VANCOUVER, B.C. — June 3, 2010 — Westcomb apparel and Schoeller Textil AG  partnered this
spring to build and supply the American Alpine Club with 50 Skeena soft-shell jackets that will be
part of the AAC staff uniform and also be used in association with other club events and programs.

The jackets are being shipped to AAC this week, and will be used by AAC staff at events like
the Craggin’ Classic and the International Climbers’ Meet. They will also outfit AAC section chairs
and ambassadors, avid climbers who volunteer at the local and regional levels to manage club
activities in their areas. Finally, some will be used in association with the AAC’s international
Climber’s Exchange program.

“Supporting the American Alpine Club in association with Schoeller is perfect from our
perspective,” said Westcomb founder and Creative Director Alan Yiu. “Not only are we able to get
behind AAC’s important work via our field of expertise, but we get to partner with one of our key
premium fabric suppliers in the process, highlighting both Westcomb’s Canadian-made quality and
design, as well as the uniqueness of Schoeller fabrics.”

The special make-up jackets, which feature the American Alpine Club logo as well as the
Schoeller and Westcomb logos, are based on the design and cut of Westcomb’s Skeena Hoody, an
all-around soft-shell for climbing, skiing and general mountain use.

“It is a great pleasure for us to be able to participate in this collaboration with one of
our great customers, Westcomb. Their exceptional craftsmanship of apparel parallels our own to
design and innovation,” said Schoeller Textil AG USA President, Tom Weinbender. 
“Additionally, supporting the American Alpine Club offers us the opportunity to continue our
commitment to the climbing community and the AAC’s efforts both nationally and globally.”

These 4 season AAC jackets are made with schoeller®-WB-400 fabric, a hardwearing, four-way
stretch soft-shell that offers breathability, wind and water resistance and next to skin comfort.

About Westcomb

With 100 percent of design and manufacturing based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Westcomb
uses its ‘True Form’ design philosophy to create functional, uncomplicated gear of the highest
quality workmanship. Each and every Westcomb piece is a product of precision thinking, thoughtful
design, extensive development and constant refinement. The company, founded in 2004, partners with
the world’s leading material innovators – names like Schoeller, eVent, Polartec and Pertex – to
engineer technically advanced gear constructed with the most cutting-edge materials available,
often creating industry ‘firsts’ in the process. Westcomb’s offices are located steps from its
manufacturing facility, which has decades of experience building outdoor clothing of the very
highest quality. The company’s design philosophy and unique manufacturing arrangement has led it to
international accolades, including a Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award, a Skiing Magazine Best in
Test Award, four APEX Design Awards from Polartec as well as an ISPO ‘Brand New’ award. For more
information about Westcomb, visit
www.westcomb.com or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/westcomb.

About Schoeller Textil AG

Schoeller Textil AG is an internationally operating Swiss-based company specializing in the
development and manufacture of functional fabrics and textile technologies for active sports,
workwear, lifestyle, and fashion as well as office furniture. The family owned company began in
1867 and therefore has many years of expertise and is the repeated recipient of design awards.
Schoeller operates the most modern plant in accordance with bluesign®, the world’s most strict
environmental standard. Complex customer-specific and branch-specific solutions are developed and
implemented in cooperation with universities and research institutes. Schoeller invests
particularly heavily in research in development. Only high quality and ecologically safe materials
are used for the fabrics of the “Innovative Fabrics by Schoeller Switzerland” brand that are
developed and produced in Switzerland. Therefore, in every respect, Schoeller fabrics meet the
highest standards. For Further information, please visit
www.schoeller-textiles.com or visit us on Facebook
at
www.facebook.com/schoeller. 

Posted on June 8, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of Schoeller Textil AG

President Barack Obama has signed into law the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act to provide
economic assistance to Haiti. The program likely will result in expanded textile and apparel trade
between the United States and Haiti.

The law extends two existing preferential trade agreements with Haiti, the Caribbean Basin
Trade Partnership Act and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Engagement Act,
through 2020. It also provides for some increases in tariff preference levels (TPLs) permitting use
of yam and fabric from non-participating countries at specified levels.

The American Apparel and Footwear Association has strongly endorsed the HELP Act, saying it
is important for Haiti’s economic recovery and it will bring about certainty and predictability in
the recovery efforts. U.S. textile manufecturers, who do not like TPLs in preferential trade
agreements, went along with the HELP Act because, while it increased some TPLs, it exempted from
increases some highly sensitive product categories such as trousers, T-shirts, pullovers and
sweatshirts. They view Haiti as an “exceptional case” saying the act strikes a balance between
helping Haiti recover from this year’s devastating earthquake and at the same time safeguarding
U.S. textile jobs.

June 1, 2010

Calhoun, Ga-based floor covering manufacturer Mohawk Industries Inc. will invest $60 million to
expand its Oak River North Extrusion and Yarn manufacturing facility in Bennettsville, Marlboro
County, S.C., in the state’s Pee Dee region. The facility, which began operations in 2006 and
underwent a previous expansion in 2008, currently has a workforce of more than 400 employees. The
current investment will enable the addition of 87,500 square feet of manufacturing space as well as
new yarn conversion equipment, and also is expected to create 150 new positions at that facility
over the next two years.

Oak River North produces bulk continuous filament yarn from nylon 6, polyester and triexta
polytrimethylene terephthalate polymers for various Mohawk carpet products. The partially biobased
triexta yarn is made using DuPont™ Sorona® polymer and is used to make Mohawk’s SmartStrand
carpets. Demand for Oak River North’s products has increased while the need for other extruded
products has dropped in recent years, and Mohawk has had to scale back production at other
facilities, according to Larry Perugini, the company’s vice president, yarn and extrusion
manufacturing.

“We have been very pleased with the results of the Oak River North Extrusion and Yarn
operations. The people at the facility have been key contributors to our company’s success, and we
are grateful for their good work and dedication,” Perugini said.

“In some other areas of the state, we’ve actually reduced jobs, with the economy being what
it is, and this is an expansion in an area where it’s desperately needed,” he said. “As Mohawk’s
needs for fiber and yarn evolve with changes in consumer demand, we have to analyze our assets and
invest at locations that can help us fulfill our customer’s preferences.”

Announcement of the expansion is certainly welcome for the residents of Marlboro County,
which was particularly hard-hit by the recent economic recession. The county registered an
unemployment rate of 19.5 percent in April 2010 — the highest of any county in South Carolina —
compared with the statewide average of 11.6 percent, according to the South Carolina Department of
Employment and Workforce.

“We are thrilled with Mohawk’s decision, and our legislative delegation was delighted to work
on this project with local officials and state officials,” said S.C. Rep. Doug Jennings, chairman
of the Marlboro County Legislative Delegation. “The announcement by Mohawk shows confidence in
Marlboro County and the state of South Carolina, and we are excited that they will be expanding
their facilities and creating new jobs at a time when they are critically needed.”



June 1, 2010

RALEIGH, N.C. — May 27, 2010 — The rubber boots that emergency personnel wear when responding to
situations where hazardous materials (HazMat) are present may be functional, but they’re not very
comfortable. New research coming out of North Carolina State University hopes to provide a next
generation HazMat boot that meets both criteria.

“We’ve learned from firefighters and other first responders that the current rubber boots are
slippery and uncomfortable; they’d prefer a leather boot similar to ones they wear during
non-HazMat situations,” explains Dr. Roger Barker, professor of Textile Engineering Chemistry and
Science, director of the Textile Protection and Comfort Center (T-PACC), and lead researcher for
this study.

HazMat boots have traditionally been made of rubber so that they can be easily decontaminated
and cleaned. Leather boots, which are more comfortable, have not been used because leather absorbs
liquids – making decontamination a major technical issue. However, with the availability of new
textile materials and surface treatments, researchers at NC State are confident they can develop a
comfortable – and functional – leather boot for use in both fire-fighting and HazMat operations.

“We’re currently in the process of creating prototypes of this new HazMat boot. We have been
exploring options like providing a finish to the leather that would reduce chemical absorption,
while making it easyto clean and decontaminate,” Barker says. “So we’re not just creating a leather
HazMat boot, we’re also designing a simple cleaning method to use on the boot that is readily
available to onsite emergency personnel. If they have to send their boots off to a lab to be
decontaminated, the boot is no longer functional.”

Barker and his team, which includes Dr. Don Thompson, associate director of T-PACC, along
with Dr. Keith Beck, Shawn Deaton, Dr. Gerardo Montero,and graduate student Ashley Bradham, have
demonstrated the ability of the special leather material to repel toxic chemicals. They are
currently conducting their research in T-PACC’s state-of-the-art Man-in-Simulant Test (MIST)
laboratory – which allows researchers to evaluate the performance capability of protective
footwear, gloves, masks and garments against a non-toxic vapor resembling chemical and biological
agents in a manner simulating how those garments systems would be used by a first responder. They
are also testing the prototype boots for comfort, ergonomic function, traction and stability.

“We’ll be doing tests by visiting fire departments and getting first responders to wear the
different prototypes while performing activities such as walking up and down steps, on different
terrains, and through a simulated task routine ” Barker says.

The research on this new tactical chemical, biological, radiological,and nuclear (CBRN) first
responder boot is funded by an $800,000 grant from the Department of Defense through the Combating
Terrorism Technical Support Office.

After the final prototype has been demonstrated, it will be evaluated and certified to
National Fire Protection Association standards by independent laboratories. Following
certification, private footwear companies would be responsible for manufacturing the final product
and bringing it to market.

Posted on June 1, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of NC State News Services

Germany-based Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG has renamed its India-based subsidiary. Moving forward,
the group company will drop the name Trumac Engineering Co. Pvt. and will be known as Truetzschler
India Pvt. Ltd. The company is involved in Trützschler’s spinning and card clothing segments, and
also will begin to support its nonwovens division in India.

Trützschler and A.T.E. Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. established Trumac as a joint venture in 1979.
The business began manufacturing blow room machines, and over the years, it added cards and draw
frames to its production line. In more recent years, Trumac has transitioned into making and
marketing Trützschler branded machinery in India. The company has expanded and updated its
manufacturing facilities to support the changes to its product line, and Trützschler decided the
name change would highlight “the transformation from production facility to fully integrated
producer and service provider.”

June 1, 2010

West Bloomfield, Mich.-based Crypton Inc. — a producer of eco-friendly performance fabrics
featuring stain-, odor- and microbe-repelling technology — has signed a licensing agreement with
New York City-based Richloom Fabrics Group, a supplier of home décor products, for the production
of Crypton Super Fabrics in China. Richloom also will distribute Crypton fabrics in Asia, Europe
and the Middle East.

Crypton reports there is significant demand in China for its fabrics, but the shipping cost
and time involved with sending its products to Asia makes access to the products difficult for
Chinese manufacturers. 

“This licensing agreement allows Crypton to meet the growing global demand for Crypton
high-performance fabrics, and it represents a significant growth opportunity for our customers and
business partners,” said Crypton Co-founder Randy Rubin. “The decision to select Richloom was based
on the company’s years of experience and because it was best suited to incorporate Crypton’s
proprietary manufacturing processes.”

June 1, 2010

The president of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) has made an urgent appeal for
Congress to enact legislation combating fraud and other forms of illegal trade that he claims are
costing “tens of thousands of U.S. jobs.”

In testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee’s Trade Subcommittee, NCTO President
Cass Johnson outlined a litany of fraudulent practices that he says are running rampant as a result
of lack of enforcement of free trade and preferential trade agreements.

“There is no more important issue for the domestic textile industry than the integrity and
enforcement of our trade agreements and obligations,” Johnson said.

He told the subcommittee that “years have passed” since enactment of the Central
America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, the North America Free Trade Agreement and the
Andean Free Trade Agreement, and “we still are wondering when the promised tough enforcement is
going to appear.” Johnson said the textile industry has seen rapid increases in illegal fraud
coming from the free trade and preferential trade agreement countries “as unscrupulous importers
and producers have progressively discovered there is little they can’t get away with.”

He said this situation has left his association’s member companies “shaken and angry” and
that “many companies have lost faith in the government’s commitment to defend them from illegal
activity.”

Claiming that preferential trade agreements have become the “lifeblood of the U.S. textile
industry,” Johnson said textile and apparel trade within the Western Hemisphere countries now
amounts to $20 billion a year. In addition, he said, the U.S. Treasury may be losing as much as $1
billion a year in revenue because importers are undervaluing apparel products from China or
improperly claiming free trade preferences.

Johnson appended to his testimony the case history of R.L. Stowe Mills, a 103-year-old
company that ceased operations in 2009 and is going through a liquidation process due in large
measure, according to Harding Stowe, its CEO, to the lack of enforcement of fraudulent practices in
textile trade.

Johnson said his association has developed six key areas in which problems need to be
addressed:

• Customs verification systems regarding textiles and apparel are burdensome to importers and
  provide Customs with little actionable information.
• Customs can do a better job of making import specialist assignments to high-trade ports.
• Importers that do not reside in the United States and therefore are outside of the nation’s
  legal authority have become difficult to manage and have become a major source of fraudulent
  activities.
• Customs needs additional resources to focus on and combat undervalued goods, particularly from
  China.
• Customs does not have sufficient resources to partner with foreign-country customs services,
  particularly in the free and preferential trade areas.
• The Justice Department currently discourages commercial fraud cases.

Johnson said he expects the leadership of the Congressional Textile Caucus to introduce
legislation that, for the first time, will be “textile specific” and address what the industry
hopes will be solutions to some of its fraudulent trade problems.



May 25, 2010

Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG’s “The Fiber Year” report is a valuable source of information
about annual global fiber consumption. Here are some general trends: In total, global fiber
consumption increased 4.2 percent up to 70.5 million metric tons (tonnes). Man-made fiber
consumption rose 4.0 percent to 44.1 million tonnes, and natural fibers netted an increase of 4.5
percent up to 26.4 million tonnes. The average fiber consumption per head is estimated at 10.4
kilograms based of a world population of 6.8 billion people.

Following are some excerpts from Oerlikon Textile’s summary of “The Fiber Year 2009/10,”
which will be published in June 2010:

Cotton

Current season’s world cotton production is expected to decline 4.8 percent to 22.3 million
tonnes. The increasing approval and cultivation of genetically modified cotton had resulted in
soaring cotton yields. … Current season’s output returned to the long-term trend due to
3.5-percent lower yields per hectare in the actual season and the fifth consecutive seasonal
decline in cotton area. In contrast, global consumption is projected to rise 5.4 percent to 25.2
million tonnes.

Wool

World wool production fell 7.4 percent at 1.1 million tonnes clean weight in 2009, marking
the seventh annual decline …. Apparel wool [fell] 8 percent to 552,000 tonnes, while production
of wool used in interior textiles fell 6 percent to 547,000 tonnes. Almost half the world output
comes from Australia, PR China and New Zealand. … [Australia] is the world’s largest supplier of
apparel wool, accounting for around 50 percent of world production.

Cellulosic Fibers

The cellulosic fiber market increased by 7.7 percent to 3.8 million tonnes …. [D]ue to
lower output in Europe and the United States, [filament production] declin[ed] by 5.4 percent to
351,000 tonnes. The production of viscose staple fibers soared 11.4 percent to 2.7 million tonnes
thanks to growing demand in nonwovens, textile applications and flame retardant product ….
Viscose fibers strongly benefited from a shortage in cotton and an increasing requirement for
comfort that cotton could not meet. Above-average consumption became apparent in PR China and India
as a result of rising household incomes. Huge investments in this sector in PR China expected to
come on-stream in 2010 may give cause for serious concern related to supply of raw material and
search of new sales areas needed to operate these breathtaking investments at full capacity. Steady
growth momentum was provided by the subsector of acetate tows, rising 2.3 percent to 759,000
tonnes.

Synthetic Fibers

The total market was up 3.7 percent to 40.3 million tonnes. … The man-made fiber spinning
business has further declined in developed countries, while Asia continued to gain market shares.
The Asian manufacturing volume of more than 36 million tonnes corresponds to a global 83-percent
market share. The Chinese industry increased its output by 11.2 percent to 26.3 million tonnes.



Polyester

The fundamental change of the polyester business has continued in favor of PR China, actually
taking in a 69-percent share. The economic center of gravity will continue to be in PR China as
several large-scale expansion projects in textile and industrial yarn markets will shortly come
on-stream.

The strong growth in the polyester textile yarn production of 6.7 percent to 18.2 million
tonnes was driven by a small number of Asian countries while the Western Hemisphere reported heavy
declines. This has lifted the Asian market share to nearly 97 percent. … [Greater European
textile filament] production volume fell 22 percent and the Americas suffered from a decline of 15
percent last year.

The industrial yarn business has suffered from the downturn in the automotive industry. The
global output of polyester industrial yarn was down 6.1 percent to nearly 1.1 million tonnes. While
production in Greater Europe dramatically fell by 44 percent, the Americas were down 19 percent.
According to figures from the China Chemical Fiber Association, national output increased by 22
percent to 550,000 tonnes.

The staple business grew 4.4 percent to 12.6 million tonnes [with] Asia … accounting for an
89-percent market share. … [I]n PR China, [w]hile national output rose 9 percent to 7.9 million
tonnes, the average utilization rate was just slightly above 70 percent last year. India …
increased volumes by 15 percent to around 860,000 tonnes …. Taiwan and South Korea … both
managed to lift output as well. … Production in Greater Europe went down by 14 percent to below
600,000 tonnes. While Turkey was stable, Western Europe decreased by 23 percent to 268,000 tonnes
…. In the Americas, production declined by 15 percent to about 725,000 tonnes.

Polyamide

Polyamide fibers [production declined] by 1.4 percent to 3.5 million tonnes in 2009.
Continuously rising caprolactam prices… have resulted in increasing prices of the subsequent
products. Furthermore, the depressed housing market in the United States and lower vehicle build
rates have put additional strain on the industry. … [T]extile yarn was up by 8.3 percent at 1.6
million tonnes. [In] other sectors the industrial yarn business [declined] 7.4 percent at 0.9
million tonnes, carpet yarn [fell] 8.0 percent to 0.7 million tonnes and staple fibers [dropped]
15.7 percent to 214,000 tonnes.

Polypropylene

The world polyropylene market decreased by 6.5 percent to 2.6 million tonnes, suffering from
a substantial increase in fiber grade prices from the second quarter and reduced consumer spending
for home textiles. In the United States, slow demand for carpet yarn and increasing substitution by
polyester have put additional pressure on the industry. While staple fiber applications increased
by 3.5 percent to 1.1 million tonnes, output of filament yarns declined by 12.7 percent to 1.5
million tonnes.

Acrylic

The acrylic fibers market has seen its first growth after four years of contraction …. In
2009, the global output rose 4.4 percent to 1.9 million tonnes. The recovery of operating rates
started in Asia and reached Europe in the second quarter whereas the Americas did not witness any
improvement.

Global Yarn Production At Almost 62 Million Tonnes

The 2009 world output of yarns was up 4.0 percent to 61.8 million tonnes. Filament yarns
increased 3.4 percent to 24.8 million tonnes, of which carpet yarns (excluding polyester carpet
yarn) dropped 13.4 percent to 1.7 million tonnes, industrial yarns declined 6.9 percent to 2.4
million tonnes and textile filament yarns were up 6.4 percent at 20.7 million tonnes. Short staple
yarn rose 5.1 percent to 32.9 million tonnes and long staple yarn remained at … 4.1 million
tonnes. The Chinese output volume accounted for 39.7 million tonnes [64-percent market share].
India has produced 5.7 million tonnes [9 percent]. The United States managed to achieve a
manufacturing volume of 1.9 million tonnes, followed by Taiwan with 1.5 million and South Korea
with 1.1 million tonnes.



Nonwovens

[In the nonwovens industry] personal hygiene … and medical were not impacted by the
economic slowdown. … [A]utomotive, construction and home textiles, however, suffered from the
slump in economic activities. In total, last year’s output … increased by 6.3 percent to 7.1
million tonnes …. In developed countries, growth in population and disposable income will further
lead to increased spending for consumer disposables. Further, an aging population will raise the
demand for medical nonwovens and adult incontinence products. … [I]nvestments in infrastructure
will assist the industrial development for geotextiles and agricultural applications.

Source: Oerlikon Textile (www.oerlikontextile.com)



May 25, 2010

Warwick, R.I.-based Biomedical Structures LLC (BMS) — a supplier of custom-designed biomedical
textiles for orthopedic, cardiovascular, general and reconstructive surgery, tissue engineering and
regenerative medicine, among other advanced clinical applications — has received financing from
Boston-based private equity firm Ampersand Ventures to support expansion of its services and
further development of technologies and cutting-edge materials.

BMS, established in 2003 as an independent, privately held company, designs and manufactures
crafted, nonwoven fibers and biomaterials, partnering with device companies to develop prototypes,
and eventually acting as contract manufacturer for final end products, which include a variety of
510(k) approved, implantable devices, components for surgical procedures and drug delivery tools.

“The Ampersand investment comes at a critical time in our company’s development when we are
seeing increased demand for our expanding portfolio of products and services,” said John Gray,
president, BMS. “The additional resources will enable us to grow even faster with new personnel,
more advanced equipment, and increased manufacturing capacity. Ampersand’s investment validates the
growth strategy that we have been implementing since our inception, and allows us to focus intently
on providing a distinct set of services to our customers.”

May 25, 2010

DSM Dyneema — manufacturer of Dyneema® high-performance polyethylene fiber and a division of the
Netherlands-based life and materials sciences company Royal DSM NV — has introduced Dyneema
Purity® Blue, the first 100-percent colored implantable ultra high molecular weight polyethylene
(UHMWPE) fiber for medical-grade applications. The fiber, which features the original Dyneema
Purity®’s strength, softness and abrasion-resistance properties, offers improved contrast for
implantation through arthroscopic surgeries and differentiation among multiple sutures on multiple
anchors.

Dyneema Purity Blue may be used alone or in combination with standard white Dyneema Purity to
develop a high-strength suture. According to DSM, several braid patterns can be developed to
provide bright contrast among different sutures, including solid blue and white/blue combinations.
The company also reports the fiber offers good elongation and fatigue resistance compared with
traditional materials; low irritation and inflammatory levels when compared with implantable
materials such as polyester; and offers advanced biocompatibility comparable to that of Dyneema
Purity® SGX, which has been used in orthopedic sutures since 2004.

In other company news, DSM has introduced new Dyneema SB (soft ballistic) and HB (hard
ballistic) concepts for protective gear certified to German law enforcement requirements. Dyneema
SB is used in a new concept for high-comfort, covert vests that protect against handgun ammunition,
fragments and knives; and meet the German SK 1 standard for weight below 500 kilograms per square
meter. Dyneema HB comprising UHMWPE was developed for use in inserts, shields and helmets to
protect against heavier, more penetrating threats and high-caliber rifle threats. Inserts based on
Dyneema HB80 are laboratory-certified up to the German SK 4 standard, providing optimal protection
levels but weighing 20-percent less than conventional hard armor gear. Helmets and ballistic
mandible guards made with Dyneema HB meet German military standards.

May 25, 2010