From the Sector

Under the ClusterXchange pilot scheme, the EXTRATEX partnership organised a 5-day exchange in Czech Republic, hosted by CLUTEX (cluster for technical textile).

15 participants visited strategic and innovative companies in the field of smart materials and advances technologies, as well as research centres and the Liberec University.

During the exchange, 92 B2B meetings were organized between local companies and the exchange participants, with 75% of the contacts established leading to follow-ups after the conclusion of the exchange. This collaboration laid the foundation for potential cross-border and cross-sector business collaboration, and participants of the physical exchange improved their competences in the field of smart materials and advanced technologies.

According to a testimony from the company Bipier Srl, their participation in the exchange allowed the establishment of two important working relationships with Bcb Informatica Y Control and Vyskummy Ustav Chemickych (Research Institute for Man-Made Fibers). This cooperation wil allow Bipier Srl to equip their machines with quality temperature control, and to expand the distribution of their products.

• More than 30 leading pioneers of the chemical and material sector welcome the latest political papers from Brussels, Berlin and Düsseldorf

The political situation for renewable carbon from biomass, CO2 and recycling for the defossilisation of the chemical and materials industry has begun to shift fundamentally in Europe. For the first time, important policy papers from Brussels and Germany take into consideration that the term decarbonisation alone is not sufficient, and that there are important industrial sectors with a permanent and even growing carbon demand. Finally, the need for a sustainable coverage of this carbon demand and the realisation of sustainable carbon cycles have been identified on the political stage. They are elemental to the realisation of a sustainable chemical and derived materials industry.

The goal is to create sustainable carbon cycles. This requires comprehensive carbon management of renewable sources, which includes carbon from biomass, carbon from Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) – the industrial use of CO2 as an integral part – as well as mechanical and chemical recycling. And only the use of all alternative carbon streams enables a true decoupling of the chemical and materials sector from additional fossil carbon from the ground. Only in this way can the chemical industry stay the backbone of modern society and transform into a sustainable sector that enables the achievement of global climate goals. The Renewable Carbon Initiative’s (RCI) major aim is to support the smart transition from fossil to renewable carbon: utilising carbon from biomass, CO2 and recycling instead of additional fossil carbon from the ground. This is crucial because 72% of the human-made greenhouse gas emissions are directly linked to additional fossil carbon. The RCI supports all renewable carbon sources available, but the political support is fragmented and differs between carbon from biomass, recycling or carbon capture and utilisation (CCU). Especially CCU has so far not been a strategic objective in the Green Deal and Fit-for-55.

This will change fundamentally with the European Commission's communication paper on “Sustainable Carbon Cycles” published on 15 December. The position in the paper represents an essential step forward that shows embedded carbon has reached the political mainstream – supported by recent opinions from members of the European parliament and also, apparently, by the upcoming IPCC assessment report 6. Now, CCU becomes a recognised and credible solution for sustainable carbon cycles and a potentially sustainable option for the chemical and  material industries. Also, in the political discussions in Brussels, the term “defossilation” is appearing more and more often, complementing or replacing the term decarbonisation in those areas where carbon is indispensable. MEP Maria da Graça Carvahlo is among a number of politicians in Brussels who perceive CCU as an important future industry, putting it on the political map and creating momentum for CCU. This includes the integration of CCU into the new Carbon Removal Regime and the Emission Trading System (ETS).

As the new policy documents are fully in line with the strategy of the RCI, the more than 30 member companies of the initiative are highly supportive of this new development and are ready to support policy-maker with data and detailed suggestions for active support and the realisation of sustainable carbon cycles and a sound carbon management. The recent political papers of relevance are highlighted in the following.

Brussels: Communication paper on “Sustainable Carbon Cycles”
On 15 December, the European Commission has published the communication paper “Sustainable Carbon Cycles” . For the first time, the importance of carbon in different industrial sectors is clearly stated. One of the key statements in the paper is the full recognition of CCU for the first time as a solution for the circular economy, which includes CCU-based fuels as well. The communication paper distinguishes between bio-based CO2, fossil CO2 and CO2 from direct air capture when addressing carbon removal and it also announces detailed monitoring of the different CO2 streams. Not only CCU, but also carbon from the bioeconomy is registered as an important pillar for the future. Here, the term carbon farming has been newly introduced, which refers to improved land management practices that result in an increase of carbon sequestration in living biomass, dead organic matter or soils by enhancing carbon capture or reducing the release of carbon. Even though the list of nature-based carbon storage technologies is non-exhaustive in our view, we strongly support the paper’s idea to deem sustainable land and forest management as a basis for the bioeconomy more important than solely considering land use as a carbon sink. Surprisingly, chemical recycling, which is also an alternative carbon source that substitutes additional fossil carbon from the ground (i.e. carbon from crude oil, natural gas or from coal), is completely absent from the communication paper.

Berlin: Coalition paper of the new German Government: “Dare more progress – alliance for freedom, justice and sustainability”
The whole of Europe is waiting to see how the new German government of Social Democrats, Greens and Liberals will shape the German climate policy. The new reform agenda focuses in particular on solar and wind energy as well as especially hydrogen. Solar energy is to be expanded to 200 GW by 2030 and two percent of the country's land is to be designated for onshore wind energy. A hydrogen grid infrastructure is to be created for green hydrogen, which will form the backbone of the energy system of the future – and is also needed for e-fuels and sustainable chemical industry, a clear commitment to CCU. There is a further focus on the topic of circular economy and recycling. A higher recycling quota and a product-specific minimum quota for the use of recyclates and secondary raw materials should be established at European level. In the coalition paper, there is also a clear commitment to chemical recycling to be found. A significant change for the industry is planned to occur in regards to the so-called “plastic tax” of 80 cents per kilogram of non-recycled plastic packaging. This tax has been implemented by the EU, but most countries are not passing on this tax to the manufacturers and distributors, or only to a limited extent. The new German government now plans to fully transfer this tax over to the industry.

Düsseldorf: Carbon can protect the climate – Carbon Management Strategy North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)
Lastly, the RCI highly welcomes North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW, Germany) as the first region worldwide to adopt a comprehensive carbon management strategy, a foundation for the transformation from using additional fossil carbon from the ground to the utilisation of renewable carbon from biomass, CO2 and recycling. For all three alternative carbon streams, separate detailed strategies are being developed to achieve the defossilisation of the industry. This is all the more remarkable as North Rhine-Westphalia is the federal state with the strongest industry in Germany, in particular the chemical industry. And it is here, of all places, that a first master plan for the conversion of industry from fossil carbon to biomass, CO2 and recycling is implemented. If successful, NRW could become a global leader in sustainable carbon
management and the region could become a blueprint for many industrial regions.

Freudenberg Performance Materials announces a general upward adjustment of their prices for nonwoven performance materials for flooring and filtration applications in EMEA. This revision, effective January 1, 2022, has become necessary because of sustained and unprecedented surge in cost for raw materials, packaging, freight, consumables and energy combined with disruptions in their inbound supply chain.

Prices across all categories have by far outpaced their expectations and are forecasted to remain on high levels throughout 2022. This historic price trend has placed significant pressure on Freudenberg Performance Materials, and they understand in a similar way on their customers.

At this stage their business can no longer absorb the effects of such high price levels. Freudenberg Performance Materials will therefore adjust our prices for all their Colback® and Lutradur branded nonwoven products for flooring and filtration application by double-digit increases depending on product types.

Freudenberg Performance Materials will continue to work on improving productivity to offset inflationary pressure to keep attractive price levels and to avoid further price adjustments. They will continue to monitor the market development and in case of sustained and unexpected downward trends they will adjust our prices accordingly.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and Nonwovens Industry Magazine have extended the due date for nominations for the IDEA® Achievement Awards. IDEA® is the preeminent event for the nonwovens and engineered fabrics conference and exposition and will be held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida USA, March 28-31, 2022.

The IDEA® Achievement Awards recognize leading companies and new innovations (since IDEA® in 2019) in the global engineered fabrics industry in six categories. Companies can nominate their products, or their customers’ products in as many categories as applicable, which are:

• Sustainability Advancement (advances one or more elements of sustainability or circularity since 2019)
• Equipment (best new equipment introduction since 2019)
• Raw Materials (best new raw materials introduction since 2019)
• Short-Life (best new disposable product introduction since 2019)
• Long-Life (best new durable product introduction since 2019)
• Nonwoven Product (best new nonwoven product introduction since 2019)

The submission deadline is now extended to February 1, 2022.  Selections will be made by members of the industry voting through Nonwovens Industry Magazine. Selection of the Entrepreneur Award will be made by Nonwovens Industry Magazine.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced it has updated its value proposition to grow the nonwovens industry and establish its global leadership and versality in delivering essential, environmentally-responsible materials and products.

Resulting from an extensive strategic review process guided by industry experts, the new plan positions INDA to move forward from the business challenges of COVID that impacted its ability to hold in-person events.

INDA will equip the nonwovens industry and its customers to achieve business growth by focusing resources on shaping the external environment, and fostering actionable thought leadership on crucial issues. The association will continue to strengthen its vital role of bringing together industry experts in a pre-competitive environment by organizing and leading working groups and committees to focus on areas of mutual concern.

Dave Rousse, INDA President, stated, “We enthusiastically embrace the new foundation based on five key pillars that will guide INDA activities.” These pillars are:

• Convene and connect the industry through trade shows and conferences
• Achieve industry relevance among policy makers, end users, and other key stakeholders
• Advocate for the Nonwovens Industry in public policy forums
• Deliver market insights for better decision making
• Provide training programs to sustain the industry’s innovative edge

Rousse continued, “With last month’s announcement of Tony Fragnito joining INDA as Chief Operating Officer, we are ready to implement this plan and take it into the future. I look forward to working with him to drive INDA’s continuous pursuit of excellence in providing ever greater value to our industry and our members.”

INDA has retained several outside resources to survey members and develop this plan, as well as recruit the support needed to execute the plan over the next several years.

Microplastic pollution is a global challenge across many industries and sectors – one of critical importance being textiles.

A 2021 study by the California Ocean Science Trust and a group of interdisciplinary scientists acknowledges that microfibres from textiles are among the most common microplastic materials found in the marine environment. Every time synthetic clothes are manufactured, worn, washed, or disposed of, they release microplastics into terrestrial and marine environments, including human food chains. Synthetic fibres represent over two-thirds (69%) of all materials used in textiles, a proportion that is expected to rise to 73% by 2030. The production of synthetic fibres has fuelled a 40-year trend of increased per capita clothing consumption.

Global textile consumption has become:

• more reliant on non-renewable resources,
• less biodegradable, and
• increasingly prone to releasing microplastics.

The increased consumption is also discretionary, driven by consumer desire and remains unchecked. Thus, the long-term trend in the textile industry parallels the intentional addition of microplastics to products such as cosmetics. The contrast is that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has recommended such intentional additions be restricted, whereas the over-consumption of synthetic fibres continues unchecked. One way for the EU to account for and mitigate microplastic pollution is through an EU-backed methodology measuring and reporting microplastic emissions, so that consumers and procurement officers have the information needed to minimise microplastic pollution resulting from their purchasing decisions.

There is a critical opportunity to address microplastic pollution in the fashion textile industry through the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. To meet the environmental objectives of the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU is proposing that companies substantiate their products’ environmental credentials using this harmonised methodology. However, microplastic pollution is not accounted for in the PEF methodology. This omission has the effect of assigning a zero score to microplastic pollution and would undermine the efforts of the European Green Deal, which aim “to address the unintentional release of microplastics in the environment.”

The incorporation of microplastic pollution as an indicator would increase the legitimacy of the PEF method as well as better inform consumer purchasing decisions, especially as the European Green Deal seeks to “further develop and harmonise methods for measuring unintentionally released microplastics, especially from tyres and textiles, and delivering harmonised data on microplastics concentrations in seawater.”

Whilst we continue to learn about the damage of microplastics and there is new knowledge emerging on the toxic impacts along the food chain, there is sufficient information on the rate of microplastic leakage into the environment to implement a basic, inventory level indicator in the PEF now. This is consistent with the recommendations of a review of microplastic pollution originating from the life cycle of apparel and home textiles. There are precedents in PEF for basic level (e.g., ‘resource use, fossils’) and largely untested (e.g. land occupation and toxicity indicators) indicators, and therefore an opportunity for the EU to promote research and development in the measurement and modelling of microplastic pollution by including such emissions in the PEF methodology. For such an indicator, the long and complex supply chains of the apparel and footwear industry would be a test case with high-impact and a global reach.

• JEC Group announces theme for JEC World 2022 and reaffirms global leadership in composites innovation, business and networking

JEC World, the leading global trade show dedicated to composite materials, their manufacturing technologies and application markets, will take place in Paris from March 8-10, 2022, under the theme Composites for a Sustainable World. JEC World 2022 will be the industry’s most awaited international face to face event after the long pandemic period. Exhibition space is already 98% booked, a clear demonstration of the industry’s commitment to meet and resume business. Those unable to join in person will be able to experience the show via the JEC World Connect digital platform.

“We are looking forward to welcoming our exhibitors, partners and visitors back to Paris to resume business and promote innovation,” comments Thomas Lepretre, VP Events, Sales and Operations of JEC Group. “JEC World will bring the composites industry together to showcase the sustainability benefits of composite materials to a global audience, and to provide a stimulating meeting-place for the industry to pursue its sustainability ambitions by exchanging knowledge, forging collaborations, and imagining new concepts to protect our environment.”

• JEC World a unique get-together on sustainability throughout the product lifecycle
• JEC World a real composites “think tank”
• JEC World 2022 will demonstrate how sustainable thinking is at the heart of the innovative designs, technologies and business models driving the development of the next generation of composites applications.

Four conferences will be held over the three days, focusing on:

• Sustainability of Raw Materials for Composites: Fueling the Circular Revolution
• Rethinking Composite Materials Production: The Path to Sustainable Manufacturing
• Design for Circular Composite Products: Turning Waste, Recycling & Reuse into Opportunities
• Applications of Composite Materials for Circularity: Towards a Net-Zero World

Innovation is in JEC World’s DNA
One of JEC World’s objective’s is to promote the composites sector’s most innovative projects. More than 600 product launches are expected to be announced over the three days of the show, which will also feature JEC’s high-regarded innovation challenges and awards ceremonies :

• The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate innovative global composite projects, as well as fruitful collaborations between different players in the value chain. Over more than 15 years, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards have highlighted collaborations between some 1,900 companies and recognized 203 creative projects. The winners will be announced on March 7th during a dedicated ceremony and their successful technologies will be on display throughout the show.

• The JEC Composites Startup Booster is the leading startup competition in the world of composites. In 2022, this competition will celebrate its fifth anniversary, with a special event to be organized onsite and the launch of a new “sustainability” award. And, with 20 finalists for 2022, it will recognize innovations with the greatest potential market impact and promote them to an influential audience of decision-makers. The finalists’ innovations will be displayed at JEC World’s “Startup Village.”

• For the first time, JEC World will host the 3rd edition of the SMC BMC Design Award organized by the European Alliance for SMC BMC. This international competition recognizes and promotes design excellence in the use of SMC and BMC materials. The theme of this edition is Sustainable Living, and the award is opento design students and young design professionals (less than 3 years of experience) living in Europe.

Koketa, a brand of premium womenswear based in Peru, has begun sampling leggings, undergarments and workout wear featuring Acteev® Protect fabric. Produced by U.S. manufacturer Ascend Performance Materials, Acteev incorporates the odor-fighting and mildew-destroying antimicrobial benefits of zinc ions embedded into the matrix of superior nylon yarns and fabrics.

“When it comes to what’s closest to your most vulnerable skin, being safe and sanitary is a top priority,” said Juan Daniel Del Carpio, commercial director for Koketa. “The Koketa woman wants beauty, comfort and protection, and a partnership with Acteev makes it easier than ever for us to deliver all three.”

Koketa garments with Acteev feature Koketa’s signature innovative styles, including unique knit patterns, on-trend colors and flattering silhouettes. The Acteev fabric is buttery-soft and breathable yet long-lasting and resistant to pilling.

Additionally, clothing made with Acteev is resistant to unwanted odors, keeping garments as fresh after 100 washes as they are on day one. The active ingredient – labeled safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – targets the bacteria and microbes that can cause odor, mildew and discoloration.

“Zinc is nature’s safeguard,” said Juan Toro, global principal business development leader for Acteev in the Americas. “It is a mineral needed for human health, and we have harnessed its power to protect the garments in a natural, sustainable way.”

The European Alliance for SMC BMC and the AVK expert task force SMC/BMC are announcing they will organize together SMCCreate 2022, a conference about design in SMC and BMC composite materials. This conference will provide valuable insights in the entire product design process from idea to part manufacturing, targeted both at experienced designers and at designers that are new in applying these versatile materials.

SMC and BMC are composite materials ideal for making light and intricate parts that combine structural performance with a smooth surface finish. For that reason, SMC and BMC are increasingly used in a broad range of end-use applications and markets.

Companies that have been using SMC and BMC solutions have a lot of expertise available, which can help designers to be more successful in bringing products to market. Therefore, the European Alliance for SMC BMC and the AVK expert task force SMC/BMC would like to organize together this design conference, allowing designers to learn from the experts, apply gained insights into their own designs, and broaden their horizon for new part developments.

Using SMC BMC in your part design
Within the time of only 1.5 day, the SMCCreate 2022 conference will cover a wide range of subjects, all relevant for designers in their selection of materials solutions that provide performance, cost efficiency, manufacturing ability and sustainability. In particular:

• How can SMC BMC help you to design great parts, bringing a combination of unique shapes and functional performance?
• How can SMC BMC help you to improve sustainability?
• What are the key steps in the design process, starting from initial idea to full production series manufacturing?
• What are the typical design challenges and solutions?
• How to best design for optimal manufacturing?
• Which are the tools available for designing in SMC BMC: design software, material data, tooling considerations?
• Practical examples of designs and components made in SMC BMC
• What’s new in the world of SMC BMC?

Date and Location
The SMCCreate 2022 Conference will be organized on April 6-7, 2022 in Antwerp (Belgium).

Travis Wells, JD, MBA, has been appointed as GOTS Protection Officer North America. In this newly created position, he will be identifying and advising companies that are making unsubstantiated claims regarding GOTS signage.

An increasing number of companies are eager to use GOTS certified materials and want to make claims regarding GOTS content on their finished products. However, the correct use of the trademarked logo is strictly regulated in CUGS 3.1. – The conditions for the use of GOTS signs. A GOTS claim on finished products guarantees the consumer that every single step in the textile processing supply chain was certified. As soon as one stage in the supply chain is not certified, a company may not label or mention GOTS on their final product.

As a Sustainable Supply Chain Director, Travis has more than 20 years of experience advising fashion and apparel-related businesses on sustainable sourcing, product development and manufacturing in domestic and global markets. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in International Studies from Vassar College, his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) in Corporate Law from George Washington University Law School and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Global Sustainability and Finance from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University.