Frankfurt-based Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH is accepting proposals for lectures to be given at
the next Techtextil-Symposium and/or Avantex-Symposium, both of which will be held June 17-19,
2009, in conjunction with the Techtextil International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and
Nonwovens taking place in Frankfurt June 16-18, 2009.

The symposiums offer manufacturers and users the opportunity to learn about and discuss
innovations, new developments and application areas on an interdisciplinary basis. A program
committee of experts from the sectors concerned with be selecting the lectures.

Messe Frankfurt suggests the following be considered when submitting lecture proposals: the
subject should be new and interesting for users; the lecture should be aimed at a broad audience;
new approaches and ideas are welcomed and not required to be fully developed; it’s best to have an
abundance of illustrations; all lectures will be translated simultaneously into German and English;
and lectures should last 25 minutes, including a brief discussion at the end.

For more information about the Techtextil- and Avantex-Symposiums, visit
http://techtextil.messefrankfurt.com. To submit
a lecture proposal, register at
www.techtextil2009.abstract-management.de
and follow the instructions. All proposals must be submitted in English by Oct. 31, 2008.

September 23, 2008

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued new rules covering
requests for duty-free treatment of apparel under the Commercial Availability Provision, (also
known as short supply) in the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

CAFTA-DR provides a list of fabrics, yarns and fibers that the parties to the agreement have
determined are not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner from suppliers in the
United States or other participating countries. In those cases, components from non-participating
countries may be used in apparel, and the end product will be eligible for duty-free treatment.

Under the FTA, which covers textile trade between the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, CITA has authority to establish procedures for
submitting requests and for determining whether additional fabrics, yarns or fibers are in fact not
available in commercial quantities.

The intent of the procedures is to foster the use of US and  CAFTA-DR products, but at
the same time improve procedures for seeking exemptions.  In its notice, CITA said that, based
on experience in implementing the previous procedures, it was concerned that due diligence efforts
have fallen short of what was expected when the procedures were originally adopted. It  said
that in the past, product descriptions may not have met recognized standards, that potential
suppliers may not be adequately substantiating their claims and that CITA had not been receiving
complete information.

Short supply has been a contentious issue with US textile and apparel importers and
manufacturers. Mike Hubbard, vice president of the National Council of Textile Organizations, sees
some improvements in the revised procedures, including the area of reasonable product
specifications, a better definition of due diligence, a more specific requirement for domestic
manufacturers to show they can make a product without disclosing business confidential information,
and other areas. He believes CITA has gone to great lengths to protect the interests of both
importers and domestic manufacturers.

The full text of the rules is available on the Office of Textiles and Apparel website:
http://otexa.ita.doc.gov.



September 16, 2008

As the US Department of Commerce issued trade data covering the first six months of this year,
industry lobbyists in Washington called for the US government to take action with respect to trade
with China, which has accounted for more than half of this year’s cumulative deficit of $220
billion. They also called on the presidential candidates to take a stand on China trade and tell
the American public what they intend to do about it.

Auggie Tantillo, executive director of the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition,
which includes textile manufacturers, said, “The fact that a single country now accounts for more
than half of the US trade deficit in manufactured goods should be sounding alarm bells for the
presidential candidates and the Congress.” He charged that China is “brazenly cheating” in its
efforts to seize its share of the US market by using currency manipulation, rebates of value-added
taxes and other subsidies.

U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab saw the trade data in a different light as she
pointed to what she called the “vitality of US exports in the global economy.” She said that goods
and services exports during the first seven months of this year were 18.3-percent higher that in
the same period of 2007.

“The United States remains a global leader in manufacturing, services and agriculture, and
our products and services are extremely competitive in the global marketplace,” Schwab said, adding
that “month after month the trade data has confirmed that our exports are thriving in markets
around the world.”

Schwab used the trade data to make a renewed appeal for Congress to approve the Colombia,
Panama and South Korean Free Trade Agreements that the administration has already negotiated. She
said that when these three agreements are approved and implemented, nearly all tariffs and other
trade barriers on American goods and services exports will be eliminated in those markets. She also
said increased trade with those countries will help grow the US economy and create higher-paying
jobs and expanded choices for consumers.



September 16, 2008

St. Cloud, Fla.-based DPInnovations Inc. — a former wholly owned subsidiary of Germany-based Wirth
Software GmbH that was spun off as an independent company earlier this year — has launched a
website at
www.thedigitalstylist.com, which provides access to
the products and services of DPInnovations, Wirth Software, ScotCAD Ltd. and The CAD Laboratory
Ltd. Products include digital textile printing software, woven textile software and original
textile design content. Downloads, updates and full support documentation are available.

September 16, 2008

For decades, I was a subscriber to the National Geographic Magazine (NGM). In the December 1988
issue with a holographic cover, the main topic was “Can Man Save This Fragile Earth?” Some readers
complained to the publisher about the content of this article. They said that “they have the right
for a better life, their car and the air-conditioning. Who would you deny to the right to better
their lives?”

The “Right” For A Better Life

In the NGM June 2004 issue, the cover story was “The End of Cheap Oil.” However, there were
always single- and double-page advertisments from the big oil companies. A few issues later, the
main subject was “Global Warming.” The reply from the readers came instantly: “Please don’t do
politics. Of course, it’s getting warmer, but when the Earth cools again — and it will — you’ll
look very foolish blaming that on man too.”

Another stunning reader feedback was again political: “I was very disappointed to see NGM
take an overtly political position. Environmental alarmists have promised disaster right around the
corner for decades. What these gloom-and-doom predictions never consider are the miracles of
technological innovation and man’s almost limitless adaptability.”

Global Warming

So today, where are “the miracles of technological innovation and man’s almost limitless
adaptability?” Twenty years later, the answer to “Can man save this fragile earth?” is, “no, not at
all.” The question should be the other way round: “How can the earth be saved from mankind?” Twenty
years ago, on a bike ride through the Alps, one could see many glaciers. Today, they’re all gone.
In the Arctic Ocean, the ice is constantly melting and — subject to an error — the Northwest
Passage is ice-free and can be crossed. The sea level is rising, and the temperature, too.
Hurricane names like Katrina, Gustav, Ike and many more are synonyms for human ignorance. Airlines
are offering flights cheaper than the price of taking a taxi from one end to the other of your
hometown. The list is endless of how we bite the hand that feeds us.

Cooperation Is Better Than Confrontation

Today, some Western countries are blaming the East for using too much energy. The East just
started its industrial development a short time ago. For example, one-third or even more of the
world population lives in China and India. And now? Who would deny that these people also have the
right to a better life? I presume it would be more helpful for the whole world to support new
environmental technologies and share the knowledge.

Don’t take me wrong: I’m anything but green and don’t belong to any radical political party,
nor am I an activist for environmental groups. However, as a father of two children, I’m scared for
Mother Earth and the blunted survival of mankind.



Ecology: An Economical Way To Success

On top of that, ecology is also an economical way to save not only energy and natural
resources, but also a lot of money. According to a recent study in Switzerland, polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) recycling saves a lot of money and is reducing the output of CO2 quite
significantly: every kilogram of recycled PET reduces the output of greenhouse gases by 3
kilograms. If new products would be produced with recycled PET only, 50 percent of energy or 42
billion liters of oil could be saved. Apart from protecting the environment, it would save a lot of
money too.

Sustainability is no longer just a slogan for a clever marketing campaign, but a prerequisite
for long-term business and even survival. Some big European retailers are already asking for a
certificate stating how the products were produced. And the European customer is ready to pay more
money for “clean” products.

The textile industry is requested to play its ever so progressive role for environmental
friendly technologies and processes.

Textile World
already started this year publishing articles referring to sustainability under the “Energy
Plus” label. Let us know your latest inventions and product developments, from fiber to finished
fabrics in hopes that the following prophesy will not come true:

−    Only after the last tree has been cut down,

−    Only after the last river has been poisoned,

−    Only after the last fish has been caught,

−    Then will you find that money cannot be eaten.

Do you know these words — maybe they ring a bell? Probably you think this is a slogan from a “
green” political party. Not at all. It was said to be the prophecy of the Cree Indians, but these
are the famous words that Seattle, the chief from the Suquamish tribe said to I. Stevens, governor
of the Washington Territories, and that was in 1854. More than ever, all of us are called upon to
do our part so that this will not come true. For the sake of the world, our children and their
children. And last, but not least, for ourselves.

Any comments on the Rupp Report are always welcome. Please send it to
jrupp@TextileWorld.com.

Applied DNA Sciences Inc. (APDN), a Stony Brook, N.Y.-based provider of DNA encrypted and embedded
authentication solutions, will partner with the England-based Textile Centre of Excellence
association of companies to mark Yorkshire-made textiles and fabrics with APDN’s patented
SigNature™ DNA solution.

In the first phase of the collaboration, APDN will illustrate how SigNature DNA can be
utilized to authenticate textiles throughout the supply chain, as well as how the DNA can be
integrated with current processes to manufacture threads, fabrics and labels produced by
Yorkshire-based companies. The initial funding for the project’s first phase, which began in
August, is 50,000 pounds, with the possibility for additional funding once it is successfully
completed in December 2008. If the beginning phase is successful, APDN’s next step will be to
create the genetic assays and authentication methodologies for distinguishing Yorkshire-made
threads, fabrics and labels, using its BioMaterial™ Genotyping program for raw fibers, including
wool, cashmere and silk.

Counterfeit items are increasingly becoming an issue in the textile and apparel industry,
causing billions of dollars to be lost globally because of seizures and losses. To help protect
brands and intellectual property, APDN has developed its SigNature DNA encrypted and embedded
solutions and BioMaterial Genotyping so items can be forensically authenticated by machine-readable
devices.

“Yorkshire companies are leading the world in developing technical, performance, and smart
textiles and now, the use of botanical DNA will forensically authenticate Yorkshire-made products,”
said Bill Macbeth, managing director of the Textile Centre for Excellence. “We are very excited to
integrate state-of-the-art technologies to elevate the standard of textiles and apparel made in
Yorkshire and used throughout the world.”

September 16, 2008