International Fiber Journal – Issue 6, 2024

Executive Interview: Greening PPE –Q&A with Holly Morris By Marie O’Mahony, Smart & Advanced Textiles Correspondent, IFJ

Old Fibers for New By Adrian Wilson, International Correspondent, IFJ

Fiber Innovation –Defining the Future

Compiled by Caryn Smith, Chief Content Officer & Publisher, IFJ

Polyolefins

By Geoff Fisher, European Editor, IFJ

Fiber Microelectronics for Advanced Fabric Systems By Alexander M. Stolyarov

Autotech Nonwovens By Arun Rao, Correspondent to India, IFJ

Show Review: Europe’s Hygiene Outlook By Caryn Smith, Chief Content Officer &

Dornbirn: Challenging and Changing Environment By Geoff Fisher, European

North American Nonwovens Industry Outlook 2022-2027

Acquire expert insights into the historical nonwoven demand and what to expect through 2027.

Discover the latest intelligence in vital demographic trends and how it could affect your business. Understand how the pandemic impacted benchmarking and forecasting. Make better business decisions with accurate, reliable data.

Included in this resource:

• Baseline economic and demographic trends

• Industry consumption figures by sales, units, square meters, and tonnage

• Insights in end-use trends

• Key metrics for capacity

Make better decusions with reliable intelligence.

For more information, visit: inda.org/north-american-nonwovensindustry-outlook-2022-2027

North American Nonwovens Supply Report 2024

Obtain the 2023 capacity, production, and trade data for North America.

Gain an understanding of estimated operating rates, derived from nameplate machine capacity. Drive your business strategies with reliable and accurate information.

Highlights include:

• North American capacity continues to increase with investments being made across all the processes and for a variety of end-uses.

• In 2023, capacity of nonwovens in North America reached 5.680 million tonnes, an increase from the previous year of 3.7% (+200,000 tonnes).

• North American imports, in tonnage, decreased by 8.3% in 2023 and exports decreased by 16.0%.

For more information, visit: https://www.inda.org/northamerican-nonwovens-supply-report/

Questions: Contact INDA publications@inda.org T: +1 919 459 3700

Caryn Smith Chief Content Officer & Publisher, INDA Media csmith@inda.org +1 239.225.6137

Geoff Fisher European Editor gfisher@textilemedia.com +44 1603.308158

Marie O’Mahony Smart & Advanced Textiles Correspondent marie.consultant@gmail.com

Arun Rao Correspondent to India Owner, Taurus Communications arun@tauruscomm.net

Adrian Wilson International Correspondent adawilson@gmail.com +44 7897.913134

The secret to bet ter absorption

So good, even our customers keep it a secret!

We used to think it would be great to share customer testimonials and detailed case studies. If only our customers would let people know that they use our innovative Super Absorbent Fibre (SAF™) in their products.

However, we have come to realise that this actually reflects the true value of our technology – why would customers want to share with their competitors the secret behind their products amazing absorbency. Would you?!

We Need Your Expertise! CALL for EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

This is a unique opportunity to help inform, educate and inspire the global textile fiber industry.

Do you have an interest to be more involved in International Fiber Journal as an IFJ Editorial Advisory Board Member? We are accepting applications! Email Caryn Smith at CSmith@inda.org to receive the Guidelines.

This is a two-year renewable service term. Active participation is expected. Commitment includes meeting basic participation requirements annually.

Speak to our team of SAFologists today to learn more. Don’t worry, your absorbency secret is SAFe with us. Email us: SAFology@techabsorbents.com

From New Developments to a Wide Range of Applications in Textiles, Hygiene and Packaging

The conference will again cover the entire value chain of the sustainable textile industry, from lignocellulose, pulp, cellulose fibres such as rayon, viscose, modal or lyocell and new developments to a wide range of applications: Textiles from renewable fibres, nonwovens such as wet wipes, as well as areas such as composites, hygiene and packaging.

This year, for the first time, the conference will include a dedicated session on biosynthetics – a promising area for expanding bio-based fibre alternatives.

• Strategies, Policy, Framework of Textiles and Market Trends

• Biosynthetics

• Opportunities for Cellulose Fibres in Replacing Plastics

• Sustainability and Environmental Impacts

• Circular Economy and Recyclability of Fibres

• Alternative Feedstocks and Supply Chains

• Technologies for Pulps, Fibres and Yarns

• Technologies and Applications beyond Textiles

Shaping the Future of Fibres with Sustainable Cellulose Fibres:

Call for Innovation

Vote for the “Cellulose Fibre Innovation of the Year 2025” live at the Conference

Award Sponsor Call for Posters open until 31 January 2025

VIEWPOINT

Necessity is Shaping the Future

“Necessity is the mother of invention.”

– Plato

This timeless adage continues to resonate deeply in today’s rapidly changing fiber industry. From sustainability to technological breakthroughs, the pressing challenges of our times are catalyzing innovative solutions across the global fiber supply chain. In this issue, we explore some of the factors driving these advancements, and shaping everything from protective equipment (PPE) to the latest in fiber microelectronics.

One of the most compelling areas ripe for innovation is in the realm of PPE, particularly in regards to the excess waste it generates. In our exclusive Q&A with Holly Morris by Marie O’Mahony on page 10, we explore the challenges in the push for greener alternatives reshaping the PPE landscape. The environmental impact of the $33 billion disposable protective gear industry is significant – medical textiles account for 14-31% of healthcare waste. To combat this, Morris says, “We need to be looking at whether other methods of laundry are viable, such as polymer bead laundering, which are more effective.”

The theme of necessity driving innovation is also evident in reimagined materials for new fiber applications, such as in the areas of synthetic fibers and raw materials. Adrian Wilson shares, “There has been an acceleration in approaches to the regeneration of synthetic fibers at industrial scale – and especially PET polyester. ... Fantastic work has also continued in developing natural fibers and biopolymers as the raw materials for new circular supply chains, but the growth of such alternatives to PET and other synthetics will only go some way to meeting overall future demand.” Read more on page 14.

On page 19, we publish our annual “innovation roundup,” where we invite in-

dustry to share their new developments for the fiber and nonwoven industry. This year, we are pleased to have seven companies highlighting their hard work to offer the supply chain new offerings – BioLogiQ, Cretes, FET, Fibroline, Kyorene, Harper Hygienics S.A., and Papaya.

In advanced textiles, polyolefins play a large role as a hot commodity. On page 29, Geoff Fisher discusses how polyolefins are being used in a wide range of lowcost, high-performance products, such as turf and carpets. Meanwhile, on page 32, Alexander M. Stolyarov explores the exciting potential of fiber-based microelectronics for next-gen fabric systems. And on page 36, Arun Rao examines how nonwoven fabrics are expanding in the automotive sector in India with an exclusive interview with Ankit Desai, Managing Director, of Autotech Nonwovens. As we continue to face global challenges, it is clear that the need for new solutions and technological advancements will shape the future of fibers, filaments, and processing technologies for years to come.

Did you miss this opportunity to share about your innovation or advancement in our innovation roundup? There are more ways to share your story with our vast readership of 16,000+ subscribers. Email me at csmith@inda.org for more details for 2025! Keep innovating!

Caryn Smith Chief Content Officer & Publisher, INDA Media, IFJ

TECH

SPOTLIGHT

BASF Expands Sustainable Polyamide Portfolio With Products Featuring Net Zero CO2 Footprints

The expansion includes Ultramid® LowPCF, which is produced using electricity from renewable energy sources and low-emission steam.

Another offering, Ultramid® ZeroPCF,* is the first polyamide 6 in the industry to achieve a CO2 footprint of net zero.

The quest for environmentally friendly processes and products in the fiber industry marches on, and eco-friendly achievements are often made by the sum of the entire production process and chain. BASF has expanded its sustainable polyamide portfolio with products featuring reduced, and, for the first time, net zero CO2 footprints.

With Ultramid® LowPCF (reduced CO 2 footprint/“Product Carbon Footprint,” PCF**) and Ultramid ® ZeroPCF* (CO 2 footprint of net zero greenhouse gas emissions), BASF has launched two new product variants within its polyamide value chain in Europe. Greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced when compared to conventional products. BASF is offering its Ultramid® B brand and the precursor caprolactam as ZeroPCF and LowPCF variants, as well as Ultramid® C as LowPCF option.

Electricity from renewable sources is used to manufacture the LowPCF products, including from the Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the North Sea, in which BASF has a stake. Furthermore, lowemission steam is generated by using certified biomethane instead of natural gas. Compared to common industry benchmarks, the PCF from raw material extraction to the factory gate (“cradle-to-gate”) is reduced by at least 30%. This PCF reduction enables the customer to reduce its Scope 3.1 emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

In order to further reduce the PCF to net zero, BASF uses renewable raw materials according to the mass balance approach. At the beginning of the production process, fossil raw materials are replaced by the

corresponding amount of certified biomethane and bio-naphtha and allocated to the sales products using the mass balance approach. ZeroPCF products are certified in accordance with the ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS Standard.

“We are the first company in the world to offer both LowPCF and ZeroPCF options in the polyamide 6 value chain. With this portfolio, we meet the increasing demand in the industry and are helping our customers to achieve their sustainability goals,” said Pedro Serra, Head of Sales PA6 Europe at BASF.

With the addition of the Ultramid LowPCF and Ultramid ZeroPCF variants to the polyamide product portfolio, BASF’s Monomers division offers a broad portfolio of sustainable solutions and continues to pursue the goals outlined in its ”Sustainability Roadmap.” The division’s sustainable offerings are an essential part of BASF’s path to climate neutrality and net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

BASF presented its broad polyamide product portfolio to customers and partners in line with the ”choose to reduce” approach at Fakuma, the international trade fair for plastics processing earlier this fall.

BASF prides itself in creating chemistry for a sustainable future. The company combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. The company’s portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €68.9 billion in 2023. www.basf.com

NOTES:

*Ultramid® ZeroPCF = taking into account the “biogenic uptake,” i.e. the amount of CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere during the growth of biomass and bound over the lifetime of the material. In addition to renewable electricity and low-emission steam, the biogenic uptake enables the product’s CO2 footprint to be reduced to net zero.

**PCF = The calculation of the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) for conventional products follows the requirements and guidelines according to ISO 14067:2018. TÜV Rheinland has determined in a method review that the PCF (SCOTT) methodology developed and used by BASF SE is scientifically sound, in line with ISO 14067:2018 and the Together for Sustainability PCF guideline and reflects the state of the art (ID no. 0000080389: BASF SE - Certipedia).

For details on how to submit your company’s technology for consideration as a “Technology Spotlight” in IFJ, contact Ken Norberg at ken@ifj.com or +1 202.682.2022.

BASF’s Ultramid granulates with reduced or net zero CO2 footprint. BASF

NOTES TECH

Green Theme Technologies and Golden Long John Integrate

Textile Dye and Finishing Technologies

Green Theme Technologies (GTT), creators of the waterless and PFAS-free EMPEL ® textile finishing platform, has teamed up with Golden Long John to promote the next generation of cleaner and more efficient fabric dye and finishing processes.

The textile manufacturing industry generates trillions of gallons of wastewater each year. Traditional textile dyeing and finishing rinses chemical dyes and water repellency onto fabrics. Post-production toxic water is then dumped into rivers and oceans.

Last year, Golden Long John, a major textile supplier of the global footwear industry, introduced GTT’s EMPEL® finishing platform in their Vietnam factories. Their partnership has led to the combination of their two industry leading technologies, the EMPEL® high-performance water-repellent finish and Golden Long John’s direct dye process.

“We believe, cleaner IS better and this is a big step forward for the fashion and textile industries,” said Martin Flora, President of GTT Business Development. “Similar to GTT’s EMPEL® application, Golden Long John applies dye chemistry directly onto fabrics. Better performance with much less pollution is our vision for the future.” www.greenthemetech.com

Vidalia Mills Introduces Innovative Digital Tracker

Cotton Products

American textile company Vidalia Mills based in Vidalia, Louisiana, has implemented a technologically advanced digital tracking system that asks the industry to reconsider how companies trace cotton products throughout the supply chain. This technology, unprecedented within textile manufacturing, guarantees full accountability for all the products Vidalia Mills creates.

The digital tracker, embedded into the cotton fibers themselves, enables Vidalia Mills to monitor the journey of their products from the initial stages of cotton cultivation to the final finished goods.

By integrating this advanced tracking system, Vidalia Mills aims to provide its customers with complete assurance regarding their cotton products’ origin, quality, and sustainability. Vidalia Mills’ digital tracking system is now available for all its cotton products, including its signature artisanal canvas and denim fabrics. Customers can access detailed information about the origin and journey of their clothing by scanning a unique QR code on the garment’s label.

The digital tracking information will be readily available for each product, providing customers with a comprehensive understanding of the item’s journey from seed to shelf. www.vidaliamills.com

Lenzing Nonwovens Expands Its LENZING™ Lyocell Dry Fiber Portfolio

Lenzing Nonwovens, a leading supplier of regenerated cellulose fibers, announced the expansion of its LENZING ™ Lyocell Dry fiber portfolio with two new cellulosic fibers – a fine dry fiber that delivers strength and softness, and a coarse dry fiber which provides enhanced liquid and air flow. These two innovative products enable customers to confidently broaden their use of LENZING’s wood-based and biodegradable fibers into a wider range of applications while maintaining exceptional performance.

All LENZING ™ Lyocell Dry fibers within the family (standard, fine, and coarse) have hydrophobic properties which ensure efficient liquid management suitable for extensive nonwoven applications.

The new LENZING ™ Lyocell Dry fine fiber can produce nonwoven fabrics with higher density compared to LENZING ™ Lyocell Dry standard fiber. With up to 30% more cellulosic fibers in the same space, customers can create strong and soft nonwoven products. These fibers are suitable for use in hygiene applications such as diapers or sanitary pads.

The new LENZING™ Lyocell Dry coarse fiber creates fabrics that are more open due to its extended fiber diameter, and thus increasing the pore sizes between the fibers in the fabric. This allows for more air or liquid to flow through the material. It is particularly suitable for the acquisition and distribution layer in hygiene products and is also being explored for industrial filtration applications.

“By offering a diverse range of hydrophobic cellulosic fibers from fine to coarse, which are not plastic according to the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD),” said Monique Buch, Executive Vice President Nonwoven at Lenzing AG, “our customers can use alternative fibers for a wider range of applications whilst delivering superior performance.” www.lenzing.com

Green Theme Technologies

Lenzing Nonwovens

Vidalia Mills

Archroma Introduces Breakthrough in Bio-Based Textile Printing

Archroma, a global supplier of specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, recently introduced the NTR Printing System to make bio-based pigment printing commercially possible for the first time. Based on renewable raw materials and designed for safer chemistry, it helps apparel and textile brands reduce their environmental footprint while producing brilliant black shades on garments that deliver both comfort and durability.

Bio-based pigment printing is an emerging technology that is attracting major interest from brands that want to use pigments derived from natural sources, such as plants, in the production of environmentally conscious textiles. Until now, however, bio-based pigments have not delivered color fastness that is comparable to synthetic pigments, and color quality and production performance have not been sufficient to support commercial-scale production.

Archroma’s NTR Printing System is the first to utilize renewable feedstock across pigment dispersion, binder and fixing agent. Crucially, it ensures good wet-rubbing and dry-rubbing fastness, with outstanding softness on all kinds of fabrics. Furthermore, it is suitable for most popular application technologies, including printing, coating and continuous pigment dyeing, with outstanding runnability for production efficiency.

The result of more than two years of research and development, the innovative new NTR Printing System required Archroma to create customized binding and fixing agents to ensure fastness for the pigment black dispersion comparable to current petroleum-based printing systems. All three printing elements are partially based on renewable feedstock to reduce reliance on non-renewable petrochemicals. Archroma also developed the new system to avoid toxic input streams and impurities, including formaldehyde. Two successful bulk trials were conducted with Textprint S. A. and Jeanologia. www.archroma.com

Teijin Frontier Launches OCTAIRTM High-Performance Insulation Fiber

Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., announced it has launched OCTAIR ™, a new premium brand of insulation fiber for bedding and apparel. This innovative product utilizes a short-cut polyester fiber featuring a unique, hollow, 8-fin cross section with radiating protrusions. OCTAIR ™ meets growing demand for alternatives to natural feathers, which is experiencing declining production volumes and rising costs.

The company plans to expand its use across a wide range of materials. One of them is SOLOTEX™ OCTAIR™, an insulation material that incorporates polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fibers along with OCTAIR™ fibers. In SOLOTEX™ OCTAIR™ insulation, the OCTAIR™ fibers’ hollow structure with an 8-fin cross section creates air pockets that provide excellent warmth, loft and lightweight properties. As a result, SOLOTEX ™ OCTAIR™ delivers insulation performance equivalent to the same weight of down (based on tests using 30cm square mini quilts).

To enhance the SOLOTEX™ OCTAIR™ fibers, the PTT fibers’ unique helical molecular structure offers a soft texture, elasticity and good shape retention. Additionally, the tips of the fibers are soft, do not spread out easily and reduce tangling, making the blowing process for filling comforters and clothing smoother than with conventional polyester insulation. This new insulation also offers sustainability benefits through the incorporation of plant-based raw materials. www.teijin.com

Paradise

Textiles Unveils First Garment with Kintra Bio-Synthetic Fiber

Paradise Textiles, the material science hub of Alpine Group, has partnered with Kintra Fibers, a leader in bio-based fiber innovation, to create the first garment using Kintra’s groundbreaking proprietary bio-synthetic material. This lightweight jacket serves as a proof-of-concept, representing a crucial milestone in Kintra’s journey toward commercial viability as a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil-based polyester.

Kintra’s proprietary bio-synthetic material provides a sustainable alternative to polyester. Made on the same equipment as conventional polyester, Kintra’s resin is estimated to reduce emissions by 95%, water usage by 30%, and energy consumption by 20%. These advancements are achieved with the use of bio-based inputs, lower processing temperatures, and efficient production methods. Upon the completion of a full life cycle assessment, the company expects to see continued energy savings and reduced Scope 3 emissions in downstream processes, including yarn spinning, dyeing, and finishing.

In terms of performance, testing conducted by Paradise Textiles has shown that Kintra yarns are on par with polyester with regard to strength, yet are four times softer, and have twice the stretch, resulting in a unique fabric profile. Fabric testing demonstrated that Kintra knits and wovens are on par with, or surpass, the polyester benchmark in strength and durability tests including tensile strength, seam slippage, tear strength, and abrasion and pilling resistance.

The jacket above highlights Kintra’s compatibility with existing textile production machinery and dyeing processes, making it an ideal choice for brands seeking to transition to sustainable materials seamlessly. www.alpinecreations.com

Archroma

Kintra Fibers

Greening Greening

Surgical Waste Is a Growing Concern for UK Environmentalists

PPE PPE

By Marie O'Mahony, Smart & Advanced Textiles Correspondent, IFJ

olly Morris is a rare individual, holding dual professional accreditation across both surgical and medical textile industries. Morris is a hand and wrist surgeon specializing in the management of paediatric and congenital hand differences whose resume includes working at the Pulvertaft Hand Centre (UK) and membership of the Green Surgery Oversight Committee. In the report “Green Surgery – reducing the environmental impact of surgery care” commissioned by the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change in collaboration with the Royal College of Surgeons she urges: “ We must also work with our procurement teams, industry partners throughout the medical supply chain, and supporting services (including facilities and estates, instrument and linen reprocessing, and waste facilities), to optimize emissions associated with use of surgical products.”

Her presentation at the Emerging Technologies Conference, held during AT EXPO 2024, focused on the environmental impact of surgical procedures looking at PPE and other medical textiles in particular. For a largely textile audience this was a unique perspective and opened to question many of the medical decisions around use, reuse and even repair that many, including this interviewer, had thought sacrosanct.

IN THIS ISSUE: HOLLY MORRIS

Consultant Hand and Wrist Surgeon Fellow of Textile Institute (Medical Textiles)

International Fiber Journal: Holly, thank you for taking this time to answer some questions for IFJ. I would like to begin with a point from your presentation that highlighted the impact of the health care sector on global pollution you cited 20-30% thought to originate in hospital operating rooms. How did it get to be this bad?

HM : In the 1990s, it became very sexy to have disposable garments, gowns and drapes because there was a belief that they were better for infection prevention and it was also cheaper because you didn’t have to launder. But nobody really considered the environmental footprint. Studies are now estimating that operating suites in North America and the UK during a typical operation produce a carbon footprint of 146-232 kg CO2e, that is comparable to emissions associated with driving 400-650 miles in an average petrol car. In the American private healthcare sector it was often seen as an advantage to have a new thing for every patient, while in the public/UK National Health Service (NHS) this was less so because of budget constraints.

IFJ: Are medical textiles a particular problem?

HM : Medical textiles have become the fastest growing sector of the technical textile industry, worth around $13 billion

Surgeons using disposable surgical gowns, as Holly Morris challenges the mindset around the necessity for single-use medical textiles. Holly Morris

IFJ : Medical and hospital staff as well as patients need to be safe, do you see a way that this can be done with less impact on the environment?

in 2020, growing to $33 billion in 2023, with the global orthopaedic market valued at $45 billion back in 2019. Global emissions from the health systems stands at 4.4%, higher than a sector such as aviation which comes in less at 2.5%. Taking the example of the British NHS carbon footprint, we see around 65% coming from medicines, equipment and the supply chain with the next highest figure, 15% coming from energy, water and waste. Medical textiles account for 14-31% of healthcare waste. This includes a really broad range of materials, mostly manufactured from synthetic fibres and includes implantables, personal and protective equipment (PPE), incontinence products, smart textiles and even components of devices for environmental control, for example air filters etc.

IFJ : Do you think that there is sufficient guidance available on repair and recycling?

HM: Much of the current guidance is pretty archaic and really needs to be revisited both on repair and recycling. Studies have shown that patching a hole in a surgical gown or drape does not increase the risk of contamination and patient infection. Disassembly is another consideration both for repair and the recovery of useful portions that might be reused in the healthcare system or elsewhere. Design plays an impor-

tant role in the carbon footprint of an item as it impacts on construction, number of pieces in the garment or unit, type of seaming and material selection. It’s worth remembering that the full cost of an item needs to be considered when deciding whether an item should be repaired, this include energy, chemical and water use. I see so many items that just need a small repair in order to be reused but we need to have systems in place to make it happen.

HM: The pandemic created unprecedented demand for medical textiles, particularly PPE. But it also highlighted the sheer quantity of material and waste being generated, much of it after a single use. This is now being looked at in terms of financial and environmental cost, with many countries now looking to encourage greater use of reusable drapes and gowns over disposable ones. One of the issues that needs to be addressed is the supply chain, and laundry in particular. Another is recycling and there is a hesitation in accepting surgical linens for recycling because of the fear that it will be heavily contaminated. A system of laundering and sorting linens after their final use would be one way of mitigating this risk. Putting the right systems in place would help to reassure stakeholders immeasurably.

Holly Morris is challenging the thinking around the repair of medical textiles and PPE pointing to studies that show that patching a hole in a surgical gown or drape does not increase the risk of contamination or patient infection. Holly Morris

The alternative to single use are these reusable surgical gowns that can offer significant environmental, as well as financial, savings without compromising the health and safety of surgeons or patients. Holly Morris

Holly Morris presenting her paper on ‘The role of textiles in creating a greener operating room’ at AT EXPO 2024. Devin Steele

IFJ : Do you see stringent medical standards as a major obstacle?

HM : There is a lot that can be done simply looking at behavior changes during surgery. Clinicians can evaluate how they drape their patients and assess whether they can reduce what they are using. It isn’t just drapes but also the equipment we use. Only opening the items that we use reduces waste and the need for reprocessing or disposal. At a hospital level, a change to reusable textiles such as theatre hats, sterile gowns, patient drapes and trolley covers would also improve the carbon footprint.

IFJ : You have said that 70% of emissions are primarily derived from the health care supply chain. Can you unpack that a little and indicate where there might be easy gains to be made here?

HM: The manufacture of items, the transport of these and the processing of effluents (air/waste water) all generate emissions. This area is harder to directly control as the supply chain is large. I see laundry as an area where easy gains might be made on this. Clear guidance on optimising machine loading would certainly yield benefit. This should look to ensure the correct weight and ratio of textiles, factoring in the level of dirt and careful mixing so that heavily soiled linens are not being put together with lightly used ones. The use of environmentally preferable detergents and filters to capture microfibers would also bring benefits. Looking beyond the amount of energy to focus on renewable energy sources would also be good. Time and tempera-

ture alternatives for thermal disinfection can also be examined more closely. Currently there is work underway to revise and update the laundering guidance used within healthcare in the UK.

IFJ: In an academic paper earlier this year you claimed that there are lessons to be learned from the fashion-clothing retail supply chains, can you elaborate on this?

HM : My clinical practise is based in the Derby. Derbyshire was home to the great British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood who was well known for being a climate change activist – perhaps there is something in the water! It’s all too easy to dismiss the fashion sector as irrelevant but I see a lot that we might learn from the complex supply chains and relationships that the fashion industry has in place, particularly with the interest in reducing fast fashion and the disposal or recycling of the end product. To begin with, we must be aware that the stories of labor abuses and sweatshops are not confined to fast fashion. A report by the British Medical Association identified that there is statesponsored Uyghur and North Korean forced labor found in the manufacture of PPE in China and forced labor of gloves in Malaysia and Thailand. One of the most important lessons I see is the need for oversight and accountability. Nothing operates on trust and you see retailers not just checking inventory, but checking all aspects from design to production visit-

ing factories and warehouse facilities to see for themselves. This kind of connectedness generates better understanding on both sides that goes beyond the specification, and helps identify where and how improvements can be made.

IFJ: Are you seeing any new fiber or fabric developments that look promising?

HM: The new developments that I am most excited by are those that can be used to reduce the environmental impact of existing medical textiles. We need to be looking at whether other methods of laundry are viable, such as polymer bead laundering which are more effective. This method uses only around a third of the water that a conventional commercial laundry machine uses. The energy use drops by an estimated 88% because no hot water is used and 15% more water is removed so that there is less drying needed and an energy saving to be made there also. Microfiber pollution filters are essential. Currently available options can capture more than 99% of microfibers with their filtration technology. When you think that around 500,000 tons of microfiber flows into our oceans each year that offers quite a difference.

IFJ : Any final thoughts on how to move things forward?

HM: During COVID everything went up in price and that has a legacy. The problem is that procurement are focused on the upfront cost only, not the disposal cost. If they had to take account of the full lifetime cost then strategies like repair, reuse, laundry etcetera, more sustainable medical textiles would come out cheaper. If you were to add a carbon tax to that then the argument becomes even more compelling.

Dr. Marie O’Mahony is an industry consultant, author and academic, the author of several books on advanced and smart textiles published by Thames and Hudson. She can be contacted at marie.consultant@ gmail.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/ dr-marie-o-mahony-94776836.

Reusable operating room scrubs. Holly Morris

Medical textiles account for 14-31% of healthcare waste. Holly Morris

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TInnovation Continues in 2024 with Quick Pace

By Adrian Wilson, International Correspondent, IFJ

hroughout 2024 there has been an acceleration in approaches to the regeneration of synthetic fibers at industrial scale – and especially PET polyester.

Fantastic work has also continued in developing natural fibers and biopolymers as the raw materials for new circular supply chains, but the growth of such alternatives to PET and other synthetics will only go some way to meeting overall future demand.

The total consumption of all fibers by the global textiles industry is forecasted to climb from 120 million tons in 2023 to 140 million tons by 2030, and at present polyesters, largely PET, account for an estimated 81 million tons of all production.

CiCLO Additive

Alongside schemes for taking both waste PET fabrics and plastics back to polymers and monomers as new raw materials, some true alternatives have also arisen, such as the CiCLO additive of Intrinsic Advanced Materials/Parkdale Mills.

CiCLO is an additive that is applied at the fiber extrusion stage of production to enable the accelerated biodegradation of synthetic fibers. It creates countless biodegradable spots in the matrix of the polymer that enables microbes that naturally exist in certain environments to break down the materials just like they do with natural fibers. All that remains are natural biogases and biomass. The mechanism is only activated under

conditions that allow for biodegradation and they will not prematurely deteriorate while in storage or use, just like biodegradable fabrics made from natural fibers like cotton and wool.

Long-term studies have proven that CiCLO PET and also nylon fabrics biodegrade at greatly accelerated rates compared to such fibers without them.

Parkdale Mills has rapidly established a network of over 50 certified fiber and yarn manufacturers to ensure quality assurance and traceability in the supply of CiCLO products and such has been the interest in CiCLO, that Intrinsic cofounder Andrea Ferris has predicted that non-biodegradable PET will be extinct within a decade.

Synthetic Alternatives

OceanSafe, based in Berne, Switzerland, has also been making progress in 2024 with its naNea polymer, as a next generation replacement for PET polyester.

While still itself a synthetic, naNea is inherently biodegradable in water, soil and landfill. In ocean water, 93% of it will biodegrade in just 99 days and it is currently the first and only synthetic material to date to have received the stringent Cradle-to-Cradle Gold certification.

OceanSafe’s polymer is already being turned into fibers and yarns by an extensive list of partners. The resulting fabrics have all the favorable processing and performance properties of PET, yet are circular, biodegradable, compostable and toxin-free. They are also high performing, durable and highly scalable, and as volumes go up, the price for naNea will only come down.

The polymer is a drop-in solution for PET manufacturers and fibers and yarns being made from it can be fully woven or knitted and dyed and finished conventionally.

Compostable Celys

Intimiti Australia has meanwhile been attracting attention with Celys, a certified compostable polyester fiber which is 95.4% compostable in 179 days under industrial composting conditions, as a result of a third chemical monomer introduced into its molecular structure during the polymerization process.

The company has inserted easily hydrolysable and easy-to-break-down ester linkages into the polymer backbone of Celys fiber, to facilitate hydrolyzation and greatly accelerate the biodegradation rate. After biodegradation, all that remains is carbon dioxide, water and biomass.

CiCLO promises to make non-biodegradable PET extinct within a decade. Parkdale Mills

OceanSafe’s naNea is inherently biodegradable in water, soil and landfill.

Reformation is the latest brand integrating Ambercycle’s cycora regenerated polyester into select pieces of its new 1920s-inspired collection. Reformation

Fabric properties achievable with Celys include a soft cotton-like touch, low pill ing, hydrophilicity, low-temperature dye ing, natural wicking and breathability, and quick drying.

Ambercycle

It is in the area of the chemical recycling of synthetic fibers, however, and primar ily PET, that the biggest impact will be made in the years to 2030.

In August, for example, Shinkong Synthetic Fibers, a global polyester manu facturer headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, announced a strategic $10 million invest ment in Ambercycle’s first commercial

plant for producing its cycora polyester made from PET waste.

The investment builds on three years of collaboration on Ambercycle’s molecular regeneration technology, with Shinkong providing extensive experience in the premium polyester market.

Ambercycle expects to commence operations at its new industrial facility, with an as-yet unspecified location or capacity,

In June 2024, Hyosung became the first manufacturer in South Korea to introduce Ambercycle’s cycora into supply chains and in the same month, MAS Holdings, a global apparel manufacturing and tech conglomerate headquartered in Sri Lanka, negotiated a three-year off-take agree-

Inditex, the Spanish owner of the leading Zara brand, has signed a three-year agreement to buy a significant portion of the annual production of Ambercycle’s cycora with a value of more than €70 million.

Eastman Methanolysis

Four major methods for reverse engineering PET waste back into its monomer building blocks – methanolysis, glycolysis, hydrolysis and enzymatic recovery – are also rapidly being industrialized. Methanolysis is based on the treatment of polyester polymers with methanol at relatively high temperatures of between 180-280°C and

Green Product Award

ANTA Sports compostable t-Shirt with Celys fiber. Intimiti Australia

Cycora polyester made from PET waste will be available in commercial volumes in 2026. Ambercycle

pressures of 20-40 atm, which leads to the formation of the constituent monomers dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and ethylene glycol.

Making the fastest progress here is Eastman, which in March announced its second molecular recycling plant for hard-to-recycle PET waste will be located in Longview, Texas.

The first plant, at its headquarters in Kingsport, Tennessee, also began initial production in March and is already generating revenue and is on target to earn around $75 million for the company in 2024.

The company’s methanolysis technology is said to break the waste down into the monomer building blocks for polyester that can be used again without compromising performance in a materialto-material high-yield loop.

The Kingsport and Longview plants are aimed at meeting Eastman’s ambitious goals of recycling 125,000 tons of polyester by next year, and double that volume by 2030.

In January 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron and Eastman CEO Mark Costa jointly announced Eastman’s plan to invest up to $1 billion in a material-tomaterial molecular recycling facility in Normandy, France. The site will also recycle up to 110,000 tons of hard-to-recycle polyester waste by 2028.

Loop Industries

Loop Industries owns patented and proprietary methanolysis technology that depolymerizes PET plastic and polyester fiber waste, including plastic bottles and packaging, carpets and textiles of any color, transparency or condition and even ocean plastics that have been degraded by the sun and salt. The resulting monomers are filtered, purified and polymerized to create virgin-quality PET resins suitable for use in food-grade packaging and as polyester fibers.

In January 2024, UK-headquartered investment firm Reed Management announced financing of $66 million to enable Loop Industries to proceed with

its plans to construct a recycling plant in Saint-Avold, France, with an annual capacity of 70,000 tons.

In May, Loop Industries further announced a joint venture with Ester Industries to establish a $165 million Infinite Loop plant to recycle dimethyl terephthalate (DMT) and mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) from PET waste in India.

Glycolysis

In the glycolysis process, high molecular weight polyester is treated with a glycol such as ethylene glycol to recover polyester monomers for new products.

Making big waves in this field is Syre, a new company based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, which launched in March 2024, and by May 2024 had secured a $100 million Series A funding package.

Supported by an offtake supply agreement with H&M, Syre plans to establish multiple plants producing circular polyester across the globe.

The funding round was led by founding investor TPG Rise Climate along with an additional investment from H&M and strategic partners Giant Ventures, IMAS Foundation, Norrsken VC and Volvo.

It will finance the construction of a blueprint plant in the USA which will be

up and running later before the end of 2024, as well as preparations for the first two gigascale textile-totextile recycling plants. Syre has shortlisted Vietnam and Portugal or Spain as the locations for its first two plants.

The equity funding will further allow Syre to fully acquire the patented technology of North Carolina-based Premirr that is the centerpiece of the company’s textile-to-textile recycling solution.

Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis involves the use of water to break the ester bonds of polymers down into their constituent monomers. Hydrolysis monomer recovery processes have been developed for both PET and for polyamide.

Danville, Virginia-headquartered new fiber tech pioneer Circ is at technology readiness level (TRL) 7 and aiming to rapidly get to industrial scale with its process that can accommodate polycotton material in any blend ratio and any color, including post-consumer waste, as demonstrated through its partnership with Patagonia.

Its IP begins with a hydrothermal reaction initially developed for biofuels and now adapted for textiles.

In the process, the polyester is broken down through depolymerization by hydrolysis, when the fiber separation also occurs. When the polyester is broken down into monomers it dissolves into the liquid and results in two streams – the solid stream with just the cotton that’s left over and the liquid stream, which not only contains the polymers but also the dyes, finishing chemistries and coatings.

The cotton cellulose is further tuned so that it can be used in existing processes for manmade cellulosic fibers and from the liquid there is extraction and purification of the monomers, including the PTA (purified terephthalic acid).

“We’ve developed a purification method working with Professor Alan Myers of MIT which we’re very proud of because 99.9% purity here won’t necessarily work,”

Eastman has formed a strategic collaboration with Vancouver-based Debrand, a specialist in finding sustainable solutions for the waste of top apparel brands. Debrand

explains the company’s president and CEO Peter Majeranowski. “You have to make sure you screen out certain impurities that would prevent the PTA – which makes up roughly 70% by weight of polyester – from repolymerizing.”

Also operating recycling plants with hydrolytic processes currently at pilot scale, but with scale-up ambitions, are DePoly (Sion, Switzerland), GR3N (Lugano, Switzerland) and RevolPet (Braunschweig, Germany).

On the polyamide side, Italy’s Aquafil, headquartered in Arco (Trento) Italy, has a well-established plant for recycling carpets and fishing nets into new polyamide monomers in Slovenia, with an annual capacity of 35,000 tons. Recycled products are marketed under Aquafil’s Econyl brand.

Enzymatic Recycling

Carbios has established a solvent-free enzymatic depolymerization process for recycling polyester and is currently constructing a €54 billion plant in Longlaville, in the Grand-Est region of France. This is expected to start delivering significant quantities of new recycled feedstocks in 2026.

Carbios is developing a licensing model for the technology which is already bearing fruit.

In July 2024, Carbios signed an agreement with Zhink Group to establish a new recycling plant in China. The two companies are planning a longterm partnership beginning with a first licensing contract to build a plant with a minimum annual processing capacity of 50,000 tons of prepared polyester waste. China is the world’s largest PET producer and also currently accounts for 78% of all PET transformed into r-PET, including PET bottles.

In August SASA of Turkey entered discussions with Carbios to license a polyester biorecycling facility with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons that it will build and operate at Adana site.

A new $1.5 billion SASA Polyester plant for PTA is poised to come on stream this year in Adana, with an annual capacity of 1,750,000 tons.

This will instantly position Turkey as a net exporter of polyester, rather than a net importer. SASA has pointed out that raw materials self-reliance is how both South Korea and China strengthened, stabilized and significantly grew their textile industries.

Milestone

In a significant textile industry breakthrough reported in October, Carbios and its fiber-to-fiber consortium brand partners On, Patagonia, Puma, PVH and Salomon, unveiled a plain, white polyester t-shirt that has been produced from 100% mixed and colored textile waste.

The t-shirt’s production began with all consortium members supplying rolls and production cutting scraps to Carbios in Clermont-Ferrand, France. The waste consisted of mixed blends of polyester with cotton and/or elastane, as well as various treatments such as durable water repellents and dyes, making them extremely complex to recycle using conventional methods.

The collected waste was deconstructed into its original PTA and MEG monomers at the Carbios pilot facility.

The resulting monomers were then repolymerized, spun into yarn and woven into new fabric by external partners, demonstrating their seamless integration into existing manufacturing processes.

The resulting t-shirt made from 100% textile waste meets the quality standards and sustainability objectives of the apparel brands of the consortium.

Lycra EcoMade

Finally, elastane, however valuable in providing stretch and comfort in garments, has been identified as a significant obstacle to many recycling operations, but in the first half of 2025, The Lycra Company will launch large-scale production of a new renewable elastane – Lycra EcoMade. Bio-derived Lycra EcoMade fiber is made with 70% renewable content and certified under the USDA Bio-Preferred program. Garments and fabrics made with it deliver equivalent performance to those made with original Lycra fiber, and no re-engineering of fabrics, processes or garment patterns is required.

“There’s no need to sacrifice performance for renewable content with bioderived Lycra EcoMade,” says Nicolas Banyols, chief commercial officer of The Lycra Company. “We are committed to transitioning to renewable resources as a key part of our sustainability strategy and it can help brands and retailers reduce their environmental impact too.”

Adrian Wilson is an international correspondent for International Fiber Journal . He is a leading journalist covering fiber, filtration, nonwovens and technical textiles. He can be reached at adawilson@gmail.com.

Lycra EcoMade will launch in 2025. Lycra

In October, Carbios and its partners unveiled a plain, white polyester t-shirt that has been produced from 100% mixed and colored textile waste. Carbios

F Fiber Innovation DEFINING the FUTURE

Annual Showcase of Advancements in the Marketplace

iber industry companies in the supply chain are investing in research and development to bring new ideas to the world for enhanced solutions, and for many, plans include a strong focus on sustainability. Innovation requires intentional measures to meet long-term social and environmental benefits and improve the overall quality of solutions.

Innovations range from efficiency and effectiveness in design, to responsible sourcing with materials that are bio-based or feedstocks that draw on regenerative, and/or sustainable agriculture principles to advance circularity; to advancements that extend product life, and more. Needless to say, the supply chain is changing, and offering up new and improved solutions.

We asked companies to submit their most recent advancements and we are pleased to highlight the following companies and their achievements.

Development of Sustainable Resin at BioLogiQ for Nonwoven Applications

The global demand for sustainable materials is growing, especially within the fiber and nonwoven sectors.

BioLogiQ, a pioneer in planet-friendly biopolymer technologies, has been at the forefront of this shift by developing nonwoven-grade materials that address environmental concerns without sacrificing performance.

These plant-based biopolymers can be combined with many traditional plastic resins to create application-specific, high-performing BioBlends. BioBlends provide companies with powerful value propositions for sustainability, including:

• Plant-based content

• Reducing and replacing the use of fossil fuel-based plastic

• Carbon/greenhouse gas footprint reduction

• Decreasing environmental persistence

• Shelf-stable material

• Versatility of leveraging existing equipment

• Increased softness

XN grade BioBlends are designed to mix with traditional spinning grade PP while offering an improved environmental profile. These materials meet or exceed the performance expectations of traditional nonwoven materials.

One of the key advantages of BioLogiQ’s solution is that it requires minimal modifications to current production processes, allowing manufacturers to transition to greener materials without significant disruptions or additional costs. This makes BioBlends attractive for companies seeking to reduce their environmental impact while maintaining operational efficiency.

At BioLogiQ, the team has developed the XN product line with two new BioBlend grades incorporating 25% plant-based content. XN 25300 is tailored specifically for spunbond applications, while the XN 25200 is designed for yarn spinning. These innovations address the increasing demand for eco-conscious materials in sectors such as hygiene, medical, filtration, agriculture, automotive, protective packing, insulation, reusable bags, etc.

Reusable carryout bag made with 25% plantbased content BioLogiQ

Application Development and Testing

Our development of nonwoven-grade materials is complemented by rigorous application testing. We have worked with industry partner Hills, to conduct trials under real-world conditions, ensuring that our materials perform well across various parameters, including fiber distribution and strength. Properties of spunbond fabric are shown in Image 1. For example, BioLogiQ has successfully completed trials making 20 gsm spunbond specifically targeting the hygiene market, as well as higher gsm fabric for isolation gowns, reusable bags, picnic tablecloths and similar applications.

BioLogiQ remains committed to advancing plantbased materials, with ongoing efforts to optimize performance for specific targeted applications. Our goal is to further expand the application of BioBlends in diverse sectors.

BioLogiQ has also conducted trials to produce meltblown and bi-component fibers with the XN grades.

Image 1: 20 gsm spunbond made from XN 25300; Process condition: 0.6 ghm, Die orifice: 0.35 mm. BioLogiQ

Basis weight- 100 cm² [gsm]

MD Strength [N/50mm]

MD % Elongation [%] 148

CD Strength [N/50mm] 24

CD % Elongation [%]

Thickness [mm] 0.26

Air permeability [l/m²/sec]

Bi-component fibers, in particular, can enable a higher bio-based content. Structures with polypropylene (PP) and polylactic acid (PLA) in the sheath and an XN BioBlend in the core have shown promise, with further optimization in progress.

Collaborative Efforts for Market Adoption

BioLogiQ recognizes that the development of sustainable nonwoven grades is only part of the challenge – the other is fostering market adoption. To this end, we are actively engaging with industry partners, manufacturers, and customers to showcase the capabilities of our materials. We believe that collaboration is key to accelerating the transition toward sustainable materials.

BioLogiQ’s advancements in nonwoven grade development represent a significant step forward for fiber solutions. Our commitment to innovation and collaboration will continue to drive us forward, as we strive to create nonwoven fabrics that meet the growing demand for sustainability while delivering the high performance that industries require. www.biologiq.com

Meeting the Processing Challenges of Industrial Hemp: Cretes’ Multi-Stage Decortication

Innovation

The growing demand for sustainable hemp fibers presents significant challenges for hemp farmers and processors. Hemp plants can reach heights of over two meters, making them especially difficult to process. Traditional single-stage decortication processes are often inefficient and can cause fiber damage, affecting the quality of the final products. Furthermore, highend industries such as textiles and biocomposites require consistently high-quality and strong fibers – demands that current technologies struggle to meet.

Cretes offers a solution to this challenge with its multistage decortication process, specially designed to handle the unique structure of hemp. Using Cretes’ technology, hemp fibers are carefully separated from the woody core, preserving fiber length and tensile strength. This approach delivers high-quality fibers, perfectly suited for industrial applications that require material strength and consistency. With the multi-stage process, handling is much more efficient, and higher-quality fibers are produced, expanding the potential for hemp across various industries.

With extensive experience in processing natural fibers, Cretes remains committed to advancing hemp processing through innovation. At its state-of-the-art R&D centre, equipped with a pilot-scale decortication line, Cretes collaborates with industry partners to refine and adapt its technology continuously. By pushing the boundaries of fiber processing, Cretes ensures that its solutions not only meet the immediate needs of hemp farmers and processors but also lay the groundwork for the fiber’s sustainable future across sectors. www.cretes.be

The Benefits of Meltdown Technology for Implantable Nonwovens

Dr. Jonny Hunter, Research & Development Manager, Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited,

ibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET), based in Leeds, UK has a long history of R&D and innovation, driven by its mission to help customers find solutions to specific technical problems. In this example, we examine the role of meltblown systems (Figure 1) developed for the medical market.

What Is Meltblown Technology?

Meltblown systems use a one-step process in which high-velocity air blows a molten thermoplastic resin from an extruder die on to a conveyor to form a fine fibrous and self-bonding web. The fibres in the meltblown web are laid together by a combination of entanglement and cohesive sticking. The ability to form a web directly from a molten polymer without controlled stretching gives meltblown technology a distinct cost advantage over other systems (Figure 2).

Meltblown to Implantable Nonwoven

As a result of innovative development work by FET, nonwoven structures can now be readily made from “difficult to process” polymers. The new processing technology is a unique adaptation of the meltblowing process and makes possible the conversion of a wide range of polymers into nonwoven webs, using a single processing stage. For many of our clients, the benefits of single-stage manufacturing

and the flexibility provided solve many processing problems and give them a substantial competitive edge. This can be coupled with the fact that FET already has a strong capability in processing medical grade polymers used as sutures meaning that the same materials can be used to make a novel range of absorbable nonwoven products. This can significantly de-risk new product development as the base polymers have already been shown to be biocompatible.

New processes have been developed in particular for polymers that have properties which would in normal circumstances make them unsuitable for meltblowing, such as high melt viscosity (IV ≈ 3 dL/g) or susceptibility to degradation. These versatile systems enable the extrusion of meltblown medical nonwovens with a broad span of structures and mechanical properties allowing usage in products like:

• Hernia repair patches

• Staple reinforcement buttresses

• Periodontal & gingival repair

• Adhesion barriers

• Skin substitutes (burns dressing and cosmetic surgery)

• Cell culture support structure (Figure 3)

• Some example resorbable polymers processed include PHA, PGA, PLGA and PDO.

Figure 2: Meltblown nonwoven web production vs. alternative nonwoven production route. FET

Figure 3: Left: Bone marrow cells growing on a PLGA Meltspun Scaffold, Right: skin cells growing on PGA. FET

Figure 4: Three different targeted meltblown webs with ranges of filament diameter within the web. FET

Figure 1: FET 102 - Meltblown line. FET

For the reader’s general interest, FET has also been able to produce meltblown nonwovens from other challenging polymers used in other industries. These polymers include PEEK, PET and TPU and are used as filters, clothing and sanitary products. Figure 4 shows a range of filament sizes which can be readily achieve through the use of melt blowing technologies.

Case Study

In this example, a leading medical device manufacturer (MDM) was interested in applying the benefits of FET’s meltblowing technology to produce new materials and products using their existing range of bioresorbable polymers (Figure 5). This case study provides an example of the Research Team at FET working closely with the MDM Project Team to provide a rapid and low risk route to complete the product development and achieve manufacturing capability. The high yield of product from polymer was key to the MDM as the customer’s resin was worth over £6,000 per kg!

Stage 1: Proof of Capability

The first step was for FET to use the in-house meltblowing pilot line to run a Proof of Capability trial. This threeday trial successfully demonstrated that the FET system could use one of their resins to produce a nonwoven web that matched their target structure (Figure 6).

Stage 2: Initial Structure & Polymer Evaluation

A detailed confidentiality agreement was put in place and the MDM selected a range of polymers for further processing trials. These were attended by MDM staff who worked with FET to produce a range of samples with different structures and compositions. Each resin had different processing properties and the equipment configuration and processing conditions needed to be adapted for each one.

Samples were provided for evaluation by the MDM along with a detailed report of the processing properties of each polymer formula-tion, allowing the MDM to select the best polymer for further work.

Stage 3: Lead Option Optimization

The third stage was carried out on the lead option polymer, comprising a series of short trials to produce samples with different structures and properties. This also provided the opportunity for FET to refine the equipment design and processing conditions for the selected polymer and discover how to gain tight control over the filament and web formation processes.

Modifications were made to the design of the spinneret and air blades, which improved the structure and consistency of the web. This iterative process led to the specification of the preferred polymer formulation and web structure, generating the scale up data that was required to design and specify the production unit.

Step 4: Build and Development

Whilst the production line was being built, the progress of the MDM’s project was accelerated by FET producing batches of the specified nonwoven for the customer to continue trials and testing of their prototype product. The nonwovens were made to an agreed SOP covering all aspects of the machine preparation, sample production and data recording.

Step 5: Installation

On completion of the equipment manufacture, FET invited the MDM to attend a factory acceptance test (FAT). This included a detailed review of the equipment and a demonstration of it operating within tight conditions as per determined from the earlier stages of the project. Following this, the equipment was shipped to the MDM where it was installed and a site acceptance test (SAT) was conducted to ensure the equipment was still performing to a high standard after international shipping.

Stage 6: Verification and Training

In the final stage for FET, the R&D staff helped the MDM complete a rigorous verification of the processing systems on the new production line and provided detailed training for the new operators.

Figure 5: Meltblown equipment in action. FET

Figure 6: Example structure of a nonwoven made from absorbable polymer. FET

Stage 7: Process Qualification and Manufacturing

Recently, the MDM has confirmed they have full qualified the production process and are building the stock to launch the new product. In fact, the initial feedback from focus groups has been so positive that the MDM is looking to repeat the cycle with an alternative polymer to expand their product development pipeline. This will allow them to produce a range of implantable medical nonwovens devices which will degrade over a specific time frame. The product will also be available in a range of sizes, shapes and thicknesses.

Conclusion

This is a brief overview of a new product development process supported by FET in a highly regulated industry. The whole project has taken a number of years to come to completion but shows that novel machine development can have huge impacts, enabling novel products to be made. This ethos of continued machine and process development at FET is a corner stone of the business and puts customers’ needs at the heart of what FET does. www.fetuk.com

Dr. Jonny Hunter is Research & Development Manager at Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited, based in Leeds, UK. Hunter brings a wealth of academic credentials to the department, including a Master’s in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry and a PhD in Sustainable Chemistry. His strong academic background is complemented by over 10 years’ R&D experience in industry, including FMCG and in particular medical devices, which encompasses wound care, the medical device manufacturing process and regulatory environment. Email: jonathan. hunter@fetuk.com, Tel: + 44 (0) +44 113 253 7676 or Mobile: + 44 (0) 7563243181.

Depestele and Fibroline Collaborate to Produce Innovative and Sustainable Flax UD Tapes

Over the last few years, Fibroline, a technology provider, and Depestele, a major actor in the natural fiber industry, collaborated on a significant project. Its aim was the development of new range of sustainable flax UD tapes, an innovative product that can lead to breakthrough innovations, and allow Depestele to diversify its activities and enter the composites market as a semi-product supplier. This flax UD tape has many advantages in both its sustainable and its mechanical characteristics.

As Europe’s leading private flax producer, Depestele transforms 80,000 tons of flax every year. It is a French familyowned business that has been processing linen since 1850, and which owns three production sites in Normandy, where the company originates from. The group collects flax from all over the area, as well as from the Île-de-France and Brittany regions, in collaboration with over 900 farmers. The Depestele Group has also joined BPI’s Coq Vert community as part of its commitment to energy transition and environmental preservation. It has dedicated its innovation center to flax reinforcements in order to enter composites markets. Flax fibers have great mechanical characteristics, with comparable specific tensile strength as glass (for the same weight), and higher specific stiffness. They have also demonstrated great acoustic and damping properties, with great capacities to absorb sound or vibrations. All of these make them a relevant eco-friendly alternative to glass fibers in composite industry, as flax benefits from a lower carbon footprint. These rovings can be used to reinforce various polymeric matrixes to produce innovative flax UD tapes. These are well suited for different applications, in sectors such as aeronautic, transportation or sports for instance.

The Combination of High-Performance Fiber and Eco-Friendly Technology

In order for this semi-product to be efficient, the processing method of roving into tape has to preserve all of its mechanical properties. Depestele also made an effort in the selection of its production conditions to ensure the conservation of its eco-friendly characteristics. To this end, the company requires a clean technology process to impregnate its flax roving.

And here comes Fibroline. It is a world leader of ecofriendly impregnation technologies based out of Lyon, France, with more than 50 patents worldwide. Fibroline has developed dry powder impregnation solutions, which consist in the distribution of any form of powders into porous structures thanks to the use of high intensity alternating electric fields. Its R&D team has unique know-how with dedicated

Figure 7: FET 102 line. FET

knowledge for various industries. The combination of Depestele’s knowledge in flax reinforcements and Fibroline’s impregnation capacity was key to the success of this project.

The Key Strategic Advantages of Dry Impregnation Solutions

Dry powder impregnation solutions benefit from several key strategic advantages that grant them capacity to respond to Depestele’s project needs for the impregnation of flax roving in the preservation of both its mechanical characteristics as well as its sustainable attributes. Fibroline solutions indeed allow to overcome some of the limitations of the conventional impregnation solutions such as comingling, extrusion or solvent based impregnation method.

Where commingling reinforcements with thermoplastic filaments typically results in heterogeneous material, dry powder impregnation allows to impregnate in an extremely homogenous way, which ensures good mechanical properties. By repulsing the particles, this process makes them occupy all of the available space within the given material. It also allows to deposit powder particles with a very wide range of resin ratios. This leads to a near-perfect control of targeted mechanical characteristics, which is a particularly adapted feature for composite materials.

Another key advantage of dry impregnation is its capacity to process at lower temperature and pressure compared to other solutions such as extrusion, which in turn grants capacity to avoid flax

degradation. Indeed, as the polymer is already located inside the material, it does not need to flow across the whole reinforcement.

Furthermore, dry impregnation solutions benefit from key sustainable attributes. As opposed to solvent-based solutions, these technologies by nature do not require solvents. They have therefore significantly less VOCs emissions. This leads to quality of products’ improvement with the removal of unsafe volatiles which can be a key benefit both to workers during manufacturing process, as well as for specific applications in dealing with ever more constraining regulations.

Similarly, as opposed to water-based solutions, Fibroline’s process does not require any consuming step for water evaporation, resulting in significant energy savings and decrease in processing time. It is particularly advantageous for flax processing considering its high rate of humidity absorption.

Finally, Fibroline’s solution also allows for versatile semi-products, as this process can impregnate several kinds of polymers. This flexibility is a key success factor for the development of a wide range of products, and the Fibroline dry impregnation is equally efficient with classical thermosetting resins such as Epoxies and polyesters, with thermoplastic such as PLA or PA11 or PHA. All these tapes are particularly adapted to processing with systems like filament winding or automated fiber placement (AFP), widely used in aeronautic, sports, wind energy or transportation.

A Wide Variety of Products with Low Environmental Impact

To achieve the required performances, Fibroline benefits from significant knowledge garnered over time with various projects. The company has developed and patented its own technology portfolio to offer several impregnation solutions with specific characteristics, adapted to the needs of

Comparison of LCA of UD tapes produced with commingle method and fibroline method (PLA based). Fibroline and Depestele

6.35mm wide Flax/PA11 dry-impregnated UD tape. Fibroline and Depestele

different markets. In this specific case of roving materials impregnation, Fibroline recently patented and introduced to the market the Y-Preg technology. Within its portfolio, Y-Preg is a dry impregnation solution that is perfectly suited to impregnate yarns, braids, or rovings and can process several bobbins at once.

As with all of Fibroline’s technology portfolio, Y-Preg is based on the use of high intensity alternating electric fields, which therefore consumes only little energy and thus reinforces the eco-friendly aspect of the final solution. The graphic underneath shows how Y-Preg Roving is overall much more sustainable than commingled roving, with smaller Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) impact due in part to the drastic reduction of the use of fossil energies in the process.

The reduction in environmental impact in the production of flax UD tapes ought not to deteriorate their mechanical properties, which Fibroline and Depestele achieved to preserve. The materials developed in this project have excellent

mechanical characteristics, in addition to their sustainable features. For instance, they have about 22 GPa as modulus and 300 MPa as tensile strength with a flax/nylon 11 with a volume fraction of 60/40, thanks to the long and highly oriented fibers, homogeneous matrix distribution, and low reinforcements degradation.

All in all, Fibroline’s dry impregnation solutions responds to Depestele’s needs. Its dry impregnation techniques benefit from several key strategic advantages that allow Depestele to process linen into flax tape of various matrices while preserving its eco-friendly and mechanical properties, in ways that conventional impregnation methods could not have allowed.

With these promising results, Depestele and Fibroline can now foresee promising opportunities for this semi-product. These two partners now look to push this project further, with other turnkey innovations as potential results.

www.fibroline.com

Fibers Are Bringing New Innovations to Major Brands

In the last few years, we have seen graphenebased products commercialized in a wide range of applications ranging from waxes to batteries to plastics, and even concrete.

In textiles and clothing graphene now has a firm footing as a truly innovative new material. Leading this effort is Kyorene® graphene fibers from QS Safety with polyester, nylon, and bamboo-based vis-cose fibers in staple and filament forms.

The graphene in Kyorene® fibers provides three major functional improvements; bacteriostatic, anti-odor, and thermal regulation. These properties are permanent since the graphene is not a coat-ing, but rather part of the fiber itself.

Kyorene® fibers are commercial in applications including underwear, sportswear, socks, denim, jackets, golf and tee shirts, and home textiles.

Another new 2D nanomaterial to enter the textile market is hexagonal Boron Nitride (h-BN) com-monly called “white graphene” and trademarked Kyorene White® by QS Safety. With the same hex-agonal chemical structure as graphene, the fibers have the same benefits listed above and the fiber is white in color which makes it easier to produce white colors and light shades.

One of the leading brands and early adaptor to embrace Kyorene White® was Kontoor (Lee and Wrangler). They have previously used Kyorene® graphene in jackets, denim, and fleece, and now have launched Lee brand shirts and denim jeans under the “Nitro Cool” logo. The main driver in these applications was the thermal regulation (cooling) achieved via the far infrared absorption (heat coming off our bodies) of the h-BN in the fiber.

Brands are always looking for new innovative products that provide permanent consumer benefits and these two new nanomaterials are meeting the need and expanding in the textile market. www.graphene-one.com

Kyorene® Graphene

Embracing Hemp for a Sustainable Tomorrow with Harper Hygienics S.A.

By Jakub Wojtaszak, Head of Strategic Innovation Projects and Technology Development

For over three decades, Harper Hygienics S.A. has carved a legacy of prioritizing evolving environmental trends and innovation to meet customer demands responsibly. Our journey has been driven by a commitment to ecoconscious innovation, and our latest endeavor underscores that dedication. Together with SIA iCotton, we are embracing hemp – a powerful, sustainable fiber – as a cornerstone of our new product line, offering an eco-friendly alternative in nonwovens, wipes, pads, and liners. This effort, supported by cutting-edge research and collaboration with global fiber leaders like Bast Fibre Technologies Inc. (BFT), represents our commitment to meeting consumers’ growing demand for environmentally responsible products.

reaching maturity in around 100 days. Moreover, hemp produces more fiber per acre than cotton or flax, reducing the environmental strain while ensuring a reliable supply chain, and boasts natural resistance to bacteria and UV rays. Its cultivation supports soil health, increases water retention, and promotes biodiversity.

In addition to environmental benefits, hemp fibers are durable, antimicrobial, and breathable, with significant water absorption capabilities and softness. These properties make them excellent for various applications, from dry and wet wipes, facial cleansing products to sanitary pads and liners.

Our commitment to hemp’s sustainable properties is evident in our collaboration with BFT, where we selected sero™ for its unique properties and environmental benefits, offering an alternative to conventional cellulose fibers.

The Power of Partnership in Eco-Innovation

At Harper Hygienics, we understand that meaningful innovation requires collaboration. By working closely with BFT, the developers of the groundbreaking sero™ hemp fiber, we can harness hemp’s full potential to create products that are sustainable, high-quality, and beneficial for both our customers and the planet. BFT’s dedication to regenerative agriculture, minimal chemical use, and adherence to sustainability certifications like Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and USDA Certified Biobased Product further underscores the alignment of our goals. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to natural, plastic-free fibers that enable our products to biodegrade safely without contributing to microplastic pollution. With hemp’s sustainability benefits, the ability to make specific fiber blends, and BFT’s fiber engineering, we are making strides towards a greener future, starting with a novel platform: Hemplace™.

Our Hemplace™ platform brings vertical integration between Harper Hygienics and iCotton, allowing us to produce unique carded-spunlace nonwovens with hemp blends. This platform provides unmatched flexibility in creating materials that are up to 100% hemp or blended with other fibers like viscose, lyocell, cotton, and even banana fiber (based on our know-how). Hemplace™ offers products that meet customers’ needs, ensuring that every product layer is sustainable and precisely tailored to performance requirements.

Why Hemp? An Eco-Friendly Choice for Many Product Categories

Hemp is fast becoming a top choice for sustainable products, and for good reason. Compared to cotton, which requires substantial water, pesticides, and land, hemp is naturally hardy and highly resource efficient. Hemp needs only minimal irrigation, does not rely on pesticides and grows rapidly,

Addressing Market Demand Through Hemplace™ and sero™

Through Hemplace™, we provide products that maintain the quality and reliability our consumers expect while significantly reducing our environmental impact. Utilizing multilayer carding-spunlace technology, Hemplace™ allows us to create fabrics with hemp fiber compositions ranging from 10% to 100%, available in weights up to 250 GSM, meeting different consumer preferences and product requirements.

An essential milestone was successfully building the know-how for blending hemp with other fibers like viscose and lyocell. The resulting materials maintain tensile strength, absorbency, and a pleasing tactile quality without additional chemical treatments. Hemplace™ fabrics are engineered to integrate seamlessly with our converting processes, underscoring the technological strength behind this innovation. This versatility allows us to create product textures and characteristics that were previously difficult to achieve in sustainable materials, such as nonwoven surfaces that balance softness and durability.

Moreover, our approach aligns with BFT’s “2R” mission –replace synthetic fibers and repair the planet. Hemp’s rapid growth cycle and high CO₂ sequestration capacity make it an ideal solution for capturing carbon and rebuilding the soil. Moreover, BFT’s production method avoids harmful chemicals, prioritizing alkaline oxidation instead of the chemically intensive processes seen in cotton or viscose production. This ensures that sero™ hemp fibers maintain their natural integrity while requiring fewer resources.

Challenges and Opportunities

While the benefits of hemp are clear, integrating it into mainstream product lines poses challenges. Consumer awareness

and acceptance of hemp products are steadily growing, especially in regions like the EU and the USA, but misconceptions around hemp’s properties remain a hurdle. Educating the market about the advantages of hemp – its sustainability, performance, and hypoallergenic qualities – is crucial to wider adoption. Additionally, scaling up hemp-based products requires ongoing investment in R&D and production infrastructure.

At Harper Hygienics, we are optimistic about the future. We foresee a steady increase in demand for sustainable products, fueled by growing environmental awareness and regulatory incentives. In partnership with BFT, we are committed to elevating hemp’s role in the global hygiene market, providing products that deliver unmatched environmental benefits without compromising on quality. As we continue our journey, Harper Hygienics remains focused on expanding our eco-friendly product range, setting new standards for sustainability in hygiene and personal care.

Hemp’s Role in a Sustainable Tomorrow

As a company, we aim to be at the forefront of an ecorevolution in hygiene products. By embracing hemp, we

Papaya: Blood-Coagulating Menstrual Pads

Menstrual pads are highly engineered products used by a billion people worldwide.

The primary functional requirements of a menstrual pad are to retain the maximum amount of fluid while keeping the wearer feeling dry. This is typically done by using Super Absorbent Polymers (SAPs) embedded in the core layer of the pad, sandwiched by a wicking top sheet that’s in contact with the skin, and a leakproof bottom layer.

This is far from a perfect solution since when mechanical pressure is applied to the SAP during wear, menstrual fluid will be squeezed out back onto the user. This is solvable by using the blood’s inherent ability to coagulate, which is normally triggered when the body is injured.

Blood-coagulation technology is widely used in products such as blood-clotting bandages but has so far not been used in menstrual products. A suggestion for doing so was recently published by Virginia Tech University and received wide and favorable press coverage.

There are substantial obstacles to doing so. Blood clotting bandages typically clot the blood as close to the user’s skin as possible, since they try to expedite the body’s own healing mechanism and stem the flow of blood. Menstrual pads absolutely do not want to do this.

We want to coagulate the blood within the core of the pad, away from the body, while keeping the core soft for extended wear during a regular day. The solution to this lies

are not only meeting today’s sustainability goals but laying the foundation for a future where eco-conscious choices become the norm. As hemp continues to prove its worth in product performance and environmental benefits, we are excited about its potential to transform the hygiene industry. Our goal is clear: to lead with innovative, sustainable solutions that resonate with consumers and protect our planet.

With Hemplace™ and sero™ hemp, we are proud to offer a line of products that embodies the next generation of sustainable hygiene. The future is green, and Harper Hygienics, with partners like BFT, is paving the way. www.harperhygienics.com

Jakub Wojtaszak, Head of Strategic Innovation Projects at Harper Hygienics S.A. – an expert with 10+ years in R&D and Technology Development, has participated in innovative projects like LENZING™ Nonwoven technology and Arvell. His skills span Six-Sigma project management, biological chemistry, and strategic innovation development. Reach him at j.wojtaszak@harperhygienics.com.

in fiber and nonwoven technology. We can make a pad that is pliable and dry by integrating the coagulation accelerant into the core layer, rather than presenting it directly against the skin.

In addition to being able to handle large amounts of fluid while staying dry, the process we’ve come up with uses no plastic-based materials anywhere in the pad, which has numerous health and environmental advantages. Our pads are entirely compostable and degrade even in landfill settings. There are other natural-fiber-based pads in the market, but they use the standard absorbance mechanism and are functionally inferior to SAP-based pads.

We, (Papaya) are first-to-market with this technology. We manufacture the pad entirely in-house, including the steps of creating the coagulation-triggering core fabric. www.papayain.com

POLYOLEFINS

Low-Cost Fibers for a Diverse Range of Commodity Products

By Geoff Fisher, European Editor, IFJ

Far from being the most glamorous fiber on the market, polyolefin fibers are nevertheless an important material for the technical textiles industry, particularly for absorbent hygiene products.

Compared with other synthetic fibers, such as polyester, polyamide and aramid fibers, polyolefin fibers are often cheaper, mainly due to their lower feedstock costs and more efficient production methods. And although they may not possess certain high-end properties, their low prices have made them popular in many mass-market consumer and industrial applications, such as nonwovens, carpets, synthetic turf and geotextiles.

Polyolefins

Commonly perceived as commodity polymers and largely used in packaging, polyolefins are a group of thermoplastics that include polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). They are produced by polymerizing ethylene and propylene respectively, which are mainly obtained from oil and natural gas, but can also be derived from renewable resources, such as sugarcane.

The word “olefin” is derived from the French “oléfiant” (oil-forming). An olefin is commonly known as an alkene (ethylene, propylene, isoprenes, butenes, etc.), which is a hydrocarbon containing a carbon-carbon double bond.

Polyolefins are used in a wide range of industrial end-uses, including agriculture, building and construction, consumer goods and appliances, industrial packaging, medical and healthcare, and transportation. According to Plastics Europe, their versatility has made them the most largely used type of plastics, representing almost 50% of the European plastics consumption.

There are basically four types of polyolefins:

• Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), used for cling film, carrier bags, agricultural film, milk carton coatings, electrical cable coating, heavy-duty industrial bags

• Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), used for stretch film, industrial packaging film, thin-walled containers and heavy-duty, medium and small bags;

• High-density polyethylene (HDPE), used for crates and boxes, bottles

(for food products, detergents, cosmetics), food containers, toys, petrol tanks, industrial wrapping and film, pipes and housewares;

• Polypropylene (PP), a commodity plastic with the lowest density, used for food packaging, microwave-proof containers, carpet fibers, garden furniture, medical packaging and appliances, luggage, kitchen appliances and pipes.

Compared with PE, PP has superior mechanical properties and thermal resistance but less chemical resistance – it is usually tough and flexible, especially when copolymerized with ethylene.

Polyolefin Fibers

Polyolefin fibers, which include spunbond nonwovens, account for just 5-6% of all synthetic fibers consumed worldwide. China is the largest producer, followed by Europe and the Americas.

According to Statista, global production of PP fibers reached 3.1 million tonnes in 2022, a rise of 2.3% compared with 3.03 million tonnes in the previous year. Lucintel estimates that the polyolefin fiber market was valued at US$9.3 billion in 2023, with a growth forecast of

Close-up of polypropylene fibers Adobe Stock

4% annually over the next seven years, to reach an estimated US$26 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, European production of polyolefin fibers was estimated at around 860,000 tonnes in 2023, according to CIRFS, the European Man-Made Fibres Association.

Polyolefin fibers are primarily aliphatic polymeric hydrocarbons that are composed of at least 85% by mass of ethylene, propylene or other olefin units. PP is considered by far the more significant polyolefin fiber than PE.

Polyolefin fibers are durable, chemically resistant, lightweight, economical and functional. They exhibit strong hydrophobicity, strong resistance to sunlight, weather resistance, excellent wicking effect and good chemical resistance, which makes them suitable for consumer products such as carpets and synthetic turf, nonwovens for personal care, sanitary and medical applications, agricultural fabric, construction sheeting, automotive fabric, geotextiles, filtration media and industrial wipes, as well as filter cloths and ropes, with potential application as reinforcement for concrete.

Polyolefins also offer potential as nanofibers and have been used in various high-performance applications, such as oil-water separation, bio-filtration, personal protective equipment, drug delivery and power storage, where a small fiber diameter is essential.

PP and PE are also available as bicomponent fibers, characterized by their low melting points and low specific density, especially for use as a mechanical binder in nonwoven products.

Polyethylene Fibers

Polyolefin monofilament extruded from LDPE was the first polyolefin textile fiber developed in 1930s. However, these LDPE fibers gained limited commercial acceptance owing to their coarseness and poor mechanical properties, as the fibers were derived from the low molecular mass polymer.

Some HDPE fibers and ribbons were commercialized at that time, although their use was restricted owing to their low resilience, poor softening range and high deformation against stress (creep). Nevertheless, these coarse monofilament/ribbon-like polyolefin fibers were widely utilized as outdoor fabrics, protective clothing, filter fabrics, ropes, webbing, nets, cordage, conveyor belting and seamless medical tubes.

Meanwhile, commercial ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers were developed in the mid1980s, with fibers such as Dyneema (DSM) and Spectra (Honeywell) finding use in high-strength demanding applications, including antiballistic fabrics, deep-sea mooring ropes and braids, and medical devices.

Polypropene Fibers

PP was first discovered in 1951 and commercially appeared as a superior plastic material in 1957, with the first PP monofilaments for textiles appearing in the market in the late 1950s. PP in the form of staple fibers and multifilament began to be produced in small quantities in the early 1960s in Italy, the UK and the US; continuous PP tape yarns (ribbon) with high strength began production from extruded film in the late 1960s. By the early 1970s, the growth of PP tape and nonwoven fabrics had virtually eliminated the use of traditional jute yarn and fabrics in carpet backing and sacking cloth, with many cords, ropes and twines prepared from natural fiber spun yarn also being substituted by PP tape yarns.

Capacity Additions

In 2023, PP fibers and raffia accounted for 36% of total PP demand, while PE fibers and raffia accounted for less than 3% of total PE demand

According to Fabrizio Galié, associate director of Chemical Market Analytics, an oversupply of PP capacity was seen in 2022–2024 with 13.6 million tonnes in excess of demand, with a further 7 million tonnes of capacity in excess of demand

Polypropylene is a major fiber used in the EU tufted carpets market. iStockphoto/Luckeyman

Fabrizio Galié CIRFS

forecast for 2026–2028. This will inhibit operating rate recovery, which is estimated at below 80% by the end of the decade, he said at a CIRFS webinar earlier this year.

Meanwhile, PE supplies will continue to lengthen in the short–medium term, with global operating rates likely to be challenging for the LLDPE and HDPE sectors up to 2030.

As a result of weak economic fundamentals and the large-scale capacity expansion cycle leading to surplus capacity, Galié expects lower demand for polyolefins over the medium term, with a focus on operational efficiency and cost optimization and rationalization for high-cost producers.

Carpet Recycling Initiatives

Of the 880 million m2 of floorcoverings valued at €4.2 billion that were consumed in the EU in 2022, the main products were tufted carpets (302 million m2 worth €2.2 billion) and woven carpets (248 million m2 worth €807 million).

PP was the major fiber used in the EU tufted carpets market in 2022 with a 44% share (in square meters) followed by polyamide with 37%.

With a lifetime of 8-25 years for wallto-wall carpets, depending on the carpet construction, floorcoverings ultimately produce a lot of waste at the end of their life, estimated at around 800 million m2 a year in the EU by 2030, said Breuer.

The European Union (EU) is the second largest carpet market globally with production worth around €4 billion in 2022. However, end-of-life carpet is a bulky waste stream with its own challenges for disposal and/or recycling.

Dr. Hans-Peter Breuer, managing director of both the European Carpet and Rug Association (ECRA), based in Brussels, Belgium, and the Gemeinschaft umweltfreundlicher Teppichboden (GUT), based in Aachen, Germany, estimated the total EU market volume (production + imports) of carpets and textile floorcoverings in 2022 at around 961 million m2, valued at €5.4 billion.

He outlined several recycling concepts at the CIRFS webinar, including PolySep, which involves the separation of polymers from composite structures such as carpets, and a number of other initiatives from European yarn and carpet producers.

Synthetic Turf Developments

Synthetic turf for sports and landscaping applications is another significant consumer of polyolefin fibers within the floorcoverings sector. Stefan Diderich, director general/chief executive officer of ESTC, the EMEA Synthetic Turf Council, noted that the first synthetic turf sports field (for hockey) in the 1960s was manufactured from polyamide (the first major installation was at the Houston Astrodome in 1966), with PP being introduced in the 1970s and PE in the 1990s.

Today, the main construction for sports fields is 90% PE/10% PP for the face yarns and 90% PP/10% other fibers for the backing, with shock-pads made of PE/polyurethane foam. Meanwhile, landscaping turf represents 55% of the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) market by volume.

The EMEA synthetic turf industry is also looking to circularity with a drive towards single polymer turf systems, which would enable clean lawns and

sports fields to be recycled into other alternative PE products as well as new turf. At the same time, ESTC members are starting to manufacture new synthetic turf using yarns made from plastic that originates from other sectors.

Diderich mentioned two initiatives currently on the synthetic turf market that use recycled content, such as a recycled fiber core with a virgin fiber outer layer. The use of biobased and/or biodegradable polymers are also being examined.

The industry is also working to increase the number of carpet recycling facilities for end-of-life processing (the 11 current recycling facilities across Europe have a collective processing capacity of more than 4.3 million m2 – equivalent to 500,000 full-size football pitches).

The release of microplastics from fiber wear and polymeric infill is also under scrutiny. The synthetic turf industry says it is committed to mitigating concerns about microplastic contamination in both the sports and landscaping sectors.

Geoff Fisher is the European editor of International Fiber Journal and editorial director of UK-based Textile Media Services, a B2B publisher of news and market reports on transport textiles, medical textiles, smart materials and emerging markets. He has almost 40 years of experience covering fibers and technical textiles. He can be contacted at gfisher@textilemedia.com or +44 7803 718443.

End of life carpet to be recycled. iStockphoto/Aoldman

Dr. Hans-Peter Breuer CIRFS

Stefan Diderich CIRFS

Synthetic turf pitch installed at ASD Pesaro Rugby in Pesaro, Italy, by Limonta Sport. Synthetic turf for sports and landscaping applications is a significant consumer of polyolefin fibers within the floorcoverings sector. ESTC

FIBER MICROELECTRONICS for Advanced Fabric Systems

By Alexander M. Stolyarov

ibers and textiles date back to the beginning of civilization itself, yet remarkably, the fundamental properties of these materials have remained largely unchanged for millennia. By and large, natural fibers such as cotton and wool, and synthetic fibers such as nylon and polyester form the foundation for the vast majority of textile products, yet functionally, these materials are relatively simple.

As such, humans continue to expect traditional features from their textilebased products, primarily used for protection, aesthetic, and cultural purposes. In the early 2000s, a fundamental shift in fiber technology occurred – a new class of fibers were invented, dubbed multimaterial fibers[1]. Invented by MIT scientists in 2000, and subsequently spread throughout laboratories across the world over the past couple of decades, this new class of fibers enables the integration of disparate materials, including semiconductors, metals and insulators within a fiber form factor.

The ability to broaden the scope of materials processable into fibers has given rise to drastically new fiber functionalities, including fibers that can sense and actuate, store energy, change color, emit and detect light, store data, communicate, and more[1-6]. As a result, new textile-based applications emerged with increasingly sophisticated functions, such as fabrics with embedded sensors for healthcare, climate-adaptive textiles

for self-regulated cooling, soft fabric light emitting displays and more.

This article provides a high-level summary of the foundational multi-material fiber technology and manufacturing methodology, the integration of these novel fibers into textiles, and an overview of some of the emerging applications. The work reported on here is primarily carried out by Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) is part of the Manufacturing USA Network, a collection of over 150 organizations working to advance the manufacturability and commercialization of functional fibers and fabrics in the US.

Preform To Fiber Draw Manufacturing Process

Traditional approaches to synthetic fiber manufacturing, such as melt spinning, are not conducive to manufacturing fibers comprised of disparate classes of materials. While a wide range of polymers can be readily extruded with melt spinning, the low viscosity processing of the material makes for integration of different materials classes a significant challenge. As such, an entirely different processing methodology was developed to manufacture multi-material fibers.

The foundation of the methodology is Preform-to-Fiber drawing – the same basic technique that is used to produce the glass telecommunication fibers that span the globe and enable world-wide communications. Unlike the traditional

preform-to-fiber drawing, which involves the thermal drawing a single material (typically glass or polymer), multi-material fiber drawing involves constructing multimaterial preforms.

These preforms comprise all the materials of the final fiber, arranged in specific and controlled geometries. The multi-material preform is heated in a furnace and drawn into a fiber hundreds of meters or even kilometers long. Because the thermal preform-to-fiber draw process is performed in a high viscosity state, the cross-section of the preform can be maintained down to the fiber level.

Figure 1 illustrates the preform-tofiber draw methodology along with several representative fiber cross sections. Interesting to point out are that nonequilibrium cross sections, such as rectangular features, can be obtained with this manufacturing process.

Microelectronics in Fibers

A unique modification of the preform-tofiber draw process can be implemented to draw materials into fibers that themselves do not change viscosity during the draw process. This approach is employed when aiming to introduce conventional microelectronic components from materials such as Silicon, that melt at temperatures exceeding the polymer-clad fiber draw temperatures.

To accomplish this, the microelectronic chips are introduced into the preform and a pair of hollow channels flanking the

Preform to Fiber Draw Manufacturing Process; (A, Left) Schematic of the preform assembly is shown including (1) a thin semiconductor layer, (2) low-melting temperature metal electrodes,(3) conductive polymer pads, and(4) thermoplastic cladding which is machined to encapsulate all of the components. The assembly is then thermally consolidated to form a monolithic macroscopic preform. (A, Right) Schematic of the thermal drawing process showing the preform fed through the hot zone of a furnace and drawn into a fiber; (B,i) Cross sectional SEM micrograph of the resulting fiber. This fiber is able sense chemicals flowing through its core (See Reference 3 for additional details); (B,ii) fiber cross section with a micro-structured surface, making the fiber have interesting

properties including hydrophobicity and structural coloration (See Reference 4 for additional details); (B, iii) Cross section of a fiber used for neural stimulation. This fiber contains an optical waveguide, electrically conductive channels, and hollow channels for simultaneous optical, chemical, and electrical stimulation of neural circuits in-vivo (See Reference 5 for additional details); (B,iv) Cross section of a fiber showing a linear array of copper microwires within a thermoplastic fiber cladding drawn at AFFOA; (B,v) Cross section of a fiber with an LED chip inside drawn at AFFOA. Inset shows the LED lights up when powered by the infiber copper wires (see Microelectronics in Fibers section of this article and Reference 6 for additional details).

chips run the length of the preform. As the preform is drawn, metal wire (such as copper) is introduced into the channels. As the preform is drawn down into a fiber, the wires make electrical contact with the microelectronic chips and power supplied to these wires enables the electrical activation of the microelec-

Microelectronics in Fibers; (Left) LED Chips integrated into a fiber exiting the draw-tower furnace with mechanical and electrical connection made during the draw process. (Topright) 100s of meters of fiber with uniform chip spacing produced from a single draw. (Bottom-right) Fibers with embedded chips that are small enough to fit through the eye of a needle.

tronic chips within the fiber. A photo of the fiber coming out of the draw tower furnace is shown in Figure 2, where a fiber containing blue LED chips is being drawn. The spacing of these LEDs within the fiber is roughly 30 cm. Spools containing hundreds of meters of this fiber are drawn from a single preform. The fiber

can be designed to contain a wide range of devices including LEDs, photodetectors, thermistors, RFIDs, and many more. Present work focuses on custom-designed chips that can be embedded in the fiber with increasingly sophisticated computation functionality.

Textile Integration

Advances in the preform-drawn chip-infiber technology now make it possible to construct textile-based electronic systems, where the electronic functionality is not added within a hard puck, but rather within the fiber itself. Working with AFFOA’s Fabric Innovation Network, the capability of these thermally drawn fibers to be introduced into a variety of textile production processes has been demonstrated.

Figure 3 shows how these advanced functional fibers, in this case fibers containing LEDs, can be embedded using a range of yarn and textile manufacturing processes. Over the past several years, significant progress has been made on the

Figure 1: A) Preform to Fiber Draw Manufacturing Process; B) Examples of Complex Multimaterial Fiber Architectures.

AFFOA

Figure 2: Microelectronics in Fibers.

AFFOA

reliability of these functional fibers and fabrics with rigorous bend, elongation, and wash testing demonstrating potential applications of this technology to real-life textile use cases.

Applications

Advanced fibers with microelectronics are enabling radically new applications owing to the unique nature of this technology. For example, jointly with our partners at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, AFFOA is advancing fiber and fabric systems motivated by national security needs. Three classes of applications are discussed below, as depicted in Figure 4, which demonstrate just a few examples of the broad range of capabilities enabled by multi-material fibers.

Large Area Undersea Sensing: Given the length of these fibers and the ability to introduce semiconductor chips along their axis, the opportunity for large area

distributed sensing becomes possible. One example where this technology is paving the way towards a revolutionary capability for the Department of Defense is in the area of undersea sensing. Large area oceanographic data is critical for planning and executing undersea missions from the tactical to strategic levels in the maritime domain.

However, today’s technologies for collecting oceanographic data often suffer from limited sensor modalities, long profiling times, data latency, and deployment system limitations. AFFOA, jointly with MIT Lincoln Laboratory, is developing a novel undersea sensing system and measurement scheme that addresses many of these shortcomings. Guided by US Navy mission needs, this system is comprised of a thin (mm-diameter) and long (hundreds of meters) fiber with embedded sensors positioned along the

fiber axis at meter-class spacing. A single electrical connection at one end of the fiber is used to individually address and read data from hundreds of sensor nodes along the fiber (Figure 4, Left).

Key to this system is its ability to continuously record profiles of multiple oceanographic parameters versus depth and report them in real time – a potentially crucial advantage over existing, point measurement-based profiling systems. Temperature profiling over a 100-m long fiber was recently demonstrated in the ocean, with other sensing modalities (salinity, optical, magnetometry) currently in development. This work paves the way for a multi-modal persistent oceanographic data measurement system tailorable for mission-specific air, surface and sub-surface deployment, offering critical sensor support not available with today’s technologies.

Selected system applications for fibers with embedded microelectronics; (Left) System concept with sensor-embedded fibers deployed undersea for persistent ocean monitoring. A range of sensing nodes can be integrated along the axis of the fiber. (Center) System

concept showing an optical communication link between a UAV and dismounted soldiers. Light emitted by the fabrics (in green) enables identification of friendly forces. (Right) System concept showing HALO jumpers equipped with physiological status monitoring headbands.

Figure 4: Selected system applications for fibers with embedded microelectronics.

Figure 3: Examples of advanced functional fibers integrated into various textile form factors.

AFFOA

AFFOA and MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Communications: Secure communication on the battlefield is of critical importance, especially in urban settings where probability of intercept and detection by enemy forces is high. While conventional radio-based communication schemes continue to be predominantly employed, their susceptibility to jamming and/or interception is a limitation.

An alternative communication scheme uses light to transmit data. Unlike radio frequency waves, light can be directional (e.g., sent over a laser), thereby greatly reducing the probability of intercept or detection. By embedding light detecting and light emitting fibers into the fabric of a soldier’s uniform, the fabric itself becomes a communication system – it can receive and transmit optical data. AFFOA in collaboration with MIT Lincoln Laboratory has demonstrated several fabricbased light communications systems using this approach. Specific use-cases range from improved identification of friend versus foe schemes (Figure 4, Center) to soldier-to-soldier communications.

Physiological Status Monitoring: Continuous, real-time physiological status monitoring (PSM) for early detection of acute hypoxia, enabling action prior to impairment or injury, is a mission-critical system need for High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jumpers (Figure 4, Right).

Existing technologies to address this need are insufficient due to inaccuracies and user-friction associated with conventional wrist-worn PSM wearables. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) and in partnership with end-users from the US Air Force Special Operations Command, AFFOA in collaboration with MIT Lincoln Laboratory has developed a fabric headband sensor system, enabling increased measurement accuracy.

The fabric contains embedded microelectronic components that measure key physiological status markers including temperature, heart rate, and blood-oxygen levels. Data is transmitted wirelessly from the fabric to a smartphone, with an edge-computing architecture supporting over 40 hours of continuous battery life. Many headbands can communicate to a

single smartphone, enabling the mission commander or medic rapid access to the readiness status of multiple jumpers in real-time. This system has undergone initial end-user testing in a simulated highaltitude environment and has successfully demonstrated the ability to identify moments of induced hypoxia. Feedback from these tests is informing improvements to fit that will be included in future development efforts.

Next Generation Functional Fiber

Multi-material fibers drawn from a preform are enabling a new class of functional fiber and fabric systems. AFFOA and its Fabric Innovation Network are working to bring these new technologies to market with pull from both the Department of Defense and commercial industry. AFFOA has the internal subject matter expertise and equipment to prototype new multi-material fiber architectures as well as scale-up existing fiber technologies and is always looking for new applications and opportunities to collaborate with domestic partners to bring them to market.

AFFOA is a non-profit, public-private partnership founded in 2016 as one of the nine DoD Manufacturing USA Innovation Institutes. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, AFFOA’s mission is to rekindle the domestic textiles industry by leading a nationwide enterprise for advanced fiber & fabric technology and manufacturing innovation, enabling revolutionary new system capabilities for commercial and defense applications.

To catalyze the development of advanced functional fibers and strengthen the domestic textile industrial base, AFFOA has assembled a Fabric Innovation Network (FIN) made up of 150+ member organizations including startups, universities, manufacturers, commercial industry and defense partners to bring advanced fiber technologies to market.

The reader is encouraged to contact AFFOA to learn more about collaboration opportunities and support for your organization’s research and development objectives. wwww.affoa.org www.manufacturingusa.com

References

1. Abouraddy, A. F., Bayindir, M., Benoit, G., Hart, S. D., Kuriki, K., Orf, N., Shapira, O., Sorin, F., Temelkuran, B., Fink, Y., “Towards Multimaterial Multifunctional Fibres that See, Hear, Sense and Communicate,” (invited review paper) Nature Materials 6, No. 5, 336-347, May 2007.

2. Loke, G., Yan, W., Khudiyev, T., Noel, G., & Fink, Y. (2019). Recent Progress and Perspectives of Thermally Drawn Multimaterial Fiber Electronics.  Advanced Materials https://doi.org/10.1002/ adma.201904911

3. Gumennik, A., Stolyarov, A.M., Schell, B.R.*, Hou, C., Lestoquoy, G., Sorin, F., McDaniel, W., Rose, A., Joannopoulos, J.D., Fink, Y., (2012) “All-in-fiber chemical sensing,”  Advanced Materials , DOI:10.1002/ adma.201203053

4. Khudiyev, T., Hou, C., Stolyarov, A.M., Fink, Y. (2017) “ Sub‐Micrometer Surface‐Patterned Ribbon Fibers and Textiles,”  Advanced Materials, DOI: 10.1002/ adma.201605868

5. Canales, A., Jia, X., Froriep, U.P., Koppes, R.A., Tringides, C.M., Selvidge, J., Lu, C., Hou, C., Wei, L., Fink, Y., Anikeeva, P. (2015) “Multifunctional fibers for simultaneous optical, electrical and chemical interrogation of neural circuits in vivo,”  Nature Biotechnology, DOI:10.1038/nbt.3093

6. Rein M., Favrod V.D., Hou C., Khudiyev T., Stolyarov A., Cox J., Chung C.C., Chhav C., Ellis M., Joannopoulos J., Fink Y. (2018) “ Diode fibers for fabric-based optical communications. “ Nature  560, 214-218. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0390-x

Dr. Alexander (Sasha) M. Stolyarov is the CEO of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), part of the Manufacturing USA Network, working to accelerate the commercialization of advanced fiber and fabric technologies with over 150 partner organizations across the US. Prior to AFFOA, Sasha led a team at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, where he stood up the Defense Fabric Discovery Center, a facility focused on implementing advanced fiber technology for national security. Sasha received his PhD in Applied Physics from Harvard University in 2012 while conducting his graduate research at MIT in the Fiber Device group of Professor Yoel Fink. Sasha has authored and coauthored 18 peer-reviewed journal articles and holds 4 US patents in the field functional multi-material fibers.

Autotech Nonwovens Advancing Industrial Textiles

By Arun Rao, Correspondent to India, IFJ

India-based Autotech Nonwovens is a leading manufacturer of nonwovens and advanced materials with applications in automotive, filtration, footwear and other industrial applications. With a production capacity of 250 tons per month, the company manufactures advanced materials from 20 GSM to 2,000 GSM The company is committed to sustainability, with upcoming initiatives in renewables energy as well as circularity projects in the pipeline.

International Fiber Journal : Kindly provide a history about your company – like who started it, when it was started, etc.

Ankit Desai: Autotech Nonwovens was established in 2012 recognizing the growing demand for high-quality nonwovens and advanced materials in India. With our extensive experience in man-made fibers, the promoters came together to venture into technical textiles industry. Over the years, thanks to our dedicated team and

Q+A

IN THIS ISSUE: ANKIT DESAI Managing Director, Autotech Nonwovens

the unwavering support of our key customers, we have secured a significant share of the Indian market for nonwovens, particularly within automotive and filtration sectors.

IFJ: Please share details about the manufacturing infrastructure and annual capacity and products that you manufacture.

Desai : Our manufacturing facility spans 100,000 square feet, and we have plans for further expansion. Our infrastructure includes state-of-the-art production lines established in 2012, followed by advanced European machinery in 2016. Recently, we have invested in advanced systems for inspection, packaging, printing, and processing – primarily to add value to our products. We are equipped to produce technical fabrics from 20 GSM to 2,000 GSM and have a strong team of 150 employees, including highly skilled engineers.

Our capabilities now extend to producing advanced composite materials,

integrating woven, nonwoven, and knits. For instance, we have developed an innovative material for a newly established footwear brand, promoting sustainability. We also supply materials for shoe uppers, further demonstrating our versatility in meeting diverse industry needs.

Our focus remains on delivering exceptional customer experiences. Lessons learned from the automotive sector have informed our approach to other industries, enabling us to offer materialagnostic solutions that cater to demanding customer requirements with a focus on sustainability.

IFJ: Please share details on quality control and R&D activates.

Desai : Innovation is at the core of our operations. We are proud to have built Autotech Nonwovens as a greenfield venture, with no external/foreign know-how support, relying solely on the expertise of our team and the guidance of our customers. Our state-of-the-art quality control laboratory and R&D department are equipped with advanced technologies, enabling us to rigorously test both raw materials and finished products.

We also have lab-scale production equipment dedicated to new product development. Additionally, we collaborate with renowned institutes, not only for material testing but also to engage in

research and training projects with their students, fostering innovation and industryacademia collaboration.

IFJ: What is the advantage of the nonwoven products that you offer compared to those offered by competition?

Today, we are the only nonwoven producer in India with in-house processing and finishing capabilities, giving us enhanced control over both process and product quality.

Desai: Our competitive edge lies in the superior performance of our products and putting our customer first – a result of the advanced technologies we employ. We consistently exceed performance benchmarks set by our customers, ensuring

high levels of traceability, process control and quality. On time delivery also has been one of the reasons customer prefer to work with our team.

A prime example is our supply of printed nonwovens for the automotive industry, which were previously imported. Today, we are the only nonwoven producer in India with in-house processing and finishing capabilities, giving us enhanced control over both process and product quality.

IFJ : How important is the sustainability factor for your company? Does your company have any sustainability certifications?

Desai: Sustainability is a fundamental aspect of our business philosophy. We use a substantial amount of recycled polyester fibers, which translates to saving millions of PET bottles from landfills each year. Our fiber consumption is balanced between recycled and virgin materials, with a preference for recycled fibers whenever possible.

We are proud to be certified under the Global Recycled Standards (GRS), and we are committed to furthering our sustainability efforts by transitioning fully to renewable energy sources in the near future.

IFJ : From your experience, what are the priority and mandates from OEM manufacturers for nonwoven fabrics used in automotive applications?

Desai : Indian OEMs are increasingly prioritizing the use of ‘Made-in-India’ products. Manufacturers like Suzuki have almost entirely localized their supply chains within India, and other OEMs are doing so as well, such as Škoda Auto and Volkswagen India.

This shift represents a significant step towards import substitution, with more components being produced domestically. Looking ahead, we anticipate that

manufacturers of electric vehicles will place a growing emphasis on using recycled raw materials – which is an area of focus for our company as well.

IFJ: Please share details of your presence in the Indian domestic and export markets.

Desai : We are proud to export our products to several countries, including Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Thailand, New Zealand, and the United States, alongside serving the Indian domestic market.

IFJ : Any planned capacity expansion or new investments?

Desai: While we have sufficient space to expand our manufacturing footprint, our immediate focus remains on enhancing our capabilities. This approach allows us to align closely with the emerging demands of our customers and follow their lead in design of new products. Our focus ensures that our offerings remain competitive and aligned with market requirements.

IFJ: What are your expectations on future growth and opportunities in the Indian, as well as overseas, markets?

Desai : The Indian government has introduced several initiatives aimed at boosting the technical textiles sector, both at State as well as at the Centre, which aligns well with our growth strategy. With

Indian OEMs are increasingly prioritizing the use of ‘Made-in-India’ products. Manufacturers like Suzuki have almost entirely localized their supply chains within India, and other OEMs are doing so as well, such as Škoda Auto and Volkswagen India.

an abundance of raw materials availability and improvements in the quality of manmade fibers, we are optimistic about the industry’s potential.

We foresee significant growth for our company, driven by the diversification of our product portfolio and the evolving demands of the market. As the range of applications in advanced materials continues to expand and localization trends gain momentum, we are well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities, ensuring sustained success for us both in India as well as international markets.

Arun Rao started his career in the textile industry and has worked across the segments of spinning and weaving production. He forayed into the sales function, beginning with selling branded innerwear and graduated to selling clothing of wellknown brands. He then joined Fibre2fashion, a B2B textile website, as News Editor for seven years. Recently, he launched Taurus Communications, a PR & advertising agency focused on the textile industry value chain. With a love for journalism, he freelances for renowned textile magazines, along with managing the agency. He is the India foreign correspondent to the IFJ

Europe’s Hygiene Outlook

Trends, Challenges and Opportunities on Stage at EDANA’s OUTLOOK™ 2024 in Rome

By Caryn Smith, Publisher & Chief Content Officer, IFJ

Hygiene is in the hot seat in Europe, according to presenters at EDANA’s OUTLOOK™ 2024, held this fall in Rome, Italy. The conference set record attendance with 549 delegates from 212 companies and 37 countries across the nonwovens personal care, hygiene & wipes products value chain. Twenty-six speakers shared their unique perspective through five key sessions on the future of hygiene products, market dynamics, new EU regulations, retail strategies, and the challenges posed by China’s aggressive push towards total automation.

“OUTLOOK™ 2024 has truly exceeded all expectations,” said Murat Dogru, General Manager of EDANA. “I am incredibly proud of the success of this event – from the high-quality presentations to the buzzing energy in the exhibition hall. It is events like this that remind us why we do what we do, serving our members and foster innovation within our community. The overwhelming positive feedback I’ve received is an acknowledgment of the hard work of our team and the vibrant engagement of everyone involved.”

For the first time, OUTLOOK™ 2024 included an exposition with 20 companies showcasing their expertise over the three days, and the showfloor was buzzing. “This event serves as a compact version of INDEX™ for the hygiene sector, offering the opportunity to connect with the right people and provides a highly convenient platform to meet with participants,” said Johan Berlin, Managing DirectorInvestkonsult Sweden and main sponsor for the event.

Retail Influencers

Some presentations raised more questions than provided definitive answers, but retail habits of consumers was a topic that provided solid strategic insights.

Per Brandberg, Consultant – Euromonitor International, discussed demand drivers in retail hygiene and wipes. Retail hygiene, including nappies, diapers, and menstrual products, showed stable demand and value growth due to inflation. Key drivers include an aging population, lifestyle factors, and health awareness. Consumer preferences prioritize absorbency, fit, and value. Market claims emphasize skin health, natural ingredients, and environmental friendliness.

Personal wipes, which constitute 90% of the market, saw growth due to hygiene concerns and self-care routines. The forecast predicts positive growth driven by demographics and GDP per capita, with soft drivers impacting the category positively.

Jack Stratten, Director of Insider Trends highlighted, “The polarization of choice: How retailers and brands are responding to market and product saturation.” An unprecedented current market saturation leaves 64% of consumers feeling overwhelmed by choices. Popular massive retail platforms are driving product saturation, resulting in diminished consumer loyalty. Also, he shared that consumers are utilizing AI-driven options that they are bombarded with, noting that 70% of Netflix consumption is based on AI recommendations rather than user’s direct searches, a fact according to Sami Helin, Global Account Director, Coveo.

An example of this is mass retailer Shein, who releases between 2,000 and 10,000 new styles every day – 30 times

Murat Dogru, General Manager, EDANA welcomes attendees. EDANA

Joachim De Vos, Managing Partner and Founder of Living Tomorrow & TomorrowLab. EDANA

Caryn Smith EDANA

more than any competitor, yet rarely are those styles in stock. They are AI-driven presentations that are fulfilled on demand.

increased by 155% globally in the past decade, with 1,255 regulations introduced worldwide since 2011,” Broch noted. “Since the turn of the millennium, there’s been a 647% increase in ESG regulations. It is our challenge to keep up with these.”

Some consumers are rejecting this mass on-demand marketplace and are drawn to more relatable niche retailers – such as the UK’s subscription-only perfumer Ffern, who releases only one scent a season, and hair care luxury brand Monpure, that focuses on hair and scalp health. Both are examples of how retailers are focusing on high-quality, curated selections.

In hygiene, Who Gives a Crap is a niche toilet paper supplier that is 100% recycled paper and gives 50% of its profits to charity. It is now the UK’s biggest toilet paper brand growing 25% a year. They merely set themselves apart with color, saying, “We noticed that no competitor ever tried to make the product fun, meaningful or visible. Always white. Always functional.”

The result: consumers now artfully display toilet paper in their homes.

Regulatory Traps

Thomas Broch, Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs Director at Fibertex Personal Care, and Bart Waterschoot, Group Sustainability & Product Stewardship Director at Ontex spoke on regulatory landmines that present a complex business environment to navigate the new level of transparency driven by the various new standards. “Sustainability and ESG regulations have

They include Reporting Requirements, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD); Products and Materials, such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and Waste Management, such as The Singleuse Plastics Directive (SUPD), among others. “We are in this together,” Waterschoot said, advocating for increased cooperation within the industry and industry associations to achieve the regulatory objectives.

Graham McMillan, Founder, First Avenue Consulting, spoke on the UK’s ban on plastic in consumer wet wipes by 2026, driven by environmental concerns such as sewage pollution and combined sewer overflows exacerbated by climate change.

He noted, “The majority of consumer wet wipes in the UK were already plastic free. That statistic was hugely useful, because it meant government started listening to the industry. Previously, they had probably thought that the industry has not done anything. Actually, the industry has been taking a lot of action.”

This helped to create an environment that built trust between industry and government, and is a model going forward for industry to be proactive.

Innovation and the China Effect

Keynote speaker Joachim De Vos, Managing Partner and Founder of Living Tomorrow & TomorrowLab, an expert in strategic innovation and scenario planning, presented a riveting look at life in the future with technology, emphasizing how Generative AI can be leveraged to develop scenarios for the nonwovens industry, serving as a powerful roadmap for future innovation.

As the hygiene industry addresses due to the politicization of sustainability and circulatory issues in the EU, De Vos said,

“Companies need to innovate and adapt to stay competitive.” Yet, bringing a successful innovation to market is often tricky, and ridden with failure due to lagging time to market, ecosystem challenges, lack of the right people and skills, and company culture, he notes as top reasons.

De Vos then delved into China’s development of robotics and automation. The country has set ambitious goals to have humanoid robots operating in 2025. They also want three world-beating companies by 2025, a reliable supply of first integrations in real-life by 2027, and humanoid robots in all industrialized environments by 2029.

The keynote “The China Challenge,” from James Kynge, Europe-China correspondent for the Financial Times, also emphasized China’s rapid rise as a global tech superpower, noting that the country produced more than half of the world’s robots last year. This is a direct result of the struggle by Chinese factories to find workers, and this trend is expected to intensify.

“China’s population of 1.4 billion people is shrinking, and by 2030 it will have about 200 million fewer workers than it has today; and by the end of the century, it will have 800 million fewer workers,” he shared. “The unemployment rate of 18- to 24-year-olds in China is extremely high, about 20% – that’s extraordinary.” This stems from the fact that the working age group is now primarily white-collar educated; they do not want blue-collar jobs.

“There is a critical labor shortage in high-tech blue-collar workers and a big oversupply in white collar, you know, university graduates. This is a big, big social problem, because those young people are the pride of China. They had their parents’ sacrifices heaped upon them, and now 20% of them can’t find a job.” China’s solution to the blue-collar issue is robotics.

Overall, consumers are strongly supporting the hygiene marketplace, timely innovation is an absolute industry must, adherence regulatory mandates will be challenging to balance with innovation, and, in the meantime, China continues to inch ahead in the industrial race of automation.

Keynote speaker James Kynge, EuropeChina correspondent, Financial Times. EDANA

Keynote speaker Jack Stratten, Director, Insider Trends. EDANA

Challenging and Changing Environment

The Earth Held Center Stage in Dornbirn GFC Discussions

By Geoff Fisher, European Editor, IFJ

The 63rd Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress (GFC) has been a cornerstone of the industry for more than 60 years, providing a unique forum for industry professionals, innovators and researchers to exchange ideas and drive the future of fibers and textiles.

In an era of disruption and political and economic uncertainty, the GFC held in the Austrian city of Dornbirn, offered some encouragement and hope for the international fiber and textile supply chain.

The event attracted more than 500 visitors from 32 companies, including representatives from around 270 companies, organizations and institutions, from fiber producers through to retail brands, which “shows the circularity of the industry,” said Robert van de Kerkhoff, president of the Austrian Fibers Institute, opening the conference.

With more than 125 lectures across three days, the opening sessions introduced such topics as energy innovations, industry drivers, European Union (EU) textile strategy and tackling greenwashing, while much of the congress emphasized fiber innovations, the circular economy, recycling and sustainability. New focus areas for 2024 included energy solutions and a cross-industry session with the paper and packaging industry.

China’s Polyester Capacities

In 2023, polyester continued to dominate global man-made fiber production of 81.5 million tonnes, with a market share of

75%, followed by cellulosics with 9%, polyamide 8%, polypropylene 5%, acrylic 2% and other synthetic fibers 2%.

In particular, China’s polyester fiber production capacities continue to increase, with capacity utilization returning to

pre-pandemic levels. Frédéric van Houte, director-general of CIRFS, the European Man-Made Fibres Association, reminded the audience that, despite China’s dominance in man-made fibers with a 70% market share, Europe remains the third largest producer as a diverse, specialized supplier with 3.2 million tonnes in 2023.

The European man-made fiber industry is facing numerous challenges such as sluggish demand and high costs, especially for energy and raw materials, as well as trade distortions and a “tsunami” of new environmental legislation, particularly on circularity.

Meanwhile, at the consumer level, fiber content – and the environment – is still relatively low on the list of purchasing criteria, below comfort, fit, overall quality, price, color and durability.

The 63rd Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress (GFC), attracted more than 500 visitors from 32 companies, including representatives from around 270 companies, organizations and institutions. Dornbirn GFC

The world is, at present, more unsettled, and tensions and conflicts are on the rise, which is affecting business. “But even in these difficult times there are a lot of opportunities,” said van Houte. “Our industry is innovative, sustainable and constantly adapting to change. Man-made fibers are essential and indispensable in a wide number of important applications in everyday life where they cannot be substituted.”

Slowdown in Garment Production Growth

Giuseppe Gherzi of the Switzerlandbased management consultancy Gherzi Textile, noted that there is little new textile production being planned, apart from some factories in Vietnam, Africa and Central America.

Analyzing the textile added-value chain, he expects a slowdown in garment production growth in 2026 when total global fiber consumption will amount to 125 million tonnes. “And we do not see polyester disappearing at all,” Gherzi said.

In terms of final consumption, the market in 2026 is predicted to exceed US$2.1 trillion, comprising 52 million tonnes of garments worth US$1.6 trillion, 22 million tonnes of home textiles worth US$300 billion and 23 million

tonnes of technical textiles worth US$230 billion (including nonwovens worth US$40 billion and composites worth US$43 billion).

While garment consumption growth will continue to increase, Gherzi is forecasting a slowdown in garment production growth, partly due to the flourishing resale market. In addition, major disruptions that will affect the textile industry include new legislation, changes from retailers and consumers, collecting and recycling issues, and new technologies.

In an insightful presentation, Gherzi identified 34 major trends impacting the industry, all of which will affect the textile added-value chain, under the broad

headings of resources, design, production, retail, consumption, end of life, and systems thinking and regulation.

Textile collectors, sorters and recyclers are also coming into the value chain, backed by finance and with good access to brands and retailers, who themselves are mostly stagnating and under pressure from ultra-fast fashion, which young consumer are now buying in preference to fast fashion, said Gherzi.

Also coming into the market are new, highly disruptive fiber materials. For example, US-based cellular agriculture startup Galy, a developer of laboratory-grown cotton founded in 2019, recently secured US$33 million in funding to accelerate the development of cotton and other plantcell based products. Investors include Indorama Ventures, Inditex and H&M, as well as OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

Meanwhile, the resale market is growing dramatically and is perhaps now bigger than fast fashion. In 2023, fast fashion suppliers, such as Zara/Inditex, H&M, Uniqlo/Fast Retailing, Gap, Mango, Esprit, Primark, New Look and River Island, had estimated sales of US$130 billion, while ultra-fast fashion producers, such as Shein, Temu, Fashion Nova, Boohoo, Pretty Little Thing and Cider, had sales that have grown quickly to an estimated US$50 billion.

In the next growth phase, ultra-fast fashion will be competing with the apparel resale/second-hand market, with players such as Zara Pre-owned and Vinted, which is forecast to rise from US$200 billion in 2023 to US$350 billion in 2028, divided approximately one-third to each of North America, Europe and Asia, according to figures from ThredUp.

The Truth Behind Greenwashing

In another thought-provoking presentation, Dr. Dimitri Deheyn, a marine biologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, USA, noted that in 2023 most lectures at the Dornbirn GFC indicated that businesses are sustainable and circular. However,

China’s polyester capacities. Source: PCI Wood Mackenzie. CIRFS

Laboratory-grown cotton in culture media receives US$33 million to accelerate development. Galy

the reality on the ground is different, he said, with “tonnes and tonnes of textile waste on the beach and microfibers in the oceans – and even everywhere else.”

Deheyn challenged the fiber industry to employ critical thinking, which is imperative when providing any level of information on a product or process, to communicate a clear message to a target audience and to avoid greenwashing, unconscious or otherwise. “As a responsible community of experts, we should set the best standards communicating with transparency about textile products,” he urged the audience.

Energy Solutions

The presentations on the topic of “energy solutions” during the three-day congress started with a plenary lecture on the

opening day by Rudolf Zauner, an expert in renewable energies from Verbund, Austria, who started the discussion with a keynote paper on energy transition and its implications for industry and energy innovations.

He highlighted the increasing emphasis on decarbonization and the pivotal role that renewable energy sources play in pushing for systemic solutions and presented innovative energy solutions, outlining what can be achieved when the worlds of industry, energy suppliers and start-ups meet and how the competitiveness of industry can be maintained.

Industry Awards

During the congress opening, Uday Gill, former chief strategy officer at Indorama Ventures, received a Lifetime Achieve-

The global resale market: growing from US$200 billion in 2023 to US$350 billion in 2028.

Source: ThredUp, Fast Fashion Industry Report & Statistics, 2024. Gherzi

ment Award for his contribution to the man-made fiber and textile industries. His address gave valuable lessons for companies to succeed in uncertain times, stressing the need to continue the learning process, particularly at conferences such as Dornbirn.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Paul Schlack Prize for young researchers in Europe was awarded to Dr. Lars Bostan of the Faserinstitut Bremen, Germany, for his work at Bremen University on the development of melt-spun islands-in-the-sea lignin precursor yarns for carbon fiber production.

Support for Young Innovators

This year, 25 start-ups were invited to showcase their latest developments during the 4th Innovation Days, which is a whole conference in itself, offering participants a glimpse into the future of fiber and textile technologies.

Additionally, an exhibition space for 22 young exhibitors provided delegates with the opportunity to explore their latest developments, which included designer proteins, melt-spun marine-degradable fibers, polyhydroxyalkylanoates, silica nanorods, industrial hemp and proteinbased biopolymers for hollow fibers and filaments.

Compostable Polyester Fiber

A highlight was presented by Intimiti Australia, which claims to have created

The reality on the ground is different, not yet reflecting advancements in sustainability and circularity: tonnes of textile waste on the beach and microfibers in the oceans. Scripps Institution of Oceanography

the world’s first certified compostable polyester fiber: Celys is 95.4% compostable in 179 days under industrial composting conditions.

A third chemical monomer is introduced into the molecular structure of the Celys fiber to participate in the polymerization process, said Helen Weng, global sales director.

As a result, the company has been able to successfully insert easy hydrolysable, easy-to-break-down ester linkages into the polymer backbone, which facilitates hydrolyzation, thus greatly accelerating the bioderadation rate.

“This is why Celys fibers can be compostable while polyethylene terephthalate cannot,” said Weng. “After the biodegradation takes place, all that is left behind is carbon dioxide, water and biomass.”

Resulting fabric properties with Celys include a soft cotton-like touch, low pilling, hydrophilicity, low-temperature dyeing, natural wicking and breathability, and quick drying. Potential applications include denim, sportswear, underwear and outerwear, as well as home textiles and footwear.

Product Heating Using Copper

Dr. Murielle Schreck, chief executive officer and co-founder of Swiss start-up qCella, outlined product heating technology using copper inside cellulose hybrid fibers as an alternative to conventional heating wires. The company, a spin-off from ETH Zürich, has developed energy-efficient heating mats for applications such as heated car seats, clothing and heat wraps.

The mats have the required electrical resistance across the entire structure so that they heat homogeneously when connected to a power source, such as a battery. The thinness and smoothness of the heating mats allow for more energy-efficient heating by eliminating the need for a heat-losing upholstery layer between the mat and the human body.

Further, the heating mats can be cut into any shape and size and are easily and cost-effectively integrated into the final heated product, said Schreck.

Beyond heating applications, the qCella material can also be used for

electromagnetic shielding and conductive polymers. A future development is the impregnation of silver inside cellulose hybrid fibers.

Bleach and Dye Biotechnology Solution

Graham Stewart of Fibre52, USA, outlined a patented biotechnology solution to prepare, bleach and dye cotton-rich fabrics. Applying bio-friendly products instead of traditionally harsh chemicals, such as caustic soda, the Fibre52 process works with existing machinery and uses less time, water and electricity, and can also lower carbon emissions.

The ingredients allow for the process to use lower temperatures and fewer bath drops. “Not only does it result in a more sustainable, durable and comfortable cotton, but it also naturally has performance characteristics often seen in synthetics,” said Stewart.

Tests show that the Fibre52 process is consistently repeatable, reliable and good on all shades, he added. In addition, mills do not have to drastically change their dyes or dye recipes to achieve the same results.

Global Network Generator

Since its inception in 1962, the Dornbirn GFC has emerged as a global network generator, providing invaluable knowledge-sharing opportunities across the fiber and textile value chains.

“The congress will continue to push the boundaries of innovation and provide

a platform for exchange, innovation and networking to support the textile industry’s transformation toward closing the loop in fibers and greening value chains,” said van de Kerkhoff.

The event was also available “online on demand” for three weeks after the conference, offering registered delegates presentations as both video and downloadable content.

But despite the creditable attendance in the post-pandemic landscape, many delegates from Asia were absent, especially from China, the world’s largest fiber producer. And with little discussion of natural fibers, the congress is still dominated by the man-made fibers sector, especially from the European perspective.

Management Changes

Friedrich (Fritz) Weninger has finally stepped down after nine years as managing director of the Austrian Fibers Institute, organizer of the GFC. Andreas Dorner has also stepped down as co-managing director to take up a new position as managing director of Re&Up Textile Recycling Technology.

They have been replaced by Matthias Gluth, who has 25 years of experience in the fiber and chemical industry, having held leadership positions at Lurgi Zimmer, DuPont, Clariant and Lenzing.

Next Event

The 64th Dornbirn GFC will take place from September 10–12, 2025, followed by the next Asian GFC, to be held in partnership with Techtextil India and Messe Frankfurt in Mumbai, India, in November 2025. An event in Bangkok, Thailand, is also planned for April 2026.

Geoff Fisher is the European editor of International Fiber Journal and editorial director of UK-based Textile Media Services, a B2B publisher of news and market reports on transport textiles, medical textiles, smart materials and emerging markets. He has almost 40 years of experience covering fibers and technical textiles. He can be contacted at gfisher@textilemedia.com or +44 7803 718443.

Chinese sports equipment manufacturer Anta Sports has introduced its first compostable T-shirt, made with Celys certified compostable polyester fiber. Intimiti Australia

2025

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Website: www.fi-tech.com

Contact: Jeffrey Bassett

Fi-Tech is the leading manufacturer’s agent and distributor serving the synthetic fiber, nonwoven fabric and technical textile industries in North. America. Our extensive offering of complete lines, machinery, technical components and spare parts gives manufacturers a single source access to the leading global suppliers. Fi-Tech is responsible for sales, marketing, customer service and other duties for these component and machinery suppliers: AstenJohnson, Autefa Solutions, Baldwin, Benninger, Brückner Textile Technology, Cason, Corino, Enka Tecnica, Futura, Galan Textile Machinery, Guarneri, Hansa Mixer, Hastem, Heberlein, Idrosistem, Mario Crosta, Mayer & Cie, Mozart Blades, Neuenhauser Ontec, ProJet, Reifenhauser Reicofil, Sauer Fibrevision, Saureressig Surfaces, Schill & Seilacher, Shelton Vision, Spoolex / Decoup+, Tecnorama, TEMCO, Testa, T.EN Zimmer, Tokuden and Zimmer Maschinenbau.

Accessory Equipment, Supplies I Extrusion Machinery I Fiber Finishes and Surfactants I Finishing Equipment I Godet Rolls I continued

Lab/Testing Equipment I Plastics Machinery I Separator Rolls I Spinnerets, Dies & Jet Strips I Web Bonding Machinery I Web

Forming Machinery Complete Processing Lines I Web & High-Loft

Forming Machinery Components

HYDQAC Process Technology GmbH

Am Wrangelflöz 1

D- 66538 Neunkirchen, Germany

Tel: +49 (0) 6897-509-1241

Fax: +49 (0) 6897-509-1278

Email: peter.mehlem@hydac.com

Website: www.hydac.com

Contact: Peter Mehlem

HYDAC Process Technology GmbH as part of HYDAC group is your contact for fluid filtration in the production of polymers. Filter elements made out of Chemicron® are pleated as standard or tailor-made and have proven most effective in this field. Our filters are high performance quality products so we can ensure the function and the extension of the service life of components, systems and machines.

Filtration Equipment I Filtration-Liquid Nonfood I Polymer Filtration I Polymer Filtration Systems I Filter Elements

INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

1100 Crescent Green, Suite 115 Cary, NC 27518

Phone: + 1-919-459-3754

Email: sales@inda.org

Website: www.inda.org

Contact: Dan Noonan, Director of Memberships and Business Development

INDA serves hundreds of member companies in the nonwovens/engineered fabrics industry to achieve business growth. Since 1968, INDA helps members convene and connect, innovate and develop their businesses. INDA’s educational conferences and courses, business intelligence and market insights, test methods, consultancy and issue advocacy help members succeed by providing information they need to better plan and execute their business strategies.

INDA Media is the business-to-business publishing arm of INDA and publisher of International Fiber Journal and International Filtration News, which reach a vast network of professionals who employ fibers, filaments, and filtration systems to optimize their application environments. Government I Agencies I Associations I Publishing

MEZGER, INC.

170 Metro Drive

Spartanburg, SC  29303 USA

Tel: 1- 864-542-8037

Fax: 1-864-542-8039

Email: info@mezgerinc.com

Website: www.mezgerinc.com

Contact: Mark Mezger

Such as online sensors, spinnerets, spin packs, screens, gaskets, ovens, inspection systems and much more.

Accessory Equipment, Supplies I Extrusion Machinery I Lab/Testing Equipment I Polymer Filtration Systems I Filtration Equipment

SOSSNA GMBH

Furst-Leopold-Allee 96

46284 Dorsten/Germany

Tel. + 49 (0) 2362 993710

Email: sossna@sossna.de

Website: www.sossna.de

Contact Person: Susanne Sossna

SOSSNA GMBH - SOSSNA Spinnerets® - is one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of spinnerets for all kinds of high pressure, stainless steel spinnerets for melt spinning, dry spinning and the production of non-woven. Spinnerets and spin packs according samples or drawings can be supplied, and in addition, professional service for the development of new spinnerets or optimization of existing spinnerets and spin pack design is provided.

Polymer Equipment, Materials, Services I Spinnerets, Spin Packs

Technical Absorbents

Energy Park Way

Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England, DN31 2TT

Tel: +44 (0) 1472 245200

Email: info@exploreSAF.com

Website: www.exploreSAF.com

Contact Person: Paul Rushton

Technical Absorbents is a trusted name in the superabsorbent and nonwovens industries, and we have worked hard to achieve our reputation for excellence. Super Absorbent Fibre (SAF™) technology innovation has been the focus of the business for over 30 years. Today, we not only produce these specialist fibers, but also engineer a wide range of technical, high performing superabsorbent materials – all Powered by SAFology.™

Absorbent Hygiene I Apparel I Converters/Fabricators I FibersManmade I Filtration – Liquid Nonfood I Geosynthetics I Knitted Materials I Medical or Surgical I Nonwoven Materials I Protective Durable Apparel I Super Absorbent Manufacturers I Woven Materials

Tentoma Packaging Solutions

Smøl 1

Dk-6310 Broager

Denmark

Tel: +45 79 30 62 10

Email: info@tentoma.com

Website: www.tentoma.com

Tentoma manufactures RoRo StretchPack ® packaging machines, which are particularly suitable for 60sided packaging of large rolls and products. RoRo StretchPack® provides 100% waterproof sealed packaging, and packaging and sealing are done in one automated operation. This reduces energy consumption and film consumption by 25-60% compared to conventional ways of packaging. Tentoma installs packaging systems for customers worldwide.

Packaging

MEZGER INC. is a leading distributor of equipment, testing instruments and accessories for the fiber and filament yarn extrusion processes.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Absorbent Hygiene Professionals Advance Innovation and Sustainability at Hygienix™ in Nashville

INDA brought together hundreds of industry leaders to explore advancements in the absorbent hygiene and personal care markets during the 10th annual Hygienix™ event, held Nov. 18-21 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

Driving Absorbent Hygiene Product Innovation: Consumer Desires, Market Dynamics & Sustainability Solutions was the theme, and key sessions included pricing strategies, global trade impacts, FemTech, adult care, period poverty, emerging pet care and wound care markets, environmental regulations on plastics and PFAS, and the impact of aging societies.

An event highlight was the presentation of the 2024 Hygienix Innovation Award® to HIRO Technologies, Inc . Their innovative World’s First MycoDigestable Diapers features plastic-eating mushrooms that combine excellent absorbency with natural materials. The team and an example of the decomposing diapers combined with the mushroom are pictured above.

The two other notable finalists were:

• Harper HYGIENICS S.A.’s Cleanic Naturals Hemp Sanitary Pads (Day & Night) and Pantyliners, an innovative femcare line made with regenerative hemp fibers from Bast Fibre Technologies.

• Hello Hazel, Inc.’s High & Dry Briefs, the first and only disposable briefs for leaks designed to look, fit, and feel like real underwear.

INDA and EDANA Release the Eighth Global Nonwoven Markets Report

NDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and EDANA, the Voice of Nonwovens, announced the release of the Global Nonwoven Markets Report, A Comprehensive Survey and Outlook, 2023–2028, now available for purchase through both INDA’s and EDANA’s websites.

This latest edition offers a comprehensive analysis of global nonwoven macro drivers, supply and demand trends, and an expanded regional trade section. The report forecasts a steady growth in demand for nonwovens across key sectors over the next five years. Key insights from the report include:

• Production Growth: From 2013 to 2023, nonwoven production increased at an annual rate of 5.4%, with significant growth driven by the spunlaid and needlepunch processes.

• Regional Production: China led global production growth, contributing an additional 4.5 million tonnes from 2013 to 2023 – a remarkable 9.4% annual growth rate.

• End-Use Expansion: Wipes, medical, and transportation segments experienced the fastest expansion among nonwoven end-use applications.

“The global nonwovens industry is changing in a positive way with moves toward innovation and sustainable products,” said the report’s co-authors Jacques Prigneaux, Market Analysis & Economic Affairs Director at EDANA and Mark Snider, Chief Market and Industry Analyst at INDA.

Attendees gained insights and knowledge during three hands-on training sessions on Nov. 18, focused on fundamentals of absorption systems and opportunities in adult incontinence, innovations in menstrual care, and baby and infant care market dynamics.

Hygienix kicked off with a welcome reception that fostered networking. Attendees explored emerging trends and product innovations through Lightning Talks, connected with successful hygiene start-ups during Lunch Around sessions, and discovered the latest offerings at tabletop exhibits.

“Hygienix exemplifies INDA’s commitment to empowering companies in the absorbent hygiene and personal care markets to advance their businesses,” said INDA President Tony Fragnito.

Hygienix 2025 will be held Nov. 17-20 at Omni Amelia Island Resort, Fernandina Beach, Florida. www.hygienix.org

The report offers a detailed breakdown of regional demographics, production forecasts, technological advancements, and investment outlooks for North America, Greater Europe, Asia, and South America. It also includes an economic trade analysis, end-use segmentation, and insights into future industry trends.

“As strategic partners, INDA and EDANA are committed to sustained growth and innovation within the entire nonwovens supply chain. The Global Nonwoven Markets Report presents our collective best estimate on future demand, predicated on sound macro-economic analysis,” said INDA President Tony Fragnito. “It is an essential planning resource for strategic planning within the nonwovens supply chain.”

“The demand for reliable market information and forwardlooking data is a vital ingredient for a thriving business. This new report, developed by our two leading nonwovens industry associations, draws on decades of experience, close observation, and direct data collection from hundreds of companies,” stated EDANA General Manager Murat Dogru. “Created by the industry for the industry, it stands as an authoritative nonwovens data resource.” www.inda.org/global-nonwoven-markets-report; www.edana.org/ trainings/publications/statistics-nonwovens-report2023-2028

Global Nonwoven Markets Report 2023-2028

HIRO Technologies, Inc. is the 2024 Hygienix Innovation Award® recipient.

AD SALES

ADVERTISING | SALES PUBLISHER Driven By Design LLC advertising@inda.media • +1 239.225.6137

Vickie Smead NONWOVENS / BUYER’S GUIDE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SALES ASSOCIATE

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry vsmead@inda.org • 1 919.549.3715

Sabine Dussey GERMANY, FRANCE, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND, SCANDANAVIA, BENELUX sabine.dussey@dussey.de • +49 2129.348390

Filippo Silvera ITALY & SPAIN info@silvera.it • +39 02.284.6716

Zhang Xiaohua CHINA ifj_china@126.com • +86 13522898423

Dan Noonan DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry dnoonan@inda.org • 1 919.459.3754

Jones Family of Companies and ECO Fiber Inc. Announce Joint Venture

ones Family of Companies, Inc. and ECO Fiber Inc. announced the formation of a joint venture to expand their offerings in the sustainable cold chain packaging market. This new venture combines the strengths of ECO Fiber’s expertise in packaging solutions with Jones Family of Companies’ nearly 90 years of experience in textiles and commitment to sustainability. Together, they are establishing a new company, EcoFiber Packaging, which will provide innovative, sustainable cold chain packaging solutions to meet the evolving needs of the industry.

Both companies recognized that a new corporate model would maximize their combined potential, prompting the creation of EcoFiber Packaging. As part of the venture, Jones Family of Companies has acquired the textile assets of ECO Fiber Inc., and a Joint Venture Agreement has been executed. EcoFiber Packaging will operate as a wholly new entity under its own brand, with the joint commitment of both companies to deliver high-quality, environmentally responsible packaging solutions.

Jones Family of Companies is a pioneer in sustainable practices and a leader in the USDA BioPreferred Program. This federal program encourages the use of renewable agricultural resources in product manufacturing, reducing dependence on petroleum. Jones’ USDA certified biobased insulation products, made from renewable materials like cotton and jute, meet rigorous standards for temperaturesensitive applications in industries such as frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies. This dedication to environmental responsibility is a natural alignment with ECO Fiber’s values of sustainability and product excellence, making this partnership a powerful combination of service, quality, and innovation.

With Jones’ manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Indiana joining EcoFiber Packaging locations in North Carolina and Texas, the new company now has expanded reach and capacity to serve customers nationwide with even greater reliability and efficiency. EcoFiber Packaging is committed to enhancing the service, quality, and product lineup that customers have come to trust from ECO Fiber, while advancing their commitment to sustainable practices. www.jonesfamilyco.com

IDEA®25 is a gathering of the international nonwovens industry to discuss the future of nonwoven materials, their applications, and how they will shape both form and function in various market sectors.

Attend – Experiencing IDEA®25 provides a unique opportunity to see, touch and feel innovations in person. Meet and create new business with the professionals and companies behind these developments.

Exhibit – Showcasing your company at IDEA®25 inspires brand owners and brand marketers as they interact with your materials, technologies and processes. Partner with industry leaders to create new products with the intent of recycling, reusing and repurposing…for a healthier planet.

For more information, Visit

Emerging Trends. Empowering Innovation. Enhancing Knowledge. Global Reach.

The Future of Filtration: Advancing Technology, Performance & Sustainability

Immerse yourself in the next generation of filtration technologies and innovations. Discover the latest developments from world-class exhibitors. Gain new intelligence on what is driving the filtration market.

The two-day FiltXPO conference program will share technical insights in filtration innovations and technologies from industry professionals all over the world. Conference program details will be released in the fall of 2024.

Unlock business opportunities, gain exposure to new products, and build connections with key players in the filtration industry. Your next success story starts here. info@inda.org