From the Sector

RE&UP makes its first appearance at Ecomondo – The Green Technology Expo, Europe’s leading event for ecological transition and circular economy.

Specializing in textile-to-textile recycling, RE&UP transforms end-of-life fabrics into Next-Gen recycled cotton fibers and polyester chips, giving new life to materials that would otherwise go to waste. At this year’s edition, the company will showcase how its circular technology is already powering large-scale collaborations with leading brands – including multi-year work with PUMA’s RE:FIBRE program and a partnership with BESTSELLER’s ONLY brand. Visitors can discover these collaborations and learn more about RE&UP’s industrial-scale circular model.

RE&UP will also participate in two sessions at the Textile District – Workshop Area:

Circular Textiles: technological frontiers for recycling, recovery, and valorization.
4 November, 3.30–4.30 PM
RE&UP will join leading experts to explore cutting-edge strategies for managing textile waste that can’t be reused. The discussion covers mechanical and chemical recycling, energy recovery, and downcycling, highlighting approaches that reduce landfill contributions while maximizing material value.

Moderator: Andrea Falchini, Director, Next Technology Tecnotessile
Speakers:

• Alberto Pizzocchero, Innovation & Projects Manager, CAUTO
• Maurizio Crippa, Founder & CEO, GR3N
• Marco Lucietti, Head of Global Marketing & Communications, RE&UP
• Scott Kuhlman, CEO, ReCircled
• Massimo Pisaneschi, Sales Director, Dell’Orco & Villani
• Giampaolo Buzzi, EM Global Technology Director, DOMO Engineering Plastics

Circular Fashion at Scale: supply chains & storytelling.
5 November, 12–1 PM
This panel examines how circularity in fashion moves from concept to reality. Topics include integrating next-generation fibers, building scalable circular business models, adapting supply chains, and turning sustainability into a compelling story for industry and consumers alike.

Moderator: Margherita Verlicchi, Menabò Group
Speakers:

• Eleonora Lepri, Sustainability Manager, Teddy Group
• Federico Corneli, CEO, C&S
• Luca De Gasperin, Marketing Director, Marchi&Fildi Group
• Marco Lucietti, Head of Global Marketing & Communications, RE&UP
• Romana Andò, Professor of Sociology, La Sapienza University

Founded in 1970, Iluna Group has been synonymous with excellence, savoir-faire, creativity, and responsible innovation in the world of lace. A pioneer in interpreting lace as a language of contemporary beauty, Iluna has been accompanying women for decades through the many moments of their lives — from precious lingerie to sophisticated fashion, from sportswear to beachwear — offering solutions that combine research, aesthetics, elegance, and comfort.

A pioneer company in the field of sustainability and a promoter of continuous research for low-impact environmental solutions and maximum respect for the planet, since 2018 Iluna Group has been GRS certified for its sustainable Green Label range. A collection that proposes a new responsible approach towards the environment and people, combining innovation, aesthetics, and quality at 360°. From the polymer to the finished lace, Iluna is able to guarantee full control and total traceability of the entire production chain, measuring the company’s sustainability growth through the Higgs Index. 

Iluna Group presented at MarediModa the natural evolution of this vision with laces that go beyond the traditional concept of beachwear: technical, refined, sustainable, and surprising laces that, like a fluid material, caressing the skin celebrating body freedom and conveying effortless elegance. The collection ranges from stretch laces made with ROICA™ EF premium stretch fiber — featuring recycled content of up to 80% — to customizable GRS-certified Lurex nets with prints and flocking, up to materials made with 99% recycled yarns, and recycled polyamides like Qnova™ and Renycle™ marking a new generation of responsible beachwear.
Among the highlights, Iluna introduces:

• Customizable and luminous GRS-certified Lurex mesh fabrics 
• Exclusive certified printing and flocking finishes
• Sustainable fibers such as organic cotton, FSC-certified spun-dyed viscose, recycled polyamides like Qnova™ and Renycle™, and the premium stretch fiber ROICA™ EF, part of the ROICA Eco-Smart family™.

Materials that embody the new face of beachwear: elegant yet low-impact, merging aesthetics, innovation, and respect for the planet. The result is a sea to wear, made of light, sensual, and high-performing textures that express allure in every gesture and freedom in every wave.

Naia™’s fourth consecutive ‘Dark Green Shirt’ recognition and the release of its 2025 Sustainability Progress Report and 2025–2030 goals together highlight continued progress in responsible sourcing and transparency. 

At the Textile Exchange Conference in Lisbon, Eastman Naia™ was honored with its fourth consecutive “Dark Green Shirt” in Canopy’s Hot Button Report, an annual ranking of man-made cellulosic fiber producers based on forest conservation, sourcing risk, and supply chain transparency. The recognition confirms Naia™’s ongoing leadership in responsible sourcing and environmental stewardship, distinguishing it as one of the industry’s most trusted fiber platforms. 

The award coincides with the launch of Naia™’s 2025 Sustainability Progress Report and the unveiling of its updated 2030 sustainability goals, which target climate mitigation, circularity at scale, and social impact. Together, these milestones reinforce Naia™’s long-term strategy to deliver measurable, transparent progress across the value chain and to help reshape the materials economy for good. 

At the conference, Naia™ also spotlighted the versatility of its fiber portfolio across performance, fashion, and circular applications. Naia™ On the Move supports light sports and urbanwear needs with high-performing Naia™ Renew staple fiber. Naia™ Denim blends comfort with circularity for authentic and fashion denim, while the new Naia™ GlowNow campaign reintroduces its signature filament yarn for low-impact women’s fashion. All Naia™ fibers are sourced from sustainably managed forests and, when produced with Naia™ Renew, contain 40% GRS-certified recycled content via Eastman’s molecular recycling technology.

Lenzing AG has again taken first place in this year's Hot Button Report published by the Canadian non-profit organization Canopy. With 34.5 out of 40 points and no known risk of sourcing from ancient and endangered forests, Lenzing remains one of the most sustainable companies in regenerated cellulose fiber production. 

Lenzing's active projects to protect biodiversity in Austria, Albania, Burundi, Brazil, China, DR Congo, and Tanzania were particularly recognized. Progress in chemical management – above all the fulfillment of advanced standards in two of three viscose plants – also underscores Lenzing's holistic approach to sustainability. 

The Hot Button Report 2025 is further proof that Lenzing AG is well above the industry average. As part of the ranking, Canopy assesses the 34 largest producers of cellulose fibers worldwide in terms of their sustainable wood and pulp sourcing, their efforts to use alternative raw materials, and their achievements in protecting ancient and endangered forests.

Outlast Technologies is showcasing Aersulate® Wadding - its NASA-inspired, fiber-based insulation - at PERFORMANCE DAYS Munich. Recognized among the Top Ten in the show’s Innovation Fo-rum, Aersulate® was selected from over 2,000 fabric submissions, standing out to the jury for its high thermal efficiency with low volume.

At the core of Aersulate® is aerogel - the world’s lightest solid, consisting of up to 99% air. Out-last embeds an impressive 50% by volume of aerogel directly into viscose fibers, creating an insu-lation that is exceptionally light yet extraordinarily effective.

Proven Performance
Independent lab data confirm a significant increase in thermal efficiency versus conventional solutions:

• 35% higher RCT values in wadding
• Up to +37% higher RCT in needlefelt applications
• Same warmth at up to 35% less volume (no extra bulk)

Performs Under Pressure
Aersulate® Wadding delivers warmth precisely where traditional wadding loses effectiveness - under compression. Air is an excellent natural insulator, but in conventional fills it is squeezed out when pressure is applied (e.g., kneeling or sitting), causing thermal performance to drop. With an exceptionally high aerogel content - 50% by volume - Aersulate® stores air within a sta-ble, porous microstructure that keeps it from escaping. The result is consistently high insulation - even under compression and in humid conditions. From outerwear and ski apparel to technical workwear, Aersulate® reliably sustains thermal performance.

Sustainable by Design
Aersulate® Wadding unites aerogel made from quartz sand with renewable, wood-based viscose to offer a sustainable, animal-free alternative to down and conventional synthetic fills - with no compromise on performance.

“With our patent-pending fiber technology, Aersulate® redefines what textile insulation can be: thin, light, and powerful,” said Ari Pachur, Senior Business Development Manager Overseas of Outlast. “Being selected for the Top Ten out of more than 2,000 entries at PERFORMANCE DAYS is a fantastic recognition of what this technology enables.”

The German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) and LEKI Lenhart GmbH have collaborated on a project to develop a hiking pole made largely from renewable raw materials. The finished product demonstrates that sustainable materials can also offer high performance in the outdoor industry.

Consumers are increasingly asking for environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional materials. Aluminum and carbon fibers, for example, require a lot of energy to manufacture and are usually difficult to recycle. Therefore, the aim of the research project was to develop sustainable and durable sports poles made of hemp fibers and a bio-based matrix, which are manufactured using the pultrusion process.

The shaft of the hiking pole is made of regionally harvested hemp fibers that have been processed to rovings using a Kemafil-process. This is a wrapping process that gives the fibers a stable, rope-like structure through a special interweaving technique. The matrix used was developed together with the project partner Bio-Composites and More GmbH and is based on epoxidized linseed oil, which can be cured in the same way as a synthetic epoxide resin. The matrix is up to 42 percent organic and is ideal for the energy- and material-efficient pultrusion process. At DITF, approximately 16 meters of tubular profiles were successfully pultruded on a laboratory scale. The manufactured parts have a smooth surface and the natural fibers used are visible.

The suitability of the process for series production was demonstrated by manufacturing under industrial conditions at the industrial partner CG TEC GmbH.

Other components besides of the shaft are also sustainable: the wrist strap is made of a natural fiber fabric and the attachments are made of a bio-based polymer. This means that over 64 percent of the entire hiking pole is made from renewable raw materials.

Initial market analyses indicate very good commercial viability and user satisfaction. While hemp fibers have previously been used mainly in applications with low mechanical requirements, the developed product proves that this natural fiber material is also suitable for resilient structures. The hiking poles manufactured achieve a bending strength comparable to that of aluminum poles and even offer improved damping properties. Thanks to its reduced carbon footprint, the product is sustainable and environmentally friendly.

At K show in Düsseldorf, the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber, EREMA Group announced a strategic investment in clean technology company BlockTexx®. The Australian pioneer has developed a process that separates polyester and cellulose from blended textiles. By combining both companies’ technologies, the partnership aims to scale post-consumer textile-to-textile recycling to industrial levels.

BlockTexx®‘s process separates polyester and cellulose from post-consumer textiles and clothing, providing the polyester for EREMA’s technology. The INTAREMA® FibrePro:IV system will process the polyester into recycled pellets suitable for new garment production. “Our thermomechanical recycling system is a core element for textile recycling,” said Wolfgang Hermann, Business Development Manager for Fibres & Textiles at EREMA Group. “However, full-scale textile recycling requires a combination of technologies, with BlockTexx® unlocking the solution for processing polyester-blended textiles.“

Industrial-scale expansion
BlockTexx® operates its first plant in Australia with a processing capacity of 10,000 tonnes per year, with plans for a second plant of 50,000 tonnes per year. Scaling up requires a strong investment partner. “Blended textiles like cotton-polyester account for over 60 per cent of global apparel production but are notoriously difficult to recycle due to fibre incompatibility and chemical contamination”, says Adrian Jones, co-founder of BlockTexx®. EREMA Group’s investment brings not only capital but also deep recycling expertise, proven technology and infrastructure. From the very beginning, it felt like a true partnership, Jones notes: “Both companies share the same intellectual curiosity and EREMA Group was committed to this journey from day one.” 

Textile industry faces recycling challenges
According to global non-profit Textile Exchange 75 million tonnes of synthetic fibres were produced in 2023, with polyester being the most common, accounting for 57 per cent of total fibre production. Recycling rates for polyester are estimated at only 1 per cent. “Currently, nearly all the recycled polyester in the clothing you see in retail stores is derived from PET plastic bottles” says Graham Ross, co-founder of BlockTexx®. As per Textile Exchange, recycled fibres constituted 7.7 per cent of the global fibre market in 2023, with 7 per cent being recycled polyester from waste PET bottles. Hackl emphasizes: “The goal must be to ensure that rPET from bottles is returned to new bottles. This investment is not only positive for the textile industry, but also for the plastics industry. By keeping rPET in the bottle-to-bottle loop, we can stabilize supply and prices for the market.”

With the EU recently adopting binding legislation that will make textile producers responsible for the collection, sorting and recycling of textile waste through mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, the sector is set for change. As these rules come into force over the coming years, the demand for post-consumer textile recycling solutions is expected to grow significantly. “The EU legislation could fundamentally transform the sector. While most textile production takes place in Asia, Europe is a major consumer of fashion. This legislation will therefore have a significant global impact”, Ross notes.

Setting new standards for circularity
By combining mechanical processing, chemical separation, and fibre regeneration, the partnership establishes a model that sets new industrial standards for circularity. “Twenty-five years ago, people could not imagine bottle-to-bottle recycling. Today it is standard. I believe the same will happen for textile-to-textile recycling”, says Hackl. “The textile industry has been slow to recognize the importance of recycling, often citing difficulties as an excuse. Now there are no more excuses. Textile-to-textile recycling will become a reality at industrial-scale through the collaboration between EREMA and BlockTexx®,” adds Jones.

Through the strategic collaboration the EREMA Group emphasizes its commitment to returning polyester to the apparel production cycle and scaling up textile-to-textile recycling. “The PET fibre industry is three times the size of the PET bottle industry. We have been investing in the research and development of textile and fibre recycling for several years. With the technology we already provide for PET fibre recycling, our next step is to aim for full-scale industrial textile recycling. We consider BlockTexx® a key partner in this. Their technology paves the way for used textiles to re-enter the production cycle,” said Manfred Hackl, CEO of EREMA Group.

At K 2025, EREMA launches a POWERFIL brand innovation that sets new standards in melt filtration for plastics recycling. The new LF 812 high-performance filter has twice the screen surface area of the previous premium model, the LF 406, extending the series upwards. Another new feature is the integration of the proven Lock & Change system for changing screens during operation in the Endurance filter, which handles the pre-filtration of heavily contaminated input streams such as unwashed materials. 

"This latest development in our laser filter sees us take a decisive step towards meeting the growing demands for high throughputs in plastics recycling at the same time as achieving the highest quality of melt," says Markus Huber-Lindinger, Managing Director at EREMA. The 100 percent larger screen surface of the new LF 812 laser filter boosts throughput, or maintains throughput while using screens with finer filters, which is particularly advantageous for quality-driven applications. Thanks to the larger surface area of the filter, it is also possible to operate at lower pressure and with less thermal load. 

Maximum screen area, minimum space requirement
Up to 5,000 kilogrammes of melt can be filtered per hour with the single version of the new laser filter. "As a leading provider of plastics recycling machines, at EREMA we focus our experience and technical expertise on equipping large-scale systems with high-performance filtration in a compact design," says Markus Huber-Lindinger. The single version of the LF 812 laser filter covers applications with throughputs that previously required multiple filter units. "The major increase in surface area opens up new scope for system design. In many cases, this results in smaller space requirements and a more compact overall solution," adds Robert Obermayr, Product Group Manager for POWERFIL at EREMA. 

Manufactured inhouse for the highest quality and supply chain security
High-quality, high-performance filters continue to gain in importance in plastics recycling. The EREMA Group is responding to this by expanding inhouse manufacturing of filter components at 3S in Wartberg, a company that is also part of the EREMA Group. Investments in new production and heat treatment technologies increase vertical integration to ensure consistently high component quality. That is how EREMA strengthens supply chain security for customers who rely on the company's recycling systems and components.

BW Converting announced that its Baldwin TexCoat® G4 precision spray finishing system has been validated through collaboration with Fashion for Good and Apparel Impact Institute (Aii). Following extensive trials and analysis, the technology is now recognized within Aii’s Climate Solutions Portfolio Registry as a proven solution for lowering carbon emissions and resource consumption across the global textile supply chain.
 
TexCoat G4 replaces traditional pad-based applications with non-contact precision spray technology, applying chemistry only where it is needed. The system delivers 40–50% energy savings, reduces water consumption and chemical use by up to 50% and eliminates chemical waste during job changeovers. These benefits help mills achieve significant sustainability targets while improving profitability and throughput.
 
The validation follows successful field trials in Europe and Asia, where TexCoat G4 has demonstrated substantial resource savings with no compromise to fabric quality. As part of Aii’s registry, the technology will now be visible to leading apparel brands and retailers that are actively sourcing scalable solutions to decarbonize textile wet processing. 
 
TexCoat G4’s patented non-contact spray process also streamlines operations by reducing downtime, enabling rapid changeovers and supporting traceability through full Industry 4.0 integration.

“Being recognized by both Fashion for Good and Aii underscores the impact of TexCoat G4 not only as an innovative finishing technology but as a verified climate solution,” said Yiannis Vasilonikolos, Global Sales Leader, Textiles, BW Converting. “We are proud that the data confirms what our customers experience every day: measurable reductions in energy, water and carbon footprint, paired with consistently high finishing quality. Together, this validation strengthens our ability to help textile producers meet the dual goals of sustainability and competitiveness.”

Source Fashion, the UK’s leading responsible sourcing show, announced Redress as the headline catwalk partner for its return to Olympia London from 13–15 January 2026, spotlighting pioneering designers who are reshaping fashion through circular and sustainable design.

The Source Fashion Catwalk will take place three times daily, showcasing responsibly produced collections, trend-led designs, and cutting-edge innovation. Each show will present a compelling story of sustainability in practice, inspiring buyers with practical ideas they can implement directly from the show floor.

Based in Hong Kong, Redress is an Asia-focused environmental NGO on a mission to accelerate the transition to a circular fashion industry by educating and empowering designers and consumers to reduce clothing’s negative environmental impacts. In response to fashion’s unsustainable linear model of ‘take, make, use, and waste,’ Redress champions a circular economy that takes responsibility for a product’s entire lifecycle and its impact on the planet.

At the heart of its work is the Redress Design Award, a leading sustainable fashion design competition, which has built a global network of over 300 emerging designers pioneering circular and waste-reducing practices. This makes Redress an ideal partner for Source Fashion, as both organisations share a commitment to innovation, education, and driving real-world change in the fashion industry. Together, they are empowering the next generation of designers to reshape fashion’s future through creativity and responsibility.

For Source Fashion January 2026, Redress will select two to three Redress Design Award alumni to headline the catwalk. Their curated showcase will highlight innovation, circular design thinking, and a strong commitment to reducing environmental impact. The dynamic catwalk will run three times a day, offering a visual narrative of how responsible design and creative excellence can join forces to redefine the future of fashion.

“This partnership with Redress marks an exciting next chapter for the Source Fashion catwalk,” says Suzanne Ellingham, Director of Source Fashion. “Redress has been instrumental in nurturing some of the most forward-thinking designers working in sustainability today. Their alumni are proof that creativity and responsibility are not opposing forces, they’re the foundation of fashion’s future. By bringing their work to our stage, we’re giving buyers and brands a glimpse of what truly circular design can look like in practice.”

Christina Dean, Founder of Redress, “Our partnership with Source Fashion creates the perfect stage to show that sustainable fashion isn’t just a passing trend, it’s the future. By putting our Redress Design Award alumni in the spotlight, we’re proving that circular design can be innovative, beautiful, and commercially viable. This partnership is about inspiring the industry and showing that responsibility and creativity go hand in hand.”