From the Sector

• World Cotton Day on 7 October Highlights the Importance of Cotton for Development Policy

Bremen - Stemming from a 2019 initiative of the African Cotton-4 countries Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, World Cotton Day will take place this year on 7 October. The event is organised by the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) and is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Cotton Secretariat (ICAC). The Bremen Cotton Exchange is also involved.

“Cotton is often underestimated because it is so natural. Behind it are millions of people, for example many farmers, field workers, employees in ginning factories, logistics providers and traders. We want to honour their achievements,” said the President of the Bremen Cotton Exchange, Stephanie Silber.

According to the WTO, the aim of World Cotton Day is to highlight the global economic importance of cotton and to raise awareness of the raw material by recognising the work of everyone involved in its cultivation, processing and trade. At the same time, within the framework of international cooperation, it is hoped that supporters and investors can be found to aid with technological and economic progress within the cotton value chain.

This time, the entire world cotton community will be involved in World Cotton Day on Wednesday, 7 October 2020. A wide variety of campaigns and events are taking place everywhere to draw attention to the importance of cotton and its possible uses.

Cotton is one of the most relevant agricultural raw materials in the world. Around 26 million tonnes of it are harvested annually. Approximately 150 million people in almost 80 countries around the world live from the cultivation of the natural fibre. A large number of these live in developing countries, where cotton cultivation is of particular importance as a cash crop.

Cotton is known as an agricultural product that is turned into a textile. The raw material is indispensable in fashion and clothing – and has been for thousands of years. But the use of cotton now goes far beyond textiles. For example, cosmetic products such as hand creams and hair shampoo are made from the oil of cotton seeds. The raw material is also used in the manufacture of banknotes, furniture and technical textiles, as well as in medical technology.

Against the background of the current discussion on sustainability and sustainable consumption, the role of natural fibres is becoming even more important. Cotton is biodegradable and a renewable resource. It can be grown again and again in agriculture through cultivation in crop rotation. This secures incomes and enables efficient value creation within the global production and processing chain.

The Bremen Cotton Exchange will actively support World Cotton Day with cross-media coverage. In addition, in time for World Cotton Day, three thematically different, emotionally appealing short films about cotton will be launched. They are aimed at consumers as customers of the textile and clothing trade and provide information about the benefits and properties of cotton and answer questions about its sustainability. In keeping with the times, they will be published via virtual media.

• Mimaki Europe auf der Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show

Amsterdam - Mimaki Europe präsentiert seine neuen Textildrucklösungen an einem virtuellen Stand auf der diesjährigen Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show (15. bis 30. Oktober 2020). An dem virtuellen Stand können Besucher, wie bei einer konventionellen Messe, Technik in Aktion sehen und mit den Mimaki-Vertretern über neue Markttrends und Lösungen zu neuen Anforderungen sprechen. Im Mittelpunkt des interaktiven Stands stehen zwei Drucker: der TS55-1800 – Sublimationsdrucker und Mimaki-Flaggschiff – und der neue Hybriddrucker TX300P-1800 MkII. Die Besucher profitieren außerdem von exklusiven Messeaktionen, darunter ein Sonderangebot für den TS300P-1800 und die Chance auf den Gewinn eines Sublimationsdruckers der Einstiegsklasse.

Der Sublimationsdruck ist eine bahnbrechende Technologie zum Bedrucken von Polyester, Textilien mit Polyesteranteil sowie Elastan. Er liefert hochwertige, strahlende Drucke und eignet sich für den On-demand-Betrieb. Der industrielle Produktionsdrucker TS55-1800 bietet diese Technologie, gepaart mit der von Mimaki bekannten Expertise und Innovationskraft. Zur Ausstattung gehören NCU (Nozzle Check Unit) zur Düsenprüfung und NRS (Nozzle Recovery System) zur Düsenwiederherstellung, Kerntechnologien von Mimaki, die verstopfte Düsen ohne Unterbrechung des Betriebs automatisch erkennen und ersetzen. Weiteres Technologiemerkmal: Ein MAPS (Mimaki Advanced Pass System) zur Vermeidung von Streifenbildung berechnet bei jedem Druckdurchgang mit einem speziellen Algorithmus den effektivsten Tropfenausstoß auf Basis von Farbe, Abdeckung und Geschwindigkeit.

Mit der optionalen „Mini Jumbo“-Rolle, die bis zu einem Viertel der Papierkosten sparen kann, und einem 10-Liter-Tintenbehälter bietet der Mimaki TS55-1800 die niedrigsten Betriebskosten unter seinesgleichen auf dem Markt und ist der ideale Produktionsdrucker für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen. Die Sonderaktion von Mimaki auf der Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show macht ihn noch attraktiver für Unternehmen, die in diesen schwierigen Zeiten ihr Angebot diversifizieren möchten.

Der Anfang des Jahres eingeführte Hybriddrucker Tx300P-1800 MkII kann Textilien und Papier bedrucken. Mit seiner beispiellosen Flexibilität erschließt er Druckdienstleistern völlig neue Möglichkeiten. Die Umstellung zwischen Textildirektdruck und Transferdruck erfolgt über eine schnell wechselbare Druckplatte. Der Drucker kann mit drei Tintenkombinationen konfiguriert werden: Textilpigment-/ Direktsublimationstinte, Textilpigment-/Sublimationstransfertinte oder Direktsublimations-/Sublimationstransfertinte. Damit bewältigt er von Mode über Heimtextilien bis hin zu Tapeten vielfältige Anwendungen. Von den Vorzügen des erschwinglichen und vielseitigen Druckers – kostengünstige Kleinauflagen, schnellere Bearbeitungszeiten und Eignung zur Produktion von Textilmustern –  können kleinere Dienstleister ebenso profitieren wie große Druckereien.

Organisator der Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show ist das World Textile Information Network (WTiN). Die virtuelle Messe soll Ausstellern und Besuchern eine vor den Verwerfungen der Pandemie geschützte Plattform bieten. Mimaki unterstützt diese Philosophie und freut sich auf den virtuellen Besuch von Kunden und Interessenten, die das Unternehmen mit den Messeaktionen – einschließlich der Chance auf Gewinn eines Mimaki TS30-1300-Sublimationsdruckers der Einstiegsklasse(1) – bei ihrer nächsten Investition unterstützen möchte.

„Auf der Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show können wir unsere Position auf dem Textilmarkt weiter stärken, mit unseren Kunden interagieren und uns mit der gesamten Branche austauschen“, erklärt Danna Drion, Senior Marketing Manager bei Mimaki Europe. „Unser Portfolio umfasst Technologien verschiedenen Typs und wir möchten die Vorteile jedes Druckers erläutern, damit Textildruckereien die richtige Technologie für ihr Geschäft finden. Trotz der schwierigen Zeiten sollen Kunden und Interessenten die Möglichkeiten unserer Lösungen möglichst detailliert kennenlernen. Wir möchten ihnen auch mit unseren Messeaktionen die Möglichkeit bieten, ihre nächste Investition mit Zuversicht zu tätigen, damit sie ihre Produktionslinie für einen weiterhin rentablen und wettbewerbsfähigen Betrieb maximieren können. Wir freuen uns, dass diese virtuelle Veranstaltung das ermöglicht.“

Auf der Innovate Textile & Apparel Virtual Trade Show stehen Experten von Mimaki rund um die Uhr für Einzelgespräche im Live-Chat zur Verfügung. Mimaki Europe, Mimaki USA und Mimaki Global arbeiten zusammen, sodass Besucher auf der ganzen Welt jederzeit Zugang zu regionalen Ansprechpartnern haben.

During the Innovate Textile & Apparel (ITA) virtual textile machinery show which will run from October 15th-30th 2020, Monforts will be emphasising its leadership position in three key fields – advanced coating, denim finishing and fabric sanforizing.

With its multi-head capability, the latest Monforts texCoat coating system provides flexibility with an unprecedented range of options and a wide range of modules available.

Refinements
“Since we acquired the coating technology that our systems are based on we have made a lot of refinements and all of them are reflected in higher coating accuracy and the resulting quality of the treated fabrics,” says Monforts Head of Technical Textiles, Jürgen Hanel.
“Our systems have the shortest fabric path from the coating unit into the stenter and we have all variations of coating application systems too – and all of these options are available in wider widths, with the engineering and manufacturing from a single source here in Europe.”

CYD
Denim finishing is meanwhile a field in which Monforts has an undisputed lead and it has been working closely with its many partners in the key denim manufacturing countries of Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Mexico Pakistan and Turkey to develop advanced solutions. The latest of these is the CYD yarn dyeing system.
“CYD is based on the proven Econtrol® dyeing system for fabrics*,” explains Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski. “It integrates new functions and processes into the weaving preparatory processes – spinning, direct beaming, warping and assembly beaming, followed by sizing and dyeing – in order to increase quality, flexibility, economic viability and productivity. The CYD system has been developed in response to a very strong market demand.”

Pre-shrinking
Monforts has also recently delivered a significant number of its latest Monfortex sanforizing lines to customers around the world.
Sanforizing is vital to final fabric quality, pre-shrinking it by compressing prior to washing, to limit any residual or further shrinkage in a made-up finished garment to less than 1%, for perfect comfort and fit over an extended lifetime.

As with industry-leading Montex stenters, Monfortex lines benefit from the latest Qualitex 800 control system which allows all parameters to be easily automated via the 24-inch colour touchscreen, including production speed, control of all fabric feed devices, rotation spray or steaming cylinder options, the width of the stretching field and the rubber belt pressure. Up to 10,000 separate process parameter records can be generated and stored by the data manager.

*Econtrol® is a registered mark of DyStar Colours Distribution GmbH, Germany.

Elastics for power support in medicine and the work environment
People who do physically hard work are relieved; people who are learning how to walk again after an accident or a stroke receive support; people with a handicap gain greater mobility – exoskeletons offer valuable support in many areas. An important component for "power suits": elastics by JUMBO-Textil.

Support construction with and without drive
An exoskeleton is a kind of robot that you wear: a construction of mainly textile components that is slipped over the body and strapped on. Integrated sensors register the body movements. These impulses are converted into electrically driven movements of the exoskeleton, which support or amplify the human movement. In addition, exoskeletons without drive are also being developed: these designs aim to transfer the weight of heavy tools or loads directly into the ground.

Tough requirements, individual solutions
Since the skeletons are worn on the body, the textiles and textile components used here need to be skin-friendly and as light as possible. The body's own temperature regulating systems must not be impeded. The contact surfaces must not create pressure points. And the exoskeletons must be individually adaptable to the user's body measurements.

High-tech elastics by JUMBO-Textil offer solutions for the development of exoskeletons – in terms of functionality, safety and wearing comfort: they hold, clamp, close and secure. They relieve and cushion movements and force impact. They illuminate and forward signals. The breathable narrow textiles stretch in both directions as required. They fit snugly on the body and follow every movement. Full-surface hook-and-loop-ready elastic tapes offer a simple, secure and individually adjustable fastening option. JUMBO-Textil consistently uses components made of plastic or light metal for textile components as fastening solutions. As a solution partner for demanding tasks – e.g., in occupational safety – JUMBO-Textil also developes cooled or heated textiles in collaboration with their customers. Also possible: the development of self-luminous narrow textiles – for additional safety.

Eleven leading companies from six countries founded the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) in September 2020 under the leadership of nova-Institute (Germany). The aim of the initiative is to support and speed up the transition from fossil carbon to renewable carbon for all organic chemicals and materials.

Besides Lenzing, these ten companies are founding members of the RCI, which also form the Core Advisory Board: Beiersdorf (Germany), Cosun Beet Company (The Netherlands), Covestro (Germany), Henkel (Germany), LanzaTech (USA), NESTE (Finland), SHV Energy (The Netherlands), Stahl (The Netherlands), Unilever (UK) and UPM (Finland).

The Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI) addresses the core problem of climate change, which is extracting and using additional fossil carbon from the ground. The vision is stated clearly: By 2050, fossil carbon shall be completely substituted by renewable carbon, which is carbon from alternative sources: biomass, direct CO2 utilisation and recycling. The founders are convinced that this is the only way for chemicals, plastics and other organic materials to become sustainable, climate-friendly and part of the circular economy – part of the future.

Robert van de Kerkhof, Chief Commercial Officer of the Lenzing Group: „We at Lenzing believe that we need to create strategic partnerships to implement systemic change. Therefore, we support the Renewable Carbon Initiative. First of all, because it is the right thing to do and, second, it is also fully aligned with our corporate strategy. Therefore, we are part of the RCI from the beginning and its commitment to start acting now.”

Michael Carus, CEO of nova-Institute and head of the Renewable Carbon Initiative: “This is about a fundamental change in the chemical industry. Just as the energy industry is being converted to renewable energies, so renewable carbon will become the new foundation of the future chemical and material industry. The initiative starts today and will be visibly present from now on. We want to accelerate the change.”

The main avenues on which the initiative wants to deliver change are threefold. One, the initiative strives to create cross-industry platforms that will demonstrate feasibility of renewable carbon in tangible activities. Two, one main target will be to advocate for legislation, taxation and regulation changes to give renewable carbon a level commercial playing field to play on. Finally, the third avenue will be to create a wider pull for sustainable options by raising awareness and understanding of renewable carbon level amongst the business community and the wider public.

The Renewable Carbon Initiative has made a powerful start with eleven international member companies and the personal support of more than 100 industry experts. The initiative hopes to gain many additional members and supporters in the upcoming months to keep the strong momentum of the initiative. Working together, RCI will support and accelerate the transition from fossil to renewable carbon for all organic chemicals and materials.

In the end, the aim is as complex as it is simple: renewable energy and renewable carbon for a sustainable future. Within the RCI Lenzing will especially focus on further greening up the textile and nonwoven businesses. Here we will promote this concept and encourage our partners to become a part of this vision.

More information about the Renewable Carbon Initiative can be found on www.renewable-carbon-initiative.com.

Sustainability and environmental responsibility are important developments for the current design of productions and products. In order to obtain a comprehensive evaluation of the potential of bio-based composites, the AZL, together with an industry consortium, is investigating the market potential, future applications and relevant technologies for bio-based composite materials. The 5-month market and technology study will start on October 22nd, 2020 and is open to interested companies. Companies such as REHAU, an Automotive Tier 1, Asahi Kasei, Johns Manville, Mahr Metering Systems and several material manufacturers are participating in the study.

Bio-plastics are well established in industry, especially in packaging applications. The market for biopolymers is expected to grow from USD 10.5 billion in 2020 to USD 27.9 billion in 2025. At the same time, bio-based raw materials, such as natural fibers, are available on the market in a cost-effective manner. Composites with wood or natural fiber content are also increasingly used in products.

Dr. Michael Emonts, Managing Partner of AZL: "Together with our partner companies we want to identify hidden business potential for composites with bio-based materials. To do so, we will reapply our established approach for market and technology studies: Based on a detailed market analysis, we will dive deep into the technological evaluation of technologies, applications and business cases.”

Based on a detailed market segmentation, AZL's technology experts analyze the various market segments in terms of their size, growth potential, relevant players and existing and future applications. For the identified applications, the participants in the study will receive detailed insight into the respective technical and legal requirements as well as an overview of value chains, processes and materials. In the following, the strengths and challenges of bio-composites compared to conventional materials are elaborated. The consortium will select the components with the highest potential, for which suitable production scenarios will be developed and analyzed in terms of costs in a business case analysis.

"We are participating in the AZL study to identify and evaluate new product areas with bio-materials. The technological analyses of the AZL studies have already helped us in the past to initiate new developments," says Dr. Steven Schmidt, Director Technology Platforms Materials at REHAU, explaining the motivation for working with the AZL and the industry consortium. "As one of the 50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders, we at REHAU are incorporating environmentally friendly materials into more and more products. Wherever the company is active - from the furniture and construction industries to the automotive industry - REHAU is already developing and manufacturing high-quality products from recycled raw materials. By 2025, REHAU plans to increase its recycling rate across the Group to significantly more than 15 percent and at the same time reduce CO2 emissions by at least 30 percent," adds Dr. Steven Schmidt.

Bio-composites will also be the topic of the upcoming Lightweight TechTalk by AZL on September 29, 2020. Experts from industry and academia will give technology and market insights on sustainability and recycling of composites in 6 presentations. Registration is free of charge at: https://azl-aachen-gmbh.de/termine/recycling-of-composites/.

The kick-off of the project will take place on October 22nd, 2020 in the form of a video conference. Further background information on the project can be found under the following link: https://azl-aachen-gmbh.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020-251_OP_Bio-Bases_Composites.pdf

Two ISKO I-SKOOL™ 7 looks make their debut at the Graduate Fashion Foundation, part of London Fashion Week, a springboard for new talent striving to bridge the gap between education and industry.

Following an unprecedented academic year, GFF celebrates how the Class of 2020 have adapted and overcome adversity to complete their degrees across 26 fashion specialisms, from Design and Knitwear to Comms, Marketing and Business. London, 17-22 September – To bring together fashion educators and industry leaders and to support their graduates to reach their full potential once they have graduated: this has always been GFF’s main goal for the past 28 years. Now more than ever, GFF continues in its long-standing commitment to share good practice and knowledge and to inspire students to become innovators, environmental leaders, employees, and educators while promoting cultural diversity and inclusivity within an international platform – very much in keeping with ISKO I-SKOOL™ values and approach which resonate throughout the contest’s Denim Awards.

Designers Kotryna Adomaityte and Isabel Hambly from Nottingham Trent University were 2 of the 9 winners of the ISKO I-SKOOL™ 7 Awards, announced in a phygital ceremony held on July 22. The two students were invited to showcase their winning creations at GFF. Kotryna, winner of the ISKO I-SKOOL™ PERICOLO Award by Cadica Group, impressed the audience with her “Wild West Denim” look to London at the GFF Showroom.

Isabel Hambly, winner of the ISKO I-SKOOL™ Best Marketable Product, stole the show with her “Women at war” outfit which was displayed at the Catwalk Show, live-streamed from Samsung KX on September 22. That two of ISKO I-SKOOL™ 7 winners and finalists were part of this important event is proof of the significant role the contest – developed and supported by ISKO – plays in nurturing and championing talent and creativity. This edition’s main concept was world’s citizenship, with the Creative Theme “North, East, South, West – connected by one planet”. The twenty shortlisted finalists were asked to dig into their roots and to approach different cultures, defining and tracking down the geography of the world connecting them through responsibility. In addition to exploring the planet both locally and globally, they were also required to take into account the product life cycle of their outfits – featuring a 5-pocket jeans to interpret their view on the “local” concept and two Denim Show Pieces to reflect their worldwide influences and topics of interest. These were made with top ISKO™ denim fabrics, meeting the designers’ needs and providing a strong sustainable ingredient.

“We are really proud that two of our winners made it to GFF, with which we have many values in common – it marks another important step in their journey” said ISKO Senior Executive ISKO I-SKOOL™ Project Irem Orhun. “All of this goes to show how ISKO I-SKOOL™ plays a fundamental role in providing the foundation to enter the industry more aware of your skills and capabilities.”

• Fabric finishing and sanforization systems installed in the US and Turkey to enhance productivity

ST. LOUIS - Baldwin Technology Company Inc. has successfully installed six new fabric finishing and sanforizing precision spray systems in the US and Turkey. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the installations were completed in just 60 days, thanks to close collaboration between onsite Baldwin textile team members, local agents and remote support from the company’s product and technology center in Sweden.
For textiles, non-wovens and technical textiles, Baldwin’s precision spray technology processes a wide range of low-viscosity water-based chemicals, such as softeners, anti-microbial agents, water repellents, oil  repellents, flame retardants and more.

These systems enable fabric producers to significantly reduce chemical and water consumption, while speeding up production times and eliminating production steps, including drying and bath changeovers when switching fabric colors. “Our customers are major manufacturers in fabric dying, finishing and remoistening, and we want to provide outstanding service and support—even in times like this,” said Rick Stanford, Business Development Leader at Baldwin and the commercial leader of the US installations. “Not only does our precision spray technology enhance productivity in their process, but there is also zero waste, which goes hand-in-hand with the increased sustainability focus in the textile industry.”

In North Carolina, two new TexCoat G4 precision spray systems are now in production with major international vertical manufacturers of outdoor living, performance fabrics and automotive fabrics. In Georgia, a major vertical manufacturer of workwear and protective fabrics installed a sanfor precision spray system, which has helped the customer obtain deeper penetration of moisture into fabrics treated with durable water repellents. In Turkey, three new TexCoat G4 systems were installed in Çorlu, northwest of Istanbul, for a large producer of knit fabrics, such as T-shirts. “In Turkey, the manufacturer purchased and installed one TexCoat G4 system before COVID-19, and the customer was so pleased with the results that, during the pandemic, three more were purchased,” said Simone Morellini, Sales Manager- EMEAR at Baldwin and the commercial leader of the Turkish installations. “The systems were manufactured and installed during the lockdown, and now, all four systems are up and running, and being used heavily on a daily basis.” “With the success we have seen, we plan to apply the same strategies for upcoming installations, including the next one in Honduras: strong local management and customer coordination, combined with  effective remote support during the installation,” said Stanford.

• Gorilla Protect is a new company formed in May this year to promote the Catus face mask – a major leap forward in the effectiveness of personal protection products that are available to consumers in the fight against Covid-19.
• Behind Catus and the new company is Nova Textil, the established fabric finishing company based in Grefrath, Germany, and now run by father and son team Rainer and Oliver Hurtz.

Single stenter

Rainer Hurtz founded Nova Textil with a single Monforts Montex stenter and just five employees in 1999 and has steered its constant development and growth over the past twenty years.

“Our initial focus was on the coating of mainly glass fibre fabrics, awnings and sun protection products for outdoor furnishings,” he said. “We had a great customer who was providing us with so many orders that by 2005 we took the decision to order a second Montex stenter, in a special configuration. This also allowed us to enter the market for blackout and digital printing fabrics. We’ve had a great ongoing relationship with Monforts from the beginning.”

A third Montex stenter line was installed at the company’s Grefrath plant in 2015, by which time the company had grown to 40 people and a major new market had opened up in the supply of fabrics for promotional materials at exhibitions and trade shows.

“We had a fantastic two years in 2018 and 2019 and everything was going great for the first three months of this year, but in April it all came crashing down,” said Oliver Hurtz. “Coronavirus put an end to trade shows in 2020, which had a very serious impact on our business.”

At the same time, however, the company was exploring the potential of a new biocidal product from one of its chemicals suppliers which has both antiviral and antimicrobial properties.

Filtration

“We had already been producing coated fabrics for hot gas filtration and realised that in combination with this new microporous coating we had the basis for a very effective single-layer face mask,” Rainer said. “Achieving this with a single layer product rather than the usual three has resulted in a significant advance in comfort for the wearer and because the mask is able to disinfect itself and helps regulate humidity, it can be worn a number of times without needing to be washed, for greater convenience. It only needs to be washed when it gets dirty and can also be washed up to twenty times without losing its properties, which has to be preferable to single-use disposables.”

Catus face masks are based on 100% woven cotton and the active ingredients in the finish are a reaction mass of titanium dioxide and silver chloride certified to ISO 20743 for their antibacterial effect, and to ISO 18184 for their antiviral effect.

They are proven to  eliminate over  99.99% of the human coronavirus 229 E, with the multiplication of microorganisms such as germs and bacteria prevented by the biostatic action of silver salts and viruses destroyed by oxygen-releasing substances and a mechanism that attacks their fatty envelope. The virus membrane loses its cholesterol content and the virus is inactivated.

Colours

Gorilla Protect next plans to make the masks available in four colours – black, Bordeaux, olive and grey – and is also working on colour branding and printing labels.

“It’s not possible to print on the surface of the mask after it has been coated, but its is possible for volume orders to be printed before the treatment,” Oliver Hurtz said.

“Face masks are going to become an established part of life in the West like they are in Asia and need to be as comfortable and convenient as possible for the wearer,” his father concluded. “With these things in mind, we believe Catus is a significant step forward.”

Belgian textile innovator Devan Chemicals was lauded by Frost & Sullivan for its antimicrobial technology with proven quaternized silane chemistry, known under its trade name as BI-OME®.

RONSE, BELGIUM – The non-leaching attributes of the technology coupled with its ability to reduce microbial mutation make it a potential candidate for textiles where durability and safe human contact are highly valued.

Based on its recent analysis of the European antimicrobial technology for the textile market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes the Belgium-headquartered Devan Chemicals NV (Devan) with the 2020 European Technology Innovation Leadership Award. Devan’s highly relevant antimicrobial technology addresses issues concerning the contamination of PPE and textiles, including the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, viral transmissions, and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Its quat-silane technology, due to its non-migrating behaviour, physically punctures the microorganism cell to destroy it without interfering with cell DNA. Notably, it eliminates the adverse effects of leaching antimicrobials while providing high efficiency in the range of 99.9 percent to 99.99 percent, even after multiple washes.

"By providing non-migrating antimicrobial technology for the textile industry, Devan plugs the safety and performance gaps inherent in current inorganic and organic antimicrobial agents. Its antimicrobial technology, unlike silver- or triclosan-based technology, comprises non-migrating monomers and prepolymers such as organo-functional silane," said Monami Dey, Industry Manager, Frost & Sullivan. "The organo-silane polymers are covalently bonded and polymerized to the textile surface as a coating via padding, exhaust, and spraying techniques. The coating forms a non-leaching reactive surface and destroys the microbes on contact, without releasing harmful components into the environment."

Devan CEO Sven Ghyselinck is very happy with the award: “The best practice award is a nice recognition of the hard work we did in the last 6 months to evaluate the performance against viral activity. It’s great to see our efforts didn’t go unnoticed.”

Earlier this month Devan published new test results confirming the high performance virus-reducing capabilities of its BI-OME fabric coating technology on both unwashed and intensely washed fabrics. The Belgian company has worked closely with a series of international third party laboratories to test different fabric substrates against a wide range of enveloped viruses. Before washing, samples treated with Devan BI-OME score very good to excellent (99% and higher according to ISO 18184) results on virus reduction. Different substrates, like polyester, cotton and polycottons, were exposed to enveloped viruses like SARS-COV-2 (known to cause COVID-19), Feline Corona, Vaccinia (the EU standard for enveloped viruses) and Porcine Respiratory viruses. After 30minutes, BI-OME already reduced 99.96% of the activity of SARS-COV-2.

After washing, a decrease in virus reduction performance of coating technologies is normal and expected. However, BI-OME is confirmed to deliver only a minimal reduction, retaining up to 98.5% virus reduction even when the fabric is washed 25 times.

"Devan is working towards sustainability and green chemistry. For instance, its technology does not contain any harmful solvents such as formaldehyde or polychlorinated phenols and fulfills the regulatory obligations of the EU BPR," noted Dey. "Its commitment to promoting sustainability in textile finishes with a strong focus on GMO-free, kosher, as well as halal certifications, and recyclability has given the company an edge in launching new products at an accelerated pace to match customers’ most pressing concerns and demands."

One of those innovations is BI-OME NTL (natural), a natural, bio-based antimicrobial solution that guarantees an optimal freshness and hygiene for textiles. The active ingredient is the well-known Linseed oil, obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant. The active ingredients in BI-OME NTL are GMO free, Halal, Kosher and recyclable.