The Hohenstein Institute, a Germany-based textile research and testing laboratory with offices
worldwide, has completed a study on the effect of comfortable uniforms and workwear on the wearer’s
performance, and has developed testing technology to predict a fabric’s or garment’s effect on the
wearer.

The study involved measuring reaction time, concentration levels and error rates for subjects
wearing various kinds of apparel under conditions requiring long-term, intense concentration. Those
wearing comfortable apparel were shown to perform significantly better on the tests – confirming
that comfortable uniforms and workwear are especially important for people in stressful and
concentration-intense occupations such as aviation, high-tech manufacturing, transportation,
medicine, public safety and the military.

The institute also has created testing technology for predicting how a fabric or garment
affects the wearer. The technology involves mechanical skin sensory models that measure wicking,
body temperature regulation, drying time, moisture and wind resistance, as well as next-to-skin
feel; and also evaluates a fabric’s hypoallergenic attributes and its likelihood of irritating skin
during intense use. The tests may be conducted under various controlled scenarios, depending on the
product’s intended use, and can help designers and manufacturers create apparel that is comfortable
for specific occupations. Hohenstein reports its tests are more cost-effective than large-scale
wear tests needed to produce the same amount of data, and that the test results are objective,
reproducible and more readily available.

“Hohenstein has quantified the common belief that clothing affects performance. Workwear and
uniform companies now have the tools they need to confirm that their products contribute to
outstanding performance and workwear safety,” said Dr. Sam Moore, managing director, Hohenstein
Institute America, Elon, N.C. “Maintaining and enhancing comfort through clothing design is an
important way to improve safety and performance in the work place, on the battlefield, and anywhere
else uniformed people operate.”

November 8, 2011

Frankfurt-based trade fair organizer Messe Frankfurt GmbH and the Paris-based École Superieure des
Arts et Techniques de la Mode (ESMOD) have partnered to promote sustainability in the fashion
sector.

According to Detlef Braun, a member of the Messe Frankfurt Executive Board, the two entities
intend to develop a “solid platform for fashion produced by ecologically and socially responsible
means.”

Noting the importance of educating students about environmental concerns with support from
professional and specialist resources, ESMOD International General Manager Christine Walter-Bonini
stated, “With Messe Frankfurt we found a strong partner in the field of sustainable textiles with a
worldwide network.”

In addition to organizing more than 30 textile trade shows worldwide each year, Messe
Frankfurt organizes two events showcasing sustainable fashion: the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris
featuring more than 100 brands that produce ethical fashion; and the GREENshowroom in Berlin
showcasing high-end fashion, accessories and other “lifestyle” goods produced in keeping with
environmentally and socially responsible principles.

Messe Frankfurt and ESMOD jointly will develop several initiatives including:
“Sustainability and Eco-Fashion,” a program of study that will be incorporated into ESMOD’s
curricula; an “Eco-Fashion” international design award; a trend show titled the “ESMOD/Ethical
Fashion Show”; public relations activities; and an international network.

ESMOD was established in 1841 by Master Tailor Guerre Lavigne, who supplied clothing to the
court of Empress Eugénie. Lavigne taught students to make patterns directly on the so-called
Lavigne bust, and that teaching method continues to be used at the school’s network of 21 campuses
in 14 countries. Among ESMOD’s alumni are well-known designers including Jean Paul Gaultier and
Thierry Mugler.

November 1, 2011

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