BASF Develops Formaldehyde-Free Pigment-Printing System

Germany-based BASF AG has developed a formaldehyde-free version of its Helizarin® textile pigment
printing system, enabling textile manufacturers to meet regulatory standards and brand and retailer
requirements without taking additional steps.

The new system incorporates the new formaldehyde-free Helizarin Fixing Agent TX 4737 and
Helizarin Binder TX 4738, and BASF’s existing formaldehyde-free thickeners.

“Product safety and environmental protection are our top priority when developing new
products,” said Dr. Karl Siemensmeyer, responsible for developing the new products. “The new
formaldehyde-free Helizarin pigment printing system further strengthens BASF’s eco-friendly product
lineup.”



September 11, 2007

On Your Mark For ITMA 2007

As everybody around the textile globe knows: The ITMA 2007 will take place in Munich/Germany
from September 13 to 20, 2007. The event has set a new record: More than 1,450 exhibitors from 38
countries are expected to showcase their latest textile machinery developments to some 150,000
visitors in Munich. For those on their way to the show, as well as those that may not be aware of
available services at ITMA, here are a few details that will help you improve your time at the “
Textile Machinery Olympics.”

The official ITMA website, www.itma.com, is a free tool for preparing for ITMA 2007. After
registering, use the organizer function to optimize your trade-fair preparation and visit. There
are several different organizer functions available.

The ITMA 2007 Exhibition Catalogue contains an Alphabetical Exhibitor Directory, an Exhibitor
Directory by Products and an Exhibitor Directory by Countries. A small hall plan booklet that can
be taken out of the catalogue gives visitors detailed plans of all 16 halls. The Exhibition
Catalogue is available at a price of 4 euros at the information and cash counters in all entrances,
as well as at information counters within the halls.

Free Transport Connections

All ITMA 2007 exhibitors, visitors and media representatives who have an entrance badge or a
voucher have free use of the airport shuttle and of all public transport in the Munich area to and
from the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.

The center may be reached easily by airport shuttle, public transport or car. Visitors who
arrive at the airport or stay in the city center can take advantage of an efficient metro system
that provides quick and easy access from the city to the fairground, and a regular and efficient
airport shuttle service. For example, at Munich Central station you can take the underground U2.
The trip to the trade fair center takes only about 20 minutes. Furthermore, Munich International
Trade Fairs offers an airport shuttle bus service between the airport and the New Munich Trade Fair
Centre. Buses depart every 30 minutes and travel nonstop to the fairgrounds. The trip takes
approximately 45 minutes.

No Pictures, Please

Of course, for various reasons, photographing is generally not permitted on the trade fair
grounds. Only exhibitors are allowed to take photos of their own stands. The ban on filming and
photography during ITMA is indicated at all entrances by signs and rules of the house. Security
guards will ensure compliance with these regulations.


Special Needs

ITMA 2007 commenced parallel to Ramadan and the Jewish New Year. Munich International Trade
Fairs will provide a number of special services for Muslim and Jewish visitors. All information may
be downloaded from the ITMA website. The brochure “Multinational Services” will be given to all
interested visitors and exhibitors.

Sightseeing

Munich is a nice place to be and is probably one of the most charming cities in Germany. The
city has many opportunities for fun, shopping and sightseeing; and a great range of locations to
enjoy typical Bavarian hospitality — not only at the Hofbräuhaus or the Oktoberfest. A tour to the
famous Viktualienmarkt — Munich’s great marketplace situated on more than 22,000 square meters — or
to the Ayinger Brewery is highly recommended. An insider tip from local people is to take the tram
tour. By the way, never eat Weisswurst after lunch!

Are you ready now? The

Textile World
team is ready, too. For a chat, or just to relax for a few minutes, come and see us. We’l
l be delighted to welcome you in Hall A4, Booth 207.



September 11, 1007

Phifer, AF&Y Team To Develop Green Outdoor Fabric Collection

Phifer Inc., Tuscaloosa, Ala., has launched its Phifertex Marquesa Green collection of eco-friendly
outdoor deep seating fabrics made with Marquesa® solution-dyed filament yarns produced by Chapel
Hill, N.C.-based American Fibers and Yarns (AF&Y).

According to AF&Y, Marquesa yarns are made from a by-product of industrial waste and,
when compared with other man-made fibers and filaments, offer several green benefits including
lower energy requirements for production; and lower waste generation, with no harmful industrial
waste. Marquesa also provides inherent performance benefits including antimicrobial resistance,
stain resistance and colorfastness; and the fabrics can be recycled via AF&Y’s own recycling
system and regenerated into other products.

“Designing and creating fabrics for today’s leisure lifestyle also means taking into account
the impact they have on the environment,” said Hugo Benitez, national sales manager, designed
fabrics, Phifer. “With great success in our Marquesa Blends collection, introducing a 100-percent
Marquesa fabric was the next logical step for us.”



September 11, 2007

Hanesbrands Acquires Duraflex Plant In El Salvador

Hanesbrands Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., has acquired the textile manufacturing operations of El
Salvador-based Industrias Duraflex S.A. de C.V. for an undisclosed price.

The operation, to be renamed Hanesbrands El Salvador Textiles, has been a supplier of fleece,
T-shirt and underwear fabric to Hanesbrands since the early 1990s; and now is the company’s second
self-owned offshore fabric-manufacturing operation, joining Hanesbrands’ recently opened
manufacturing facility in the Dominican Republic in that capacity. The 350,000-square-foot El
Salvador facility employs 1,300 workers and will continue to operate without interruption under the
direction of the existing management team.

“The addition of fabric production capacity in El Salvador is another significant milestone
in our efforts to create a lower-cost supply chain operating fewer, larger plants that are more
effectively aligned with our production flow,” said Richard A. Noll, CEO, Hanesbrands. “We already
own sewing plants in El Salvador and elsewhere in Central America. We now have a textile and sewing
base in Central America that gives us flexibility to expand and leverage our large scale of
production.”

Hanesbrands’ plans for the El Salvador facility include further investment to grow the
operation, which quadrupled its production capacity over the last two years.



September 11, 2007

DuPont Partners With Hyosung, Appoints Marketing Partner

In an effort to meet customer demand for more sophisticated and decorative swimwear prints and
lingerie fabrics, as well as to speed up response and custom design times for shorter runs, Hyosung
Corp., Korea, now offers swimwear and lingerie fabrics made with creora® spandex printed using
Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Imaging Technologies’ DuPont™ Artistri™ 2020 printer. The printer
offers direct-to-fabric printing on an array of woven and knitted fabrics, including spandex — up
to 1.8 meters wide.

“We believe customers will be impressed with the quality and hand of the fabrics printed with
Artistri,” said Greg Vas Nunes, president, Europe and the Americas, Hyosung. “The combination of
our innovation in creora spandex in fabric and the Artistri acid dye ink provide outstanding
washfastness, durability and exceptional color penetration properties, making it ideal for the
intimate apparel and swimwear markets.”

In other news, DuPont Imaging Technologies has appointed England-based Brook International as
a marketing partner for the DuPont Artistri printing system. Brook provides print-ready polyester
fabrics for DuPont Artistri 2020 and 3320 digital textile printers. Fabric end-uses include
banners, flags, signage and in-store displays, as well as other graphic applications.



September 11, 2007

Chesnutt Proposes Program To Address Chinese Trade Practices

At a hearing conducted last week by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in North
Carolina, James Chesnutt, former chairman of the National Council of Textile Organiztions (NCTO)
and CEO of National Spinning Inc., called for a nine-point program to address what, according to
the NCTO, is “a threat posed by China to the US textile and apparel industry.”

Created by Congress, the commission is mandated to monitor, investigate and submit an annual
report on the national security implications of trade and other relationships with China.

“The central issue is not what policies or practices the central government in Beijing has
undertaken, rather the central issue is how our own government has responded, or more accurately,
has failed to respond to China’s deliberate economic intervention on behalf of its citizens and its
industry,” said Chesnutt, testifying at the hearing.

As part of his testimony, Chesnutt released a NCTO analysis that shows the Chinese government
offers its textile manufacturers 73 subsidies, and he said the US government has failed to develop
any such comprehensive list of Chinese subsidies.

In order to address what he sees as problems with Chinese trade, Chesnutt proposed a
nine-step program that he said would lead to a “revitalization of the US textile industry.” The
program calls for:

• Congress to pass legislation that would address China’s currency manipulation;

• extension or replacement of the current China textile import safeguards, designed to
address market disruption;

• creation of a “Comprehensive Subsidy Database” for use by US manufacturers;

• an increase in anti-dumping and countervailing duty assistance to small and medium-sized US
manufacturers;

• increased enforcement efforts by the US Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce
to deal with illegal trade;

• a review of the Chinese government’s support for its state-owned industries, including
textiles, and penalization of illegal transactions;

• an increase in Customs enforcement efforts, with particular emphasis on China;

• development of a more effective enforcement system that holds US importers responsible for
illegal imports and provides stronger penalties for violations; and

• imposition of penalties on companies that import products made by Chinese companies that
pollute the environment.

Chesnutt concluded that US textile companies cannot survive “when they are pitted against the
Chinese government.”

In a related development, as the US Department of Labor issued its August employment data
showing the loss of 4,000 jobs nationally and a total of 215,000 jobs in the past 12 months, the
American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) renewed its appeal for Congress to enact
legislation addressing the currency manipulation issue and problems resulting from the value-added
taxes imposed by other countries.

“It is imperative for Congress to level the playing field for US manufacturers expeditiously
by passing legislation that would address the massive disadvantage to US producers caused by
foreign value-added taxes and manipulated currencies,” said Auggie Tantillo, executive director,
AMTAC.

He added that foreign border taxes such as value-added taxes placed US manufacturers at a
disadvantage estimated at $294 billion in 2005, and that figure continues to increase.



September 11, 2007

Genecor Develops Denim-Finishing System

Rochester, N.Y.-based Genencor recently introduced the IndiStar™ ColorAdjust System
for the denim-finishing market. According to the company, the system enables denim processors to
develop their own formulations to create different denim looks from increased-contrast styles to
highly bleached, vintage looks.

The system comprises IndiStar Active, a highly active laccase enzyme granule; and
IndiStar Control, a denim-bleaching mediator chemical — both of which are gentle enough to use on
fabrics containing elastanes. Formulated using the proprietary Enzoguard™ granulation process,
IndiStar Active granules are protected from inactivation caused by oxygen and humidity. Genencor
states that under normal storage conditions, the IndiStar Control molecule is stable and not
subject to degradation.

“With this new product line, Genencor is extending its product portfolio for denim
treatment from the traditional stonewashing cellulase products to offering an environmentally
friendly solution for replacement of harsh chemicals such as chlorine and permanganate,” said John
Gell, vice president, Textiles and Industrial Specialties, Genencor. “This development will help
consumers to make sustainable choices in order to protect our environment.”



September/October 2007

G3i Launches GreenShield™ Nanofinish

Pittsford, N.Y.-based G3 Technology Innovations LLC (G3i) has introduced
GreenShield™, a soil- and stain-repellent textile finish produced using the principles of green
nanotechnology.

According to the company, the manufacturing process eliminates waste, and uses
ambient temperature and pressure and water-based solvents, minimizing the use of environmentally
detrimental chemistries as well as the amount of product needed to deliver the desired properties.
The company reports the new finish reduces the use of liquid- and stain-repelling fluorochemicals
by a factor of 10 by using what it calls the principle of micro- and nano-roughness, which creates
a pocket of air between the liquid or stain and the fabric, thereby preventing penetration into the
fabric. GreenShield also safely provides antimicrobial properties,

as well as antistatic properties.

September/October 2007

DyStar Acquires Remaining Boehme Filate Stake, Merges Auxiliaries Line

Frankfurt-based textile and leather dye, auxiliary and services provider DyStar
Textilfarben GmbH & Co. Deutschland KG has acquired the remaining 25 percent of shares of
Reidsville, N.C.-based Boehme Filatex Inc. DyStar has held a 75-percent stake in the company since
acquiring the Germany-based Boehme Group in August 2006.

In related news, effective
October 1, DyStar will merge the Boehme auxiliaries business with its own operation,
as planned. Accordingly, the Boehme product ranges will be combined with the DyStar ranges and
marketed under current DyStar brands, including Sera® pretreatment and dyeing auxiliaries, Evo®
effect finish and technical textiles auxiliaries and Lava® garment-finishing products.

In order to ensure a smooth
transition, Boehme products will be labeled with both the original and the new
brands for a period of time.

“Customers can be sure that they will receive the same high-quality products and
advisory services after integration,” said Dr. Peter Roschger, head of DyStar’s textile auxiliaries
business. “The aim is to build up our auxiliaries business via our global sales platform and to
develop and commercialize textile solutions that benefit our customers.”



September/October 2007

Freudenberg, TRC Launch Bicomfiber Joint Venture

Two Argentina-based companies, Freudenberg Telas Sin Tejer S.A. — a subsidiary of
Germany-based Freudenberg Nonwovens — and Tel Rad Cuyo (TRC) S.A., have entered into an agreement
to launch Bicomfiber S.A., a joint venture for bicomponent fiber production. The new plant, to be
located near Buenos Aires, will have an annual capacity of more than 10,000 tons.

TRC, a leading producer of polypropylene fibers for the hygiene market in Latin
America, is the main shareholder in the joint venture. “We are proud of the new venture, which
enlarges our involvement within the market in Latin America,” said Guillermo Kraves, president,
TRC.

“With this new venture, we will be able to offer a complete package of different
materials for the markets where we are presently active, being better prepared for the new
challenges to come,” said Juan Carlos Borchardt, president, Freudenberg Nonwovens Latin
America.


September/October 2007

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