Techtextil North America settles into its new schedule with the next edition taking place in Raleigh, N.C., in August.

TW Special Report

After back-to-back years in Atlanta, Messe Frankfurt’s Techtextil North America (TTNA) trade show has settled into its new schedule with the non-Atlanta show now happening in even years.

The 2024 edition of the event — a show dedicated to the technical textiles and nonwovens industries — will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center, August 20-22, 2024.

“We are thrilled to be getting back to Raleigh, after a three-and-a-half-year gap due to the show schedule shift,” stated Kristy Meade, vice president, Technical Shows, Atlanta-based Messe Frankfurt. “Techtextil North America Raleigh feels like a homecoming with NC State as our official academic partner and so much of the industry, both exhibitors and attendees, alums of the area.”

Show Floor Organization

As always, exhibits will be categorized using 12 application areas: Agrotech; Buildtech; Clothtech; Geotech; Hometech; Indutech; Medtech; Mobiltech; Oekotech; Packtech; Protech; and Sporttech. This arrangement helps visitors find the products and services they are interested in based on product application.

Exhibitors from Germany will share their latest innovations on the German Pavilion located in the center of the show floor.

New in 2024 is the History of Textiles Museum, which is presented by North Carolina State University. Exhibit areas located throughout the show floor will focus on the history of the industry from early pieces of machinery up to present day innovations including automation.

Learning Opportunities

Techtextil North America 2024 will host a symposium, as well as Tech Talks and Student Research Poster Program on the show floor.

The Techtextil North America Symposium is dedicated to showcasing advancements in research and technology for the textile industry, highlighting the latest trends and innovations, with a focus on sustain-able textile practices. Sessions will take place all three days of the show. Symposium topics this year include:

• Smart Threads and Healing Fibers:
• Navigating the Intersection of Wearable Technology, Medical Textiles and Legal Compliance;
• Department of Defense Trend Forecast;
• Real World Circularity: Stitching a Sustainable Future in the Textile Industry; and
• Durable Water Repellency: Balancing Performance and Sustainability (See Schedule Highlights sidebar).

Tech Talks will take place on the show floor. These sessions are free for all show attendees and center on solution-oriented discussions about new technologies, hot button issues and more.

A complete list of symposium and Tech Talk titles and speakers will be available on the Techtextil North America show website prior to the event. All event information, including any last-minute changes or updates, also will be located on the Techtextil North America 2024 mobile app, which will be ready to download later this summer.

A mainstay feature, the Student Research Poster Program, also is a must-see show floor exhibit featuring both undergraduate and graduate level research and textile innovations. Students from around the globe have the opportunity to share their research findings with visitors by way of the poster program.

2024 Techtextil North America Innovation Awards

During the 2024 edition of the show, organizers will present the Techtextil Innovation Awards to deserving entries submitted in advance and chosen by a jury of industry experts. According to Messe Frankfurt, the award: “ … reflects the innovative content of the Techtextil North America trade fair as well as the future-oriented products of the exhibitors. It honors cutting-edge developments that foster new and unconventional ideas and visions and supports cross-industry dialogue among researchers, manufacturers and users.”

An award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 21, at noon on the Tech Talks Special Fea-ture Stage located in booth 1033.

Visitor Information

On the opening night of the show, all attendees can participate in the Opening Night Reception, which will be held at the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center on the NC State campus from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The reception requires a ticket for entry, which is included with the full experience pass or may be purchased separately as an add-on.

Visitors to Techtextil North America can register to attend and purchase exhibit hall badges, symposium passes and reception tickets in advance online. Tickets may also be purchased in person on show days, but advance registration is suggested in order to expedite the entrance process.

The show floor is open Tuesday, August 20, and Wednesday, August 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Thurs-day, August 22, the show floor is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit To Network, Learn

The show floor will be smaller and cozier than the average Atlanta show, but the sense of community, opportunity to interact with colleagues, and chance to stumble upon new and interesting technologies remains the same as always.

“This year we have a focus on Integrating Technology and attendees will have opportunity to see the latest from technical suppliers from across the globe, highlighted by the Innovation Awards and Student Research Program, as well as learn from an engaging line-up of speakers in the Symposium and the on-floor Tech Talks,” Meade noted. “We are confident that the 2024 edition is sure to be THE meeting point for the industry.”

For more information about Techtextil North America 2024 and to register, visit techtextilna.com.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

The next edition of the Advanced Textiles Association’s AT Expo takes place in Anaheim this September.

TW Special Report

After multiple iterations held in east coast cities, the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) is taking its Advanced Textiles (AT) Expo to the west coast for the 2024 edition. The expo will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. Education sessions begin on September 23 and the show floor is open September 24-26, 2024.

“ATA is excited to host the textile industry at Advanced Textiles Expo in Anaheim, California, September 24-26,” said Steve Schiffman, ATA president and CEO. “Being in California allows us to reach new people that may not travel to the east coast. Advanced Textiles Expo continues to bring thousands of textiles professionals who serve many markets together for education, networking, and an exhibit floor full of textiles/materials, new innovations, and equipment.

“This year’s show has several new features including the Next Gen(eration) Takeover Day, the Tex-tiles Challenge, programming on specialty textiles, shade and weather and emerging technologies.”

What To Expect

The show will again be collocated with Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America, which will be held September 24-26, 2024. According to ATA, the collocation of the events for these two complementary industries offers value in terms of connecting with customers, suppliers, end-product manufacturers, and industry counterparts, as well as providing growth opportunities. Attendees have access to both events including the combined show floor, show floor education and networking receptions. The only exceptions are AT Expo’s conference, which is only open to AT Expo registrants; and Sun Shading Expo classroom education, which is only open to Sun Shading Expo registrants.

The show floor will feature the ATA Hub, which is a great place to learn more about ATA or join a member division open meeting. Also on the show floor, ATA announced the return of a pet rescue fundraising booth, as well as the Demo Booth —a hands-on educational space for makers and materials suppliers.

The optional add-on AT Expo Annual Fun Run/Walk will take place Wednesday morning, September 25, at 6 a.m. Participants will meet at the Hilton Anaheim and be led by experienced locals on a walk or run through Anaheim. Runners can choose a pace group and distance —1 mile or 5 kilometers. Proceeds benefit the Work Ethic Scholarship Fund.

New Features

ATA has planned several new features for attendees at the upcoming expo. The Next Gen(eration) Takeover Day is Wednesday, September 25. At 10 a.m., a hands-on LEGO net-working workshop will take place on the show floor. Designed to foster new connections and teach industry concepts, teams will collaborate to build Lego models that represent key elements of the industry. Later that afternoon, from 12:30-2:30 p.m., The NextGen Textiles Meet-up will take place. This fun activity begins with participants building a Lego avatar to represent their personal style. Afterwards, fast-paced networking rounds will give participants the chance to meet new people and mingle with industry influencers.

The Textiles Challenge, another new show feature, is a skill-testing, hands-on activity featuring — as the name suggests — textile challenges. Preview and practice rounds will take place on Tuesday, September 24, with qualifying rounds and the final round taking place on Wednesday.

On Thursday, ATA is giving women a chance to connect before the show floor opens. Interested attendees should gather at the Hilton Anaheim at 7 a.m. for the Women’s Networking Walk. Following the walk, women can participate in a leadership session titled “Balancing Priorities for Success” at 9:30 a.m. The session begins with a keynote followed by a panel discussion featuring industry leaders who will share their perspectives and advice. Wrapping up the event is a development session on strategies for establishing boundaries and setting priorities to obtain a work/life balance.

Nighttime Fun

To kick things off, the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA) is hosting the Awning Pub Night at Bowlero Anaheim on Monday, September 23 at 5 p.m. RSVP’s are required by August 26.

On Tuesday, September 24, AT Expo will host the official opening reception at 4 p.m. The reception is included with all registration types to give all participants the chance to mix and mingle to wrap up the first full day.

Those who opt to purchase a separate ticket when registering can move from the opening reception to Industry Night, which this year will be held at the Anaheim House of Blues starting at 7 p.m. As always, live music will be provided by ATA member band Hangin’ by a Thread.

Education

The one-and-a-half day Emerging Technologies Conference begins with a full day of presentations on Monday, September 23, and an Emerging Technologies Networking Reception at the close of the sessions. On Tuesday, additional sessions will be held in the morning. Topics will cover a variety of subjects from healthcare and electronic textiles to green chemistry and testing. A full lineup of speakers and topics is available on the AT Expo website.

Education continues on the Emerging Technologies show floor stage beginning Tuesday afternoon. These more informal, 30-minute sessions are designed to be interactive and digestible.

For more information about Advanced Textiles Expo — including the full conference schedule with speakers — as well as to register, please visit advancedtextiles expo.com.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

The materials and process engineering conference recently convened in Long Beach, Calif., for its 2024 edition.

By Jim Kaufmann, Technical Editor

The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) held its annual conference and exhibition, SAMPE 2024, in Long Beach, Calif., recently. However, unlike other trade shows and conventions, a SAMPE event really does have the feel of a large family reunion or maybe a college alumni event. Truth be told, as an organization focused mainly on materials and process engineering, SAMPE events tend to take on a different look and feel than a typical textile conference. Part of this difference comes from the fact that SAMPE is a global, member-driven organization with regional chapters throughout North America, as well as other global geographic locations. In North America alone, there are 23 regional member chapters and currently 49 different student chapters at colleges and universities. A list of global, regional and student chapters can be found on SAMPE’s website, sampe.org.

Many SAMPE event participants— either exhibitor, conference speakers or general attendees —have been a SAMPE member since their days as a college or university student — which for some of us translates into a lot of years. That level of familiarity creates a different type of energy or synergy, almost like a homecoming at these events, and this year was no exception.

In general, a SAMPE conference and exhibition focuses more on the technical and engineering aspects of materials, and as such, the material focus has evolved more towards composites and fiber reinforced plastics segments. The aerospace industry abounds as a starting point for many discussions as its testing, evaluation and acceptance of new materials and processes often sets the standards for other industries and applications to follow. The majority of discussions certainly have a business intent, but the bulk of those conversations center more around performance attributes. Conference programs tend to focus on technical concepts, new or advanced processes and problem solving, while CAMX, JEC and other events tend to focus more on product introductions and increasing sales. As such, SAMPE events are generally smaller than CAMX, and certainly the JEC trade fairs, but unquestionably still remain viable and worthy of participation.

This year’s SAMPE event drew more than 200 exhibitors and 2,700 visitors.

“In my opinion, SAMPE was a function of quality over quantity,” stated Eric Smith, vice president of sales and marketing for Re:Build Manufacturing based in Framingham, Mass. “This location [Long Beach] continues to prove itself to be one of the flagship locations for this event given its proximity to aerospace, defense and composites companies and contractors. The SAMPE staff’s engagement and coordination was instrumental in the success of the show.”

“SAMPE shows are always a good opportunity to see and interact with industry colleagues,” offered Judy Johnson, business development manager for carbon fiber manufacturer Hyosung Advanced Materials. “This year’s show had plenty of traffic in the exhibit hall where good discussions ensued.”

One inspiring observation made during this year’s SAMPE conference and exhibition was the number of younger people in attendance. It is nice to see SAMPE’s emphasis on getting young people involved in engineering pursuits, which starts with the student chapters at the colleges and universities. These student chapters not only provide the name recognition, but also prompt students to get involved in a number of different ways while learning at the same time. At SAMPE 2024, there were student poster sessions on a variety of topics that received awards, as well as awards for technical papers, which in many cases featured student input.

Keynote speaker Stephen Heinz, vice president of Research and Innovation at Belgium-based Syensqo Corp., stopped at one point during his presentation to ask the students in the audience to stand. Heinz then suggested that the students and professionals in the audience introduce themselves and encouraged each to not only make an impact on the industry, but perhaps each other’s professional career as well. Several networking events were held throughout the event for the young professionals that also promoted diversity, equality and inclusion in all facets of the event and their professional lives throughout the industry.

SAMPE has always featured student competitions and this year was no exception. This year’s events included additive manufacturing, building a fuselage, and the tried-and-true building a bridge contest that featured several different structural categories. Student groups organized, designed and built prototypes that were brought to SAMPE and physically tested on the show floor throughout the day. What other trade show allows attendees to watch tests of scaled fuselage or bridge segments while student engineers and others in the crowd cheer teams on or groan at a premature failure?

SAMPE student chapters in many cases are supported by the SAMPE regional chapters, which through sponsorships and fundraisers, can provide travel funds or assistance making it easier for the students to attend SAMPE events. Many regional chapters also establish student scholarships to help pay a portion of the student’s education and housing costs.

Regional SAMPE chapters hold their own events to generate income, promote networking and other social activities geared at building camaraderie, the chapter’s presence and professional community standing. A fine example of this occurred during this year’s Long Beach event as the Carolinas Chapter hosted a farewell party for Tom Haulik, the recently retired director of carbon fiber sales for Hexcel Corp., Stamford, Conn. Haulik didn’t invent carbon fiber, but he certainly has been instrumental in selling it over the years. His presence and standing in the composites industry were confirmed by the many attendees who came to thank him for all his friendship, support and guidance throughout a distinguished career. In a fitting tribute, Haulik was named the Honorary Lifetime Ambassador of SAMPE’s Carolinas Chapter.

Next year’s SAMPE 2025 Conference is slated for May 19-22, 2025, in Indianapolis, Ind. But also remember to check out and support your local SAMPE chapter’s upcoming events. Along with the national events, these local chapter happenings provide excellent opportunities to network, talk business and occasionally have a bit of fun. Hope to see you there!

2024 Quarterly Volume III

The recent Techtextil and Texprocess shows in Frankfurt, Germany, showcased the best of the industry in a one-stop-shop environment.

By Jim Kaufmann, Technical Editor

Techtextil, the biennial trade fair organized by Messe Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany, is considered to be the granddaddy of global trade events focused on the technical textiles industry. Collocated with Texprocess — a sister show focused on processing textiles and flexible materials — it is considered a significant and important industry event for the global exhibitors and visitors who participate. For readers who haven’t been, this big brother to Techtextil North America, also organized by Messe Frankfurt, is akin to one spending a couple of days at the largest shopping mall in North America, the Mall of America. There, one can find a store and shop for pretty much any consumer good imaginable. In a similar fashion, between Techtextil and Texprocess, virtually every aspect of the technical, industrial and performance textiles marketplace and supply chain is to be found in Frankfurt.

This year’s combined Techtextil and Texprocess hosted more than 1,700 exhibitors from 53 different countries. During the four-day event these exhibitors greeted more than 38,000 visitors from 102 different countries. “I felt it was very well attended and the quality of visitors was exceptional,” offered Torry Losch, chief commercial officer, Hailide America Inc., a polyester and tire cord manufacturer based in Alpharetta, Ga. “All visitors to our booth were high-quality customers, or potential customers, who fit well within our target markets. Well worth the trip, and I look forward to the next one in two years!”

“For us Techtextil was very good,” added Will Motchar, president and CEO of Navis TubeTex, a finishing machinery manufacturer based in Lexington, N.C. “A lot of potential projects were discussed with current and new customers around our finishing technologies that offer significant energy, water, and chemical savings.”

In general terms, Techtextil encompasses all aspects involved in developing, producing and/or enhancing an input material or textile, while Texprocess focuses on taking that input textile or material and assembling it into a product. Having Techtextil and Texprocess under one umbrella event allows visitors in many cases the opportunity to seek out every aspect of the industry’s supply chain from raw material development and manufacturing to that raw material evolving into a textile, potentially adding a performance enhancement of some sort, and then exploring the technologies necessary to assemble that textile into an end product like a piece of clothing, running shoe, automotive airbag, personal protective equipment, composite structure or any of thousands of other products.

Having Techtextil and Texprocess together in one space also allows for unique synergies via the intermingling of technologies and varied mindsets throughout the different segments in the exhibit halls. For example, a fashion designer can interact with all components of their existing supply chain, and also venture into other segments of either the textile or processing sides to gain inspiration from a completely different sector that they may not interact with during their usual daily tasks. It really can’t be stressed enough how important these unexpected synergies continue to lead to innovations throughout all aspects of the industry.

As with most recent trade fairs, two primary overriding themes were prevalent throughout both Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitors; the continuous incremental and occasionally step-change improvements being made throughout all aspects of product functionality and the continued global importance and commitment to product and corporate sustainability, recycling and circularity.

20 Years Of Techtextil

This year’s Techtextil marked an anniversary as it was the 20th edition of the show. The first event, held in 1986, was a much smaller affair than today’s large-scale extravaganza, but some of the exhibitors who were at that first fair still participate in Techtextil almost 40 years later. Organizers honored those founding companies with a plaque and bottle of champagne as a thank you during a special ceremony on the second day of the fair. According to Messe Frankfurt: “Their commitment and passion have made Techtextil what it is today: a beacon of innovation and a meeting place for industry experts.”

With the industry’s overall focus on sustainability, there was a notable increase in the number of exhibitors showing performance materials incorporating natural fibers at Techtextil. President Clare King and Product Design and Development Lead Birgit Leitner with Propel LLC, a product innovation company based in Providence, R.I., spoke about the changing times and also found inspiration during Techtextil. “We were last at Techtextil in 2019, prior to COVID and there found a high level of focus around e-textiles which were highly represented back then,” Leitner said. “What stood out to us this year, was the shift from e-textiles to a very strong focus on sustainability. Both large and small companies have embraced this trend, showcasing innovations in sustainable materials, eco-friendly production processes and circular economy solutions.” The women noted that the “Sustainability@Techtextil” label allowed visitors to easily identify these companies. They also found the curated section titled “Regenerative? Moving Beyond Sustainability” incorporating key-words such as “Cultivating Localism,” “Enriching Communities,” “Replenishing the Land,” “Radical Transparency,” “Naturally Abundant,” “Biological Fabrication,” “Preserving Heritage,” and “Restoring Biodiversity” interesting and rather inspiring.

A few companies focused on natural products that Leitner and King mentioned were:

• Kombinat Konopny, a Poland-based vertically integrated hemp company;
• Lavalan®/Baur Vliesstoffe GmbH, a Germany-based company focused on increasing awareness of homegrown wool and it’s many performance-based uses;
• Studio Sarmite, a research and design studio in Frankfurt focused on creating closed-loop concepts through transforming industry waste and its byproducts; and
• Malai Eco, an India and Slovakia-based company that is developing flexible, biocomposite materials made from organic bacterial cellulose grown on agricultural waste sourced from the coconut industry in Southern India, which have a feel comparable to leather and paper.

In addition, one couldn’t help but notice the growing focus on “better living through chemistry.” New technologies observed centered around chemistries that can turn polymers into biodegradable forms, generate natural fibers, enhance processing and processability of combined materials, improve colors and color fastness, impart specific performance characteristics, among other attributes.

Texprocess

Not to be outdone, Texprocess showcased innovative processing technologies targeting the cut, sew and converting industries. Artificial intelligence (AI) was featured prominently in a number of areas. AI is now being employed in a number of ways to improve cutting room layouts and nesting efficiencies, aid in the use of raw materials and energy consumption, catalogue assorted samples and physical parameters that can then be used for quality refinements, just to name a few applications. Innovative machine designs, enhancements, tooling and technologies including robotics are being employed in order to improve efficiencies as well as allowing these facilities to be able to do more with less numbers of human labor requirements. This is not necessarily to reduce headcounts as some may fear, but more an answer to the lack of qualified and skilled workers in many of these areas.

Frank Henderson, president and CEO of Henderson Sewing Machine Co., a sewing industry equipment supplier based in Andalusia, Ala., felt that: “Texprocess was a good setting that provided industry leaders highlights into the state-of-the-art design, cutting, sewing and manufacturing possibilities in this vital, global textile supply chain. Techtextil once again demonstrated the technical textile industry’s innovations and advances in automation, digitization and creativity while once again illustrating its continuing importance to the global economy!”

Techtextil North America will also take place this year, in Raleigh, N.C. (See “Raleigh Homecoming,” TW, this issue). The next Techtextil/Texprocess trade fair will be held April 21-24, 2026, in Frankfurt. A trade fair well worth the effort to attend!

2024 Quarterly Volume III

TW Special Report

The Charlotte, N.C.-based Synthetic Yarn and Fabrics Association (SYFA) recently held its annual spring conference at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel in Charlotte.

The conference, entitled “Creativity, The Economy and Policy In 2024,” covered topics on the economy, technical fiber developments and trade.

Outgoing SYFA President Hardy Sullivan of Thies Corp. opened the event with a review of recent SYFA activities. The association also conducted a business meeting where it installed new President Meredith Boyd of Unifi Inc., as well as new board members (See sidebar).

On behalf of the membership, SYFA Secretary and Treasurer Alasdair Carmichael thanked Sullivan for his service to the organization, particularly during the celebration of its 50th anniversary, which occurred during his tenure.

A Variety Of Presentations

The event’s first speaker was Piedmont Crescent Capital’s Mark Vitner, whose “Economic Update” presentation reviewed the economic climate the industry is facing. Vitner, a well-known economist in U.S. textile circles, was realistic about the economic challenges facing textiles and the challenges of a global environment in a post-pandemic election year.

Andrew Talarico and Taylor Greene from Circ Inc. in Danville, Va., discussed the challenges of developing a circular product lifecycle that captures and recycles textile waste throughout the supply chain and at garments end-of-life in their presentation named “Addressing Textile Waste — a Blueprint for an Industry Wide Shift.”

Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI), offered a presentation on designing polylactic acid (PLA) blends titled “Promising Materials Development Using PLA.” He noted that for this sustainable fiber to be an option in nonwovens, there needs to be an emphasis on elongation properties that enhance performance.

Fibers That Promote Health

With “The Future of Health and Wellness is…,” Jordan Schindler, C2 Clothing 2.0, discussed developments in using textiles for controlled delivery of therapeutics, as well as the bright horizon for new product development beyond what is currently available in the marketplace.

“Neolast Stretch Fiber from Celanese” was presented by Celanese’s Rick Tobar. This new polyester development offers elastane-like stretch characteristics and performance, while mitigating elastane’s sustainability issues (See “Quality Fabric: NEOLAST: A New Way To Stretch,” TW, this issue).

Jasmine Cox offered a “Textile Technology Center Overview” of Gaston College, highlighting the Textile Technology Center’s focus on training and newly created in-depth programs that were developed to support manufacturing.

SYFA board member Bart Krulic, Palmetto Synthetics LLC, explored opportunities offered in synthetic fiber development in a presentation titled “For Staple Fibers…What if?” Krulic focused on product development and innovation by considering the “what if?” idea of creating performance fibers using an array of polymers.

Michael Hubbard of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), presented “Opportunities in International Markets.” Hubbard, well-known for his long history with the industry, offered companies a look at unlocking new opportunities by exporting their products. He also introduced new EDPNC hire Jeri Barutis, highlighting her expertise in trade and textiles.

The final presentation of the conference was delivered by Pete Mento with DSV Air and Sea Inc. His discussion, titled “Shifting Economic & Geopolitical Issues Continue to Create Challenges for Supply Chains,” was dynamic and his background in standup comedy certainly helped him engage the crowd on less-than-exciting economic issues.

Conference sponsors included Diamond Sponsor Premier Fibers Inc.; Gold Sponsor Jomar Softcorp International Inc.; Silver Sponsors Goulston Technologies Inc., Pulcra Chemicals LLC and Unifi Inc.; Bronze Sponsors Burlington and DAK Americas LLC; and Patrons Milliken & Company and Polyspintex Inc. Gaston College Foundation also hosted an exhibit table at the conference.

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A Forward Focus

Closing remarks were given by newly instated SYFA President Boyd. She has been an active member of SYFA for many years, and a generosity and willingness to share her knowledge and experience of the fiber industry have always been a great asset to SYFA.

SYFA will hold its fall conference October 24-25, 2024, at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Impacted companies need to start thinking about technology strategies in order to comply with the coming EU Digital Product Passport mandate.

By Megan Brewster

Set to impact any company worldwide that sells products in the European Union, the fast-approaching Digital Product Passport (DPP) mandate is a first-of-its-kind regulatory framework designed to create transparency around product information and accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

Under the new DPP regulations, most end-use and intermediate products sold in the European Union will require a DPP by 2030. The DPP is a type of virtual label with information about a product’s origin, materials used, manufacturing processes, recyclability and more. By providing details about a product’s journey and environmental impact, the goal is for DPPs to empower consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions and pave the way for a greener, more ethical future. This foundational framework is expected to become the information backbone of the global circular economy.

Any company that sells products in the European Union will be impacted by the new DPP regulations, including U.S. companies, which exported more than $350 billion in goods to the European Union in 2022 alone. However, even with the best intentions, many of these companies lack access to the information across their supply chain that is required by this legislation. While mandates directly impacting manufacturers and retailers are still a few years out, it is important to start preparing now to stay ahead of the regulatory curve.

What Is A Digital Product Passport?

A DPP is a digital record containing key information related to a product’s composition, origin and lifecycle. Under the forthcoming legislation, companies selling products in Europe will need to collect and share detailed data on an item’s verified sustainability attributes via DPP, including information about the materials used, manufacturing processes and recyclability. Most products sold in the European Union, from tires and building supplies to clothing and laundry detergent, will require this attached identifier.

To understand the DPP legislation, it’s important to understand the broader regulatory framework that underpins it. The EU Green Deal, set forth by the European Commission in 2020, is aimed at reducing emissions by 55 percent and making the European Union climate neutral by 2050. As part of this deal, the commission brought forth the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). Set to reshape the way products are manufactured, distributed, and reintegrated into a circular economy, the ESPR is a broader framework, delegating the responsibility for establishing granular rules to future regulation through delegated acts. While some delegated acts are set to focus on specific product categories, others will expand on technical and operational elements, such as rules around DPPs.

Who Will Be Impacted Under DPP Legislation?

In this new regulatory landscape, the responsibility for ensuring compliance with DPPs extends beyond the borders of the European Union. Not only will finished products sold in the European Union need to adhere to DPP regulations, but also any components, materials, or semi-finished goods involved in their production, regardless of their origin.

This will dramatically reshape global value chains, necessitating suppliers and manufacturers worldwide to gather and submit the DPP data for their products destined for the European market.

While specific data likely will vary by product category, product sellers will be required to report on the following under DPP legislation:

• Potential for repair, maintenance, refurbishment and upgrades;
• Presence of harmful substances;
• Resource consumption or efficiency;
• Recycled materials content;
• Reusability, remanufacturing and recycling potential;
• Environmental impacts, including carbon footprint; and
• Anticipated waste generation.

As identified by the European Commission, several priority categories — for both finished end-use products and intermediate materials and components — are among the first required to create DPPs for goods produced. These priorities include sellers of batteries, textiles — garments and footwear — iron and steel, aluminum, furniture — including mattresses — tires, detergents, paints, lubricants, chemicals, and electronics. The commission also has stated that it maintains the power to extend the list of currently prioritized categories in the future to include products such as toys, cars and construction-related materials.

Among those set to be the most impacted by the mandate in its earliest stages of rollout are textile and apparel companies, retailers and manufacturers. A study by the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) — a group of Members of the European Parliament — surveyed more than 80 stakeholders to examine the benefits and challenges of DPP deployment within the textile industry. The textile and fashion sectors already face a number of critical challenges including negative impacts on natural resources as a result of fast-fashion, shortages of raw material, rising labor, energy, and water costs, as well as controversies surrounding practices within the textile industry. Against the backdrop of these challenges, the STOA study examined where DPPs will drive the most value in the industry.

STOA found that the consensus among surveyed stakeholders is that DPPs are a positive step towards sustainable product lifecycle management and increasing the circularity of textiles in the European market, and beyond. However, the study also found significant challenges among respondents regarding deployment. Among the top challenges reported in making the DPP feasible within the textile industry are ensuring access for all stakeholders of circularity, including companies that do not have the complex technologies necessary to digitize their supply chains. In addition to costs, data security, and potential impacts on global supply chains and businesses, the need for harmonization of regulations, market surveillance and traceability also were reported concerns. These challenges highlight the need for a unified framework and technical standards to help companies navigating the new DPP mandate.

Meeting Compliance Requirements Using RAIN RFID

Alongside reporting requirements, the DPP framework sets out technical standards regarding how data should be presented and managed. To provide this DPP information, a physical “data carrier” must be attached to products. This data carrier — potentially taking the form of a QR code; a battery-free, wireless RAIN radio frequency identification (RFID) tag; or another identifier —will link the physical product to its digital twin in the cloud, giving brands and consumers full visibility into data regarding materials used, ownership history, and instructions on recycling or proper disposal.

RAIN RFID, a passive, battery-free wireless technology that relies on radio frequency identification to connect items directly to the internet, is a strong candidate to be part of a DPP compliance solution. The technology already is widely used by retailers and logistics companies for inventory management, product authentication, shipment verification and more. This “wireless barcode” connects to detailed information regarding the specific model, batch, and individual unit through a machine-readable format that can be both maintained and easily updated.

Combined with QR codes, RAIN RFID tags would provide a secure, consumer-friendly approach for companies to meet critical requirements under the DPP legislation today. RAIN RFID systems enable businesses to identify, locate, authenticate, and engage with every product tagged with a RAIN RFID tag providing real-time insights. Alongside compliance requirements, companies gain additional benefits from the adoption of RAIN RFID into their everyday operations. Offering item-level tracking throughout the full supply chain, RAIN RFID deployment is already helping businesses to solve their most forefront challenges including counterfeiting, inventory management and overstocks. The technology is also helping businesses modernize operations, supporting circular business models, and driving sustainability initiatives, which will ensure businesses meet the fast-approaching guidelines under the European Union’s DPP mandate. With RAIN RFID readers designed to be embedded in a variety of forms — including small, hand-held form factors — it’s not hard to envision a not-too-distant future where consumers also are able to read RAIN RFID tags using their smartphone, meaning anyone can read the information embedded on tagged products’ DPPs.

Next Steps Ahead Of The Rollout Of The DPP

With the first DPP deadline approaching in July 2024, it is crucial for impacted parties to begin preparing to stay ahead of the regulatory curve. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR) legislation — which creates a framework for DPPs — is planned to be ratified into EU law in July 2024. Following this, in December 2025, European standards organizations CEN/CLC/JTC24 will deliver harmonized standards for the DPP system. Two key dates in 2026 include the publication of the delegated act for textiles — in January — and iron and steel products — in April. These dates start the clock for respective compliance deadlines 18 months later, mandating a DPP for all products in these categories sold in the European Union — July 2027 for textiles and October 2027 for iron and steel products. In February 2027, the Battery Passport regulation is set to take effect, requiring a DPP for all transport, industrial, and electric vehicle batteries placed on the EU market.

Positioned to redefine industry standards, the rollout of the DPP over the next three years will improve transparency and accountability into the overall environmental sustainability of products worldwide. As the first big-mover legislation of its kind, the European Commission’s DPP is already setting a precedent that is inspiring similar initiatives globally.

In the United States, for example, the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) is pushing Congress to revise labeling regulations to incorporate the use of digital labels. This signals the EU’s model may become the global standard, requiring companies worldwide to make DPP compliance a strategic priority.

In efforts to mitigate trade barriers for greener products and lower costs for sustainable investments and compliance, the European Union has set out to develop the DPP mandate in an open dialogue alongside international partners, while working with partner countries to assess potential impacts globally. Impacted companies should start taking steps now to ensure they have the right technology strategies in place to prepare for the DPP. The deployment of RAIN RFID as part of a DPP compliance mix means that businesses can take full advantage of its benefits, ensuring they’re meeting DPP mandates while solving key business challenges and driving new innovations and business value more broadly.

Editor’s Note: Megan Brewster is the vice president of advanced technology at Seattle-based Impinj, a provider of RAIN radio frequency identification technologies. Prior to joining Impinj, Brewster served as fellow and senior policy advisor for advanced manufacturing for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she supported the stand-up of the administration’s signature advanced manufacturing initiative.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

A USDA grant is helping the PA Flax Project revitalize the flax-to-fiber industry in Pennsylvania.

By Kathleen Webber

Textile artist Heidi Barr’s search for a local supplier of linen in Pennsylvania for her home goods company left her empty-handed and curious. Through her research, she found that linen was no longer produced in North America. The flax seed had first come to the United States in the 1600s with the Dutch and German settlers of Germantown, an area of Philadelphia just minutes from where she lived. Barr wondered what it would take to start the industry up again in the United States. She found others interested in growing flax for fiber and came across the Cleveland-based Rustbelt Fibershed linen project and Fibrevolution Inc. in Fruitland, Ore. But it was a chance meeting with a Pennsylvania farmer, Emma De Long, who wanted Barr to make her a linen wedding dress, that led De Long to hand plant a test plot of flax in March 2020 on her vegetable and flower farm — Kneehigh Farm — in Pottstown, Pa. The two women formed the PA Flax Project (PAFP) that year to build a field-to-fiber supply chain in South-eastern Pennsylvania hiring the women at Fibrevolution as consultants to share knowledge about flax, its agronomy, and the processing to make it into linen.

Not long after, in September 2022, the North American Linen Association (NALA) was established, and Barr became the founding vice president on the board. A 501c6 trade association, NALA focuses on advancing the flax-to-linen industry in North America. Shannon Welsh, executive director of NALA and co-founder of Fibrevolution, helped assemble a network of national and international experts to provide members with training, education, technical advice, and networking to rebuild the industry in North America.

Recently, PAFP was awarded a$1.7 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Services Organic Marketing Development Grant (OMDG) to grow flax for linen and other co-products on 12,000 acres in Pennsylvania. PAFP has partnered with the Rodale Institute, Kutztown, Pa., on the grant to reach its large network of organic and transitioning to organic farmers. A cohort of farmers is already interested in a work cooperative of producers both at the farm and the mill level. “It is a European model,” Barr said. “We chose the cooperative model not only because we believe in a democratically run workplace, but because it spreads out the risk as well as the reward across all of the stakeholders. And we’re hoping that will make us be able to succeed as a business.”

The goal of the OMDG grant is to recruit farmers, support them with education, and move the organic fiber flax from farm to market by developing a mill and a market for Pennsylvania organic fiber flax. PAFP is learning from growers in Europe on how to grow, harvest and process flax. Private funding allowed Barr to purchase three pieces of Depoortere harvesting equipment from Belgium that will arrive this summer in time for its second farmer educational event. “The people we’re purchasing from are also sending somebody to teach us how to use the machinery,” Barr noted. “They’re very supportive of this project and I think a huge key to the North American success in linen is going to be collaboration with people in Europe. They hold all the recent history.”

Welsh traveled through Europe all over the flax-growing regions and toured mills and met other people in the industry for NALA. “Over time, everyone was starting to come to us for consulting for all kinds of things, partnerships,” Welsh said. “Heidi was one of the people that we consulted with. And we saw lots of other regions throughout North America trying to bring this crop back. It seems like to really get a supply chain for linen again, we needed to come together as a larger organization and work together as we build rebuild infrastructure and get crops growing.” NALA’s board is nine members strong and growing. Among the significant growers in North America are Rustbelt Fibershed; Fibrevolution; Chico Flax, Chico, Calif.; GreenMountain Linen, South Royalton, Vt.; TapRoot Fibrelab, Greenwich, Nova Scotia; Montreal-based Canflax; and Biolin Research Inc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

After securing the grant, PAFP went from no resources to being fully funded for three years, Barr said. It has hired a new director of Agriculture, a director of Development, a director of Education and a director of Value Chain Coordination. PAFP is working with partners like Pennsylvania Fibershed, a nonprofit organization working to connect the fiber and textile communities in Pennsylvania through industry development. Leslie Davidson, co-founder of Pennsylvania Fibershed said it is assisting PAFP on systems development, data collection and supply chain outreach to get farmers interested in growing the crop and getting people committed to using the fiber once it is grown and processed. Barr said flax has the potential to provide new revenue streams for hundreds of farmers in Pennsylvania alone.

State Support For Flax Growing

Barr worked with Michael Roth, director of Conservation and Innovation at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, to advocate for adding flax fiber to the specialty crop list in the state. “Pennsylvania is the first state to have its own Farm Bill and therefore the only one with a state-level specialty crop program,” Roth noted. Flax is now classified as a specialty crop, which unlocks funding for people who are producing the crop. “Specialty crops are crops that are of particular interest and eligible for support because they have some benefit beyond just being a crop,” Roth said.

Barr also noted that: “Flax was awarded the specialty crop status just ahead of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Specialty Crop Block grants coming open to anyone growing fiber flax.”

Shannon Powers of the PA Department of Agriculture said the Pennsylvania Specialty Crop Block Grant was created as part of the PA Farm Bill and the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program prioritizing crops tied to fast-growing sectors, or those that have the potential to increase our sustainability and create opportunities for farmers.

“Flax checks both of those boxes, Powers said. “Linen is among the natural fibers in demand by consumers who want to decrease their carbon footprint with plant-based products. At this point, flax has to be shipped out of the U.S. for final processing into linen, then be imported back to the U.S. PA Flax Project is working to return the flax-processing industry back to the U.S. to create economic opportunity for Pennsylvania farmers, and increase sustainability in the textile industry — an effort the PA Department of Agriculture supports.”

Barr said the hope is that other states will look at what Pennsylvania did and go to their Department of Agriculture and advocate for the same. “The more states that can get it on the specialty crop list, the more likely it will be to be added at the federal level,” Barr said.

Flax History

Flax is a bast fiber meaning that it comes from second layer of the plant’s stem. Hemp, jute and ramie also are bast fibers. There is evidence of its growth and use dating back to the fifth millennium BC in both Mesopotamia and Egypt, but the crop came to Europe in the Middle Ages, where it was cultivated widely. German settlers brought flax production to the Pennsylvania colony in the 17th century, settling in the southeastern area of the state near Philadelphia. “While it had deep roots in this region, the flax industry initially lost ground to cot-ton in the first Industrial Revolution because cotton had the advantages of the labor of enslaved people,” Barr said. “The cotton gin was an early industrial invention that meant it became faster and cheaper to produce cotton. And so linen sort of lost ground there and then it lost ground again after the Second World War, when synthetic textiles came onto the market. NAFTA was the final nail in the coffin.”

Benefits Of Flax

A climate-positive plant, flax is easy to grow, taking 100 days from seed to harvest. Its most valuable use is for linen production. Linen is known for its durability, breathability and strength, and demand for it has grown as consumers turn away from synthetics and embrace natural fibers. “Flax is environmentally very friendly,” Barr said. “It is a low-input crop that doesn’t require irrigation and it remediates soils, promoting biodiversity. It’s a carbon capture crop. It can be processed from field to spinnable fiber with no chemicals using all mechanical processing. So, every part of the plant has commercial uses. Plus, it yields a very versatile textile.”

Flax grows in a large variety of climates. It will tolerate a lot of different soil types, but more importantly, it’s the humidity and moisture that it needs Barr explained. In Europe, it grows in coastal regions. And in Oregon, growers benefit from a coastal climate. “Here [in PA] we have enough humidity,” Barr noted.

When the fibrous stems of the flax plant turn a yellow-brown color, it is pulled to harvest and the flax plant is left to rett in the field for a period of two to three weeks. The retted flax straw is transported to the scutching mill to be processed into spinnable fiber. Then the fiber goes to a spinning mill and then on to be woven or knit into fabric.

Three Stages Of The PAFP

Right now, PAFP is in the agricultural stage, or stage one, with interested farmers. It is followed by the mill stage, and then the mill’s stabilization stage. This year its priorities are to grow small amounts, and sup-port farmers with education about the agronomy of the crop, so that they are set up for success as they scale. PAFP also is networking and relationship-building to begin identifying buyers for what will eventually be produced at the mill. The ambitious goal is to have the mill operational at the end of year three. Its director of development is already looking for a mill building, creating the built environment strategy and fundraising so things can stay on schedule.

PAFP will likely locate the mill in southeastern Pennsylvania in the Philadelphia region — not necessarily because it’s the best part of the state, but because that’s where the bulk of its interested growers are right now. “Our goal is to have a regional scale mill and once we get the mill operational, we don’t want to expand beyond that,” Barr said. “We want to become an educational hub for others who are interested in a similarly-sized cooperative model. And we think that Pennsylvania has room for at least three and probably five, similarly sized operations.”

The idea is to locate the mill within a couple of hundred miles of the bulk of the growers. These growers will plant 3,000 to 4,000 acres of crop in a four-year rotation. The closer the mill is to those acres, the less distance the giant bales of straw need to be transported.

“We will be a raw materials mill, so we’ll be producing what’s called scutched fiber or fiber that’s ready to be spun,” Barr said. “For the textile industry, our end users would be spinners or people who are creating nonwoven cloth with short fibers as well as buyers of coproducts like shive, dust and immature seed.”

The biggest hurdle to building the industry is the amount of capital it takes to build mills as part of the infrastructure. A first-stage processing or scutching mill can cost between $5 million and $10 million to build, and ideally, a mill on the West coast, in the Midwest and in the Northeast would be needed, Welsh noted. “My goal is to really disrupt our current textile system and have commercial production taking place domestically,” Welsh said. “I feel like there is a lot of momentum right now, but I see it slowing down because every group is having to raise a significant amount of money to build the processing mills.”

However, Barr said reestablishing a whole industry requires a relatively modest investment making it attractive to investors. “In our case, the early stage funding we’ve received through the OMDG award will help us achieve funding for our mill and it’s our hope that our success will encourage investment in other regional flax fiber projects,” Barr said. “Our OMDG award is a huge step forward and a vote of confidence by the USDA in both PAFP and the fiber flax industry in North America, which is very encouraging.”

Demand And Meeting It

Barr believes there’s a movement afoot. There is a very large growing demand for linen and for the coproducts that may be produced at the mill including short fibers that can go into biocomposites, be ring spun similar to wool, or even be cottonized and blended with cotton. Everything produced at the mill will have a market.

European supply is not meeting with current market demands and so the Pennsylvania project could possibly fill in those gaps. According to a report by the Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp, three quarters of the world’s flax fiber is produced in France, the Netherlands and Belgium — all small countries in terms of land. From 2010-2020 there’s been a 133-percent increase in flax production in Europe, but in 2023 poor weather conditions meant a smaller harvest. In the same report, the aver-age price in 2024 across all qualities and all production regions of European Flax fiber produced by European scutchers — in France, Belgium and the Netherlands — reached 9.08 euros per kilogram, representing a year-on-year increase of 55 percent.

Flax linen can be found in all three main areas of design: 60 percent by volume is used in fashion; 30 percent in lifestyle and interior decoration; and 10 percent in technical applications. Welsh said through her research she learned consumers are attracted to the sustainability of the fiber, but beyond fashion and apparel, other industries also are using flax fiber for applications such as biocomposites. “They’re using flax in airplanes, cars and boats,” Welsh said. “There’s a lot of potential for this fiber in other sectors too, and I think the demand in those sectors is going up. There are more industries interested in flax fiber to replace things like carbon fiberglass. It has a lot of characteristics that perform really well.” Welsh also cited the fishing industry, which is interested in using hemp and flax in order to move away from plastic-based nets and ropes.

Innovation And Applications

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen and Hemp reports the value chain has been enhanced by new textile production processes for knit-ting and innovative technical applications including linen knits, fiber brands, and techniques like washed linen and water-repellent linen.

“A lot of the European companies, like Safilin, are starting to come out with knit textiles made of linen,” Barr said. “No one has ever really done that before. We think of knits as being cotton or poly but it can be done. And there’s a lot of experimentation being done with the end-product. So, there is the environmental end, and then there’s the business end.”

The possibilities for flax and linen are just beginning.

Editor’s Note: Kathleen Webber is a freelance writer and academic who teaches journalism at The College of New Jersey. She researches and writes about sustainability in the global fashion industry, innovation in creating circular economies and domestic manufacturing.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Exploring recent innovations in insulating fibers.

TW Special Report

In the field of fibers for insulation, warmth, sustainability and performance are key. Italy-based Thermore S.p.A., PrimaLoft Inc., Albany, N.Y., and 3M, St. Paul, Minn., are just some of the companies pursuing fiber insulation solutions. Recently, these companies have unveiled fresh products for fiber insulation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in textile fibers.

Thermore most recently introduced Freedom stretch insulation, emphasizing sustainability and dynamic performance. 3M recently unveiled the 3M Thinsulate LIGHT Series, a testament to the company’s expertise in lightweight insulation technology.

In addition, PrimaLoft recently expanded its port-folio with ThermoPlume®+ and RISE Loose Fill, combining warmth and durability with sustainability. These innovations show forward progress in the field of textile fiber insulation.

Thermore

Thermore’s Freedom stretch insulation is a dynamic insulation, made using 50-percent post-consumer recycled polyester. Designed to cater to a wide range of active pursuits, from alpine sports to cycling, Freedom insulation is available in four levels of warmth in weights ranging from 60 to 150 grams per square meter. According to the company, dynamometer testing shows that Freedom recovers to 100 percent of its prestretch size repeatedly and without issue. Thermore also reports Freedom is machine washable, dry cleanable and easy to care for. The insulation also is highly resistant to fiber migration.
Notably, it is bluesign® and Global Recycled Standard certified, underlining Thermore’s commitment to sustainability. With its focus on performance and eco-consciousness, Thermore continues to advance the standards of textile insulation.

3M

Meanwhile, 3M unveiled the 3M Thinsulate LIGHT Series at a recent Performance Days Functional Fabric Fair in Munich, Germany. This extension of the Thinsulate insulation family is a lightweight product, boasting a thickness of just 4 millimeters. According to the company, the insulation delivers exceptional warmth without bulk. 3M leveraged its expertise in nonwoven technologies to create the LIGHT Series products. Complementing its commitment to sustainability, 3M’s Thinsulate insulation line incorporates post-consumer recycled content and aligns with the company’s strategic sustainability framework.

“At 3M, we’re very proud of our science-backed achievements, specifically our ability to propel the science of insulation forward,” said Totti Liang, Asia-Pacific sales manager for 3M. “Our developments within the 3M Thinsulate Insulation line of products is a testament to an unending focus on enhancing performance while building thinner, more versatile textiles.”

In addition, 3M has a firm focus on sustainable production and has in place a strategic sustainability framework. According to a company press release: “3M has … pledged $1 billion over 20 years to accelerate environmental goals, including achieving carbon neutrality across operations by 2050, with a 50 percent reduction of Scope 1 and Scope 2 market-based greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (versus a baseline year of 2019); reducing water usage, indexed to net sales, by 25 percent across all facilities by 2030 (versus 2019); and reducing dependence on virgin fossil-based plastics by 125 million pounds by 2025.”

PrimaLoft

PrimaLoft has expanded its synthetic down alternative portfolio with two new high-performance insulations — PrimaLoft® Insulation ThermoPlume+ and PrimaLoft Insulation RISE Loose Fill. These innovations combine the warmth and aesthetic of natural down with the durability and sustainability of PrimaLoft synthetic fibers.

“Our latest loose fill offerings have been developed to serve a variety of needs for our customers,” said Tara Maurer-Mackey, senior vice president, Product Strategy. “Performance brands appreciate the products’ durability, packability and top thermal performance, even in wet conditions. Fashion and lifestyle partners are drawn to PrimaLoft synthetic down alternatives by the down-like hand feel, luxurious puffiness, sustainability, and animal welfare considerations. Across categories, brands value the design flexibility and ease of manufacturing our loose fill options provide.”

According to the company, PrimaLoft ThermoPlume+ was “designed to mimic the lightweight warmth, loft, softness, and compressibility of down.” Thermo-Plume+ blends two unique fiber shapes in order to increase loft and the thermal properties — a sail-shaped fiber shape and spherical fiber balls. This combination creates a new structural network. The empty spaces between the differing forms create a scaffolding effect that creates a structurally resilient loft, according to the company. ThermoPlume+ has fluorocarbon-free water resistance to keep the wearer warm, even in wet conditions, and is made using 100-percent recycled materials.

PrimaLoft RISE technology was first introduced in 2020 as a batted insulation. The company reports it took the unique construction of the batting and turned it into a high-performance, loose fill product. The resulting RISE Loose Fill offers thermal values, weight, compression resistance, and loft comparable to high-quality natural down, according to PrimaLoft. RISE Loose Fill, made using 100-percent post-consumer recycled materials, provides 650 fill power and is promoted as a vegan down alternative. Early adopters of RISE Loose Fill include adidas brand TERREX and England-based outdoor brand Rab®.
PrimaLoft’s latest offerings cater to diverse customer needs, from out-door performance to fashion and lifestyle.

Ocean-Protecting Solutions

As companies look to make more sustainable products, some are helping to make the world’s oceans cleaner by featuring ocean-bound plastics in their products.

Thermore recently introduced its first thermal insulation made using 100-percent OceanCycle-certified plastics. OceanCycle is a social enterprise focused on preventing pollution caused by ocean plastics that offers 100-percent independent, third-party certification of ocean-bound plastics recycling supply chains.

These ocean-bound plastics — comprised of PET bottles — are reported to make up as much as 80 percent of the plastic pollution found in the oceans. Ecodown Fibers Ocean — made at Thermore’s state-of-the-art production site in Hong Kong — is extremely soft and resistant to clumping like other products in the Ecodown Family, according to the company. The thermal insulation also features a unique, multi-shape structure and is animal free. Thermore reports it is “highly concentrated on eco-friendly innovation, mostly using polyester fibers recycled from PET bottles.”

Several years ago, Primaloft partnered with Parley for the Oceans — a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting the oceans — to develop products made using marine plastic waste. Its PrimaLoft Insulation with Ocean Bound Plastic is the company’s latest offering. This high-performance insulation is made using 100-percent post-consumer recycled content where approximately 60 percent of that recycled material comes from plastic bottles collected within a 30 mile radius of coastal areas.

PrimaLoft Insulation with Ocean Bound Plastic’s manufacturing process is also certified by OceanCycle. “The quality of plastic quickly degrades once it’s exposed to the elements in ocean water, making it unusable for most recycling efforts,” Maurer-Mackay noted. “By capturing plastic waste before it can reach the ocean, we’re able to use the material to create products that offer our brand partners and consumers the best mix of performance and versatility with a reduced environmental impact.”

Oslo-based Helly Hansen and Isbjörn of Sweden, were the first brands to adopt use of PrimaLoft Insulation with Ocean Bound Plastic.

Thermore, 3M, and PrimaLoft bring unique expertise to the forefront of fiber insulation innovation. Thermore’s Freedom stretch insulation and Ecodown Fibers Ocean prioritize both performance and sustainability, offering a dynamic solution for active lifestyles.
3M’s Thinsulate LIGHT Series showcases the company’s prowess in lightweight insulation technology, underscoring its commitment to scientific excellence and environmental stewardship. And PrimaLoft’s ThermoPlume+, RISE Loose Fill insulations and PrimaLoft Insulation with Ocean Bound Plastic represent a fusion of warmth, durability, and sustainability, catering to a wide range of applications across industries.

As consumer demands evolve, these industry influencers remain steadfast in their pursuit of excellence, shaping the future of textile fiber insulation innovation.

Perfect Partners:
Karbon + Thermore

Many outdoor clothing brands use Italy-based Thermore’s insulation products in their products including Obermeyer Ski Wear and Stio. As a component brand, Thermore is focused on blending performance with environmentally friendly innovations.

Karbon, a brand established in 1997, is designed and manufactured by Toronto-based Schure Sports Inc. The privately held, family-owned company specializes in garments for winter sports with a focus on technical and functional design, as well as performance and style for outdoor activities.

According to the brand, Karbon uses Thermore’s fiber insulation products from Ecodown and Evodown to Freedom and more, throughout its collection. The decision to use one product over another depends on whether the garment is intended for casual or performance situations.

Karbon’s “Liquid” jacket in particular features Evodown.“From a performance standpoint, the hand feel was exactly what we wanted,” said Peter Schure, vice president, Schure Sports. “It is light and soft, and when wet it still keeps you warm. It’s also sustainable, which is in line with Karbon’s sustainability initiatives.

“Thermore is the perfect choice as our premium insulation partner as they deliver unparalleled performance and technology that allows our garments to excel in all conditions,” he added.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

The G 38 features new technical solutions and minimal energy consumption.

TW Special Report

There is more to maximizing production speeds in ring and com-pact spinning than just offering the highest spindle speeds. Noticeable production benefits also can be achieved by significantly reducing machine downtimes.

Switzerland-based Rieter has introduced a new version of its ring spinning machine G 38 that focuses on reducing downtime for maximum production efficiency.

The market for ring-spun yarns is large and highly competitive. To succeed in this fiercely competitive market, spinning mills must be highly efficient. Rieter’s latest ring spinning machine G 38 offers maximum production based on new technical solutions and upholds its reputation for efficiency by minimizing its energy consumption, according to the company.

Highlights of the latest generation ring spinning machine G 38 include:

• a new doffing system with a doff-ing cycle time of just 90 seconds;
• a 12-percent faster cop transport with SERVOdisc; and
• the new short-balloon setting for balanced yarn tension peaks to reduce the ends down rate.

Combined with the highest spindle speed of 28,000 revolutions per minute, the G 38 ensures maximum competitiveness in the production of ring and compact yarns in all yarn count ranges.

Doffing In 90 Seconds Leads To Production Gain

The latest automatic doffing system of the G 38 is equipped with a perfect alignment of grippers, tubes and cop trays, which enable a fast sequence of all doffing process steps (See Figure 1). The redesigned doffing system completes its cycle in just 90 seconds, which means 25 percent less time compared to the prior version of the G 38 and all known competitors (See Figure 2). According to Rieter, the advantage is particularly evident with coarse yarn counts.

With a yarn count of Ne 10 the annual production gain is 7 tons and for a yarn count of Ne 20, the pro-duction gain is 3.1 tons for a machine with 1,824 spindles.

A 12-Percent Faster Cop Transport

The new cop transport system SERVOdisc for the link system with the winding machine Autoconer X6 is 12-percent faster than the previous solution. It forwards up to 45 cops per minute directly to the winding machine. This open rail system is fast enough to remove all cops on time before the next doffing cycle is due. This is important for long machines with short spinning cycles because of very coarse yarn counts. The SERVOdisc has been optimized to be even more reliable and require less maintenance. Intelligent cop trays, called Smarttray, with an integrated RFID chip are available with the link system to the Rieter winding machine Autoconer X6.

Production Increases Of Up To 2 Percent

The limiting factors in ring yarn production are yarn tension peaks and the interaction with the ring and traveler. One of the most important tasks to maximize production is to therefore balance the tension peaks during cop build-up. A short-balloon setting optimizes these ratios and brings clear advantages in terms of less ends down and longer traveler lifetime.

In addition, the short-balloon set-ting allows an increase in spindle speed of up to 2 percent while keeping the ends down rate constant.

New G 38 Generation —Today’s Offering For Flexible Yarn Production

The new G 38 is available either as a machine with a fully electronic system or with a semi-electronic system. In both cases, the spindle speed, yarn twist, and yarn twisting direction —Z or S — can be changed electronically and without additional mechanical adjustment. The yarn count also can be changed electronically using the panel on the fully electronic machine.

The Individual Spindle Monitoring (ISM) system, previously a premium feature, is now standard on all of Rieter’s ring spinning machine and for all applications. This offers a great advantage for efficient operator guidance and easy detection of spindles that are not running correctly. ISM premium is the precondition for the fully automated piecing robot ROBOspin to produce high-quality yarn while mitigating labor related challenges.

With a million units installed, customers clearly also recognize the benefits of the add-on compacting devices COMPACTdrum and COMPACTapron in terms of yarn quality and performance. The flexible con-version into compact, slub or core yarn production, is another advantage of the ring spinning machine G 38 from Rieter.

2024 Quarterly Volume III

Textile supply chain practices in Germany are poised to be positively impacted by the country’s precarious energy supply situation.

TW Special Report

It’s notable that major developments in the textile manufacturing supply chain are at present to be found at either side of the basic yarn spinning and fabric formation stages of production.
Software advances for all technologies aside, one major focus is currently on the development of more sustainable new feedstocks, fibers and chemicals — both natural and synthetic — while another is on dyeing and finishing processes, which for a long time have been the most resource draining stage in the manufacturing chain in terms of energy, water usage and waste.

ACHEMA 2024

Fittingly — given the current major interest in the recycling of synthetic fibers — re.solution, a spin-off from RWTH Aachen University, has just claimed the ACHEMA 2024 Start-up Award.

ACHEMA, held every three years, is a trade fair for the processing industries, and the latest edition recently took place in Frankfurt attracting 2,842 exhibitors from 56 nations and 106,000 visitors from 141 countries.

The event showcased the latest developments in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food processing industries — including the production of synthetic fibers — and also featured a total of more than 900 lectures, discussion panels and workshops.

Start-Ups

The fact that start-ups are now an integral part of all major processing industries was demonstrated not only by the number and quality of the applications for the ACHEMA’s 2024 Start-up Award, but also by their range — although all generally reflected the major manufacturing trends of sustainability and digitalization.

Re.solution has developed a new chemical process based on hydrolysis for recycling PET polyester with renewable energy and low water and chemical consumption.

The robust process has been further designed to overcome textile-specific recycling challenges such as accommodating fiber blends and the removal of impurities, resulting in high product quality.

The start-up has also developed a salt-waste free downstream recycling method of dealing with the hydrolysis depolymerization technology’s consumption of vast amounts of auxiliary chemicals. With the successful recycling of these additives, re.solution reports it can produce feedstock that is sustainable and price competitive with virgin feedstock.

Re.solution is currently being funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Pro-tection (BMWK) and the European Union as part of a research transfer program and plans are now underway for rapidly scaling the process up.

Green Hydrogen

One of the major themes of this year’s ACHEMA was the potential of green hydrogen as a key element of the energy transition, which given Germany’s precarious energy supply position, is being taken very seriously by the country.

Hydrogen is a versatile chemical feedstock and energy carrier that can be used to secure energy supplies for many sectors and if produced in a climate-friendly way, has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions and ultimately contribute to bringing them down to zero.

However, the production of hydrogen is comparatively energy-intensive, which is why it should be used for applications where renew-able electricity cannot be utilized directly. In addition, the costs of producing hydrogen are currently still high, and the capacities for generating it are insufficient. This means that large investments need to be made in developing electrolysis capacities, compensating for higher operational production costs, as well as ensuring stable conditions for selling green hydrogen at an economically viable price.

Germany’s government is supporting these efforts through its National Hydrogen Strategy which has made several billion euros available from federal funds to promote hydrogen generation, build the necessary infrastructure and enable its use.

WasserSTOFF

Funded projects are now underway across the entire value chain, including the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for energy-intensive industries, and one such industry is certainly the dyeing and finishing of textiles.

Since November 2022, Germany-based A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG has been leading a consortium of industrial partners and universities in exploring all aspects of this fast-rising new industrial energy option in a three-year WasserSTOFF project. The aim is to establish to what extent hydrogen can be used in the future as an alternative heating source for textile finishing processes.

Monforts specializes in advanced technology for fabric finishing based on successive industry developments over many decades and is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year. It was founded in 1884 in Mönchengladbach, Germany, where it is still head-quartered today, which is also where its Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) is situated.

Monforts Montex tenter frames —for processes such as drying, stretching, heat-setting and coating — are an industry standard for the fabric finishing industry, particularly in the denim and home textiles sectors, providing a number of advantages in terms of production throughput and especially in energy efficiency and savings. The other key technologies in the company’s range include relaxation dryers, Thermex dyeing ranges, Monfortex compressive shrinking ranges and Montex Coat and coaTTex coating units.

Concern

The cost of energy remains a major concern for textile manufacturers and for the latest Monforts Montex tenters, the MonforClean heat recovery system with air/air or/and air/water is fully integrated into the tenter chamber. In combination with other new features, the heat recovery system results in energy savings of up to 43 percent.

The company also offers a number of options for retrofitting to existing lines such as the Monforts universal Energy Tower — a flexible, free-standing air/air heat exchanger for recovering the heat from the exhaust air flow of thermal processes. It can result in a 25-percent reduction in the energy consumed by a line, depending on the exhaust air volume and operating temperature.

A Monforts Eco Booster, integrated into the chamber design of the Montex tenter, is another retrofitting option. As a single heat recovery system with automatic cleaning, it can be added to existing ranges and up to 35-percent energy costs can be saved. In addition, the Eco Booster consumes only minimal amounts of water during the cleaning cycle and the entire process is controlled and monitored automatically.

Options

Within the WasserSTOFF project, tests on laboratory equipment together with associated partners have already been carried out and the results are now being transferred to an industrial-scale pilot tenter frame at the Monforts ATC in Germany.

The next stage in the project is to compare the results of trials powered partially or fully by hydrogen, with those of existing energy combinations of electricity, gas and steam, as well as fully analyzing the full impact of the various energy-saving technologies that have already been developed.

“Green hydrogen’s potential as a clean fuel source is tremendous, but there is much we need to explore when considering its use in the textile finishing processes carried out globally on our stenter dryers and other machines,” said Monforts Managing Director Gunnar Meyer. “Everybody knows that textile finishing is a high energy consuming process and to make the processes more efficient, we already offer several solutions, but as a technology leader we are also rising to the challenge of exploring alternative heating options to be ready for the future.”

2024 Quarterly Volume III