From the Sector

As part of the European Erasmus+ project AddTex, the partner organisations organised several hackathons at the universities of Boras (Sweden), UPC (Spain), PIN (Italy) and TUS (Ireland) in May. The aim is to connect students with real challenges in the industry and promote innovation in the areas of ecology, sustainability, digitalisation and design. The participants had received basic information in advance through the 45 training videos and training sessions of the free and public Smart, Digital and Green Skills Academy at https://addtex.eu.

The hackathon at the Italian university PIN (Polo Universitario Città di Prato) was organised and held together with the technical textiles department of the Industrieverband Veredlung - Garne - Gewebe - Technische Textilien e.V. (IVGT). Eight teams competed to develop innovative, sustainable ideas in just a few hours for the German family business Schmitz Textiles GmbH & Co. KG, Emsdetten. Schmitz Textiles, an expert in complete textile solutions for indoor and outdoor use for over 100 years, plans to offer exclusively sustainable products in the medium term and is looking for solutions to continuously increase the existing recycled share of yarns to 100 per cent.

Stefan Schmidt from IVGT presented the challenge via Teams Conference: "We are looking for a new business model for textile recycling at awning manufacturer Schmitz-Textiles in order to increase the existing proportion of recycled yarns and go beyond the exclusive use of recycled PET bottles. Schmitz Textiles has had an awning fabric made from 100% recycled polyester in its range since the end of 2023. The medium-term goal is to switch the entire range of awning fabrics to 100% recycled yarns. The company is looking for suitable solutions to achieve this.

In small teams, the 30 students specialising in eco-design, textiles/sales and textiles/technology developed proposals and presented them in five-minute online pitches. Ralf Bosse for Schmitz Textiles and Iris Schlomski for the IVGT acted as the jury and assessed the individual presentations in the categories of degree of innovation, presentation, industrial application potential and potential for commercial success. Each idea presented and each presentation scored more or less points in the individual categories. In the end, the points scored were added up to determine the winning team, which can further develop its idea together with the company. For Schmitz Textiles, these are Eleonora Boccherini, Ilaria Ioja, Giorgio Gacci and Marianna Butera.

The Lectra Group company announced a new collaboration between TextileGenesis, the textile traceability platform and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®). It will enable the implementation, via the TextileGenesis platform, of new solutions to ensure the traceability of cellulose fibers from responsibly managed forests.

In fashion, many textiles such as viscose, lyocell and modal use man-made cellulose fibers. These fibers are themselves made from wood pulp, the production of which can contribute to deforestation.

Founded in 1994, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®) is an international NGO whose mission is to promote responsible forest management worldwide. In particular, the organization offers certification for products and raw materials which have been obtained from wood grown in responsibly managed forests, and comes from supply chains where social rights of workers, communities and indigenous peoples have been safeguarded.

Amit Gautam, founder and CEO of TextileGenesis, explains: "We've already been working with Man Made Cellulosic Fiber Producers for several years to facilitate, thanks to our blockchain-inspired technology, the traceability of fibers manufactured by the most virtuous producers, and we've integrated their analysis criteria into our platform. By also becoming an FSC® partner today, we're taking things a step further. This new collaboration will support companies in the traceability of FSC certified fibers and support the administration and data management of FSC Chain of Custody certification. All players in the value chain will benefit from increased transparency and much more reliable upstream data. Fashion brands will be able to demonstrate much more easily that their garments use textiles made from responsibly sourced man-made cellulose fibers."

Fabian Farkas, FSC International Chief Commercial Director, adds: “We are seeing a rapid increase in interest in FSC certification from the textile industry, marking a very positive trend. Through this collaboration with TextileGenesis, we aim to simplify the administrative part of FSC certification for companies within the textile supply chain by automating many required data processes. Our goal is to empower brands to identify opportunities for seamless progress in meeting their FSC procurement policies.”

Following the signature in October 2023 of a memorandum of understanding with the International Cotton Association (ICA) and the launch last January of two consortiums with footwear and leather players, and more recently the announcement of its partnership with the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), the initiator of The Good Cashmere Standard® (GCS), TextileGenesis confirms, with this new collaboration with the FSC®, its central place in the ecosystem of players mobilizing for more sustainable and responsible fashion.

Durak Tekstil, a Turkish developer of industrial sewing and embroidery threads, is currently making plans for a new and expanded factory at its base in Bursa, as well as opening a regional office in North America next year.

A continuous focus on R&D and the launch of some highly-differentiated products is driving the success of this third-generation family-owned company, which was initially founded in 1971 to provide Turkey with fishing net twine – at that time 100% imported. Durak then expanded into the production of rayon and polyester embroidery threads before successfully diversifying into a wide range of niche and specialised markets, while growing an international customer base. This growth has been accompanied by continuous investment in the latest advanced production technologies.

Among their products is Duma®, a centreless pre-wound under-bobbin made from strong continuous polyester filaments, which is available in various sizes and thanks to careful selection of raw materials and the use of lubrication methods retains its exact tension from beginning to end.

Working on a similar principle is the Duraless® hollow core thread, and both have a melting points of 260ºC and soften at between 220-240ºC. A high heat tolerance is achieved compared to conventional sewing threads when the shrinkage rate at 150ºC is calculated to be less than 1%. The threads show high resistance to most mineral acids, are unaffected by bleaching and micro-organisms and do not deteriorate in washing and dry cleaning.

Other innovations focus on functionality, including the new SilverPro conductive thread for smart textiles and wearable technologies, luminous Milky Way, Redolent scented thread, the Fire-Safe range of meta-aramids and para-aramids and the Cut Safe range manufactured from various combinations of UHMWPE, glass fibre and elastane.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has opened nominations for the Hygienix Innovation Award™. This Award recognizes a new product or technology in the absorbent hygiene, personal, pet, and wound care industries that expands the usage of nonwoven fabrics.

The Award will be presented at Hygienix™ 2024, Nov. 18-21 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Nominations will be accepted through Mon., Sept. 16th.

Nominees will be selected from a broad range of new products or technologies that have been commercially available at most two years prior to Hygienix 2024. Eligible categories include, but are not limited to: raw materials, roll goods, converting, packaging, active ingredients, binders, additives, and end-use products.

Three finalists will present their innovations to industry leaders at Hygienix Tues., Nov. 19th. The winner will be announced Thurs., Nov. 21st.

Last year’s Hygienix Innovation Award was presented to Sequel for their Sequel Spiral™ Tampon. The Sequel Spiral™ Tampon features a proprietary spiral design that is engineered to be more fluid mechanically efficient, meaning it is designed to absorb more evenly and not leak before it’s full. In August 2023, the Sequel Spiral™ Tampon received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device.