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tures have grown from 5.1% to 5.3% to 6.7% during that time period. Fuel expenditures have increased from 3.5% in 1989 to 5.3% in 2011, while education expenditures jumped from 1.3% to 2.1% during that timeframe. While cotton and synthetic fibers will continue to fight tooth and nail for market share, the bigger picture for cotton is the ability to expand its number of uses and applications. “Between 80% and 85% of all cotton produced in the world goes into clothing, and clothing will continue dominate the end uses for cotton,” he said. “But it’s also used in oil, ice cream, animal feed and construction materials. Textile companies might not be able to spin cotton seed, so those applications don’t necessarily impact mill owners. But they are critically important to the economic health of cotton farmers, so expanding the number of applications cotton can be used in will be a driving force for production in the future. “The quality of cotton fiber is constantly changing and improving through technology,” Messura continued. “Cotton isn’t a synthetic fiber, but it is an enginneered fiber, and it’s constantly evolving.” Meanwhile, environmental friendliness and sustainability - commonly thought of as crucial factors for consumers when they make purchasing decisions - are fundamentally supply chain issues, not market issues, he added.
There is always a lot of discussion about the ongoing competition between cotton and synthetic fibers, which is to be expected. The two industries fight hard for every scrap of market share to ensure their future profitability. But the biggest threat to cotton’s future viability isn’t rayon, nylon, or even polyester - it’s the cell phone. And education. And healthcare, food, and fuel. That was the primary message delivered by Cotton Incorporated’s Mark Messura during his presentation at the annual meeting of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation, held in Hanoi, Vietnam Nov. 4-6. “Without question, the competition between cotton and synthetic fibers is intense, but the real concern for all of us in the textile industry is that people today have increasingly diverse expenses” that eat into their expenditures on clothing, he said. In the United States, for example, clothing’s share of total consumer spending has dropped from 5.7% in 1989, to 4.7% in 1999, to 3.5% in 2011. At the same time, healthcare expendi-
“Cotton Incorporated research shows that very few consumers are willing to pay a premium for clothing or home textiles that are enviornmentally friendly, organic, sustainable, recyclable or compostable,” Messura said. “About 27% of consumers say they put effort into finding environmentally friendly apparel, and that number is lower than it was five years ago. It’s not a factor that’s becoming more important to consumers; it’s actually becoming less important to them when they make purchasing decisions.” He was careful to point out that the research doesn’t mean sustainability isn’t important ... only that it’s a more important issue for the supply chain than it is for consumers. “People often ask: How can we strive to plant more cotton when the world needs more food? Well, in the future, the world is going to need more of a lot of things! That’s why cotton has - and will continue to - improve its production practices. The industry will innovate and find ways for cotton to require less land, less water, less energy, and fewer chemicals to gen-
One important competitive advantage of the Oerlikon Neumag 300 ton/day staple fiber system is the considerably higher per-ton fiber profitability vis-à-vis smaller systems, an achievement that is predominantly down to the superb energy efficiency of the new large-scale system. Experience acquired by a Chinese customer reveals production costs that are at least 25% lower and a three-fold increase in the output. In the carpet yarn sectors, the focus is on the BCF system S+. Once again, efficiency – in addition to productivity – is the primary character trait of the new standard machine of the BCF systems market leader, Oerlikon Neumag. As the successor to the S3 and the S5, it combines the benefits of a fast, efficient and user-friendly machine with tried-andtested components.
Cotton Incorporated’s Messura Addresses Cotton’s Future in the Supply Chain ITMF Annual Conference 2012
erate even more fiber,” he said.
Starlinger delivers PET recycling line for pioneer project in Uzbekistan Tashkent, Uzbekistan: Starlinger has supplied the equipment for the first complete PET recycling project in Uzbekistan, installed by Uzbek recycler Geleon Link. The Tashkent-based company has purchased a Starlinger recoSTAR PET 125 HC iV+ recycling line (including a viscoSTAR 120 SSP unit) for processing post-consumer washed and dried PET bottle flakes. The line has a total output capacity of around 8,000 t/y. The recycled food-grade PET material is destined mainly for the domestic market. Food-grade rPET with the characteristics of virgin resin The recoSTAR PET 125 HC iV+ line produces food-grade regranulate suitable for various applications. The recycling/ decontamination process fulfills FDA/ EFSA and brand owner requirements and delivers rPET with ultra-low VOC and AA content (< 1 ppm). Constant residence times and FIFO processing during pre-heating ensure ideal preparation for the extrusion process. The high-vacuum degassing extruder reduces viscosity loss during extrusion and purifies the melt from volatile contamination. During the continuous solid state polycondensation process in the inline vacuum SSP reactor the viscosity of the PET pellets is increased to the desired level. The special FIFO design of the reactor ensures that each individual pellet undergoes uniform treatment during the chosen residence time to achieve the viscosity and decontamination levels required for food-contact applications. Producing locally instead of importing While in Western Europe the installed rPET production capacity already starts to exceed the market volume, Eastern European countries, where plastic recycling activities are only getting on their way now, are beginning to recognize the potential that lies in using secondary materials – or waste products – to replace primary materials. In addition, the Geleon Link project also fits into the framework of the so-called “Policy of Lo-
Kohan Textile Journal, February 2013 Setareh Kavir Carpet Co. Iran Exemplary Exporter 2012
27 www.setarehkavir.com