From the Sector

AkzoNobel has published its digital Report 2022, which gives details of the company’s ongoing transformation during a challenging year of persistent worldwide uncertainty.

The Report 2022 website includes coverage of AkzoNobel’s financial results and key business developments, while the company’s progress on its sustainability ambitions is highlighted throughout.

The online report offers a wide range of interactive content and infographics. Visitors can also make use of various tools to compare key data and download tables.

Meanwhile, the Sustainability statements – traditionally one of the most visited sections – has been revamped and is themed around the key areas of climate change, circularity, and health and well-being. Several case studies also feature prominently.

• Carbios strengthens its Board of Directors with the appointments of Prof. Karine AUCLAIR, Sandrine CONSEILLER, Amandine DE SOUZA and Mateus SCHREINER GARCEZ LOPES
• Carbios has reached its CSR objective of 60% independent directors ahead of 2024 target date, and has increased its female representation

Carbios‘four new members to its Board of Directors:  Prof. Karine AUCLAIR, professor of Chemistry at McGill University, Sandrine CONSEILLER, former CEO of Aigle, Amandine DE SOUZA, General Manager of LE BHV MARAIS, Eataly and Home, DIY and Leisure Purchasing at Galeries Lafayette Group, and Mateus SCHREINER GARCEZ LOPES, Global Director for Energy Transition and Investments at Raizen, have all been appointed members of Carbios’ Board of Directors.  In the new structure, Prof. Karine AUCLAIR succeeds Jacqueline LECOURTIER, Sandrine CONSEILLER succeeds Jean FALGOUX, Amandine DE SOUZA succeeds Alain CHEVALLIER, and Mateus SCHREINER GARCEZ LOPES succeeds Jean-Claude LUMARET.

Three of the new members have strong, proven expertise in various industries covering fashion, retail and energy, as well as business development and senior executive management in high-growth markets and sectors around the world.  The new scientific expertise will also help enhance and advance Carbios’ research into biological solutions for the life cycle of plastics and textiles.  In addition, a sensitivity to CSR issues and proven results in this field was also a key selection factor to join the Board.  The new members’ combined strategic vision, solid industry experience and CSR commitments will support Carbios in its industrial and commercial plans.
 
Prof. Karine AUCLAIR is Professor of Chemistry at McGill University and holds the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Antimicrobials and Green Enzymes.  She has received numerous awards over the years, including the Clara Benson Award of the Canadian Society of Chemistry, the McGill Tomlinson Professorship, the Leo Yaffe Teaching Award, and the McGill Fessenden Professorship, to name a few. She is an internationally recognized bioorganic chemist with significant scientific contributions to the fields of antimicrobial resistance, biocatalysis and enzymology. Her research led to several patents notably in the clean enzymatic depolymerization of untreated, high crystallinity PET plastics for closed-loop recycling.  Her work has been published in nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, and often highlighted by the media.  As a recognized leader in her field, she is often invited to speak at industrial and academic conferences around the world, and to review theses and grant applications for worldwide institutions.
 
Sandrine CONSEILLER is former Chief Executive Officer of Aigle (the emblematic French brand committed to sustainable fashion).  Prior to joining Aigle, Sandrine was Group Marketing & Branding Executive Vice-President at Lacoste (another historic French fashion brand) from 2011 to 2015.  She contributed to the Lacoste maison turnaround with strong growth and numerous professional awards including several Cannes Lions Awards.  She was also Member of the Executive Board.  Sandrine began her career at Unilever and spent 20 years leading global businesses within various divisions, mainly in Personal Care, in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.  Sandrine is also Member of the Board of Phildar (the iconic French knitwear brand), Member of the Board of Raise Sherpa (the first philantropic endowment fund dedicated to start-ups) and is a funding partner of NEO FOUNDERS (a venture fund mentoring impact start-ups).
 
Amandine DE SOUZA is General Manager of LE BHV MARAIS (French retail, decoration and fashion department stores), Eataly (an Italian gastronomy concept franchise) and Home, DIY and Leisure Purchasing at Galeries Lafayette Group since 2018.  She has been a Member of its Executive Committee since 2020.  Amandine has 17 years’ experience in different types of companies of various sizes: from family business, to start-up,  and multinational.  She was General Manager for France at Westwing (an e-commerce start-up) from 2015 to 2018.  From 2009 to 2015, she was International Merchandise Director at Casino Group (food and non-food retail distribution).  Prior to this, she worked as a strategic consultant at Bain & Company within their Distribution and Consumer Goods Division in France and internationally.
 
Mateus SCHREINER GARCEZ LOPES is Global Director for Energy Transition and Investments at Raizen (global leader in bioenergy from Brazil), leading technology, new business development and intellectual property at the company.  He was previously Global Manager for Innovation and Business Development in Renewable Chemicals at Braskem (the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and the world’s largest producer of biopolymers).  Before his transition to the corporate world, Mateus held several researcher and lecturer positions on Synthetic Biology and metabolic Engineering at Universities in Mexico, Germany, United States and Brazil.  He is also a Board Member of Iogen Energy Corporation, Vice-Chairman of the Board of the Brazilian Association of Bio Innovation, and Advisory Committee Member from the MIT Energy Initiative.

With China easing its pandemic restrictions, foreign exhibitors and buyers can look forward to quarantine-free travel when participating at this year’s industry showcase in Shanghai. The technical textile and nonwovens fair is scheduled to take place from 19 – 21 September 2023 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, amid positive market forecasts for both sectors. The organisers are anticipating a strong showing and the conclusion of an inconsistent period for in-person textile business.

“The industry has demonstrated incredible patience and resilience over the course of the pandemic,” said Ms Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. “With both markets growing and China opening its borders, we are excited at the prospect of providing participants with an international, business-friendly platform and expect to welcome a healthy number of exhibitors later this year.”

The global technical textile and nonwovens markets are both set to perform strongly over the next few years. According to Grand View Research, the technical textile market is forecast to expand at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2022 to 2030^[1]. The nonwoven fabrics market is anticipated to display an even stronger CAGR of 5.6% during the same period^[2], with Asia-Pacific to maintain its position as the biggest regional market.

As one of Asia’s leading trade fairs for the abovementioned sectors, Cinte Techtextil China is the preferred platform for multiple industry players. Speaking at the previous edition in 2021, Mr Seven Shen, Sales Manager at Libero Trading (Shanghai) Co Ltd, China, said: “We have been exhibiting at this fair for years, and know we will meet our target customers at every edition. The buyers here are all highly specialised.”

During his interview at the same edition, Mr Eric Ni, Senior Manager, China Supply Chain Marketing for Cotton Council International, USA, commented: “We hope to use this platform to meet more companies and brands in the nonwovens industry who are interested in US cotton, and to meet up with old friends to discuss the current situation and industry trends. The fair’s buyers are quality, and we have found some new potential clients at this edition.”

Many buyers at the previous edition also gave positive appraisals. “As a professional trade fair for technical textile and nonwoven products, Cinte Techtextil China is not only a platform to gather qualified industry players, but also the best place to showcase new products and innovations,” said Mr Lin Bin, Technical Director at Zhejiang Xinna Medical Device Technology Co Ltd, China. “Specific and high quality products enhance sourcing efficiency for buyers, and exposure to new trends and market developments ensures my company visits here regularly.”

The fair’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span a full range of potential uses in modern technical textiles and nonwovens. These categories also cover the entire industry, from upstream technology and raw materials providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This scope of product groups and application areas ensures that the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry.

^[1] “Technical Textile Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report 2022-2030”, 2022, Grand View Research, https://bit.ly/3IAxQIK, (Retrieved: January 2023)
^[2] “Nonwoven Fabrics Market Size”, 7 September 2022, GlobeNewswire, https://bit.ly/3CxPE3u, (Retrieved: January 2023)

All of AkzoNobel’s locations in North America are now operating on 100% renewable electricity – helping to drive the company’s ambition of reducing carbon emissions across the full value chain by 50% by 2030 (baseline 2018).

The milestone – reached at the beginning of the year – is the latest in AkzoNobel’s ongoing efforts to transition to 100% renewable electricity at all its sites globally, with Europe having achieved the landmark at the start of 2022.  

The transition to 100% renewable electricity in North America includes manufacturing sites, offices, warehouses and research and development facilities. However, the company is looking much further than its own operations.
Examples of how AkzoNobel is moving to 100% renewable electricity globally include:

• Self-generated renewable electricity – by installing solar panels at many of their locations and continue to make steady progress
• Sourcing renewable electricity – the electricity generated by their solar panels covers only part of their total electricity consumption needs. For the remainder, they'll continue to purchase renewable electricity with certificates of origin.

• Style3D is sole shareholder of Assyst
• Integration of both product lines from 3D design to production
• Assyst remains independent within Style3D

Assyst GmbH is as of now part of Style3D. The German fashion technology market leader and the leading 3D software company are joining forces. For Assyst customers and partners nothing will change.
 
Die Assyst GmbH betreibt ihre Geschäfte weiterhin eigenständig, entwickelt alle ihre Produkte weiter und strebt mit Style3D eine gemeinsame, durchgängige Produktwelt an. Der erste gemeinsame Auftritt des Assyst-Style3D-Teams findet bereits auf der Assyst Experience im Rahmen der Munich Fabric Start (24.-26. Januar 2023) statt.

Assyst will continue to operate its business independently and to develop, sell, and service all its existing products. Style3D and Assyst will start to integrate their products into a universal, seamless product world. The Assyst-Style3D team will make its first joint appearance already at the end of January at the Assyst Experience at Munich Fabric Start (24-26 January 2023).

Both companies are deeply rooted in apparel development and production: Style3D in Asia and Assyst in EMEA. Together, they are planning to create a global product offering for producers and brands that covers the entire apparel value chain from development to production and the various sales touchpoints.

Starting point will be the integration of the flagship products of both companies – Style3D and Assyst.CAD. Style3D is currently the most advanced 3D fashion design software with a high growth rate globally. While Assyst is market leader with its 2D CAD technology in Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland and offers a seamless software portfolio from 2D and 3D CAD to production (Automarker) and to all sales touchpoints.

Major driver of the merger is the companies’ complimentary technology offering and the vision to create a seamless digital process from providing digital fabric and accessories up to the realization of products.

The merger also strengthens Assyst's competitive position in the 3D design sector. Style3D, in turn, will benefit from Assyst's expertise in the development, CAD and digital simulation of apparel products and the access to the international market.

Looking ahead to the future, both parties will offer 2D-based & 3D-based one-stop solutions for business clients leveraging on their global tech base and complementary serviceable resource dominance. On January 24-26, the Assyst-Style3D team will meet clients and present its products at the Assyst Experience at Munich Fabric Start.

ECHA has added nine chemicals to the Candidate List because of their hazardous properties. They are used for example in flame retardants, paints and coatings, inks and toners, coating products, plasticisers and in the manufacture of textile, leather or fur and paper.

Entries added to the Candidate List on 17 January 2023:

• 1,1'-[ethane-1,2-diylbisoxy]bis[2,4,6-tribromobenzene]
• 2,2',6,6'-tetrabromo-4,4'-isopropylidenediphenol
• 4,4'-sulphonyldiphenol
• Barium diboron tetraoxide
• Bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate covering any of the individual isomers and/or combinations thereof
• Isobutyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
• Melamine
• Perfluoroheptanoic acid and its salts
• reaction mass of 2,2,3,3,5,5,6,6-octafluoro-4-(1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropan-2-yl)morpholine and 2,2,3,3,5,5,6,6-octafluoro-4-(heptafluoropropyl)morpholine

Information on these substances' uses and reasons for inclusion on the Candidate List is available here.

January, 3rd, ZDHC announced the release of the updated ZDHC Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres (MMCF) Guidelines Version 2.0, and its supporting document. By publishing these documents the industry shall be pushed forward increasingly innovative and sustainable fibre production.

The ZDHC MMCF Guidelines V2.0 now include the Responsible Fibre Production Guidelines, Wastewater Guidelines and Air Emissions Guidelines as three separate chapters in a single document.

Fibres are key components of production processes in the textile and fashion value chain and it is crucial to reduce the environmental impact of their manufacture. ZDHC guidelines give suppliers producing MMCF unified criteria for measuring output indicators like wastewater, sludge, air emissions and other process-related parameters.

Among other changes, this update reflects the expansion of the scope to accommodate Viscose Filament Yarn, Lyocell, Cuprammonium Rayon (Cupro) and Cellulose Acetate (Acetate). The ZDHC Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres (MMCF) Guidelines V2.0 provide an aligned approach for included fibres, including defined chemical recovery, wastewater and sludge discharge, and air emission discharge.

ZDHC continues to advocate for the improvement of processes which minimise emissions while also working towards the recovery of input substances and by-products. These dual goals, reduction and recovery, directly address the negative impact of outputs arising from MMCF production.

ZDHC MMCF Guidelines Industry Standard Implementation Approach Version 2.0: Additional Industry Support for Implementation
Along with the ZDHC Man-Made Cellulosic Fibres (MMCF) Guidelines V2.0, ZDHC has also updated its ZDHC MMCF Guidelines Industry Standard Implementation Approach. This document aims to support the implementation process of the ZDHC MMCF Guidelines V2.0, and features new implementation timelines that assist suppliers in setting their goals to achieve Foundational, Progressive or Aspirational Level on the ZDHC Supplier Platform.

Over the past year, TMAS, the Swedish Textile Machinery Association, has been working with ClimatePartner on a corporate carbon footprint (CCF) mapping project with its member companies, as a natural step towards supporting a more sustainable textile industry.

Over half of the members of TMAS are participating in the project, which involves calculating each operation’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in order to identify the current climate impact and areas where reductions can be made.

“Integrating climate action into strategies is becoming increasingly important in Europe and we have decided to take a pro-active role,” says TMAS secretary general Therese Premler-Andersson. “There is growing pressure from customers to be more transparant in this area and forthcoming legislation will soon make it necessary for all to take climate actions. TMAS members, however, recognise the benefit of taking action now, not least in terms of taking responsibility and demonstrating credibility.”

The CCF project’s scope examines all aspects of a business split into five areas:

• Facility Management (heating, electricity, water, cooling agents and waste disposal).
• Employee Mobility (commuting and company cars).
• Business Travel (flights travel by train, rental cars).
• Procurement (production, packaging and office materials).
• Logistics (inbound and outbound).

Primary data is being used wherever possible and emission factors originate from internationally recognised databases such as ecoinvent and GEMIS.

The ClimatePartner measurement programme is based on the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol), and factors in all greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. These are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃).

Each of these gases affect the atmosphere differently and remain in the atmosphere for different lengths of time. Rather than reporting on each gas separately, they are expressed as a CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) for the sake of simplicity. A CO₂e is essentially a conversion into a ‘global warming potential’ value that enables the influence of different gases on global warming to be compared.

• Best practices in chemical footprints

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, received top ranking, for the second consecutive year, among the world's 54 largest chemical companies in the ChemScore ranking by ChemSec, for its efforts to reduce its chemical footprint.

IVL is also the only chemical company that uses the Substitute It Now (SIN) List to remove hazardous substances, market safer alternatives, use bio-based and hazard-free recycled feedstocks, and develop low-carbon products. This reinforces IVL’s purpose of ‘reimagining chemistry together to create a better world’ and underscores the company’s support for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Factors that increased IVL’s score include its ambition to use 16% bio-based and 10% recycled raw materials (rPET) as feedstock by 2030, and safer green chemistry substitutions to reduce toxicity from raw materials and production processes. IVL’s Deja™ brand, offering the world's first carbon-neutral PET pellet solution, is a sustainable alternative to reduce environmental impact.

The ChemScore ranking was developed by ChemSec, the non-profit International Chemical Secretariat in Sweden that advocates for safer alternatives to toxic chemicals, provide investors with better information to assess companies with strong chemical management strategies, and increased transparency. The ranking covers hazardous chemical portfolios, the development of safer chemicals and circular products, chemical management and company transparency, and responses to controversies, lawsuits, and regulations.