The International Textile Machinery Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) Director General Dr. Christian Schindler shares his thoughts about the organization and the textile industry ahead of the 2024 ITMF annual conference.

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The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) is a Switzerland-based organization dedicated to the global textile industry. Its mission statement includes a commitment to connect, inform and represent its member companies all with a mind to strengthen relations both within and outside of the textile industry.

Member companies are able to cooperate on an international level with other members as well as organizations representing sectors allied to their industries. ITMF provides members with surveys, studies and publications, and also hosts an annual conference for learning and networking opportunities.

Dr. Christian Schindler is director general of ITMF. He recently chatted with Textile World about the organization, benefits of membership and ITMF’s upcoming annual conference to be held later this year in Uzbekistan, among other topics.

Textile World: ITMF has attracted a diverse group of members. Why do members join? What are the benefits of membership?

Schindler: ITMF is a platform for the entire textile value chain spanning all segments from fiber producers to producers of home textiles and garments including textile machinery producers and even retailers. Associations and companies join ITMF because they benefit from a unique set of statistics, reports and surveys, as well as from a unique network that looks at the entire textile value chain. Being part of a global network helps international-oriented companies to better under-stand the dynamics of the global textile value chain. Building an international network of colleagues and friends is an important aspect of joining ITMF.

TW: Please tell readers who are unfamiliar with ITMF about the data that ITMF collects and the publications and reports that are available to members.

Schindler: There are several statistics that ITMF publishes on a regular basis. First, for around 50 years, ITMF has published the annual so called “International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics” (ITMSS), which is a compilation of shipments of new textile machinery to any country in the world. This publication illustrates how many new ring-spindles, rotors, texturing spindles, shuttleless looms, large circular knitting machines or tenters were shipped to any country in any given year. People can see the investment intensities as well as the major investment destinations.

Second, the so called “International Production Cost Comparison” (IPCC) has been published every other year since the 1980s. In this publication, the production costs in U.S. dollars of yarns down to the finished fabrics are compared in 14 different countries/regions around the world. This publication helps to understand the cost competitiveness of a country/region.

Third, ITMF’s “Global Textile Industry Survey” (GTIS), which is conducted every other month, provides the entire textile value chain with information about the state and outlook of the industry covering all segments from fiber producers to producers of home textiles, garments and technical textiles and regions from South America to East Asia. There are also other publications like the “International Textile Industry Statistics” (ITIS) that provides data about machinery capacities and fiber consumption in countries around the world.

TW: What were the main results of the 26th GTIS, the most recent survey as of TW’s press time?

Schindler: ITMF’s 26th GTIS clearly highlighted that the entire textile value chain is faced with a very difficult business situation. As the graph shows (see Figure 1), the balance between companies claiming to have a “good” business situation — 13 percent — and a “poor” one — 42 percent — is -29 percentage points (pp). Business expectations remained positive at +25pp, which is what we saw in the March survey.

The reason for this lack-luster business situation is the lack of demand and higher costs for energy, raw materials, logistics, labor, or capital which is weighing heavily on companies’ profit margins (See Figure 2). Of course, geopolitics with wars in Ukraine and Gaza were, and are, not helping to improve business and consumer confidence.

Nevertheless, the survey also revealed that there are more companies seeing a more favorable business environment in six months— 36 percent — than a less favorable one — 11 percent. But it seems also clear that there will only be a gradual improvement given the fact that 53 percent of respondents expect that the business situation will be unchanged in six months. It can be said that there is the hope that the downward cycle that started at the end of 2022 is coming to an end in 2024, which can be regarded as a transition year.

TW: As someone with an inherent international perspective, how do you perceive each of the active economic areas — North America, Mexico, Central and South America, Europe, China, India and Southeast Asia — in terms of opportunities, challenges, growth and specialization? Any specific areas that could be high-lighted for strong growth or a lack of growth?”

Schindler: I think that the U.S. economy is the one that has outperformed all developed economies in 2023 and continues going strong in 2024. While demand remains relatively strong, the U.S. retail industry was, and still is, sitting on inventory that was built up in 2021 and 2022. Once inventories move back to normal levels — and they are slowing coming down since the end of 2022 — brands and retailers will start placing more orders again. Another country that is seeing strong growth is India, which was the fastest growing developing country in 2023.The country has a strong domestic market whose retail market is becoming more and more mature and continues growing driven by demographics and by attracting more and more investments. Therefore, it provides a lot of opportunities to the textile and apparel industry. China has seen a decent growth in 2023, albeit from low 2022 levels. The country is still by far the largest producer of textiles and apparel and has an enormous domestic market to serve. Nevertheless, the country is faced with challenges like a shrinking population, a troubled real estate market, a deflationary tendency and persistent youth unemployment. Europe is still struggling the most as it was more strongly impacted by rising energy prices. Just like in 2023, the world economy is growing at around 3 percent in 2024. This is lower than the historic level of almost 4 percent between 2010-2019.

TW: The United States is in an election year and inflation is in the news even in the textile industry. Is inflation a global issue at the moment? Is inflation affecting European machinery manufacturers and/or affecting investment in various regions?

Schindler: In general, inflation is a global phenomenon that was fueled by several factors. Fiscal and monetary policies around the world were expansionary at the start of the pandemic which provided companies and consumers with a lot of needed support. While demand surged in 2021 and 2022, supply chains were disrupted and sometimes broken. Products or semi-products were in high demand that supply could not meet, and shipping containers were not where they were needed, for example.

All this led to supply and demand imbalances that resulted in rising prices. Furthermore, rising energy prices in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 added to higher costs and dampened demand. As of the end of 2022, the textile and textile machinery industries found themselves in a perfect storm of rising costs and dwindling demand. Consumers saw their disposable income fall in 2023. But with inflation falling back significantly since the peak in early 2023 and higher nominal wages across many industries, real wages are growing again which should eventually strengthen demand. As for investments, textile machinery companies are struggling just like textile companies. In 2023, some machinery producers benefited from a long order backlog, while order income remained low. Given the low order intake in the textile industry, only companies with a solid balance sheet will be able to invest now and prepare for the upswing that will eventually come.

TW: In September, ITMF will host its annual conference, which for the first time will be held jointly with the International Apparel Federation (IAF). What are the benefits of hosting a joint event with the IAF?

Schindler: The main benefit is that we will have one event for the global textile value chain and that all those persons that are affiliated with both organizations will only need to travel once. Furthermore, the strength of two organizations coming together for one event will provide additional insights for each other’s members.

TW: Why Uzbekistan and what unique opportunities does the location offer? How does hosting the event benefit the textile industry in Uzbekistan?

Schindler: Uzbekistan has seen enormous change in the last 10 years, especially since the new president, Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, started to transform and open the country. The number of private investments in the cotton, textile and apparel industry is significant. ITMF’s International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics reveals that especially in cotton spinning machinery Uzbekistan — with a population of around 35 million — was among the five biggest investors during the past 10 years. But also in the other downstream segments, a lot of investments took place. Worth noting is the important fact that Uzbekistan was also able to get rid of the so-called cotton ban in 2022, introduced in 2010 by the cotton campaign, a coalition of human rights NGOs, independent trade unions, brand associations, responsible investors and academics. Uzbekistan is the “new kid on the block” that offers interesting sourcing alternatives being located between China, India and Europe.

TW: For someone who has never attended an ITMF annual conference before, what can they expect from the event?What are your hopes for the attendees?

Schindler: First, all attendees will learn of course a lot about the Uzbek textile and apparel industry, but also about the country that is one of the safest countries in the world and that it offers a lot of history and culture as well as very divers and attractive landscape. Second, the conference will cover very important topics like how regulations in different regions will impact the global textile industry, and how innovation and collaboration will shape the way companies will produce and serve markets. The general theme “Innovation, Collaboration & Regulation — Drivers of the Textile & Apparel Industry” will serve as a guideline for the discussions among industry experts. One important aspect of the ITMF & IAF Conference 2024 is certainly the unique opportunity to meet colleagues and friends from around the world from the entire textile value chain.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

NCTO Chairman Norman Chapman outlined key industry facts and explained policy issues during NCTO’s 20th annual meeting.

By Norman Chapman

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) represents the full spectrum of the U.S. textile sector — a production chain that employees 502,000 workers nationwide and produces almost $64.8 billion in output annually. We are an essential industry that equips U.S. warfighters and one that pivoted overnight to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID pandemic.

The U.S. textile industry has made significant investments in the United States. Its innovations are unparalleled and its contributions to local communities and the U.S. economy are critical.

While the domestic textile industry is a key contributor to the U.S. economy and critical part of the military and public health industrial base, our sector is facing a crisis of historic pro-portions as the result of rapidly deteriorating market conditions coupled with unchecked foreign predatory trade practices and diminished customs enforcement activities.

On the economic front last year, our industry saw historic inflationary pressures, a severe global slowdown, weak consumer demand, a glut of retail inventory that translated into poor demand for future orders of textiles, and a contraction in manufacturing.

The fallout also extends beyond our borders to hemispheric partners— parties to U.S. free trade agreements including CAFTA-DR and USMCA — who, along with U.S. textile producers, form an integrated, vertical textile and apparel coproduction chain and represent the counter-weight to production in Asia.

To address these troubling trends, NCTO has been highly engaged with industry allies in Congress and the Biden administration to confront the severe crisis and challenging issues facing the industry.

NCTO hosted or participated in numerous congressional and administration visits throughout 2023 and into early 2024.

In July, NCTO executives and staff united to participate in a critical Washington fly-in and met with some of the most powerful members of Congress as well as the nation’s top trade chief.

We outlined policies critical to NCTO membership including: closing the de minimis loophole; strengthening customs enforcement; holding China accountable; strengthening our domestic procurement laws; maintaining the yarn-forward textile rule in CAFTA-DR and other trade agreements; and passing the Farm Bill and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), which are so critical to our domestic industrial base.

We are literally making national news every night on de minimis. This is no longer an issue that is on page three of national news; it’s on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and Time magazine.

This is a massive, coordinated effort involving NCTO and textile industry leaders who have had significant accomplishments that have turned the tide and changed the trends of conversations in Washington.

We cannot thank those members enough who do so very much to support our activities and go way above and beyond.

Especially given the velocity of things coming at us this year — several members repeatedly came to town like Andy Warlick, Eddie Ingle, David Smith, and so many other leaders.

We met with the highest levels of the cabinet and the highest levels of the Congress. Our industry’s effectiveness, breadth and prowess was noticed by all, and the urgency of what we were asking for as an industry became a huge priority for everyone in Washington — no matter the party affiliation. Recently, Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) team responded to our urgent calls for a significantly stepped up textile and apparel enforcement plan to help address trade fraud — and that wouldn’t have happened without the concerted effort by the NCTO staff and the members who engaged here in Washington.

NCTO’s work is noted at the highest levels of our government. In July, President Joe Biden made a historic visit to NCTO member Auburn Manufacturing Inc. in Mechanic Falls, Maine, elevating the U.S. textile industry’s profile and reinforcing its competitiveness and economic contribution. This is the first visit to the industry by a sit-ting president in decades.

I would like to sincerely thank our staff, led by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas and the entire hard working NCTO team, as well as our industry leadership for successfully navigating through challenging economic times and polarization in Congress, while partnering with the administration and key congressional offices to secure a number of critical achievements last year.

NCTO’s effective advocacy efforts resulted in a long list of accomplishments in 2023, including intensifying pressure on Congress and the administration to close the de minimis waiver system and step up enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFPLA) and import fraud; safeguarding the integrity of our free trade agreements; enhancing government procurement of U.S. textile-based products; and maintaining a strong position on China trade enforcement including tariffs on finished textiles and apparel.

Before laying out NCTO’s policy wins in 2023, I want to quickly recap how the industry fared “by the numbers” last year.

By The Numbers

Given the economic and trade headwinds the industry faced in 2023, the fact that the industry only registered slight declines in some of the key metrics is a testament to its resilience and strength. In 2023, the value of U.S. man-made fiber, textile and apparel shipments totaled an estimated $64.8 billion compared with $67.4 billion in shipments in 2022.¹

Here are additional key industry facts:

• U.S. exports of fibers, textiles and apparel were $29.7 billion in 2023 compared with $33.9 billion in 2022.²
• The United States is the second largest individual country exporter of textile-related products in the world.
• The U.S. textile and apparel industry invested $20.9 billion in new plants and equipment from 2012 to 2021, the last year data is currently available for this figure. Recently, U.S. manufacturers have opened new facilities throughout the textile production chain, including recycling facilities to convert textile and other waste to new textile uses and resins.³

Onshoring and nearshoring trends continued to strengthen Made in USA production and our vital coproduction chain with the Western Hemisphere, while NCTO continued to press for effective enactment of policies in Washington aimed at expanding Berry and buy American rules to fuel growth in American-made products for the military, PPE and federal agencies.
At the end of the day, some key fundamentals for the U.S. textile industry remained sound, while others weakened due to the issues outlined above. We remain committed to growing our businesses and working with the administration and Congress to help shape effective policies that will ensure future expansion of this vital and strategic industry.

While we expect to see ongoing challenges this year, which will test our resolve, we know collectively as an industry this will not weaken our resilience or our innovative spirit.

Policy Issues

Now, I would like to highlight a few accomplishments NCTO staff achieved during the year.
Customs Enforcement — NCTO actively engaged with the administration and Congress to press for stepped up enforcement against unfair trade practices by China and other foreign competitors, sounding the alarm on the damaging impact this fraudulent activity is having on U.S. textile producers and our Western Hemisphere trade partners. We called on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to immediately step-up enforcement against slave labor in supply chains under the UFLPA, fraudulent origin claims under free trade agreements, “de minimis” shipments that facilitate illegal trade, largely bypass duties and inspection, and put the industry at a competitive disadvantage.

Another significant accomplishment was coordination on a bipartisan letter led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) calling on CBP to ensure Chinese companies aren’t evading U.S. laws against forced labor and costing American jobs, by stepping up oversight and enforcement provisions in trade agreements with Central American and North American trading partners. As a result of these efforts, DHS Secretary Mayorkas announced a comprehensive textile enforcement plan to address enforcement concerns raised by the industry recently — this made the top of the Wall Street Journal.
De Minimis — The Section 321 De Minimis provision continued to be at the forefront of congressional scrutiny and hearings, with both Democrats and Republicans weighing in with concerns on this legal provision in U.S. trade law.

The impact of this loophole is devastating, facilitating nearly 4 mil-lion imported shipments a day that may contain goods made with forced labor, counterfeits, toxic products, and illicit narcotics such as fentanyl.

NCTO leaders held several meetings with lawmakers and the administration and testified at a key congressional hearing and a roundtable, amplifying the critical need to close this loophole that is hurting our members and giving China a duty-free backdoor to our market. We worked with allies like Rep. Dan Bishop who held two hearings drawing attention to de minimis and how it makes policing the UFLPA impossible. NCTO and our industry is leading the way to close this loophole.

In addition, several members of Congress weighed in with letters to President Biden to close this loophole, including a joint letter from Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a separate letter led by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and a letter led by Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)

Three bills were introduced in 2023 — including bills from Senator Brown and Representative Earl Blu-menauer (D-Ore.) — to combat de minimis abuse.

In February of this year, NCTO worked to build a coalition of diverse stakeholders to launch the Coalition to Close the De Minimis Loophole, representing thousands of voices from the families of victims of fentanyl fatalities and nonprofit and nonpartisan organizations to labor unions, domestic law enforcement associations, domestic manufacturers and business associations.

Several coalition members participated in a press conference with Representative Blumenauer and other congressional members to elevate the issue, which was covered by several news outlets and have sent numerous communications to the Hill.

There are numerous other issues requiring NCTO’s focus and resources, such as advocating for full enforcement of the Make PPE in America Act, amplifying support for the Section 301 case against China’s intellectual property abuses, promoting tariffs on finished products, and the need to pass a new Miscellaneous Tariff Bill with immediate and full retroactivity.
Due to time constraints, I cannot delve into all these important issues. But please know that without exception, NCTO is highly engaged on every policy matter that affects the U.S. textile industry with the intent of shaping policy determinations in a manner that directly benefits U.S. textile investment, production and workforce.

Industry leadership and involvement is of paramount importance. From contributions to NCTO’s TextilePAC to arranging congressional visits, the industry can make a difference and help raise the level of awareness about its importance to the overall U.S. economy and workforce, and to the local and state economies it supports.

Conclusion

The business environment for the year ahead will continue to be rife with challenges for our industry and likely will lead to additional plant closures and layoffs, which we have already seen in the first quarter of 2024. But I remain cautiously optimistic for the following reason: NCTO’s strong advocacy on behalf of the industry in helping institute policies that support our industry, reform ill-conceived policies, and fend off challenges to our strong free trade agreement rules.

In 2024, we will continue to engage with Congress and the administration on critical policy issues impacting our industry and I am confident we will achieve positive policy wins for this industry as a unified voice in Washington.

We will continue to work in conjunction with our Western Hemisphere trading partners and capitalize on the onshoring and nearshoring trends that we are seeing and strengthen our co-production chain, investment and employment.

That concludes my formal remarks.

On a personal note, I have been honored to serve as chairman of a highly effective organization and dedicated staff and I know I hand it over to our new chairman who is well positioned to navigate the headwinds and trade battles.

I truly am optimistic about the innovative strength of the industry and its resilience to economic and trade challenges. With the support of this effective trade and lobbying organization in Washington, we can over-come unforeseen challenges and continue to cement our position as an integral sector to the U.S. economy and the Western Hemisphere.

References:
¹ U.S. Census Bureau Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories and Orders (M3) Survey, and Annual Survey of Manufacturers (ASM) value of shipments for NAICS 313, 314, 315 & 32522, 2021 data used to estimate NAICS 32522 figure.

² U.S. Department of Commerce data for Export Group
0: Textiles and Apparel

³ U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Capital Expenditures Survey (ACES), NAICS 313, 314 & 315

Editor’s Notes: Norman Chapman is president and CEO of Inman, S.C.-based Inman Mills. He served as the 2023 NCTO chairman. At the annual meeting in Washington, Charles Heilig, president of Gastonia, N.C.-based Parkdale Mills, succeeded Chapman as NCTO chairman; and Chuck Hall, president and CEO of Spartanburg, S.C.-based Barnet, was elected vice chairman.

The North American Industry Classifica-tion System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. NAICS Subsector 313 covers Textile Mills, sub-sector 314 covers Textile Product Mills and subsector 315 covers Apparel.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Textile World recently spoke with Dr. Andreas Raps, the newly appointed CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials.

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The Germany-based Freudenberg Group originally began as a tannery in 1849. Over the past 175 years, the company has grown and evolved into a global technology company providing products, services and solutions to its customers. The company is celebrating this milestone birthday under the tagline “Curious Since 1849.”

Freudenberg comprises some 10 business groups— making products across 40 market segments for thousands of different applications — and among them is the Freudenberg Performance Materials group. The focus of Freudenberg Performance Materials is innovative technical textiles that are used in a myriad of markets including apparel, auto-motive, building materials, energy, filter media, healthcare, footwear and leather goods. The business group— with its 32 manufacturing sites in 14 countries employing 5,100 people —generated sales of more than 1.4 billion euros ($1.51 billion) in 2023.

Dr. Andreas Raps became the CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials in January 2024. While he is new to this role, he is in his twentieth year with the company and joined the executive council back in 2020. Textile World recently had the chance to speak with Dr. Raps to learn more about the company as well as his thoughts about the current business environment and keys for success, among other topics. Dr. Raps said that while this is a new position for him, he is very familiar with the company after spending 20 years as an employee — although his 20 out of 175, he noted with a smile, is not so much.

TW: What makes Freudenberg unique in the textile/performance materials sector?

Dr. Raps: We are celebrating a special birthday this year — 175 years of Freudenberg, which is really a wow! I’m really happy to talk about why Freudenberg Performance Materials is unique. Our innovation strengths, research and development capabilities, our broad technology platform —one of the broadest in the industry — and our global footprint make the company unique. We are a full solutions provider. Then last, but not least, our outstanding teams. Our people really make the difference and I’m very proud to be the CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials. I’m traveling a lot right now and I meet many new faces every single day. I receive very warm welcomes and we have very open and trusting discussions that underline our culture is a very special one.

TW: What are the company’s greatest strengths and how do you differentiate from competitors?

Dr. Raps: When we talk about differentiation from our competitors, I would say we start with customer centricity. Freudenberg would not have survived 175 years without listening to and anticipating the customer’s voice. My philosophy is to start with the pain points of customers and develop valuable solutions that meet their needs. I really think when we talk about innovation capabilities, we have a very good value proposition.

Also, our global footprint allows us to follow a local-for-local strategy. Our approach is always to serve local markets with local footprint. In addition, the Performance Materials group is part of the family-owned, long-term-oriented and financially solid Freudenberg Group. This presents us with a lot of opportunities. We are in a safe harbor. We are not looking into quarterly developments, but more long-term topics.

TW: Recently the Freudenberg Group shared that it had achieved record profits in 2023. What do you believe were the keys to this success? How did the textile segments con-tribute to the company’s overall success?

Dr. Raps: As a member of the executive council of Freudenberg Group, I can tell you that we are a diverse technology-driven company that transforms in-depth expertise into added value solutions for our customers, who appreciate those partnerships. I repeat myself, but those partnerships are for the long run. We are not looking into single points of supply. We are in partnerships for decades and I think this makes a difference.

I would say Freudenberg Performance Materials had a reasonable year overall. We saw strong performance in some segments such as gas diffusion layers for fuel cells, condensation control and healthcare.

In 2024, we have faced severe headwinds due to geopolitical circumstances and rising interest rates that lead to hesitation, for instance. As we all know, the global building and construction industry was particularly affected. But as a diverse company, we remain a strong, reliable partner. We need to be cautious, but we can also use this time to work on our homework and prepare the company for the future.

TW: As Freudenberg grows its manufacturing capability for medical products, does this provide an opportunity also for the textile segment?

Dr. Raps: Freudenberg Medical is one of 10 business groups within the Freudenberg Group, just like Freudenberg Performance Materials. Our colleagues have strong expertise in extrusion and shaping thermoplastic and silicone components.

In our case, it’s about performance materials — basic, high-performance nonwovens and polyurethane foams. We began some 20 years ago in basic wound care and today are active in advanced wound care where we offer highly technical and sophisticated solutions. We have some exclusive partnerships with customers where we have very interesting development projects. For instance, when you talk about chronic wounds, a certain environment is needed to manage the wound, such as humidity. Products from Freudenberg Performance Materials support applications like that. It’s a very exciting area and we have a very highly dedicated and passionate team happy to add value in this arena.

TW: How does the company determine its global manufacturing footprint and where to make investments?

Dr. Raps: I already mentioned that one of our basic philosophies is local-for-local, which has been our approach for decades. For instance, we entered our first partnership in Japan in the 1960s. We are active on most of the major continents with a significant footprint. Today, we operate 32 production sites around the world. The majority still are based in Europe, but North America and Asia are exciting markets as well. We consider North America an exciting market with reasonable growth. We currently are building a new line in Vietnam for recyclable wadding products, and also a new line in India. We have a duplication of our technologies across the globe enabling us to offer the same technologies from different regions. This makes us a valuable partner for global businesses.

“We can bring positive change through our handprint — by using recycled materials, being energy efficient or by helping customers to reduce their own resource consumption.” — Dr. Andreas Raps

TW: As a leading company in the nonwovens sector, what developments are key to the future of the business?

Dr. Raps: We think that joint innovations with our customers will be a key success factor for the future. Also, when talking about the future, I think if we can make our customers successful, especially in the arena of sustainability, then it’s more than a justification for us to be committed in this area. We see sustainability and commercial aspects not as a contradiction, but things that go hand in hand with each other.

I also want you to know that when we talk about sustainability, in Freudenberg’s case, it’s not just a buzzword. We started the sustainability journey decades ago and have real stories to tell. In the early 1990s, we were a pioneer in recycling PET bottles that we turned into flake to reuse in our processes. Today, we have recycling lines in almost all of our major production locations and blend virgin materials with recycled inputs. As a company, we have retained, internalized and improved the idea of upcycling.

We also like to differentiate and talk about handprint and footprint when we talk about sustainability.

The ecological footprint shows the extent to which production impacts the environment by measuring the consumption of energy and raw materials as well as the resulting carbon dioxide emissions; while the ecological handprint questions how sustainable and environmentally friendly our product is.

This means we focus not only on our own consumption and emissions, but also on whether and how our products and services can help our customers to be more sustainable. We can bring positive change through our handprint — by using recycled materials, being energy efficient or by helping customers to reduce their own resource consumption.

Using pioneering technologies, the company manufactures products for a wide range of applications from clothing, roofing and cars to highly complex wound care. We offer innovative solutions for all these and many other areas and are constantly developing them further. In doing so, we ensure that our products are developed, produced and distributed as sustainably as possible. After all, the future of our industry can only be secured in the long term with a resource-conserving, hands-on approach.

I believe that if you want to remain competitive in the long term, you have to ask yourself the same questions. There are alternatives to the materials you have been using — you just have to use them!

TW: Are there any factors that concern you with regards to successfully maintaining and growing Freudenberg’s future?

Dr. Raps: Increasing regulation and bureaucracy are an issue. But our approach is to focus on the things we can influence. When we have threats such as this, we can also make them into an opportunity. I think the industry in general is not in very good shape right now, but we do think there are some positive silver linings on the horizon.

TW: Can you tell readers a little more about Freudenberg Performance Materials in the United States?

Dr. Raps: We have some good footprints in the United States. We have good footprints in Durham and Asheville in North Carolina, and also in Macon, Ga. We have some minor sales offices as well. Our main customer base is in the Atlanta area.

We are looking for M&A opportunities because we are committed to grow in the United States. We have a great team there and we can digest more business and we are ready for that. And you know with our technology portfolio, I think we have a good technology offering for the market. We see high loyalty from U.S. customers as well, so we have a good match with our let’s say technology driven approach and our technical expertise. We feel highly appreciated by the U.S. customers.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

American DORNIER’s Oliver Meier shares his thoughts on his experience as a textile executive and the weaving machine industry as he enters his second year at the helm of the company.

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Oliver Meier became the executive vice president at the helm of Charlotte, N.C.-based American DORNIER, a subsidiary of Germany-based Lindauer DORNIER GmbH, just over a year ago. The company staged a symbolic display of the change in management at its Technology Day 2023 where Meier and Peter Brust —the previous head of American DORNIER for 22 years who had retired — conducted a yarn transfer from a left-hand to a right-hand rapier (See “American Dornier: Focus On Leadership, Technology And Training,” TW, November/December 2023).

DORNIER began life in aircraft design and construction before transitioning in the 1950s to textile equipment. Today, the company’s technologies include rapier and air-jet weaving machines; film stretching lines for biaxial polypropylene and polyester films; and the DORNIER Composite Systems®, which comprises the PROTOS® TP for unidirectional tapes, PROTOS TW for woven tape fabrics and TRITOS® for multilayer and 3D fabrics. From its Charlotte location, American DORNIER serves the Americas with sales and support, spare parts, installation, service and personnel training, film stretching clip chain overhaul and repair, and marketing.

Textile World recently had the opportunity to chat with Meier about his first year with the company, his experience as a textile executive and the outlook for the company.

TW: Shifting into your second year as executive vice president of American DORNIER, how was the transition and how do you perceive DORNIER’s role in an ever-evolving U.S. textile industry?

Meier: My first year with American DORNIER has been excellent. The transition has been very smooth thanks to our exceptional team that has great technical knowledge and experience in our field, and which has been very supportive of my new role.

One of the key aspects I’ve focused on during my first year at American DORNIER is preserving its historical role of more than 45 years and its current position within the U.S. textile industry. DORNIER has a rich heritage of innovation and quality in textile machinery, exemplified by our latest P2 rapier weaving machine and our new A2 air-jet weaving machine. My focus is to ensure that we keep building on this foundation to remain relevant in an ever-evolving marketplace.

We recently completed a successful restructuring of our strong sales and service team, adding additional team members to better position us for future changes in the industry. Support, from customer service and OEM parts on demand to technical assistance, will play an even more important role in the future. Our Charlotte facility is well positioned to provide the support our customers in the Americas have come to expect.

TW: As a textile industry veteran whose career has always centered on leading edge technology, how does your past experience inform your new role?

Meier: I never thought of myself as a veteran, but after 28-plus years in the U.S. textile industry, I have gained an understanding of the unique challenges, market trends and volatility, and customer expectations. This greatly supports the business goals and strategic vision we have defined for DORNIER globally.

In essence, my past experience in the textile industry serves as a solid foundation for embracing new challenges in roles focused on leading-edge technology such as that manufactured by DORNIER. It not only informs my decision-making, but also inspires me to push boundaries, driving meaningful innovation and sustainable growth.

TW: Has your variety of experiences in the textile field affected and/or aided your relationships with suppliers and customers in your current position?

Meier: I started my career in automotive textile manufacturing; from there, I moved to software development for the textile industry, which introduced me to the era of Industry 3.0. This helped prepare me to find new opportunities in the textile machinery industry. Overall, my varied experience has enhanced my ability to better manage successful business relationships with customers, suppliers and within DORNIER.

TW: What makes DORNIER unique in the weaving sector and what are the company’s greatest strengths?

Meier: Known by many as the “Green Machine,” DORNIER’s weaving machines are a unique combination of flexibility, durability and robustness. It is not without reason that we say “Anything that can be wound onto a yarn spool can be processed on a weaving machine from DORNIER.”

Next year, DORNIER will be able to look back on 75 years of innovation in the weaving industry. I believe many of Textile World’s readers know that our roots are in the aviation industry. Mr. Peter Dornier founded Lindauer DORNIER in 1950, manufacturing shuttle looms, which evolved into positive rapier weaving machines in the late 1960s — known today as the P2 — and in the late 1980s the air-jet weaving machine — known today as the A2 —joined our portfolio.

Our weaving machines are “Made in Germany,” 100-percent designed and manufactured to this day in Lindau, Bavaria. We support our customers worldwide through several subsidiaries such as American DORNIER in Charlotte, founded in 1978.

Quick access to service personnel and spare parts for our customers is a crucial backbone of our business. Another strong focus for DORNIER is technical textiles, an important and growing sector of the textile industry worldwide, but especially in the United States. The precision, versatility and maximum production reliability of DORNIER weaving machines lend themselves greatly to the development and production of technical textiles. So much so, that 10 years ago the company decided to create a separate division called Composite Systems. It focuses exclusively on the development and production of composite weaving machines for the growing demand in this market sector. To support this market, you have to be able to manage, manufacture, and support one-of-a-kind weaving systems with individual, unique features that you may not find anywhere else.

I consider these to be some of DORNIER’s major strengths, which we use in all three of our business sectors: weaving, film stretching and composite systems.

TW: Has the U.S. market for new weaving and composites machinery improved or changed with the industry’s pivot to high-value technical textiles?

Meier: Yes, absolutely. The demand for technical textiles is increasing every year driven by applications in aerospace, automotive, filtration, and protective applications, to name just a few applications. Composite materials, especially woven composites, are one of the few textile market sectors in North America with significant growth expectations for years to come. As this increasing demand brings scalable composite production more into focus, DORNIER is well positioned to meet the growing need for economical mass production of fiber composite solutions in various industries. With its customized machines and systems for the production of fiber composite components, 3D fabrics and fiber tapes, DORNIER is ready to meet future market demands.

TW: As a leading company in the weaving sector, what developments are key to the future of DORNIER’s business?

Meier: Embracing digitization and automation in the weaving process is essential. This includes IoT-enabled machines, real-time data and predictive analytics, and connectivity to optimize production efficiency to reduce downtime and improve quality.

This is why we are continuously working to increase the level of digitization of our weaving machines, for example, to better track machine, fabric and weft data, as seen most recently with the A2 air-jet weaving machine.

Another future development for DORNIER in a constantly transforming industry is to ensure reliable and flexible fabric production for our customers even in challenging times.

TW: Are there any factors that concern you with regards to successfully maintaining and growing American DORNIER’s future?

Meier: The landscape for finding and retaining skilled labor has changed dramatically in recent years, especially in the service sector. A weaving machine does not service or repair itself —at least not yet! Hiring and retaining young and qualified employees is very challenging. To counter this and to attract new talent, we offer a variety of programs like our apprentice program and a dual training system in Germany.

Market competition and technological advances are a constant challenge, but not an impediment to growth. Other areas of concern are economic developments and regulatory changes, which can have a serious impact on our business as a foreign subsidiary.

However, as long as we have a direction of where we want to be in the future, challenges are there to be overcome.

TW: As someone with an inherent international perspective — as a German national and
U.S. permanent resident— what is your perception of the current economic climate in the United States during this election year?

Meier: We like to say that in an election year, investment suffers and is often postponed until after the election. The aftermath of the pandemic, where companies invested heavily in new equipment, has a much greater lingering impact than the current election year concerns, in my opinion.

I am more concerned about high interest rates, fueled by continuing inflation, and the negative impact this has on overall economic growth and the housing market, which has a huge impact on the U.S. interior and exterior textile market.

TW: Any thoughts on the investment outlook both from a domestic and international perspective?

Meier: The year 2024 appears to be flat for new investment in our business sector for the Americas. However, early indicators for 2025 and 2026 are promising and show renewed interest in upgrading aging equipment in North America. A very important topic for us, the durability and serviceability of our machines are key factors. Some of our customers in the Americas are using DORNIER weaving machines that are 40 years old or older. Servicing these models with original spare parts is a central pillar for our family-owned company.

South America, on the other hand, will remain a challenge for some time. Ongoing high inflation in Argentina and the devaluation of the Brazilian real against the US dollar are significantly dampening investments in new equipment. These challenges are not new to us and we are well prepared to work with our South American customers to find ways to overcome these short-lived obstacles and to keep providing on-demand service and support.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Textile World recently interviewed Avery Dennison’s Michael Colarossi about RFID technologies and their potential to assist in garment recycling.

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Avery Dennison Corp., Mentor, Ohio, is a materials science and digital identification solutions company. It is a global operation with approximately 35,000 employees in more than 50 countries.The company’s products include labels and functional materials, radio-frequency identification (RFID) inlays and tags, software applications, and a variety of brand-enhancing packaging and display information. According to Avery Dennison, its products are used to optimize labor and supply chain efficiency; reduce waste; advance sustainability, circularity and transparency; and better connect brands and consumers. The company operates different divisions serving a variety of industries including its $2 billion Apparel Solutions division.

Recently, Textile World had the opportunity to talk to Michael Colarossi, Avery Dennison’s vice president of Innovation, Product Line Management and Sustainability, about the potential role of RFID technologies in textile recycling. Avery Dennison sees the tags as a potential game changer when it comes to identifying the fiber content of end-of-life apparel so it can be sorted and recycled. Colarossi leads a global technical innovation team that is focused on creating products and solutions in labeling and functional materials, RFID inlays and tags, software applications that connect the physical and digital, and data-driven solutions enhancing the customer experience while promoting circular business models. Prior to his position at Avery Dennison, Colarossi worked for the Netherlands-based AkzoNobel for 15 years in manufacturing and engineering roles. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, as well as an M.B.A.

TW: You mentioned that Avery Dennison envisions a future where every consumer-facing good will be assigned a unique digital ID. Can you explain more about that?

Colarossi: There is no end in sight for the trend of digitization. In line with that trend, at Avery Dennison, we believe that every physical item will eventually have a unique digital ID assigned to it, connecting the physical and digital worlds. Through that connection, we are seeking to solve our clients’ biggest challenges, including supply chain efficiency and waste, transparency and circularity, and connectivity between brands and consumers. It’s why we continue to invest in physical sensor technologies like RFID and have built a connected product cloud called atma.io.

TW: Please explain a little about Avery Dennison’s RFID capabilities.

Colarossi: Avery Dennison is the world’s largest producer of ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID inlays. We have the capability to innovate, design and manufacture new RFID technologies for uses in multiple environments, including apparel, general retail, beauty, grocery and automotive.

TW: How do you see these RFID technologies driving sustainability in the textile and apparel industry? What is the potential?

Colarossi: Efficient sortation is one of the biggest challenges for recyclers. We can store information about a textile’s composition on an RFID chip, and a recycler with an RFID scanner can then immediately identify the composition of a garment and use that data to automatically sort garments. For that to happen, of course, RFID needs to be permanently attached or integrated into a garment. We’ve innovated a solution to do just that, while also ensuring that personal data is secure and not shared.

TW: Are there additional technologies that could be blended with the RFID tags to enhance implementation and successful use in recycling programs?

Colarossi: Yes. In fact, because RFID is not a consumer-facing technology today, pairing RFID with other technologies is important for creating a complete recycling solution. Using a consumer facing digital sensor like a QR code, in conjunction with RFID, brands can commu-nicate care instructions to prolong a garment’s life, suggest resale or second-life options, and provide information on how and where to recycle clothing. And what’s exciting is that we’re already doing it today.

TW: What will it take for the industry to begin implementing these technologies and have them play a role in circularity?

Colarossi: There are likely two paths toward adoption. The first is for brands to recognize the value that adopting digital label technologies can bring to their businesses. Reducing waste, improving inventory visibility, creating post-sale connections with consumers, ensuring authenticity, enhancing the retail experience and establishing item level supply chain transparency all can be enabled through these technologies. The second is mandatory regulations. Pending legislation around the EU digital product passports, extended producer responsibility, and supply chain due diligence are all set to impact the industry.

But, we also need to remember that the technologies alone will not be sufficient. We also need to accelerate investments in collection and sortation infrastructure, and textile-to-textile recycling technologies like Circ, a company into which Avery Dennison has invested and continues to partner.

TW: How are the RFID tags attached to garments? Are there any downsides or issues that need to be addressed to ensure their longevity and efficacy as a tool for circularity?

Colarossi: Historically, RFID technologies have been integrated into branded hang tags or price tickets and attached to garments via fastener, or they have been integrated into fabric care and content labels and sewn into garments. More recently, Avery Dennison has innovated new technology that allows us to sew RFID directly into a garment. AD TexTrace is our solution portfolio of integrated RFID labels for Connected Textiles. They can be sewed in as visible brand labels or invisible inlays in the seam or overlock, meaning they remain in the product during its entire lifecycle.

To enable circularity, RFID technology needs to survive the life of a garment, including all of the wash cycles. And so, Avery Dennison continues to innovate technologies that enhance the durability of RFID inlays to ensure they are functional at a garment’s end of life.

TW: Are there regulation issues that need to be considered or that may impede the process?

Colarossi: I am not aware of any issues. I would actually argue that the current regulatory environment in Europe and the United States makes RFID even more critical.

TW: What intrigues you about RFID technology?

Colarossi: RFID technology adoption in the apparel industry was largely driven by inventory accuracy and visibility. But now that the technology is more widespread, we are starting to see the technology enable new use cases. From enabling self-check-out to enhancing brand protection and authenticity to enabling circularity, I’m excited to see these future use cases take flight.

March/April 2024

SPESA President Michael McDonald shares some insights about the association’s upcoming Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference.

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The Raleigh, N.C.-based Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) association serves suppliers to the sewn products industry operating in various market sectors including apparel, upholstered furniture, home textiles, transportation interiors, leather goods, footwear, industrial textiles, among other sectors. Some of its members are manufacturers and distributors of machinery, systems, technology, supply chain solutions, equipment and parts; while other members offer products and services for the development, production and/or distribution of sewn goods.

Part of SPESA’s mission includes providing members with high-quality networking and education opportunities, and the association organizes multiple events every year. Textile World recently had the opportunity to talk with SPESA President Michael McDonald about one such event, the 2024 Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference, which will be held April 11 in Los Angeles.

TW: Give a summary of SPESA’s value proposition. Tell readers what sets SPESA apart and what we can expect from the organization in the future.

McDonald: For more than 30 years, SPESA has been the leading industry association serving suppliers to the sewn products industry. These suppliers are manufacturers and distributors of machinery, systems, technology, supply chain solutions, equipment, and parts, along with other products and services used for the development, manufacture, or distribution of sewn products.

It’s important to note that SPESA’s membership is intentionally limited to suppliers. This allows us to provide a platform for our members to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and best practices that impact their day-to-day business with others who are in the same or similar position.

In addition to being an industry association, SPESA is also the co-producer of Texprocess Americas, the largest sewn products and technology trade show across North, Central, and South America. The next edition of Tex-process Americas will take place May 6-8, 2025.

TW: SPESA is hosting its Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference in Los Angeles for the first time. What do you hope the location will contribute to the event?

McDonald: SPESA is a huge supporter of U.S.manufacturing, and we believe advanced technology is key to its future success. So, we thought it was time to bring that technology to the industry’s backyard.

Los Angeles is home to around 40,000 garment industry workers and more than 3,000 fashion-related businesses, making it the largest apparel manufacturing center in the country. This is an ecosystem unlike any other. And one that is driving a significant amount of change for the industry.

The main purpose of the SPESA Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference is in the name of the event: advancements. Showcasing various manufacturing capabilities and technologies — all with the goal of advancing the sewn products industry — is at the heart of what we try to accomplish with this event. And we’re hosting it in a place where real change is taking shape.

Our hope is that the Advancements Conference taps into the dialogue currently taking place in Los Angeles and across California about how the industry can and should change, while also bringing to the table new issues and opportunities to address.

TW: Give a quick value synopsis for a first-time attendee. What can they expect to see and learn at the conference?

McDonald: The SPESA Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference is unique in that it focuses solely on manufacturing innovations. What technology is available to improve supply chain efficiencies? What types of equipment are being utilized to cut back on waste? How are tech trends like artificial intelligence and automation impacting the industry workforce? These are the types of things we like to cover during the Advancements Conference.

Attendees will not only have the opportunity to hear and learn about the latest in manufacturing technologies, but they’ll also be able to engage in the discussion and share their challenges to help understand the industry’s future technology needs. Open dialogue between speakers and attendees is a very important component in all SPESA events.

TW: What type of attendees typically participate in the conference?

McDonald: Participation in the event runs the gamut.You will see suppliers, manufacturers, designers, brands, retailers and academia. This event takes place in different markets across the United States and our hope is that it drives a lot of local interest.

TW: Is this a members-only event or can anyone involved in the sewn products industry attend?

McDonald: Everyone is welcome to attend! In fact, we strongly encourage non-members to attend the Advancements Conference. What this event offers is a platform for equipment suppliers and technology providers — notably SPESA members — to share the latest in manufacturing advancements.

It will be especially valuable for manufacturers, brands, and designers looking for technology to help improve their production. But, there will be a little something for everyone, including great networking in a beautiful setting overlooking L.A.’s skyline.

TW: Does SPESA have any other interesting events planned in 2024?

McDonald: Yes. We will host the 2024 SPESA Executive Conference in Montréal. It will be our first event in Canada, and we are very excited to explore this historic and resurging market. More information will be available soon!

TW: Anything else you would like to share with TTWW readers about SPESA and the upcoming conference?

McDonald: Most of the work we do is built on the principle that there is always more to learn. While our event speakers are experts in their fields, and have a lot to teach us, no one person has all the answers to the industry’s challenges. This is why events like the Advancements Conference are so important; attendees aren’t coming to hear a lecture, they are coming to engage and work together as industry to create solutions that work.
Early bird registration for the SPESA Advancements Conference is available through Friday, February 16. In addition, TW readers may use the code “innovation” for $50 off registration.

For more information about SPESA’s Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference and to register using the discount code, please visit spesa.ticketleap.com/ 2024-spesa-advancements-conference/

January/February 2024

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Datatex recently shared an interview with Dr. Hendra, a senior lecturer at Politeknik STTT Bandung in Indonesia.

Datatex: Dear Dr. Hendra, can you please tell us something about your college? What are the characteristics of the Politeknik STTT Bandung, and what importance does it have in the training of new professionals in the sector? How many students do you have and what courses are there?

Dr. Hendra: Politeknik STTT Bandung is one of the Textile College under the Ministry of Industry of the Republic of Indonesia; has turned 100 years since the Dutch government established The Textile Inrichting Bandung in 1922 to foster the textile industry, prepare textile experts, and develop weaving techniques and equipment.

The Politeknik STTT Bandung has matured as a carrier of Higher Education and a Center of Excellence in textile science and technology. The fashion sector, a market commodity with extraordinary demand, also reinforces this.

To support the mandate to produce quality human resources for the textile industry, the Politeknik STTT Bandung is increasing its capacity by updating testing machines and equipment with the latest technology to comply with the standard equipment used in the industry, in addition, to improving the quality of teaching human resources, increasing cooperation with institutions at home and abroad, increasing access to research and synergizing with the Center for Textiles as a research center for textiles and related Textile industries.

The Politeknik STTT Bandung has established a digital satellite that is a showcase for Industry 4.0 in the textile sector and a research center for developing Industry 4.0, exceptionally functional textiles. Furthermore, it will become a center for textile education and industrial cooperation 4.0. The Politeknik STTT Bandung digital satellite has five pillars: showcase, capability, ecosystem, delivery, and technology utilization. The 4.0 technology implemented includes digital SOP, augmented for maintenance, real-time critical parameters, IOT & digital twin, OEE dashboard, shop floor management, digital input pass/fail, QR code & operator traceability, as well as a virtual reality tour that integrated with the machine -machines in knitting integration innovative laboratory and dyeing finishing integration creative laboratory. In the last five years, we have succeeded in developing education in a vertical direction by establishing an Applied Masters program in 2018 supported by the construction of an Applied Masters building that has adequate research facilities.

The Politeknik STTT Bandung has an Undergraduate Diploma IV (Vocational) and a Postgraduate Program. In the undergraduate program, there are three majors: textile engineering, textile chemistry, and garment, as well as fashion design concentration. Each department has a capacity of 100 students; meanwhile, for postgraduate programs majoring in textile engineering and apparel, there are 15 students for each batch.

Datatex: Indonesia is today a very attractive country for industrial investments and has a booming textile sector, with new capital arriving from all over the world. What are the strengths of Indonesian textiles and the characteristics at the basis of this growth process?

Dr. Hendra: Indonesia is the leading country in the Southeast Asia region which is the country with the most significant economic power in the ASEAN region, with a population of around 270 million people. The domestic market for textile products is an essential driver of economic growth. The textile and apparel industry is an industry that plays a crucial role besides the oil and natural gas, mining, footwear, rubber, and chemical industries. Indonesia also controls the global market with exports of textiles and apparel, with a value of more than 13 billion USD in 2021.

Indonesia has strength in supplying raw materials because the textile industry in Indonesia has a complete textile and apparel industry network from upstream to downstream. PT South Pacific Viscose expanded production capacity by 130 million US dollars. The multi-effect is that Indonesia will become the largest rayon fiber producer in the world. In addition, a polyester fiber producer, namely PT Indorama Polyester Industries, also added an investment of US$800 million, making it the largest polyester producer. This condition will indeed chain effect the downstream TPT industry, such as yarn, fabric, and apparel (garment) that makes Indonesia’s strength in the supply of textile raw materials so that it does not have a dependence on imports.

Another strength of Indonesia is its demographic. Indonesia is entering an era of demographic bonus, where the productive age population is more than the non-productive age. Based on data from the Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Indonesia’s population will reach 275.36 million in June 2022. Of this number, 190.83 million people (69.3%) of Indonesia’s population are in the productive age category (15-64 years). There are also 84.53 million people (30.7%) of the population who are in the non-productive age category.In detail, as many as 67.16 million people (24.39%) of the population are not yet productive (0-14 years), and as many as 17.38 million people (6.31%) are in the non-productive age group (65 years and over).With the composition of the population mentioned above, the dependency ratio is 44.3%. These results are obtained from the total population of unproductive age divided by the number of productive population. The dependency rate is 44.3%, meaning that every 100 people of productive age bear as many as 44-45 people of productive age.

Another strength of Indonesia is “Omnibus Law.” It aims to attract investment, create new jobs, and stimulate the economy by, among other things, simplifying the licensing process and harmonizing various laws and regulations, and making policy decisions faster for the central government to respond to global or other changes or challenges. The Omnibus Law has amended over 75 current laws and will require the central government to issue more than 30 government regulations and other implementing regulations within three months.

Datatex: As an expert in the textile world, how do you read the complex global evolution that the sector has gone through in recent years, amidst Covid, international geopolitical difficulties, increased logistics and transport costs, global supply chain crises but also new great opportunities in terms of technological innovation, Artificial Intelligence and solutions to minimize the environmental impact and increase sustainability along the entire supply chain? How do you see the current situation in the sector and which kind of evolution do you see for the future?

Dr. Hendra: Lately, the world has faced a very complex situation, a previously unforeseen problem. Starting from the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced physical interaction to be limited, the US and China trade war followed by the Russia and Ukraine war. Of course, the above matters have impacted complex problem such as; logistical delays, sharp increases in transportation costs, and disruption of global supply chains. At that time, the world seemed unprepared to face such a situation. However, humans will always be required to answer every challenge their face with intelligence given by God. When the physically human interaction must be limited due to Covid 19, digital platforms have sprung up, such as Zoom meetings, Google Meet, and others, so that even though they are not face-to-face, activities such as meetings, discussions, and teaching can still be carried out. On the other hand, difficulties have given new technological innovations that help humans in carrying out their duties. The development of robotics and artificial intelligence was born to reduce the role of humans in the industry so that conventional human intervention was reduced.

On the other hand, this situation is unfavorable because it forces people to lose their jobs due to being replaced by machines and artificial intelligence. The textile industry is currently labor-intensive and absorbs many workers compared to other sectors. In the future, with increased efficiency, quality, and product consistency, inevitably, the textile industry must start adopting a fully automated robotic system, utilizing artificial intelligence so that competitiveness will increase.

Datatex: As a senior lecturer in the textile field, what do you recommend to those who want to work in the textile world and to young people who intend to approach this sector?

Dr. Hendra: As an academic in the field of textiles, I am sure this field still has a bright future. Textile is a primary human need besides food and housing; as a primary need, the market for textiles will continue as long as humans have civilization, meaning that the demand for textile products will always exist. Textiles, of course, are not only clothes. Textiles have penetrated other fields, such as health, sports, agriculture, etc. For the younger generation interested in the textile sector, there is no need to hesitate to continue to have a career in this field because textiles is not a sunset industry. Still, textiles will continue to develop in broader applications requiring innovations through energy intervention research made by young people.

December 12, 2023

Editor’s Note: Interview was conducted by Datatex AG and edited by Luigi Torriani and Marija Dukic

NC State’s Dr. Andre West talks about the new Flex Factory and how it will benefit students and industry.

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When other universities reduced their textile education programs — melding polymer degrees into materials science, or disbanding textile departments all together — the Raleigh, N.C.-based NC State University’s Wilson College of Textiles took  a different route and committed fully to the textile industry. Today, the college is the only college in North America dedicated to textile education.

As the college looks to the future — what the students need, and what the industry needs in its future leaders — it looks at innovative ways to support all involved parties.That desire, coupled with current interest in nearshoring and the demand for U.S.-produced textile products, led the college to identify a need for a space to help creative and entrepreneurial types get new product and business ideas off the ground.

To that end, the college recently announced the Flex Factory — a one-stop-shop offering resources such as high-tech equipment, knowledge, expertise and supplies — open to students, researchers, start-ups and industry where ideation, innovation, collaboration with a focus on sustainable manufacturing can thrive. The idea is that the unique space will continue to evolve once it’s up and running so it can continually meet the needs of the textile industry.

Textile World recently spoke to Dr. Andre West, associate professor, and director of the Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE) at the Wilson College of Textiles, about the Flex Factory. Before entering the world of academia as a professor, Dr. West — a graduate of England-based Huddersfield University with a degree in Textile Design —was involved in an entrepreneurial partner-ship that designed and produced a clothing collection that was showcased at London Fashion Week for two consecutive years. He also worked as a design consultant for a trend forecasting company and The Design Council of Great Britain. Later, after a move to the United States, Dr. West designed knitwear for a New York City-based fashion house before establishing his own knitwear business. This business grew into a vertical knitting and sewing operation that had showrooms in fashion markets nationwide as well as three retail locations.

Dr. West’s personal experience as an entrepreneur makes him an ideal person to understand the issues and potential roadblocks when developing new products or attempting to open a textile business — valuable experience as he helps the Wilson College of Textiles establish the Flex Factory.

TW: What is the Flex Factory?

Dr. West: This Flex Factory project is a two-phase project. Phase I,“The Prototype Lab,”is under-way to build out the equipment needed to make textile and apparel products, including yarn spinning, cutting, sewing, and printing equipment, at a research scale. Phase II involves a complete space up-fit and renovation to bridge our current Senior Design course space with the Flex Factory space, and add additional features including a materials library and conference rooms. It should be completed by the end of 2024.

In the Senior Design class, seniors in textile engineering and textile technology are grouped in teams of three to four students and assigned a year-long, industry-sponsored project. Over the course of the fall and spring semesters, teams experience the design process first-hand beginning in the fall with project planning, evaluating state-of-the-art technologies and ideation, and then moving into the iterative prototyping and testing process for their ideas in the spring. Senior Design culminates in a Design Day presentation where each team demonstrates the results of their hard work.

The Phase I Prototype Lab is a small-scale manufacturing space designed for creating textile-based products. It’s perfect for quickly prototyping new ideas and experimenting with innovative designs. The best part is it’s flexible— you can use it to make all sorts of things, from finished textile products to components or accessories used in other products.
One of a prototype’s most significant benefits is its efficiency.You only need a few outside resources to get started —just a tiny amount of space, energy, materials and time. For example, we can 3D print our own buttons or exactly match the sewing thread for a house digitally printed fabric using the digital dyeing Twine machine from Israel-based Twine Solutions. Because the Flex Factory is designed for small-scale production, you can make products in limited runs, which is excellent for testing the market and scaling up a business gradually.

TW: Why build this  at the Wilson College  of Textiles at NC State University

Dr. West: The Wilson College of Textiles at NC State, with its 124-year history, is recognized as a world leader in textile education and research. It’s located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina and serves as a global technology hub for textiles. Interestingly, North Carolina and its neighboring states employ 93 percent of the U.S. textile manufacturing workforce, with 49 percent of those jobs located within a three-hour drive of central North Carolina. That makes NC State and the local region critical for the textile industry’s growth.

The college and the surrounding area offer two essential components that are key to the industry’s success: technology and product innovation, and a robust supply chain that can effectively bring those innovations to market. Together, these elements form a powerful engine for textile growth and development.

Within the college is the department that I manage with our team of textile industry experts, Zeis Textiles Extension for Economic Development (ZTE). ZTE provides training and certification in textiles and programs for improvement and innovation and serves the textile industry’s prototyping and pilot production needs in its five laboratories — spun yarn, knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing, and physical testing.

Also, right across the street from the Flex Factory on Centennial Campus, we have Raleigh Founded, an entrepreneurial support organization that uses physical convening space, community connection, and hosts events. The NC State Entrepreneurship Garage is housed in this space and offers a venture creation and a common prototyping space designed for student entrepreneurs. It serves as a hub for students across campus to come together and explore their entrepreneurial ideas and interests. In partner-ship with Raleigh Founded, students call the Garage home where they work on challenges alongside non-university businesses. Members in this space have access to hundreds of entrepreneurial-minded peers, which makes networking and relation-ship-building easy.

TW: How did the idea for The Flex Factory come about?

Dr. West: This idea has been a long time in the making. So many people at the Wilson College of Textiles have discussed the need for this incubator and research space for years. And now that we’re up and running, we’re excited to see what kinds of fantastic textile products and companies will come out of the Flex Factory!

The college has a strong track record of teaching students how to succeed in the industry. We recognize that starting and prototyp-ng textile businesses can be expensive due to the high cost of machinery and other startup expenses. The Flex Factory can serve as a valuable stepping-stone to encourage entrepreneurship in the textile industry and empower young entrepreneurs.

At the Flex Factory, we’re all about creating a supportive ecosystem for textile startups and entrepreneurs. Whether you’re a current student, alum, faculty, or staff member, or someone with an excellent idea for a sustainable, domestically produced textile product, we’re here to help you develop your business. We offer many resources to companies, like design and fabrication tools. Plus, we’ve got some strategic partnerships that help us further our goal of growing the textile industry region-ally and nationally.

TW: How did you become involved with the Flex Factory?

Dr. West: After spending seven years as a faculty member in Textile and Apparel Technology and Management teaching textile and apparel design, I became director of Zeis Textiles Extension in mid-2019. There definitely were better years to be held accountable for an operation that thrives on outside visitors and production.

We began working on bringing the Flex Factory concept to fruition. Still, we had to delay the development of that space during the early stages of the pandemic when we switched our focus to mask production and supporting the textile industry with training and workshops for personal protective equipment manufacturing and sourcing.

Everyone remembers 2020 as the year of the mask or the lack of masks. The university shut down for three months around spring break. So, we looked for innovative ways to make masks. We took three pieces of manufacturing equipment and quickly turned them into mask-making machines. First, we used our pleating machine to pleat the innovative washable nonwoven fabric made at the Nonwovens Institute right next door. Next, we utilized a Lectra cutter that could magically re-pleat the fabric using its vacuum system. And finally, we used a sonic welding machine to complete the construction. We even knitted the elastic for the ears.

We made masks for NC State campus police and all the facilities workers that keep the university safe and functioning.The experience showed us while we had a small space, we had right equipment for the endeavor and we could punch way beyond our weight. But, it also dawned on us that the university had equipment to be used for the greater good, and like many textile companies, we had pivoted. It made us realize in manufacturing textiles and apparel, American ingenuity was not lost, and there was so much talent in the college we just needed to focus on that talent after this event.

TW: How will students engage, and how will this prepare them for their careers?

Dr. West: This a strange one. Here is my personal view of this as I was in this predicament 40 years ago, and things have stayed the same in my opinion, or have even become worse. When some students walk into fashion or textile college as a freshman, they want to change the world— they have many ideas and little knowledge of how textiles work. So, over the next few years, we will teach them the reality of the industry and how to program and use this technical equipment. Still, when they graduate, they realize that starting their own business takes a lot of money and a lot of work to be an entrepreneur and take all the risks. So, we are here to help them move their ideas to reality now they know what they are doing.

TW: How does industry play a part in the Flex Factory?

Dr. West: We need four things from the industry. Firstly, from the textile machine makers, we see this as a working showcase for cutting-edge equipment, especially equipment with a small footprint.These machines can be utilized for research projects by faculty, students, and others, but also are used in the real world. So, we want to make this space a showroom for the best equipment in the world. Agreements with new machine suppliers would enable the Wilson College of Textiles to have access to state-of-the-art technologies and expertise, and also help the machine supplier establish a strong foothold in the southeastern region of the United States. We already have some strategic partners in place, but welcome more!

Secondly, we need projects. Our faculty and students are at the cutting-edge of technological advancements, and we need to help to get their ideas and innovations into the marketplace.

Thirdly, we need funding to make this Phase II happen at the university, and some industry members have supported this plan. With the help of the North Carolina Textile Foundation, engagement, partnership, and philanthropy will be on show worldwide.

Finally, come and visit. We can talk all day long about the space, but seeing it first-hand with the machines running is the best way to understand the vision. There are plenty of showcase events happening in the future where we will do tours, but if you are in the neighborhood, let us know! The best product that comes out of the NC State Wilson College of Textiles is the students. They are amazing before they walk in the door to be taught by world-class faculty, making them even more amazing when they head out into the industry.

TW: Tell us what type of equipment is your first choice for this space?

Dr. West: We already have an abundance of equipment in our labs, especially on the research and testing side, and we have many industry-size machines that can spin yarn, knit, or weave. However, we still need prototype equipment and the equipment to finish the products thoroughly. We received a grant from the Department of Defense called Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP), which enabled us to purchase some equipment for the Prototype Lab. The DMCSP aims to invest long-term in critical skills, facilities, workforce development, research and development, and small business support to strengthen the national security innovation base.

TW: How will the Flex Factory evolve in the next five years? The next 10?

Dr. West: One-word — sustainability! Nearly every student walking into Wilson College of Textiles is concerned about this topic, but we must give them the tools to move forward. Long-term, we are developing new processes to address needs in circularity and automation. Our graduates drive the direction of the future textiles and apparel industry and will be responsible for future technology investments. The textile industry is the second highest polluter after the energy industry.

For the world to be sustainable, we must step up and do what we can to fix a problem many think is not attainable. I am seeing a renewed focus on more sustainable fibers such as hemp and kenaf here in North Carolina; and banana and pineapple fibers can be utilized as a secondary industry in Central America.

Recycling fabric post-industrial and post-consumer waste still has a long way to go, but the Wilson College of Textiles is forming key partnerships to share information. Our graduates drive the direction of the future textiles and apparel industry and will be responsible for future technology investments.

TW: Why do you do what you do? What motivates you?

Dr. West: Someone asked recently why I am so positive about this concept. My response was, what choice do I have? This is an opportunity to help everyone in this industry. We have talent all around us and outstanding companies work with the Wilson College of Textiles and ZTE daily.

Archimedes said,“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world.”The new lever is the Flex Factory. Develop new ideas with expert help.

March/April 2023

In the wake of DuPont Biomaterials’ rebranding to Covation Biomaterials, CEO Dr. Mike Saltzberg talks about its Sorona® polymer and the opportunity to expand the reach of its bio-based products as part of the Huafon Group.

TW Special Report

Commercialized in 2000, Sorona® polymer from Covation Biomaterials (CovationBio) is not new but is now more relevant than ever as a demand for high-performance, sustainable textiles and circular production grows. CovationBio, formerly known as DuPont Biomaterials, took one of the first industry steps into this space when it launched Sorona for apparel and carpet end-uses in 2006. Sorona polymer features 37 percent renewable plant-based ingredients, which reduces the use of fossil fuels, and significantly improves environmental impact versus petro-based incumbent materials.

Bio-PDO, the key ingredient for Sorona polymer, is produced from corn sugar, which is fermented in a process similar to beer brewing to create a bio-based 1,3-propanediol (Bio-PDO). When terephthalic acid is added to the Bio-PDO monomer, triexta — the generic name for a subclass of polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) polymers — is born. Sorona is CovationBio’s brand name for this polymer, which features attractive attributes such as exceptional drape, incredible hand feel, and built-in stain- and wrinkle-resistance, according to the company.

CovationBio reports that compared to nylon 6, Sorona consumes 30 percent less energy and results in 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions.

CovationBio strives to enable a more circular economy — one in which affordable and high-performing biomaterials are accessible to everyone.

Textile World recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Mike Saltzberg, CEO of CovationBio, about Sorona’s origins, advantages, and future in a textile industry increasingly focused on sustainability.

TW: Sorona fiber was introduced in 2000, more than 20 years ago. What drove CovationBio to develop a fiber based on renewable plant-based ingredients?

Saltzberg: We were aware of the performance benefits of the Sorona PTT polymer based on research conducted in the 1950s and 1960s. However, the key monomer required to make Sorona — propanediol (PDO) — was not commercially available using petrol-based processes. Through groundbreaking innovation in biotechnology, we developed a plant-based fermentation route to manufacture PDO in an economically viable way that allowed us to commercialize Sorona. This Bio-PDO process also offers enormous environmental benefits versus a traditional petrochemical process.

TW: Sorona is partially plant-based. Are there other features of the fiber that make it more sustainable than traditional textile fibers?

Saltzberg: Sorona enables garments with exceptionally durable stretch and recovery, which means they retain their shape and have longer bagging resistance. This means end-consumers can hold on to their clothes longer, reducing the number of garments that consumers purchase over time and that end up as waste. Sorona also empowers a superior resistance to fading and pilling, which reduces micropolymer pollution caused by laundry. Finally, Sorona is mechanically recyclable in traditional polyester (PET) waste streams.

TW: What other properties make Sorona unique?

Saltzberg: Sorona exhibits many exciting performance attributes including exceptional softness, drape, quick-dry capability and even lightweight, breathable warmth when used in insulation. These attributes result in Sorona being used across a wide range of applications such as faux fur, puffer jackets, leggings and even cosmetic brushes. When spun in a bicomponent format together with PET, fibers are created with superior stretch and stretch recovery as compared with other elastomeric fibers like spandex.

TW: How is your team working to reduce global reliance on petroleum? Are there other fibers in development with a higher percentage of sustainable components?

Saltzberg: CovationBio supplies to industries that historically have relied on the production of petro-based man-made polymers for fashion, home textiles and industrial packaging. Now as part of the Huafon Group, a highly successful materials company, we are uniquely positioned to expand the reach of our current bio-based products and accelerate the introduction of new offerings and technologies to the market.

We will continue to build on our decades-long legacy and successful suite of products currently available in the market, including scalable, commercial offerings like Sorona and Susterra®, which are sourced from renewable feedstocks. Susterra is exciting as it provides a 100 percent plant-based, high-performance building block that reduces the need for petroleum-based components while enhancing end-product attributes.

Its applications range from footwear and outdoor apparel to coatings, inks and functional fluids.

We also have an exciting pipeline of innovations and materials in development and are working closely with our customers and stakeholders to deliver new products. This includes new materials that will enable high performance fibers that also have higher renewable and/or recycled content.

TW: In apparel, Sorona has found a myriad of applications. Talk about some of the innovative uses and how the fiber contributes to a more sustainable apparel industry.

Saltzberg: Sorona polymer can be spun into bicomponent stretch fibers, homofilament for shape memory fabrics, staple for use in insulation and spun yarns — in combination with natural fibers like cotton or wool — and other types of fibers. These fiber types can be incorporated into a wide variety of fabric qualities. We launched our Common Thread fabric certification program in 2020 to drive better trust and transparency throughout our supply chain.

Beyond the performance attributes for the five sub-brand fabric types — which include Agile, Aura, Luxe, Profile and Revive — our mills and brands using certified fabrics have access and permission to use our logos, proper brand colors and marketing language to discuss the bio-based components of the polymer included in the fabrics.

We are also seeing an increase in the use of Sorona for footwear. Using Sorona in footwear allows for movement, stretch and longer-lasting performance.

TW: Explain how Sorona is a suitable substitute for spandex? What are the environmental advantages of Sorona over spandex fibers?

Saltzberg: As mentioned earlier, when spun in a bicomponent format, Sorona-based fibers are created which “self-crimp,” meaning that they behave like tiny springs with a mechanical stretch and recovery effect. Traditional spandex gets its stretch from the elastomeric nature of the material itself, similar to a rubber band. This different stretch mechanism gives Sorona bicomponent fibers superior stretch recovery and durability to spandex. Sorona Agile is our sub-brand for spandex replacement for use in many, but not all, applications. Sorona Agile fabrics have better stretch and recovery than traditional spandex-based fabrics, while delivering superior recyclability and durability.

TW: How does Sorona differ from traditional carpet fibers? What sets the fiber apart?

Saltzberg: From a performance perspective, Sorona offers unparalleled softness, crush resistance and built-in stain resistance that is not available from other fiber types. Compared to nylon 6, Sorona production consumes 30 percent less energy and results in 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. In the carpet industry, Sorona carpets are generally regarded as the best option available on the market for consumers.

TW: How does CovationBio’s Sorona fiber impact the concept of circularity?

Saltzberg: Like other biomaterials, Sorona reduces society’s reliance on fossil feedstocks by providing an alternative source of high-performance chemicals and materials. Another important aspect of the circular economy is reducing consumers’ overall consumption and thus their waste production. As mentioned previously, part of this is enabling customers to reduce the amount of clothing they are buying and sending to a landfill. Sorona empowers garments with attributes that make it longer lasting and looking newer for longer.

It is, however, important to note that Sorona is not a biodegradable polymer but is mechanically recyclable in a traditional PET waste stream.

TW: What is the impact of the Common Thread Fabric Certification Program?

Saltzberg: In March of 2020, CovationBio launched its Common Thread Fabric Certification Program, a brand architecture and hangtag program designed to bring clarity and transparency for designers, apparel brands, and end customers. New fabric collections offered by mills are tested and certified through the program to assure the fabrics meet a certain level of biobased content and quality standards.

TW: How is the CovationBio team working to address the textile landfill issue?

Saltzberg: The number of textiles discarded and ending up in a landfill is directly connected to their durability. By extending the useful life and improving the performance of garments, particularly stretch garments, Sorona is reducing the amount of clothing wearers need to purchase.

For example, stretch fabrics and garments such as leggings made with Sorona-based fibers maintain their stretch performance and comfort through many more wash cycles than similar fabrics made with fossil-based spandex, helping customers and brands produce less textile waste.

July/August 2022

Glen Raven is “Continuing its Pattern of Good” as it shares progress towards its goals set in its inaugural corporate sustainability report.

TW Special Report

Glen Raven Inc., Burlington, N.C., recently released a report detailing the company’s progress in 2021 towards its goals set forth in its inaugural corporate sustainability report.

“When we issued our first corporate sustainability report last year, we wanted to share a set of aspirational goals to inspire advancement,” said CEO Leib Oehmig. “This updated report is another step in that journey, further demonstrating our commitment to accountability with metrics about our progress so that we can keep striving for improvement.

“Glen Raven desires to have a positive impact on our global community by supporting the planet on which we live and the communities that we serve,” Oehmig noted. “Throughout the company’s history, this is Glen Raven. It’s who we are as a company and it’s about doing the right thing. This is a reflection of the Gant family values and is core to Glen Raven.”

Textile World recently had the chance to catch up with Oehmig to discuss the company’s progress detailed in the report.

TW: The progress report focuses on two foundational pillars — “Supporting Our People and Communities” and “Sustaining Our Planet.” In what areas do you believe the company has made the most progress in the past year?

Oehmig: The year 2021 was a year in which we were really working to build some of the foundational elements. Supporting people and communities has been a hallmark and focus for Glen Raven throughout its 142 years.

So, in terms of new opportunities and sources of new, measurable improvement, I would say we have made more progress in sustaining our planet this year.

As was noted in the report, over the past couple of years we have gone from zero use of renewable electricity to now 25 percent use. Outside the United States — both in France and China — we have achieved 100-percent utilization of renewable energy.

Additionally, we were very deliberate in terms of our desire and intention as it relates to sustaining our planet when working on the design for our new capital projects to expand capacity. It really gave us an opportunity to look at power utilization and efficiencies in equipment and process design in ways that would be most impactful.

We are equipping our plants with state-of-the-art weaving machines, LED lighting and modern HVAC systems. These improvements, and others, helped us decrease our scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 33 percent between 2019 and 2021. As it relates to our broad sustainability efforts, it certainly was an opportunity to see the measurable impact we are having and that really provides the motivation to push further and to aspire to do much more.

This report gives us the opportunity to drive a stake in the ground and not only look for new and innovative ways to support both our associates and the communities that we serve, but also to hold ourselves accountable.

TW: Tell us about the steps Glen Raven has taken to foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace. How has the plan impacted and fortified the company’s existing culture?

Oehmig: We’ve always viewed ourselves as a relatively diverse company. When you consider that we operate in 23 countries, we’ve always had a global point of view and certainly have benefited from differing points of view and different cultures. For us, it came down to being able to identify new opportunities and then establish goals that we can share with our associates and collectively hold ourselves accountable to do more.

As I mentioned, this really was a foundational year for Glen Raven. We engaged BSR [Business for Social Responsibility] — a leader in diversity, equity and inclusion [DEI} — to help guide our journey to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We defined what constitutes leadership and first line supervision across our regions and divisions to establish a clear baseline for measurement, among other foundational actions.

From a cultural standpoint, the company reflects the values of the founders — the Gant family — and how we can support both our associates and the communities that we serve has always been top of mind for us.

TW: Some 73 percent of Glen Raven employees recommended the company as a great place to work. But given the nature of the current economy with low labor participation and low unemployment, how difficult has it been to attract and retain new associates?

Oehmig: It has been difficult. We are operating in the same environment as our peers, and across all industry sectors it appears we have similar challenges. Part of Glen Raven’s communication with current and prospective employees is to make that compelling case — to be transparent about things we are doing that have a positive impact on our global community and to really articulate why Glen Raven is a great place to work.

But also, our industry continues to work to tell the story about the textile industry today versus what it may have been for our parents’ and grandparents’ generation. If you are successful in the textile industry today, it’s likely you are doing something pretty special. So, it’s not only us telling Glen Raven’s story and what makes it compelling in terms of working here, but also from a broader industry perspective we are working across the industry and for our peers to help tell the story of what a great place it is from an industry sector point of view.

TW: How receptive have employees been to the people goals, particularly in volunteering?

Oehmig: Very receptive. We have a community impact team that works to identify causes our associates are passionate about because we really want to respond to the communities that we serve. We currently serve more than 200 charities globally.

We want to determine where Glen Raven can make the greatest impact on our global community, and where we can focus our resources to allow us to move to needle in the greatest way. For us to be able to look for new and impactful ways to support the communities in which we operate is a tremendous priority.

One of the areas we have focused on, but now are really shining a light on, is early childhood education. That is not only through a teacher leadership academy that we support, but also in China where we are supporting a program that helps support young children to make sure they have the resources that they need to get a great start and achieve early success. Studies show you need to make an impact before a child reaches the third grade, and that’s why Glen Raven has identified early childhood education as an area of focus.

TW: In serving the community, what areas have been most impactful over the past year?

Oehmig: We really try to respond to the individual needs of each community, whether that is disaster relief, keeping the community clean, or supporting children in need, for example. There was so much hardship related to the pandemic and supporting families and children who lacked basic needs was a focus. We have reached out to individual communities and let them make the decisions at the local level in terms of where the company can make the biggest impact.

TW: In terms of global impact, what has been the most important thing Glen Raven has achieved in the “Sustaining the Planet” pillar?

Oehmig: Number one is diverting waste from the landfill. We have a goal to implement 100 percent landfill-free practices by the end of this year, and we’re proud to have reached a diversion from landfill rate of 97 percent for the overall company in 2021.

Number two is energy management. Twenty-Five percent of our energy usage comes from renewable sources now. And as stated earlier, we are actively working to reduce emissions.

And finally, number three is the increased utilization of recycled materials — making products using recycled content, as well as working throughout the supply chain to help recycling efforts to collect fabrics and bring them back for reprocessing. We have improved our use of recycled materials 50 percent since 2019 and are designing new products that will increase the use of recycled content. We also have recycling efforts underway, “Recycle My Sunbrella®” being one of those efforts, where we have recycled more than a million pounds of fabric to date. That’s something we’ve put a heightened focus on with a goal of recycling another million pounds by 2025.

TW: Are products featuring recycled content different from standard products, or marketed differently?

Oehmig: All of these recycled programs are under the Sunbrella® brand, and therefore they have to meet the same performance attributes as their peer products. We’re not going to jeopardize the brand promise from a product design standpoint. When we first started creating products utilizing recycled materials, we came at it with the sustainability story, but what we found is that products were adopted more for their aesthetics and the design. The recycled content piece was secondary. But, that gives us a great story to tell — it not only means we have a positive impact on the planet, but we’re also designing beautiful products that meet the same performance criteria and have the same performance attributes as all of our Sunbrella products.

TW: Has the dramatic increase in energy prices since the goals were originally created impacted the company’s progress towards energy sustainability?

Oehmig: To date, it has not. We remain focused on the goals that we outlined, and as I mentioned 25 percent of our energy today comes from renewable sources. We do feel that we will remain on that track.

Obviously in Europe, we’re facing incredible challenges. But that is where we use more renewable energy and I don’t see that slowing down. We have a presence in France, which is one of the leading adopters of renewable energy, so that is certainly positive. And we are using biomass in China. In its five-year plan it has its own sustainability goals with renewable energy as a piece of that, and we are participating there.

Certainly, the United States is where we are now very aggressively working to move more of our own requirements to certified renewable sources. That move has been a bigger focus over the past couple of years, but our interest in renewables goes back to 2011 when we built our first solar installation. Glen Raven now owns two of the largest privately held solar installations in North and South Carolina, which was all part of our learning curve. We started down this path towards utilization of renewable energy making sure that we understand the implications and how to make the most of our efforts.

TW: Do you foresee any business challenges that may affect Glen Raven’s future sustainability progress?

Oehmig: We have to adapt to the environment in which we are operating, and our resolve to meet these objectives has not wavered at all.

Glen Raven has always operated under the mantra of “do the right thing,” and now the next generation of shareholders, associates, prospective employees and customers really want transparency and they want to know what you stand for. They want to know not only which markets you participate in and how you’re going to participate, but they also want to know why we participate, which is really the purpose of why we exist and how we can make a positive impact on our global community. And that’s ultimately the foundation on which everything we have talked about today has been built.

July/August 2022