Singapore-based Huntsman Textile Effects recently added HIGH IQ® Sun Protect, to its High IQ range of products. According to Huntsman, High IQ Sun Protect provides an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of up to 50 or more against both UV-A and UV-B rays for the lifetime of a garment, and after repeated exposure to sunlight and through multiple launderings. The product complies with both the bluesign™ system and Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex®.
September/October 2018
Greensboro, N.C.-based VF Corp. reports it will relocate its global headquarters to Denver. Approximately 85 VF Corp. leaders will move to Colorado beginning in the spring of 2019. Over the next two years, VF brands including The North Face®, JanSport®, Smartwool®, Eagle Creek®, and Altra® will also relocate to Denver, moving some 800 VF employees to the Denver area. The Vans®, Timberland® and workwear brands such as Dickies® are not impacted by the relocation.
“We believe that the creation of our new headquarters in the area will help us to unlock collaboration across our outdoor brands, attract and retain talent, and accelerate innovation,” said Steve Rendle, VF Corp.’s chairman, president and CEO.
In other VF news, the company’s Board of Directors announced plans to split the company into two independent publicly-traded companies via a tax-free spin-off of a new company to VF’s shareholders. The resulting two companies will be known as VF Corp., and a yet-to-be-named company that will hold VF’s Jeans and VF Outlet businesses.
“In alignment with our strategic plan, the decision to separate these businesses will allow VF to sharpen its focus as a consumer-centric and retail-minded organization anchored in activity-based lifestyle brands,” Rendle said.
September/October 2018
Boston-based Reebok recently launched the first product in its Cotton + Corn sustainable product line. The plant-based NPC UK Cotton + Corn shoes feature a 100-percent cotton upper and a corn-based thermoplastic polyurethane sole made using Loudon, Tenn.-based DuPont Tate & Lyle’s Susterra® propanediol — a petroleum-free, non-toxic product that contains 100-percent U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified biobased content. Insoles in the shoe are derived from castor bean oil, and the shoe is sold in packaging that is 100-percent recycled.
“At Reebok, we thought ‘what if we start with materials that grow, and use plants rather than oil-based materials?’” said Bill McInnis, head of Rebook Future. “By using sustainable resources as our foundation, and then through ongoing testing and development, we were able to create a plant-based sneaker that performs and feels like any other shoe.”
September/October 2018
Charlotte, N.C.-based Color Solutions International, a member of the DyStar® Group, has issued its Spring/Summer 2020 Color Analysis report. This is the fifth edition of the report, which features 54 ColorWall™ colors as well as additional color validation, color evolution and direction by hue.
New York City-based Teijin Frontier (U.S.A.) Inc., a subsidiary of Japan-based Teijin Frontier Co., has opened a showroom in New York to display a variety of products designed for the U.S. market with the goal of increasing awareness of the company’s products.
Germany-based Stoll GmbH + Co. KG is celebrating its 145th anniversary.
Inquisalva and Pettenati Centro América S.A. de C.V., both based in El Salvador; Guatemala-based Eltitex Group; Collegeville, Pa.-based Dow Microbial Control’s SILVADUR™ Antimicrobials; and the DuPont™ Sorona® brand all recently became bluesign® system partners. The system, implemented by Switzerland-based bluesign technologies ag, ensures finished textile products meet very stringent consumer safety requirements and are produced in a sustainable manner.
The Cary, N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) has issued a call for presentations for the World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference to be held June 25-27, 2019, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel. Interested speakers should submit a bio, photograph and brief summary of their talk and its connection to wipes or wipe manufacturing to Deanna Lovell, dlovell@inda.org, by October 22, 2018.
Celanese Corp., Dallas, has raised the price of its acetate flake grades by 50 cents per kilogram. The price increase affects all end-use applications including plastics, textile filament, film, coatings, nonwovens and medical, among other applications.
Bannockburn, Ill.-based IPC — the Association Connecting Electronics Industries — reports its D-70 E-Textiles Committee has released the IPC WP-024, IPC White Paper on Reliability and Washability of Smart Textile Structures – Readiness for the Market. The paper includes e-textile washability testing parameters and initial results from those tests.
Biomaterials start-up Algiknit Inc. — a New York City-based company that makes sustainable, biodegradable kelp fibers that can be spun into yarns — is one of five finalists in the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge, an annual international competition in the field of sustainability innovation.
Atlanta-based Exposition Development Co. Inc. and Progressive Business Media have announced the third Home Furnishings Manufacturing Solutions Expo (HFMSE) will take place July 17-18, 2019, at the Hickory Metro Convention Center, Hickory, N.C.
Minneapolis-based Airtex Group — a designer and producer of custom home textile goods and sewn products — recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
Atlanta-based Messe Frankfurt Inc. reports the Raleigh-based North Carolina State University’s (NC State’s) College of Textiles is the first-ever official academic partner for Techtextil North America to be held February 26-28, 2019, at the Raleigh Convention Center, Raleigh, N.C.
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) recently designated an original Moench tufting machine located at Shaw Industries Group Inc.’s Dalton, Ga., headquarters a historic mechanical engineering landmark. The device — introduced by Ernest J. Moench in 1928 — is credited with spurring the growth of carpet manufacturing in Georgia, and ASME estimates machinery descended from the Moench machine today tufts more than 75 percent of all U.S.-produced carpet.
Ravenna, Ohio-based Duracote Corp. has earned AS9100 Rev D certification from the International Aerospace Quality Group.
Forbes magazine has recognized HanesBrands, Winston-Salem, N.C., as one of the most-admired companies in Central America and the Caribbean.
Switzerland-based Oeko-Tex® reports its Eco Passport certification has been recognized as a Level 3 ZDHC MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) Conformance Indicator for the ZDHC Roadmap To Zero program. In related news, Fall River, Mass.-based Bolger & O’Hearn Specialty Chemicals reports its stormproof/Breathable™ OmniBloq™ and Altopel F3 water repellent products are listed on the official ZDHC list of sustainable, approved textile industry chemistries.
Atlanta-based Dynamic Modifiers LLC has launched a new website located at dynamicmodifiers.com.
September/October 2018
Worldwide Protective Products, Wilkesboro, N.C., has expanded its sales management structure with the addition of Troy Secchio as senior business development manager, and Kim Isaly as Central Midwest regional sales manager.
AMETEK Surface Vision, Hayward, Calif., has named Jason Zyglis to the newly created role of divisional vice president of Project and Product Management.
Greenville, S.C.-based Delta Apparel Inc. has named Anita D. Britt to its Board of Directors.
Singapore-based Huntsman Textile Effects has appointed Rajiv Banavali global vice president of Research and Technology. He is part of the Textile Effects senior management global leadership team and reports directly President Rohit Aggarwal.
Winston-Salem, N.C.-based HanesBrands has appointed consumer products industry veteran Geralyn R. Breig to its Board of Directors.
Germany-based bergertextiles named Daniel Liba CEO.
Pittsburgh-based Calgon Carbon Corp. has named Steve Schott president and CEO. He replaces Randy Dearth who is leaving the company after six years.
Frédérique Mutel, president and CEO, France-based JEC Group, has been promoted to the rank of officer in the Order of the Legion of Honour by decree of the president of the French Republic.
Ascena Retail Group Inc., Mahwah, N.J., has named Andrew Clarke president of the LOFT brand; and Julie Rosen president of the Ann Taylor and Lou & Grey brands.
4M Carbon Fiber Corp., Knoxville, Tenn., has appointed Garo Artinian to its Board of Directors.
Vince Martin has joined Seattle- based AB Aero Partners LLC as managing partner.
Houston-based LyondellBasell has named James “Jim” Guilfoyle executive vice president, Advanced Polymer Solutions and Global Supply Chain. He reports to CEO Bob Patel.
Jim Briggs has joined Adele Knits Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., as national sales manager, responsible for North American sales and business development.
Finland-based Spinnova has appointed Petri Poranen CFO.
Quebec-based Filspec Inc. has promoted Chantal Adam to senior internal sales representative, and hired Brigette Roy as a customer service representative. Kaoutar Bensaid also has joined the team as quality and continuous improvement engineer. In addition, at FilSpec USA, Ellerbe, N.C., Clyde Smith was promoted to plant manager; Tammy Morrow Joyner was promoted to planner; Charity Davis was hired to ensure customer satisfaction; and Geri Clark was named director of Human Resources.
Superior Group of Companies Inc., Seminole, Fla., has named Michael J. Attinella CFO and treasurer. He will oversee the company’s global financial activities.
Richard T. Farmer, Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp.’s founder and chairman Emeritus, has announced his retirement. Farmer will retain the chairman emeritus title, but will not seek reelection to the board, and after October 30, no longer will take part in board meetings or related activities.
Cathleen Benko has joined the Board of Directors at Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike Inc.
Chris Adamek has officially joined Portland, Ore.-based Columbia Sportswear as vice president, chief of staff, for the Columbia brand.
Lakeland Industries Inc., Ronkonkoma, N.Y., has promoted Charles D. Roberson to COO. He replaces Stephen M. Bachelder who retired in March.
September/October 2018
Ananas Anam’s Piñatex® nonwovens are created using long fibers extracted from pineapple leaves discarded after the fruit harvest.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
Piñatex® nonwovens begin life as pineapple leaves. The innovative plant-based textile is the brain child of Dr. Carmen Hijosa, a leathergoods expert who was shocked to learn about the environmental impact of mass leather production and chemical tanning. She was compelled to consider a sustainable alternative that could be commercially produced, as well as offer a positive social and economic impact with a low environmental footprint.
Inspired by natural fibers used in traditional Filipino wovens such as Barong Tagalog garments, Dr. Hijosa began her research during which the pineapple leaf fibers — which are fine, but also offer strength and flexibility — struck Dr. Hijosa as a commercially viable starting material for a fabric. Over a seven year period, Hijosa developed Piñatex, which is available through London-based Ananas Anam Ltd.
Some 13 million metric tons of pineapple leaves each year typically are burned or left to rot after the fruit is harvested. Using the discarded leaves for Piñatex doesn’t require any additional land, water, fertilizer or pesticides and can provide additional income opportunities for pineapple farming communities.
The pineapple leaves go through seven steps on their way to becoming Piñatex — harvesting, decorticating, washing, drying, degumming, nonwoven formation and finishing. Decortication involves extracting the long fibers from the leaves. Biomass generated during the process may be used as a natural fertilizer or biofuel, so nothing is wasted. After the gum is removed from the fibers, they are made into a nonwoven mesh, which is finished in Spain. The specialized finishing process gives the nonwoven material a unique character and leather-like appearance.
Manufacturing partnerships are growing as demand for Piñatex increases, and Ananas Anam has built a supply chain of partners that make a contribution to the fabric:
According to Ananas Anam, Piñatex is soft, lightweight, durable, flexible and breathable. The nonwoven has applications in a multitude of products from apparel, accessories and footwear to furniture and automotive upholstery.
Designers and brands are showing interest. Recently, Hugo Boss introduced a line of men’s footwear that incorporates Piñatex in the shoe upper. The company reports: “The project is part of an ongoing commitment to innovation across the company’s offering as well as a continuous search for more sustainable ways to design, source, produce and finish its products.”
The Hugo Boss shoes are 100-percent vegan featuring the Piñatex nonwoven dyed using natural plant-based dyes, and a recycled thermoplastic polyurethane sole.
“Design is not just about a product,” Hijosa said. “Design is about responsibility.”
For more information about Piñatex, contact info@ananas-anam.com; ananas-anam.com; instagram.com/pinatex; facebook.com/pinatex.
September/October 2018
ST. PAUL, Minn. — September 5, 2018 — Achieving high product purity early in the manufacturing process and improving efficiency and economics is important to biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Increasing removal of impurities like DNA and HCP during clarification improves the performance of downstream capture and polishing steps. The 3M™ Emphaze™ AEX Hybrid Purifier meet these challenges through reduction of cell debris, DNA and HCP at clarification to help improve downstream process steps. The new Emphaze capsules are sterilization/sanitization compatible and can be used across various aqueous based biopharmaceutical processes, including vaccine purification. Additionally, the improved Emphaze AEX Hybrid Purifier products now feature two new laboratory capsules and one scale-up capsule that allows evaluations at laboratory and scale-up volumes.
“Customer input is critical in evaluating the performance and effectiveness of any product to maximize performance,” said Himanshu Nivsarkar, Global Marketing Manager, 3M Separation and Purification Sciences Division. “With the Emphaze AEX Hybrid Purifier, customers experience benefits in typical monoclonal antibody purification processes, including nominal 30% HCP and greater than 4 log DNA reduction. It has a consistent output turbidity (<5 NTU) leading to potential downsizing of the sterilizing grade membrane and increased product purity post-protein A. This also reduces turbidity post viral inactivation/neutralization step leading to a lower impurities load on the downstream AEX column, thus allowing customers to optimize their processes.”
Emphaze AEX Hybrid Purifier products are synthetic multi-mechanism single-use purifier products used for biopharmaceutical clarification. They deliver consistent, high purity clarified process fluid by removing soluble and insoluble impurities, such as DNA, HCP, and cell debris, through a combination of chromatographic and size exclusion mechanisms. Emphaze AEX Hybrid Purifier products combine three unique 3M technologies — advanced polymer materials, fine fiber nonwovens, and membranes — to deliver a synthetic clarifying product line containing a novel anion exchange nonwoven media and a fine particle, reduction membrane.
Posted September 9, 2018
Source: 3M Company
WASHINGTON — September 6, 2018 — The following is a joint statement from Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa and Teamsters Canada President François Laporte in response to ongoing North American Trade Agreement (NAFTA) reform discussions taking place in Washington now between U.S. and Canadian trade representatives and the need for a trilateral agreement.
“The Teamsters are encouraged to see U.S. and Canadian representatives sitting down this week and trying to reach agreement on essential outstanding issues as part of NAFTA 2.0. Canada’s inclusion in any revamped trade deal is necessary if the Teamsters are ultimately going to endorse this pact.
“Likewise, all North American nations must be included in a freight rail fix the Teamsters and our Mexican rail union brethren are demanding that would protect the jobs of some 143,000 freight rail workers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It builds off an agreement reached by the continent’s railway unions two decades ago in the spirit of solidarity — that no movement of employees across borders would occur absent explicit agreement with the unions permitting it.
“The U.S. Teamsters-affiliated Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen sent a letter to President Trump in July informing him that Kansas City Southern Railway was already allowing Mexican rail workers to staff trains inside U.S. borders, in violation of federal law.
“Similarly, Teamsters Canada sent a letter to the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs in late August calling on Canada to protect its rail members from companies wishing to replace them with U.S. workers. It referenced the 2015 actions of Canadian Pacific Railway as necessitating the request.
“We note that the exclusion of foreign rail crews that the Mexican government inserted in the original NAFTA is likely to survive into the replacement agreement and therefore we call on the U.S. and Canadian governments to similarly protect our freight rail crew members. These workers are members of BLET and TCRC, Teamsters all, and we expect that their existing collective bargaining agreements will be honored and their jobs will be protected from unilateral cross-border incursion under any new trilateral NAFTA replacement.
“The threat to North American rail workers is real. We urge the U.S. and Canada to make sure these workers are protected as part of a new NAFTA.”
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Posted September 7, 2018
Source: International Brotherhood of Teamsters
NEW YORK CITY — September 6, 2018 — Community organizations in Baltimore, Los Angeles and Philadelphia will receive grants totaling $330,000 to help transform vacant lots into sports, recreation and play spaces.
The 12 awards, announced today, are part of ESPN’s RePlay initiative, a collaboration with Under Armour and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the nation’s leading community development finance institutions.
RePlay seeks to help local organizations and residents plan and implement revitalization projects that transform vacant spaces into safe, quality places for youth and community. The grants will be awarded in $75,000, $25,000 and $10,000 increments to a total of 12 organizations. All are intended to help groups revitalize vacant spaces, which present great opportunities for access to safe, healthy recreation.
According to the Brookings Institution, in 60 U.S. cities with populations over 100,000, there are an average of two vacant buildings for every 1,000 residents. “At ESPN, we’re committed to providing access to sports for all people, especially in underserved communities where places to play sports aren’t always available,” said Kevin Martinez, ESPN vice president of Corporate Citizenship. “RePlay aims to turn these vacant lots into play spaces that act as vibrant hubs at the heart of their communities. Together with Under Armour, LISC and local residents, we’re excited to transform these vacant properties into valuable community assets.”
LISC, which has nearly 40 years of experience working with community organizations, identified the projects through a formal application process and will provide technical assistance to local residents and community groups in the predevelopment and construction phases. ESPN and Under Armour are providing funding for the grants.
The $75,000 implementation grants are for:
The $25,000 implementation grant is for:
The $10,000 planning grants are for:
LISC President and CEO Maurice A. Jones said the RePlay Program is an important part of LISC’s mission to revitalize communities. “Restoring vacant areas into safe, recreational sports and play spaces not only give youth a place to exercise and learn sports, they are also places that bring residents together and become a source of pride for the neighborhood,” he said. “Our partnership with ESPN and Under Armour gives us an opportunity to strengthen communities across the country.”
Partnering with ESPN and LISC for the RePlay Initiative is true to the spirit of Under Armour and its approach to reinvigorating the model of how companies and communities work together to create positive, lasting change. “At Under Armour we believe innovation should be encouraged everywhere – including in our communities,” said Stacey Ullrich, Under Armour’s Senior Director of Global Philanthropy. “We’re thrilled to join forces with ESPN and LISC to award these grants to organizations that ignite innovation and bring the joy of sport and recreation to our communities. Because we all know that sport can inspire, unite and even change the world.”
Posted September 7, 2018
Source: LISC
SALT LAKE CITY — September 7, 2018 — Outdoor and endurance athletes of every stripe will benefit from the blister-preventative properties of loose lanolin-rich wool, now imported from New Zealand by Salt Lake City based brand, Wūru Wool. Fall 2018 marks the launch of this unique product.
While New Zealanders have used loose wool for decades to reduce soreness, minimize blisters, regulate temperature, and keep feet dry, Wuru is the first brand to offer an affordable and affective single-use wool product in the United States. With a retail price of $10.95, each package provides enough Wuru for 20-30 applications.
“The properties that have made wool increasingly popular in performance wear also drastically reduce blisters and foot discomfort,” says Wuru Wool founder, Matt Disney, who discovered the benefits of wool while trekking in New Zealand with his wife on their honeymoon. “A single-use product like Wuru allows you to experience the friction-reducing benefits inherent in lanolin-rich wool that are lost through traditional textile manufacturing.”
While extensive searching may turn up some similar products in the United States, it is the relationships that Disney has established with New Zealanders in the wool trade that allow Wuru to be the first truly affordable product of its kind in the United States.
“Through our exclusive strategic partnerships made while in New Zealand, we are able to drastically increase the value to our customers,” Disney says. “Not only have these partnerships allowed us to increase package size by 25 percent, they have allowed us to simultaneously reduce price by 27 percent. While we loved our time in New Zealand, we want to ensure that others don’t have to travel around the globe to find such an amazing product.
With benefits for everyone from trail runners and marathoners, to cyclers and skiers, to hikers and hunters, Wuru Wool’s ultimate goal is to help people get the most enjoyment out of their favorite activities.
“When you dramatically minimize or eliminate pain points like foot discomfort, you empower people to stay out there and go further,” says Disney. “That will enable some to run the extra mile or climb a higher peak. It will allow others to walk an extra block. Whatever your level, we’re excited to help you go further and Step Up Your Comfort.”
Posted September 7, 2018
Source: Wūru Wool Co.
