Ventura, Calif.-based outdoor apparel retailer Patagonia Inc. has selected Sweden-based Polygiene
AB’s Polygiene® antimicrobial fabric finish for use in its Fall 2013 Capilene® base layers and
trail running base layers.

Polygiene technology is based on silver salt derived from recycled silver and offers
permanent odor control. The bluesign®-approved treatment can be applied at any stage of production
to a variety of textiles and surfaces, and can reduce the need for frequent laundering, Polygiene
reports.

“Patagonia will not sacrifice performance yet we strive to minimize our environmental
impact,” said Todd Copeland, Environmental Product Specialist, Patagonia. “Effective, long-lasting
odor control extends the useful life of our Capilene® Performance Baselayers. Polygiene meets our
strictest laboratory requirements and performs excellent[ly] in field use. As Patagonia scrutinized
odor control technology against all environmental concerns, bluesign® approval and recycled silver
were key attributes that led us to select Polygiene.”

January 8, 2013

Eastman Machine Co. — a Buffalo, N.Y.-based designer and manufacturer of manually operated cutting
machines and automated cutting systems as well as complementary software technologies — is
celebrating its 125th anniversary.

The company was founded in 1888 by Canadian inventor George Eastman, who developed the first
electric fabric cutting machine — the Eastman — by mounting a fractional electric motor to a
platform attached to a reciprocating knife mechanism. The Eastman radically changed the apparel
industry by eliminating the need for manual labor in the cutting room.

In 1898, the Stevenson family acquired Eastman Machine Co., which has remained a
family-owned and -operated business for five generations. In addition to its Buffalo headquarters,
the company operates a sales office in Hong Kong and a factory in China, and has 50 dealers
globally. Eastman currently has more than 100 machines in its product line.

“We are excited that the company has reached this milestone,” said Robert L. Stevenson,
president and CEO, Eastman Machine Co. “The company is proud to honor the outstanding contributions
of the people who have been a part of our history, and the current employees that are inspiring our
future. The continued focus on providing innovative answers to modern manufacturing needs, has
positioned the company well for the future; we plan to continue to provide reliable products,
services and solutions that benefit our customers.”

January 8, 2013

New York City-based private equity firm SK Capital Partners, in partnership with global investment
firm First Reserve Corp., has acquired TPC Group Inc. — a Houston-based producer of value-added
products derived from niche petrochemical raw materials, and a provider of critical infrastructure
and logistics services to the Gulf Coast region.

TPC Group sells its products to performance, specialty and intermediate markets such as
synthetic rubber, fuels, lubricant additives, plastics and surfactants. The company is the largest
U.S. producer of finished butadiene, which is used in Wichita, Kan.-based Invista’s nylon 6,6
production process.

TPC Group operates manufacturing facilities in Texas in Houston, Port Neches and Baytown; and
in Lake Charles, La.

SK Capital, which focuses its investments on the specialty materials, chemicals, and
healthcare sectors, has stated that “the acquisition is consistent with [our] strategy of focusing
on sectors we know well, leveraging our knowledge and relationships to identify attractive
opportunities that have complexity and underperformance relative to their potential, and employing
impactful resources to support the successful execution of our investment strategies.”

January 8, 2013

Switzerland-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Clariant International Ltd. has agreed to sell
its Textile Chemicals, Paper Specialties and Emulsions businesses for approximately $545 million to
SK Capital Partners, a New York City-based private equity firm focused on the specialty materials,
chemicals, and healthcare sectors. The sale is expected to be completed by the end of the second
quarter 2013.

The transaction includes brands and technologies in dyes, pigments, emulsions and surface
active chemicals used in textile, paper, coatings, construction and adhesive applications. In 2012,
the businesses generated combined revenues of approximately $1.3 billion, or approximately 15
percent of Clariant’s total group sales, and employed some 3,000 people in 35 countries around the
world.

Clariant is selling the businesses as part of a portfolio repositioning following its
acquisition of Germany-based specialty chemicals company Süd-Chemie AG in 2011. The strategy
includes a plan to sell five divisions by the end of 2013. Clariant reports it also is in the
process of divesting its Leather Services and Line Detergents & Intermediates business units.

“For Clariant the transaction marks a significant milestone in the execution of its
profitable growth strategy, after the acquisition of Süd-Chemie in 2011,” said Hariolf Kottmann,
CEO, Clariant. “I am pleased that we are able to execute this divestment faster than originally
expected. By the end of 2013, Clariant will be an even more profitable company than today,
generating a majority of sales in non-cyclical growth businesses.”

“We are delighted to partner with the management and employees of these businesses to build
upon their strong technology, brand, and leading market positions to more efficiently serve their
large and growing global markets and customers,” said Barry Siadat, managing director, SK Capital.
“We believe these businesses provide an attractive platform to capitalize on their overlaps in
technology, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics.

“Our goal for the businesses is to continue to innovate, deliver the highest quality
products and delight our customers globally,” Siadat continued. “Given that Clariant will continue
as a separate entity, we will change the names of the businesses. We have not decided on the new
name yet.”

January 8, 2013

Singapore-based Huntsman Textile Effects now offers two alternative softeners free of
amino-ethyl-ethanol-amine (AEEA) for use in apparel and home textile applications.

AEEA-free MEGASOFT® JET-LF-01 and Megasoft CEC-01 comply with updated Registration,
Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) standards and can be substituted for Huntsman’s
original Megasoft JET-LF and CEC formulations to provide the same level of performance. The new
softeners also are compatible with other chemicals used with the original softeners.

The two AEEA-free Megasoft products join SAPAMINE® CSN on Huntsman’s roster of AEEA-free
textile softeners. Sapamine CSN, introduced in late 2012, replaces Sapamine CWS.

“We have taken a proactive approach to develop these two AEEA-free alternatives to enhance
the safety of our products and are working with customers to help them make the transition,” said
Jay Naidu, global marketing director for Apparel, Huntsman Textile Effects.

January 8, 2013

Germany-based nonwovens machinery manufacturer DiloGroup reports that the year 2012 was the most
successful in its 110-year history.

Following the engineering of the 10,000th machine by Oskar Dilo Maschinenfabrik KG by the
end of 2011, the group delivered several wide-working-width production lines for geotextiles
applications. It also reported activity in other application areas including floor covering,
automotive and filtration; and delivered fiber preparation and web-forming lines to be used in the
production of hydroentangled nonwovens.

The group produced and shipped Di-Loom PMF lines weighing more than 900 metric tons, noting
that the machines are the largest in the world.

January 8, 2013

Gulistan Carpet — an Aberdeen, N.C.-based manufacturer of residential and commercial tufted carpets
— has filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code
for the Middle District of North Carolina. The company says the filing will allow it to investigate
options to sell the business to a third party or to complete an orderly wind down of its
operations.

The company has been producing carpet under the Gulistan name since 1924, although it traces
its roots back to 1818, when an Armenian textile importer established a business in Turkey. The
company began manufacturing carpet in Aberdeen in 1957, and was acquired by J.P. Stevens & Co.
Inc. in 1964. Over the last 25 years, Gulistan Carpet has undergone several ownership changes. In
addition to its headquarters and manufacturing operations in Aberdeen, the company has a plant in
Wagram, N.C.

Gulistan has been impacted by a slowdown in the residential carpet market resulting from an
extended downturn in the housing industry. According to company management, Gulistan “has been
making substantial efforts over the past few years to restructure its debts or to restructure its
business and continue to operate. The company has engaged in discussions and negotiations with a
private equity group and other companies in the industry in an attempt to sell Gulistan’s assets as
a going concern. None of these efforts have proved successful to date.”

Bank of America will provide Gulistan with a debtor-in-possession credit facility to improve
liquidity and provide working capital, and Gulistan has stated it believes it has sufficient
liquidity to operate during Chapter 11 and to continue providing goods and services to its
customers.

“Chapter 11 gives us the best opportunities to maximize the value of the Gulistan business
and its assets,” said Phillip Essig, CEO, Gulistan. “The Board of Directors, the senior management
team and I would like to express our appreciation for the hard work and loyalty of our employees.
We also want to thank our customers for their continued support and loyalty.”

If Gulistan is unable to find a buyer, approximately 395 full-time employees will be
terminated over the next four months. Specific closure dates have yet to be determined, as
different company operations would cease at different times, management said.

January 8, 2013

Tenowo Lincolnton Inc. — a Lincolnton, N.C.-based manufacturer of functional and decorative
nonwovens for automotive, industrial and apparel applications — will invest $7.2 million over the
next three years to expand its operations, and increase its workforce from 67 currently to 93.

Established in 1992 under the name HOF Textiles, Tenowo Lincolnton is a wholly owned
subsidiary of Germany-based Tenowo GmbH, a division of Hoftex Group AG. The company plans to add
fiber supply and power coating lines to meet increased demand for its products.

“Tenowo is excited and eager to move forward with expansion plans for our Lincoln County
facility,” said Lothar Hackler, Ph.D., president, Tenowo Lincolnton. “The expansion will allow
Tenowo to double the capacity for high engineered nonwoven products for the North American
automotive industry. The support from Lincoln County and the State of North Carolina were critical
to the company’s final decision to expand the Lincolnton plant. This has been a very successful
location for our company and we look forward to an even brighter future for our employees and our
company.”

The company has received a $50,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund to assist it with
the expansion.

January 8, 2013

Canada-based 3A Throwing, a provider of twisting, doubling, cabling, winding and autoclaving
services, has acquired Lowell, Mass.-based Ames Textile Corp.’s Synthetic Yarns Division in
Christiansburg, Va.

The acquisition includes a 77,000-square-foot (ft2) manufacturing plant, machinery, inventory
and other assets. According to 3A Throwing, the plant will continue operating and producing the
current Ames product line, with further expansion and product diversification planned. The facility
— which offers climate controlled conditions and is equipped with modern two-for-one twisters —
twists a range of 30- to 600-denier yarns including polyester, nylon, polypropylene and carbon
fibers. The yarns produced are used for woven labels, seat belts and other specialty end-uses
including woven, knitted, braided and other products.

Founded in 1865, Ames Textile is one of the oldest U.S. textile manufacturers to remain in
continuous operation. The company’s Game Time Fabrics Inc. division in North Andover, Mass.,
manufactures fabrics for athletic uniforms; and its Adden Furniture Inc. division, with
manufacturing facilities in Hildebran, N.C., manufactures casegoods and seating for healthcare,
residence hall, military and other applications.

3A Throwing, established in 1987, is housed in a 178,000-ft2 facility and operates 11,000
two-for-one twisting spindles as well as other equipment.

January 8, 2013