The Merino Co. (TMC), Australia – a global provider of vertically integrated merino wool fiber
solutions for retail and brand partners – has introduced the first certified and traceable
non-mulesed merino (n.m.m.) wool brand platform. The platform guarantees that n.m.m. wool is
sourced from growers who have never practiced or have quit the practice of mulesing, an invasive
and reportedly painful procedure performed on merino sheep to prevent insect infestations and which
has become a subject of public debate concerning humane sheep-raising practices.

“We don’t accept any forms of mulesing under the n.m.m. brand, including clips, tail
stripping, or surgical mulesing,” said William Lempriere, CEO, TMC. “Our n.m.m. wool brand
customers are committing to an animal welfare standard, indicating to consumers that they will be
receiving a product that is animal friendly.”

In order to qualify for the brand, merino wool must have legal documentation from the
relevant body or woolgrower that it is non-mulesed, which must be verified by a third-party
organization. TMC then confirms the n.m.m. wool is processed separately and the integrity of the
batches is not compromised during processing. The company also offers customized Web-based
traceability programs to its customers.

August 25, 2009

Boulder, Colo.-based Outlast Technologies Inc., developer of Outlast® temperature-regulating
technology and phase-change materials (PCMs) and applications, has announced that Minneapolis-based
Select Comfort Corp. has added a sheet set and lightweight blanket to its line of In Balance™ sleep
products featuring Outlast technology. Select Comfort’s Outlast Sleep System also includes Sleep
Number® mattresses, mattress pads and layers, and pillow protectors.

Outlast technology features microencapsulated Thermocules™ that absorb excess body heat,
store it and then release it when the body is cold, thereby balancing a sleeper’s skin temperature,
according to Outlast. The company reports the Outlast Sleep System of bedding products provides
optimal sleep for everyone from normal sleepers to thermally incompatible couples and women
experiencing menopause.

The 350-thread-count, machine-washable In Balance sheets and pillowcases are made using a
50-percent cotton/50-percent Outlast Viscose fiber blend.

August 25, 2009

India-based apparel company Madura Garments recently implemented St. Paul, Minn.-based Lawson
Software’s Lawson Fashion Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution, a Web-based suite of
applications used to help manage products from design through production. Madura chose Lawson’s
solution to help streamline its business and product development processes.

According to Lawson, the solution allows information to be more clearly communicated across
the supply chain and for Madura to work on product development activities simultaneously, reducing
time-to-market. Before implementing the PLM solution, Madura tracked technical specifications
manually; now, the company maintains key data on a central server. Madura also can search for
product information from previous collections and seasons.

“We are already experiencing the benefits of implementing Lawson Fashion PLM,” said Natwarlal
Bhattad, group manager product development, Madura Garments. “It has allowed us not only to capture
fabric information from the mill, but also saves two to three weeks in the fabric sample request
process.”

August 25, 2009

Secaucus, N.J.-based Delta Galil USA – a subsidiary of Israel-based Delta Galil Industries Ltd., a
global manufacturer of apparel sold under brands such as Calvin Klein, Hugo Boss and Nike – has
chosen Rockaway, N.J.-based AL Systems Inc.’s integrated supply chain software solution to help
lower its distribution costs.

AL Systems will install an automated conveyor system featuring its Warehouse Control System
(WCS) and DynaPick pick-to-light system at Delta Galil’s distribution center. Delta Galil expects
that implementing the software solution will result in an eight-month return on investment and will
increase order accuracy to approximately 99.9 percent. According to AL Systems, its solution will
enable Delta Galil to improve service to its major retailers while reducing labor requirements.

August 25, 2009

Effective September 1, or as contracts allow, Florham Park, N.J.-based BASF Corp. will implement a
price increase of 6 cents per wet pound in the United States and Canada on all Acronal® and Acronal
Optive® all-acrylic latex products; Acronal styrene-acrylic latex products; and Basonal®
multi-monomer latex products used in fiber bonding, adhesives, paper and construction and
architectural coating markets. The company cited inflation of propylene, styrene and acrylic
monomer costs in announcing the price increase.

August 25, 2009

The Talbots Inc. – a Hingham, Mass.-based retailer of women’s apparel and accessories – has entered
into an agreement with Hong Kong-based Li & Fung Ltd. – a brand and retail supply chain manager
– in which Li & Fung will be the exclusive global apparel sourcing agent for the Talbots brand,
effective September 2009. Li & Fung will be the exclusive agent for nearly all of Talbots’
apparel products, and a non-exclusive agent for swimwear, intimate apparel, footwear, jewelry,
handbags and accessories.

“By leveraging Li & Fung’s position as a best-in-class sourcing agent, we will be able
to simplify and centralize our sourcing activities, which we anticipate will further reduce our
costs of goods sold and internal operating expenses, while improving our time to market,” said
Trudy F. Sullivan, president and CEO, Talbots. “Together with Li & Fung, we plan to develop a
single, world-class supply chain organization that will strengthen our competitive position.”

“Under Talbots new leadership, we see great potential for their business going forward,”
said Bruce Rockowitz, president, Li & Fung (Trading) Ltd. “With our strong network of over 80
offices in over 40 economies, we are confident that our dedicated merchandising team will be able
to further strengthen the positioning of the Talbots brand as we deliver the highest quality
products.”

August 25, 2009

Southington, Conn.-based Baumer Ltd. USA – a manufacturer of sensors and system solutions for
factory and process automation, and a part of Switzerland-based Baumer Electric AG – has debuted
the FADK 14 Pulsed Red LED Sensor for high-speed distance and position measuring.

According to Baumer, the FADK 14 – which has a 50- to 400-millimeter (mm) sensing range and
provides resolutions of 0.1 to 1 mm – gives highly accurate measurements for any substrate material
or target object color, and strong ambient light up to 25 kLux will not affect the sensor’s
measurement accuracy. It features a transparent rear housing, which enables operating and reception
LEDs to be viewed from almost any angle, making the sensor easy to install and operate.

The company also reports the FADK 14 needs little space for mounting and is suitable for a
variety of applications including material handling, packaging, printing/graphics, laboratory
automation and electronics fabrication, among other applications. The sensor has an integrated
alarm output and is available in current or voltage output versions.

August 25, 2009

As the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) reached its first anniversary August 14,
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Inez Tenenbaum was sanguine about
accomplishments to date, but that’s not exactly how clothing and footwear manufacturers and small
businesses see it.

Tenenbaum said CPSC is educating domestic and overseas manufacturers, importers and
distributors of children’s products about “important new safety requirements” that will make
children better protected in their homes. She cited new regulations covering lead content in
children’s products, the prospect of heavier civil penalties for product safety violators, a
program to require tracking labels on products intended for use by children under 12 years of age
and warnings in advertising of products that present a possible choking hazard.

While Tenenbaum was outlining progress, Andrew Langer, president of the Institute for
Liberty, a Washington-based organization representing small businesses, was highly critical of the
new law. In an interview with Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper with a broad readership among
members of Congress and their staffs, Langer said. “The landmark legislation was intended to
enhance the safety of children’s products. However, good intentions are no excuse for bad
legislation. The unintended consequences of CPSIA  have created great confusion among
consumers, economic risks for small businesses and further health risks for small children.”

Langer was particularly critical of the act’s third-party testing requirements, saying the
costs of testing could put small companies out of business.

Langer said he did not blame the CPSC for the regulations it has promulgated, but said the
problems stem from “unwieldy legislation.” And he called on Congress to revisit the legislation and
make changes in the testing requirement. Without changes, he said,  CPSIA will create more
risk than protection to children and hurt the nation’s economy.

Likewise, Kevin Burke, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association,
said the CPSIA was “well intentioned” but has missed its mark by going far beyond its originally
intended purpose of keeping unsafe toys off the market. Instead, he said, it has created a “guilty
until proven innocent compliance environment even for products that have always been safe.” As a
result, he said, manufacturers of children’s products are spending tremendous resources in
duplicate testing of their products in order to comply with the law. He said the extra costs are
doing little to improve safety but are “adding enormous pressures to companies already scrambling
to cope with the economic downturn.”

Burke called on Congress to conduct hearings in which all stakeholders would have an
opportunity to document the early successes and failures of the CPSIA and make it work  more
effectively to carry out its intended purpose.



August 18, 2009

Applied DNA Sciences Inc. (APDN), a Stony Brook, N.Y.-based provider of DNA encrypted and embedded
authentication solutions, announced that its SigNature® DNA Anti-Counterfeit technology has been
chosen as the security platform for a three-year program funded by the European Regional
Development Fund and Yorkshire Forward. The program will use APDN’s SigNature DNA markers –
botanically derived markers that enable a producer of natural or man-made fibers to track specific
batches of fiber through to finished textiles and apparel – to protect textiles and other
applications, and also will support pilot studies and commercial scale-up of the taggants.

As part of the program, APDN will rent the DNA Authentication facility at the England-based
Textile Centre of Excellence and will collaborate with Leeds University’s Centre for Technical
Textiles. The $9 million-fund is expected to cover approximately 20 projects per year. APDN has
already teamed with more than 25 commercial partners, including woolen textile manufacturers in
Yorkshire, England
(See ”
Woolen
Textiles From Yorkshire Benefit From DNA-Based Security Solution,” March 9, 2009).

“Yorkshire Forward is very pleased to invest in new platform technologies that will foster
growth and, ultimately, reap positive economic benefits to the Yorkshire business community, and
the UK and European public at large,” said Jim Farmery, assistant director for business, Yorkshire
Forward. “SigNature DNA is a true platform technology that has exciting and practical applications
that extend to multiple industry sectors.”

August 18, 2009

For the 48th time, the most important congress for man-made fibers will take place. From Sept. 16
to 18, 2009, the world’s center for man-made fibers will be in Dornbirn, Austria. The motto of the
congress is “Communicating the Textile Future.”



Continuous Expansion In Spite Of A Difficult Environment

Since last year’s congress, up until the end of the year, the global financial crisis
escalated. Europe was also hit and is aware of its impact on the real economy. Friedrich Weninger,
the new president of the Austrian Man-Made Fibers Institute, organizer of the Dornbirn congress,
said “responsibility has to become the key issue of economic, social and environmental activities.”
Being a member of the Management Board of Austria-based Lenzing AG, Weninger has a close
relationship to man-made fibers, and therefore, he will ensure the continuous expansion of this
important global event in the coming years.



Topics

In the focus of this year’s conference is the issue of climate protection. This focus and the
conference’s motto are intended to confirm that the fiber industry and academic research institutes
have understood the message and know what it takes to address the issues. The issues of climate
protection, environmental compatibility and conservation of resources will shape the picture of the
21st century, the organizers said.

In the opening day plenary session, Brussels-based CIRFS: European Man-Made Fibers
Association will present the development strategies of the European man-made fibers industry. Dr.
Franz Effenberger from the Institute for Textile Chemistry and Chemical Fibers, (ITCF), Denkendorf,
Germany, and Dr. Hilmar Fuchs from the Saxon Textile Research institute (STFI), Chemnitz, Germany,
will acknowledge the history and merits of Paul Schlack and Wilhelm Albrecht and their
contributions to the world of man-made fibers. A ceremony to award the Paul Schlack Man-made Fibers
Prize to a young scientist will follow.

Plenary Session

Dr. Josef Reichholf, Zoologische Staatssammlung, Munich, Germany, will give a paper titled
“Climate Change – Biological View.” Bob Peoples, American Chemical Society, Washington, will follow
with a very presentation titled “Green Chemistry.” Elmar Witten, Verstärkte Kunststoffe, Frankfurt,
will cover the subject of composites in a paper titled “Market and Market Development for
Composites in Europe.”



New Developments In Fibers

With more than 100 different lectures, the section “New Developments in Fibers” – including
bicomponent fibers and nanotechnologies – will be represented throughout the congress and will be
opened with a presentation by Akihiro Omatsuzawa, Japan Chemical Fibers Association, Tokyo, who
will provide an overview of the development of environmentally conscious technologies and textile
products in Japan.

“Fibers for Medical and Hygienic Textiles” – including Smart Textiles – along with the
section “Fibers for Composites, Transportation and Professional Wear” will demonstrate the
importance of these topics. A further highlight is the section “Fibers and Textiles in Connection
with the Climate Change,” which will include papers on water management, geotextiles and
agrotextiles, followed by a presentation of EU research projects.

Dornbirn: The Communication Platform

A look at the development of the European/American man-made fiber, textile and nonwovens
industry shows that only the most innovative and healthy companies will be able to overcome
difficulties such as the current economic crisis. In order to improve the importance of the
Dornbirn congress as a communication platform, the organizers are planning to arrange meetings of
the textile and apparel industry and other associations prior to the official opening of the
congress. According to the organizers, at first glance, there is great interest.

Friends of Dornbirn

The Dornbirn congress also is looking for new ideas and unconventional solutions. One
constant task is to promote young talent in the man-made fiber industry. From its beginnings,
Dornbirn has been an interesting forum for young technicians and scientists to present their ideas
and to network. This task will be supported actively by the Friends of Dornbirn.

More information on the summit of the man-made fiber industry is available at
www.dornbirn-mfc.com.



August 18, 2009