SOMERVILLE, Mass. — APRIL 13,2016 — GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals appears in two new textile innovations that will debut at the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam April 13-14, 2016.

Developed by the NGO, Clean Production Action, GreenScreen allows companies to transparently assess, compare and communicate information on chemical toxicity.

CPA has partnered with Garmon Chemicals, an Italy-based chemical company that specializes in chemicals formulated for denim finishing. Garmon has incorporated GreenScreen assessments into their product development process. The results allow Garmon to develop and formulate chemical finishes with relatively low human health and environmental impact.

Michelle Turner, Program Manager for GreenScreen said: “We are very excited to see GreenScreen assessments being used to guide chemical companies to make safer chemical choices. The apparel industry, thanks to Garmon, is embracing a hazard-based approach to identifying safer chemicals.”

Garmon has partnered with Invista, owners of the Lycra brand, to debut a collection of knit denim concept garments using fabrics made with Invista’s Lycra Hybrid technology and finished with Garmon’s chemical formulations that have been assessed using GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals.

The second innovation is called Rational Denim, a collection of jeans that have been developed with sustainable actions during each step of the textile supply chain.

Royo, a leading manufacturer of sustainable fabrics, is using 100-percent Tencel, or Tencel blended with sustainable cotton. The fabric is dyed with Archroma’s Advanced Denim technology. This alternative to indigo uses less water and energy than indigo during the dyeing process. The resulting garments are then finished with Garmon’s GreenScreen-assessed chemicals that contain no Benchmark-1 chemicals or residuals – substances to be avoided due to high hazards – in the formulations.

Alberto De Conti, Chief Marketing Officer, Garmon Chemicals said: “We are seeing a growing consumer desire for casual apparel that incorporates both performance attributes and environmentally sound manufacturing practices.”

These unique approaches to fashion showcase the continuing importance and consumer desire for safer products.

Posted April 13, 2016

Source: Clean Production Action

PARIS — April 12, 2016 — Lectra — a provider of integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials — is pleased to announce that it has recently joined forces with Les Enphants and the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art to hold its inaugural childrenswear design competition in China using Kaledo®, Lectra’s textile design solution. Aside from exploring the latest fashion trends in the world of childrenswear, it also served as a learning and communications platform for future fashion designers, bringing them one step closer to attaining their lifelong goals. Outstanding designs from the competition will be included in Les Enphants’ childrenswear range, and the winner will be awarded a unique opportunity to intern for the company. Over 30 fashion design students from the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art took part in the competition.

With the newly implemented two-child policy, China’s market for children’s products is expected to boom, with childrenswear becoming a major source of growth for fashion companies. Additionally, the rising popularity of TV programs featuring celebrity families has brought children of famous Chinese personalities into the limelight, and spurred young parents to closely follow the fashion trends set by these child stars. As an emerging consumer group in the childrenswear market, parents in their 20s and 30s have developed different tastes and shopping habits from the previous generation. This, in turn, will trigger a revolution in the market, creating new challenges for childrenswear designers. Lectra has chosen to work with well-known childrenswear brands and vocational design schools with the aim of fostering future talented designers capable of adapting to the changing trends in children’s fashion.

The design campaign was officially launched in September 2015. Design Managers and Purchasing Managers from Les Enphants conducted classes, helping students carry out market research on upcoming childrenswear trends and define their design direction and style while providing creative guidance. Lectra’s design solution Kaledo helped the students bring their design ideas to life. The submitted designs were then evaluated by a panel of industry experts, followed by an awards ceremony recently hosted by the event sponsors. These designs will then be used by Les Enphants and even have a shot at appearing in the Shanghai 2016 autumn/winter fashion show, where they will be highly publicized and showcased to a wider audience.

“Throughout our entire collaboration with the institute, Lectra has undoubtedly proved to be an exceptional partner. The company has been playing a supportive role in the growth of fashion education in China for years, and has provided all-round assistance in the form of technology, equipment and training,” said Li Keling, Dean of the Fashion Design School at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art, during the awards ceremony. “Lectra has helped forge our partnership with Les Enphants. With the full support of Lectra and Les Enphants, we are developing talent with the aim of meeting the current needs of the fashion industry, and this will contribute greatly in accelerating the development process of fashion design education in China.”

“I was deeply impressed by all of the students’ work here today, and the experience derived from holding this competition is invaluable. This served as a great opportunity for us to listen to the voices of the younger generation, and to witness what they have envisioned for the childrenswear industry,” added You Shuilian, Deputy Manager for business planning, Les Enphants. “Lectra is a reputable brand and is a platform that brings schools and businesses together. Thanks to this three-way partnership, Les Enphants is building a younger brand image, and the young generation here today will soon accomplish their goals.”

“Students are the future of the fashion industry. Bringing great talent forward is a good way of ensuring that the industry continues to flourish. This is why Lectra values its ongoing partnerships with vocational educational institutions around the world. Lectra has already established close-knit partnerships with over 50 establishments in the greater China region. Besides providing them with the most innovative solutions, we have helped in developing alliances between these vocational institutes and renowned companies, while actively promoting collaboration between schools and businesses. Our hope is that everyone can work together to discover and cultivate a new generation of talented designers in order to ensure long-term growth in the Chinese fashion industry,” concluded Andreas Kim, Managing Director of Lectra Greater China.

Posted April 12, 2016

Source: Lectra

MUNICH/UNTERFÖHRING, Germany — April 12, 2016 — Sympatex Technologies will introduce a new highlight of its sustainable product portfolio in Munich during Performance Days to be held April 20-21. A currently important theme of the fair trade is recycling, so the ecological alternative among functional textile specialists will present new outer and lining materials made of recycled PET bottles (hall 2, booth 217). The performance of the products offers diverse applications in the fields of sports, fashion and leisure.

Recycled polyester outer material certified according to “Global Recycle Standard”
The material basis of these laminates is a yarn that is produced by using recycled PET bottles. The Munich-based functional specialist has cooperated with the Italian yarn specialist SINTERAMA S.p.A., whose trademark “New Life” is certified according to the internationally renowned “Global Recycle Standard”. Sympatex offers 2-layer and 3-layer laminates as well as “Windmaster” made of recycled PES in its portfolio. The new technologies “Phaseable®” and “Moisture-tech® Apparel” are now also available with materials made of recycled PET bottles.

In the field of lining materials, Sympatex has cooperated with Thermore® to offer a waterproof cotton wool liner made of 100-percent recycled PES. It is suitable for dry cleaning and can be combined with many different outer materials according to customer request.

“In combination with our 100-percent waterproof and windproof as well as optimally breathable Sympatex membrane, the recycled PES outer materials offer a top performance. They are ideal for all requirements of our customers in the field of weather protection and comparable to newly fabricated PES materials on a high level. Moreover, these products are entirely made in the EU and have an optimised carbon footprint,” said Haymo Strubel, director apparel at Sympatex Technologies. “The Sympatex membrane is guaranteed green, it is made of polyetherester and 100-percent recyclable. It is also free of PTFE and PFC. Thus, the mono-material polyester laminates can be completely added to the recycling process,” says Strubel. Sympatex offers the requirement for a fabric recycling of the garment as the end product — an aspect that is becoming increasingly important for customers and end consumers.

Cooperation with the Master School of Fashion in Munich
Another highlight: Initiated by the Performance Days, Sympatex has provided young up-and-coming designers of the Master School of Fashion in Munich with a selection of functional materials. The students had to work in teams of two to use current functional materials for one fashion and one functional piece that match each other in a creative way. The most innovative creations, for instance outfits that were inspired by sailing and made of a Sympatex three-layer material, are presented during the two fair trade days of the Performance Days.

Posted April 12, 2016

Source: Sympatex® Technologies 

GALLARATE, Italy — April 12, 2016 — The beginning of April marks an important step for Asahi Kasei Fibers, a group with a 15.3 billion Euro turnover and more than 30 thousand employees throughout the world.

Asahi Kasei Fibers, Asahi Kasei Chemicals, and Asahi Kasei E-materials will become part of Asahi Kasei Corporation, creating the new Material business department, a step forward which will lead to an optimisation of the resources and synergies between the various fields of activity.

Changes at the top of the company as well. Toshio Takanashi is to become Primary Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei Corporation but will continue to cover his present duties in the Fibers & Textiles SBU. Masanori Yagami will become manager of the CUPRO division.

A little big revolution in Asahi Kasei to go along with the inauguration of the new Italian offices in Gallarate, an important investment to enhance the results of the Italian market: Asahi Kasei Fibers Italia ended 2015 with earnings of about 58.6 million Euro (+19 percent compared to 2014), thanks, among other things, to the take-up in sales of the CUPRO cellulose fiber.

Posted April 12, 2016

Source: Asahi Kasei Fibers Italia

FRIEDBERG, Germany — April 11, 2016 — Autefa Solutions and Campen Machinery A/S have made a partnership and offer machinery for airlaids and spunlaced airlaid products

In March 2016, the two companies have made an agreement to cooperate in the development and sales of machinery and production lines for the traditional airlaid industry as well as for the new “Hydro Laced Airlaid Process” (HLAL) for non‐ flushable and flushable, dispersible, and biodegradable nonwovens, invented by Campen Machinery Denmark.

André Imhof, CEO, Autefa Solutions Austria GmbH and Arne Christensen, CEO Campen Machinery A/S explain: “With our two companies we are building a strong partnership. Each of our companies has developed new and energy‐saving technology. Together we offer complete lines to produce flushable wipes. With our combined portfolios we offer advanced production technology, starting from raw material to the final nonwovens products.”

Autefa Solutions offers spunlace, drying and powder scattering technology as well as carding and card feeding technology. For the spunlace process Autefa Solutions has developed a new hydroentanglement jet. This technology enables 30-percent energy savings due to the special jet design. A new Square Drum Dryer SQ‐V completes the line.

Campen Machinery is the specialist for webforming from pulp fibers, or other fibers, via fiber dosing, hammermill and airlaids technology, compacting/embossing or calandering units, as well as the winding technology of airlaids or spunlaced airlaid products.

Autefa Solutions product range includes fiber preparation machines, nonwovens cards as well as aerodynamic web forming machines (Airlay), crosslappers and needle looms for mechanical bonding. Autefa Solutions Switzerland delivers equipment for thermal bonding, drying systems including dryers and ovens for the wood pulp and short cut stable fiber based Airlaid industry.

Campen Machinery has many years of experience of development and manufacturing of different types of equipment for the carpet and nonwoven industry. The product range includes coating and lamination lines, winding, slitting, rewinding purposes and packaging as well as complete lines for the artificial turf and carpet industry. Campen Machinery headquarters is in Denmark and is owned by VARO A/S. For more than 40 years, the group has built hammer mills, drum forming heads and complete lines for globally leading manufacturers within the airlaid industry. The group has supplied process lines and equipment for the airlaid industry equal to approximately 20 percent of the world’s airlaid capacity. A process of 40 years, of which the group is very proud of.

Posted April 11, 2016

Source: AUTEFA Solutions Germany GmbH