From the Sector

From 7 - 9 July, the who's who of the fashion industry and the entire fashion ecosystem will finally meet again in person at the events of the Premium Group at Messe Berlin! For business and exchange, for new experiences and impulses, for new brands and above all for one thing: for a new togetherness!

As usual, the trade shows PREMIUM and SEEK as well as the conference format FASHIONTECH are reserved for business professionals - who can find inspiration on site entirely. With the new D2C festival ‘The Ground – Celebration of Style & Culture’, young consumers and fashion enthusiasts from GenZ and GenY as well as the international community living in Berlin are invited to the exhibition grounds for the first time.

More than fashion: 360-degree inspiration at The Ground Festival
At The Ground, industry professionals meet young enthusiasts to inspire each other and discover new worlds. The Ground presents a completely new mix of topics, brands and partners around beauty, music, sport, play, soul and talks. Fashion is the connecting element of The Ground and runs through all areas. Creative and interactive brand presentations meet pre-loved and vintage store pop-ups, inspiring panel talks, sports and mental health workshops and live performances.

In the name of peace and unity: The Ground Festival opened by #FashionUnites Parade
On 7 July, the first The Ground Festival will open with a colourful parade through the capital. Together with the PLATTE.Berlin community, The Ground is organising a parade under the motto #FashionUnites starting at noon from the Victory Column through the west to the festival location of the Berlin exhibition centre. Accompanied by a Berlin DJ, everyone is invited to take part in the parade and can register here and thus also receive free access to The Ground on the first day of the festival.

High-profile charity campaign: The Ground launches 'MUST-HAVE PEACE Merch Collection'
Due to the ongoing war situation in Ukraine, the makers behind The Ground have launched a charity campaign: the MUST-HAVE PEACE Merch Collection. In this exclusive collaboration, players and brands such as Closed, Drykorn, Eastpak, Lala Berlin, Lee and others design one piece of merch each (denim jackets, shirts, shorts, bags) that can be bought during The Ground Festival.

New hub for sustainability: the SEEK Conscious Club
SEEK has always been a magnet for brands and people who have a common vision, tackle things and get them on the road. With the new SEEK Conscious Club, there will be a separate exhibition area focusing on sustainability - more than 80 sustainable brands are joining the club already.

New brand worlds at PREMIUM
This July, PREMIUM will be divided into three sections for the first time: High, Icon and Volume. High is the new home for brands that operate in the market above the premium segment. These include Lala Berlin, Nove, Helene Galwas and Jane Kønig. Icon covers the classic premium segment from Strellson and Seidensticker to Mos Mosh and Denham to Young Poets Society and Fabienne Chapot, and Volume is the new area for commercially successful brands that approach premium from the middle of the market. Here you will find brands like Gerry Weber, Mexx, Pierre Cardin or Miracle of Denim.

The Content Stage program
The stage program will reflect all relevant topics of the fashion ecosystem as part of the new Premium Group cosmos.

• It starts on the first day of the fair, Thursday 7 July, with the popular FASHIONTECH conference.
• On 8 July, the SEEK Conscious Club will host an extensive stage program on the subject of sustainability in all its facets for the first time.
• On Saturday, 9 July, the stage will become the entertainment spotlight for The Ground visitors.

ISKO’s partnership with PAOLO GNUTTI, featuring exclusive creations for the luxury segment, landed at Denim Première Vision in Berlin. Merging sustainable and innovative fashion with new premium aesthetics.

The collection, launched for the first time at Denim Première Vision, embodies ISKO’s most revolutionary technological innovations combined with the long-standing expertise of Paolo Gnutti, who explored aesthetics highly profiled to the unique needs of the luxury segment through 7 main moods:

1. Denim addicted, celebrating total denim looks, offering classic silhouettes mixed up with revised volumes and details;
2. Y2k, bringing back the 2000s typical style featuring exposed skin, low waist pants, micro tops, mini skirts, shrunken garments, butterfly decorations and embellishments;
3. Fanaticism, featuring bright, bold colors, intricate prints and logos combined with details that meet ample volume styles;
4. Bounder glam, all about glammed up leather effects inspired by bikers' unapologetic style and applied to oversize fits, cutouts and lace-ups styles;
5. Moto’roll, where the iconic 60s and 70s biker style is back with a modern twist and a vast range of treatments and fabrics, offering men and women true crowd-pleasers;
6. Gingham mania, an in-depth exploration of the gingham trend which finds expression through various dimensions and techniques that cater to any silhouette;
7. Rugged re-made, which celebrates workwear and historical garments creating a style that combines history with technologies, solutions and treatments to recreate that vintage look dear to the heart of lovers of denim heritage.

Mimaki Europe will be showcasing its latest innovative technologies and connecting with customers at FESPA 2022 Global Printing Expo (May 31st – June 3rd Berlin). Following the success of FESPA 2021, Mimaki will return as a gold sponsor for this landmark industry event. With a host of new solutions released this year, FESPA 2022 will be the first opportunity for Mimaki to demonstrate these printers and cutters at an international event and further explain the many benefits they offer sign and textile printing companies.

In the Spotlight
Standout technology on show includes the new 330 series, consisting of the JV330-160, the CJV330-160 and the TS330-1600. Launched during the company’s Global Innovation Days event, the 330 Series leverages Mimaki’s cross-platform strategy, to offer a high-end yet cost effective printing solution across several sectors. The eco-solvent inkjet printers, the JV330-160 and CJV330-160, boast innovative features such as the new media changer that allows three rolls of media to be loaded simultaneously, and the XY slitter, which provides in-line X-axis and Y-axis sheet-fed cutting. The TS330-1600, which will make its international tradeshow debut at FESPA, is a sublimation printer with an improved take-up system and optional add-ons to further increase efficiency, including a 10kg ink tank supply unit and a mini jumbo roll unit.

Additionally, FESPA visitors will see Mimaki’s all new CG-AR cutting plotter.

Urbanising FESPA 2022
In line with FESPA 2022’s tagline, ‘Experience print in motion’, Mimaki’s stand will bring a vibrancy to the show, by demonstrating real-world applications alongside the machines that created them. This year will see Mimaki’s stand convey the streets of Berlin in its design, and urban inspired works by designers, including Nicky Nahafahik and Xavier Protano, all printed using various Mimaki’s printing technologies and displayed on the stand - allowing visitors experience Berlin from inside the Messe Berlin halls. Mimaki will also join forces with Dutch designer Tessa Koops to create a selection of unique fashion items, after their successful collaborations in 2019.

Celebrating Customer Success
As a centrepiece of Mimaki’s stand, the customer gallery will return to FESPA 2022, showcasing and celebrating customer samples and testimonials. There will also be live demonstrations of Mimaki’s latest technologies in dedicated sign, UV and textile application areas. The latest UV printers on display include the UJV100, and the JFX and UJF series. The acclaimed 3D printer, the 3DUJ-2207, will also return to FESPA this year to showcase the many high-quality, full-colour models, including figurines, scale models and prototypes, achievable with this cost-efficient, entry-level printer.

To answer questions about the applications and Mimaki technologies, hospitality and meeting areas will provide space for one-to-one conversations with Mimaki experts.

Under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) initiative to enhance transparency and traceability in the garment and footwear industry, Haelixa realizes a pilot project with Costach Cooperative and Peruvian textile company Creditex to give sustainable rural cotton producers in Peru more visibility in the value chain.

In 2019, UNECE and United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) have set up an initiative to drive transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry. The initiative is jointly implemented with the International Trade Centre (ITC) with financial support by the European Union. Haelixa is proud to be part of the group of experts that develops policy recommendations, traceability standards, and conducts projects to set traceability benchmarks. With the support of the +Cotton Project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) a pilot is being realized in this context to mark and trace the finest Pima cotton for Creditex directly at the gin in Piura, Peru. Haelixa’s DNA marker connects the actual lint cotton to the entry on a blockchain system provided by UNECE. The Haelixa technology ensures that the information about the product’s origin and the journey of the product along the value chain is always safely embedded into the product itself. The marked cotton will be used to make exclusive pajamas sets for Cat´s Pajamas. DNA traceability will enable the verification of the premium origin of Peruvian Pima cotton in the final garment produced using sustainable practices by family farmers associated with the Costach cooperative.

Costach is the main cooperative of cotton farmers in Peru. The cooperative consists of 5,200 family farmers in the Piura region, producing mostly extra-long fiber of Pima Cotton. Since 2017, the +Cotton project has been supporting the farmers with training on sustainable practices and has been providing technical assistance for improved markets access.

Creditex is vertically integrated from cotton ginning to fine thread, up to the production of high quality apparel for international premium brands. The company takes social responsibility and environmental stewardship very seriously and therefore makes a strong partner for this project, empowering the cotton family farmers that hold the majority of cotton production in Peru.

Construction machinery rolls into action again. The ground-breaking ceremony at the EREMA site in Ansfelden on April, 6 signals the start of work on a new R&D centre. Two halls with a total area of 1,550 square metres and a new office building with 50 workplaces will be built. The R&D centre will offer cross-departmental and cross-company test machines and laboratory for research and development of plastics recycling technologies to further advance the circular economy. Completion is scheduled for February 2023.

Plastics recycling is currently evolving very rapidly from a niche to a trend. This is driven by the legislative targets for plastics recycling that the European Union and many countries around the world have enacted, as well as by the European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent and in which the circular economy plays a very central role.

However, there is not just one recycling solution for all types of plastic waste, but rather different solutions depending on the type of plastic, the product and the application intended for the recycled plastic. While some plastics processing loops, such as for PET bottles, have already been closed, many other plastic waste streams still require a great deal of R&D in cooperation with everyone involved in the value chain to produce recycled pellets that meet the very highest standards for the production of new products. More space will be available for this in the new centre.

R&D is decentralised at EREMA. In recent years, approximately 5 percent of turnover was reinvested annually in research and development. Employees from different departments handle process engineering challenges, innovations in mechanical engineering and automation technology, and special technologies with a view to further improving the quality of recycled pellets. They also focus on new recycling technologies for waste plastic materials for which there is currently no satisfactory circular economy solution. The decisive factor here is also to exploit the potential of digitalisation. By collecting and analysing machine data, not only can recycling processes and product quality be further improved, but we can also develop our digital service offering for our customers. Such offerings include customer-specific information tools that feature plant and process data, predictive maintenance and online support as well as commissioning via remote access.

For material tests, which are necessary for research and development work, an expanded machine park will be available following completion of the new R&D centre. Here, the recycling process can be evaluated end-to-end, including upstream and downstream processes such as shredding and further processing of the recycled pellets. The material tests are supported by detailed analysis in the professionally equipped laboratory, which will be relocated to the new premises and upgraded where necessary with the very latest lab equipment.

International technology group ANDRITZ will be presenting its special-purpose machines for needlepunch production (including its portfolio for carbon applications) at JEC World 2022 in Paris, France, from May 3 to 5.

Experience and Know-How
ANDRITZ designs, develops, and engineers special-purpose machines for very specific and sensitive applications, like aerospace, railway, and military needs. Therefore, it can provide the market with customized machines offering perfect solutions, whether they are needed for prototypes or for industrial production.

Skilled Engineers
In increasingly demanding markets, the skilled ANDRITZ engineers and technicians help customers get the most out of their investments. The variety of cases they face every day enables them to optimize both output and quality depending on the fibers used, the challenge, and the customer’s final application.

Carbon Expertise
Experience with conductive fibers enables ANDRITZ to overcome challenges and provide access to new product developments. The company’s expertise lies in textile know-how as well as a deep understanding of related constraints. It includes carded/crosslapped processes for nonwovens made from recycled carbon fibers, which can be delivered in rolls or die-cut shapes.

Unconventional Needling for End-Uses
ANDRITZ addresses customers’ challenges by offering solutions and expertise in terms of straight and multi-axial needling, enabling the consolidation of fibers on flat or non-flat surfaces (such as rounded shapes) and even of layers up to 350 mm thick. New developments are made possible thanks to the outstanding ANDRITZ testing facility.

Support and Development
The ANDRITZ needlepunch technical center in Elbeuf, France, is open to visitors. Innovative strength and adaptability are the characteristics that make ANDRITZ the preferred partner in the search for genuine, efficient, and reliable solutions in the interests of productivity and premium, state-of-the-art consolidation. Secrecy being key in such sensitive development work, ANDRITZ naturally always guarantees the utmost confidentiality.

For the summer events at the Berlin exhibition center, the Premium Group is relying on a new mix of fashion, business, content and entertainment.

The State of Style & Culture
The Premium Group is expanding its portfolio in the summer to include the consumer festival THE GROUND in addition to the existing PREMIUM and SEEK trade fairs and is presenting numerous innovations for the long-awaited reunion of the industry in Berlin.

The new location Messe Berlin will become the Premium Group cosmos, a holistic inspirational hub for all relevant topics related to fashion, trends, retail, lifestyle, marketing, digitization, sustainability, metaverse and more.

In July, brands and partners can also present themselves to end consumers for the first time as part of the new event THE GROUND, 'Direct to Consumer'. Consumers get access to THE GROUND, while trade visitors are invited to view the full range and be inspired throughout the site.

PREMIUM: New tripartition with new segments
In order to be able to show all relevant segments of advanced contemporary fashion even better and more holistically, the PREMIUM portfolio will be divided into three new areas from the summer. With the segmentation into High, Icon & Volume, large, commercially successful brands as well as more focused designer brands, newcomers and smaller innovators will now find their place. Here the PREMIUM fashion team advises all partners in detail in order to guarantee ideal positioning and the possibility of storytelling.

SEEK: Premiere of the SEEK Conscious Club
Sustainability has been part of the culture of the SEEK brand since it was founded 12 years ago. With the new SEEK Conscious Club, in addition to the SEEK area with well-known and new SEEKERS, a dedicated area for sustainable brands is being created. SEEK offers them the stage and space to grow and the attention to optimally spread brand values. The international SEEK community is represented by niche brands as well as commercially successful players. And the established TRADE UNION for brands with a particularly sharp sales strategy will once again have an exclusive area in the new location.

THE GROUND: Festival for Style & Culture
With the new Direct to Consumer Festival THE GROUND, the Premium Group is now also inviting Gen-Z, Gen-Y and Culture Pioneers once a year. Music acts, panels and live talks with well-known speakers and influencers, creative workshops, sports and wellbeing sessions are intended to inspire, enrich, enlighten and inspire exchange: entertainment, edutainment and experiences.

THE GROUND turns live streams into live encounters, consumers into co-creators and classic retailers into strategic marketing and event partners. Here, through emotional experiences and unique showcases, brands can be experienced and interested customers become loyal brand fans. Topics relevant to society and generations, such as fashion, sports, beauty & well-being, metaverse & gaming, will be featured in the area as well as in talks and master classes as part of the FASHIONTECH content format.

"In order to remain sustainable, we want and need to merge B2B and D2C and create a place - a marketplace for ideas and products - where brands, retailers and consumers come together and learn from each other. For the first time, we are offering holistic reach, synergy and network effects,” explains Jörg Arntz, Managing Director Premium Group.

“B2B and D2C will take place in parallel on one site, although of course there will still be an area for professionals only, i.e. exclusively for the industry. The D2C area is accessible to both end consumers and trade visitors. In addition to our trade fairs, we create new content from which our visitors and exhibitors benefit.”

During the event, which will take place from Thursday to Saturday for the first time, it will be about exchange, trends, inspiration and emotion, new brands, the further development of well-known players, creative collection presentations and of course what the fashion world and its protagonists * inside: joy and passion. In order for this to work and for the long-term existence of the new event concept in Berlin to be guaranteed, everyone involved is asked, challenged and responsible.
 
Selected brand highlights:
American Vintage // Aigner // At.p.Co  // Ben Sherman // Blue de Geñes // Buffalo // Camper // C.O.F. Studio // Copenhagen Studios // Coster Copenhagen // Crep Protect // Denham // Dstrezzed // Drykorn // Ecoalf 1.0 //  Edwin // Ellesse // Fabienne Chapot //  Fleurs de Bagne // Floris Van Bommel // Gant //  Happy Socks // Helene Galwas // Herrlicher // Hiltl //  Horizn Studios // Ilse Jacobsen // Izipizi Paris // Kangaroos // Kennel & Schmenger Schuhmanufaktur // Keen // K-Swiss // Lee // Merz b. Schwanen // Moss Copenhagen // Nautica  // Novesta // Nudie Jeans //  O My Bag // Pantofola D’Oro 1886  // People of Shibuya // Palladium // Pendleton Woolen Mills // Puma // Property Of //  Reyn Spooner // Sandqvist // Saucony // Studio Seidensticker // Stutterheim // Sofie Schnoor // Steve Madden // Thinking Mu // Ucon Acrobatics //  Uniform Bridge // Veja // Womsh // Wool & Co // Wrangler// Yaya // Zespá

• C.L.A.S.S. ICON 2021 winner DUARTE returns to Milan Fashion Week launching its SEASON 2 “Eco-Street Dance” collection as a special feature at White Sustainable Milano inside the “Unveiling the fashion backstage” event

By mixing C.L.A.S.S. responsible materials, colorful prints, urban feels and artistic inspiration, the Portuguese streetwear brand creates a new style and a clear yet cool message for conscious fashion consumers
The rewarded 2021 C.L.A.S.S. Icon Award Portuguese brand Duarte is ready to presents its Fall/Winter 2022/23 collection developed in collaboration with C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub during Milan Fashion Week. With the support of WHITE, Duarte’s creations will be featured as a special project at WSM (WHITE Sustainable Milano) platform space inside “Unveiling the fashion Backstage”, a docu-event focusing on an immersive journey into the amazing world of premium and smart supply chains that make innovative and responsible fashion wardrobes a reality.

For its second collection Duarte still counts on C.L.A.S.S. support in sourcing materials and communication activities as part of the Icon Award yearly program. The streetwear designer Ana Duarte, with the help of the Milanese hub, is back with a renewed collection that counts 40 pieces continuing the concept and the story behind the previous World Keeper: the irresistible superhero Tadao - Ana Duarte’s dog – fighting against the environmental issues created by mankind and personified as Smog Man (air pollution), Fire Man (climate change), Deforestation Man (forests destruction) and Wave Man (water overconsumption).

This time the inspiration is also Street Dance drawn directly from the city streets, with majorly unisex pieces (apart from some small specific details linked to sizes or ergonomics) and materials that both respect the planet and keep you warm. The prints drawn from ripped posters giving birth to a sort of new style that we can name “Eco-Street Dance”. The color palette explores the dark shades of grey, cream, blue and black, with artistic pops of color of a hopeful urban culture that tears apart posters from the past and turns them into a new brighter story. 

The linings complete the full sustainable picture, thanks to Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei fabrics by Gianni Crespi Foderami. Bemberg™ is a new generation material made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linter pre-consumer material, converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process. Entirely made in Japan, it comes with Compostability and Ecotoxicity Certifications verified by Innovhub-SSI, RCS, OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 and the Eco Mark certifications. The factory is ISO 14001 certified, too.

The collection will mark the return of Duarte’s cool and responsible style to Milan Fashion week and White Sustainable Milano. “We are proud to support Duarte as her style, her creations, visual communication and message are so beautiful, innovative and responsible. On top of that, her message to the consumer is so clear and easy for everybody to understand. With Duarte it is very easy to make a “conscious choice” without any sacrifice, and completely in line with the C.L.A.S.S. manifesto” says Giusy Bettoni, C.L.A.S.S. CEO & founder.

• Winners in Six Categories to be Announced at IDEA® 2022 in Miami Beach

Online voting for the IDEA® Achievement Awards representing the “best of the best” innovations in the global nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry in six categories will open on Feb. 28.

Industry professionals will have the opportunity to vote for the winners from the finalists and see award-winning achievements in person at IDEA® 2022, the World’s Preeminent Event for Nonwovens & Engineered Fabrics, March 28-31, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Presented by INDA, in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine, the awards recognize the leading introductions in equipment, raw materials, short-life, long-life and nonwovens products, and sustainability. To vote on the Nonwovens Industry website, visit: https://www.nonwovens-industry.com/idea-reg-achievement-awards

In addition, INDA will unveil the IDEA® 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree and Nonwovens Industry will announce the IDEA® Entrepreneur Achievement Award recipient at the event.  

All of the winners will be announced on March 30 at a ceremony at IDEA® from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. moderated by Dave Rousse, President, INDA and Karen, McIntyre, Editor, Nonwovens Industry.

The INDA Technical Advisory Board, consisting of technical professionals from member companies, has narrowed the competition from more than 100 online nominations to the following 18 finalists selected for their leading innovations since the last IDEA show in 2019.

The industry will have the chance to select their top choices from the three finalists in each of the following six categories through the online voting process:

IDEA® Equipment Achievement Award

• ESC-8 – Curt G. Joa, Inc.
  Imagine endless combinations of insert and chassis designs for adult incontinence production at the push of a button. With patent-pending ESC-8™ Electronic Size Change Technology, JOA has addressed the need for automated product size change. The release of this industry-leading, first-of-a-kind technology gives customers the flexibility to configure endless insert and chassis combinations while maintaining higher production speeds and minimizing raw material usage. The ESC-8™ can be integrated into new and existing machines.
   
• Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode – Herrmann Ultrasonics Inc.
  Elastics are an integral component to many hygiene products. Imagine a diaper or incontinence product that is reliable, adhesive-free and extremely soft. Herrmann Ultrasonics Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode technology provides just that, in an industry first, easy-to-use closed-loop feedback manufacturing solution. The fixation of the elastic threads is accomplished with ultrasonic energy that offers a wide process window, without the need for tool changeovers, at processing speeds above 2,000 ft./min.
   
• Doffer Airlay Card – Technoplants SRL
  With airlaying suction and a doffing system like traditional roller cards, the Doffer Airlay Card makes it possible to produce carded webs with doffer in thicknesses from 10 to 1.500 gsm. With top and bottom suction, it can produce a partly carded and partly airlaid web. This card can comb, separate and make parallel all types of natural, synthetic and regenerated fibers for applications including hygiene, filtration, medical and gradient acquisition distribution layer (ADL).

IDEA® Raw Material Achievement Award

• sero™ premium hemp fiber – Bast Fibre Technologies Inc.
  sero™ 100 percent premium hemp fibers are the result of years of the company’s top-to-bottom supply chain experience. BFT’s proprietary processing technology is employed to carefully clean, individualize, and soften bast fibers that meet stringent nonwoven technical standards and are plastic-free, tree-free, and compostable. sero™ fibers are a plug-and-play replacement for plastic fibers that run seamlessly on major nonwoven platforms without compromising production speeds, efficiency, or uniformity.
   
• ODOGard – Rem Brands, Inc.
  Rem Brands, Inc.’s patented ODOGard® technology is a revolutionary advancement in odor elimination. This next-generation odor elimination mechanism works by covalent molecular bonding to malodors. Malodors are permanently attached to the ODOGard® molecule, changing them into non-odorous molecules forever. ODOGard® can be impregnated into pulp fluff and other kinds of media. Whether  malodors come from the air or from hygiene products, ODOGard® has it covered.
   
• SharoWIPES™ – Sharon Laboratories
  SharoWIPES™ by Sharon Laboratories, Israel, is a technological breakthrough from in-depth scientific research addressing industry needs for more “clean label, non-irritating, eco-friendly” consumer wet wipes. With their unique anti-biofilm mechanism, SharoWIPES™ offer dual protection from microbial contamination of both the wet wipe formula, as well as the non-woven fabric. SharoWIPES™ preservation systems deliver broad-spectrum protection at low levels contributing to wet wipe brand equity with free from, microbiome friendly, vegan and biodegradable claims.
   

IDEA® Short-Life Product Achievement Award

• MDP™ – Dermasteel, Ltd.
  MDP™ presents a breakthrough approach to restoring the quality of life for men experiencing bladder leakage. MDP™ is a revolutionary nonwoven product for men coping with light urinary incontinence that is invisibly discreet, effective, comfortable, and reliable. It features Body ID Technology™ for customized adjustment, variable elasticity strapping, self-reflexive side panels for unimpeded breathability, form-fitting to the unique characteristics of each man’s anatomy, and the smallest carbon footprint of any comparable male incontinence option.
   
• Organic 2.0 – Ellepot A/S
  In young plant propagation, plastic products are used in large quantities. Ellepot’s new paper is a game-changer supporting plastic exit strategies. During six years in development, Ellepot and Ahlstrom-Munksjö partnered with OrganoClick, the developer of special binders using organocatalysis, a field of chemistry awarded the Nobel Prize in 2021. The product is approved for organic crops in Germany, the UK, Denmark, The Netherlands, Sweden and Canada and certified okay home compostable and biodegradable in soil.
   
• LifeSavers Wipes – LifeSavers LLC
  LifeSavers Wipes are personal hygiene wipes that change color if they detect abnormal health indicators in the urine. The launch product is a diabetic wipe, which will change color if there are abnormal levels of glucose in the urine. The wipes are therefore triple purposed as they assist with personal hygiene after urinating, act as an early warning system, and serve as an instant glucose monitor. UTI and kidney disease wipes are next in line.
   

IDEA® Long-Life Product Achievement Award

• Canopy Hero Pro – Canopy
  Today’s reusable respirators are uncomfortable, limit communication, and can lose effectiveness after cleaning. Disposable options pose similar issues and generate waste. Canopy® has created a next-generation, reusable respirator for healthcare workers that’s comfortable, easy to clean, exceeds federal safety standards, has a transparent front to allow for improved communication, costs less than disposables, and can help save 7,200 tons of waste daily. Its patented, transparent, fully mechanical filter helps protect those who protect us.
   
• Long-Life Cellulose-based Nonwovens for Higher Performance in Reusable Baby Diapers – Kelheim Fibres GmbH and Sumo Diapers
  Innovation exemplified: the trend-setting Sumo Baby Cloth Diaper shows how needle-punched/thermobonded nonwovens find their way into reusable diapers, thanks to Kelheim Fibres’ specialty viscose fibers with adjusted cross-sections (trilobal and hollow). This technology pushes liquid management capabilities and the absorbency of washable hygiene products to new levels, creating a unique duality of high-performance and high-sustainability credentials, and opening up new fields of application.
   
• Nanofiber Cabin Air Filter – MANN + HUMMEL GmbH
  MANN+HUMMEL has developed a hybrid media by combining electret-based spunbond and a pure mechanical filtration layer of ultrafine polymer fibers. The result: an outstanding separation of PM1 particles up to 95 percent, according to DIN EN ISO 16890. This technology enables stable filtration performance and long-term efficiency over the whole filter lifetime. The nanofiber layer can be combined with any cabin air filter media of the MANN+HUMMEL range, improving air quality in a vehicle’s cabin significantly.
   

IDEA® Sustainability Advancement Award

• Pureflow8 – In Flight Material Separator – Diaper Recycling Technology Pte. Ltd.
  New bolt-on additions to the company’s Generation 8 recycling platform guarantee increased performance in terms of material purity and work efficiency. While recovering up to 87 percent of diaper waste raw material’s financial investment, DRT pushes the boundaries further to meet sustainability targets and include active pulp scanning, fluidizing SAP re-gen technology, and gravimetric pulp refeed processes. DRT recognizes its teams and suppliers who have worked tremendously hard to complete this major milestone.
   
• Fitesa® 100 Percent BioBased Bico – Fitesa
  Fitesa® S Bico 100 percent BioBased PE/PLA is a technically sophisticated plant-sourced nonwoven that has been successfully applied in innovative baby diapers as topsheet, backsheet, and front ear components to deliver classic spunbond strength with good abrasion resistance and converting performance. It is responsibly sourced, PE soft, and sustainable, leaving a negative carbon footprint by reducing environmental CO2. It represents the next generation of hygienic nonwovens designed to make work easier and life better.
   
• Fiber-based Screw Caps – Glatfelter Corp. and Blue Ocean Closures
  Finally, an alternative to metal and plastic screw caps! Blue Ocean Closures partnered with Glatfelter and ALPLA to accelerate and produce sustainable and environmentally-friendly packaging solutions. The companies optimized their use of renewable and recyclable wood fibers and airlaid materials by creating paper-based screw caps that are durable, strong, and water-resistant. The method of proprietary vacuum press forming allows for low production cost and high scalability.
   

IDEA® Nonwoven Product Achievement Award

• Sontara® Silk – Glatfelter Corp.
  Sontara® Silk perfectly fits facial contour, is luxurious on the skin, and has a minimal environmental impact. When infused with lotion, these masks have enhanced elasticity, conform closely to the skin, and have excellent adhesion. Sontara® Silk has superior translucency and ensures even penetration of active ingredients onto the skin. Sontara® Silk fabric is manufactured with premium fibers derived from natural raw material. These sustainable materials allow the product to be biodegradable and compostable.
   
• HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo – Sustainable Nonwoven Substrates – Suominen Corporation
  Suominen’s latest moist tissue product, HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo achieves dry tissue dispersibility through a proprietary blend of 100 percent sustainable cellulosic materials, minimizing environmental impact. This flushable nonwoven has a premium hand feel for a luxurious consumer experience. In addition, it passes dispersibility standards set by INDA (GD4) and the International Water Services Flushability Group (IWSFG.) HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo is produced in Europe and North America and represents multi-year development and market insights to deliver a personal care product ideal for today’s consumer.
   
• LS SAF™ Nonwoven Fabrics –Technical Absorbents
  Technical Absorbents developed a new grade of Low Shrink (LS) superabsorbent fiber (SAFTM) for use within a new range of nonwovens that are more resistant to shrinkage. The new LS SAFTM fiber and resulting fabrics were developed in response to demand from the medical industry for a superabsorbent nonwoven suitable for use in advanced wound pad dressings. The new fiber was engineered to be capable of withstanding the moisture used in the EtO sterilization process.

Moving forward after this year, the IDEA® Achievement Award will be presented every two years under the new cycle announced for the event with the subsequent IDEA® taking place April 23-25, 2024.