From the Sector

Rest of the Mills to Complete Assessments and Comply by 2023

Sateri’s mill in Fujian, China, has been verified to comply with the European Union Best Available Techniques (EU-BAT) standard. Verified by independent consultant Sustainable Textile Solutions (STS), a division of BluWin Limited (UK), the parameters of the standard assessed included resource utility efficiency, wastewater discharge and air emission.

In the assessment report, STS noted that all of Sateri Fujian’s mill parameters assessed were within the range of EU-BAT limits. Notably, its energy intensity, sulphur to air, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) were well under EU-BAT norms. With the use of cutting-edge technologies for air emissions control, the total sulphur recovery rate is over 98%. Sateri Fujian accounts for over 20% of Sateri’s annual total production capacity.
The compliance with EU-BAT standard comes on the back of several key manufacturing and product related industry certifications and standards which Sateri has attained. These include OEKO-TEX®’s MADE IN GREEN, STeP, and STANDARD 100. Sateri is one of the world’s first viscose producers to complete the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) 3.0 assessment. Sateri is also part of the multi-stakeholder Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) manmade cellulose fibre working group, which is developing guidelines to reduce environmental emissions. As a founding member of the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV), Sateri is supporting the development of CV’s 2025 Roadmap which considers industry best management practices and global certification standards.

HeiQ, winner of the Swiss Technology Award and Swiss Environmental Award, launches HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile treatment that is tested effective against coronavirus.

Since its inception 15 years ago, HeiQ has forged a solid innovation track record helping brands improve textile products. Catalyzed to action by the global fight against Coronavirus, HeiQ launches HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile treatment which is proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing, significantly enhancing the antiviral log reduction from 2.90 of untreated face masks to 4.48, over 99.99% reduction of virus infectivity. (Remarks: a log reduction of 2 is equivalent to 100 times the effectiveness).

Chinese protective masks producer Suzhou Bolisi is the lead adopter of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03. Treated masks will be available on the market as early as this April. American legwear manufacturer Kayser-Roth is planning to add the technology to their new product, Ghluv hands protector, while Lufeng from China is evaluating the technology on other types of fabric used for garments.

HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is a unique combination of vesicle and silver technologies designed to inhibit the growth and persistence of bacteria and viruses. The HeiQ vesicle technology targets lipid- enveloped viruses, such as coronavirus, providing rapid virus deactivation, while the HeiQ silver technology inhibits the replication of both bacteria and viruses. HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 can be applied to a wide spectrum of textile surfaces including face masks, air filters, medical gowns, curtains, drapes and more. HeiQ also has a range of highly wash-durable antimicrobial and odor control textile technologies, called HeiQ Pure, combining silver-based and bio-based materials for all fabric types.

•  Historically difficult market environment – trade tensions put textile value chain under pressure in 2019
•  Prices for standard viscose at a historic low
•  Positive development of the specialty fiber business with a revenue share of already 51 . 6 percent
•  Strategic investment projects are progressing according to plan
•  sCore TEN targets for 2024 defined – EBITDA of EUR 800 mn

Lenzing – Despite a generally difficult demand environment for textile fibers and a drastic drop in prices for standard viscose, the Lenzing Group recorded a solid business development in 2019. The disciplined implementation of the sCore TEN corporate strategy and the accompanying focus on specialty fibers once again helped to mitigate the effect of unprecedentedly low standard viscose prices.

As a result, revenue dropped by 3.3 percent from EUR 2.18 bn to EUR 2.11 bn in 2019, driven by lower selling prices as well as standard fiber volumes. Due to positive mix effects and more resilient specialty fiber prices, the share of specialty fibers increased from 45.5 percent to 51.6 percent of revenue. The earnings development was largely influenced by the decline in revenue, but also by negative currency effects on material and personnel costs. EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) fell by 14.4 percent from EUR 382 mn to EUR 326.9 mn. The EBITDA margin declined from 17.6 percent to 15.5 percent. Net profit, at EUR 114.9 mn, was 22.4 percent lower than in the previous year at EUR 148.2 mn. Earnings per share amounted to EUR 4. 63 ( 2018: EUR 5 . 61 ).

Supporting the industry through innovation and creativity.

The leading denim ingredient brand hosted a special panel to discuss some of the pioneering advancements in technology that are making the fashion industry more responsible: from R-TWOTM to automated laser technology.

With the fashion industry being considered one of the world’s most polluting businesses-sectors, collaborating and knowledge sharing are key in finding solutions for a better future. Fully aware of this scenario, for the second year running, ISKO was the headline sponsor at Drapers Sustainable Fashion Forum, the authoritative event bringing together the most responsible players to discuss what can be done to tackle the industry’s environmental and social issues through innovation and creativity.

Sharing knowledge, collaborating for change.

As evidence of its pioneering Responsible InnovationTM approach, ISKO shared its founding values of creativity, competence and citizenship by showcasing the R-TWOTM program, its latest responsible achievement, in a dedicated stand.

Stemming from the mill’s holistic vision, R-TWOTM represents a great example of how reducing, reusing, and recycling strategies can be implemented in a textile business to improve its environmental performance. With the goal to create fabrics that can provide both quality and responsibility, ISKO has developed this platform, which deals with the most critical issue that apparel supply chains are currently faced with: using more than what actually needed.

ISKO presented its 100% responsible platform, R-TWO™.

The denim ingredient brand hosted a special panel to discuss some of the advancements in technology that are making the fashion industry more responsible: from R-TWO™ to automated laser technology.

With the fashion industry being considered one of the world’s most polluting businesses-sectors, collaborating and knowledge sharing are key in finding solutions for a better future. Fully aware of this scenario, ISKO was the headline sponsor at The Drapers Sustainable Fashion Forum brings together responsible players to discuss what can be done to tackle the industry’s environmental and social issues through innovation and creativity.

Sharing knowledge, collaborating for change.
As evidence of its Responsible Innovation™ approach, ISKO presented the R-TWO™ program, its latest
responsible achievement. Stemming from the mill’s holistic vision, R-TWO™ represents a great example of how reducing, reusing, and recycling strategies can be implemented in a textile business to improve its  environmental performance.
The R-TWO™ reduces the amount of raw material sourced by using a blend of reused cotton and recycled polyester – both certified –, improving sourcing efficiency throughout the entire field-to-fabric production.
Reused cotton is certified with the Content Claim Standard – or CCS – from the Textile Exchange. As for recycled polyester, it can be either Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified, depending on the content percentages. Together with this cutting-edge and fully responsible program, ISKO also uses automated laser
technology developed in partnership with Jeanologia.

“How technology can help make the fashion industry more sustainable”:
On March 11th, ISKO hosted a discussion about ways, to make the fashion industry more responsible
The panel was moderated by David Shah, consultant on design and marketing development, Publisher and CEO at Metropolitan Publishing BV and Associate Professor at ARTez (Arnhem, the Netherlands) and Associate Professor at Renmin University, (Beijing, China). The talk involved Keith O’Brien, ISKO Marketing & Business Development Manager, Victoria Soto, Jeanologia Custom Technology Consultant and Filippo Ricci, Fashion Open Studio Program & Partnership Manager.

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, today announced that its affiliate in Tianjin, China, has been named ‘Green Factory’ by the Tianjin authorities. The nomination was granted as of January 1st, 2020, following an evaluation process conducted under the authority of the Tianjin Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, which selected 56 other companies only to receive that same distinction.

The ‘Green Factory’ list comprises companies comprehensively evaluated and scored against 92 indicators, in areas such as site intensification, production cleanliness, energy consumption efficiency, raw material recycling, environmental impact, product ecological profile, and carbon footprint. The initiative takes place in the wider framework of fostering ‘Green manufacturing’, one of the nine strategic objectives defined by the Chinese Authorities under the ‘Made in China 2025’ plan, which led to the Industrial Green Development Plan published by The Ministry of Industry And Information Technology in 2016.

The production site in Tianjin is fully integrated into the Archroma Management System and was externally certified to ISO 9001. In the preparational system upgrade, additional external certifications to ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and OHSAS 18001 were completed in November 2019. Commitments to the United Nations Global Compact and Responsible Care® are complementing the local framework.

Captivating colours, optimum cost efficiency and a sustainable value chain: these are some of the typical features of Sappi’s Inkjet and Dye Sublimation Papers. The global manufacturer will showcase its diverse, high-quality product ranges at FESPA Madrid, in hall 3, stand D30.

• Transjet Drive dye sublimation paper tailored to industrial printing machines with a glue-belt system
• Scrolljet, a large inkjet paper, with impressively razor-sharp lines
• Digitally printed corrugated board with Fusion Topliner for consumer goods packing and displays

Eye-catching posters, textiles with excellent prints and labels that stand out clearly, this is how brand owners, advertising companies and retailers draw attention to themselves and their products. The comprehensive range of Sappi’s Dye Sublimation Papers, Inkjet Papers and Silicone Base Papers form the perfect basis for impressive brand communication. Customers and potential customers can come and convince themselves at this year’s FESPA event in Madrid, which takes place from 24 to 27 March.

Paper with impressive sustainable qualities
At its large exhibition stand in the Digital Printing hall, Sappi will showcase its Transjet range, which represents highest quality and optimal cost efficiency, offering also environmental advantages, such as low ink consumption and low transfer times. Minimal shrinkage of high elastic textiles is one of the key features of the Sportsline tacky grades. The special Transjet Drive, its extremely smooth backside and fast ink drying on the printable side, allow more efficient production on high-speed printers with glue belt systems. Sappi stands for much more than just the highest paper quality. Professional support through a special team of technical application engineers, Digital Solutions assist customers from their initial product idea to final production ensuring impressive results.

Differentiation through precision and sharpness
With its range of Inkjet papers, Sappi will demonstrate its considerable expertise in large format digital printing in Madrid. At the heart of the exhibition presentation is Scrolljet, a multi-layered coated paper for a wide range of outdoor applications, such as city light and mega light scrolling systems. DT-Plot and Swiss Matt are the best choice for graphic drawings and poster printing due to their exceptional colour results and the high precision and sharpness of the print.

Everything from a single, innovative source
When it comes to making classic packaging, shelf-ready packaging and POS displays stand out from the rest, marketing managers, brand owners and designers can always count on Fusion Topliner with its high degree of whiteness. As the topliner reproduces colours brilliantly and can be processed excellently, products made with this clearly stand out and attract attention. The product range presented by the paper and paperboard specialist is topped off by Silicone Base Papers for self-adhesive applications such as car wrapping, outdoor advertising and office supplies. This makes Sappi a versatile, long-term partner on which customers can rely. Sappi’s paper and paperboard thus go far beyond FESPA 2020: “Where colour comes alive.”

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.

Fashion giant H&M Group and Danish retailer Coop are joining chemical expert NGO ChemSec’s call to action to end the use of harmful PFAS chemicals in products and supply chains.
This commitment comes on the same day as award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo and director Todd Haynes address the EU Parliament to speak about the true story that inspired the duo’s latest film Dark Waters, in which an environmental attorney takes on chemical giant DuPont and exposes decades of PFAS pollution.
ChemSec’s corporate PFAS initiative includes:

• A call on policy makers to regulate PFAS efficiently, without the possibility for manufacturers to simply swap one PFAS chemical for an unregulated “cousin”.
• A call on the chemical industry to put money into innovation and develop safer alternatives to PFAS for all kinds of products.
• A recognition that PFAS are a major health and environmental problem.
• A serious commitment to end all non-essential PFAS uses in products and supply chains.
• A call on all other brands to join this commitment and work towards a phase-out of PFAS in all kinds of consumer products.

The single biggest problem with PFAS is that, with very few exceptions, they are perfectly legal to use. This means that the brands and retailers who want to stop it from being used as ingredients in their products have very limited ways of communicating this in the global supply chain. As long as there is not a restriction in place, suppliers will continue to use these very effective chemicals in manufacturing.  

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a chemical family consisting of almost 5,000 industrially produced chemicals. In manufacturing, PFAS are favoured for their durability and well-functioning properties; they provide properties such as non-stick, water repellence and anti-grease to many types of products, including cosmetics, food packaging, frying pans, outdoor gear and firefighting foam.
The industrial use of PFAS has been so prevalent in the last decades that today 99% of every human, including foetuses, have measurable levels of PFAS in their bloodstreams.   
What is worrying is that human epidemiological studies have found associations between PFAS exposure and a number of health disorders, including various cancers, lowered birth weights and negative effects on the immune system.

The Lenzing Group completed the second pilot production plant announced in May 2018 for its innovative filament yarn TENCEL™ Luxe. Construction of the facility at the Lenzing site involving investments of EUR 30 mn could be concluded on schedule and within budget after 20 months of intensive work. The new pilot production line, which was put into operation in the middle of December 2019, gives Lenzing sufficient capacity for commercial programs and further application development.

Innovation in the eco-couture segment
Thanks to TENCEL™ Luxe, Lenzing is able to embed the issue of sustainability in the premium luxury market in combination with superior aesthetics. The properties of the fine filament yarn can be compared to those of silk due to its airy feeling on the skin and the matte finish. At the same time, TENCEL™ Luxe also stands out because of its extensive strength and high level of environmental compatibility. It is perfectly suited for very fine fabrics and as a blending partner for silk, cashmere and wool. “TENCEL™ Luxe opens up new markets for Lenzing and thus contributes to the successful implementation of their sCore TEN corporate strategy.