CEO of the CHT Group, Dr. Frank Naumann, Chairman of the Board. Benoit is a French citizen, 45 years old, and has been working at CHT since 2014. He is experienced in various leadership positions within the global market of textile chemicals.

Dr. Frank Naumann: "We are very happy to continue our successful cooperation with Benoit. He takes over a highly important and strategic role for the CHT Group."

Kornit Digital is named among 29 winners of the 2020 EDP Awards, presented by the European Digital Press Association (EDP). The company’s NeoPigment™ Robusto Softener solution, which ensures superior hand feel for substrates imprinted using the Kornit Presto system for roll-to-roll, direct-to-fabric digital production, was selected “Best Coating and Varnish” in the Consumables category.

Kornit’s Softener solution is applied seamlessly during the printing process. No additional time, labor, or equipment is needed, and most importantly, it is a sustainable solution carrying Eco Passport certification and GOTS verification.
“Kornit Presto with Softener is changing the game for on-demand production, making pigment-based digital print a serious contender for even the most demanding fashion houses,” says Chris Govier, KDEU Managing Director. “Kornit is proud to be recognized for its innovations, and we strive to continue exceeding the market’s demands for efficient, eco-friendly, profitable solutions regardless of the new trends and challenges facing the textile industry.”

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order to supply a neXline spunlace eXcelle line to Minet S.A, based in Ramnicu Valcéa, Romania, for processing various fibers from 25 to 70 gsm to produce a wide range of hygiene products. Start-up is expected during the second quarter of 2022.

ANDRITZ will deliver a complete line, from web forming to drying. The line will integrate one high-speed TT card, the robust Jetlace Essentiel hydroentanglement unit equipped with a neXecodry S1 system for energy saving, and a neXdry double-drum through-air dryer.

The close collaboration between ANDRITZ and Minet in needlepunch was an important consideration in the choice of supplier for the spunlace line as well as the fact that ANDRITZ is recognized as the benchmark for production of premium spunlace roll goods.

Just recently, ANDRITZ successfully completed the commissioning of a neXline needlepunch eXcelle line for Minet. This line is dedicated to the production of automotive products made from a large variety of fibers. For this contract, ANDRITZ delivered a complete line from fiber preparation to end-of-line, also integrating card, crosslapper, batt drafter, two needlelooms and a Zeta felt drafter with a working width of more than 6 m. The line is also equipped with the unique ProDyn web profiling system, operating as a closed-loop control system in order to ensure perfect evenness of the products.

Sorpol Ltd., a leading importer and distributor of industrial raw materials in Israel, has launched a website to sell Acteev Protect™ masks, made in the USA by polyamide manufacturer Ascend Performance Materials. The two companies also plan to partner in the distribution of Acteev surgical masks, N95 respirators, nonwoven media and textile fabrics as they become available.

Laboratory tests have demonstrated Acteev fabric effective at deactivating 99.9% of the viruses SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, and H1N1, a flu virus. Acteev technology also eliminates bacteria and fungi.

Ofer Soreq, Sorpol’s marketing director, said the Acteev Protect line fits in neatly with the mission of the company.

Recent testing on Acteev fabric completed at the University of Cambridge has demonstrated that Acteev technology deactivates the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, with 99.9% efficacy on contact. Ascend has submitted several masks designs to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to obtain the appropriate regulatory clearances to make specific claims regarding the technology’s antiviral properties in the United States.

In addition to antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial protection, the washable, reusable masks are lightweight, breathable and odor-fighting, making them comfortable to wear during a long shift at work or for outdoor workouts.

Acteev Protect shows promise for use beyond masks, according to Ascend. The technology was originally developed for workout wear, and now the company is working on textile applications ranging from gloves to scrubs to high-end athleisure

With the industrial use of solar energy, Lenzing sets new standards regarding decarbonization in the fiber industry.

The Lenzing Group plans Upper Austria’s largest ground-mounted photovoltaic plant on an area of around 55,000 m². The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place in summer 2021. After the expected commissioning in the second half of 2021, the plant's output will amount to 5.5 MWpeak. With approximately 16,000 modules, the plant will generate nearly 5,500 megawatt hours per year. This corresponds to the average annual electricity demand of more than 1,700 households and is unique in Upper Austria on this scale.

The photovoltaic plant is an important symbolic milestone for Lenzing on its way to becoming a CO2-neutral manufacturing site. This project is part of Lenzing’s global energy concept, which aims to provide electricity from 100 percent renewable sources in order to reduce CO2 intensity by 50 percent already in 2030 and to be globally climate neutral in 2050.

"The great challenges of our time need answers. As a leading company in innovation and sustainability, we are proactively contributing to the achievement of climate targets and setting new standards for our industry," explains Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group. “In addition to ongoing major investments in CO2 neutral sites such as Thailand and Brazil, innovative projects at existing sites are bringing us one step closer to climate neutrality.”

• Demo plant sorts post-consumer plastic waste and will produce ready-for-market fully formulated polymer pellets
• Brand owners and converters will be able to access material for qualification and market validation in early 2021
• EverMinds™ in action: Pioneering collaboration brings together expertise vital to advancing the circular economy

Borealis and TOMRA have today announced the operational start of their advanced mechanical recycling demo plant in Lahnstein, Germany, the result of a partnership that marries chemistry with technology for unsurpassed results.

The state-of-the-art plant processes both rigid and flexible plastic waste from households. And unlike many current recycling plants, it will produce the advanced solutions necessary for use in high-demanding plastic applications in various industries, including automotive and consumer products. With high purity, low odour, high product consistency and light colour fractions, these Borcycle™ M grade recycled polymers will meet customer quality requirements across the value chain.

The purpose of this demo plant is to generate material for brand owners and converters to qualify, validate and prove fit for use in their highly demanding applications. Technical success will set the groundwork for a commercial-scale advanced recycling plant.

“This plant is just the beginning of what’s possible when key players in the value chain come together to make a truly significant impact in the market,” says Volker Rehrmann, Executive Vice President and Head of Circular Economy at TOMRA. “Having just launched the new Circular Economy Division, it is clear what a large role waste management and pivotal projects like this have on moving towards a sustainable future. We are proud to have initiated one of the most advanced mechanical recycling plants when it comes to post-consumer polymer waste. This will become an important enabler as we accelerate the transformation to a circular economy in the years to come, and we are excited to be a part of this pioneering project.”

Operation of the plant is a joint enterprise between Borealis, TOMRA and Zimmerman. Borealis is responsible for the plant’s commercial success and contributes its expertise and knowledge in innovation, recycling and compounding. Likewise, TOMRA contributes as a provider of technology-led solutions and brings its proven expertise, established process and market knowledge, which, in turn, enable the circular economy through advanced collection and sorting systems. Zimmerman is a waste management company with experience in sorting multiple types of waste, including plastics, and is responsible for successful plant operations and product quality.

“At P&G we are making packaging with the ‘next life’ in mind to help drive a more robust circular economy.  We must increase the supply of high quality recycled plastic to enable the industry to deliver on this vision,” says Gian De Belder, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Technical Director, R&D Packaging Sustainability. “The innovative new approach that Borealis is taking shows potential to step-change both the quantity and quality of PCR available for our brands, and help us to achieve our 2030 goal to reduce our use of virgin plastic in packaging by 50%, or 300 kilotonnes annually. Early tests of the material looks very promising!”

• The nonwoven and technical textiles industry has become the focus of the whole world during the pandemic process.
• Most countries carried out works for these sectors with their investments, production and innovations.

During the pandemic process, a new one is added every day to the works for the nonwoven and technical textiles sector, whose importance is increasing in line with the needs. Turkey has become a center of  technical textiles by showing that its accumulation in these field and power.

In the Turkish technical textiles sector, which has an export market of 107 billion dollars worldwide and continues to break its own export record every month, R&D and innovation investments continue without slowing down. Technical textile exports, which increased by 77 percent in last November compared to the same month of the previous year, increased by 55 percent in January - November period and reached 2.5 billion dollars. Thus, technical and smart textiles and production technologies both attracted more attention and gained more importance in line with the needs of the pandemic process.

HIGHTEX 2021 International Technical Textiles and Nonwoven Fair, which will be held at Tüyap Fair and Congress Center on 22-26 June 2021, will be the exhibition where the latest technologies and products for nonwoven, technical and smart textiles which have become more important during the pandemic period and have become the focus of the whole world. Especially the products and technologies produced for the pandemic will attract more attention at the exhibition. HIGHTEX 2021 Exhibition, which will gather its exhibitors and visitors under one roof, will also allow new collaborations. At the same time, the exhibition, where developing technologies and products are exhibited, will provide a great advantage in terms of the formation of new business ideas.
HIGHTEX 2021, the first and only exhibition in Turkey in its field are expected to sign a new record in terms of number of exhibitors and visitors. You can visit www.hightexfairs.com website for more information about HIGHTEX 2021, which is preparing to attract more attention and host people than ever before.

• Elleti Group partners with Wiser Wash for Europe and the Mediterranean area, with Portugal being the only exception, for a more sustainable fashion.
• The enterprise based in Verona joins Wiser Wash’s international network and adopts the innovative patented process for the treatment of denim that has the market’s lowest environmental impact.

Tradition and innovation: this combination has always characterized Elleti Group, a historic company based in San Bonifacio and an important point of reference for the denim industry and beyond. Now it is also the exclusive partner of Wiser Wash for Europe and the Mediterranean area, with Portugal being the only exception. Specializing in laundry, dyeing and garment making services, the company is led by the steady hand and ambitious vision of Luigi Lovato, who was recently recognized by Rivet50 as one of 2020's fifty most influential people in the denim ecosystem. The partnership with Wiser Wash is a fitting continuation of Elleti Group's tireless pursuit of excellence, development of cutting-edge solutions and commitment to environmental sustainability, which has always projected the proud Made in Italy tradition towards the future.

With the introduction of Wiser Wash's technology, Elleti Group has significantly reduced the amount of resources used in traditional garment treatment. This patented washing method eliminates the use of pumice stone and all harmful chemicals, while drastically reducing water consumption throughout the process. In addition, the efficiency of the process lowers chemical and mechanical stress on fabric fibers as compared to traditional treatment, guaranteeing greater garment robustness and longevity.

This important milestone is the latest and more relevant result of a commitment that has been integral to Elleti Group's approach since its foundation. This was already present in the Earthkeepers collection – a line of low environmental impact treatments which marked the culmination of research and experimentation journey, aimed at developing an authentic look whilst looking out for the safeguard of the environment, its resources and its people. Record of the company's evolution is kept in the "Stadium", an impressive archive of Elleti Group collections. There displayed are some 15,000 garments, direct evidence of the stylistic and technological developments that have made Elleti Group an international benchmark for creativity and high quality.

"Nothing is more important to us than satisfying our clients' needs. We put all our expertise and experience at the service of their creative ideas," said Luigi Lovato, Founder and CEO of Elleti Group. "The partnership with Wiser Wash is definitely another reason to be proud, and it will set our bar even higher in guaranteeing quality, authenticity and an ever-increasing respect for the environment and our employees."

• "Dibella up" records its first big success

Aalten, "Dibella up" is bearing its first fruits. Since the launch of the recycling concept initiated in August 2020, six tons of sorted laundry items have already been returned to Dibella and converted into new ones by the company in farsighted reuse projects. The customer who has been involved in the project from the very beginning is Lamme Textielbeheer from Nederhorst den Berg. The Dutch textile service provider sees the initiative as an important measure for more appreciation of resources.

Dibella has taken the closed-loop approach of the textile service as a model and has taken a step towards a completely closed cycle with the "Dibella up" project. The system includes unlimited reuse and recycling of the fibre raw materials bound in the textiles. To this end, the company's own textile qualities, which are selected from laundries, are taken back and passed on to selected upcycling projects. Polyester-cotton blended fabrics are processed there into high-quality bags. Pure natural fibre textiles as well as blended fabrics with at least 50 percent cotton are chemically converted into an important raw material for cellulose fibre production, while the remaining polyester is still being thermally recycled for technical reasons.

Six tons of laundry from the Netherlands

Lamme Textielbeheer was immediately enthusiastic about the "Dibella up" initiative. The committed company has been involved in various Dibella sustainability projects for many years and recognises the future-oriented character of the new project. "Our will to cooperate was immediately clear after Dibella's managing director Ralf Hellmann presented the upcycling project, because we see it as an important measure for the prudent use of resources," reports Jan Lamme, managing director of the company of the same name. "Within a very short period of time, we therefore jointly started to take back our discarded, no longer usable old textiles. In this way, we have already been able to return six tonnes of laundry for a new product cycle. This corresponds exactly to our idea of upcycling!". "Dibella provides stable, reusable cartons for shipping," says a delighted Frank David, Lamme's Assistant Operations Manager. "This makes collection much easier for us and we don't have to take any means of transport out of our laundry".

Prepared for the mega-trend of recycling management

Dibella would like to build on the initial joint success and further expand the initiative for a closed textile cycle in the industry. "The awareness of sustainability is high in the textile rental service. But the next mega-trend is already emerging. The future lies in closed-loop recycling. With "Dibella up", we are offering our customers the opportunity to get involved now and make resources usable in the long term. We are happy about every new cooperation partner who appreciates the value of textiles as much as we do".

• Looking to the future – Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself with a consistently sustainable agenda and propelling the transformation of a modern, resource-efficient fashion industry.

The Conscious Fashion Campaign (CFC), working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP), will be the presenting partner and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a prerequisite for all exhibitors by 2023. And the Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit by CFC is set to become the leading international conference for sustainability in the fashion world. The future of fashion has begun – and its key players will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021.
 
Frankfurt am Main, 2 December 2020. Joining forces to improve the fashion industry: Frankfurt Fashion Week is positioning itself as the host of the future of fashion and actively driving forward the transformation towards a future-oriented, more sustainable fashion and textile industry. All decision-makers looking to instigate this change will be coming together in Frankfurt am Main from 5-9 July 2021. The initiators of Frankfurt Fashion Week – Messe Frankfurt and the Premium Group – have achieved a real coup: Conscious Fashion Campaign, working in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, will be the presenting partner. Messe Frankfurt will build on its collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and establish Frankfurt Fashion week as the platform on which to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and help guide the fashion industry into the 'Decade of Action'.
 
“Frankfurt will play host to the whole world. We are seeing a very positive response indeed,” confirmed Peter Feldmann, Senior Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, at today’s digital press conference, before going on to say: “The fact that the initiators are able to rethink the concept of a Fashion Week in such a way is extremely impressive and proves that the fashion industry is correctly interpreting the signs of the present and future. The time has come for value creation and values to be reconciled. Consistent alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals is an important step in this direction.”
 
“Frankfurt Fashion Week aims to play a crucial role in finding solutions for macrosocial challenges and supporting the goals of international politics such as the European Green Deal. The fashion and textile industries are also expected to be climate-neutral by 2050. If we want to achieve this, we all need to pull together. Frankfurt Fashion Week is inviting all initiators and supporters of sustainable concepts and congresses or shows dedicated to sustainability to meet in Frankfurt, partake in discussions and make tangible decisions for the greater good. We will connect the most relevant players and pave the way for a future-proof fashion and textile industry,” says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt.
 
“Given its global reach, the fashion industry is uniquely positioned to collaborate and engage on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular on climate action and responsible production and consumption,” said Annemarie Hou, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships. “Frankfurt Fashion Week and the Summit will serve as an important platform for education and engagement of the fashion and textile industry in the Decade of Action,” emphasised Ms Hou.
 
The aim of Frankfurt Fashion Week is for all exhibitors, participants and partners to align with the Sustainable Development Goals by 2023. The SDGs will also be incorporated into all formats of Frankfurt Fashion Week. This will help to make the UN’s sustainability goals visible and tangible for the Fashion Week audience, therefore bringing its claim, goals and specific proposals for implementation to an international opinion-forming fashion and lifestyle community. During a one-day Frankfurt Fashion SDG Summit presented by Conscious Fashion Campaign, topics like gender equality, clean water, climate protection, social justice and their significance for a forward-looking fashion industry will be examined in greater depth. Another point on the sustainability agenda: Frankfurt Fashion Week is launching a Sustainability Award for outstanding, innovative, sustainable design, alongside other categories with a global appeal for the fashion and textile industry.
 
"We are committed to setting the wheels of transformation in motion. Not only does the overall mindset have to fundamentally change; the entire industry also needs to have the courage to be transparent and honest. It’s important to see values and value creation as opportunities rather than contentious. We are doing what we do best: connecting the relevant players at all levels. With its ecosystem, Frankfurt Fashion Week will become the enabler. We are creating a platform that will orchestrate industry-wide change. With this as our inspiration, we are also developing our tradeshow formats from a ‘marketplace of products’ to a ‘marketplace of purpose and ideas’,” explains Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the Premium Group.
 
A new start in Frankfurt: In summer 2021 the entire fashion industry will be coming to the metropolis on the Main river to inform themselves, be inspired, discuss, negotiate and celebrate. “There’s a huge need to finally meet in person again, to exchange ideas and be inspired. At the same time, digital tools and formats have become an integral part of the fashion industry,” says Markus Frank, Head of the City of Frankfurt’s Department of Economic Affairs and therefore also responsible for its creative industry. “To implement such a future-oriented, all-encompassing overall concept, Frankfurt’s business and creative scenes offer an almost unique concentration of different expertise with its internationally networked agencies, universities and museums. The city’s multifaceted, high-end club, bar and restaurant scene, diverse hotel industry and internationally renowned retail landscape will become the stage for this. This network will be a key factor in the successful implementation of Frankfurt Fashion Week and the way in which it will expand into the public space as a cultural and social happening.”
 
A number of major publishing houses are also showing their commitment to the new Fashion Week in Frankfurt with conferences, events and awards: Textilwirtschaft, the leading professional fashion journal by the Deutscher Fachverlag publishing house, is moving its traditional meeting of the industry’s top decision-makers – the TW Forum, the presentation of the renowned Forum Award, as well as its subsequent conference – from Heidelberg to Frankfurt’s Palmengarten botanical gardens, and will therefore be kicking off Frankfurt Fashion Week on Sunday evening and Monday morning. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung will be hosting its traditional fashion party for the first time in Frankfurt and publishing a special edition of its FAZ Magazin on Frankfurt Fashion Week. And the ZEIT publishing group is holding its ‘UNLOCK Style by ZEITmagazin’ conference, which was established in 2014, and the ZEITmagazin Fashion Week party in Frankfurt for the first time and will dedicate the whole new issue of ZEITmagazin Frankfurt to Frankfurt Fashion Week. Condé Nast will also be involved in next summer’s Frankfurt Fashion Week with an exclusive event by GQ. And the Burda publishing house will also be represented with various event formats from its lifestyle and fashion brands.There will also be talks with SHINE  Conventions, the organiser of GLOW, about what a mutual collaboration could look like.
 
Frankfurt Fashion Week is also delighted to have the Fashion Council Germany (FCG) on board.  The FCG is theinstitution when it comes to German fashion design. It promotes designers, is committed to gaining more political relevance and strengthens the international visibility and awareness of German fashion. At Frankfurt Fashion Week, the FCG will contribute selected formats, such as its already established Fireside Chat, and a future-oriented accelerator format to support German designers.
 
“What really impresses me about Fashion Week is the whole networking aspect: the creative industries will meet the financial world and sustainability is the common denominator. The Green Finance Cluster is another project that we could link with Frankfurt Fashion Week in the future. This will provide new inspiration in the fashion industry, which will certainly extend way beyond its own horizon of Frankfurt and Hesse. After a very difficult year for the trade fair industry, the concept is an encouraging breath of fresh air,” sums up Tarek Al-Wazir, Hesse’s Minister of Economics, Energy, Transport and Regional Development and Deputy Minister-President of the state of Hessen.