From the Sector

From April 24 to 26, the Karachi Expo Center hosts a new edition of Igatex, Pakistan’s leading textile‑industry trade fair. At a decisive moment for the region’s manufacturing sector, Jeanologia presents its proposal for technological integration to drive modernization through automation, sustainability, and productivity.

With nearly two decades of presence in Pakistan, Jeanologia has helped transform the local production landscape by promoting competitive models based on cutting‑edge technologies such as laser, ozone, e‑Flow, and water‑recycling systems like H2Zero. Designed to be accessible to both small workshops and large corporations, these solutions have enabled more sustainable and efficient denim production—reducing water consumption by up to 85%, minimizing chemical use, and ensuring safer processes for workers.

At this year’s Igatex, Jeanologia is highlighting the potential of its laser technology to automate processes and optimize marking quality and speed—critical factors for boosting productivity and lowering cost per garment. It will unveil Compact Super, the fastest laser machine on the market, as part of its portfolio of high‑productivity solutions built on intelligence, speed, and precision—elements essential for the future of the textile sector, especially denim.

All these innovations converge in the Laundry 5.Zero model, the first denim‑finishing plant to guarantee zero pollution. Already operational in Pakistan, this solution represents the evolution from traditional factories to fully digital, scalable production systems with a neutral cost balance.

Pakistan: a strategic hub in the new global manufacturing map
With 8.5% of its GDP tied to textiles, Pakistan has established itself as a key node in the new global manufacturing map. Its favorable cost structure and robust production facilities make it a strategic destination for global textile operators. Jeanologia works closely with local mills, brands, and exporters to accelerate this transformation and reinforce the country’s leadership in the sustainable denim era.

With over 35% of the world’s five billion annual jeans produced using its technologies, the Spanish company consolidates its position as a strategic partner for brands, manufacturers, and exporters worldwide reaffirming its mission to transform the textile industry through innovation and sustainability.

By participating in Igatex 2025, Jeanologia underscores that the future of textile manufacturing lies in digitalization, automation, and sustainability—recognizing Pakistan as a pivotal hub in this transformative process.

In celebration of Earth Day, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) announced the development of a new film series produced by BBC StoryWorks, the award-winning commercial content division of BBC Studios.
 
GFA launched Fashion Redressed in 2023, a series showcasing innovations that aim to advance sustainability in fashion and the inspiring stories of the changemakers behind them. Launched on BBC.com, the series spotlighted creative solutions driving social and environmental progress – from silk-inspired scientists in Helsinki to cultural appreciation in Arizona.

With over five million video views and record-breaking engagement on social media, the series resonated globally. Showcased at Global Fashion Summits in Copenhagen and Boston, it sparked vital conversations on fashion's future, blending storytelling with industry innovation.

Now, as the highly-anticipated forum for sustainability in fashion, Global Fashion Summit, approaches, a new season is set to explore an industry amid transformation, as it moves from commitments to urgent implementation and adaptation.

With education and awareness of current barriers at the core, the series will bring to screen the stories of organisations and trailblazers working to close the loop on the circular economy, drive greater social equity through collective courage or seek to redesign fashion futures with new technologies and innovations.
 
BBC StoryWorks’ creative teams will work directly with selected partners to produce vivid, human-centric pieces of branded content for the campaign, and partners will be supported by BBC StoryWorks and the Global Fashion Agenda to promote the content through a variety of platforms.

The new series will go live on a dynamic, branded microsite on BBC.com in early 2026, engaging BBC.com’s 175 million monthly browsers, further amplified by GFA channels and its network.
GFA is calling on its ecosystem to share their stories for potential inclusion in the commercial series. If your organisation has a story to share, please submit your expression of interest by filling in the short form at www.bbcstudios.com/fashionredressed by 9th May 2025.

Jeanologia introduces its new concept “ONE TECHNOLOGY. ALL POSSIBILITIES” at Kingpins Amsterdam. This statement of intent emphasizes laser technology as a tool for expression, efficiency, and transformation. One system, infinite possibilities to redefine denim and bring any creative vision to life. Through an exclusive capsule collection, the company highlights the boundless potential of laser as an aesthetic, versatile, and transformative tool.

At this year’s Kingpins in Amsterdam, Jeanologia presents a fresh perspective on laser technology not just a technique, but as an essential tool for designers, brands, and laundries looking to differentiate themselves, innovate, and embrace a more conscious, efficient, and emotionally connected model.

Pure Vintage: A tribute to classic denim. Garments that recapture the essence of authenticity by recreating natural wear effects with impeccable realism. Laser technology, combined with the Atmos washing process, achieves finishes that evoke decades of history, honoring both aesthetics and the environment.

Creative Possibilities: An innovative concept that positions laser as a medium for artistic expression, unlocking new creative possibilities. Vector designs, hyper-realistic images, drill effects, and visual textures stimulate the imagination, proving that technology can be both emotional and at the forefront of creative vanguard.

Denim Métiers by Jeanologia: As a special highlight, Jeanologia presents ‘Denim Métiers’, a unique exhibition creating a bridge between denim as an industrial material and haute couture. Conceptual garments that elevate denim into an artistic, refined dimension, creating a distinctive language that breaks both technical and aesthetic boundaries.

In the words of Carme Santacruz, Jeanologia’s Creative Director: “With ‘ONE TECHNOLOGY. ALL POSSIBILITIES’, we aim to go beyond the traditional technical view of laser and reveal its true essence as a versatile, emotional, and artistic tool, capable of adapting to every brand, designer, and production challenge.”

With this new proposal, Jeanologia wants to strengthen its position as a leader in sustainable innovation, pushing the textile industry toward a more creative, efficient, and conscious future.

Based on preliminary figures, the CHT Group, a global supplier of specialty chemicals based in Tübingen, demonstrated its resilience and strategic foresight in the 2024 financial year. Despite volatile global conditions, the company recorded sales growth to EUR 614.3 million (+2%) and a significant increase in EBIT to EUR 21.1 million - an increase of EUR 13.4 million compared to the previous year. Growth came primarily from the APAC region (+13.7%), while the markets in EMEA (-2.5%) and the Americas (+0.4%) remained stable.

The clear future course is also evident on the investment side: at 44.2 million euros, the CHT Group invested more than ever before - particularly in the further development of digitalization, expansion of the global production sites and increasing sustainability. In Germany alone, investments amounted to 9.2 million euros, which corresponds to an increase of 124%.

Sustainability as a growth driver
Sustainability is not a trend, but has been an integral part of our corporate strategy for many years. The company is currently developing its Strategy 2030+ and continues to systematically pursue the goal of anchoring sustainability along the entire value chain.

The key sustainability targets include:

• Reduction of specific water and energy consumption by 10% by 2025
• Introduction of an energy management system at all production sites
• Increase the proportion of sales accounted for by sustainable ECO Range products to 80%
• Over 90% of the relevant purchasing volume with sustainably-certified suppliers
• Climate neutrality by 2045, with scientifically validated interim targets of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi):
  • Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions Scope 1+2 by 42 % by 2030,
  • Scope 3 by 25 % - CHT is aiming for a reduction of 95 % in all areas by 2045.

The sustainability strategy is based on three central pillars:

1. People – social responsibility, safe working conditions and human rights in the supply chain
2. Planet – environmental and climate protection, resource conservation, circular economy
3. Performance – sustainable products, innovation and economic stability

The globally operating company focuses on sustainable specialty chemicals solutions in markets such as textiles, paints and coatings, construction, automotive, electronics and consumer care.  The CHT Group is a foundation company and part of the Reinhold Beitlich Foundation. Its values - responsibility, innovation and sustainability - are firmly anchored in the corporate culture.

Reinforcement of the management team underlines ambitions
With the appointment of Dr. Christian Rink as CFO in October 2024 and Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli as COO on April 1, 2025, the management team was expanded in a targeted manner. Dr. Christian Rink brings extensive experience from the international foundation company Bosch, while Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli has extensive experience from the international chemicals group Evonik. These are ideal prerequisites for driving forward operational excellence, financial strategy and sustainability transformation.

With a clear focus on sustainability, Barmag, a subsidiary of the Swiss Oerlikon Group, is presenting comprehensive solutions from its product brands Oerlikon Barmag and Oerlikon Neumag for DTY and carpet yarn production at the Morocco Stitch & Tex Expo in Casablanca. From May 13 to 15, trade visitors can talk to experts from Barmag and the joint venture BB Engineering (BBE) at the Unionmatex booth (booth B4) to get an idea of the portfolio of the chemical fiber machine manufacturer.

Sustainable and efficient – the production of DTY yarns
Oerlikon Barmag offers a wide range of DTY machine configurations for the efficient and sustainable production of high-quality textured yarns made of various polymers – from polyester and polyamide to polypropylene, PLA and PTT. The modular machines – whether manual or automatic – produce yarns for excellent downstream processing at optimal OPEX costs.

Fancy yarns increasingly in demand
The demand for textiles with special characteristics is continuously increasing. For the production of these effect yarns, such as cotton-like DTY, linen-like DTY or wool-like DTY, Oerlikon Barmag offers a variety of processes and additional components. With its high-quality and flexible technology as well as its detailed knowledge of the yarn path and the required parameter settings, Oerlikon Barmag is the ideal partner for the successful and flexible production as well as the continuous further development of these specialty yarns.

Extended product range for carpet yarns
Thanks to its comprehensive knowledge of all relevant technologies in manmade fiber spinning, Oerlikon Barmag is the only manufacturer worldwide that can expand its range for the production of carpet yarns. The system concept, based on a POY and texturing process, is designed for the carpet and home textile sector and produces particularly soft and bulky polyester threads with BCF-like properties. The aim is to produce yarns with a titer of up to 1300dtex and over 1000 filaments, such as 1300dtex f1152, 660dtex f1152 and 990dtex f768. The machine concept includes the well-known WINGS HD POY winder and the eAFK Big-V texturing machine.

Innovative bicomponent BCF yarn for the carpet market
Quality, efficiency and performance – with its latest development in the field of bicomponent yarns for carpet production, Barmag's product brand Oerlikon Neumag is meeting the carpet market's demand for innovative BCF yarns. The new BICO-BCF yarn is characterized by a richer and higher volume and simultaneously significantly reduces the raw material consumption during carpet manufacturing.

VarioFil® – versatile compact spinning system for diverse applications and specialties
The VarioFil® system from BBE is ideal for a broad range of products, whether it be carpets, upholstery fabrics, fashion, sports, seat belts or airbags. This compact turnkey spinning line is particularly suitable for producers of small batches or specialized products. It flexibly processes various polymers such as PET, PP, PA 6, PA 6.6 and PBT. In combination with Oerlikon Barmag texturing machines, a wide range of textile standard yarns as well as textured yarns with BCF-like properties can be produced.

The VarioFil® R+ enables the direct recycling and processing of PET bottle flakes and PET waste from the start-up process into POY. This sustainable machine concept offers a high degree of product flexibility, including the production of spun-dyed yarn.

JeTex® air texturing offers a versatile product portfolio
BB Engineering also offers flexible solutions for the subsequent texturing of yarns. The JeTex® air texturing system perfectly complements the Oerlikon Barmag DTY systems and expands the product portfolio to include high-quality ATY based on POY and FDY for various textile applications. The centerpiece of the system is the texturing box developed by BB Engineering, which ensures gentle yarn treatment with reliable texturing effects and production efficiency.

“From waste to value” with VacuFil and Visco
BBE's VacuFil PET recycling system transforms textile waste into high-quality rPET melt. The technology is based on decades of experience in extrusion, filtration and spinning and combines gentle large-area filtration with targeted IV control. VacuFil processes various input materials, from bottle flakes to production waste and post-consumer waste. The patented Visco+ component removes volatile contaminants and automatically regulates the IV. The recycled melt can be added to the main melt stream, pelletized into chips or fed directly back into the spinning mill. The VacuFil system is modular and flexibly adaptable to customer needs.

The initiative will deploy 60 vehicles by 2030, aiming for a 90% reduction in Cavalinho’s fleet transport carbon emissions.

Solvay is advancing its sustainability efforts by partnering with Cavalinho, the leading road transport provider for its operations in Brazil. This collaboration aims to reduce the carbon footprint of Solvay's operations in Paulínia, the largest chemical complex in Brazil, which produces over 1.2 million tons of chemicals annually. Solvay will be one the first companies in Brazil to adopt biofuel-powered trucks for transportation, supporting its goal of cutting scope 3 emissions by 20% by 2030.

The project, launched on April 1, 2025, at Solvay's Paulínia site, will start operations in 2026 with an initial fleet of 20 vehicles, each with a range of 650 km. To achieve a 90% reduction in Cavalinho’s transport carbon emissions, the fleet will grow to 60 vehicles by 2030. This strategic move addresses Brazil's infrastructure challenges for long-haul electric truck travel, offering a sustainable alternative through biofuel.

This initiative is part of Paulínia's broader sustainability push. Solvay recently announced a climate project to replace two-thirds of the steam produced in its boilers, currently using fossil natural gas, with a biomass boiler initiative. Since 2005, the Paulínia site has achieved a 95% CO₂ reduction, which will reach 97% by 2027 with the biomass initiative.