Materials & Production News
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Thursday, 23 January 2020New standard created for sustainable cashmere
HAMBURG - The non-profit Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) has developed a new standard for sustainable cashmere amidst growing concern over the welfare of cashmere goats and demands for transparency and corporate responsibility. The AbTF's Good… -
Thursday, 23 January 2020BCI to stay in Xinjiang despite forced labour fears
XINJIANG − The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has condemned the use of forced labour in the cotton industry by Muslim prisoners held in Uyghur detention camps in the Xinjiang region of China but has stopped short of pulling out of the country. The… -
Wednesday, 22 January 2020Canopy unveils action plan to save forests
DAVOS – Environmental non-profit Canopy has launched a new plan to replace half of the global pulp supply for viscose and paper with alternative fibres which it says will save 30 per cent of the world’s threatened forests by 2030. Entitled Survival… -
Tuesday, 21 January 2020Wool growers oppose National Declaration changes
QUEENSLAND – Australian wool growers are petitioning against proposed changes to the country’s National Wool Declaration, which could introduce new definitions to mobs on which alternative methods to mulesing have been used. The Australian Wool… -
Tuesday, 21 January 2020Unifi introduces new fibre solutions at Denver
GREENSBORO - Sustainable yarn manufacturer Unifi Inc is set to introduce new developments in its range of fibres recycled from ocean plastic waste at the 2020 Outdoor + Snow Show in Denver. The company, which bills itself as one of the world's… -
Tuesday, 21 January 2020Worn Again launches first recycling pilot plant
WILTON – Worn Again has advanced industry efforts to replace the use of virgin materials in textiles with the commissioning of its first pilot-scale facility that can separate, decontaminate and then extract polyester (PET) and cellulose from mixed… -
Monday, 20 January 2020Circularity suffering as material consumption soars
DAVOS – At the World Economic Forum, which gets underway in Davos today, impact organisation Circle Economy has launched a new report which finds that whilst global material consumption has grown to top 100 billion tonnes per annum for the first… -
Friday, 17 January 2020Tyton completes successful funding round
DANVILLE – Textile recycling innovator Tyton Biosciences has completed an US$8 million Series A funding round, led by the investment arm of outdoor brand Patagonia, Tin Shed Ventures. The investment will be used to help facilitate the scaling of… -
Wednesday, 15 January 2020YKK zippers use marine plastic waste
TOKYO – Japanese fastener manufacturer YKK has developed new apparel zippers using marine plastic waste intercepted on the coastline of Sri Lanka. The company will present its new Natulon Ocean Sourced collection at both ISPO Munich and the Outdoor… -
Tuesday, 14 January 2020Sympatex to showcase circular jacket at ISPO
MUNICH – Later this month at ISPO 2020, functional materials manufacturer Sympatex will showcase what it says is the world’s first upcycled jacket made in-line with the principles of a circular economy. The rEvolution Hybrid jacket comprises 30 per… -
Tuesday, 14 January 2020Acoustics used to collect textile microfibres in solution
NAGANO – Scientists in Japan say they’ve found a way to separate synthetic textile microfibres and other microplastics from solution using sound waves – opening up the possibility of retrofitting these acoustic devices on to washing machines and in… -
Tuesday, 14 January 2020Lenzing supports reforestation in Albania
SHKODRA – Wood-based fibre manufacturer Lenzing has initiated reforestation efforts in Albania in collaboration with the Austrian Development Agency and local communities. In the Ana e Malit region of North Albania, 50 per cent of the forest area… -
Tuesday, 14 January 2020Textiles should be made from cellulose-based waste
STOCKHOLM – A new report on how the textile industry can turn waste into a valuable resource by 2030 will be released later this week by The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). Two years in the making, the report says although the… -
Tuesday, 14 January 2020Microfibre emissions halved with cooler, quicker washes
LEEDS – New scientific research confirms that cooler, quicker home launderings could drastically mitigate the emission of textile microfibres into the environment. Academics at the University of Leeds teamed up with Procter & Gamble (P&G), which… -
Monday, 13 January 2020Digitisation to boost circularity, new report suggests
NEW YORK – A new industry report outlines the influence greater connectivity with the Internet of Things (IoT) could have on the circular economy. Product traceability platform provider Circular ID and energy supplier Eon author the report, in which… -
Monday, 13 January 2020
Wool broker makes wool declarations compulsory
DUBBO – An Australian wool brokering firm says it will no longer partner with growers that don’t have a National Wool Declaration (NWD) as it looks to encourage more transparent trade agreements. An NWD is voluntary, disclosing information that… -
Friday, 10 January 2020New Cotton Guide to focus on climate change
WAKEFIELD – The new updated version of MCL News & Media's authoritative Inside Guide to Cotton & Sustainability - due out next month - warns that the industry is running out of time to reduce its environmental impact. The second edition of the… -
Thursday, 09 January 2020Oeko-Tex expands 'sustainability' label
ZURICH - Testing and certification organisation Oeko-Tex's Made in Green sustainability label now includes leather products under newly updated guidelines which come fully into effect in April. Oeko-Tex says its guidelines, including test criteria… -
Wednesday, 08 January 2020Dyntex develops biosynthetic performance fabrics
BREGENZ – Austrian textile manufacturer Dyntex has developed two new ultralight biosynthetic fabrics for high performance apparel. Dyntex Biodegradable and Dyntex Biological Origin are the culmination of three years R&D, with company CEO, Mathias… -
Wednesday, 08 January 2020Tunisia targets efficient textile recycling infrastructure
TUNIS – Tunisia’s textile industry is set to place greater focus on sustainable business practices, with the launch of a new initiative that will engage stakeholders in aligning with circular production principles and creating more robust recycling… -
Tuesday, 07 January 2020Scientists back textile microfibre filters
TORONTO – Scientists at the University of Toronto have shown how two commercially available washing machine filter technologies can reduce the shedding of textile microfibres from fleece fabrics during domestic laundering. Examining the performance… -
Tuesday, 07 January 2020Textile recycling project 'close to success'
MARIBOR - European researchers say a pilot plant developed to turn textile waste into raw materials which can be re-used in the industrial production of new fibres or plastics is close to achieving market applications. The Resyntex project, in the… -
Monday, 06 January 2020Nike tweaks footwear design to use offcuts
BEAVERTON – Sportswear giant Nike has released a new pair of footwear which makes use of what would otherwise be discarded fabric offcuts. The Beaverton-based brand has reimagined its material utilisation and placement to mitigate waste, layering… -
Friday, 03 January 2020Devan to debut bio-based solutions at Heimtextil
RONSE – Textile finishing innovator Devan Chemicals will debut two new bio-based solutions at next week’s Heimtextil trade show in Frankfurt: an antimicrobial and a patented cooling technology. The Belgian firm’s new antimicrobial is the latest… -
Thursday, 02 January 2020Reduction vs offsetting - the big carbon debate
WASHINGTON D.C. - With more and more brands and manufacturers publicly stating their ambitions on reducing their carbon footprints, attention is starting to shift to the means of meeting these ambitious targets. More than 80 fashion and textile… -
Thursday, 02 January 2020Textile microfibres abundant in the air we breathe
LONDON – As well as finding their way into global aquatic environments, textile microfibres are also abundant in the air that we breathe, according to scientists at King’s College London who found that ‘fibrous microplastics’ made up 92 per cent of… -
Monday, 23 December 2019Adidas incorporates ocean plastic in apparel
HERZOGENAURACH - Sportswear brand Adidas is working with material technology company PrimaLoft to incorporate recycled plastic waste intercepted from remote islands, beaches and coastal communities in its outdoor apparel. The two companies are… -
Friday, 20 December 2019Lenzing to build world’s largest wood pulp plant
SAO PAULO - Wood-based fibre manufacturer Lenzing has announced that it is to go forward with US$1.3 billion plans to build the world's largest dissolving wood pulp plant in Brazil. The company, one of the world's leading suppliers of cellulosic… -
Friday, 20 December 2019Recycling action plan combats clothing disposal
BRUSSELS – The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) has laid out policy recommendations for the textiles industry and called on the European Commission to instigate a strategy that would increase material recycling. This comes hot on… -
Thursday, 19 December 2019ISKO awarded OEKO-TEX STeP certification
BURSA - ISKO, which bills itself as one of world's leading denim producers, has become the first Turkish denim mill to be awarded OEKO-TEX's STeP certification. STeP (Sustainable Textile and Leather Production) is a modular certification system… -
Thursday, 19 December 2019Zalando reveals details of Tier 1 suppliers
BERLIN - European online fashion platform Zalando has revealed the details of most of the factories classed as Tier 1 suppliers to its own private label brands. The company shared details of 80 per cent of the Tier 1 suppliers to its private labels… -
Thursday, 19 December 2019Australian state regulation protects sheep
VICTORIA – New regulations passed in the Australian state of Victoria now mean native sheep producers could be fined as much as AUD$3,300 for surgically mulesing sheep without administering pain relief. For some time, organisations in Victoria have… -
Wednesday, 18 December 2019Conscious Fashion Campaign launches in NYC
NEW YORK - The Conscious Fashion Campaign (CFC) initiative, which aims to help the fashion industry achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been formally launched. Founder Kerry Bannigan, a social impact entrepreneur, said the CFC… -
Wednesday, 18 December 2019Lindex to train women cotton farmers in India
GOTHENBURG - Swedish fashion retailer Lindex is to fund a project to train female cotton farmers in isolated rural areas of India in environmentally-friendly production methods. The two-year project, in collaboration with the Cotton Connect… -
Wednesday, 18 December 2019Canopy reveals 2019 Hot Button rankings
VANCOUVER - Environmental non-profit Canopy has revealed its 2019 Hot Button rankings of the work of global viscose producers to protect ancient and endangered forests. The list shows a significant jump in the volume of man-made cellulosic fibre… -
Tuesday, 17 December 2019EU urged to help bring circularity to textiles
BRUSSELS - The RREUSE non-profit network of social enterprises involved in the reuse, repair and recycling sector is urging the European Union to act to help bring circularity to the fashion and textile industry. In a new report, entitled Vision for… -
Tuesday, 17 December 2019SDGs to be promoted at Messe Frankfurt trade shows
NEW YORK - The Texterpise Network coalition of textile trade fair organiser Messe Frankfurt, the Conscious Fashion Campaign and the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP) has announced plans to work together to reduce the impact of the… -
Tuesday, 17 December 2019Klopman reveals 'sustainability' achievements
FROSINONE - Italian workwear manufacturer Klopman has revealed that it increased its production of fabrics made with 'sustainable' materials to 2.3 million metres, an increase of 77 per cent, in just one year. Klopman now offers its customers the… -
Tuesday, 17 December 2019Kontoor Brands cuts waste across North America
GREENSBORO – Kontoor Brands, which owns the brands Wrangler and Lee, has announced reaching zero-waste designation for all its owned distribution centres in North America. This means 95 per cent of waste from these facilities will be diverted from… -
Monday, 16 December 2019Microplastic pollution 'massively underestimated'
SAN DIEGO - The amount of microplastics in our oceans could be a million times worse than previously thought, according to new research which suggests existing studies have seriously underestimated the problem. Researchers found previously… -
Friday, 13 December 2019Busting Myths: Why 25% of all pesticides are not used on cotton
In the last - for now - of our examinations of some of the more incredible claims widely quoted about our industry's environmental impact, we look at the report that 25 per cent of the world’s pesticides are used for growing cotton. This is perhaps… -
Friday, 13 December 2019Open data platform encourages circular fashion
BERLIN – German tech start-up circular.fashion has launched an open data standard for the fashion industry, as it lays the foundations for stakeholders to better engage in circular business practices. The open source licensed platform will host data… -
Thursday, 12 December 2019PVH partners with Canopy to protect forests
NEW YORK - Fashion giant PVH Corp has teamed up with the Canopy and Pack4Good initiatives to minimise its impact on ancient and endangered forests. The company, which owns brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, has made a commitment to both… -
Thursday, 12 December 2019Renewal Workshop expands into Europe
AMSTERDAM - The Renewal Workshop, which bills itself as the leading provider of circular solutions for apparel and textile brands, is expanding into Europe on the back of a $US5.5 million financing round. The Oregon-based company helps brands become… -
Thursday, 12 December 2019New hemp factory will be biggest in the US
LUBBOCK - Plans have been unveiled to build the largest industrial hemp processing facility in the US - and one of the largest in the world - to produce high-quality, textile-grade fibre and premium cellulose. Dallas-based company Panda Biotech is… -
Wednesday, 11 December 2019Recycling polybags on the Fashion for Good agenda
AMSTERDAM – Global sustainability initiative Fashion for Good (FFG) has teamed up with Adidas, C&A, Kering, Otto Group, PVH Corp and, crucially, Cadel Deinking – an innovator from its Accelerator programme – as it explores the potential of producing… -
Tuesday, 10 December 2019Blocked escape routes stopped workers fleeing fire
NEW DELHI - Blatant safety violations, including locked doors, barred windows and blocked staircases, prevented workers from escaping a garment factory fire which claimed 43 lives in New Delhi, according workers' rights campaigners. The Clean… -
Tuesday, 10 December 2019Recycled material supplier adopts traceability tech
STONY BROOK – Molecular tagging technologies specialist Applied DNA Sciences (ADNAS) has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), through which the pair will develop and… -
Tuesday, 10 December 2019Busting Myths: Why fashion's carbon footprint is not bigger than flights and shipping
In the second of our examination of some of the more incredible statistics widely used to illustrate the environmental impact of the fashion and textile industries, we look at one quoted by everybody from the UN to Greenpeace and from CBS News to… -
Tuesday, 10 December 2019Gender violence rife in Brazil's garment factories
SAO PAOLO - The vast majority of women in Brazil’s garment factories who took part in a new C&A Foundation-funded study said they had experienced bullying or gender-based violence and sexual harassment at work. Entitled Promoting Human Rights and…
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