RAJASTHAN, India — Texcyle, a pioneering Indian sock supplier, officially launches into the global market, proudly introducing the first-ever use of Bio-Elastane in the production of socks. Founded in 2023 by Raunak Hasnani, an ambitious entrepreneur with a passion for revolutionising the sock industry, Texcyle is committed to producing 100-percent organic socks and partnering with brands dedicated to sustainable and ethical practices.
Socks that are kind to the feet and the planet
Texcyle’s mission goes beyond just providing socks; it aims to eliminate greenwashing claims in the fashion industry by offering a transparent and eco-friendly manufacturing process. The company’s unique selling point lies in its dedication to a low carbon footprint, top-notch quality, and customization services.
The socks produced by Texcyle are crafted from a combination of Organic Cotton, Recycled Polyester, and revolutionary Bio-Elastane, making them pioneers of low carbon footprint socks. The company ensures a sustainable manufacturing process from start to end by sourcing ethical and certified materials. Texcyle has also taken a bold step towards sustainability by eliminating all virgin plastic packaging for shipping and distribution, replacing it with eco-friendly alternatives such as recycled paper, cotton, and compostable plastic.
Texcyle operates on a B2B model, collaborating with eco-conscious retailers, sustainable fashion brands, and companies committed to promoting ethical practices. The company provides custom sock design services, allowing businesses to incorporate their identity while adhering to their sustainability goals.
“What sets Texcyle apart is our unwavering commitment to sustainability, quality, and customization,” said Raunak Hasnani, CEO of Texcyle. “We’re not just selling socks; we’re selling a vision of a greener, more sustainable fashion world. We invite businesses who share our vision to join us in this journey.”
Texcyle’s dedication to ethical practices and environmental sustainability makes it standout in the socks industry. The company aims to inspire positive change by collaborating with like-minded businesses and individuals who prioritize clean sourcing.
By choosing Texcyle, brands are not only sourcing socks but also doing their share of responsibility. Join the Texcyle movement for a greener future.
WASHINGTON— March 8, 2024 — The American Apparel & Footwear Association announced the renewal of its Board of Directors leadership and the addition of 15 new and re-elected Board members.
The following individuals were confirmed as AAFA’s Board of Directors leadership for the 2024-2025 term:
Josue Solano, BBC International – chair;
Halide Alagöz, Ralph Lauren Corp. – vice chair;
Katherine Gold, Goldbug Inc. – treasurer;
Joe Preston, New Balance Athletics, Inc. – secretary; and
Ted Dagnese, lululemon athletica – past chair.
The following individuals were elected and re-elected to the Board of Directors:
Newly elected:
Peter Charles, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Tapestry Inc.;
Sarah Clarke, Chief Supply Chain Officer, American Eagle Outfitters Inc.; and
Sarah Hurzeler, COO, Dorfman Milano.
Re-elected:
Halide Alagöz, Ralph Lauren Corp.;
Ted Dagnese, lululemon athletica;
Bill Ells, Vibram USA;
Katherine Gold, Goldbug Inc.;
Rick Horwitch, Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services;
Sid Howard, Amann Group;
David Miller, Minnetonka Moccasin Company Inc.;
Allison Murphy, TTI Global Resources;
Josue Solano, BBC International; and
Deborah Weinswig, Coresight Research Inc.
The new AAFA Board of Directors also includes two Board member posts that were appointed on March 6:
Shawn Curran, chief supply chain officer, Under Armour Inc.; and
Sarah McMullin, vice president, Owned Brand Product Operations Apparel and Accessories, Target Corp.
“I’m repeatedly remined of the value of the AAFA Membership through everyday challenges and the breadth of support provided as we empower our employees and industry partners. I look forward to shaping the next year of aspirations as we continue to convert new hurdles into opportunities for continuous improvement,” shared Josue Solano, AAFA chair and CEO of BBC International.
“Josue is a leader in every sense of the word, and I have no doubt he will continue to help recruit and retain new inspirational leaders onto the board and membership at large,” said Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “Ted Dagnese’s leadership over the last term has been integral, and we are thrilled that he is able to remain at the officer table as past chair.”
As the 2024 AAFA Executive Summit concluded on March 7, AAFA was touched by the response to delivering the Lifetime Achievement Award to Thomas G Travis, Founder and Counsel to Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A who received a standing ovation. The recognition was for his unparalleled contributions to the association and the industry, with specific accolades for his counsel on trade and customs programs that have benefitted millions of people including consumers, retailers, brands, and workers worldwide.
Posted: March 8, 2024
Source: The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
WASHINGTON— March 8, 2024 — With the supply chain adjusting to ongoing Houthi rebel attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, inbound cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports remains on track to show year-over-year increases through the first half of 2024, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
“Retailers continue to work with their partners to mitigate the impact of disruptions from the Red Sea and Panama Canal restrictions,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Cargo has been rerouted and goods are arriving where they are needed and in time to meet consumer demand despite the ongoing challenges. Retailers have been impacted by costs and shipping delays, but they are working to minimize any impact on consumers.”
Carriers are avoiding the Red Sea and the initial surge in shipping prices and delays is subsiding, Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. Some cargo that previously traveled from Asia via the Red Sea and Suez Canal across the Atlantic to the U.S. East Coast is now going around the Cape of Good Hope instead. There has been an uptick in cargo shipped across the Pacific to the West Coast. And some ships are traveling across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal to reach the East Coast.
“Despite the shipping disruptions cause by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, the global trade of consumer goods, industrial materials and bulk commodities continues to flow relatively smoothly,” Hackett said. “Fear of an inflationary impact due to the raised cost of transportation should be alleviated by now. Retailers and their carrier partners are adjusting to the re-routings and new schedules, which add new costs but those can be partially offset by not having to sail up the Red Sea and not having to pay Suez Canal transit costs. This will continue until there is a resolution and freedom of navigation through the Red Sea and Suez Canal.”
U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.96 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units – one 20-foot container or its equivalent – in January, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was up 4.7% from December and up 8.6% year over year.
Ports have not yet reported February’s numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 1.9 million TEU, up 22.7% year over year. March is forecast at 1.77 million TEU, up 8.8% from last year. February is traditionally the slowest month because of Lunar New Year factory shutdowns in Asia but the timing of the holiday and its impact on cargo and year-over-year comparisons varies. April is forecast at 1.84 million TEU, up 3.1% year over year; May at 1.94 million, up 0.5%; June also at 1.94 million TEU, up 5.7%, and July at 1.99 million TEU, up 3.8%
The first half of 2024 is expected to total 11.5 million TEU, up 7.8% from the same period last year. Imports during 2023 totaled 22.3 million TEU, down 12.8% from 2022.
Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker
PRATTELN, Switzerland — March 8, 2024 — Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, has developed a new wet-fastness improver that helps brands and mills produce durable clothing, towels, linens and other textile products with long-lasting colors without compromising on quality or introducing hazardous chemicals.
ALBAFIX® ECO PLUS is a next-generation fixing agent that delivers the strongest possible wet-fastness for all reactive dyes on cotton and other cellulosic fibers and polyester-cotton blends. It will not change the shade of the dyed fabric or negatively impact light-fastness. The breakthrough product also avoids production challenges — such as foaming, acid hydrolysis and migration problems during drying — to promote efficiency and quality output.
Crucially, ALBAFIX ECO PLUS complies with global eco-standards and initiatives, including Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), bluesign® and the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Roadmap.
“With ALBAFIX ECO PLUS, brands and mills can achieve the strongest possible wet-fastness on cellulose fibers without the drawbacks associated with traditional fixing agents for reactive dyes. This innovation makes it possible to produce high-quality garments and textiles that last longer because they won’t fade, stain or bleed when exposed to laundering. At the same time, they comply with current and anticipated industry sustainability standards, enhancing consumer confidence and helping brands verify their green claims,” said Anish Paliwal, Market Segment director, CEL & Blends, WO Casual, Formal & Home Textiles. “This is all part of our newly launched Super Systems+ that help textile and apparel brands, retailers and mills positively impact their economic and environmental sustainability, and reflects Archroma’s commitment to delivering a more sustainable ecosystem.”
ALBAFIX ECO PLUS is suitable for jet applications, and for other dyeing and washing equipment with vigorous liquor circulation, and can also be applied by exhaustion, by padding or from the last bath of the soaping process after dyeing or printing.
Like ALBAFIX ECO, the latest addition to the ALBAFIX family has a positive influence on chlorine-fastness. When applied with double fixing, it achieves the same high performance on polyamide and PA/Elastane fabrics, as it does on cellulosic fibers. This makes it ideal for the production of swimwear, as well as sportswear and outdoor clothing.
ZÜRICH, Switzerland — March 8, 2024 — Dietz-Motoren is a producer of custom-defined electric motors, fans, and blowers that is also supplying textile machinery companies. It was founded in 1922 and employs 270 persons.
Christian Schindler, director general of ITMF, stated: “ITMF welcomes Dietz-Motoren as a new corporate member of ITMF. This shows that ITMF is not only an informative platform for fiber, textile, apparel, home textile, textile chemical, or textile machinery companies but also for producers of important machinery components. ITMF’s publications, statistics, and surveys help players along the entire textile value chain to better understand the dynamics of this long and complex value chain. ITMF also offers a unique platform for industry leaders from affiliated industry segments to meet in-person.”
Marrin Degenhardt, Key Account manager of Dietz-Motoren GmbH, pointed out that: “ITMF is the only global organization that brings together the entire textile value chain. Being part of such a platform and network will help us to identify opportunities and risks and hence develop our business strategy accordingly. We are looking forward to participating in ITMF activities.”
Posted: March 8, 2024
Source: The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF)
ALBSTADT, Germany — March 8, 2024 – Mayer & Cie. CN Changzhou LLC, the Chinese subsidiary of the Germany-based circular knitting and braiding machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie., settled in Jiangsu Province at the beginning of the year. Until now, the Sales & Service subsidiary Mayer & Cie. China, founded in 2003 and later to become Mayer & Cie. China, had been based in Shanghai.
Home of Mayer & Cie. CN Changzhou LLC in Jintan.
The new location within a Sino-German Innovation Park comprises a production hall of around 5,000 square meters. In the future, the circular knitting machines assembled for the domestic market will increasingly consist of locally sourced parts and components from various suppliers. All suppliers have been qualified to comply with and implement the high Mayer & Cie. standards to make sure there will be no compromises in terms of quality. The project had been planned since 2018 but had to be postponed due to the entry ban following the Corona pandemic.
Motivations for the move
Since 2011, Mayer & Cie. has been assembling selected machine types for the domestic market at its Chinese plant in Shanghai. It started with a single jersey machine for the most common requirements. Today, China’s domestic portfolio includes four types of machines. Until now, the knitting heads for these circular knitting machines had been pre-produced at the Mayer & Cie. plant in the Czech Republic and then transported to China.
The manufacturer is now saying goodbye to this “knitting head principle”. It made perfect sense for the start of the assembly line, says Benjamin Mayer, managing partner of Mayer & Cie. However, it leaves little room for flexibility. He explains: “In the future, we will source all parts and components of the machines assembled in China from various local suppliers. This allows us to offer our local customers more attractive prices and faster delivery times with the same quality standards. We expect this change to improve the positioning of our products in the domestic market.”
In addition, the new plant will be connected to the parent company in Albstadt via an SAP connection. This was imperative to increase efficiency, transparency and quality.
With a size of around 5,000 square meters, the new location offers the necessary space to map the increased installation effort on site. In addition, the province of Jiangsu generally offers very good conditions for industrial companies, as both well-trained workers and a large number of potential suppliers are located there.
New Chinese base in the Sino-German-Innovation Park (SGIP) in Jintan
The new headquarters of Mayer & Cie. CN is the German Chinese Innovation Park in Jintan in Jiangsu Province. The companies based there enjoy various advantages, including attractive location costs as well as proximity and exchange with other German companies on site. In addition, the administration of the SGIP supports companies in their search for employees, suppliers and service providers.
“We are pleased that we have now been able to successfully implement the decision we made years ago,” says Benjamin Mayer. “We are confident that this step will bring us higher sales and revenue figures in the Chinese market.”
Delay due to entry ban
The project has been on the agenda since 2018, but its implementation was delayed for a long time due to the Chinese entry ban as a result of the Corona pandemic. Preparations for the move did not begin until June 2023, which will now be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Production will start in April, and the IT connection to the parent company is scheduled to begin in March and be completed by the end of the year. The current location will be completely closed at the end of March 2024.
HOUSTON — March 7, 2024 — Orion S.A., a global specialty chemicals company, announced today it has maintained a Gold medal rating from EcoVadis and ranks among the top 2 percent of the companies assessed by the organization in a wide range of sustainability areas.
Orion improved its score from the previous year, moving up from 77 to 78 percent by making significant gains in the areas of sustainable procurement and ethics, according to EcoVadis, one of the world’s largest providers of business sustainability ratings.
“The annual progress Orion is making in the EcoVadis assessments is just another example of how committed we are to being a trusted partner for all our stakeholders and becoming an even more sustainable company,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said.
Over the past year, Orion has achieved several sustainability milestones.
The most notable achievements include the completion of a series of four projects, with a total cost of more than $300 million, that involved installing technology that is substantially reducing emissions at Orion’s U.S. plants.
The company also continues to be a leader in developing circular products and recently received 6.4 million euros in funding from the German government and European Union to further develop technology to improve the production of carbon black using circular feedstocks.
GRAZ, Austria — March 7, 2024 — International technology group ANDRITZ will be presenting its innovative nonwovens production and textile solutions at Techtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, April 23-26 (hall 12, booth B93).
The broad ANDRITZ Nonwoven & Textile product portfolio covers state-of-the-art nonwovens and textile production technologies, such as air-through bonding, airlay, airlaid, needlepunch, spunlace, spunbond, wetlaid/Wetlace™, converting, textile finishing, recycling, and natural fiber processing. For Techtextil, a special emphasis will be placed on technologies for textile sorting and recycling, bast fiber processing, needlepunch, airlay, wetlaid for technical fibers, and life-cycle service.
Textile Sorting, Recycling, And Natural Fiber Technologies
ANDRITZ textile sorting line
ANDRITZ has always been a pioneer in providing industrially and economically viable solutions that bring the circular economy to the world of textile fibers. Thus, ANDRITZ is not only a reliable supplier but also a knowledge provider. The company offers everything from automated textile sorting and textile fiber preparation to mechanical and chemical recycling and combined processes..
The latest development in the textile recycling area is the automated textile sorting process. This process is the result of an ambitious partnership between textile recycling company Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, waste sorting specialist Pellenc ST, and international technology group ANDRITZ, a specialist in textile recycling machinery and processes. Capable of automatically sorting garments by composition and color, the line meets the needs of both post-consumer and post-industrial waste markets. The line also removes hard parts such as buttons and zippers to prepare the material for further processing in an ANDRITZ tearing machine. The automated textile sorting line can process textile waste to produce recycled fibers for the spinning, nonwovens, and composites industries.
In addition, ANDRITZ is specifically focusing on processing ecofriendly bast fibers such as hemp, kenaf, jute, and others. The company offers sophisticated solutions for decorticating bast fiber straw for further cottonizing and respinning processes. It is the ideal starting point for manufacturing products made from natural fibers, which proactively help to reduce plastic components and thus protect the environment.
Cutting-Edge Solutions For Durable Applications
Another special focus area at Techtextil will be technologies for durable nonwovens. ANDRITZ offers comprehensive processes in this market segment, such as needlepunch, airlay, and wetlaid. For all these processes ANDRITZ has dedicated technical centers, where customers are welcome to conduct trials and develop new products.
ANDRITZ elliptical type needleloom
One highlight in the needlepunch sector is the new neXloom Elliptica-type DF-4 needleloom.
This machine makes it possible to process very lightweight nonwovens of 40 gsm at high-speed (>25 m/min) while at the same time ensuring that visual quality is given top priority. Available in large widths, it provides optimized pre-needling consolidation to ensure an even visual appearance by reducing the drafting ratio by 30 to 50% in a first needleloom when producing very light felts. This needleloom is thus the preferred equipment when quality aspects of high-grade, low-weight fabrics are important as there is no fabric delamination in the needling phase. ANDRITZ oil-lubrication technology in combination with the renowned ANDRITZ needleloom frame reduces maintenance and extends the service life thanks to a compact, simple, and reliable design.
In order to ensure a safe production process, the elliptical movement and related parts included in the ANDRITZ housing are completely protected. neXloom Elliptica-type DF-4 needleloom’s ability to adjust the advance stroke set-up during operations is surely another differentiating asset on the market.
Accordingly, it is the perfect pre-needling solution for demanding markets such as automotive, paper felts, spunbond products, and also synthetic leather regarding an improved product quality & uniformity.
Moreover, airlay technology also plays a major role in durable nonwovens, such as in the automotive industry, building insulation, carpet underfelt, the mattress industry, and furniture applications. This process includes blending, fine opening, the airlay process, and finally mat consolidation, by needling, thermobonding, a combination of the two, and spunlacing. It allows customers to process all types of fibers from virgin, recycled fibers to non-fiber particles such as foam, shredder paper, and straw. This technology can guarantee homogeneity and mat regularity for a large range of weights from 300 to 1,200 gsm. The airlay has optional 3D web forming equipment capable of producing multiple density web that is mostly adapted for the automotive industry.
ANDRITZ neXformer aXcess for technical fibers
In addition, ANDRITZ wetlaid technology can efficiently process technical fibers such as carbon, metal, aramid, glass, and micro glass fibers or fiber blends for technical applications in the transportation, aerospace, hydrogen, battery, fitration, or construction industries. These types of fibers require gentle and customized treatment in the forming process. For this reason, ANDRITZ develops tailor-made wetlaid production lines for technical fibers and products, including a dedicated forming process.
Retrofit And Upgrades For Nonwoven Lines
Nonwovens producers require state-of-the-art equipment to meet ever-increasing market demands, optimize their energy use, achieve product differentiation for their nonwovens production lines, and/or enhance product quality. ANDRITZ therefore offers retrofits and upgrades of existing lines. Due to its large number of installed lines and decades of experience in all segments of nonwovens production technologies, ANDRITZ has the necessary expertise to recommend and offer the right retrofits and/or upgrades for existing lines. Customers also have the opportunity to conduct trials in ANDRITZ’s state-of-the-art technical centers to test the latest equipment and performance levels.
The entire ANDRITZ Nonwoven & Textile team is looking forward to welcoming customers and partners at booth B93 in hall 12.
EMPFINGEN, Germany — February 28, 2024 — Making processes more cost-effective, sustainable, transparent, and above all more efficient, is exactly the aim of using sensors and controls at textile processes. By this, textile producers are enabled to save large amounts of energy, improve product quality and make even complex processes more traceable and reproducible. The right place to discuss those important aspects is the Techtextil 2024 in Frankfurt. At the upcoming exhibition which takes place April 23-26, 2024, international exhibitors present trends and news textile technologies.
Dr. Ralf Pleva, managing director.
“Processes become more complex, customer requirements higher & well-trained staff scarce. Technologies as sensors & controls gain importance for efficient operation. Our new process control system PLEVATE pro is designed to meet exactly those needs. It enhances operation even at complex production lines with different modules, enabling our customers traceablility and easy operation to save energy and improve the product quality,” stated Dr. Ralf Pleva, managing director.
Make sophisticated processes transparent and efficient with PLEVATEC pro which allows an integration of a huge variety of process critical data with all information at one glance and optimal controls.
Hereby, tolerances can be set as well as parameters saved and loaded within the integrated recipe management system. The customizable system provides solutions to a huge range of processes, e.g. a production line with foulard, vacuum, predryer, coating and stenter frame.
An integration of the following PLEVA devices is possible:
Exhaust humidity FSX for great energy savings;
Fabric/air temperature TDS for transparent drying/heat-treatment processes – Residual moisture RR, RF/AF for improved fabric quality and efficiency;
Application moisture/coating AF for savings of valuable chemicals; and
Pick/course density CAM for high quality fabric.
The all seeing eye – CAM series 400: For the assessment of quality parameters but also weft- straightening, precise detection and advanced image processing is the most important aspect. The brand new CAM offers cutting-edge technology with many novelties for best results: Completely new lighting with increased brightness and special lighting possibilities allow a detection of all kinds of fabric – independent from density or color. On top, it is also designed as a retrofit for existing PLEVA systems with easy connectors and is fitted for even the harshest conditions thanks to an improved housing design.
Besides those new developments, PLEVA also offers special versions of sensors for special demands such as the TDS sensor for fabric and air temperature fitted for EX-zones, state of the art interfaces like Profinet and the PLEVA Remote Service for even faster support of your production. Whether for standard applications or demanding processes, PLEVA is your partner for the sustainable and efficient production of tomorrow.
PLEVA is looking forward to show our highlights in hall 12.0 booth C41 during Techtextil 2024.
JYVÄSKYLÄ, Finland — March 7, 2024 — Spinnova Plc and Suzano S.A. have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) regarding a potential new production facility for wood-based SPINNOVA® fiber. Spinnova and its partners will deliver the fiber production technology to Suzano, who will be the owner and operator of the new production facility. The preliminary target capacity of the facility is 20,000 metric tons of fiber per year, and it is likely to be located near an existing Suzano pulp mill.
The LOI is a non-binding agreement where parties wish to record certain criteria as requirements for moving, into the pre-engineering phase of the new facility. The LOI includes also preliminary terms and conditions for the new facility.
As Suzano will be responsible for finding the right funding for the investment into the new facility, Spinnova does not need to raise capital for this plant. The opportunity for Spinnova to invest in other future plants remains at Spinnova’s discretion.
Spinnova and Suzano have been joint venture partners since 2020 in Woodspin, whose first production facility producing wood-based SPINNOVA fiber opened in 2023 in Jyväskylä, Finland. The Woodspin factory acts as an industrial demonstration of Spinnova’s technology and Suzano’s textile MFC technology and is used for qualifying the process and fiber output to support the investment decision for the new facility.
The pre-engineering phase of the new facility is expected to commence in the second half of 2024. Moving to pre-engineering is subject to Spinnova delivering a Process Design Package (PDP) for the new facility as well as Suzano´s strategic approval, and for certain process and fiber metrics at the Woodspin facility to be met.
“This marks a huge milestone for Spinnova in scaling our fiber technology by a technology sale to Suzano. Together with Suzano, we will continue to work intensely to reach the level where the Spinnova process and fiber are ready for large-scale industrial production”, comments Tuomas Oijala, Spinnova’s CEO.
“Suzano sees great potential in SPINNOVA fiber and is willing to expand its production capacity in the long run. Integrating the new facility with Suzano’s existing infrastructure should provide additional synergies, critical for the business. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Spinnova to meet the final requirements for moving forward with the pre-engineering of the new facility”, continues Christian Orglmeister, Suzano’s executive officer – New Business, Strategy, IT and Digital.
RAJASTHAN, India — Texcyle, a pioneering Indian sock supplier, officially launches into the global market, proudly introducing the first-ever use of Bio-Elastane in the production of socks. Founded in 2023 by Raunak Hasnani, an ambitious entrepreneur with a passion for revolutionising the sock industry, Texcyle is committed to producing 100-percent organic socks and partnering with brands dedicated to sustainable and ethical practices.
