Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based Americhem Inc. — a provider of custom color and additive solutions for
man-made fibers — has added a new production line at its Manchester, United Kingdom (U.K.), plant
that will manufacture customized masterbatches for synthetic turf applications. The line will
accommodate the company’s growth in the European synthetic turf market and is expected to increase
its color and additive masterbatch capacity by more than two kilotons annually. Americhem also has
nearly doubled the plant’s manufacturing space by expanding into a 50,000-square-meter facility
located next door.

Americhem also will begin operating a synthetic turf yarn pilot line later this year at its
Dalton, Ga., manufacturing facility, to supplement production in the U.K. The line will enable the
company to perform raw material testing of pigment palettes, stabilizers, and additives, and will
help Americhem conduct spin process studies and new formula developments as well as in-house
customer trials.

August 2, 2011

Spring City, Tenn.-based SSM Industries Inc. — a manufacturer of flame-resistant (FR),
cut-resistant and thermal fabrics for military, fire and rescue and industrial applications — will
invest $3 million to add 45,000 square feet of manufacturing space at its plant and 13 jobs to its
current workforce of 90, with an additional 12 positions to be added in the future. The expansion
will allow the company to produce specialized yarns to enhance its protective fabrics portfolio.

“This expansion will take SSM Industries to the next level in the textile manufacturing
industry, and we are excited about the opportunities this expansion will allow us,” said Phil
Chandler, vice president of development, SSM Industries. “I am grateful for the continued support
from state and local officials and look forward to growing our company in Spring City.”

August 2, 2011

Fairfield, N.J.-based SGS Consumer Testing Services — a global provider of certification,
inspection, testing and verification services, and a division of Geneva-based SGS S.A. — has added
azo dye testing to its U.S. textile testing services. The company’s new capabilities will reduce
testing lead time for U.S. retailers, buyers and manufacturers, as they no longer will have to send
products destined for global markets to overseas testing labs; and the domestic testing service
will help U.S. finishers and converters meet demands for shortened production cycles.

Azo dyes are synthetic organic colorants whose molecular structures include an azo group.
They produce a wide range of bright, high-intensity colors, have fair to good fastness properties,
are cost-effective to manufacture and currently account for more than half of all commercial dyes
used. Depending on other chemical features, azo dyes are categorized according to the fibers for
which they have an affinity or their application methods.

The dyes have aroused concern because carcinogenic aromatic amines such as benzidine that are
used in producing the dyes may be released from a finished textile by perspiration or saliva,
causing health risks from skin contact or ingestion. Azo dyes may contain any of more than 20
carcinogenic amines listed under California’s Proposition 65 — which requires the state to publish
a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. These
carcinogens already have been banned in countries including China, Japan, India, Vietnam, and the
European Union; and a variety of products including T-shirts, denim jeans, scarves, dresses, hats
and bed linens have been included in azo dye-related product recalls and other enforcement actions.

“Most retailers and brands recognize the need to be aware of increasing restrictions on toxic
chemicals for their products in the global markets they sell,” said Sanjeev Gandhi, global
technical director, Consumer Products, SGS Consumer Testing Services. “For textile products, a key
area of concern is azo dyes. Being able to source necessary testing from a U.S. company both
streamlines and simplifies the process of protecting yourself from enforcement action that can
damage your brand and result in a loss of sales.”

August 2, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. — July 26, 2011 — The Textile Museum and the George Washington University today
announced an affiliation whereby The Textile Museum will move to the George Washington University’s
Foggy Bottom Campus to become a cornerstone of a new museum scheduled to open in mid-2014.

Exhibitions and programs will be presented to the public in a custom-built, approximately
35,000-square-foot museum building located at G and 21st streets, bearing the names of both The
Textile Museum and the George Washington University Museum. The new museum will include dedicated
galleries for The Textile Museum, with increased exhibition space compared to its present
facilities. Until the new museum opens, The Textile Museum will continue operating at its current
location.

In addition to the new museum, the university today announced that it will construct a
20,000-square-foot conservation and resource center on its Virginia Science and Technology Campus
in Loudoun County, Va., for the study and care of The Textile Museum and the university’s
collections. This center will include storage facilities, a conservation laboratory and facilities
for access to the collection.

The affiliation with the university will allow The Textile Museum to expand its rich
tradition of scholarship, education and fostering cultural understanding as it broadly integrates
its activities into the far-reaching GW academic community.

In this unprecedented arrangement between a university museum and an existing art museum, The
Textile Museum will continue management of its internationally acclaimed collection of more than
18,000 objects, which will be on perpetual loan to the university. The agreement, pending final
approval by both Boards of Trustees, also specifies that Textile Museum staff will continue to
develop exhibitions and programs that align with the current mission, which will remain the same
after moving to the new location.

Posted on July 28, 2011

Source: George Washington University/PRNewswire

WICHITA, Kan. — July 27, 2011 — During the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Summer Market held in Salt
Lake City, Aug. 4-7, INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand team will host a gear drive to benefit Gear to Grow.
A non-profit program, Gear to Grow is dedicated to providing donated gear from outdoor retailers
and manufacturers to other non-profits that promote outdoor recreation. 

As the official collection site, the CORDURA® brand booth (#38213) will keep a collection bin
to gather gear for the program for the duration of the show. Exhibitors are encouraged to
participate by dropping off surplus samples and equipment to the Gear to Grow donation bin during
show hours. Prior to the show, exhibitors can ship donations to the Salt Palace Convention Center,
along with gear they plan to exhibit.

“We are honored to support Gear to Grow by serving a as the collection hub for the gear drive
to help support the organization’s mission of encouraging individuals to participate in outdoor
recreational activities,” said Cindy McNaull, global CORDURA® brand and marketing director. “By
engaging with Gear to Grow and the cause to encourage outdoor recreation, the CORDURA® brand team
is able to put gear in the hands of those who wouldn’t otherwise be able to be active in the
outdoors. Everyone is durable at heart and deserves to have the opportunity to be adventurous.”

Supporting Gear to Grow falls under an initiative of the corporate citizenship pillar of the
CORDURA Cares
^SM program that demonstrates the company’s on-going commitment to the environment.

For organizations planning to ship gear to the gear-drive prior to the show, notify Gear to
Grow at contact@geartogrow.org. During the show, the CORDURA® brand team will post updates
regarding the gear-drive through social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.

About Gear to Grow

The Gear to Grow program allows outdoor retailers and manufacturers to make
tax-deductible gear donations for the benefit of getting more people involved in outdoor
recreation. Simply put, Gear to Grow brokers gear between the donors and non-profit organizations
whose primary missions entails getting people involved in outdoor activities.  Based in Salt
Lake City, Utah, the Gear to Grow program is a project of the Pacific Mountain Institute, a 501(c)
3 non-profit. The Gear to Grow program began in December 2009 and now serves more than 60 outdoor
non-profit groups throughout the United States since.

For more information on Gear to Grow visit
www.geartogrow.org.

CORDURA® brand Supports Gear to Grow at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2011 Trade Show – 2

Posted on July 28, 2011

Source: Invista

Cambridge, Mass.-based environmental and risk science consulting firm Gradient has published a
white paper entitled “Evaluation of Potential Exposure to Metals in Laundered Shop Towels,” which
analyzes the safety of laundered shop towels used by U.S. workers. Written by Gradient researchers
Dr. Barbara D. Beck, Leslie A. Beyer and Grace Greenberg, and commissioned by Kimberly-Clark
Professional — a supplier of disposable products including paper products, wipers, protective
apparel and other products — the report found the situation to be as potentially hazardous as, if
not more so than, in 2003, when Gradient conducted a similar peer-reviewed study.

In the manufacturing sector — which in the United States employs some 12 million workers,
according to National Association of Manufacturers estimates — workers use shop towels for wiping
equipment as well as their hands and faces. The used towels are typically collected from various
workplaces by industrial launderers that wash them all together and redistribute them to the same
or other workplaces.

Research indicated that the concentrations of toxic metals and chemicals in laundered shop
towels sampled from 26 industrial sites and submitted to an independent laboratory for testing were
significantly higher than in 2003. The conclusion reached was that elevated levels of metals, oil
and grease remain in the towels even after commercial laundering, creating risk of worker exposure
to contaminant levels greater than what is mandated under regulatory agency guidelines — even if
the workers use only one or two towels per day, although average usage is 12 per day. Based on
certain intake pathway assumptions, this exposure could affect workers’ long-term health. The
laundered towels also could introduce new metals into one facility from the facility where they
were previously used.

“The recently released study shows that workers are risking exposure to even greater amounts
of these metals, as well as several additional substances that were not identified the first time
around,” said Rory Holmes, president, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA),
Cary, N.C. “It is imperative that the users of these towels and their employees take a serious look
at their continued usage.”

July 26, 2011