From the Sector

• Unique ROICA™ Premium Stretch Innovations for the Active Wardrobe Debuts @ ISPO Brandnew Village
• Hall B4, Booth No. B4.430 BN 02 Munich 28th-31th January 2018

Come and enjoy a real dedication to Responsible Innovation and Wellbeing in our new ROICA™  booth experience for Fabric Innovation inspiring the ROICA™ Active Wardrobe and the international ROICA™ Closet. Together, they will guide you to new hi-tech performance solutions in our partners unique stretch ideas, designed to meet both contemporary business and astute consumer desires. These latest ROICA™ innovations will be presented within the special ISPO BrandNew arena, a new high visibility concept of creativity revealed inside ISPO that truly matches the core DNA and values of the ROICA™ premium stretch brand.

ROICA™ will present The Modern Wardrobe concept in 3 distinct dimensions.

Together they bring to life our new stretch solutions that fit the supply chain for our target consumer confirming a clear brand identity that redefines performance creativity.

1 ROICA™ ACTIVE WARDROBE: Come and see leading commercial fashion ranges ready for the Summer 2018, that include the ROICA™ Eco Smart family and the ROICA™ Feel Good family of unique premium stretch yarn solutions.

2 ROICA™ INNOVATION: Here you can find the latest textile performance innovations from our partner mills to inspire even more brand creativity.

The ROICA™ Fabric Gallery is a rich and varied fabric offer that focuses on:
•    The revolutionary ROICA™ Eco Smart family of sustainably designed stretch yarns. These yarns are either GRS certified, or have the Cradle-to-Cradle Innovation Institute GOLD LEVEL certificate for material health, plus the Hohenstein Environment Certificate, where at its end-of-life, it smartly breaks down releasing less harmful materials. These unique commercialized solutions suites for intimates, athleisure, sportswear, and more.
•    The unique ROICA™ Feel Good family promises a new level of performance with ‘feel-good comfort’ and freshness. The ROICA™ CF yarn delivers an odor-neutralizing durable function in wash and wear because its active ingredient is locked inside the yarn and only requires a modest % to perform in most fabric structures.
•    A new ROICA™ Stretch Energy™ is a truly verified heat-generating system that combines a customised ROICA™ polymer with special fabric structures where a stretch and recovery action produces real warmth, maintaining support during exercise.

3 ROICA™ CLOSET: In this zone you can explore new ROICA™ garment designs from our experimental laboratory, using innovative Japanese fabric creativity.

Also at our ROICA™ booth, you will be able to explore sister brand Cupro innovations, designed responsibly for a new, luxe view of athleisure sportswear.

Today, the ROICA™ premium stretch brand sets the highest quality standards that are uniquely specialized and certificated perfectly focused on responsible performance for the active sportswear, swimwear and athliesure wear categories, making it the ‘smart-fit’ for the ISPO BrandNew Village presentation.

Beijing - Tencent Holdings Limited (“Tencent”) (00700.HK), JD.com, Inc. (“JD.com”) (NASDAQ:JD), and Vipshop Holdings Limited (“Vipshop”) (NYSE:VIPS), today jointly announced that Tencent, a leading provider of internet value-added services in China, and JD.com, China’s largest retailer, have entered into definitive agreements with Vipshop, a leading online discount retailer for brands in China, such that Tencent and JD.com will invest an aggregate amount of approximately US$863 million in cash in Vipshop at the closing of the transaction.

Pursuant to the share subscription agreement, Tencent and JD.com will subscribe for newly issued Class A ordinary shares of Vipshop in the amount of approximately US$604 million and approximately US$259 million, respectively. The purchase price will be US$65.40 per Class A ordinary share, which is equivalent to US$13.08 per American Depositary Share (“ADS”) of Vipshop, five of which represent one Class A ordinary share. The purchase price represents a 55% premium over the closing price of the ADSs as of the last trading day on December 15, 2017.

The transaction is expected to close in the near future, subject to customary closing conditions.  Upon the closing, Tencent and JD.com will beneficially own, taking into account any existing holding, approximately 7% and 5.5%, respectively, of Vipshop’s total issued shares. The Class A ordinary shares issued to Tencent and JD.com will be subject to a two-year lock up restriction. Tencent and JD.com will have the right to appoint a director and an observer, respectively, to Vipshop’s board of directors during the two-year lockup period. After the end of the lock-up period, for so long as Tencent and JD.com hold approximately 12% and 8%, respectively, of Vipshop’s total issued shares, or otherwise by mutual agreement with Vipshop, they will maintain director and board observer rights.

Concurrently with the entry of the share subscription agreement, Tencent and JD.com have entered into business cooperation agreements with Vipshop, effective upon closing, establishing a cooperative relationship among Tencent, JD.com and Vipshop. Under these agreements, Tencent will grant Vipshop an entry on the interface of Weixin Wallet enabling Vipshop to utilize traffic from Tencent’s Weixin platform, and JD.com will grant Vipshop entries on both the main page of JD.com’s mobile application and the main page of its Weixin Discovery shopping entry, and will assist Vipshop in achieving certain GMV targets through JD.com’s platform.   

“I am truly delighted about Vipshop's new strategic cooperation relationships with Tencent and JD.com,” said Mr. Eric Ya Shen, Vipshop’s Co-founder, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. “This undoubtedly is an important event for Vipshop as well as China's e-commerce and internet industries. We, together with Tencent and JD.com, will leverage our respective strengths to form a strategic cooperative alliance aiming to achieve a deep, win-win cooperation and to benefit internet users and consumers. We will develop a holistic cooperation with Tencent on the Weixin platform and expand our strategic alliance with Tencent into more and broader areas.  We will explore win-win opportunities in multiple areas with JD.com, including establishing a strategic alliance in collaboration with brand suppliers, and an on-line traffic alliance. We will continue to operate as an independent e-commerce platform and further deepen and enhance our leading e-commerce capabilities in fashion (including apparel, shoes, bags and accessories) and cosmetics categories as well as our strong female user base, thereby offering higher value and better user experience to our customers.”

“The strength of Vipshop’s flash sale and apparel businesses, as well as its outstanding management team, create clear and strong synergies with us,” said Richard Liu, Chairman and CEO of JD.com. “This partnership will further extend the strong inroads that we have made with female shoppers, and will expand the breadth and reach of our fashion business. We continue to add the top-notch partners to complement JD.com’s core strengths, ensuring that JD and our partners provide the best customer experience for every shopping need.”

Martin Lau, President of Tencent Holdings, said, “We are pleased to become strategic investor in and partner with Vipshop. We look forward to providing Vipshop with our audiences, marketing solutions, and payment support to help the company provide branded apparel and other product categories to China’s rising middle class. We already see substantial demand from our users to discover, discuss and purchase branded apparel in our applications, and we believe that connecting our users more deeply to products on Vipshop’s platform will enrich their online experiences while benefiting Vipshop. We are proud of the role our resources such as marketing technology, payments handling, and machine learning play in facilitating a healthy and diverse retail ecosystem, online and offline.” 

About JD.com, Inc.

JD.com is both the largest e-commerce company in China, and the largest Chinese retailer, by revenue. The company strives to offer consumers the best online shopping experience. Through its user-friendly website, native mobile apps, and WeChat and Mobile QQ entry points, JD offers consumers a superior shopping experience. The company has the largest fulfillment infrastructure of any e-commerce company in China. As of September 30, 2017, JD.com operated 7 fulfillment centers and 405 warehouses covering 2,830 counties and districts across China, staffed by its own employees. JD.com is a member of the NASDAQ100 and a Fortune Global 500 company.

About Vipshop Holdings Limited

Vipshop Holdings Limited is a leading online discount retailer for brands in China. Vipshop offers high quality and popular branded products to consumers throughout China at a significant discount to retail prices. Since it was founded in August 2008, the Company has rapidly built a sizeable and growing base of customers and brand partners. For more information, please visit www.vip.com.

About Tencent Holdings Limited

Tencent uses technology to enrich the lives of Internet users. Our social products Weixin and QQ link our users to a rich digital content catalogue including games, video, music and books. Our proprietary targeting technology helps advertisers reach out to hundreds of millions of consumers in China. Our infrastructure services including payment, security, cloud and artificial intelligence create differentiated offerings and support our partners’ business growth. Tencent invests heavily in people and innovation, enabling us to evolve with the Internet. Tencent was founded in Shenzhen, China, in 1998. Shares of Tencent (00700.hk) are traded on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “confident” and similar statements. Among other things, statements regarding the expected closing of the transactions and the quotations from management in this announcement are or contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to, those included in JD.com’s and Vipshop’s filings with the SEC and in Tencent’s filings with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and none of Tencent, JD.com or Vipshop undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

• Der neue Freeride-Handschuh Ergo Grip Incline von Hestra

München – Der Wintergott Ullr und Frau Holle scheinen in diesem Frühwinter gemeinsame Sache zu machen und versorgen Freunde des gepflegten Tiefschneepflügens mit massenhaft Powder. Kälte, Schnee und Stürme verlangen allerdings auch nach Top-Equipment. Hier kommt der neue Freeride-Handschuh Ergo Grip Incline von Hestra ins Spiel. Der Handschuh aus Bergziegen und Rindsleder kommt mit dem patentierten Ergo Grip-Design, das mit leicht vorgeformten Fingern eine optimale Passform verspricht.

Der neue Freeride Handschuh Ergo Grip Incline von Hestra vereint edle Materialien mit optimaler Passform und Robustheit. Die Handinnenfläche wird aus einem speziellen Bergziegenleder geformt. Das wird auf Grund seiner enormen Haltbarkeit auch für die Handschuhe des schwedischen Militärs benutzt und daher Army Leather genannt. Der Handrücken besteht aus imprägniertem und ebenfalls sehr robustem Rindsleder. Seine exzellente Passform verdankt der Handschuh dem patentierten Ergo Grip-Design. Bei dieser Konstruktion werden verschiedene Ebenen überlappend vernäht und verleihen dem Handschuh so eine der natürlichen Handhaltung angepasste, vorgeformte Passform. Am Handgelenk schließt der Handschuh mit einer Kombination aus Neoprenbündchen und Klettverschluss ab.

Hexcel Corporation is proud to announce the unveiling of the third H160 prototype from Airbus Helicopters, featuring a striking carbon-inspired livery that represents the composite materials Hexcel supplies for the helicopter.

This gesture follows Hexcel’s announcement in June that its reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives and honeycomb materials had been selected for the H160’s composite fuselage structures and main rotor blades. The H160 was designed by Airbus Helicopters to create added-value for customers in terms of performance, economic competitiveness, safety and comfort. The use of Hexcel’s composite materials throughout the structure contributes to the lightweight fuel-saving design and performance optimization.
Airbus Helicopters decided to promote the H160 program and its high carbon fiber content in a way that recalls the livery previously used for the A350 XWB. The A350 XWB has a structure that is 53% composites and Hexcel supplies the carbon fiber prepreg for all of the aircraft’s composite primary structures.
The newly unveiled H160 prototype is a fitting tribute to the 40-year partnership between Hexcel and Airbus Helicopters.

Mit einem neuen überraschenden Konzept, das sich von den üblichen Messekonzepten abhebt, präsentiert die SHOW&ORDER ein umfassendes Portfolio aus 200 Fashion-Kollektionen aller Segmente, die im Kontext mit Retail-Experience-Produkten und -Konzepten begeistern und inspirieren.

Nach dem Auszug aus dem KRAFTWERK Berlin findet die SHOW&ORDER im Januar 2018 zum ersten Mal in der neuen Location statt, dem KÜHLHAUS in direkter Nachbarschaft zur PREMIUM und auf dem Gelände der STATION Berlin. Der Location-Wechsel geht einher mit der Verwandlung des KÜHLHAUSES in einen erlebbaren Retail Experience Space, der weniger an eine traditionelle Messe-Location erinnert und vielmehr dem Look & Feel eines Departmentstores entspricht.

Auf sechs teilweise offenen Galerie-ähnlichen Etagen, die nach internationalen Fashion-Metropolen benannt sind, präsentieren sich ca. 200 Fashionbrands im Kontext mit Beautyprodukten, Interior- und Designstücken, Büchern, Kunst, Musik und Magazinen sowie innovativen Food-Konzepten. Ziel ist es, den Einkäufern Inspiration, Storys und Emotionen auf einer Business- Plattform anzubieten und sich durch ein individuelles Sortiment sowie außergewöhnliche, auf den Einkäufer abgestimmte Konzepte und Aktivitäten im globalen Wettbewerb hervorzutun.

5TH FLOOR NEW YORK: EXPERIENCE SPACE

Die oberste Etage ist der pulsierenden Metropole New York gewidmet. Hier befindet sich die große Experience- und Event-Area, die zu einem abwechslungsreichen Angebot aus Beauty-Anwendungen, Services und jeder Menge Inspiration einlädt. Natürlich werden auch hier Kollektionen gezeigt.

4TH FLOOR COPENHAGEN: INTERIOR & DESIGN MEET BEAUTY & FASHION

Die vierte Etage ist ein geschlossener Raum und der dänischen Hauptstadt Kopenhagen gewidmet. Hier findet sich ein Mix & Match nach dem Motto „Interior and Design meet Beauty and Fashion“ mit Marken wie Diamonds&Pearls, Anju Vig Parka, Just Cashmere, Rue de Femme, Jaques Britt oder Sendra Boots. Eine Besonderheit ist die Präsentation des Zusammenschlusses dänischer Marken, vorgestellt vom Königlich Dänischen Generalkonsulat. Zu den Brands gehören unter anderem Barberian CPH, Charlotte Lebeck, Graumann oder Izabel Camille. Den ganzen Tag über werden handmade & organic Lakritze von Lakrids by Johan Bülow angeboten, eine Innovation, die vier Stunden lang im Slowcook-Verfahren zubereitet wird. Es handelt sich um das weltweit erste organische Lakritz auf der Basis von Kakaobutter und Agavensirup. Zudem gibt es drei DIY-Lakrids-Workshops, bei denen Lakritze selbst geformt, verziert und gewürzt werden können. Jeder kann sein Lakritz in einer schwarzen Metalldose mitnehmen.

3RD FLOOR MILANO: SHOES & ACCESSORIES

Was wäre eine global angelegte feminine SHOW&ORDER ohne Schuhe und Accessoires? Der Schuh- und Accessoire-Floor befindet sich auf der dritten Etage und ist nach der italienischen Modestadt Mailand benannt. Der Aufbau zieht sich thematisch vom Airspace im Zentrum der Etage nach außen hin weg. Entlang der Galerie befinden sich die upcoming Labels der internationalen Schuhlandschaft wie Clara & Jo Baker, Carmens, mp Denmark, Sneaky Fox, Another Me, Alberville oder Pallas. Auf den umliegenden Positionen, die sich durch Image-trächtige Selbstbaustände auszeichnen, stellen sich Brands wie Copenhagen Shoes, Diesel Accessories, Nobrand, Shoe the Bear, Steve Madden, Exceed Shoe Thinkers, Tango Shoes, Grashopper oder Sioux vor. Ein weiteres Highlight der Etage ist die Kooperation mit der MilchHalle Berlin, die hier an einer Espressobar frischen Kaffee anbieten. Es gibt auch in dieser Etage wieder eine Lounge-Area von Sofacompany.com.

2ND FLOOR BERLIN: READY TO WEAR COLLECTIONS

Made in Berlin – die deutsche Hauptstadt ist als innovative und kreative Modestadt auf der ganzen Welt bekannt. Die zweite Etage des KÜHLHAUSES präsentiert diesen Spirit und zeigt ausgewählte RTW-Kollektionen. Das Besondere: Große etablierte Brands finden sich auf dieser Etage genauso wie Labels to watch, was eine sehr abwechslungsreiche Komposition für den femininen Bereich verspricht. BeFouTa, Cashmere Couture, Dixie, Hanky Panky, Hinterveld, Meisïe, Michele&Hoeven, Susanne Bommer und Laurèl zeigen hier unter anderem ihre aktuellen Kollektionen. Für das richtige Showroom-Ambiente und jede Menge Interior-Inspiration sorgt die Lounge-Area von sofacompany.com

1ST FLOOR PARIS: ACCESSORIES

Das erste Obergeschoss ist das kleine Paris der SHOW&ORDER. Paris ist nicht nur als Stadt der Liebe, sondern auch als Stadt der schönen und ausgefallenen Accessoires bekannt. Die SHOW&ORDER zeigt auf diesem Floor internationale Labels und interpretiert Paris dabei in der modernen Variante: ausgewählte Labels, die sich nicht nur durch eine breite stilistische Spanne auszeichnen, sondern auch den preislichen Rahmen weit definieren. Die Galerie-ähnliche Atmosphäre schafft den angemessenen Rahmen für die Themen „Schmuck“ und „Accessoires“. Von den weiter oben liegenden Ebenen kann auf den zentralen Teil der Etage geschaut werden, wodurch die Schmuckstände in der Mitte besonders in Szene gesetzt werden. Sie zeigen unter anderem Brands wie Abstract, Charlotte Wooning, Girlsbestfriends, Hoffnungsträger, Marjana von Berlepsch, Pernille Corydon, Yulyaffairs, Riverstone oder LeJu. Das Highlight der Paris-Etage sind die Macarons in verschiedenen Geschmacksrichtungen von Frédéric Cassel der Galeries Lafayette Berlin, die aus einem Bauchladen heraus probiert werden können.

GROUND FLOOR LONDON: RETAIL POWER BRANDS

Im Erdgeschoss, dem London-Floor, befinden sich u. a. die Marken Khujo, Gang, Freaky Nation, Bronx, Toms sowie Nümph, die sich in größerem Rahmen auf Selbstbauständen mit bis zu 100 m2 präsentieren. Durch diese Darstellung wird eine Shop-in- Shop-ähnliche Atmosphäre kreiert, die den Einkäufer in die unterschiedlichen Welten der jeweiligen Brands entführt. Das Image der einzelnen Marken sowie ihre authentische Darstellung stehen dabei im Vordergrund und werden durch individuelle Aktionen an den Ständen unterstrichen, wie zum Beispiel die Kaffeebar von Toms oder das Aperitivo-Angebot mit Käse und Wein von Gang.

Einmal im Jahr wird München zur Heimat des Sports. Immer dann, wenn mehr als 2.700 internationale Aussteller die neuesten Trends und Produkte von Sportequipment bis Sportmode den rund 80.000 Fachbesuchern auf der ISPO Munich (28.-31. Januar) präsentieren. Mit der ISPO Munich Sports Week wird die Sporteuphorie auch über die Messehallen hinaus erlebbar sein. Gemeinsam mit Münchner Händlern finden eine Woche lang zahlreiche Events in der bayerischen Landeshauptstadt statt. Der Startschuss der Initiative fällt mit dem ISPO Munich Night Run am 27. Januar 2018 im Olympiapark.

Eine ganze Woche im Zeichen des Sports Bis zum 3. Februar verwandeln Einzelhändler, Marken stores und Special-Retailer gemeinsam mit der ISPO Munich die Münchner Innenstadt in einen Erlebnisparkour. Sportbegeisterte können an exklusiven, kostenlosen Aktionen teilnehmen. Zahlreiche Münchner Geschäfte, darunter Sport2000, die Intersport-Gruppe, Globetrotter, Keller Sports, Rose Bikes, SportScheck und Sport Tiedje, sind unter den Gastgebern und bieten in ihren Häusern Workshops, Autogrammstunden und spannende Vorträge an. Weitere Händler, die an der ISPO Munich Sports Week teilnehmen möchten, sind herzlich willkommen. Wo und wann welche Aktionen stattfinden, können Interessierte ab Ende Dezember unter https://www.ispo.com/sportsweek abrufen und so ihre ganz persönliche Sportwoche planen.

Trail Run goes urban: Der ISPO Munich Night Run Auftakt für die ISPO Munich Sports Week ist der neu ins Leben gerufene ISPO Munich Night Run am Abend des 27. Januar. Der Trail Run führt quer durch den Olympiapark München und ist das Highlight für alle Laufenthusiasten. Um 18:00 Uhr wird der Startschuss für den Rundkurs über fünf oder zehn Kilometer – je nach Kondition, Lust und Laune – fallen. Im Ziel winkt den teilnehmenden Läufern neben einer Urkunde auch die Chance auf eines von 50 ISPO Munich-Tickets, die sonst ausschließlich Sport Business Professionals vorbehalten sind. Der abendliche Lauf durch die traditionsreiche Location wird von Musik und Lightshows begleitet. Details zum ISPO Munich Night Run sowie zur Anmeldung gibt es online unter ispo.com.
.

• Nathalie Brunel’s role is to support Lectra’s global teams in the roll-out of its new strategy to customers

Paris – Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, is pleased to announce the appointment of Nathalie Brunel to the role of Vice-President Sales, Fashion & Apparel. Based at Lectra’s headquarter’s in Paris, Nathalie reports to Edouard Macquin, Chief Sales Officer, Lectra and a member of the executive committee.

Nathalie Brunel’s role is to support Lectra’s subsidiaries as they conduct the Group’s strategic roadmap through the deployment of an offer—integrating the PLM and the cutting room of the future—which is rooted in customer experience. Nathalie will notably work with six countries: United States, China, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Italy.

“The fashion and apparel industry, a historic market for Lectra, is the pillar of our international presence. Our customers expect a high level of expertise and advice to meet the challenges they face due to the digitalization of their professions. Nathalie Brunel’s experience in transforming organizations and developing business for complex solutions within large groups is a valuable asset for both Lectra and our customers,” states Edouard Macquin.

“The fashion and apparel ecosystem is clearly entering the digital era. I aim to bring Lectra’s value proposition to our customers, facilitating their adoption of Industry 4.0 principles. I am proud to contribute to the integration of new technologies in their processes, from design to the finished product. It is crucial to meet the needs of companies facing a complex and fragmented market that is generating both local, and global, pressures,” underlines Nathalie Brunel.

Nathalie Brunel has over 20 years of experience in managing large accounts and management responsibility. In 1996, she joined the Altran group where she successively held the roles of Development Director, Director of a business unit, Associate Director, and Executive Director of large accounts. In 2011, Orange Business Services recruited Nathalie Brunel as Vice-President, Business Operations and Support, then Vice-President Large Accounts, Manufacturing and IT. Prior to joining Lectra, Nathalie Brunel held the position of CEO and shareholder of Okavango Energy, a consulting and industrial energy performance company.

Nathalie has a diploma from the Institut supérieur de commerce de Paris.

RONSE - Devan Chemicals, a Belgian-headquartered provider of finishing technologies, recently launched a new multifunctional antimicrobial brand line. The brand line consists of their well-known, but recently rebranded quat-silane antimicrobial solution, combined with extra features. This enables textile manufacturers to apply multiple functionalities via one single treatment.

BI-OME®, Devan’s recently rebranded antimicrobial solution, has been launched with interesting extra features. The speciality chemical provider has combined its antimicrobial technology with other functional finishes in its product range and now offers a variety of combinations:

• BI-OME® Quick dry combines the antimicrobial properties (for odour control) with advanced moisture management properties to promote efficient and faster evaporation to aid cooling and comfort.
• BI-OME® Stretch combines the antimicrobial solution with stretch recovery properties for better fit.
• A more revolutionary variation is BI-OME® AV, which has an antiviral activity in addition to its antimicrobial properties.
• Of course, BI-OME®, the antimicrobial solution without any extra features, remains available.

Devan’s experience with antimicrobial technology goes back a long time. More than 25 years of research led to the creation of the BI-OME® product range. Thanks to the combination of a cross-border support package (mill training, quality control, etc.) and unique product excellence (non-migrating, no use of silver), Devan’s antimicrobial technology is widely chosen across the globe.

BI-OME® is fully BPR and EPA compliant, Oekotex and Bluesign registered, can be delivered worldwide and is applicable for apparel, home textiles, bedding, transport & mobility, etc.

What Keeps Consumers Up at Night?

Climate change appears to be a bigger concern for consumers than recent media reports may have indicated. In the ground-breaking, global, quantitative consumer survey, “The Key to Confidence: Consumers and Textile Sustainability—Attitudes, Changing Behaviors, and Outlooks”, commissioned by the OEKO-TEX® Association in commemoration of its 25th Anniversary, climate change ranked third on a list of sixteen modern day worries on the minds of today’s consumers.

“The Key to Confidence” online study was conducted earlier this year with a worldwide sample of more than 11,000 clothing and home textile consumers. Designed and administered by global brand and sustainability research expert, Ellen Karp of Anerca International, the extensive study explored a broad assortment of consumer attitudes about textile sustainability including harmful substances, the industry’s environmental impact, and the social welfare of textile workers.

Prior to answering questions about clothing and home textiles in particular, consumers responded to several queries to gauge their attitudes about sustainability in general. To understand the relative importance of climate change, consumers were asked to pick the top five issues that worry them most from a list of sixteen political, economic, personal, and global problems. “Terrorism” ranked first with 49% of consumers listing it in their top 5, “illness and disease” was second with 42%, and “climate change” rated third with 41%. “My personal finances” came in fourth at 37%. “Opportunities for my children in the future” and “the political leadership in my country” tied for fifth with 31% each.

“Climate change has become a significant issue for consumers,” Karp concludes. “Erratic weather patterns, mounting scientific data, escalating political debate, and first-hand experience with environmental degradation combine to make climate change more of an immediate threat than people considered it to be just a decade ago.”

“For twenty-five years, OEKO-TEX® has helped reduce the use of harmful chemicals and increase sustainable manufacturing practices in the global textile supply chain,” says Anna Czerwinska, Head of Marketing and Communication at OEKO-TEX®. “Our certified clients are industry leaders in the production of compliant, high quality textiles that are tested for harmful substances and responsibly made with respect for the environment and employees. They will be well positioned to capitalize on the growing consumer demands for sustainable textile products.”

A webinar with Ellen Karp presenting the research findings can be viewed at https://rebrand.ly/oekotexTKTCweb. To learn more about “The Key to Confidence: Consumers and Textile Sustainability—Attitudes, Changing Behaviors, and Outlooks”, please contact Trish Martin at t.martin@oeko-tex.com or Anna Czerwinska at a.czerwinska@oeko-tex.com. Read more about the OEKO-TEX® portfolio of testing, certification, and label products at: www.OEKO-TEX.com

The AZL will continue its collaboration on composites in buildings and infrastructure after completing an initial market and technology study which identified new potentials for composite technologies in buildings and infrastructure markets. The aim of the new AZL Workgroup which will meet for the first time on January 25th, 2018 is to jointly develop new applications and to support the business development for composites in these two growing markets. The meeting is open to interested companies from the composite industry as well as the building and infrastructure markets.

The aim of the initial workgroup meeting will be to turn insights from the study into a long-term workgroup collaboration and to define topics and initiatives for the joint cooperation in the field of process and manufacturing technologies, fire safety regulations, materials as well as standards and norms. Industrial keynote presentations will introduce these action fields and will provide an insight into building and infrastructure applications for composites. The meeting will furthermore provide a platform to network with companies along the entire composite value chain.

Dr. Amer Affan, CEO and founder of AFFAN Innovative Structures based in Dubai is in charge of various composite projects for buildings such as the Museum of the Future in Dubai: “We have been utilizing structural composites in construction since 2010. Composites is a truly high-tech material compared with the traditional building materials (steel, concrete, timber and aluminum) but it is still to be recognized as such in the conservative and price-sensitive building industry. AZL, particularly its location at the RWTH Aachen University and its partner companies, offers a good platform to progress the use of composites in construction.”

AZL together with more than 25 companies just completed the Joint Market and Technology Study on “New Potentials for Composite Technologies in Buildings and Infrastructure” establishing a broad knowledge on business opportunities for composite technologies in these two growing markets. In a structured approach, the study determined the key segments as well as the technologies/applications with the highest market and technological potential. Analyses of 20 market segments, investigation of 438 applications, technology analyses of 25 highlight components and 11 detailed business cases were elaborated throughout the study. Additional to requirement analyses for materials and production technologies, new concepts for efficient profitable production technologies and cost engineering analysis were developed. With the workgroup, the AZL will take this initiative a step further with the aim to build a long-term cooperation platform for composites in buildings and infrastructure markets.

Justin Jin, CEO of the Korean company AXIA Materials participated in the study and is part of the AZL Partner Network: “As producer of large thermoplastic composite sheets and composite SIP (Structural Insulated Panel), we are eager to drive composites in B&I applications with the best efficient way. The AZL study on Buildings and Infrastructure provided us a great networking with key players in this business field and opportunities to strengthen our products with the key elements from partners. The study also gave us a proper market understanding including market size/volume in numbers to prove the value of this technology to building industry. We are looking forward to following up on these first insights and to realize applications with the AZL and its partners.”

Besides the networking options, the meeting will offer the opportunity to get an insight into the activities of the AZL Network consisting of nine research institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus and more than 80 companies from 21 countries. During an optional guided tour, participants will visit selected institutes at the RWTH Aachen Campus. The meeting is open to all interested companies and free of charge.

More Information on Meeting and the Study
Information on AZL activities in the field of buildings and infrastructure:
www.azl-lightweight-production.com/composites-buildings-infrastructure
Details and registration to first Workgroup Meeting on January 25th, 2018:
http://www.azl-lightweight-production.com/termine/1st-workgroup-meeting-buildings-infrastructure