From the Sector

• R-TWO™ plays a major role in ISKO™’s SS21 fabrics collection, featuring throughout all of ISKO™’s inspirational and forward-looking denim offer.

ISKO denim mill has recently welcomed to its family of innovations its most revolutionarily responsible yet: R-TWO™. This concept was essential to the development of the SS21 fabrics collection featuring an across-the-board employment of the “reused and recycled” program throughout ISKO™’s denim offer, confirming once again the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility.

Preventing over-sourcing, avoiding waste.

In keeping with ISKO’s Responsible Innovation™ approach, this concept deals with the most critical matter that apparel supply chains are currently faced with: using more than what actually needed. ISKO R-TWO™ reduces the amount of raw material sourced by relying on a blend of reused cotton and recycled polyester, improving sourcing efficiency throughout the entire field-tofabric production. This cutting-edge program effectively tackles over-sourcing – the leading issue when it comes to waste hierarchy.

Processing resources

During the processing of raw cotton into yarn, for every 100 kilos of cotton approximately 10% is lost. ISKO collects it and prevents it from becoming waste, adding it back into the spinning process obtaining cotton that is fully traced, documented and audited. This verification process has been invented by ISKO in partnership with its yarn supplier Sanko, offering full clarity into the traceability of reused cotton from field to fabric. It is also certified with the Content Claim Standard – or CCS – of the Textile Exchange.

On the other hand, recycled polyester comes from clear plastic bottles or, alternatively, it can come from other certified waste: in either case the source material is collected, sorted, stripped of labels and caps, and cleaned. This material is then ground into plastic pellets that can then be re-spun into new fiber filaments, which are then blended with the reused cotton to create R-TWO™ fabrics. A major asset of employing recycled polyester is the energy required to produce it, which is less than that required to manufacture virgin polyester. By using more recycled polyester, ISKO effectively reduces its dependence on petroleum as a raw material, ultimately reducing the overall carbon footprint of ISKO™ fabrics.

Depending on the content percentages, for the recycled polyester ISKO can provide either the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) or Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certifications, both of which track the recycled raw material through the supply chain from input to final product to verify its integrity.

Rethinking innovation

The R-TWO™ program was developed to keep on delivering a futuristic and innovative sustainable approach, one where ISKO rethinks its sourcing strategies and refuses to source more raw materials than what actually needed. The objective? Improving, more than ever before, the environmental performance impact of yarn to fabric production, to do better for the planet and its people. Note for pictures: R-TWO™ fabrics played a key role in the development of “Light on the Land”, the new ISKO™ x Miles Johnson collection incorporating fashion and responsibility.

For contacts and information:

Margherita Verlicchi – Menabò Group, Global Press and PR Support: margherita.verlicchi@menabo.com
Chiara Bearzi – Menabò Group, Global Press and PR Support: chiara.bearzi@menabo.com

• Continued positive development of the specialty fiber business with a share in revenue of 49.8 percent
• Focus on expanding specialty fiber and dissolving wood pulp capacities in line with the sCore TEN strategy
• Growing trade conflicts put the textile value chain under pressure – standard viscose prices at a historic low
• Investments of EUR 100 mn to achieve ambitious climate targets

The Lenzing Group continued its solid business development in the third quarter of 2019 despite a significantly more challenging market environment. The consistent implementation of the sCore TEN strategy and the focus on specialty fibers again had a positive impact. As a result, the decline in revenue and earnings in the first three quarters of 2019 due to the historically low standard viscose prices was mitigated.

• Performance Days: November 13th-14th 2019, Munich, Germany

Munich – ROICA™ smart innovations are The Sustainable fil rouge at Performance Days, the influential fair for innovations, trends, safety & durability and sourcing of fabrics and accessories in functional sportswear & athleisure. Leading fabrics manufacturers and nearly all the well-known sportswear and active clothing brands have chosen the company’s premium stretch fibers of the ROICA Eco-Smart™ family to create their ultimate collections combining comfort, movement and responsibility.

“We are excited to see such a brilliant response from both manufacturers and brands which have decided to use our premium stretch sustainable fibers. We are excited because it really shows that sustainability is not only a marketing hype, but more and more literally interwoven into garments.” Says Shinohe Hiroaki, ROICA™ Chief Marketing Officer based in Germany.  

The company’s partners empowering their ultimate collections with ROICA™ are CIFRA S.p.A. (IT), Maglificio Ripa S.p.A. (IT), M.I.T.I. S.p.A. (IT), Payen group ESF (FR), Piave Maitex S.r.l. (IT), SITIP S.p.A. (IT), Sofileta S.A.S (FR), Sportswear Argentona S.A. (ES), TINTEX Textiles S.A. (PT) and TVB GmbH (DE).

ROICA Eco-SmartTM Family

• “The certified and hyper-performing family features two responsibly made yarns with outstanding stretch performances that give free rein to designers’ creativity and provides the highest stretch ability while complying to the most-cutting edge sustainable standards.” adds Shinohe.
• The GRS - Global Recycled Standard - certified ROICA™ EF is made with 58% of pre-consumer recycled content. GRS guarantees its sustainable mission with a certification by the influential Textile Exchange*, one of the most known and recognized global standards in the market.
• The ROICA™ V550 proudly breaks down without releasing harmful substance under the testing environment according to Hohenstein Environmental Compatibility certification. Made and engineered by Asahi Kasei R&D team, and produced in ROICA™ German plant only, the yarn offers additional and relevant circular economy advantages linked to material health as proved by a Gold Level Material Health Certificate by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute for a safe and biological end of life cycle

Notus Composites has achieved a major manufacturing milestone when the company’s one millionth m2 of fire retardant (FR) epoxy prepreg was shipped from its state-of-the-art facility in the UAE this month. Notus are supplying FR materials for several high profile infrastructure projects in the Middle East, with this latest batch of material being supplied for the new composite Museum of the Future in Dubai.

The one million m2 milestone was reached during a recent production run of Notus’ EPFR-609 glass fibre reinforced epoxy prepreg - a user friendly, long out life, FR prepreg designed for low pressure/vacuum curing at temperatures from 85-120˚C. EPFR-609 can also be supplied as a resin film or as Notus N1-Preg, the company’s versatile single sided prepreg product format. Having set up in 2015 but grown considerably in the past 4 years, Notus Composites has completed an extensive program of testing at well-known fire research laboratories in the Middle East and Europe with particular focus on large scale tests to verify material behavior as part of a complete wall or façade system.

As a result, Notus Composites EPFR-609 prepreg and NE11-FR surface film is the only epoxy prepreg system to have passed the NFPA 285 exterior and curtain wall test and to have achieved an impressive B2,s1,d0 rating when testing to the European EN13501-1 standard. In addition, these materials have been approved by the UAE’s Dubai Civil Defense (one of the Middle East’s leaders in building fire safety coding) who completed a program of factory inspections and production audits as well as witnessing fire tests themselves.

PIAVE MAITEX, recognized as a preferred partner for the global textile industry, brings on the successful path of responsible and smart innovation and presents its unique line “AGAIN”, during the MarediModa fair in Cannes.

During the Functional Fabric Fair, the trade-exclusive event where the latest trends in fabric development for the functional textile industry are showcased, PIAVE MAITEX presents AGAIN a smart and technically advanced line, that balances performances, functionality and sustainable features, formed of highly performing jerseys. Two premium Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified sustainable ingredients have been involved in the production of AGAIN: the premium stretch fiber ROICA™ EF – part of ROICA Eco-Smart™ Family – constructed out with more than 50% pre-consumer recycled content and perPETual high quality sustainable polyester born from a cost-effective process that reverses engineer consumer waste PET bottles.

In addition to the two key high-tech, responsible and GRS certified raw materials, the Italian manufacturer will present a new development characterized by sustainable water-saving printing, with the possibility to be color-customized. Moreover PIAVE MAITEX will showcase the unique and innovative combination of two AGAIN articles to obtain an entirely sustainable bonded fabric with the possibility of personalized colour combinations. The range of functional fabrics, dyeable and transfer printable, perfectly combines creativity, innovation, real performance and sustainability all at once offering unparalleled comfort, performance, and tenacity.

During the conference it was very interesting to see how the Chinese recycling industry in general and the Chinese polyester recycling industry in detail is on its way to digest the drastic measures of the Chinese government to ban the import of any plastic waste from January first, 2018 onward.

While Europe is struggling with individual measures such as the ban on drinking tubes, cotton swabs, balloons, plastic bags or disposable tableware, the Chinese leadership has created eight ministerial administrative units covering the entire complex of environmental protection, renewable energies, circular economy including recycling and climate protection. There is still a substantial gap to European environmental standards but Chinese velocity of progress is impressive in this field.

More than 360 delegates form China and oversees listened to the latest results in polyester recycling technology, production and market and exchanged their recent experiences. Especially the exhibition was core of social and technical networking.

Two contributions from governmental organizations and three from industry associations are underlining the high administrative attention of the recycling issue and loop economy in general.

• Interfilière Shanghai, 26th-27th September 2019, Booth 1C11

Able to offer an alchemy of design and sustainable features, Iluna Group with ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei join the latest edition of Interfilière Shanghaiwith a range of developments capable of combining innovation, aesthetics and quality.

"Ethical" lace and stockings, where quality standards go hand in hand with fashion content, respecting both the environment and humans, an offer already selected among the protagonists of the Sustainable Thinking Exhibition of the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum, for its value in the field of responsible innovation.Experts in the production of stretch lace  since 1985 ILUNA today represents the largest European laces’producer. 

Thanks to the effectiveness of their responsible innovation strategy, Iluna Group has been the very first lace producer to have gained the GRS(Global Recycled Standard) for their  transformed products together with the company certification STeP (Sustainable Textile Production by Oeko –Tex®).

A relevant  achievement for the firm that, thanks to the Green Labelcollection, now even richer, make responsible innovation an asset for production that focuses on smart ingredients as ROICA Eco-Smart™ family andQ-Nova® by Fulgar.

Shanghai - ROICA™ lands in Shanghai to showcase its complete range of premium stretch fibers for the modern wardrobe and disclose its visionary approach and strategy for a cutting-edge and sustainable fashion.

On show, leading material innovator Asahi Kasei introduces a premium stretch fiber starting from the ultimate ROICA Eco-Smart™ Family. The certified and multi-awarded range has astonished the textile world for its hyper-performative features. “The new premium stretch is synonymous of transformation: from standard to speciality, from basic to special, from ordinary to clever and from standard to Smart.” Explains Shinichiro Haga, Senior Executive Manager - ROICA™ Division.

Sustainability and a responsible approach are the true core of research and development to create high-tech engineered yarns.Such visionary imprint imbues all ROICA™ innovations:

• ROICA Eco-Smart™ family: A true world-first with the most contemporary sustainable range of responsibly produced premium ingredients. ROICA Eco-Smart™ family offers 2 sustainably designed stretch yarns

- ROICA™ EF is GRS by Textile Exchange certified, thanks to the fact that more than 50% of yarn content comes from the recycling of pre-consumer waste.
- ROICA™ V550 yarn got the Cradle-to-Cradle® Innovation Institute’s GOLD LEVEL Material Health certificate for impacts on human and environmental health. This yarn is also Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certificated, signifying at its end-of-life, ROICA ™ yarn smartly breaks down without releasing harmful materials.

• ROICA Feel Good™ family: A unique range of advanced stretch yarns that deliver personal performance and measurable wellness, freshness and comfort metrics for travel, sport, leisure and more.
   
• ROICA Colour Perfect™ family: A range of yarns that can give excellent, flawless and world unique colour dimensions in advanced fit solutions.
   
• ROICA Resistance™ family: A high performance range of stretch solutions with performance resistance designed for match particular applications.
   
• ROICA Contour™ family: A range of yarns that create new shaping, stretch and silhouette solutions for a calibrated fit, effortless control, softness, comfort and support.

ROICA™ already entered the most advanced collections of leading brands as: Wolford for exceptional European Skinwear including legwear, Sarah Borghi for hosiery, SITA Active for Smart pret-a-porter,  Daquini for athleisure, Livy for sensual lingerie, SCOTT Racing Team for cycling uniforms, Closed for denim, Un-Sanctioned for running suits, Vitamine A for beachwear and many others.

In Shanghai, ROICA™ is set to stand out as leader in Smart Innovation. As tangible proof of this, the company brings to Intertextile Shanghai some of its ultimate collaborations across China and the Far East.

Artisan craft, experience and high eco-technological specialization: the great tradition of fabrics for shirts which styles the future.

Search for quality, the ability to interpret elegance and a product inspired by tradition, though always trendy: these are the distinctive traits which define the vocation of Canclini 1925, a point of reference worldwide for shirt fabric manufacturing. This expertise is implemented through dynamic creativity and 100% Made in Italy artisan  craft. These are the foundations which make the history and capability of Canclini 1925 unique, as standard bearer for everlasting style.

All this results from an authentic family tradition which, for three generations, has been the driving force of the company, shaping each collection. This passion is at the service of tireless search in terms of style and technology which underlies the whole Canclini 1925 innovative approach. The goal is to offer, through its fabrics, an inimitable experience, “creating wellbeing” and emotion through touch alone, respecting the environment and humans.

Founded in 1925, Canclini has always been a company able to combine extraordinary creativity and product care, established as a silk factory in the Como region. This tradition was renewed in the 1960s with the shift to the cotton sector, aiming more and more at customer service, developing a partnership and trust relation. Working with Canclini 1925 means reaching into the tradition of a family which has always been passionate about its work, dynamic, creative and focused on continuous innovation.

These are distinctive and qualifying elements in the Canclini 1925 approach. An approach which, in line with the research and development pathway on which the company has always invested substantial resources, also involves considerable attention the topic of environmental and social accountability. This commitment is confirmed by numerous and prestigious certifications in the company portfolio, starting from the careful selection of raw materials to its social commitment. More specifically, Canclini 1925 has been awarded the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard), SUPIMA COTTON (the Pima “Gossypium Barbadense” cotton, classified as Extra-long Staple) certifications, following the Standard 100 by OECO-TEX®, BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) and GRS (Global Recycle Standard). A comprehensive range of tools which, combined with its in-house know-how and expertise capital, enhances the portfolio of Canclini 1925 branded innovations.

This accountability approach also encompasses the social area with the association “Un sorriso in più” (“One extra smile”). Founded and managed by the company, it is a non-profit organisation engaged in projects which include assistance in nursing homes to elderly persons without family ties, as well as in the support to children living difficult and disadvantaged family situations, focusing its activity on “human life quality”. The uniqueness generated by this meeting between tradition and innovation is the driving force behind corporate research, as well as the truly distinctive reason for its style and technology development. The high-performance looms and technologies used make the company strong and flexible enough for contemporary market requirements. The trademark passion of the Canclini family completes the picture within which the company operates, true to an approach which is at the same time artisan and high-tech, a point of reference in Italy and worldwide.

Thanks to its substantial manufacturing capacity, Canclini today is present on all of the most influential shirt markets worldwide, and – with its new Blue 1925 line - also in the denim world. In this way the company has succeeded in positioning itself among major players in textile manufacturing, authentically Italian because of its farsighted  business vision, care for details and production flexibility. It is the approach which – over the years - has allowed the group to take over important enterprises in the sector, for example Hausmann-Moos and Profilo Tessile, Maglificio Mida and Grandi & Rubinelli.
According to Simone Canclini, CEO of Canclini 1925: “What characterises the Canclini 1925 spirit is first and foremost genuine passion driven by our inspiring principles: quality, style and service. These elements have allowed us to become and remain a point of reference worldwide, to rediscover the everyday – basic and exciting – emotion of choosing a special shirt”.

Miles Johnson and Creative Room™ designed a capsule collection “Light on the Land”, for men and women to showcase ISKO™’s R- TWO™ program.

As the world’s leading ingredient denim brand, ISKO™ is at the forefront of the sustainable and responsible fashion movement. ISKO™, who loves to partner with likeminded designers, brands and retailers in the  industry that have a passion for Responsible Innovation™, is proud to announce its partnership with renowned British fashion designer Miles Johnson. Together they have created a visionary collection that will be launched at a private showing event on September 12th, at the Fremin Gallery in New York City.

For those who love denim and cherish the planet, this partnership is a perfect match as  Miles is known for prioritizing sustainability and responsibility in his work. Miles has held leadership positions such as Design Director at Levi Strauss & Co. and Senior Creative Director of Product Design and Development at Patagonia, Inc., where he served as a pioneer in creating clothing using sustainably sourced materials. For this capsule collection, Miles worked side by side with ISKO™’s Research & Development team utilizing the ISKO R-TWO™ program which combines a mix of reused and recycled materials. The reused cotton comes from ISKO™’s own production loss, which they continuously track and trace. This has the CCS (Content Claim Standard) certification. They combine this reused cotton with recycled polyester derived from PET bottles. Depending on the content, fabrics can have the RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certification or GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certification.

The creative direction for the collection takes form with “Light on the Land” and the whole collection is made using low impact materials and responsible finishing techniques. Miles and the ISKO™ team carefully crafted 34 designs at the Creative Room™ in Italy. The styles incorporate responsible design principles which include:

• Minimal washing;
• Removable trims made of eco-metal;
• Natural based buttons and labels;
• Green bar tacks;
• Embroidered rivets.

Environmental messages are embroidered on six of the pieces, by the artist Giulio Miglietta. The garments are built to last and the more you wear these pieces, the more beautiful they become.