The airbag and tire yarn specialist is thus reaffirming its commitment to the growth market of automotive textiles. The 8-end concept, which is unique on the market, scores above all with its energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. “We believe in the automotive market and its growth opportunities. We believe that industrial yarn has great potential,” says Chen Haitao, President of Sinowin. “The automotive industry has extremely high-quality standards. We can reliably meet these requirements with our products, not least because we attach great importance to the quality of our production facilities.”

The company has been relying on Oerlikon Barmag technology since it was founded in 2015. Starting with 10 positions, the PA66 specialist has now expanded its capacities to 44 positions. Plans for further capacity expansion and diversification are already in place. “We want to cover the entire tire yarn production chain: Spinning, cabling, weaving and dipping. The entire textile part of the tire from a single source. This will make the tire supply chain much more transparent,” says Chen Haitao about his company’s plans for the future.

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NEXTEVO showcased PALF’s versatility, offering a sustainable alternative for premium casual wear and high fashion without compromising quality or style. Products like jeans, blazers, shirts, and skirts highlighted its potential in modern fashion, while high-end PALF-cotton bath towels demonstrated its adaptability beyond apparel. The 2024 FaW Tokyo showcase has put an even greater spotlight on sustainability, where global fashion brands, manufacturers, buyers, and professionals can explore new trends, products, and business opportunities in the booming sustainable fashion market. 

“We’re thrilled by the interest and feedback we’ve received at FaW Tokyo 2024. Our PALF-based denim jackets and jeans are just the beginning of what’s possible when innovation and sustainability meet. We believe that NEXTEVO PALF has the potential to redefine eco-friendly fashion for top brands across the globe,” shared Harold Koh, Founder of Nextevo. NEXTEVO is the first PALF textile manufacturer to secure the OEKO-TEX®️ STANDARD 100 certification. This achievement proves their products are safe, high-quality, and made with eco-friendly methods. By gaining this trusted seal of approval, NEXTEVO strengthens its reputation and appeal to environmentally aware brands and shoppers. NEXTEVO’s showcase of PALF products emphasises sustainable innovations in fashion, particularly with its eco-conscious denim apparel. As a premium alternative for modern consumers, PALF boasts excellent moisture absorption and breathability. The combination of PALF with traditional cotton creates strong, durable garments. As traceability becomes a critical factor for eco-conscious consumers, NEXTEVO incorporated FibreTrace^® technology, enabling brands and consumers to trace the material’s journey from farm to fibre, ensuring transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain. 

NEXTEVO sources a steady supply of pineapple leaves from Southeast Asia and East Africa, where fibres are extracted from the leaves. They require minimal resources to grow and are compostable, biodegradable and antibacterial. The fibres are then processed at their Vietnam facility into eco-friendly Ready-to-Spin (RTS) fibres. They collaborate with OEM partners to create blended yarns and sustainable fabrics, typically mixing RTS fibres with cotton, recycled cotton, rPET or lyocell for use in apparel, upholstery, automotive interiors, and home textiles. The pineapple holds rich cultural significance: in Asia, it symbolises prosperity, while in Western cultures, it represents hospitality and luck. This cultural connection makes it easier for consumers to relate to pineapple fibre, increasing the appeal of PALF-based products. The pineapple’s symbolic value further enhances the attraction of these items, making them more desirable to consumers. With a growing customer base and numerous active discussions with global brands, NEXTEVO looks forward to building on the momentum from FaW Tokyo 2024. The company remains committed to helping brands embrace sustainable solutions without compromising quality or performance.

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VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland announces a new initiative to address the challenges of energy and resource consumption in the forestry and textile industry. The goal of the Energy First initiative is to act as a starting point for an entirely new technology, which creates the conditions for the manufacture of low-carbon, energy-efficient, and recyclable fiber-based products.

With the continued growth of, for example, global e-commerce, the demand for various fibre-based packaging solutions is projected to grow 5–10% annually, according to data from Statista Market Insights and eMarketer. As such, there is a need to develop scalable, high-quality packaging that is easy to recycle while simultaneously significantly reducing carbon footprint. Within non-wovens, used in napkins and wipes for example, VTT expects a strong shift from traditional products that contain plastic to cellulose-based products. With a budget of around 20 million euros over the next four years, the initiative consists of several projects and will establish a new innovative open-access pilot line in Jyväskylä, Finland. The collaborative research aims at developing and testing commercially viable, sustainable alternatives for cardboard packaging, hygiene products, and non-woven fabrics.

“This new initiative is a pivotal step towards more sustainable and competitive fiber-based products, and has the potential for great impact, thanks to more than 50 industrial partners. We are excited about the prospect of 1:1 commercial projects with companies, driving innovation in energy-efficient paper board production. VTT’s purpose is to bring together people, business, science and technology, paving the way to a sustainable future. The Energy First theme aims to do just that,” says Atte Virtanen, Vice President, Biomaterial Processing and Products at VTT.

The forest industry faces new challenges, including the rising cost of energy and fiberwood scarcity. The Energy First theme seeks to overcome these hindrances to sustainable products by developing a manufacturing process with minimal water and energy usage. Preliminary estimates by VTT’s scientists suggest that the new manufacturing process will provide a potential reduction of up to 90% in water consumption and a significant decrease in carbon emissions. Overall, the goal is to reduce energy consumption by up to 50%.

Products manufactured with the new process are designed to be compatible with existing recycling methods. Furthermore, fiber-based packaging is produced in a way that makes it a sustainable alternative to reusable packaging. The planned EU packaging and packaging directive requires that both the raw material and the manufacturing process are sustainable, and recyclable bio-based packaging solutions will have to undergo a sustainability assessment.

In addition to reducing water and energy consumption, the project seeks to redefine the forest industry’s environmental impact and enhance the competitiveness of fiber-based products. For example, by making the products lighter, more products could be produced for consumer use from the same amount of wood, which improves resource efficiency.

“The Energy First Consortium project has several captivating work packages that align closely with Valmet’s current research and development objectives. Energy efficiency, investing in novel 3D fiber-based structures, and the strength of fiber products are closely aligned with Valmet’s current research and development objectives. The program’s global collaboration network ensures that any intriguing project findings can be swiftly implemented in practice,” says Sampo Immonen, R&D Director, Valmet.

“We feel that the Energy First project is one of the first steps in unlocking the full potential of airlaid technology in sustainable single-use and durable product categories. Anpap has set the benchmark for the airlaid industry for the past 40 years, and we have a strong commitment to keep developing the technology to enable the transition to next-generation sustainable products. Compared to wetlaid, airlaid web forming is flexible and consumes dramatically less natural resources, such as water, which reduces the environmental impact of manufacturing while satisfying the needs of consumers,” says Tuukka Vihtakari, CTO, Anpap.S The initiative is funded by EU, ERDF, VTT and the collaborating companies. The consortium is also actively engaging in EU projects, such as EU SteamDry, with a total budget of 9.84 million euros over 3.5 years. VTT will actively continue developing new projects as a part of the initiative including bilateral cooperation with industrial partners.

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Pina fiber is a natural fiber which comes from pineapple plant leaves. Pina is a bast fiber extracted from the leaves of the pineapple plant. The fibers are fine, soft and lightweight however are often blended with silk or polyester to make textile material. Leaves are waste material in pineapple production that can be turned into fiber.

History : Pina fiber, highly regarded in the Philippines In the 1700s, pina fabric was worn mainly by less privileged people.  it became a symbol of status among the elite by the 1800s. During the 19th century, the Spanish exported pina fiber as a luxury textile.

Why should we use pina fiber in textile industry?

1. Pina fiber is biodegradable, waste-reducing, and will allow pineapple farmers in the Bangladesh to earn extra income on their crops.
2. The pina fiber is softer, and has a high luster, and is usually white or ivory in color.
3. Pina fiber is a natural fiber. The Red Spanish variety in particular is grown for its high-quality fibers. In Bangladesh, pina fiber can be used in creating traditional textiles such as pina fabric,wedding dress
4. The end fabric is lightweight, easy to care for and has an elegant appearance similar to linen.
5. Since pina fabric is hand loomed by only a few weavers, it is very precious and expensive. It will help in economy.

Process of making pina fabric:

The stem is first crushed and then the fibers are extracted. The extracted fibers are then cleaned and spun into yarn in the factory . Finally the yarn is then used to make the pineapple fabric.

Advantages :

1. Pina fiber blends well with other fibers such as cotton, abaca, and silk.
2. It has a premium feel to it and an even better texture than silk.
3. This is bio-degradable and eco-friendly fiber.
4. It  is easy to wash and care for as it does not require dry cleaning, further minimizing its environmental impact.
5.  Production cost is low.

Disadvantages

1.  Poor fire resistance capacity
2. Lower durability
3.  Variable quality, influenced by weather
4. Restricted maximum processing temperature

End uses :

1. The course pina fibers called bastos are mostly used in making ropes, strings, mats and twines.
2. Home Textiles: Table cloths/linens, mats, rugs, curtains, upholstery, etc.
3. Apparel: The pineapple fabric is also regarded as a luxury textile material and used by the designers to make women’s dresses, men’s shirts and fashion accessories.
4. Pinatex: It is an alternative to conventional leather that is made from cellulose fibers.
5. Pina fiber is often blended with cotton, abaca, and silk to make amazing light and breezy fabrics.

Source-

1. The textile journals
2. Yarnsandfibers.com

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As the London meeting brings material production into the climate conversation, Naia is at the frontline to promote Eastman’s patented carbon renewal technology opportunities and its commitment for a full transparency from tree to fiber.

KINGSPORT, Tenn., October 23, 2023 — Being responsible materials the main topic of the 2023 Textile Exchange Conference, Naia from Eastman is pleased to be among the sponsors of the event and bring its expertise on the topic, in the name of the molecular recycling technology behind Naia Renew fibers.

From recycling technology to sustainable fibers

Naia Renew, available at scale as both a filament yarn and staple fiber, is produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% certified waste materials and can be blended with other sustainable fibers to create nearly endless luxurious fabric possibilities that are comfortable and rich in color. The carbon footprint of Naia Renew fiber is measurably reduced over its life cycle*. Eastman transforms waste materials that are difficult to recycle – which would otherwise not have an end-of-life option and would end up in landfill or incinerators – into biodegradable fibers through its patented carbon renewal technology. This is one of Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies that breaks materials down into basic molecular building blocks, assuring end materials are indistinguishable from those made from virgin fossil sources in quality, performance, or appearance.

Accelerating the molecular recycling culture

To make recycling options economically efficient and enable long terms success, Eastman is actively engaging with multiple value chain players, recognizing the need for systematic changes in collecting and sorting. The company is among the founding members of the Alliance of Chemical Textile Recycling (ACTR), a working group launched by Accelerating Circularity, the nonprofit focused on textile-to-textile recycling at a commercial scale, to move chemical recycling technology forward, share common definitions, and address policies in a collaborative way to maximize the elimination of textile waste to landfills and incineration: Naia’s goal, by 2025, is to have more than 25% recycled content derived from textile waste material. Visitors at Textile Exchange Conference have the opportunity to drop in and find out more about textile-to-textile recycling directly from Eastman’s team contributors in a session of Q&A on October 26, from 2:00 to 3:00 PM.

A fully traceable and responsible supply chain

In parallel with its commitment to molecular recycling, Naia strives to provide its partners with full transparency and responsibility from tree to fiber, being FSC and PEFC certified, having been awarded the Canopy Dark Green Shirt and supporting the reforestation project of SOS Mata Atlantica in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

That is why, by choosing Naia Renew, fashion brands increase their sustainability story without compromising their creativity or the planet’s resources: Patagonia, Vince, Reformation, COS, are just some of the many brands that adopt Naia cellulosic fibers in their recent collections. “We’re transforming what a fiber can be and do to meet the sustainability demands of our customers,” said Ruth Farrell, general manager for Eastman’s textiles division. “Naia Renew creates a world where brands and consumers can be sustainable at no compromise to quality or performance.”

As compared to conventional Naia products. LCA third-party reviewed by Quantis. The current REC holdings for Naia Renew are wind.

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