From the Sector

Textile Factory 7.0 – the vision of a networked, emission-free industrial park of the future for the city of Mönchengladbach is becoming reality. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has approved funding for the project.

The aim of the project is to establish a technology and development centre in Mönchengladbach and thus develop an industrial park of the future. Instead of considering individual technologies in isolation, Textile Factory 7.0 combines energy efficiency, AI/robotics and biotechnology in a single functional textile real-world laboratory under the close cooperation of industry and research.

The project will make a decisive contribution to sustainably increasing the attractiveness and productivity of regional textile production: the T7 Factory will create new jobs and strengthen innovative textile research at the location.

The kick-off will take place as a networking event on 19 March 2026. Industry players will then work on common issues relating to the future topics of the T7 Factory: on-demand manufacturing, microfactory engineering, digital textiles and biosphere. The ITA's technical experts will be available as contact persons for the topics of microfactory engineering and digital textiles. If you are interested in cooperation or insights into the progress of the project, you can register here.

The project partners are the ITA – Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, the Research Institute for Textiles and Clothing at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, the Association of the North-West German Textile and Clothing Industry, the Association of the Rhenish Textile and Clothing Industry, the Textile Academy NRW and Wirtschaftsförderung Mönchengladbach GmbH.

The Lenzing Group is taking another strategic milestone by acquiring a controlling majority in the Swedish innovation company TreeToTextile AB. This step strengthens Lenzing’s position as a leading provider of sustainable, wood based specialty fibers and expands its innovation pipeline with a highly scalable, patent protected technology platform. The transaction is executed through the issuance of new shares. 

TreeToTextile represents the next major technological leap in cellulosic fiber production – following the development of viscose in the early 20th century and Lenzing’s own Lyocell technology in the 1990s. The process offers a significantly improved sustainability profile, attractive cost advantages, and broad applicability across textile and nonwoven markets. With the majority acquisition, Lenzing underscores its commitment to consistently advancing its premiumization strategy and further expanding its leadership position in the global specialty fiber market. 

“TreeToTextile is among the world’s most advanced next generation fiber technologies and represents the most promising development on the market. Since our initial investment in 2025, the collaboration between the innovative TreeToTextile team and Lenzing’s fiber experts has enabled significant technological progress. We are fully committed to the joint scale up and commercialization. H&M Group, Inter IKEA Group, and Stora Enso, will continue to support this path as minority shareholders, contributing valuable market and consumer perspectives,” says Georg Kasperkovitz, COO of Lenzing Group. LSCS Invest also reaffirms its confidence in the joint technology platform through its long standing commitment since the foundation of the company and continued role as a shareholder. 

“Innovation at industrial scale requires time, expertise, and strong partnerships. Lenzing Group’s increased ownership is a clear endorsement of our technology and our ambition to become a major player in the global fiber market,” says Dr. Roxana Barbieru, CEO of TreeToTextile. 

The transaction enables an accelerated scaling of the new technology. Lenzing plans a significant increase in production output at the existing demonstration plant in Nymölla, Sweden, as well as the preparation of the first industrial scale facility. In addition, the company expects operational synergies from an even closer collaboration.

• The companies UBE and ZIKNES, the University of Valencia, and the AIMPLAS Plastics Technology Centre are collaborating on this project, funded by IVACE+i Innovation with support from ERDF funds.
• Applications include packaging, agricultural covers, automotive components and large-scale 3D demonstrators.
• Collaboration with Sea2See ensures the supply of recovered nets from Ghana and strengthens the project’s circular value chain.

The abandonment of fishing nets in seas and oceans is one of the most persistent environmental problems. In response to this situation, the REDES4VALUE project works to recover and recycle disused fishing nets, transforming them into new sustainable, high value-added products such as recycled nylon, films for packaging and agricultural covers, automotive components, and large-format parts produced by additive manufacturing. These developments are achieved through innovative mechanical and chemical recycling processes, combined with reactive extrusion technologies.

This initiative, funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i) and ERDF funds, brings together a consortium formed by AIMPLAS (Plastics Technology Centre), UBE, ZIKNES and the University of Valencia. Their shared objective is to close the life cycle of polyamides and reduce marine pollution through innovative, industry-ready solutions.

Although many nets are made of polyethylene or polypropylene, the project focuses on polyamide nets, a material with great potential for chemical recycling. Its molecular structure allows the recovery of monomers such as caprolactam, enabling the production of new polyamides with properties virtually identical to those of virgin materials.

‘We are achieving optimised conditions for depolymerising fishing nets and recovering monomers with purities above 95% in some laboratory-scale streams, and over 80% at pilot scale”. This will allow us to repolymerise and obtain new polyamides with quality equivalent to virgin material,’ explains Nairim Torrealba, a researcher in Chemical Recycling at AIMPLAS.

Recycled polyamides are intended for sectors such as packaging, agriculture, automotive and 3D printing. Companies such as UBE are already analysing their commercialisation and ZIKNES is adapting its equipment to validate large-format parts. Initial applications include packaging films, agricultural covers, automotive components and large-scale 3D demonstrators.

‘These materials have immediate industrial applications and a clear sustainability advantage over conventional polyamides. These solutions not only reduce dependence on virgin raw materials, but also open up new opportunities for industry in terms of sustainability and the circular economy,’ said Torrealba.

Disruptive technology and international collaboration
REDES4VALUE is advancing in processes such as hydrothermal depolymerisation, ionic liquid-assisted solvolysis and reactive extrusion, as well as comprehensive life cycle and feasibility assessments. One of the main challenges of the project is the treatment of highly degraded nets with a high presence of impurities, but the results are very promising.

Collaboration with the Sea2See brand has ensured access to fishing nets recovered in Ghana since 2019 and has been key to structuring the project’s circular value chain from the waste source. ‘Without this supply of material, it would not be possible to move forward. The nets that arrive from Ghana are essential for validating the processes and obtaining real results,’ said Torrealba.

Consortium and next steps
The project involves AIMPLAS, which is responsible for chemical recycling tasks, UBE for scaling and repolymerisation, ZIKNES for 3D printing validation, and the MATS group at the University of Valencia (MATS-UV) for solvolysis and kinetics studies. ‘Our goal is to consolidate a chemical recycling line that can be applied to complex waste and demonstrate that it is a real and necessary solution,’ concluded Torrealba.

This initiative is funded by the Valencian Institute of Competitiveness and Innovation (IVACE+i), through the Strategic Cooperation Projects programme in its 2024 call for proposals, with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, participates in Colombiatex 2026, one of the most influential textile and apparel industry events in the Americas. The event will take place in Medellín, Colombia, from January 27 to 29. 

At Colombiatex 2026, Archroma will highlight its latest innovations designed to support more sustainable, high-performance textile production. Visitors will have the opportunity to discover the company’s award-winning AVITERA® SE dyes and SILIGEN® D2W, alongside a strong portfolio of advanced solutions including BLUE MAGIC, THIOTAN® R, ERIOFAST®, ERIOPON® E3 SAVE, and TERASIL® W-VM. In addition, visitors will also be able to explore solutions from our latest partnership with HeiQ. 

“These innovations reflect our commitment to helping the textile industry meet growing demands for performance, efficiency, and sustainability,” said Gerardo Estrada, Vice President, Americas, Archroma. “Colombiatex is a key platform for connecting with partners across the Americas, and we look forward to demonstrating how our solutions can enable more planet conscious textile production.” 

January, 17 marks a historic milestone with the signing of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, creating the biggest trading block in the world. European business – represented by more than 28 associations across a wide range of sectors – warmly welcomes this signature. It sends a strong and timely signal that the EU remains open and is committed to rules-based global trade. In a time of global uncertainty, this agreement is a key growth booster. 

By opening access to over 270 million consumers via the elimination of trade barriers and the removal of tariffs on over 90% of EU exports, the agreement provides the thrust European companies need to export, invest, and grow, as well as to diversify their supply chains, sourcing essential products and raw materials from Mercosur. By 2040, according to DG Trade’s calculations, the agreement is expected to add 77.6 billion euros to the EU GDP, resulting in a 39% increase in EU exports to Mercosur. 

With the agreement now signed, the ball is firmly in the court of the European Parliament in ensuring rapid ratification. We therefore call on Members of the European Parliament to give their consent and allow Europe’s engine of economic growth and prosperity to be switched on and move ahead decisively. After over 25 years of negotiations, we are finally in sight of the finish line. We cannot afford to wait any longer.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, and HeiQ, a Swiss deeptech materials innovator active in functional textiles and sustainable fibers, have entered into a co-marketing agreement that combines their complementary strengths to deliver advanced, planet-conscious anti-odor and antimicrobial technologies to brands, retailers, and textile mills worldwide.

Together, Archroma and HeiQ will provide brands and textile manufacturers access to an expanded portfolio of high-performance, sustainable effects, underpinned by global reach, application expertise, and proven market innovation.

“This partnership marks an exciting chapter for Archroma and HeiQ, and a huge step forward for the textile industry,” said Dhirendra Gautam, VP Commercial, Archroma. “By uniting our global reach and application know-how with HeiQ’s powerful innovation engine, we are bringing high-performance, sustainable technologies to more customers and accelerating the industry’s transition towards a more planet-conscious textile value chain.”

“HeiQ has always been driven by a mission to pioneer deeptech material innovation for people and planet,” said Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ. “Together with Archroma’s extensive network and expertise, we are scaling our technologies globally, ensuring that brands and mills can access functional, sustainable solutions that enhance product performance while lowering environmental impact.”

The collaboration enables HeiQ’s advanced technologies to be delivered through Archroma’s well-established global customer network, making it easier for textile manufacturers to integrate functional, compliant, and sustainable performance effects into their products. The alliance is also about scaling innovation. Together, we will empower brands and manufacturers to meet consumer demands for hygiene, freshness, and sustainability.

The CHT Group has been awarded the Gold Medal in the latest EcoVadis sustainability rating, recognizing the newly aligned, more focused groupwide ESG performance.

The CHT Group is a globally active foundation-owned specialty chemicals manufacturer headquartered in Tübingen, Germany. They offer sustainable chemical solutions for numerous industries and have an international presence with around 2,500 employees and 26 production sites. In the financial year 2024, the CHT Group generated a group turnover of 614 million Euro.

The portfolio includes Textile Solutions (dyes and auxiliaries for the entire textile value chain), Industrial Solutions (specialty silicones, paper and pulp technologies, washing solutions, care ingredients), and Functional Chemicals (chemical additives for paints, coatings, construction, adhesives, leather, chemical producers, agrochemicals, mining, and release agents).

EcoVadis is the Benchmark for sustainability ratings in the chemical industry and one of the world’s most trusted providers of business sustainability ratings, assessing more than 150,000 companies globally each year. Its methodology is aligned with leading international standards and evaluates performance across four key assessment themes:

• Environment
• Labor and Human Rights
• Ethics
• Sustainable Procurement 

Compared to previous ratings, CHT’s overall score has improved and now stands at 81 out of 100 points, thanks to strong progress across all four assessment themes. This achievement places the group among the top 5 % of all companies assessed in 2025 worldwide.