From the Sector

The Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will return to the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) from 10 – 12 March 2021, together with four other textile events including Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Yarn Expo Spring, CHIC and PH Value. The fairs will offer an all-round business platform and a host of exciting synergy effects for the sector.

High-quality finished products to be offered
In March 2021, the Spring Edition will showcase a selection of home textile products including bedding & towelling, rugs, table & kitchen linen, home textile technologies, textile design and many more. Additionally, the fair will be held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Yarn Expo Spring, CHIC and PH Value, offering a comprehensive sourcing platform for the sector.

Lenzing views Intertextile as an ideal platform to present their sustainable home products
The Lenzing Group, a leading producer of man-made cellulose fibres, is amongst the major industry players who have already confirmed their participation in the upcoming fair. Ms Lesley Wu, Home Textile Business Development at Lenzing Fibers (Shanghai), talked about new market trends in the post-pandemic era and the reasons they decided to join the Spring Edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles:

“Even though the home textile industry has, to some extent, been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, there are both opportunities and challenges for the sector. Without a doubt, environmental protection and sustainable development are the hottest topics in today’s society. Consumers are paying more attention to healthy lifestyles and looking to make a shift to green consumption as a result of the pandemic. More and more consumers are opting for functional and sustainable raw materials. Environmentally sustainable fibres are therefore gaining popularity.”

“Right now, we expect the home textile industry will continue its steady recovery. Home textile companies may look for opportunities in product and marketing innovations, such as developing functional and sustainable home textile products and exploring various O2O business model options,” Ms Wu added.

Lastly, Ms Wu shared why they chose to participate in Intertextile: “We decided to exhibit at Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles because it is an influential trade fair for the industry. As the Lenzing Group has been expanding in the home textile market, we want to use this platform to showcase the applications for TENCEL™ branded fibres in home textiles, and to further promote sustainability through our TENCEL™ Home cellulosic fibres.”

To find out more about this fair, please visit: www.intertextilehome.com

• New digital platform unveiled
• Due to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and after thorough consultation of clients and partners, the JEC World team today announces that the next edition of JEC World is postponed from March 9 to 11 to June 1 to 3, 2021.

With the growing concern among our exhibitors and partners surrounding the critical situation of the Covid  19,  travel  restrictions,  quarantine,  and  lockdown  measures  announced  recently  in  many  countries, the JEC World team has decided to work on a new timeline to hold the next edition of the event in safer conditions in 2021.

Thus, JEC World exhibitors answered a survey proposing three dates to determine which one would suit  them  the  most.  It  appeared  that  a  large  majority  of  respondents  favored  holding  the  next  JEC  World session from June 1 to 3, 2021."We truly regret having to make this difficult decision. However, we are all committed, starting todayto deliver the best JEC World experience to our clients.  We look forward to welcoming the international composites community back to Paris in June 2021", says Eric Pierrejean, CEO of JEC Group. As the leading trade show of the composites industry, JEC World brings together the whole composites materials  value  chain  and  professionals  from  application  sectors,  experts  from  the  scientific  and  academic world, associations and media from more than 112 countries.

JEC  World  is  also  proud  to  introduce  its  audience  this  year,  its  new  digital  platform,  JEC  World  Augmented.

This online platform, programmed to take place alongside JEC World,istailored primarily for attendees who cannot be present physically at the show but still want to experience a tremendousdigital event immersion. "JEC  World  and  its  augmented platform  will  bring  the  international  composites  community  and  specialists   together   to   network   with   exhibitors,   hold   digital   business   meetings,   access   online   conferences, workshops, and discover the latest composites innovation,"  says Adeline Larroque, Show director and EMEA events. "Now, more than ever, the international composites sector needs to come together to discuss today's challenges and tomorrow's composites solutions," adds Larroque.

After Mondial. Tech, NAIAS 2019, and eMove 360°, JEC Group will hold the 4th Composites Pavilion at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit from June 9 to 11, 2020 in a spirit of innovation, business, and networking.

At NAIAS 2020, JEC Group will highlight the latest technologies and solutions allowing the automotive industry to innovate in product design, reduce the environmental impact of emissions and improve production rates thanks to composite materials. For the first time in 2020, the Composites Mobility Summit will simultaneously include the pavilion with a showcase of innovative parts, an extensive conference program, and a composites tour. Composite materials are a key part of the future of the Mobility industry and this Summit will both demonstrate the exciting variety of their applications, and aim to push forward their use in an even more global scope.

Within the Composite Solutions for Mobility pavilion, the displayed parts will highlight the different applications of composites for mobility such as lightweight, design freedom, aesthetics and flexibility, resistance, strength and stiffness, function integration, hybridization, fuel storage, connectivity integration and battery housing.

At ISPO, AKA – Asahi Kasei Advance keeps the planet fit and healthy at the same time. The cutting edge department of global material innovator Asahi Kasei, unveils ECOSENSOR™, the cutting-edge fabric collection boosting responsible innovation with a “New Eco High-tech Force of Nature” new generation of performance.

Harnessing AKA expertise in yarning a smarter future, the new range focuses on sportwear, urban and athleisure fabrics. “At ISPO we launch the energetic protein fitting perfectly in textiles for clothes with an active imprint, comfort touch and smooth style. From-yarn-to-dyeing and along the whole supply chain, the collection is 100% traceable.” Says Nishizawa Akira, President & Representative Director Asahi Kasei Advance corporation.

Such goals were scored thanks to the renown expertise of Research & Development and energized by constantly and strictly controlled processes that aim to save energy, water and Green House gases emissions. The result is a high-performative collection combining maximum comfort with durability and stretch-ability.

With ECOSENSOR™, Asahi Kasei Advance truly innovates at ISPO as the very first producers choosing the high-performance path with sustainable values. “Like a truly complete athlete, ECOSENSOR™ wins both during the sprint and all along its performance. It’s outstanding light & stretch features match durability.”

Indeed, the flexible and multitasking range is the high-tech solution for sportwear, outerwear and beyond. The collection embraces the casual and sporty mood of active urban surfers as well as that easy-to-wear attitude for a relaxing free-time at home.

Excellent stretch and high-performative features match the adventurous temperament of extreme explorers, while durability and resistance are the key features to weave fabrics for outdoor activities. The target of ECOSENSOR™ by Asahi Kasei is to push at maximum the choice towards bluesign® approved and Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified ingredients and production processes, and GRS (Global Recycled Standard) for recycled ingredients, showing the path to sustainability.

Working with the best like-minded apparel partners, AKA has achieved unsurpassed active climate control materials. The unique high-tech and low-impact functionality has been designed to make a real, sustainable difference a better future.

From smart collections born from the collaboration with style-setting brands to the company’s ultimate yarns, the cutting-edge ingredients empowering sportwear with a responsible attitude.

For the 2020 edition of ISPO Munich, the influential fashion and textile fair dedicated to sportwear and athleisure-wear, ROICA™ has created an interactive booth inviting visitors to explore a backward path from the final sportwear to the yarn. The sustainable premium stretch fiber by leading materials manufacturer Asahi Kasei, has conceived the exhibition as a sort of ‘reversed’ journey in three acts.

THE NEXT LEVEL – For ROICA™, being a world’s leader in smart stretch is not enough. The company shows that responsible innovation is not only about how the premium yarn is made but its functionalities as well. “It’s time to go to the next level of innovation: empowering sustainability with additional performances”. At ISPO, ROICA™ presents the new Global Recycled Standard -GRS- certified ROICA™ EF which innovates with excellent dyability and the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Gold level-certified ROICA™ V550 yarn which allows excellent and durable printability.

THE ‘REVERSED’ JOURNEY: the first section of the backwards path showcases ROICA™’s ultimate collaborations for the contemporary wardrobe with leading brands. Guests are then guided to explore the cutting-edge innovation interwoven into high- performing textiles and finally led to discover the company’s sustainable yarns and ultimate products.

Focus on Sustainability and Climate Change

Passion for Cotton: The 35th International Cotton Conference Bremen starts on 25 March in the Hanseatic city’s historic Town Hall. But before subject-specific questions are discussed in depth in the individual sessions, the concise and inspiring keynotes by leading business experts from science and industry will draw attention to the current trends and challenges in the industry at the start of the conference. A large part of the presentations is shaped by the current discussion on environmental and sustainability issues and the resulting consequences for the global economy.

Climate Change and Sustainability

“Climate change - a storm in a teacup?” asks Kai Hughes, Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee, Washington D.C., USA, in a provocative speech. The aim of his presentation is to work out the challenges of climate change especially for agriculture and cotton production. This should form the basis for later discussion on concrete approaches and solutions within the cotton community.

With his lecture “The HUGO BOSS sustainability programme ... and what our customer has to do with it” Andreas Streubig, Director of Global Sustainability at Hugo Boss AG, Metzingen, Germany, rolls up the textile value chain from a different angle, starting at the consumer level. As a representative of a premium brand for women's and men's clothing, Streubig discusses sustainability as a strategic element of the corporate strategy and provides information on how elements of the strategy are being implemented at Hugo Boss.

Rüdiger Senft, Head of Sustainability at Commerzbank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, looks at the changing role of banks in financing the cotton market. In addition to a general introduction to the topic of sustainability and banking regulation, Senft's presentation deals with the financing of the cotton trade from a social and ecological point of view.
The opening session on 25 March is hosted by Bill Ballenden, founder and owner of Dragontree, Swindon, UK, an online auction platform for the cotton trade. As a former cotton manager for Louis Dreyfus in Europe and Asia, Bill Ballenden has many years of experience in the industry.

Cross-Cutting Issues: Digitalisation, Gender, Value Chains

The subsequent session in the conference programme with the headline “A Wider View” is devoted to currently defining trends and important cross-cutting issues in the industry. This goes far beyond classic cotton themes.

A lecture by Mark Messura, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing for Cotton Incorporated, Cary, North Carolina, deals with the role of cotton in an increasingly digitally controlled supply chain. Significant keywords here are faster delivery times, vertical integration, transparency and traceability.

The presentation by Roger Gilmartin, Managing Director of Tri-Blend Consulting, Charlotte, USA, entitled “The secret recipe for timely, cost-optimised and high-quality cotton clothing” promises exciting and enlightening insights. Tri-Blend Consulting conducts studies on the performance of different cotton varieties during the entire consumption process to the finished yarn and evaluates them from an economic point of view.

Amy Jackson, from the Better Cotton Initiative, London, UK, presents ICA Liverpool's “Women in Cotton” initiative. With this commitment, the initiative aims to increase the influence of women in the cotton industry and give them a stronger voice, for example by building networks in cooperation.

Navdeep Singh Sodhi, International Strategic Management Consultant at the Gherzi Textile Organisation, Switzerland, gives an insight into the current development of the value chain for cotton, textiles and clothing in Africa. Looking ahead to the coming decades, also in view of population growth, Africa is seen as having a high potential for building economic structures to improve income and prosperity.

Thomas Schneider, Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and active in the field of production planning and control, textile materials and materials testing will host the session. A leading light in his field, Thomas Schneider has more than 30 years of experience in scientific and application-oriented research in the textile and fibre sector, including at the Fibre Institute Bremen e.V.

THE S/S 2021 SMART COLLECTION AND STRATEGY: “TEAMING UP IS THE RESPONSIBLE WAY FORWARD”
At Première Vision in Paris, February 11th – 13th Jersey manufacturer TINTEX presents its S/S 2021 collection and a new strategic approach to make the world a better place, a garment at a time in  Hall 5 Booth R50/S43, and Hall 3 Smart Creation Booth S7. “That’s why we decided to update our statement-motto in Naturally Advanced Evolution: a promise and an invitation to work together to develop further collections combining an environment-driven approach with cutting-edge technology.” Says Ricardo Silva, Head of Operations of TINTEX.

“Textile producers and fashion brands should develop their partnership in a much more collaborative way.” Say Says Ricardo Silva, Head of Operations of TINTEX. In a move towards his partners, the company has re-organised its products collection into 4 distinct categories and further evolved its production process in order to guarantee the highest quality and performance of its fabrics and, at the same time, to become more competitive and to allow its clients to orientate better and easily find the most suitable and practical solution. COLLECTION focuses on seasonal proposals while EXPRESSIONS includes a range for all-year-round collections.

THE SS 2021 COLLECTION is imbued with sustainability, innovation and a collaborative attitude. The new range comprises 24 new references built focusing on responsible materials – including recycled or recyclable (100% same raw material), tactile finishes and active performances with smart and cutting-edge technical background. “The main area we developed for the S/S 2021 collection was carefully selected starting from the inputs we had from our partners during some of the most successful collaborations in the past 2 years,” adds Ana Eusebio, designer.

And just to keep the conversation about sharing innovation at best, TINTEX is officially shading the light on its Coating Unit that, thanks to continuous investments, will be able to deliver Naturally Advance Solutions in terms of finishings, not just for TINTEX but also for woven producers that are aligned with the corporate commitment. Come to discover TINTEX portfolio of smartly developed coatings at its booth at Smart Creation, hall 3.

Bemberg™ gears up for Première Vision - February 11th-13th, Paris, France; with a great deal of novelties and a key statement on sustainability: Let’s Make it Circular! That’s why the Japanese brand of regenerated cellulose fibers joins the fair with two booths, one in the yarn-focused sector – Hall 6 C52 6D53 – the other one in the Smart Creation area, the curated district showcasing cutting-edge sustainable innovation for the textile and fashion business. Hall3 S14.

“We simply could not miss out on the Smart Creation Area as sustainability is the founding pillar of our company,” says SHUNSUKE SATO, sales manager of Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei. “Indeed, the smart fiber is made from a cotton linter which is pre-consumer material, a natural derived source, that doesn’t deplete forestry resources. The strategy beyond our double presence is to highlight our deep commitment to responsible innovation to a larger target of professionals.”

Let’s take it circular! is the motto at the Smart Creation booth. The lifespan of Bemberg™’s regenerated cellulose fiber derived from cotton is fully circular: from the source to manufacturing. The whole sustainable closed-loop process is supported by the LCA study, signed by ICEA and validated by Paolo Masoni. Recyclability is granted by the Global Recycle Standard - GRS certification by the renown Textile Exchange. An influential guarantee that involves the whole production process and supply chain behind the company’s smart yarns. Bemberg™ yarns are entirely biodegradable and ecotoxicity-free – meaning that at the end of their life circle they break down into the environment leaving no trace in terms of toxic substances as attested by the Innovhub-SSI report.

On show at Première Vision some of the most recent collaborations with GRS-certified partners such as FIVEOL, SMI TESSUTI, TESSITURA UBOLDI, INFINITY, SIDONIOS, MATIAS & ARAUJO, TINTEX, IPEKER, EKOTEN, for fashion fabrics as well as PEZZETTI and BRUNELLO & G.CRESPI from lining partners.

The first Bemberg™ partner to present a commercial collection enriched by Velutine™ Evo is the Portuguese Matias & Araújo. With an innovative spirit, dynamism and a determined entrepreneurial spirit, the company is a leading knitwear producer for the textile industry.

In the Hall 6 Bemberg™ displays key commercial items developed by premium brands such as CAALO that is making its mark in the outerwear market with its Sustainably produced Functional-Luxury proposal. For SS20, CAALO utilized Bemberg™ lining because of the sustainability properties and it's unique colour.

CAALO looks to utilize as much eco-friendly and sustainable materials as possible without compromising on design or quality. This Bemberg™ lining was a perfect fit.

The Oerlikon Nonwoven experts will be presenting efficient solutions and comprehensive technology know-how for challenging filtration tasks to an international trade audience at the FiltXPO 2020 in Chicago, USA (Stand # 420), taking place between February 26 and 28.

Meltblown technology is one of the most efficient methods for producing very fine and highly-separating filter media made from manmade fibers. New, unique and highly-sophisticated filter media are easy to manufacture thanks to Oerlikon Nonwoven’s optimized meltblown technology. This process is characterized by its constant melt pressure distribution and consistent dwell time across the entire width of the spinning beam, Furthermore, the novel guidance and distribution of the process air outside the coathanger distributor offered by the Oerlikon Nonwoven technology prevents so-called hotspots, which overall ensures particularly homogeneous nonwoven properties and basis weights even in the case of delicate raw materials.

The Oerlikon Nonwoven charging unit stands out against other concepts currently available on the market. Users can freely choose from a large number of variation possibilities and set the optimum charging method depending on the filter application, allowing the Oerlikon Nonwoven charging unit to also be used for the manufacture of EPA- and HEPA-class filter media.

The new forming section ensures improved nonwoven formation evenness across the entire width, even in the case of high spinning speeds, special polymers and polymer combinations. In addition to this, the newly-designed system also ensures that nonwovens only require minimal edge trimming at the end of the production process. The newly-developed mixedfiber technology enables the combining of various filament cross-sections and polymers, in order to set ideal filtering and pleating performances, for example.

Bemberg™ supports the new generation of Italian sartorial style

In Florence, Bemberg™ presents an 8-pieces tailoring collection commissioned to and developed with students of the renowned Scuola Triennale di Alta Sartoria Maschile dell’Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori in Rome as well as with prominent lining manufacturers as Brunello S.p.A., Gianni Crespi Foderami S.p.A., Tessitura Marco Pastorelli S.p.A. and Manifattura Pezzetti Srl.

“We couldn’t have started the new year in a better and most promising way!” Says TAKESHI IITAKA, president of Asahi Kasei fibers Italia. The Japanese brand of regenerated cellulose fibers has tasked students at the Accademia Nazionale dei Sartori excellences. The designers of tomorrow created 8 contemporary clothing teaming up with prominent lining manufacturers that offered premium jacquard, striped and dotted materials in vivid colors that follow the seasonal trends. Yarn dyed options made unique by impactful contemporary designs that create interesting contrasts with the tailoring proposals.

The participation at Pitti is the first of a global tour pointing to some of the most cutting edge design innovations on planet Fashion. The next appointments include ISPO in Munich and Première Vision New York.

At each appointment the company will showcase a different aspect of its multitasking and sustainable imprint.