CSMITH@INDA.ORG +1 239.225.6137
VIEWPOINT
New Places with a Great View “My destination is no longer a place, rather a new way of seeing.”
– Marcel Proust
s I started the year, my calendar was full of destinations that had me meeting with the industry through large and small events, for both fiber and filtration. From Techtextil to ITMA to Index, and others, I travelled with an agenda to gather business intelligence, meet with progressive industry suppliers, and discover emerging trends. Instead of checking these things off my list, what I found more of was a deeper understanding on the inner workings of the industry and an excitement of knowing we are standing at a crossroads of change. I came away from each event more excited about the potential of what can be, and a desire to reveal a pathway to achieve it inside our pages. I am sure for some of you, pivotal times of change have come and gone in your careers. Yet, for some of us, this is the first time through a significant shift. From my perspective, I realized that change in the industry is not a destination, but a mindset. To become sustainable will require a new vision for the future, and embracing ideological change for a greater purpose – such as preservation of natural resources. This demand for a new vision may have some worried. But in “Resetting the Global Supply Chain,” in Geoff Fisher’s report from Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress 2023 on page 24, he says, “Stephan Sielaff, chief executive officer (CEO) of Lenzing, noted that while the global fiber market has seen many challenges since the 1960s, it has always recovered. It continues to show a healthy growth potential, with an average annual increase of 2.4% predicted by 2030, which means an additional demand of 27 million tonnes a year of fibers.” The article also quotes Robert van de Kerkhof, chief sustainability officer of Austriabased cellulosic fibers producer Lenzing and president of the Dornbirn GFC:
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“The challenges currently facing the fiber industry require fundamental changes in the value chains. We see new strategic partnerships being formed to take advantage of new opportunities around innovation, the circular economy and new business models.” Part of the conversation at every event I attended was biobased materials. On page 12, Hafiz Muhammad Kaleem Ullah and Javier Vera Sorroche from the Centre Européen des Textiles Innovants (CETI) discuss the viability of biobased sources in polymers. This article is based on CETI’s presentation at Dornbirn GFC, and spells out what the industry must know to embrace a new vision for polymer-based fiber production. They emphasize that quality must be a key component: “First and foremost, industries must meticulously evaluate whether the properties of these biobased materials align with the specific functional requirements of their intended applications. Factors such as tensile strength, flexibility, durability, and resistance to various environmental conditions must be scrutinized to ensure that they meet industry standards.” On page 20, Adrian Wilson shares about France’s “Extended Producer Responsibility in Action,” highlighting the country’s complex and productive system of recycling textiles in operation since 2008. Wilson notes, “France is now setting the pace in establishing a fiber-to-fiber ecosystem for other nations to follow.” There is much to be achieved in this current shift in textile and fiber manufacturing and handling, End-of-life systems are still being developed and emerging technologies are announced weekly. It is an exciting time to be reporting on this industry. We will have much more to share with you in 2024. Keep reading!
Caryn Smith Chief Content Officer & Publisher, INDA Media, IFJ
CONTENT | EDITORIAL CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER Caryn Smith Driven By Design LLC csmith@inda.org +1 239.225.6137
EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION MANAGER Ken Norberg ken@ifj.com +1 202.681.2022 ART DIRECTOR Julie Flynn EUROPEAN EDITOR, Geoff Fisher INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, EUROPE Adrian Wilson
ADVERTISING | SALES PUBLISHER Driven By Design LLC advertising@inda.media +1 239.225.6137 BUYER’S GUIDE Joan Oakley CHINA Zhang Xiaohua EUROPE & INDIA Sabine Dussey ITALY Ferruccio & Filippo Silvera UNITED STATES Frank Strazzulla ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Vickie Smead vsmead@inda.org +1 919 459 3700 x 3720
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International Fiber Journal is published by INDA Media, the b2b publishing arm of INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. +1.919.459.3700 info@inda.media | www.inda.media INTERNATIONAL FIBER JOURNAL (ISSN: 1049801x) is published bi-monthly by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. Subscription price is $125 per year for non-U.S. subscribers. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to International Fiber Journal PO Box 158 Cedar Rapids IA 52406-0158 USA.
MISSION
International Fiber Journal covers fiber-related trends and material science developments and how they impact the supply chain from raw material to end use. IFJ provides thoughtful insights and perspectives to global producers, users and business leaders who need to know about what’s next in fibers, filaments and processing solutions.
