From the Sector

The rescheduled Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, now taking place from 9 – 11 October, will once again provide the industry with insight into the future through its fringe programme’s four categories: Design Inspiration, Business O2O, Textiles & Technologies and Industry Empowerment. And with the Online Business Matching sourcing platform returning this edition, buyers worldwide can still participate in the fair.

Each of the fringe programme’s four categories – Design Inspiration, Business O2O (online to offline), Textiles & Technologies and Industry Empowerment – features a mix of conferences, seminars and presentations that reflect the future of the home textile industry. Highlights of each category are included below, while further details can be found on the fair’s website: https://intertextile-shanghai-hometextiles-autumn.hk.messefrankfurt.com/shanghai/en/programme-events.html.

Since 2019, Messe Frankfurt has been working with the Conscious Fashion Campaign and United Nations Office for Partnerships as part of the Texpertise Network and supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The goals will be presented gradually at global textile events in order to highlight the most pressing challenges facing the textile and fashion industry worldwide.

Industry Empowerment: antimicrobial technologies and licensing in the home textile sector

Growing awareness of health and hygiene has increased the demand for antimicrobial and other functional textiles. Seminars hosted by the Chinese Industry Association for Antimicrobial Materials & Products will further discuss the increasing prominence of these textiles, as well as how the adoption of new antimicrobial textile technologies is expected to evolve in the future. In addition, experts will share the new trends of licensing and IP with case studies for the furniture companies and fabric brands.

2022 China Home Textile Trends

The China Home Textiles Trend Area will feature the research of the China Home Textile Association, The Department of Home Textile Trend Research and Promotion and Concept & Style Fashion Project Group Italy who shared their knowledge, inspirations and exchanged their visions of trend evolutions considering consumer demand, retail expertise, the contract market and new technologies.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition 2021 will be held concurrently with Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition, Yarn Expo Autumn, PH Value and CHIC at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA).

WEIDMANN GmbH in Süßen is known worldwide as a specialist for the finishing of fiber and down-proof articles and woven industrial fabrics. Customers particularly appreciate the company's reliability and flexibility with regard to their individu-al requirements, and consistently high quality of its products. The Swabian textile manufacturer finishes premium fabrics, mainly for the bedding industry, using the latest technology and in an environmentally conscious manner.

The complex production and finishing processes for high-quality fabrics require a reliable and efficient machine technology. With this in mind, WEIDMANN has always relied on the proven stenter technolo-gy from BRÜCKNER. For many decades, the German textile machinery manufacturer has been a world leader in the con-struction of production lines for the finishing of classical textiles, woven industrial  fabrics, nonwovens, glass fabrics and floor coverings. In addition to stenters, the company's production program also in-cludes coating lines, relaxation dryers, sanfor lines, continuous dyeing lines as well as ovens for the bonding of nonwovens and other special lines. All machines are produced 100% in-house in Germany.

Both companies continuously invest in new and innovative technology in order to be successful and competitive today and in the future. Only Recently, a completely newly developed BRÜCKNER stenter was installed in the ultra-modern plant at WEIDMANN. During the intensive project engineering phase it soon became clear which features are of special importance for their daily production requirements:

• uniform moisture distribution in the machine entry and during pick-up of the specialized   chemicals in the finishing padder before the thermoprocess
• weft-straight fabric flow with minimized residual distortion
• very good accessibility for maintenance and daily cleaning
• sensor technology and automation of setting parameters for energy optimization
• heat-recovery with hot water generation for the dye house
• the line must be fully Industry 4.0 capable

• JEC Forum DACH: a primising agenda highlighting composites innovatioon in the region

September 7, 2021 - JEC Forum DACH's primary goal is to promote the region DACH area's dynamic composites ecosystem through a promising program that includes conferences, startup competition, and awards. The first edition of the JEC DACH Forum, unique in its format and content, will occur in the Forum of Messe Frankfurt from November 23 to 24, 2021.

For two days, the JEC Forum DACH program will offer the opportunity to exchange and learn about the current and future developments of Composites in the DACH region through a rich program of conferences, the JEC Composites Startup Booster, and the JEC-AVK Awards. JEC Forum DACH will include pre-arranged Business Meetings between sponsors and attendees as well as sponsors' workshops. Advance registration is required to attend this forum that expects to gather 500 participants.

Conferences, keynotes and market overview

JEC Forum DACH will feature cutting-edge live conferences with exclusive keynotes organized by the AVK.
The composites industry provides a significant impetus, e.g. in its process technologies for hybrid structures or integrated manufacturing and modern mobility or new materials in the booming construction sector. There's been an increasing number of marketable ideas for recycling and sustainability solutions. Furthermore, an exclusive report on current market developments in the European composites market will be delivered.

JEC Forum DACH will also feature a fulfilling conference program with experts from the industry giving insights on the latest developments in high-performance composite technologies and applications.

Each day of the forum will be broken down as-is:
•    Two keynote speeches led by one or two high profile experts
•    Conferences/technical presentations
•    Workshops and Business Meetings

Please find the program of the conference attached.

• Rieter CAMPUS strengthens innovation strategy and technology leadership position
• Customer and technology center and administration building ready for occupancy in 2024
• Commitment to the Winterthur site and to Switzerland as a business location

On September 8, 2021, the foundation stone was laid for the Rieter CAMPUS on the western part of the Rieter site at the Winterthur location, which includes a customer and technology center as well as an administration building. The Rieter CAMPUS will make an important contribution to the implementation of the innovation strategy and to the enhancement of the company’s technology leadership position. At the same time, the investment of around CHF 80 million is a commitment to the Winterthur site and to Switzerland as a business location. 

With a floor area of over 30 000 m2, the Rieter CAMPUS offers space for around   700 ultra-modern workplaces. For this purpose, Rieter and a specialist in office architecture have developed a contemporary space concept for the “Open Space Office” that is tailored to the needs of the company, divided into meeting rooms, focus rooms and some individual offices. The underground car park provides   88 parking spaces, and a further 12 outdoor parking spaces are being created   in front of the technology center.  “In the course of its 225-year company history, Rieter has helped shape the city of Winterthur. The foundation for the future as a leading technology company is now being created with the new CAMPUS. In this way, Rieter is giving a clear indication   of its commitment to the Winterthur site and to Switzerland as a business location”, commented Bernhard Jucker, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rieter Holding AG.

Innovation is an important part of Rieter’s strategy and crucial for the company’s success. For this reason, Rieter invests more than CHF 50 million annually in research and development. Thanks to this commitment, Rieter is making a   decisive contribution to the further development of systems for sustainable yarn production and their digitization. The Rieter CAMPUS will provide an attractive working environment that promotes creativity and innovation.  The new CAMPUS is a showcase project in terms of economic feasibility, energy efficiency and sustainability. Rieter relies on renewable energy for construction. This includes heat generation via geothermal probes and a photovoltaic system on around 1 300 m2 of roof area. “In this way, the entrepreneurial focus on sustainable and energy-efficient solutions for yarn production is reflected in the overall concept of the CAMPUS,” emphasized Rieter CEO Norbert Klapper.  The move into the new building is planned for 2024.

• The success story of cellulose fibres continues - plastic bans drive innovation – 300 participants and 30 exhibitors are expected in-person and online
• 2-3 February, Cologne (Germany), hybrid event

Cellulose fibres are among the winners of the European 'Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD)', which has been in effect since July 2021 and entails plastic bans for a variety of single-use products. Cellulose is the main component of plant cell walls and a natural polymer. As a result, disposable products made of cellulose and cellulose fibres are not labelled as plastic and are explicitly excluded from the regulation. The success story of cellulose fibres will thus continue at a rapid pace with new developments and applications. Building on the success of this year's conference with 200 participants, the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres 2022 will again cover the entire value chain, from lignocellulose, chemical pulp, cellulose fibres such as rayon, viscose, modal or lyocell and new developments to a wide range of applications: Textiles of all kinds, nonwovens such as wet wipes and new areas such as composites or nanocellulose in the food industry. All these sectors have gained considerable momentum in recent years.

Cellulose fibres have been a success story within the textile market with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 5 and 10 % over the last ten years and similar growth rates are expected in the coming decade. This makes cellulosic fibres the fastest growing fibre group in the textile industry and also the largest investment sector in the global bioeconomy.  The challenge now is to achieve a balance between the ongoing capacity expansion and the growing demand, to avoid overcapacity while still meeting rising demand from the major brands. These high growth rates are driven by the increased demand for natural fibres (and bottlenecks in cotton production), the microplastic issues, and bans on plastics in disposable applications. All three factors will continue to play an important role in the development of the sector in the future.

Focus of the conference

• Impact of plastic-bans on single-use products
• Transformation from fossil to renewable raw materials
• Challenges in developing new value chains
• Alternative raw materials for cellulose fibres
• Latest technology and market trends
• Market dynamics and stakeholders in the cellulose sector
• New ecosystems and partnerships
• Development of political environment
• Improvement of sustainability in production

Companies are now invited to submit presentations as well as their latest developments for the Innovation Award.

Call for Abstracts and Posters
Abstract submission is open now. Latest products, technologies, developments or market trends are welcome.
Deadline for submission: 15 October 2021

A sector alliance that was formed to tackle issues relating to microplastics has completed the next phase of its project to develop a harmonised industry standard for the supply chain. The Cross Industry Agreement (CIA) has revealed the results of a fibre fragmentation trial that has been carried out in advance of establishing a CEN Standard (from the European Committee for Standardization). Once confirmed, the standard will also become an ISO standard under the Vienna Agreement, providing apparel manufacturers and policy makers with a vital tool as part of wider work to reduce microfibre shedding into the environment.

In 2018, five industry organisations agreed to join forces to proactively tackle the issue of microplastics, and signed the Cross Industry Agreement. The initial signatories were European industry associations that represent the European and global value chains of garments and their associated maintenance – the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E.), European Man-Made Fibres Association (CIRFS), European Outdoor Group (EOG), EURATEX the European apparel and textile industry confederation, and the Federation of the European Sporting goods Industry (FESI). Together, the five organisations understood that the very first step to enable global action around the topic, was to agree a harmonised test method which would allow the collection and comparison of globally generated data, to aid the identification of solutions.

The microfibre shedding test method was developed thanks to the joint efforts and cooperation of experts from 28 European, American and Asian organisations; the result was handed over to CEN in 2020. Since then, representatives from the CIA have been working with CEN to fine tune details in order to meet the requirements for a CEN Standard. To verify the reproducibility of the method, the partners have carried out a round robin trial (RRT) to determine if the method could be replicated in different laboratories and produce similar results. 10 organisations participated in the RRT, which was co-ordinated by the CIA, sending fabric samples to all of the laboratories involved and then collecting and analysing the data.

The results from the RRT show statistically significant consistency, both within and between participating laboratories, which demonstrates that the method is both repeatable in the same setting and reproducible in other laboratories.

The CIA has submitted the results of the RRT to CEN, with the intention that the CEN Standard is confirmed in the near future. Once that has happened, it will be promoted throughout the apparel industry and will become a key tool for researchers, businesses and governments as they accelerate efforts to reduce microfibre shedding associated with garment production.

• Sustainability Report 2020 published

As an internationally positioned company, the CHT Group is one of the leading suppliers of speciality chemicals. The company supplying chemical products for the most diverse applications and industries, presented their annual edition of the Sustainability Report, for the period January to December 2020,

The report has been prepared in accordance with the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and is based on the Core option. The focus is on human resources development, energy and water consumption as well as company-wide emissions and waste management.

Particularly noteworthy here is the group-wide reduction in specific resource consumption in the areas under review. In relation to the volume produced, for example, the following key figures show the reduction of environmental impacts:

• 21% share of renewable energies in total consumption
• 440,000 EUR investment in environmental protection and nature conservation
• 5.8% less energy consumption and less CO2 emission

62% of CHT Group's 2020 sales were generated with sustainable products. For this, 91% of the strategic raw material volume was sourced from suppliers classified as sustainable.

At the center of the report are the current working topics and outlooks that showcase CHT's commitment to sustainability and its innovative strength to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

CHT considers 11 of the SDGs to be particularly relevant for the future of the Group of companies. For this reason, the recently revised global corporate strategy is directly geared to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

The current edition of the report, which is published for the first time exclusively online in a resource-saving manner, is available here: https://sustainability-report.cht.com

• From fossil to renewable materials: Members advocate policy analysis and focused implementation of the renewable carbon strategy

The members of the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) (www.renewable-carbon-initiative.com), founded in September 2020, have joined forces to shape the transition from the fossil to the renewable age for the chemical and materials industry. This means spreading the concept of renewable carbon and developing new value chains based on renewable carbon as a feedstock.

In the meantime, several activities have started from which future members can benefit as well. First and foremost is the kick-off to comprehensive policy analysis. What influence will forthcoming regulation have on chemicals, plastics, and other materials? When and where should the renewable carbon idea be emphasized and referred to?

The policy analysis will examine pending policies in the European Union – and a later expansion to America and Asia is planned as well.

A particular focus will be placed on upcoming policies and regulations and how they impact renewable carbon. The members are currently deciding on where to start specifically, but questions that may be considered are: What does the new climate law and the “Fit for 55-Package” mean for chemicals and materials? What can be expected from REACH and microplastics restrictions? How relevant is the “Sustainable Products Initiative” and the coming restrictions for Green Claims? Circular Economy, Zero Pollution and Sustainable Financing are keywords of the future European landscapes, which might become very concrete for chemistry and materials in the next few years. To what extent the concept of renewable carbon for materials is considered in policy already and how it could be further introduced in future legislation are two of the main questions investigated in the working group “Policy”.

This working group is open to all members of RCI. Policy experts provide the respective analysis as a foundation, organising discussions between members of the policy group and plan meetings with policymakers to introduce the Renewable Carbon concept.

Additional working groups have been created, one with a focus on communication, the other looking at the development of a renewable carbon label. In early September, a renewable carbon community will be launched as a starting point for even more interaction between the members, to discuss strategies, create new value chains and start project consortia.

The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) is a dynamic and ambitious group of interested parties. Membership numbers have now more than doubled since the launch almost a year ago, with RCI now boasting 25 members, 6 partners and over 200 supporters. It welcomes all companies that are on the way to transform their resource base from fossil to renewable.

Swiss dairy company Emmi is partnering with Borealis and Greiner Packaging to produce iced coffed drinking cups using chemically recycled polypropylene.

The cups are produced by Greiner Packaging and the chemically recycled material comes from Borealis, one of the world’s leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions based in Vienna, Austria.

Emmi, Switzerland’s largest milk processor is committed to climate protection and the circular economy. The dairy company has the stated goal to make all of its packaging 100% recyclable and is committed to various measures to promote circularity such as packaging that contains at least 30% recyclate by 2027.

From September 2021 Emmi will use at least 100 tonnes of plastic based on the recycled material each year. Chemical recycling renews plastic back to plastic creating recycled materials with a level of purity equivalent to fossil-fuel based PP and hence, fit for protective, food-safe and other demanding applications. In this way, Emmi is utilizing difficult to recycle feedstock preventing plastic waste that would be likely landfilled or incinerated. In the future, depending on the availability of suitable material, the amount of recycled plastic in packaging is to be further increased.

The new technology to recover the polypropylene is currently still in its infancy, where Greiner Packaging and Borealis are leading the way. Only limited quantities of chemically recycled polypropylene are currently available, and Emmi is one of only a few food manufacturers to have secured a share of the chemically recycled polypropylene plastic through its early commitment and long-standing collaboration with the development companies.

The chemically recycled material used for the cups consists entirely and solely of ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification) material, on a mass balance basis. Mass balance is a methodology that makes it possible to track the amount and sustainability characteristics of circular and/or bio-based content in the value chain and through each step of the process. This provides transparency ultimately also to the consumers, enabling them to know that the product they are buying is based on this renewable material.

• Textile Exchange report shows growth of preferred fiber and materials market needs to be accelerated
• With post-pandemic fiber production increasing, the transition to preferred fibers and materials must be a non-negotiable decision, notes Textile Exchange.

According to a new Textile Exchange report, the market share for preferred fiber and materials grew significantly in 2020. The Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2021 outlines the market for plant fibers such as cotton, hemp, and linen; animal fibers and materials such as wool, mohair, cashmere, alpaca, down, silk, and leather; manmade cellulosics (MMCFs) such as viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and cupro; as well as synthetics such as polyester, polyamide, and more.

The report is a unique annual publication about global fiber and materials production, availability, and trends, including those associated with improved social and environmental impacts, referred to as ”preferred.” The comprehensive report includes quantitative data, industry updates, trend analysis and inspiring insights into the work of leading companies and organizations as they create material change.

The results show that between 2019 and 2020 the market share of preferred cotton increased from 24 to 30 percent and recycled polyester from 13.7 to 14.7 percent. Preferred cashmere increased from 0.8 to 7 percent of all cashmere produced while Responsible Mohair Standard certified fiber expanded from 0 to 27 percent of all mohair produced worldwide in its first year of existence in 2020. The market share of FSC and/or PEFC certified MMCFs increased to approximately 55-60 percent. While the market share of recycled MMCFs is only 0.4 percent, it is expected to increase significantly in the following years.

Brands’ increased interest in the use of preferred fibers and materials was also demonstrated by 75 percent increase in the total number of facilities (to 30,000) around the world becoming certified to the organization’s portfolio of standards in 2020. However, the report also notes that despite the increase, preferred fibers only represent less than one-fifth of the global fiber market. Less than 0.5 percent of the global fiber market was from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.

Indeed, global fiber production has almost doubled in the last 20 years from 58 million tonnes in 2000 to 109 million tonnes in 2020. While it is not yet clear how the pandemic and other factors will impact future development, global fiber production is expected to increase by another 34 percent to 146 million tonnes in 2030 if the industry builds back business as usual. If this growth continues, it will be increasingly difficult for the industry to meet science-based targets for climate and nature.

Textile Exchange aims to be the driving force for urgent climate action, and its Climate+ strategy calling for the textile industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline in the pre-spinning phase of textile fiber and materials production, while also addressing other impact areas interconnected with climate such as water, biodiversity, and soil health.