CHICAGO —July 12, 2017 — Intertek, a Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, announces the expansion of its textile testing capabilities in the United States with the launch of new services for the fast-growing activewear sector. These services, which include evaluating evaporation/drying rates, water vapor transmission rates and antibacterial/antifungal properties, are new to the U.S. market and offer manufacturers of activewear, furniture and outdoor fabrics a more efficient, timely testing option.

The expanded U.S. capabilities are the result of investments in new equipment at Intertek’s textile testing laboratory in Arlington Heights, Ill. The new machines allow experts in the lab to evaluate performance properties of fabrics for water vapor permeability and drying rates, as well as how they respond to variations in temperature and humidity. This information can be used to verify claims of breathability, quick dry and antibacterial qualities in textiles used for various products. These new capabilities complement existing activewear testing services for wicking, windproofing and ultraviolet protection properties and, combined with Intertek’s antimicrobial center of excellence in Columbus, Ohio, allows the Company to offer a full spectrum of textile evaluation and technical support across multiple industries.

Gregg Tiemann, executive vice president, Intertek, commented: “At Intertek, our priority has always been providing our customers with innovative solutions to help support functional and performance claims of their products in order to improve their competitive position. Bringing these textile capabilities to the U.S. and building off our existing textile services will help customers in the region leverage our services and expertise in order to bring in-demand fabrics to the industry more quickly and easily.”

Consumer demand is shifting to high-performance fabrics for clothing, furniture and outdoor equipment. Intertek’s services evaluate performance qualities against promotional claims and industry benchmarking and standards, making it possible for customers to work with a third-party lab to assure products meet these demands. The new services complement the Intertek’s existing U.S. textile services analyzing fibers, restricted chemicals, dimensional stability, colorfastness and flammability.

Posted July 17, 2017

Source: Intertek

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — July 17, 2017— A proposed ASTM International standard will support continued growth of the smart-textiles industry by outlining common terms that can be used as the textiles and electronics industries converge and new products are introduced into the market.

The proposed standard, created by ASTM International’s committee on textiles (D13), will include definitions that help differentiate various products and components. According to members of the committee, the standard will help buyers — both businesses and consumers — better understand what smart-textiles products they are purchasing.

“Creating this standard is the first step toward developing future test methods that will support quality and innovation in smart textiles and intelligent textile systems,” adds ASTM International Carole Winterhalter, a textile technologist at the U.S. Natick Research, Development, and Engineering Center in Massachusetts.

Winterhalter says that the standard will be useful to the entire smart-textiles community, including developers, suppliers, laboratories, retailers, and consumers. In addition, she notes that this terminology standard will serve as a foundation for future standards that objectively measure performance of traditional textile products (such as clothing) that also function as high-tech products.

The committee is looking for people interested in helping create these new terms. The standard is expected to evolve continuously to keep pace with innovation. The title of the proposed standard is New Terminology for Smart Textiles and Related Terminology (WK58009).

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN. The next meeting of committee on textiles is January 21-28, 2018, at the Sheraton New Orleans.

Posted July 17, 2017

Source: ASTM

BÖNNIGHEIM, Germany — July 17, 2017 — With their idea of breathing new life into worn-out truck tarpaulins and making them into weatherproof, one-of-a-kind bags for individualists in the big city jungle, the graphic designers, Daniel and Markus Freitag, truly reflected the spirit of the times in 1993 and have written an impressive success story since then. In this interview, they talk about why they have both also been supplying textile products since 2014 and what Hohenstein exactly does with these fabrics.

How do bag manufacturers come up with the idea of producing textiles?

Actually, for the same reason why we started producing messenger bags from truck tarpaulins — our own requirements. In 1993, there were no appropriate bags for us to transport our designs on a bicycle, keeping them safe and dry. So, we spontaneously made some ourselves. Robust, long-lasting and sustainable. Can used items be utilized purposefully in a different context? What does a product need to look like, so that it doesn’t leave anything harmful at the end of its lifecycle? We have always been dealing with such questions. And when we were searching for new workwear for our employees and understood how the global textile industry handles resources, the environment and its workers in some cases, it quickly became clear that we would prefer to take the matter of clothing into our own hands.

What does ideal clothing look like for you?

We asked ourselves: It must also be possible without wasting resources, endless transport routes and excessive use of chemicals? The textiles should be manufactured at fair conditions nearby and be suitable for wearing in the factory, as well as for having a beer after work. Once they have been worn out, it should be possible to throw them on the compost, where they can biodegrade without any residues, with a clear conscience.

How were you able to reduce these high demands to a single common denominator?

In order to meet these requirements, we went back to the beginning of the natural development chain: to the fiber. To be able to guarantee the biodegradability of our textiles, once they have been worn out, we searched for natural and renewable resources, which are available in our latitudes. So, the choice fell on the cultivated plants, linen and hemp, which thrive magnificently along the Atlantic coast, do not require much water and fertilizers and textile fibers have already been gained from their raffia for a long time. For lighter fabrics, Modal is also used — this is obtained from local beech trees in Austria. In Lombardy, we found a weaving mill, which is able to produce our trouser fabric according to our own ideas, and our garments are ready-made in Poland. Overall, it took five years from the original idea until we were able to deliver the first completed garments — including a strict test of the shirts and trousers in our own factory and numerous self-wearing tests.

In which way did Hohenstein help you with the product development?

During the development of F-ABRIC, we conducted our own composting tests on our factory roof garden. When it then came to the product launch, we searched for an institution, which could competently and independently provide evidence that our textiles are 100-percent biodegradable after unscrewing the metal buttons and the soil is
not polluted with harmful substances after their decomposition. The experts of the Hohenstein Group offered a customized tool for our requirements, with its standardized soil-burying tests to determine the biodegradation.

And how long do your textiles need until they decompose into soil again?

The tests in Hohenstein concluded that our textiles are almost completely decomposed after six months. They passed the eco-toxicological tests that were conducted. As
our products are made of natural fibers, the Hohenstein experts recommended a soil- burying test to us under open land conditions. Burying in a laboratory would also have been conceivable, but it was important to us for the natural climate change over half a year to flow into the investigations.

Are you satisfied with the test result?

Yes, as we worked towards completely degradable and non-harmful textiles right from the start, we naturally also anticipated this good result. But we did not think that the decomposition process would be so quick. So far, there has not been any recognized international standard for the degradability of textiles, therefore, the biodegradation tests in Hohenstein can be an important instrument for textile companies, when it comes to scrutinizing the last step of the product cycle.

Posted July 17, 2017

Source: Hohenstein Group