SUSTAINABILITY SPOTLIGHT S/S 2022 - TEXTILE INNOVATIONS AND INSIGHTS
“What we do next is paramount. In this S/S 22 Spotlight we focus on our Sustainability channel, and we highlight just some of the many innovations that are driving sustainable change across the supply chain, you can read more in our Eco-News channel”. Sign-up for the newsletter HERE:
As the year opened and we started to emerge from the hiatus of the pandemic, all issues regarding sustainability have leaped into sharp focus – the spotlight is on the supply chain.
Transparency and traceability must be accelerated if we are to ever gain a 360-degree view of the products we consume. There is no slowdown predicted in our consumption, and as our global population and affluence increase, we will in fact increase production and the use of our planets precious resources.
The not so green iceberg continues to emerge as companies across the entire textile space push forward to set and or achieve sustainability objectives, all of whom are desperately trying to bring themselves into line with the growing expectations of their client base. Some have faired better than others. In recent weeks the HIGG Index has come into focus, as have the dubious claims of many of the behemoth fashion brands, many of whom now find themselves under an uncomfortable spotlight.
What we do next is paramount. In this S/S 22 Spotlight we focus on our Sustainability channel, and we highlight just some of the many innovations that are driving sustainable change across the supply chain, you can read more in our Eco-News channel.
Sign-up for the newsletter HERE:
If you have news to share, contact the press office.
Leading the way – we spotlight the move towards more sustainable fibre sources:
In America in January, Algiknit announced the development of a new industrial scale plant for making yarns from reprocessed kelp. AlgiKnit’s yarns are made by extracting a substance called alginate from seaweed and combining it with renewable biopolymers. The resulting fibers can then be knitted into textiles and coloured with natural pigments. These textiles could potentially be used across a range of industries, including fashion, furnishings, and automotive.
As AlgiKnit co-founder and CEO, Tessa Callaghan said “With the opening of our new facility in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, we are focused on expanding our production capabilities, partnerships, and team to address global demand more quickly. This is a huge next step in bringing this technology to scale, and creating positive, tangible change for the planet. We are so excited to partner with new and existing investors who share our vision for transforming the fashion ecosystem.”
Fashion for Good cooperated with adidas, BESTSELLER, Vivo barefoot and Birla Cellulose, and six innovators, to create a consortium project to assess the technical feasibility of natural fibres created by the selected innovators using agricultural waste such as rice husks, hemp, wheat straw, banana and pineapple.
As Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good said, “This ambitious project explores a new source of feedstocks for the fashion industry that, if scaled, will help drive both the agriculture and textile industry towards net-zero. We see great potential for these various agriculture waste streams that would otherwise have few secondary uses. By applying innovative technologies to develop natural fibres, we can diminish the pressure on existing natural fibres and shift away from unsustainable materials and sources.”
Equally there was substantial progress in recycling technologies:
In January French President Emmanuel Macron and Eastman CEO Mark Costa jointly announced Eastman’s plan to invest up to $1 billion in a material-to-material molecular recycling facility in France that would use Eastman’s polyester renewal technology to recycle up to 160,000 tonnes annually of hard-to-recycle plastic waste that is currently being incinerated.
The plant and an innovation center would be expected to be operational by 2025, creating employment for approximately 350 people and leading to an additional 1,500 indirect jobs in infrastructure and energy.
In February Renewcell announce a major upscaling of its recycling capacity as it moved its Ortviken site up to 120,000 Tonnes per year within a plan to increase its total capacity up to 360,000 tonnes per year by 2025. The company’s vision is to inspire an Industrial Evolution to a sustainable world by producing high quality materials from recycled textiles.
Through its patented process, Renewcell is able to upcycle cellulosic textile waste, such as cotton clothes, transforming it into a pristine new material called Circulose®. As Patrik Lundstrom CEO of Renewcell said “The global fashion industry is committed to going circular, and we are determined to contribute as much and as fast as we can to attain this crucial goal.”
In June, NextChem completed the construction of the first demonstration plant in Italy for the chemical recycling of PET and polyester from textiles, as part of the European Union’s DEMETO project. The plant is located in Chieti, in the Abruzzo Technology Park. The depolymerization technology adopted, based on the reaction of alkaline hydrolysis2 with the use of microwaves, allows the plant to chemically recycle PET and polyester textile fiber waste and obtain pure monomers to produce new polymers.
"We are very proud to have built this plant, the first of its kind in Italy and among the first in Europe, paMaire Tecnimont Group and NextChem CEO.rticularly at a time when national systems for the collection and recycling of textile waste are beginning to be created, in Italy and in other European countries, in order to comply with legislation", commented Alessandro Bernini,
Beyond Fibres and Recycling, there were significant developments in Textile Chemicals and Dyestuffs.
In January, In Amsterdam, Fashion for Good launched the D(R)YE Factory of the Future, a new consortium project that brings together several innovations in textile pre-treatment and colouration, that are set to accelerate the shift from wet to mostly dry processing.
Textile processing is responsible for the highest greenhouse gas emissions, significant water and chemical use in the fashion value chain. The selected innovations have the potential to reduce emissions by up to 89%, and to cut water consumption by between 83% and 95%.
“Textile processing is the largest contributor to carbon emissions in the supply chain and a shift to mostly dry processing is crucial for the path to net-zero. Given the interdependencies in the processing stages, a stand-alone assessment of solutions is not sufficient. By validating a combination of technologies, we can unlock the full potential of those solutions. This is why this project is so pivotal.” — Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good
In March at Columbiatex, Huntsman Textile Effects showcased the latest addition to the third generation of its revolutionary AVITERA® SE polyreactive dye range at Colombiatex this year.
AVITERA® ROSE SE delivers brilliant bluish-red shades while reducing the water and energy required for production by up to 50% and increasing mill output by up to 25% or more. It also significantly outperforms the best available dyeing technologies for cellulosic fibers and blends in terms of value by reducing recipe costs, minimizing processing costs and eliminating reprocessing.
Huntsman also showed ERIOPON® E3-SAVE another next-generation water-saving innovation. An all-in-one textile auxiliary for polyester processing, it allows pre-scouring, dyeing and reduction clearing to be combined in a single bath and eliminates the need for anti-foaming products. This shortens processing time and saves water and energy.
As Ben Powell, Commercial Director Americas, Huntsman Textile Effects stated: “Sustainability is becoming a priority for regulators in South America and around the world, and consumers are increasingly keen to make a difference by choosing green brands. Huntsman is redefining what’s possible to help textile and apparel companies make the shift to more environmentally sustainable operations while enhancing their competitiveness at the same time.”
In March, Alchemie Technology, the UK innovator of low energy, waterless, textile dyeing technology, ships its Endeavour machine to Taiwan to improve the sustainability of the textile dyeing industry and establish a new Asia showcase. The Endeavour digital dyeing solution, which produces no wastewater and reduces energy consumption by 85 per cent compared to traditional dyeing, will be installed at Alchemie’s Taiwan-based customer JSRTEX Group, a leading textile manufacturing innovator in the region, committed to transforming the industry with sustainable textiles and clean technology.
Dr Simon Kew, Managing Director of Alchemie Technology said: “Alchemie plans to deliver a significant number of Endeavour low energy, waterless dyeing machines into Asia in the next two years, where most of the world’s dyeing and finishing takes place. This will also require the support of governments through investment, grants and legislation, and the critical effort of brands and pioneering manufacturers in their supply chains”
