From the Sector

• New brand Trevira CS eco

After a challenging 2020 for Trevira CS®, a year in which the coronavirus crisis put pressure on the contract market, in particular on the hotel and event sector, and also on the cruise shipping industry, the market is starting to show some signs of improvement. Numerous new developments are seizing upon the trends that have emerged since the crisis began.

Although the coronavirus pandemic had a negative effect on individual business sectors, it also has the potential to open up new market opportunities for flame retardant Trevira CS fabrics in the long run. The increase in people working from home and the longer and more frequent stay within one’s own home have led to a change in perspective in terms of the relevance of interior design. The design of the living space has undergone a revaluation. Sustainability, durability, high quality, and the desire for safe products that contain little to no harmful substances are defining criteria for selecting a new textile interior. The colour range of the new Trevira CS developments is directed specifically towards this trend and often comes across as discreet and close to nature. After Trevira CS products have found their way more and more into private homes, the new Trevira CS collections include numerous attractive textiles not only for the contract sector but also for the residential sector.

In the contract sector, notably in the hotel industry, the trends towards sustainability and quality are likely to continue to grow. Moreover, there is an increase in awareness as far as hygiene requirements are concerned. Textiles that are easy to clean without losing their appearance or their functionality can excel here. Accordingly, products ordinarily used in the healthcare sector might start to be of interest to the hotel and catering industry, public spaces, the transport industry, and to offices. This will apply in particular to areas where there is a regular flow of visitors and where people come into direct contact with fabrics. Antimicrobial textiles provide additional protection in these situations. Besides their flame retardancy, many new Trevira CS products integrate additional functions such as noise or sun protection.

Trevira has launched the Trevira CS eco brand for flame retardant textiles that consist of recycled Trevira products.
The new Trevira CS eco brand unites sustainability and flame retardancy. Trevira offers products for this which have been manufactured through different recycling processes. The flame retardant filament yarns are based on the use of recycled PET bottles (post-consumer recycling). Textiles bearing the Trevira CS eco trademark consist of at least 50% recycled materials.

Trevira uses an agglomeration facility to recycle reusable waste materials from production to manufacture recycled fibres that, after further processing, retain the same quality and performance characteristics as the original products (pre-consumer recycling).

• Ramping Up Production of American-Made Polyester Tipped Swabs

The Biden Administration has awarded a contract for $6.5 million to U.S. Cotton LLC, the largest manufacturer of cotton swabs in the United States, to increase domestic production capability for polyester tipped swabs for home testing kits and mass testing applications to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since the beginning of the pandemic, U.S. Cotton has retooled operations to produce over 400 million COVID testing kit swabs.

The Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced the award today as part of the administration’s broader effort to increase domestic production capability for essential medical supplies.

U.S. Cotton, based in Cleveland, Ohio, said the company will increase its production capacity from 92 million polyester swab tips per month to approximately 371 million polyester swab tips per month by May 2022 to support domestic COVID-19 testing. The DOD contract award was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to support the domestic industry base expansion for critical medical resources.

John Nims, President of U.S. Cotton said, “We are proud to be involved in a national effort to help deploy these testing kit swabs for the American people. These swabs are designed to make it easier for people at home to self-administer coronavirus tests and will also be used for mass testing applications, which is critically important. We greatly appreciate the collaboration with DOD and HHS to ramp up essential capacity of polyester-based synthetic swabs that will help in the fight against the pandemic.

“We continue to step up to meet our nation’s critical need for American-made coronavirus testing kit swabs on a massive scale. It is an honor to work with our government to help fight this pandemic and use our innovative technologies based here in the United States to fill a national and global demand for testing kits. I especially want to thank Senator Brown and Senator Portman for all their incredible support to help us retool and expand our operations in Cleveland. We can’t thank them enough for their tireless work and also want to recognize their hard working staff. As the Delta variant surges across the country, this timely investment will help in the fight against COVID by adding this much-needed, long-term surge capacity.”

Kim Glas, President and CEO of NCTO, said, “We want to sincerely thank President Biden, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services for leading this critical industrial expansion effort. We appreciate the administration’s commitment to expand the U.S. industrial base for these essential products.  We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to onshore these critical supply chains long-term and we look forward to working with the administration and Congress to advance long-term solutions.”

In light of recent Covid-19 cases in China, the Autumn Editions of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles and Yarn Expo will be rescheduled to 9 – 11 October 2021. The fairs were originally due to take place at the end of August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd explained: “To comply with the government guidelines for pandemic containment and following discussions with our stakeholders, we have made the decision to postpone the fairs from their original August timing. To allow our exhibitors and buyers as much time as possible to plan ahead, we have already confirmed new dates with the fairground for the three concurrent fairs: 9 – 11 October.”

“I would like to thank the participants of all three fairs for their understanding and ongoing support as we continue to operate in uncertain times. We remain dedicated to providing a quality international trading platform for three sectors for the autumn / winter sourcing season, and our overseas suppliers will still be able to participate through our hybrid exhibition scheme if they are unable to be in Shanghai in-person.”

Exhibitors or visitors with any queries about these fairs should email textile@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com, or visit the fairs’ respective websites:
•    Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics: https://intertextileapparel.hk.messefrankfurt.com/
•    Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles: https://intertextilehome.hk.messefrankfurt.com/
•    Yarn Expo: www.yarnexpochina.com

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. The co-organisers of Yarn Expo are Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA).

• Forecast raised for 2021

Based on the encouraging business performance in the first half of 2021 and the transformation successes, SGL Carbon expects strong Group results for the first six months of 2021 and raises its guidance for fiscal year 2021.

The company expects to exceed the upper end of the stated range of its Group EBITDA pre1 guidance (earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation adjusted by non-recurring items and one-time effects) for fiscal year 2021 of EUR 100 to 120 million and raises the EBITDA pre guidance for 2021 to EUR 130 –140 million.

SGL Carbon's sales forecast is also increased slightly to approximately EUR 1.0 billion for the current fiscal year, up from EUR 920 – 970 million originally. The company expects free cash flow for the full year to be correspondingly above the forecast of EUR 20 million given at the beginning of the year. A slightly positive consolidated net result is also predicted for 2021.

Previously, the company had assumed a consolidated net result of between EUR -20 million and EUR 0. According to preliminary figures, SGL Carbon expects Group sales for H1 2021 of around EUR 496 million (H1 2020: EUR 456.5 million). This corresponds to an increase of around 9% compared to the same period of the previous year. Based on the sales increase and the cost effects achieved from the transformation, EBITDA pre (EBITDA before non-recurring items and one-time effects) increased to around EUR 72 million in the first six months of 2021 (H1 2020: EUR 42.0 million).

The updated forecast for fiscal 2021 has been prepared on the basis of the prevailing market environment and assumes no deterioration in conditions due to the corona pandemic. In particular, it is based on the assumption that purchasing prices and logistics chains remain stable and production lines remain in operation. The communicated medium-term targets up to 2025 remain unaffected by the forecast adjustment. SGL Carbon will release its 2021 half-year figures as planned on August 12, 2021.

• Fraunhofer, SABIC, and Procter & Gamble join forces
• The Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Circular Plastics Economy CCPE and its Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT have developed an advanced recycling process for used plastics.
• The pilot project with SABIC and Procter & Gamble serves to demonstrate the feasibility of closed-loop recycling for single-use facemasks.

Due to COVID-19, use of billions of disposable facemasks is raising environmental concerns especially when they are thoughtlessly discarded in public spaces, including - parks, open-air venues and beaches. Apart from the challenge of dealing with such huge volumes of essential personal healthcare items in a sustainable way, simply throwing the used masks away for disposal on landfill sites or in incineration plants represents a loss of valuable feedstock for new material.

“Recognizing the challenge, we set out to explore how used facemasks could potentially be returned into the value chain of new facemask production”, says Dr. Peter Dziezok, Director R&D Open Innovation at P&G. “But creating a true circular solution from both a sustainable and an economically feasible perspective takes partners. Therefore, we teamed up with Fraunhofer CCPE and Fraunhofer UMSICHT’s expert scientists and SABIC’s Technology & Innovation specialists to investigate potential solutions.”

As part of the pilot, P&G collected used facemasks worn by employees or given to visitors at its manufacturing and research sites in Germany. Although those masks are always disposed of responsibly, there was no ideal route in place to recycle them efficiently. To help demonstrate a potential step change in this scenario, special collection bins were set up, and the collected used masks were sent to Fraunhofer for further processing in a dedicated research pyrolysis plant.

“A single-use medical product such as a face mask has high hygiene requirements, both in terms of disposal and production. Mechanical recycling, would have not done the job”, explains Dr. Alexander Hofmann, Head of Department Recycling Management at Fraunhofer UMSICHT. “In our solution, therefore, the masks were first automatically shredded and then thermochemically converted to pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis breaks the plastic down into molecular fragments under pressure and heat, which will also destroy any residual pollutants or pathogens, such as the Coronavirus. In this way it is possible to produce feedstock for new plastics in virgin quality that can also meet the requirements for medical products”, adds Hofmann, who is also Head of Research Department “Advanced Recycling” at Fraunhofer CCPE.

The pyrolysis oil was then sent to SABIC to be used as feedstock for the production of new PP resin. The resins were produced using the widely recognized principle of mass balance to combine the alternative feedstock with fossil-based feedstock in the production process. Mass balance is considered a crucial bridge between today’s large scale linear economy and the more sustainable circular economy of the future, which today is operated on a smaller scale but is expected to grow quickly.

“The high-quality circular PP polymer obtained in this pilot clearly demonstrates that closed-loop recycling is achievable through active collaboration of players from across the value chain”, emphasizes Mark Vester, Global Circular Economy Leader at SABIC. “The circular material is part of our TRUCIRCLE™ portfolio, aimed at preventing valuable used plastic from becoming waste and at mitigating the depletion of fossil resources.”

Finally, to close the loop, the PP polymer was supplied to P&G, where it was processed into non-woven fibers material. “This pilot project has helped us to assess if the close loop approach could work for hygienic and medical grade plastics”, says Hansjörg Reick, P&G Senior Director Open Innovation. “Of course, further work is needed but the results so far have been very encouraging.”

The entire closed loop pilot project from facemask collection to production was developed and implemented within seven months. The transferability of advanced recycling to other feedstocks and chemical products is being further researched at Fraunhofer CCPE.

• The Techtextil and Texprocess trade fairs have a positive view of the future and invite the sector to take part at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre from 21 to 24 June 2022.
• Exhibitors who register well in advance benefit from an early-booking discount.

The dates for the next editions of Techtextil and Texprocess have been set and the leading international trade fairs for technical textiles and nonwovens and for the processing of textile and flexible materials are set to attract exhibitors and trade visitors from all over the world to Frankfurt am Main from 21 to 24 June 2022. Thus, the fairs are shifting the biennial cycle of events from odd to even years, which fits in perfectly with the sector’s international event calendar. Companies that book exhibition space at one of the two trade fairs no later than 31 August 2021 benefit from an early booking discount. “We see the future in a positive light and are confident that we will finally be able to give the sector the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas and information in June 2022. The desire for personal encounters, direct communication and new impressions is growing from day to day”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles and Textile Technologies.

Elgar Straub, Managing Director, VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, emphasises that, “Texprocess and Techtextil are the world’s foremost trade fairs for our innovative sector by a large margin. Both events offer customers an unrivalled overview of state-of-the-art innovations and technological developments – and beyond. Particularly when it comes to the latest trends for sustainability and digitalisation, Texprocess and Techtextil in Frankfurt represent the most important, future-oriented market. This makes it all the more important for both the exhibitor and visitor sides of the sector that we have the opportunity to obtain an overview of the latest market developments, to exchange ideas and information and to initiate new business. We are very relieved about this and hope that, next year, we will once again have the chance to generate new momentum for our sector in the international market.”

For the first time, Techtextil and Texprocess will occupy the western sector of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre with a total of four exhibition halls and, with a hybrid format, offer the best of both the physical and immaterial worlds: personal communication, virtual networking opportunities and maximum digital coverage. With a comprehensive hygiene and safety concept, Messe Frankfurt will ensure that all visitors and exhibitors can take part safely and with a good feeling.

The PERFORMANCE DAYS summer edition took place as a Digital Fair Week from May 17 to 21, 2021. By extending the event to an entire week of the fair, the PERFORMANCE DAYS team, in cooperation with the Functional Fabric Fair by PERFORMANCE DAYS, was able to provide even more opportunities for intensive networking and interactive exchange for industry insiders to catch up on the latest innovations and participate in exciting expert talks, supplier workshops and panel discussions.

Informative, innovative and international: new sourcing platform THE LOOP
The Digital Fair Week was introduced for the first time at the summer edition as part of PERFORMANCE DAYS LOOPS. The sourcing platform was launched in the first half of 2021 together with US Partner Functional Fabric Fair by PERFORMANCE DAYS. With much success, as proven by the great enthusiasm shown by exhibitors, trade fair visitors and fabric manufacturers. The MARKETPLACE area, which showcased some 10.000 products and around 400 curated, sustainable fabrics and accessories from more than 170 international exhibitors, enjoyed particular popularity as part of the Digital Fair.

Another extremely popular and particularly well-attended attraction was the 3D FORUM, which tested hand-selected fabrics for their material properties as part of the digital fair week, to be visualized ultimately as a 3D scan.
Also for the spring/summer 2023 season, the jury presented two awards for outstanding fabrics – so in addition to the presentation of the PERFORMANCE AWARD, won by Trenchant Textiles, the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD was presented to the winner, Utenos Trikotazas.

Professional, versatile and informative: Program with Expert Talks
A total of 17 live talks from 30+ speakers followed by a question-and-answer session, under the guidance of moderator and freelancer Astrid Schlüchter, formed the basis of the digital fair supporting program from May 17 to 19. All talks, webinars and panel discussions are available on demand via THE LOOP platform.

The PERFORMANCE DAYS Team has once again succeeded in providing the industry with an almost real trade fair experience despite being held digitally. Via the Digital Fair Platform, which was activated explicitly for the trade fair week, trade fair visitors can enter into interactive exchange, including matchmaking and networking activities.

The premiere of the Functional Textiles Shanghai by PERFORMANCE DAYS fair takes place in Shanghai in September 28-29 as well as in Portland in October 27-28, 2021, with the planned hybrid event in Munich scheduled for December 1 and 2, 2021.

“The consequences of the ongoing pandemic spread of the coronavirus continue to govern our personal and professional lives. It is with a heavy heart that we must cancel the physical events in July, since these are not allowed to take place given the current legal constraints. Due to the lack of certainty for planning and new monthly evaluation we need to fulfil our obligations as event organiser and avoid unforeseeable risks for partners and clients.” Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the PREMIUM GROUP

A lack of permissions, adjustments to official measures at short notice, travel restrictions within Europe and overseas, potential quarantine obligations, short-term work in many companies – overall, a volatile situation makes it impossible to press ahead with the necessary planning in a responsible, risk-free way, especially for the exhibitors and partners.

Because of this, the organizers are now forced to cancel SEEK, PREMIUM and FASHIONTECH events in July 2021 and move them to January 2022 instead. Safeguarding the health and safety of exhibitors, guests, partners and employees always takes top priority.

SEEK and PREMIUM are live events and therefore spaces for engaging with others face-to-face. They are a vital meeting point for the whole industry that can only be augmented by our digital offerings. Under the current unpredictable conditions the usual levels of service cannot be guaranteed for clients and visitors.

July will see the start of Frankfurt Fashion Week (FFW) digital. Frankfurt Fashion Week Studio is the core element of the FFW opening season and encompasses the whole FFW ecosystem – with its key themes of Fashion Business, sustainability and digitisation – in the form of a digital portal.

FFW Studio is a progressively curated and staged platform that brings together all German fashion trade shows, conferences, fashion experiences and events under one roof for the first time. First as a digital venue, then as a hybrid one. For pioneers, brands, experiences, entertainment and networking.

“Over the past year we have felt a great sense of solidarity. The industry has given us enormous encouragement and the assurance that we are not only missed but needed. So we want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We can't wait to get together in a few short months’ time to present concepts and projects, meet up face-to-face, and shape the future together. Now more than ever!” Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the PREMIUM GROUP   

• European Apparel and Textile Confederation EURATEX welcomes revamped EU Industry Strategy, but calls for consistency across EU policies

Europe’s industry is going through turbulent times as a result of the corona-pandemic; turnover in textiles and clothing sector dropped between 10 and 20%. However, even bigger challenges lie ahead: serious disruptions in supply chains, soaring energy prices and protective tendencies are threatening the competitiveness of our industry.

Against that background, the revised EU Industry Strategy – launched on May, 5 - is addressing very relevant issues, and underlines the need to think carefully about Europe’s industrial base. EURATEX welcomes the initiative, including the focus on 14 “eco-systems” and the proposal to develop privileged partnerships with trusted partners.

At the same time, EURATEX calls for more consistency by the EU across its different policy areas. Director General Dirk Vantyghem commented: “We welcome the recognition that we need a strong industrial base in Europe, but at the same time are struggling to maintain that base, as our companies face significant challenges related to over-regulation and raising energy and supply costs. It feels like one hand offering you help, while the other hand squeezes you tight”.

Looking at the global perspective, EURATEX is not calling to close the European borders; our industrial model relies on accessing global markets. But clearly, there is a need to establish global rules to ensure fair competition, and make sure these rules are properly implemented and controlled. Also today’s proposal to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies in the Single Market, should be welcomed in this context.

Dirk Vantyghem concluded: “European textiles and clothing industry went through turbulent times. Today, as part of this new EU Industry Strategy, we have an opportunity to build a new business model, based on innovation, quality, sustainability and fairness. We look forward to develop that new EU Textile strategy with all stakeholders involved.”

The antimicrobial protection of Sanitized® T 99-19 against the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been confirmed by independent labs in France (basis: ISO 18184:2019).

Textile and polymer products with Sanitized® antimicrobial treatment have been used in hygiene-sensitive areas for many years. For textiles, Sanitized® T 99-19 is a patented technology based on a silane-ammonia compound, a globally proven product. Its hygiene function is used in workwear and protective clothing for nursing staff, bed linen or mattresses in hotels, nursing care facilities and hospitals. Polyester goods for precisely these areas of application can now not only be antimicrobial, but also reliably protective against SARS CoV-2.

The antiviral efficacy (99.84 %) of the Sanitized® T 99-19 product has been officially confirmed by tests conducted by external labs.

Tests on end products, which were additionally carried out by textile manufacturers, also prove the effectiveness of Sanitized® T 99-19 against SARS CoV-2. License partners praise this confidence-building benefit of the end products. SANITIZED license partners receive concrete support in terms of marketing and legal aspects (health claims).

Avoid legal pitfalls when claiming antiviral protection
Advice and support for customers in achieving optimal hygiene protection for their products are an integral part of SANITIZED services. A claim guide has therefore been developed especially for products that protect against COVID-19.
https://www.sanitized.com/de/protection-against-covid-19-which-antiviral-advertising-claimsare-legal-sanitized-explains/