BRUSSELS, Belgium — August 17, 2010 — EDANA is pleased to announce the Keynote speaker for the
9th edition of OUTLOOK, which will take place in Budapest, Hungary from the 22nd to the 24th
September 2010.

Robert Ward, Director of Global Forecasting for the Economist Intelligence Unit will address
the topic “Global Economic Perspectives: EIU’s overview of global growth perspectives and factors.”

In his role, Ward oversees the Economist Intelligence Unit’s global forecast and together
with cooperation from country specialists, analyses key global economic trends. Based in Europe,
and with nearly 20 years of experience in the Asia region, Robert is well equipped to comment on
and analyse Asia’s fast-moving economic and political developments, while providing context and
valuable insight into the key global markets and trends that affect consumption.

EDANA welcomes both its members and non-member representatives from the whole supply chain to
the event, which attracts key industry players from Europe and across the globe. A copy of the full
programme, registration forms and current delegate list can be found on the EDANA website, under
‘Events’.

About EDANA

EDANA, serves the nonwovens and related industries, and has 220 member companies in over 30
countries. Its Mission is to create the foundation for sustainable growth of the nonwovens,
absorbent hygiene products and related industries through active promotion, education and dialogue.
Information about upcoming events can be found at
www.edana.org

Posted on August 23, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of EDANA

On August 11, President Barack Obama signed legislation authorizing duty-free importation of some
800 components, including some man-made-fiber products used by U.S. textile and apparel
manufacturers in their finished products. The duty-free components are not made in the United
States, and, therefore, do not compete with domestic manufacturers, but they do make companies
using them more competitive.

The legislation grants a one-year extension to the duty concessions that had expired Jan. 1,
2010. The duty eliminations take effect as of August 11 and are retroactive to the first of this
year for items that previously had been approved, but no additional items qualify for the
concessions. The duty-free component legislation has generally been considered non-controversial,
but its passage was delayed this year owing to a controversy over earmarks, which are special
requests made by members of Congress and are added to legislation without the usual congressional
hearings and debate.

Included in the legislation are some man-made acrylic and rayon staple fibers and filaments
that have been authorized for duty-free treatment in previous years. The legislation has the
support of U.S. textile and apparel manufacturers.

August 17, 2010

In mid-July 2010, Groz-Beckert officially opened its new Technology and Development Center (TEZ) in
Albstadt, Germany. The TEZ will serve as a platform for research and development, strengthening
systematic thinking, innovation, and synergies in close cooperation with machine producers, machine
users and partners. An important role also is played by training and further education.

Facts And Figures

The planning started in the spring of 2005. In October 2006, the renowned Munich
architectural office of Henn GmbH was awarded the contract. The construction work, realized by
various local contractors, proceeded according to plan. This was also thanks to the commitment
shown by the relevant authorities and the people involved in the project within the company itself.

The TEZ is Groz-Beckert’s biggest-ever construction project, and the facts are impressive:
27,000 cubic meters (m3) of concrete, 3,200 metric tons of steel and 700 metric tons of steel
girders were used, while almost 8,000 square meters (m2) of flat and sloping roofs had to be
covered. The interior space amounts to 136,000 m3. The floor space covers an area of 5,000 m2, and
the total area covered by the TEZ amounts to 25,000 m2, including 14,000 m2 of usable space.

Big Investment

With regard to sustainability, the TEZ surpasses in several respects the strict energy-saving
requirements already in place. Structural materials were selected with conscious regard to
environmental compatibility and durability. Emulsion-based materials were largely eliminated and
the steel roofs were powder-coated, to prevent any rainwater contamination by heavy metals. The
building is said to be the proof of the manner in which Groz-Beckert assumes economic, ecological
and social responsibility.

The investment in the TEZ amounts to roughly 70 million euros. In choosing Albstadt as its
location, Groz-Beckert says it has made a commitment in favor of its headquarters and the
surrounding region. All the company’s core competencies — including development, design, process
technology and lab technology — are centered here, and especially at the TEZ. The center will
thrive on the know-how transfer from production in Albstadt and from instant access to all
services. Moreover, the site features a qualified education infrastructure and, as ever, a profound
level of textile expertise.

The Services

Research and development, applications consulting, sound education and further training, a
comprehensive interchange of ideas — all these aspects and more are taken into consideration at
the center, Groz-Beckert states. A main focus is on five technical centers for the most diverse
textile production methods, including knitting, weaving, felting, tufting and sewing.

The company notes that machines and installations close to production are fixed components of
these technical centers, adding that they enable application technology experiments as well as
short batch runs and production of special series as a service for partners. It also is possible to
test Groz-Beckert products under actual production conditions. In addition, customers and partners
can work together at the centers to develop products, and processes can be optimized.

A further, central area of the TEZ is the Groz-Beckert Laboratory. Apart from lab services
for the most diverse sectors, the lab provides a special section devoted to the new “Textile
Product Technology — Technical Textiles” study course. The TEZ also includes an apprentice
workshop, various meeting and conference rooms, developer offices, and a 275-seat auditorium.

Objectives

System solutions and services augment Groz-Beckert’s diversified range of products. The
company is also opening a card clothing service for nonwovens and a consulting service for
sewing-machine needles, and expects the TEZ will provide additional synergies and momentum.

Systems Thinking

The TEZ has as its main goals not only a greater emphasis on thinking in systems, but also
the encouragement of research and development, innovation, synergies, and the integration of
training and further education, Groz-Beckert reports. In its effort to bring qualified new
employees on board just in Albstadt, the company continually provides training for 30 commercial
and 145 technical apprentices, and achieves a training quota higher than 9 percent.

August 17, 2010

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based apparel manufacturer Hanesbrands Inc. has agreed to acquire Lenexa,
Kan.-based GearCo. Inc., also known as Gear For Sports — a seller of embellished licensed logo
apparel to college bookstores under several brand names including Hanesbrands’ Champion label —
for $55 million. The purchase is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2010.

“This acquisition will create great value and immediately add to our growth momentum,” said
Richard A. Noll, chairman and CEO, Hanesbrands. “We have significant growth synergies in both the
collegiate bookstore channel and our existing retail channels and can take advantage of our
low-cost global supply chain. This acquisition is an excellent way to leverage the growth platform
we have just built and create value for our shareholders.”

The acquisition is part of Hanesbrands’ strategy to create stronger branded businesses in its
Outerwear Segment. Following its purchase of Gear For Sports, 20 to 25 percent of the company’s
Outerwear Segment sales will be graphic apparel.

“Gear For Sports is a graphic apparel powerhouse with a phenomenal team,” said William J.
Nitakis, president and COO, Hanesbrands. “Together we have tremendous opportunities to expand,
drive growth and take market share.”

Gear For Sports’ senior management will continue to run the company, and the administrative,
operational, production and sales structure will remain the same, with the business continuing to
operate out of its Lenexa office.

August 17, 2010

The Haiti Apparel Center (HAC) officially opened last week in the SONAPI industrial park in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to provide professional training for workers in the country’s garment
industry. The center, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is located
in a 6,000-square-meter facility made available by the Government of Haiti and refurbished and
operated by Silver Spring, Md.-based international development organization CHF International, and
has implemented a six-week training program developed by Cary, N.C.-based Textile/Clothing
Technology Corp. ([TC]
²).

HAC will train more than 2,000 workers annually for positions ranging from sewing machine
operators to mechanics to quality-control supervisors, providing skilled workers to an industry
that had been shrinking even prior to the January 2010 earthquake that devastated the country. In
addition, senior managers, factory owners and business leaders may attend executive seminars
offered by the center. According to [TC]
², the professional training program was initiated in the summer of 2009 for the
training of sewing machine operators. USAID reports that more than 50 operators and 13 operator
trainers have completed the program to date.

According to USAID, the center will help Haiti take full advantage of the Haitian Economic
Lift Program (HELP) Act, under which the country’s exports, including apparel, have expanded access
to U.S. markets. HELP also provides support for the rebuilding of Haiti’s apparel industry —
including building renovations, machinery replacement and professional training — which will cost
an estimated $38 million, according to a Congressional Research Service report.

“The apparel center promotes economic recovery and long-term growth and helps Haiti tap into
the tremendous potential of the garment industry,” said Paul Weisenfeld, coordinator of USAID’s
Haiti Task Team. “It will provide opportunities to improve the lives of thousands by increasing job
skills and enabling Haitians to earn more. In the last 30 years, the number of skilled garment
workers in Haiti has dramatically declined, but we hope to reverse that trend.”

August 17, 2010

Portland, Ore.- and Vancouver, B.C., Canada-based Naturally Advanced Technologies Inc. (NAT) — a
developer of technology to process bast fibers including industrial hemp for use in a range of
applications — has signed a 10-month sublease of a Kingstree, S.C., facility that it will use as a
pilot scale-up flax fiber facility to perform decortication of CRAiLAR® Organic Fibers. The
40,000-square-foot facility — originally set up to process flax fiber under a U.S. Department of
Agriculture initiative — is located near 300 acres of land dedicated to fiber-flax cultivation,
where NAT will conduct fiber-flax-growing trials starting in October.

“Having a facility in the USA that we operate and manage for the dry process or decortication
of our Crailar Organic Fibers brings the entire patented Crailar process together under NAT
control, enabling us to manage our process entirely,” said Ken Barker, CEO, NAT. “As well, the
opportunity to conduct full scale flax trials furthers our vision of utilizing a variety of bast
fibers as the foundation for Crailar and its multiple principal uses.”

August 17, 2010

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — August 2010 — After completing an update of ASTM D123, Terminology
Relating to Textiles, members of ASTM Subcommittee D13.92 on Terminology decided that the
information contained in the annexes was sufficiently important to merit being in a separate
standard. The new standard, ASTM D7641, Guide for Textile Fibers, has now been published, and it
provides a comprehensive guide to a large variety of fibers used to manufacture many textile
products. Subcommittee D13.92 on Terminology is under the jurisdiction of ASTM International
Committee D13 on Textiles.

“ASTM D7641 is intended to be a useful resource for designers, buyers, test laboratories,
educators, students and regulators,” says Vincent Diaz, Atlantic Thread and Supply Co., and a D13
member. Diaz notes the following information is typical of what can be found in ASTM D7641:

–  Bear grass is a hard leaf fiber grown in the southwest United States and Mexico.

–  Pineapple fiber is a fine leaf fiber grown in the Philippines.

–  Fox hair can be used to make soft brushes.

–  PLA is a manufactured fiber that is derived from naturally occurring sugars.

“This new standard is a valuable reference that can help readers improve their understanding
about the relationship between commercial names, fiber identification and the geographical regions
of fiber origins,” says Diaz.

To purchase ASTM standards, visit
www.astm.org and search by the standard designation number, or
contact ASTM Customer Relations (phone: 610-832-9585;
service@astm.org).  ASTM International welcomes and
encourages participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an
ASTM member, visit
www.astm.org/JOIN.

Posted on August 17, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of ASTM International

NEW SOUTH Wales, Australia — August 13, 2010 — The unique Sheep to Shelf ® (S2S) traceability
programme offered by The Merino Company (TMC) since 2006, provides complete transparency and
traceability and guarantees the integrity of the fibre throughout the entire supply chain.

Working directly with its Wool Pool Participants, and closely monitoring and managing each
step in the supply chain, TMC provides its global customers with fully certified, transparent and
traceable, quality merino yarn, fabric or garment solutions from Sheep to Shelf ® – traceable right
back to the very farms where the fibre is grown.

Phoebe Croyle, Marketing Manager of TMC said “Whether our customers require certified ceased
or non-mulesed wool, EU Eco-label compliant wool, wool that has been produced on a property which
has implemented a Farm Management Plan or Environmental Management System, or something different
altogether, we can provide complete traceability and certification for each movement of the wool;
from the fibre source, through each manufacturing step, right through to the finished product”.

“Our commitment to maintaining integrity throughout the supply chain, provides our customers
with quality assurance, and provides reassurance to our wool growers that their efforts to
differentiate their wool are recognised and valued right to the end consumer. Such high levels of
transparency and traceability are only possible through the TMC Pools system and our unique
relationships with our wool growers”, continued Ms Croyle.

Details of TMC’s wool growers are recorded, together with their on-farm practices,
certifications, and any additional information required about their properties. TMC then works with
quality driven supply chain partners across the globe including topmakers, spinners, and fabric and
garment manufacturers to provide customers with differentiated natural fibre, textile and apparel
solutions from Sheep to Shelf. Each supply chain partner provides complete transparency and the
necessary certifications which are input into the TMC traceability process.

Taking traceability one step further, TMC can also provide customers with customised web
based traceability programmes, tracing products from Sheep to Shelf. Depending on a customer’s
needs, TMC can engineer a programme designed to their style and specification and once complete,
the programme is then integrated into their website.

One of TMC’s first customers to adopt the Sheep to Shelf® traceability programme was INSTYLE,
a leading Sydney interiors textile designer and manufacturer.

Tracy Mak, INSTYLE’s Environmental Manager, said “INSTYLE works closely with TMC, who manage
the early stages of our supply chain. TMC ensure that our EthEco® wool comes from
holistically-managed farms that have ceased mulesing and that the fibre, yarn and final products
meet our LIFE Textiles® specifications. Working with TMC provides assurance for us, as the whole
system is traceable, and also provides our customer’s assurance through our ‘FARM TO FABRIC’ web
based traceability programme”.

Posted on August 17, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of The Merino Company