WASHINGTON, D.C. — October 25, 2013 — United States Trade Representative Michael Froman today
expressed serious concerns about the enforcement of Guatemala’s laws protecting worker rights,
saying that significant work remains to ensure that an Enforcement Plan signed by the Guatemalan
government earlier this year is effectively implemented.  Ambassador Froman recognized
important steps taken by Guatemala under the plan, but communicated to Guatemalan officials today
that the United States expects solid progress in fully implementing the commitments over the next
six months.  If Guatemala fails to comply with the provisions of the Enforcement  Plan,
the U.S. Government retains the right to reactivate an arbitration panel established in the 2011
labor enforcement case brought under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). 

 

On April 26, 2013, the United States and Guatemala signed the 18-point Enforcement Plan
outlining concrete actions to strengthen labor law enforcement in Guatemala, which Guatemala
committed to implement within six months.  Guatemala has adopted a number of reforms,
consistent with applicable deadlines, but implementation of those reforms is key to improving
worker rights in Guatemala.  While the arbitration panel will not be reconvened at this time,
Ambassador Froman stressed that much work remains to be done to ensure effective
implementation.   

“Guatemala has taken steps to improve enforcement of worker rights, but there is
substantially more progress to be made,” said Ambassador Froman.  “We will continue to work
with the Guatemalan Government and with our partners in the labor movement to ensure the
implementation of Guatemala’s commitments to strengthen labor law compliance.”

 

The following are among the actions Guatemala has taken to date pursuant to the Enforcement
Plan: 

 

To enhance its ability to enforce labor laws, the Government of Guatemala:

• Issued a Ministerial Accord,  concluded an interagency agreement between the Ministry of
  Labor and the Ministry of Interior and issued a directive to the national police to ensure police
  assistance to facilitate labor inspector access to worksites;
• Hired 100 new inspectors;
• Submitted draft legislation to Congress for Ministry of Labor authority to issue fine
  recommendations and establish an expedited process for judiciary to adopt Ministry of Labor fine
  recommendations.

To strengthen export companies’ compliance with labor laws, the Government of
Guatemala:

• Published a Ministerial Accord requiring the Ministry of Labor to conduct annual inspections of
  all enterprises receiving tax benefits under special provisions of Guatemalan law;
• Published a Ministerial Accord to establish a public comment process as part of its application
  review and to reject new applications for benefits received from companies that are found to have
  violated labor laws;
• Published a Ministerial Accord to provide for a streamlined process to revoke tax benefits for
  existing beneficiaries that violate labor laws, which requires publication of the enterprises whose
  benefits are withdrawn.

To strengthen the enforcement of court orders:

• Guatemala’s newly created Verification Unit within the Judiciary established standardized
  procedures and criteria for verifying employer compliance with labor court orders and is verifying
  such compliance;
• The Judiciary has initiated a systematic review of all labor courts to hold accountable 
  judges who fail to take measures required by law to enforce court orders.

To address payments to workers when enterprises suddenly close, the Government of
Guatemala:

• Issued a Ministerial Accord requiring the Labor Ministry to intervene upon receiving
  information  of a potential enterprise closure and to take the necessary steps to obtain
  payment to workers if the enterprise closes, including by petitioning relevant labor courts to
  embargo or seize assets;
• Issued a Ministerial Accord to establish an Inter-Institutional Rapid Response Team to attempt
  to prevent closures of export enterprises receiving tax benefits and to ensure payments owed to
  workers if the closure cannot be prevented.

To increase stakeholder input, the Government of Guatemala:

• Implemented a tripartite sub-committee with both worker and employer representatives to provide
  input on instruments and procedures issued under the Enforcement Plan.

In announcing that the United States will support continued suspension of the arbitration
panel at this time, Ambassador Froman noted particular areas that require additional and prompt
action from the Guatemalan Government. These areas include making every effort possible to swiftly
pass legislation providing for an expedited process to sanction employers that violate labor laws
and to implement a contingency mechanism to address payment to workers in cases where export
enterprises have closed. Serious efforts are also needed to ensure that the instruments and
procedures issued under the Plan are effectively implemented and enforced. If at any time, during
the next six months, the U.S. government determines that Guatemala is not effectively implementing
the Enforcement Plan, it can request that the panel resume its work.

Posted October 28, 2013

Source: USTR

REINACH, The Netherlands — October 24, 2013 — Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty
chemicals, and the former textile, paper and emulsions businesses of Clariant, today announced that
its ONE WAY sustainability service has been honored with the prestigious ICIS Innovation Award for
Best Business Innovation. The company’s ONE WAY sustainability service is being recognized for its
game-changing approach to textile manufacturing based on the strong conviction that both ecological
and economic benefits are reachable.

Archroma’s ONE WAY was launched in October 2012 to help customers meet their sustainability
targets in a fast and reliable manner. It is a 3-step systematic approach to the selection of
chemicals and production processes that once completed, gives customers calculation results that
assess the cost, performance and environmental profile of the evaluated products and processes.

“We developed this approach with customers, for customers,” says Emrah Esder, Archroma’s Head
of Marketing Chemicals, Textile Specialties Business. “Their input was critical in making ONE WAY a
sustainability service that customers could count on to make their business more successful.”

ONE WAY systematic approach

The first step is: Product Selection, the selection of products based on data on over 200 ONE
WAY products collected and integrated in the “ONE WAY Selector”. All dyes and chemicals included
have been screened by Archroma’s product stewardship specialists against more than 15 eco-standards
and critiera1, which provides instant information access on how each ONE WAY product scores in
terms of toxicological and ecological profile and standards.

The second step is: Process Short Listing, during which textile manufacturers can narrow down
their selection of products to one of four process groups, based on their environmental focus and
how it affects climate, resources, waste water content and volumes.

The third step is: Solution Selection, based on sophisticated software Archroma calls the ONE
WAY Calculator. It assesses the cost, performance and environmental profile of products almost
instantly. Possible measurements with the ONE WAY Calculator include:

• The cost and performance of a given product process based on relevant parameters such as dyes
  and chemicals, water, energy or time;
• Their environmental profile based on actual measurements of chemical oxygen demand (COD),
  biological oxygen demand (BOD), CO2 emissions, energy consumption and water usage.

Recognized commitment to sustainability – again

Archroma’s Textile Specialties Business has been recognized for the second time by ICIS.

In 2012, then a Clariant business, Archroma’s Textile Specialties Business was honored with
two ICIS Innovation Awards for its ADVANCED DENIM breakthrough eco-advanced dyeing technology. It
received the ICIS Innovation with Best Environmental Benefit Award and the overall ICIS Innovation
Award.

Posted October 28, 2013

Source: Archroma

Bristol, Va.-based solution-dyed synthetic filament-based fiber manufacturer Universal Fibers Inc.
has acquired the continuous filament bicomponent production assets of Johnson City, Tenn.-based
bicomponent and customized fiber producer Fiber Innovation Technology Inc. (FIT).

FIT retains its assets related to production of bicomponent and other customized staple
fibers.

The newly announced acquisition supports Universal Fibers’ market diversification strategy to
expand into new market segments, according to Universal Fiber Systems (UFS) CEO Marc Ammen. UFS
recently created a Business Development Group, headed by Don Campbell, vice president, business and
technical development, to oversee its expansion efforts.

“The addition of bi-component fiber technology supports our mission as innovative problem
solvers, and enables us to expand into new markets including performance apparel, interior
furnishings, filtration, technical/industrial, geotextile, and medical,” Campbell said. “In
creating unique and innovative fiber combinations, the capabilities of these assets offer business
synergies complementing our existing assets located in our Bristol facility. We also expect this
technology to have application in traditional markets for existing customers of Universal Fibers
and Premiere Fibers, both of which are business units within Universal Fiber Systems serving a
separate and distinct customer base.”

Universal Fibers Inc. currently serves the commercial, residential and automotive carpet and
industrial fibers industries, with production sites in Europe, China and Thailand as well as in the
United States. Premiere Fibers Inc., based in Ansonville, N.C., produces customized fibers for
partially oriented and fully drawn yarns for apparel, industrial, military and other applications.

Don Berlin will serve as technical sales and business development manager of Universal
Fibers’ new bicomponent business, which is expected to support 20 primarily technical manufacturing
jobs. “Bi-Component technology offers varied and distinct advantages to single component
technology, since it accommodates fiber constructions tailored for more specific functions
including anti-static, conductive, antimicrobial, super hydrophilic, super hydrophobic, stain
resistance, low melt and heat resistance. These advantages yield benefits in performance, cost
savings and reduced lead times,” Berlin said. He added that the business will be able to offer
small lots of bicomponent fibers made using nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate and
other traditional and non-traditional fiber polymers.

October 22, 2013

ShriVallabh Pittie Group — an India-based industrial group with textile, finance, real estate,
retail and jewelry businesses — is investing $70 million to build a yarn manufacturing plant near
Sylvania, Ga., and hire 250 employees.

The facility, located at the Screven County Industrial Park, will employ state-of-the-art
machinery to manufacture carded cotton yarn in a variety of counts. The company reports that
production will be flexible to meet market demand.

“We are very excited about this project, which is the biggest single investment in the U.S.
cotton yarn sector in decades,” said Vinod Pittie, chairman, ShriVallabh Pittie Group. “We believe
there is a significant market opportunity for yarn manufacturing in Georgia due to a skilled local
workforce, proximity to high-quality cotton fiber, the economical supply and reliability of power
and world-class infrastructure to international markets. We are proud to generate 250 new U.S. jobs
and to bring a positive economic effect on the local area and its rich cotton textile heritage.”

ShriVallabh Pittie Group was established in 1898, and started its textile business, which
operates under the name Platinum Textiles Ltd., in 2003. Platinum Textiles mainly manufactures
cotton, polyester and blended yarn, and has a considerable presence in India’s textile sector, with
13 manufacturing facilities and 140,000 spindles in operation. The company also recently announced
plans to expand capacity with the addition of 60,000 spindles at its facility in Ramnad, India.

October 22, 2013

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., Lansing, Mich. — developer of Monster Silk™ recombinant spider
silk technology — and New Ipswich, N.H.-based advanced technical textiles and protective materials
developer and manufacturer Warwick Mills Inc. have signed a collaborative development agreement
under which the two companies will codevelop and commercialize Monster Silk-based advanced textile
products.

The initial focus of the partnership will be to weave and test Monster Silk-based textiles
for near-term applications. Kraig and Warwick will jointly own any product-related intellectual
property that results from the collaboration.

“This collaborative undertaking represents a huge step forward in our commercialization
efforts,” said Kim Thompson, CEO and founder, Kraig Biocraft. “The pairing of Kraig’s spider silk
technology with Warwick’s world-class technical textiles applications engineering and weaving
abilities is a bold move, which we believe will enhance and accelerate the penetration of spider
silk into technical textile markets.”

Monster Silk is produced by transgenic silkworms whose genetic makeup includes a combination
of certain spider silk proteins with silkworm proteins. The silk produced by these silkworms
contains only a small percentage of spider silk protein, but it exhibits significantly increased
strength and elasticity when compared to conventional silk.

Kraig has set up a pilot spider silk production operation overseas in a country that offers a
trained workforce for the production of silk. “We’ve reached the point where we’re ready to ramp up
to commercial-scale production,” Thompson said. “Now, we’re raising the silkworms primarily to
multiply instead of harvesting them. Each pair of silkworms produces 300 to 500 eggs. We get a new
generation roughly every 50 days, so we can go from 100,000 to many millions of silkworms in just a
few months and have the capacity to begin pumping material to Warwick and ultimately to other
partners.”

Thompson said that in addition to its technical expertise to work with advanced materials,
Warwick’s capability to use small quantities of material in its product development efforts has
enabled Kraig to enter now into a binding agreement without the need to provide the relatively
large material quantities required by many other potential partners to initiate development.
“Warwick presents a more immediate opportunity for us,” he noted. “We aren’t interested in just
knitting or weaving something to be producing something. We’re interested in working with someone
who could take the material and engineer something beautiful, and that’s where we are with
Warwick.”

Warwick is known for its production of ballistic, puncture-resistant and high-tensile
materials for defense, aerospace, safety and law enforcement applications. “The collaboration will
look at those applications, but we are hopeful it will also open up other opportunities beyond
protective materials,” Thompson said.

“The future of textiles will continue to be driven by innovation and we believe that our
textile engineering capabilities and Kraig’s fibers can change the game in some important
applications,” said Warwick President Charles Howland. “These technologies could potentially result
in higher performance textiles, which would enable very advanced safety and military equipment.
This collaborative agreement is a big step forward in the development of exciting new textiles with
potential applications for the technical textiles and protective textiles marketplace.”

Kraig also has signed a memorandum of understanding with Spring City, Tenn.-based SSM
Industries Inc. — a knitter and weaver of personal protection fabrics — and ultimately expects to
move forward with some development initiatives with SSM as well.

October 22, 2013

Vapor Apparel — a Charleston, S.C.-based provider of apparel designed for sublimation printing —
has added sublimation-friendly socks to its imprintable apparel line.

Designed both for apparel decorators with small-format presses and for large-scale customers,
SubliSocks™ feature a black toe and heel segment to prevent creasing marks during the sublimation
process. The socks are offered in two leg lengths: the 7-inch Crew version and the 3.5-inch Short
version.

“We see strong consumer demand for this product, and view it as a great margin-opportunity
for our decorating customers,” said Christopher Bernat, chief revenue officer, Vapor Apparel.
“Customization in the apparel industry shows no sign of slowing down, and the trend is now
expanding to things outside traditional t-shirts and performance tops.”

Vapor Apparel also is offering the SubliSock kit, which allows digital decorators to expand
the sock during pressing to prevent grin-thru of white fabric when the socks are stretched over the
calf when worn.

October 22, 2013

LEEDS, United Kingdom — October 16, 2013 — A campaign to promote Yorkshire’s global reputation as a
manufacturer of luxury cloth and fibre launched at Victoria Quarter in Leeds on Monday with the
opening of a week-long exhibition.

 

A pen of live sheep in Briggate helped to pull in the crowds and reinforce the connection
between the textile industry and the farmers and small businesses it supports.

 

The Wool Yorkshire initiative, which was launched to coincide with Campaign for Wool’s
annual Wool Week, was organised by Bradford-based SIL Holdings Ltd, one of the largest speciality
fiber manufacturers and merchants in the world.

 

Jennifer Nickson of SIL’s contract furnishing and interiors manufacturer Abbotsford, and her
colleague Sara Duxbury of sister company Luxury Fabrics, joined forces with students from Leeds
College of Art to create an exhibition that would showcase the evolution of the textile and fashion
industry from its traditional roots to its contemporary role in the world of high end designer
tailoring and fashion.

 

More than 150 guests gathered in Victoria Quarter for a celebration in conjunction with
Harvey Nichols to mark the opening of the exhibition and the launch of Wool Yorkshire. Among them
was Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Yorkshire Stanley Hardy who delivered a personal message from
Campaign for Wool patron HRH The Prince of Wales.

 

Speaking after the event Andrew Seal, managing director of SIL Holdings, said: “Our aim was
to get the message out that Yorkshire has a thriving textile sector that operates on a global
scale. Thanks to the hard work of our own staff and the talent of the students the public this
exciting exhibition truly gets the message out there that our mills are at the heart of luxury
fabric manufacturing.”

 

The exhibition at Victoria Quarter runs until October 20.

Posted October 22, 2013

Source: Wool Yorkshire

 

EAST WALPOLE, Mass. — October 16, 2013 — Hollingsworth & Vose announces plans to add NanoWave®
Filtration Media production capability in its plant in Hatzfeld, Germany, to support the rapid
growth in demand for high performance filter media. NanoWave, which won the IDEA13 Achievement
Award for rolled gods, achieves higher levels of filtration efficiency at reduced pressure drops.
The Hatzfeld production line is expected to start operations by mid 2015 and will serve European
customers. H&V currently manufactures NanoWave media in the United States in Floyd, Virginia.

“In addition to the European capacity expansion, further performance improvements and next
generation production developments will result in increased service levels for our European
customers,” comments Jochem Hofstetter, vice president & managing director, EMEA.

Posted October 22, 2013

Source: Hollingsworth & Vose

SULZBACH, Germany, Florence, Ky., and Shanghai, PR China — October 16, 2013 — Fibers made with
Fortron® polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) from Celanese Corporation (NYSE: CE), the global technology
and specialty materials company, are woven into Klopman International’s newest fire resistant
textile technology — the Sungrazer 180 lightweight fabric that provides reliable protection for the
Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) clothing industry.

The new Sungrazer 180, a light weight option (185 g/m²) to the mid-weight Sungrazer version
(260 g/m²), is part of the innovative Klopman fabric line that first incorporated Fortron PPS
fibers in 2010. Fortron PPS from Celanese is combined with a high content of PROBAN® flame
resistant (FR) treated cotton, to maximize the inherently flame retardant property benefits of the
polyphenylene sulfide.

High-temperature Fortron PPS fiber spinning grades excel in protective clothing applications.
Fortron PPS provides a very high continuous service temperature — up to 192 degrees Celsius (377.6
degrees Fahrenheit) and up to 240 degrees Celsius (464 degrees Fahrenheit) for incidental exposure.
High-temperature stability, combined with outstanding chemical and solvent resistance, means
Fortron PPS fiber spinning grades are an ideal choice in various industries, including chemical,
pharmaceutical, automotive, consumer and household goods.

Sungrazer 180 fabric, based on a balanced blend of 41 percent Fortron PPS and 58 percent
flame retardant-treated cotton and 0.5 percent anti-static material, provides excellent tear
strength with a natural degree of elasticity, extremely high shape retention good durability based
on excellent abrasion resistance. The result: A high degree of comfort, even after repeated
industrial laundering.

Synthetic fibers have revolutionized the clothing industry. Today, synthetic fibers for
specialty leisure, sport and work clothing provide distinguishing properties — from elasticity and
durability to low weight and high comfort and even protection against specific substances and
extreme temperatures. Fortron PPS is positioned for use in extreme cases and with good reason.The
ideal combination of protection and flexibility is the most important requirement for workwear in
some jobs. Workers in contact with heat or fire, chemicals, oils or similar substances need special
workwear protection that still allows them to move freely.

Sungrazer — Fabric For Multifunctional Protection

Klopman International, one of the major European producers of polyester/cotton blended
fabrics for work and protective wear, developed its first Fotron PPS high performance
multifunctional fabric with Celanese in 2010. The original Sungrazer 260g/m2 high-performance
fabric uses a blend of 40 percent Fortron PPS, 59 percent flame-retardant-treated cotton and 0.5
percent anti-static material.

Protective clothing made with the lighter the new Sungrazer 180 is more comfortable to wear,
especially in high-temperature surroundings, and provides improved breathability — all without
losing any of its excellent chemical properties. Shrinkage properties remain very good.

Certified for heat, flame and anti-static protection, it can be combined in a single fabric
and used at high temperatures. This fabric is certified with:

• European Norm (EN) International Organization For Standardization (ISO) 11612 Clothing for
  protection against heat and flame
• EN 1149-5 Protective clothing — electrostatic properties

Excellent Starting Product – Reliable Final Product

Proven in harsh environments, Fortron PPS is chemical and temperature resistant and are
inherently flame retardant. Staple and multifilament fibers, as well as non-woven fabrics of superb
quality, are manufactured with the Celanese line of Fortron PPS spinning grades designed for a wide
variety of demanding uses. In addition to protective and safety textiles, these applications
include filtration, electrical and high-temperature insulation, composites and rubber
reinforcement, and fire barriers.

Posted October 22, 2013

Source: Celanese

Merrillville, Ind. — October 14, 2013 — MonoSol LLC, a Kuraray Company, the world leader in
environmentally friendly, water-soluble delivery systems, is pleased to announce the expansion of
its Hartlebury, UK production facility.

This production facility manufactures many MonoSol products such as MonoDose™ water-soluble
films used by top brand leaders and Aquafilm® water-soluble laundry bags.

MonoSol has expanded the capacity of their UK facility located at Hartlebury, Worcestershire
by 40 percent to meet the increasing demand for its MonoDose water-soluble delivery systems for the
European market.

MonoSol’s President and CEO, Mr. P. Scott Bening arrived at the Hartlebury facility on
October 14, 2013 for an official tour of the factory with its newly installed, state-of-the-art
production equipment. “Consistent with our global growth plans, we continue to invest in increasing
our capacity to meet rising market demand, including European manufacturing and distribution
capabilities,” said Mr. Bening. “We are very proud of this accomplishment and applaud the
excellence displayed by our Hartlebury team.”

Posted October 22, 2013

Source: MonoSol LLC