For decades, textile waste was just discarded in the trash. Only a few smart people recognized that
textile waste or used clothing were more than just garbage. The legend says that the Warner
Brothers, immigrants from Poland, and other Hollywood tycoons made their first fortunes in the rag
business.

Some 25 years back, the textile industry realized that textile waste is a source of
secondary raw material. In the 1990s, the author visited near Valencia, Spain, a Spanish recycler,
Alcocertex, which used machinery from France-based Laroche S.A. to process more than 200 metric
tons of textile waste per day! Even in those days, textile waste was already a sought-after
material, and the recycler was buying textile waste from all over Europe, and even from overseas.

International Organization

After World War II, the international recycling industry realized the need for an
organization that would support the needs of the growing recycling industry. For this reason, the
Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) was founded in 1948 to be the first federation to promote
the interests of the global recycling industry. The non-profit organization is headquartered in
Brussels, Belgium.

Reasons Why

In its mission statement, the BIR states that it “promotes materials recycling and
facilitates free and fair trade of recyclables in a sustainable and competitive world economy.” The
organization “offers its members timely information about the international recycling markets,
their legislative context and the latest technologies.” Commodity divisions include ferrous metals,
nonferrous metals, paper and textiles.

A Big Business

In the last 20 years or so, collecting textile waste has become big business, and one can
read stories here and there about some illegal actions. BIR experts estimate that of all textiles
collected, about half are reused and half are recycled. Sustainability is one of the key words
today, and recycling is a truly sustainable business. As an example, the BIR calculates that if
every one of the United Kingdom’s 60 million citizens would buy one reclaimed woolen garment per
year, 1,686 million liters of water and 480 metric tons of chemical dyestuffs on average would be
saved. These are impressive numbers.

The other side of the recycling coin is the fact that some 50 percent of all discarded
textiles are donated to charities. And, surprisingly or not, more than 60 percent of apparel
recovered for second-hand use is exported. In many African countries, more than 80 percent of the
people wear second-hand garments.

Illegal Actions

Because more than half of the used apparel is donated, illegal actions are occurring more
and more. That’s why the proliferation of questionable collection containers — mainly in Western
Europe and the United States — has hurt the business of established recycling companies. Olaf
Rintsch of Germany, president of the BIR Textiles Division, said in a recent roundtable meeting in
Germany that “we need to do something about this,” and that, furthermore, the market for originals
is currently “very competitive.”

The chase for raw material is provoking more illegal actions, with one result being that
sorters have not been able to build a winter inventory. Various regions in the United States have
seen 10- to 25-percent increases in prices of original second-hand material.

Furthermore, Alan Wheeler of the U.K.-based Textile Recycling Association noted, “Yields
from collections are decreasing as both legal and illegal competition for collections increases and
thefts continue.”

The situation is so serious that the U.K.’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau initiated a
campaign nationwide to make law enforcement agencies aware of the seriousness of charity bag fraud.
Also in France, industry representatives note that thefts from containers in that country are
rising.

Environmentally Friendly

Recycling is not only an economical business, but also ecological: The BIR estimates that
“with the re-use of recovered materials in manufacturing processes or in consumption cycles, there
is a strong decrease of CO
₂ [carbon dioxide] emissions compared to the production of virgin materials.” The
organization cites a 2008 University of Copenhagen study noting the environmental advantages
resulting from the collection of used clothing. According to the study, for every kilogram (kg) of
used apparel that is collected, the following reductions are realized: 3.6 kg of CO
₂ emissions; 6,000 liters of water consumption; 0.3 kg of fertilizer use; and 0.2 kg of
pesticide use.

The conclusion is easy: Don’t waste your waste. It’s worth real money, and reusing or
recycling it is good for the environment.

November 1, 2011

Switzerland-based specialty chemicals manufacturer Clariant International Ltd. has opened a
regional headquarters in Singapore to serve customers in the Southeast Asia and Pacific regions.
The location currently employs 200 people and also will serve as the regional headquarters for
Süd-Chemie AG, a Germany-based specialty chemicals company that Clariant acquired earlier this
year. Süd-Chemie is expected to boost Clariant’s growth in the Asia Pacific region.

The Singapore headquarters also will house Clariant’s Textile Chemicals business unit (BU),
which has relocated from Reinach, Switzerland

(See “Clariant Relocates Textile Chemicals BU, Completes GANO project,” www.TextileWorld.com,
Oct. 19, 2010)
. Senior management and the global textile application technology team will operate out of the
new office, which also includes a state-of-the-art laboratory.

In addition, Clariant’s Industrial and Consumer Specialties (ICS) BU has opened its first
ethoxylation plant in China. Located in Guangdong province, the 80,000-square-meter plant is ICS’s
largest in the Asia Pacific. The plant will manufacture surfactants and have an initial annual
capacity of approximately 50,000 tons; and features an autoclave laboratory to facilitate product
development and customization.

“Expanding Clariant’s business in the fast-growing Asian region is an important pillar in
our profitable growth strategy and a strong commitment to serving our customers and markets,” said
Hariolf Kottmann, CEO, Clariant.

November 1, 2011

The Noman Group, Bangladesh — a vertical textile company involved mostly in the apparel and home
textiles markets — recently installed a Montex 6500 6F tenter from Germany-based A. Monforts
Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG. According to Monforts, Noman — founded in 1968 — is its biggest
customer in Bangladesh, owning 19 plants and employing more than 40,000 people. Noman has operated
a range of Monforts machinery — including two other Montex tenters, and Monfortex and Toptex
shrinkage units for woven and knitted fabrics — for some time.

Bengal Technological Corp., Monforts representative in Bangladesh, supplied and installed
the new tenter at Noman Weaving Mills, which is located on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Gabriel Tagasa, Noman advisor in the Sreepur Zone, said Noman spent a considerable amount of
money in 2010 to expand capacity for spinning and dyeing in both weaving and knitting to maintain
the company’s position as a major exporter. “All of our work is exported,” said Tagasa.
“Consequently, the Montex 6500 is an important investment for us. It adds to the enormous
flexibility we already have, which is substantially based on our existing Monforts technology. A
lot of our customers are producing niche fashion items, sportswear and so on, often in relatively
small production runs. We can therefore produce what is needed to meet their design and quality
criteria.

“In addition to the size and capacity of the Montex 6500, we are very impressed by the
machine’s energy saving operation,” he continued. “There is a great shortage of energy supply in
our country, and although we are fully backed up by generators, we are always very conscious of the
need to reduce our energy consumption.”

In 2011, Noman plans to increase capacity for twill, poplin, canvas and yarn-dyed fabrics;
and will launch new lines in denim, terry towel and jersey-knitted fabrics.

November 1, 2011

Charlotte-based holding company Ruddick Corp. will sell its subsidiary American & Efird Inc.
(A&E) — a Mount Holly, N.C.-based manufacturer and distributor of industrial sewing thread,
embroidery thread, technical textiles and consumer products — to New York City-based investment
firm KPS Capital Partners LP through a newly created affiliate, A&E Global. The $180 million
acquisition is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2012 and is subject to closing
conditions.

A&E has been in business for 120 years and has 31 manufacturing centers and 76
distribution points in 41 countries. Its sewing thread is used in apparel, automotive components,
home furnishings, medical supplies, footwear and industrial products, among other applications; and
many of its products are certified according to Oeko-Tex® Standard 100.

Ruddick Corp.’s other primary business is Harris Teeter Inc., a regional chain of
supermarkets located in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In announcing the sale,
Ruddick stated that with A&E’s considerable growth in Asia, it has become more of a complex
international manufacturing company and no longer strategically fits in its business portfolio with
Harris Teeter.

“We are pleased to have reached an agreement with KPS regarding their acquisition of
A&E,” said Thomas W. Dickson, president, CEO and chairman of the Board, Ruddick Corp. “This
transaction allows the management team and their associates at A&E to continue to pursue their
strategic plan of transforming A&E into a more Asian-centric enterprise, which has been years
in the making.”

“We are excited to create a new, independent A&E Global,” said Michael Psaros, managing
partner, KPS Capital Partners. “Rarely have we seen a North American enterprise so successfully
globalize by capitalizing on its numerous competitive advantages and following its customers
abroad, while still retaining its core values. The company is ideally positioned to benefit from
the growth of the world’s fastest growing markets. A&E’s exceptional high-quality product
offering, superior customer service, global footprint, operational and technical expertise and
customer base, together with financial resources provided by KPS, will accelerate A&E’s success
and growth in the global marketplace.”

November 1, 2011

UZWIL/WINTERTHUR, Switzerland — October 26, 2011 — Uzwil-based technology group Bühler is to
acquire two manufacturing facilities in the Czech Republic from Rieter, the textile machinery group
based in Winterthur. These operate as suppliers to Rieter and other companies in various industrial
sectors. This move gives both companies additional flexibility in manufacturing and in balancing
capacity, and creates optimal preconditions for the long-term further development of these plants.

Additional manufacturing flexibility for Rieter

The manufacturing operations earmarked for sale (employing a workforce of 315 at the end of
2010) are located in Zamberk and Ústí nad Orlicí, and are part of Rieter CZ, a wholly-owned
subsidiary of the Rieter Group. As manufacturers of subassemblies, components and sheet metal parts
they operate mainly as suppliers to Rieter. Business with third-party customers in different
industrial sectors has been expanded progressively in recent years. Rieter also intends to employ
these plants in future as suppliers for its textile machinery manufacturing activities. However, in
light of the further expansion of its business in the major Asian markets Rieter foresees changes
in the volume of purchases from its Czech facility.

Through the transfer of this business to a new industrial owner (Bühler), Rieter will gain
additional flexibility in manufacturing and at the same time create optimal development prospects
for the plants being sold. Rieter’s remaining activities at the Ústí nad Orlicí and Boskovice sites
are not affected by this transaction.

Reinforcement of Bühler’s manufacturing capacity close to the market

Bühler will not only retain all Rieter employees, but also plans further investment in the
Czech manufacturing site. In reinforcing its manufacturing capacity in Europe, and especially in
eastern Europe, it is pursuing the principle of producing efficiently and cost-effectively, as
close as possible to the market.

The acquisition in the Czech Republic will at the same time increase the group’s flexibility
by enabling the targeted growth in output to be handled in-house, and will create scope to improve
throughput times. As a result of Rieter’s ownership of these manufacturing facilities to date
Bühler will benefit from their high quality standards, their know-how and their familiarity with
Swiss corporate culture.

The transaction is expected to be completed in January 2012. The parties have agreed not to
disclose the purchase price.

Posted on November 1, 2011

Source: Rieter Holding Ltd.

McAllen, Texas-based FibeRio Technology Corp. — a company created to commercialize Forcespinning™
technology, which uses centrifugal force to spin nanofibers, nanowires and nanorods — reports its
Cyclone™ Fiber Engine (FE) 1.1 is the first industrial-scale model utilizing Forcespinning
technology that is capable of continuously producing nanofibers via solution and melt spinning. The
system builds on FibeRio’s efforts to scale up its Cyclone L-1000 Forcespinning research laboratory
equipment to commercial production. The new model also enables an increased range of materials to
be processed and products to be manufactured at significantly reduced costs. FibeRio designed the
machine to be integrated into an existing nonwoven production line to increase its productivity; or
to be delivered as a discreet roll-to-roll system for specialty products or limited runs.

According to the company, the Cyclone FE 1.1 is able to produce nanofibers with diameters
averaging 500 nanometers and below with a very tight standard distribution that ensures uniform
slip flow, barrier or absorption, among other properties; and features a proprietary design that
uniformly deposits the nanofibers across its 1.1-meter width. Raw material is fed to the machine
via an advanced extrusion and solution pump system that can be controlled discretely or by software
custom-designed to interface with the customer’s factory floor controls.

“Over the past year we have received an outstanding response to our technology and
equipment, with the largest nonwovens and filtration companies in the world asking us to provide
them with equipment that will expand the market for nanofiber functionalized media through new
materials and lowered cost,” said Ellery Buchanan, CEO, FibeRio. “The Cyclone FE 1.1 has
unparalleled output capacity and eliminates the requirement for toxic solvents making it the
perfect manufacturing platform to spread across multiple business units. Nonwovens and filtration
companies can now proceed rapidly to establish a secure, competitive position. It is a very
exciting time for FibeRio and the nonwovens industry at large.”

FibeRio will launch the Cyclone FE 1.1 at the Filtration 2011 International Conference and
Exposition, organized by the Cary, N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA)
and to be held in Chicago November 15-17.

October 25, 2011

The objective of the Rupp Report is to communicate with the global textile community. The column is
driven mainly by the input and the feedback of its 21,000-plus readers. Last week, the Rupp Report
reported about the glorious idea of the Germany-based Groz-Beckert Group to invite its apprentices
to ITMA 2011 in Barcelona, Spain. Readers were invited to send in similar stories. And again, the
feedback has been lively. However, this week, the Rupp Report has another story to report.

Human-centered Textiles

Since its appearance on this planet, humankind has been in the center of attention. Humans
have been a focus especially in textile products. Many companies around the world are producing
yarns and products to benefit humankind in the broadest sense. The Rupp Report calls them
“human-centered textiles.” And they are not only connected to the human body, but they are also
products that protect the globe from environmental problems. For the next decade, geotextiles are
one of the big solutions for protecting the environment from erosion; and agrotextiles are
protecting food and other crops. The list is virtually endless.

However, textiles that have a direct link to the human body — such as medical textiles,
hygiene products or similar applications — are in the foreground of attention. One of the most
important end-uses is the protection of the body — for example, for firefighters. Protective
apparel for firefighters must fulfill numerous requirements. One of the most important is the
wearer’s comfort and freedom of movement while working, which allows the firefighter to work much
longer and more effectively. The author of the Rupp Report was a volunteer firefighter for nearly
25 years. And you can be sure, dear reader, working with a heavy, polyvinyl chloride-coated
old-fashioned jacket is probably more difficult than the job itself.

New Products Are Needed

The task to find new materials for firefighter gear has not been easy. Austria-based viscose
producer Lenzing AG found another way to solve this problem with success: The company has become a
world champion for firefighters and police. As Lenzing reported, athletes wearing firefighter
apparel made with its protective Lenzing FR® fiber and workwear made with Tencel® fiber won world
championship titles at the World Police & Fire Games 2011 in New York City. This event, held
since 1985 for members of public safety organizations, includes some 70 different athletic events
and 16,000 participants. It is said to be the largest international sports event after the Olympic
Games.

Lenzing sponsored Austrian firefighter Herbert Krenn, who wore protective apparel made with
Lenzing FR, and police officer Gottfried Post, who wore T-shirts made with Tencel. Both athletes
won gold medals. According to Lenzing, the integrated flame protection in Lenzing FR offers
superior performance in extreme situations, and the fiber is said to be skin-friendly. Over the
past year, Lenzing has equipped Krenn with its Lenzing FR apparel to wear various competitions.
Krenn said “the fiber offers protection from overheating and excessive perspiration.” But more
importantly, he said, the apparel “doesn’t inhibit me or irritate me during the competitions, so
nothing interferes with my complete concentration. These advantages are not only important in
contests. Since I am also a member of the voluntary fire brigade, these properties could also save
lives when I am on a job.” Speaking as an experienced fire fighter, the author can only emphasize
this statement. It is nice to know that Herbert Krenn defended his world champion “Ultimate
Firefighter” title and won the gold medal again.

Policeman Gottfried Post — the other gold medalist, who won the Pistol Police Action event
highlighting practical pistol shooting — wore a T-shirt made with Tencel. Post said his Tencel polo
shirt was pleasant to wear and kept his skin cool and dry. Indeed, he won a second gold medal for
the Austrian team. The fiber is used in a wide range of applications including corporate fashion,
professional apparel in the food service industry and in uniforms. Tencel features properties that
are important in both competitive activities and actual working conditions, and that include
reduced bacterial growth, skin-sensory properties, and excellent moisture-management performance,
according to Lenzing. Are there any other gold medalists around? Write to the Rupp Report
jrupp@textileworld.com.

October 25, 2011