Kelheim Fibers has been selected among the finalist for Sustainability Heroes Award in the ‘Sustainable Innovation’ category reports Textile World. The company has been honored for its pioneering efforts in sustainability. The award will be presented by DQS - German Association for Sustainability and DGQ-German Association for Quality.

As against other plant-based fibers, viscose fibers can be modified and functionalized during the production process. They can be adapted to meet the exact requirements of the single components of a hygiene product in terms of their liquid management properties and match the performance of synthetic fibers.

Today, environmentally conscious consumers are often compelled to decide between feeling safe and a clear conscience. Kelheim Fibers aims to balance both by combining sustainably manufactured and completely biodegradable fibers with the technical performance of synthetic fibers. The company aims to reduce the use of crude-oil-based plastics in single-use products and their negative impact on the environment.

Launched a year ago, Huntsman Textile Effects’ all-in-one ErioponE3-Save textile auxiliary for polyester process has helped save more than 130 million liters of water, reports Innovation in Textiles. Textile auxiliary eliminates the need for separate pre-scouring, allowing pre-scouring, dyeing and reduction clearing to be combined in a single bath. Mills that use ErioponE3-Save can shorten the polyester dyeing process and save water, energy and cost.

Dae Young Textile Vietnam Co, an early adopter of the Eriopon E3 Save technology was able to reduce its process time by over 20 per cent and water consumption by over 50 per cent through this technology which also enabled its save 30 per cent annual costs..

The unique polymer technology of Eriopon E3-Save promotes controlled exhaustion to ensure right first-time level dyeing. It extracts oil and oil-based impurities from the fiber during processing and displays a high affinity to disperse dyes, enabling the rapid removal of unfixed surface dyes from the fiber during reduction clearing. The technology also enhances reproducibility and improves wet- and rub-fastness, the company concludes.

Both Techtexil and Texprocess have announced a variety of changes in their upcoming editions including supplementary digital features, a comprehensive hygiene and safety concept, and a move to new exhibition halls. The two events will be co-held in Frankfurt am Main from May 4 to 7, 2021. The fairs are being planned on the basis of Messe Frankfurt’s current hygiene and safety concept. They will further sharpen visitor profiles with reoriented communication measures.

In the first stage, both events will be given new subtitles. Techtextil will be promoted with the subtitle ‘Performance. Function. Future’ while Texprocess will be promoted with ‘Technology. Efficiency. Progress’. In 2021, both shows will move to the western section of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre and occupy Halls 8, 9, 11 and 12.

In addition to the exhibitor presentations at Techtextil and Texprocess, the two exhibitions will be supplemented by a variety of events, highlight themes and special features. Apart from the physical events, the two fairs will emphasize on complementary digital features for exhibitors and visitors. These include live streams from conferences, new digital presentation options for exhibitors and opportunities for digital matchmaking between exhibitors and visitors.

Hyosung has launched new creora Color+elastane for natural blended materials at Interfiliere Connect, which is being held digitally from September 2 to 30, 2020. Creora Color+ offers the same performance stretch characteristics as Hyosung’s flagship fiber, creora Power Fit besides providing richer colors in natural and cellulose yarns – an attractive fiber blend for leading intimate, activewear and ready-to-wear brands.

Hyosung opines, Creora Color+ for natural fibers will be a nice addition to the successful creora Color+ for stretch fabrics that is made with nylon, a well-established yarn used in activewear. The company also plans to launch its expanded multi-function regen collection of GRS-certified recycled elastane, nylon and polyester fibers made with 100 per cent reclaimed waste at Interfilière Connect.

Hyosung Corporation is a South Korean industrial Chaebol, founded in 1966. It operates in various ields, including the chemical industry, industrial machinery, IT, trade, and construction

The five-day virtual International Textile and Apparel Fair, ‘Vastra 2020’ was organized by RIICO and FIICI-Rajasthan.

Over 249 buyers from 62 countries from Africa, Europe, America and other regions have registered for the expo while over 276 Indian buying houses and agents have registered. Over 80 exhibitors are participating from garments, home furnishings, home textiles and fabric sectors.

Delivering the opening address, Ashok Kajaria, Chairman, FICCI Rajasthan State Council, said that presently when business sentiments are down all across the globe and physical events have been put on hold, virtual expos have opened up new avenues for generating new business. ‘Vastra 2020: Virtual Edition’ will help in re-energizing and rebooting the textiles and apparel business all across the globe. The main aim of the mega-event is to bring back the synergies and synchronise all the stakeholders on one platform for business generation.

What was slated to be a year of opportunity for Pakistan’s cotton importers (read spinners) may fast turn into a missed window. Although textile exporters insist that it will be long before major buyer destinations reopen and demand resurges, international cotton prices are already back to pre-lockdown levels of December 2019.

That means Pakistan’s textile sector needs to make some quick decisions. A double-digit month-on-month slowdown in textile exports – both in volume and value terms - between July and August lends credence to the theory that the volatility in export destinations markets shall continue as the northern hemisphere braces for a second wave of COVID cases followed by another round of lockdowns.

Yet, damage to domestic crop last season - amid conflicting reporting by governmental departments leading to several downward revisions of output from 12.5 million bales to eventual 7.5 million bales - has hurt confidence of value adding industry in reliability of local cotton estimates. While Pakistan was saved in nick of time from highest ever cotton import bill due to COVID-19, 2020-21 may prove to be drastically different.

White House has honored the National Retail Federation with the Pledge to America’s Workers Presidential Award, recognizing the NRF Foundation’s RISE Up initiative. Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross highlighted NRF and eight additional businesses and trade organizations for their workforce development programs.

A White House initiative, the “Pledge to America’s Workers” aims to increase the skills of the U.S. workforce by expanding apprenticeships, educational opportunities and job training programs. NRF was among the original signers of the pledge in 2018 and committed to create enhanced career opportunities for 250,000 individuals over the next five years.

Developed and managed by the NRF Foundation, the RISE Up (Retail Industry Skills & Education) training and credentialing program aims to change lives for young people and those with barriers to employment by empowering them with the confidence and tools needed to succeed in the retail industry. The credentials cover a wide array of knowledge including sales, customer service, inventory, retail math and distribution, and the training is available through online and classroom formats. To date, the NRF Foundation has reached over 400,000 individuals with RISE Up training — 75,000 since 2018 — through 800 training partners in 47 states.

COVID-19 has clearly highlighted the need for technical textiles that go into making PPEs. More importantly, lack of continued investing in this sector even in the United States has exposed its vulnerability in critical lifesaving products.

Cost competitiveness, good quality and value-added products are the way forward for the industry. United States and Europe are still leading consumers and the economy in these regions will determine the speedy recovery of the global textile industry.

Interestingly, the current global crisis is reshaping the global textile sector’s space with more eyes on East Africa, Vietnam and Bangladesh. While China is the 600 pound gorilla, continuing trade tensions, COVID-19 impacts, and Xinjiang issue are watched carefully by competing countries like India to capture the market share. Cotton exporting countries like USA and Australia value China as a major player because of its buying power and need, however attention needs to be paid on recent geopolitical conditions.

Cotton textile manufacturing giants like India are seriously expanding their product basket so that weak links, such as finishing, garmenting and synthetic fiber sector, can enhance their strength against China. Given the strength of Bangladesh in its garment sector due to relative low cost labor and beneficial trade agreements that exist for Vietnam and Bangladesh, developing value-added products and enhancing the product basket are viable options for India.

The sixth edition of Hygienix™ — the premier event devoted to the absorbent hygiene and personal care industry will be held from November 17-19. The event’s new virtual format will focus on global pandemic impacts and up-to-the-minute discoveries in sustainable technologies, packaging and labeling challenges, the future of absorbent hygiene, product development patents of note, and intellectual property, smart diapers, testing, and market trends. The event announced three finalists for the Hygienix Innovation Award™

The three finalists for the award were selected from twenty-two nominees by INDA’s Technical Advisory Board comprised of technical professionals from INDA member companies. The finalists are:

Male Drip Protection from Dermasteel is an innovative male leak protection product, with a patent-pending, proprietary design that is discreet, form-fitting, and tailored to the male anatomy. This new product provides effective containment of bodily fluids, protecting the wearer’s skin while affording him comfort and confidence.

Full-Care® 6217 from HB Fuller is a new class of adhesives for positioning femcare articles to the new variety of fabrics making up women’s underwear, thus meeting the evolving needs of millennial consumers with active lifestyles that require increased product functionality. This new product generation provides manufacturers cost savings through weight production, consistently higher peels with no adhesive transfer, higher performance on different fabrics, and excellent adhesion on both fabric sides.

High Gel Strength (HGS) SAF™ from Technical Absorbents is a new range of fabrics that allow the design and manufacture of materials with greater integrity and robustness for demanding absorbent hygiene applications. HGS SAF™ nonwovens provide decreased levels of absorbency, compared to standard SAF™ fibres, which can be advantageous in certain washable applications where durability is more important than absorbency.

Finalists will present their innovations virtually to hygiene and personal care professionals at Hygienix™ on November 18. The Hygienix Innovation Award™ winner will be announced on November 19.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles, from fiber through finished sewn products, launched a paid social media video campaign today, highlighting the extraordinary efforts the industry has taken to respond to the shortages of lifesaving personal protective equipment (PPE) spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The campaign underscores the importance of ending our over reliance on China for PPE and calls on Congress to craft policies that support domestic procurement requirements and the onshoring of jobs. It is high time the US had a national strategic plan in place to spur investment in the industry and ensure the country has a permanent domestic PPE supply chain to confront the next pandemic our country faces.