CORNELIUS, N.C. — April 8, 2024 — Allertex of America Ltd., a supplier of nonwoven and recycling solutions in the United States and Canada, is excited to announce that it has signed an agreement with Margasa to represent its machinery in the United States and Canada.
Margasa has more than 50 years of experience with engineering projects for textile recycling and nonwovens.
Its experience in these fields has allowed Margasa to export to more than 40 countries, reaching a position of international leadership.
From simple edge trim and fiber preparation to multi-cylinder tearing lines as well as baling systems Margasa offers solutions to cover a variety of needs.
Together, Allertex and Margasa look forward to a great future serving the industry providing solutions and ensuring customer satisfaction.
MINNEAPOLIS — April 4, 2024 — Storm Creek, a Minnesota company committed to giving back and producing an entire lifestyle apparel product line made from upcycled materials, is poised to hit a milestone of upcycling 50 million plastic bottles by the end of 2024. In addition, the company has expanded its Sustainability School, is planning major donations to charitable partners, and is hosting an Eco Festival on April 19.
“Every day is Earth Day and Storm Creek,” said Teresa Fudenberg, CEO and owner of Storm Creek. “We are committed to making high-quality, long-lasting sustainable athleisure wear and educating our industry about the detrimental impact of “fast fashion” and how investing in eco-friendly apparel care should be a priority.”
Storm Creek provides logo-emblazoned apparel to companies nationwide and to national parks and resorts in North America. The company also sells directly to consumers through its website and retail partners. Each item sold at Storm Creek is specially labeled to include the number of plastic bottles upcycled to make it.
“Ninety percent of S&P 500 executives cite sustainability as important and logoed items like apparel have long been a powerful tool for brand promotion and connection,” Fudenberg said. “By making sustainable choices, businesses can align their promotional strategies with values that resonate with environmentally conscious consumers reinforcing a positive brand image while contributing to a more sustainable future.”
Storm Creek, a brand founded in 2006, started a sustainable sourcing initiative in 2016 and quickly committed to converting its entire line to eco-made. In addition, the company is dedicated to giving back to nonprofits and has contributed $2 million to charitable causes. It plans to donate $5 million by 2030.
In 2021, Storm Creek launched a Sustainability School that has educated hundreds about the excessive waste in the apparel industry to date. This month, they will teach hundreds of promotional product distributors across North America in person and through online webinars. The company is also hosting a Storm Creek Sustainable Style Sweepstakes. The winner will get a $1,000 shopping spree to build an eco-made capsule wardrobe.
“The logoed merchandise business is a $26 billion industry,” Fudenberg said. Our Sustainability School educates on the importance of sustainable sourcing and eco-minded disposal of end-of-life products. The good news is that the industry as a whole currently has sustainability top of mind, and they want to ensure they are aligned with corporate end buyers’ goals for sustainability.”
On Friday, April 19, Storm Creek will host an eco festival at its Eagan headquarters. The event will feature food trucks, discounts, special bargain bin deals, mystery boxes, clothing donations, and plastic bag recycling stations. The company will also give away national park passes and Grandma’s Marathon race entry passes.
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — April 2, 2024 — The digital textile market has seen rapid growth in recent years and is projected to grow to nearly $3.4 billion in 2024, with a portion of that growth due to the implementation of digital workflows. To help support this increasing demand, Epson today announced two new industrial SureColor® F-Series dye-sublimation printers engineered to achieve both industrial reliability and round-the-clock productivity at a low total cost of ownership. The new models, the SureColor F11070 and SureColor F11070H, are highly productive printers that offer an optional large roll media unwinder, and the SureColor F11070H features an expanded ink set to support high-volume print shops.
Engineered to achieve both industrial reliability and round-the-clock productivity at a low total cost of ownership, the SureColor F11070 and SureColor F11070H dye-sublimation printers consistently produce astounding-quality textiles, apparel and more to support the increasing demand within the digital textile market.
“The textile industry is dynamic and Epson is at the forefront, empowering providers with reliable, cutting edge technology. This commitment ensures that our clients can adapt to changing textile trends, meet market demands, optimize their operations, and deliver exceptional results,” said Lily Hunter, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America. “The Epson SureColor F-Series sets the benchmark for textile printers, offering unmatched reliability and exceptional image quality. These new high-speed industrial models are built for productivity, enabling round-the-clock production for print shops. With its user-friendly interface and low maintenance requirements, it empowers users to concentrate on their printing tasks, driving efficiency and productivity for industrial customers and high-volume web-to-print businesses.”
As part of Epson’s most advanced dye-sublimation printer series to date, the SureColor F11070 features four 4.7″ PrecisionCore® TFP®printheads, and the SureColor F11070H includes six printheads, to deliver roll-to-roll performance at speeds up to 2,700 sqft/hr and 2,635 sqft/hr,2 respectively. Designed with versatility in mind, both models consistently produce astounding-quality textiles, apparel and more using vibrant UltraChrome® DS ink technology.
For an expanded color gamut, the SureColor F11070H leverages six color inks with multiple ink configurations available.3In addition to Fluorescent Pink/Fluorescent Yellow and Light Cyan/Light Magenta configurations, a new Orange and Violet ink set extends the range of printable colors possible with dye-sublimation.
To maximize efficiency and minimize downtime, both new industrial printers include user-replaceable printheads, a hot swappable ink delivery system, high-capacity Replaceable Ink Pack System that holds up to 20L of ink per color, and an optional large roll media unwinder to help ensure long print runs with less user intervention.
More about the SureColor F11070 and SureColor F11070H
The new industrial printers offer breakthrough productivity for high-volume apparel and décor printing. Additional features include:
Engineered for predictable, reliable performance – Advanced auto paper-tension control and a fabric printhead wiper enable simple, uninterrupted production
Epson Cloud Solution PORT®4 – Provides live production monitoring of registered printer fleet status, including production rates and printer utilization
Performance-optimized for Epson DS Transfer Papers – Choose from a variety of Epson transfer papers available for purchase
World-class support – Fully supported by Epson, with service plan options that are tailored to your business needs
Availability
The SureColor F11070 and SureColor F11070H are now available for purchase. For additional information, visit www.epson.com/industrial-dye-sublimation-printers.
MIGDAL HAEMEK, Israel — April 2, 2024 — NILIT, the global market leader, and a producer of high quality Nylon 6.6 for apparel and owner of the SENSIL® brand, introduces SENSIL® Flow, a new approach to Nylon 6.6 circularity that enables yarn, fabric, and, ultimately, apparel recycling to eliminate waste and further reduce apparel’s environmental impact. SENSIL® Flow is more than just a sustainable performance product. It is an innovative approach that engages the entire supply chain to truly attain circularity through product design and partnership.
“Our mission to create a more sustainable textile industry requires a shift in mindset throughout the value chain,” says Ilan Melamed, NILIT General Manager. “SENSIL® Flow represents an out-of-the-box approach that directly enables yarn and fabric recycling and lays the groundwork for apparel recycling and is part of a broader circularity mission for NILIT. Such a significant industry transformation can only be attained through deep partnerships that create innovative products and processes, visionary designs, and a collaborative reconfiguration of the value chain itself.”
“According to industry experts, more than 90 million tons of apparel end up in landfills each year,” says Michelle Lea, NILIT’s Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer. “Only about a fifth of discarded clothing is reused or recycled. The SENSIL® Flow approach eliminates waste throughout the production chain and enables brands to design apparel that lasts longer and, at the end of an extensive life, can be more easily recycled.”
Today, apparel recycling is constrained by the complexity of sorting and separating materials before they can be recycled back to their original components, Garments made with blended fibers and fabrics are especially difficult to recycle.
NILIT’s new SENSIL Flow approach engages the entire textile supply chain to reduce waste throughout, increase the use of recycled content, and ultimately enable apparel recycling with long-lasting garments thoughtfully designed using new mono-component premium SENSIL Flow Nylon 6.6. Graphic – Business Wire
The SENSIL® Flow approach addresses these obstacles on multiple fronts. First, SENSIL® Flow is a yarn that delivers a mono-component fabric with comfort stretch that can be considered as an alternative to elastane in certain end uses. Engineered to provide inherent elasticity and recovery properties, SENSIL® Flow creates comfortable, stretchable performance fabrics for the casual and lifestyle segments. These beautiful fabrics have excellent color absorption and exquisite 3D effects while at the same time making post-consumer recycling possible. Pure premium Nylon 6.6 yarns, fabrics, and garments are easily recycled using a process that requires no additional chemicals and generates minimal CO2 emissions.
Additionally, NILIT partners with recycling experts to facilitate the efficient recovery and recycling of fabric waste and post-consumer fabrics and clothing that would otherwise end up in a landfill or incinerator. These partners are expected to create high quality recycled Nylon chips that can be reintroduced into NILIT’s Nylon fiber spinning process, resulting in high quality outputs, as well as other engineering plastics. Certificates will validate circularity and provide transparency and accountability for partners committed to building a circular textile economy.
Celebrating 50 years of excellence, NILIT offers a comprehensive collection of premium Nylons designed to empower the apparel industry’s shift to a more sustainable position. NILIT launched industry-first SENSIL® ByNature made using bio-gas from reclaimed landfill waste. SENSIL® BioCare is enhanced with a special technology proven to help lessen the persistence of textile waste in sea water and in landfills. SENSIL® EcoCare, crafted with recycled Nylon, improves circularity and LCA. SENSIL® WaterCare with embedded color saves up to 100% of the water used in the traditional wet dyeing process. Plus, the complete SENSIL® portfolio of products is manufactured according to NILIT’s Total Product Sustainability criteria. These responsible yarns give designers the beautiful, environmentally considerate performance fabrics they need to create apparel collections that respond to consumer demands.
DALLAS — April 3, 2024 — Panda Biotech™ announced today that commercial operations have officially begun at the Panda Hemp Gin, their landmark industrial hemp processing facility in Wichita Falls, Texas. The 500,000-square-foot building situated on 97 acres is the first of its kind and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, with the capacity to process 10 metric tons of industrial hemp into textile-grade fiber, hurd, short-fiber/hurd mix, and nutrient-rich micronized hurd per hour. It is a zero-waste process, utilizing every part of the industrial hemp stalk, and operates solely on 100 percent renewable energy, making it a paragon of sustainability in the industry.
Panda Hemp Gin is a 500,000-square-foot building situated on 97 acres with the capacity to process 10 metric tons of industrial hemp into textile-grade fiber, hurd, short-fiber/hurd mix, and nutrient-rich micronized hurd per hour. Photo – Business Wire
The Panda Hemp Gin is fully operational, and production will continue to ramp up in the coming months. In February, the complex commissioning process of Panda’s 600-yard-long processing line and three miles of overhead pneumatic duct lines, including each piece of equipment for decortication, refining, blending, mechanical cottonization, hurd bagging and storage, and baling, was successfully completed.
“Panda Biotech’s state-of-the-art industrial hemp processing facility is a monumental achievement and a game-changer for both agriculture and industry,” said Dixie Carter, president of Panda Biotech. “As research and development in this area continue to advance, industrial hemp fiber and cellulose will help transform numerous industries with sustainable goals and challenges. Panda’s industrial hemp will play a pivotal role in satisfying significant global market demand for renewable processes and products.”
Industrial hemp is considered one of the most versatile raw materials available with an unmatched variety of potential uses. The Panda Hemp Gin will focus on providing five main product lines from hemp, including mechanically cottonized fiber, decorticated fiber, hurd (cellulose), short-fiber/hurd mix, and nutrient-rich micronized hemp dust. The innumerous applications for each product vary broadly from consumer and industrial textiles, non-wovens, paper products, bioplastics, biofuel, animal bedding, fiberglass substitute, construction materials such as hempcrete, mulch, insulation, and more.
With a commitment to traceability and processing only U.S.-grown hemp straw, as well as providing an astounding pay-to-grow program, Panda’s partnership with the American farming community is at the heart of the operation. Industrial hemp provides a multitude of benefits for producers, as it is scientifically proven to minimize CO2 emissions, absorbing more per acre than any forest or commercial crop. Additionally, hemp requires significantly less water than most major crops, provides outstanding soil remediation, and requires minimal fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Panda is actively contracting with producers for its pay-to-grow program for this harvest and with farmers who may have straw or fiber from previous harvests or the 2024 growing season. Interested producers can reach out to Panda through the website at pandabiotech.com.
“The massive scale of the campus, allowing more than 22,000 pounds of baled hemp straw for processing per hour, is what makes this industrial hemp processing facility unique,” said Scott Evans, chief operating officer of Panda Biotech. “Our straw is sourced directly from our farming partners in Texas and surrounding states, and, through our decortication process, it is transformed into packaged products, ready for retail or downstream manufacturing applications, within minutes. Panda’s processing equipment and infrastructure is truly best-in-class.”
HANNOVER, Germany — April 4, 2024 — As the international platform for carpets and floor coverings in the Middle East and MENA region, DOMOTEX Middle East will bring together top-class exhibitors such as Solomon Carpets, Al Abdullatif, Farrahi Carpets, Royal Gold, Almas Kavir Carpet, Indian art Gallery, Standard Carpets, Card Monroe, Extraweave, Dodhia Synthetics Limited, Heritage Carpet and many more under one roof from 23 to 25 April.
“DOMOTEX Middle East offers the industry an important platform in the region to discover new products, exchange ideas with like-minded people and actively shape the future of the flooring industry. We are expecting a successful event”, says Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director of DOMOTEX at Deutsche Messe AG.
With their innovative products, DOMOTEX exhibitors reflect the vibrant spirit of the industry. Oriental Weavers, one of the world’s largest carpet manufacturers, will be presenting a selection of highlights, including unique woven broadloom products, new indoor and outdoor collections and high-quality machine-made carpets that imitate the look of handmade carpets. The world leader will also introduce a new dyeing concept and address the issue of sustainability with products made from natural materials. “We are looking forward to being part of DOMOTEX Middle East in April. It is the perfect opportunity to showcase our latest innovations and highlights to the GCC and Middle East market,” reveals Yasmine Khamis, Chairman of Oriental Weavers Group.
Caglar Kepekci, Managing Director of Merinos, is also looking forward to the upcoming event and has announced the presentation of exclusive carpet and rug collections “specially developed for the Middle East market”.
Handmade Persian carpets are sought after around the world for their intricate patterns and high quality. Azim Silk Carpet Trading presents a very special specimen in terms of size and craftsmanship: One of the 600m² carpets from the Tabriz Premium Silk Warp collection. This is the largest carpet ever exhibited at DOMOTEX.
Originally handmade by Baluch nomads on the border of Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iranian company Zartosht is bringing the beauty of traditional patterns to the masses for the first time. With the machine-made collection, the manufacturer is sharing the rich tradition of the Baluchestan province with DOMOTEX visitors and customers around the world.
In addition to sustainable textile machinery, the Swiss manufacturer Oerlikon will present a new bi-component BCF yarn for carpet production at the ATAG Export & Import stand. This innovative yarn offers higher volume with significantly reduced raw material consumption.
From 23 to 25 April visitors to DOMOTEX Middle East can find out what other new products and global highlights will be on show at the DWTC.
BRIXEN, Italy — April 4, 2024 — Atelie Demetriades, Vanguard Europe’s first customer in Cyprus, has invested in the VR6D-HS digital flatbed to embrace a new era of printing technology at its factory. The company is located in modern well-equipped 1,600 sq/meter facilities at the industrial area Tseri in the center of three towns Nicosia, Larnaca and Limassol. With live printing under way at its factory, Atelie Demetriades is now gearing up to enter new markets and expand its €1million turnover by more than a third in the next two years.
Glass providers, hoteliers and retailers will all be targeted by Atelie Demetriades, an established sign-making business that has used roll-to-roll digital printing mostly in the past. Vanguard Europe’s VR6D-HS now offers industrial-scale flatbed production that will expand Atelie Demetriades operations, with new applications now possible on virtually any hard surface.
The VR6D-HS for Atelie Demetriades was supplied through LinoGroup S.A, Vanguard Europe’s distributor in Greece and Cyprus. Features include environmentally friendly LED curing technology, static eliminating ionization bars, 4 vacuum zones, 5-10-15 picoliter drop size, a 1.27m x 2.52m print area and CMYK, white, varnish and embossing options.
Demetri Demetriades, General Manager and Co-owner of the business, said: “We expect to increase turnover by 25-35% in the next two years. Imagine the possibilities for our customers. From custom doors to stunning glass décor and beyond, we’re ready to bring the vision to life. We’ve embraced a new era of printing technology with the VR6D-HS that enables us to print on any hard surface – examples include wood, glass and metal – with vibrant CMYK, white, varnish and 3D embossing options.
“The VR6D-HS is a serious machine. We looked at several manufacturers, but Vanguard was a clear front-runner with its amazing technology and with a price comparison very favorable to competitors. In addition, Vanguard Europe also provides full back-up support and service. It has a good reputation, particularly as it is associated with the Durst Group, which for many years has had an established reputation in the market. We also really like the new design.”
Yiannis Apostolidis, Vanguard Europe’s Business Development Director, said: “In addition to our delight with this first installation in Cyprus, we are proud to be playing an important part in Atelie Demetriades’ environmental and expansions success story. Working closely with customers and partners such as LinoGroup, our mission is to grow business profitably together and provide new business opportunities. Our VR6D-HS is part of a growing portfolio of machines that are incredibly versatility, reliable and productive. And we take heart from the fantastic feedback we received to our important presence at FESPA Global 2024 last month, as we continue to move into new markets such as Cyprus.”
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — April 4, 2024 — Relevant industry trends, pioneering research milestones, new technologies and solutions for the major challenges of our time: with their high-calibre stages, Techtextil and Texprocess are once again making a name for themselves as indispensable knowledge and networking hubs. The two international innovation trade fairs take place together in Frankfurt am Main from 23 to 26 April 2024.
How is AI helping the textile industry? What is happening in recycling and the circular economy? And which innovations have what it takes to be game changers? From sustainability to digitalisation, these are the major and, above all, urgent topics that the leading trade fairs Techtextil and Texprocess address with their selected content programme: In 2024, the Techtextil and Texprocess Forums will once again stand for excellent quality content, speakers and networking, making them valuable platforms for knowledge transfer, professional exchange and business initiation.
Photo: Messe Frankfurt / Jean-Luc Valentin
From AI to circularity: Techtextil Forum takes an innovative approach to the textile future
Digitalisation, sustainability, supply chains, alternative materials, process optimisation and the circular economy: what are the latest research findings, technologies and innovations? And what trends and solutions are driving the global textile industry? Renowned experts will discuss these topics in the Techtextil Forum (Hall 9.1, E70), which will offer around 50 presentations and discussion panels over four days. Ricardo Vega Ayora (ITA Academy, Aachen), for example, will show how artificial intelligence can be used specifically for energy optimisation.
Sophia Merve Ince and Dr Recep Karadağ from Anatolian Colours will report on their particular breakthrough in organic dyes. Textile solutions for the future will be presented by moderator Dr. Jan Laperre (Centexbel) and Lea Zimmermann (DITF). They will discuss the vital role that textiles can play in the context of climate change and highlight a current research project on energy-free, self-cooling textiles.
A strong thematic focus of the Techtextil Forum is on the field of recycling. Johannes Leis (Saxon Textile Research Institute) and Robin Oddon (Techtera), among others, will share their findings on the development of closed-loop processes for the management of composite waste and waste materials. Lorenza Gardella (XLANCE), on the other hand, will demonstrate the recycling possibilities that polyolefin-based elastic fibres open up for new textiles.
Photo: Messe Frankfurt / Pietro Sutera
Texprocess Forum and Denim Talks tackle the hot topics of the industry
The Texprocess Forum in Hall 9.0, B88 will focus on sustainable solutions and technologies for the future. One of the strong content partners is the German Engineering Federation (VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather), which will also start its guided tours of the fair on the topics of digitalisation and AI from here. On stage in the Econogy Talk, co-hosted by VDMA, Federica Giachetti (Morgan Tecnica), Michael McDonald (SPESA) and Günter Veit (VEIT Group) will discuss how sustainability can be implemented with the help of technological innovations.
Another must-have at Texprocess are the Denim Talks in Hall 8.0, D20. With current topics and discussions, industry experts invite to experience the future of the denim industry in a new way. Visitors will gain insights into circular strategies and new processing technologies and meet innovative suppliers and players. The range of topics includes sustainable approaches to washing, destroying, bleaching, lasering, dyeing, recycling, upcycling and customising. Among others, Abdul Jabbar Athar (US Apparel & Textiles) will talk about “Denim Sustainbility – A Nexus Approach” and Enrico Cartabbia (MACPI Americas), who will present the latest innovations for denim finishing.
Highlights: Innovation Awards & Young Professional Friday
With their strong stages, Techtextil and Texprocess cover the relevant topics of the industry. In addition to the specific trade fair themes, the two forums also offer a number of special events: Cross-industry highlights include the festive presentation of the Techtextil and Texprocess Innovation Awards 2024 on the Texprocess stage on 23 April at 12:30 pm.
To mark the twentieth anniversary of Techtextil, all exhibitors who took part in the first Techtextil in 1986 will be honoured on 24 April at 09:00. Another crowd-puller is the Young Professionals Friday on the last day of the trade fair, when both industry platforms will focus on the next generation.
The Techtextil and Texprocess Forums are also the starting point for numerous guided tours, such as the Econogy Tours to exciting companies with sustainable products. Exhibitors and visitors can also conveniently plan their personal knowledge programme on the move using the Techtextil and Texprocess Navigator apps.
SEATTLE, Wash. — April 4, 2024 — In accordance with California’s Proper Labeling of Wet Wipes law (AB 818), state wastewater agencies and industry experts went deep to find out exactly what is passing through—and clogging up—municipal wastewater systems. Today, the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) alongside the California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) and the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) release the results from the largest known domestic sewage collection study conducted to reveal what’s really being flushed down the drain – and shouldn’t be.
“We took a forensic approach to this collection study, engaging industry and wastewater experts to examine our findings and determine what exactly is being flushed and how much of it,” said Adam Link, Executive Director at CASA, a co-sponsor of the Proper Labeling of Wet Wipes Law. “Now that we have the data to see what Californians are flushing and the types of non-flushable items that are causing issues within wastewater systems, local agencies can refine their public outreach and messaging to target specific problems and educate more efficiently.”
Collection and material investigation took place in October 2023 at two locations: Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) in Southern California and Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (Central San) in the greater San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California. Wastewater and wipes experts collected, sorted and identified more than 1,700 items pulled from the two locations during peak flow times. Kennedy Jenks, an independent engineering firm, designed the study and compiled the findings into the report.
Why Study What’s Being Flushed?
When products that aren’t meant to be flushed down the toilet wind up in the sewer system, it can cause serious threats to public and environmental health. In fact, estimates show that local public agencies throughout California (and the ratepayers they represent) are spending more than $47 million annually to repair wastewater treatment equipment and respond to sewer overflows caused by improper flushing.1
“Part of keeping communities healthy requires not flushing things we shouldn’t,” said Lara Wyss, President of the RFA. “However, the data to support which non-flushable items to target as part of education campaigns has been lacking. That’s likely why when we surveyed Californians about what they are flushing, the results revealed that approximately 25% think baby wipes are flushable (which is never true) and 60% self-reported that they flushed something they knew they shouldn’t have.2 Our study results reinforce that finding, as more than 99% of materials collected were items that shouldn’t have been flushed.”
So, What’s Being Flushed? And What Does That Tell Us?
The breakdown of items collected from pipes at the two study locations included:
34.1% wipes labeled with the “Do Not Flush” symbol (baby wipes, cleaning wipes, makeup wipes, etc.)
64.9% other non-flushable items (paper towels, period products, trash, etc.)
0.9% wipes labeled as flushable
“We pulled material larger than 1-inch square directly from the bar screens, and it wasn’t until everything was sorted and identified that we could see what we actually had,” said Matt O’Sickey, Director of Education and Technical Affairs, INDA. “There were a lot of paper towels and baby wipes and all of the ‘Do Not Flush’ labeled wipes we collected were fully intact, showcasing why they should never be flushed.”
What Not to Flush—and How We Tell Consumers
According to the Proper Wet Wipes Labeling law, manufacturers of non-flushable wipes, including products such as baby wipes, cleaning wipes, makeup removal wipes and many others that are primarily used in a bathroom setting must include the “Do Not Flush” symbol on the front of the packaging.
The #FlushSmart consumer education campaign promotes the “Do Not Flush” symbol and provides information on what should and should not be flushed. The message shared with consumers is simple: Look for the “Do Not Flush” symbol on wipes packaging, and if you see it – throw the wipe out. Extrapolating from the results of this study, refraining from flushing “Do Not Flush” labeled wipes, paper products and feminine hygiene products would capture over 90% of items clogging sewers.
To view the full study, visit https://www.flushsmart.org/myth-vs-fact/, and to learn more about responsible flushing, visit https://www.flushsmart.org/.
Source: California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA) / The Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) / The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) / Kennedy Jenks
WASHINGTON — April 5, 2024 — National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued a statement welcoming the textile enforcement plan released by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas today as a critical step to combatting import fraud and circumvention of free trade agreement rules and trade laws.
The plan outlines pillars and action items that are essential to improving customs enforcement in response to a wide range of illegal trade practices, as well as fraudulent activities that are worsening the economic crisis facing the U.S. textile industry. The DHS plan comes in response to the industry’s active calls for increased enforcement under free trade agreements (FTAs) and trade and tariff laws.
Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:
“We strongly commend DHS for the release of a robust textile and apparel enforcement plan today. We also greatly appreciate Secretary Mayorkas’ personal engagement in this urgent effort and believe it’s a strong step forward to addressing pervasive customs fraud that is harming the U.S. textile industry.
The essential and vital domestic textile supply chain has lost 14 plants in recent months. The industry is facing severe economic harm due to a combination of factors, exacerbated by customs fraud and predatory trade practices by China and other countries, which has resulted in these devastating layoffs and plant closures. DHS immediately understood the economic harms facing the industry and deployed the development of a critical action plan.
NCTO has been actively engaged with administration officials including meeting with Secretary Mayorkas to call for an aggressive public enforcement plan and strong penalties to deter fraud and illegal trade practices that are undermining the domestic industry’s competitiveness. As a result of that meeting, Secretary Mayorkas immediately directed DHS personnel to construct a comprehensive textile and apparel enforcement plan, and we are grateful to DHS for swiftly implementing this urgent plan.
Our industry requested DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) take the following essential actions to mitigate this economic harm and to maximize civil and criminal penalties for trade predators, while also creating a significant public awareness campaign.
The industry requests included:
Ramped up textile and apparel enforcement with regard to Western Hemisphere trade partner countries, including onsite visits and other targeted verification measures to enforce rules of origin as well as to address any backdoor Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) violations.
Increased UFLPA enforcement to prevent textile and apparel goods made with forced labor from entering our market, including in the de minimis environment. Immediate expansion of the UFLPA Entity List, isotopic testing, and other targeting tools.
Intensified scrutiny of Section 321 de minimis imports and a review of all existing Executive Branch authorities under current law to institute basic reforms to this outdated tariff waiver mechanism.
We welcome the textile enforcement plan which centers around five elements, including: robust inspections and enforcement of UFLPA; expanding audits and increasing foreign verifications of our free trade agreement rules of origin; increasing inspections and testing of small internationally shipped packages in the de minimis environment; expanding the UFLPA Entity List to identify bad actors in the textile environment; and building stakeholder awareness. Taken together, these actions can help combat an alarming rise in fraud, transshipments, and illegal trade in our sector. We appreciate that these enforcement activities have already been initiated— even before the plan was announced— including increased inspections, audits, and other targeting procedures related to our FTAs and UFLPA. We value these efforts and the increased public awareness that those who violate trade laws will be held accountable to the maximum extent possible as an effort to deter fraud and uphold the integrity of our critical trade rules.
We encourage CBP to continue doing the necessary onsite and other verifications to curb rampant fraud and circumvention of FTA and forced labor trade laws. This intensified enforcement will lead to more transparency in textile and apparel supply chains, which support 500,000 U.S. textile workers and 2 million workers in co-production partnerships within the Western Hemisphere.
It’s critical these ongoing actions are backed up by strong civil and criminal penalties to act as a deterrent to bad actors who have been circumventing rules and trade laws and harming U.S. textile and apparel producers as well as our Western Hemisphere trade partners. Punishing the bad actors quickly and amplifying these penalties are essential measures to deterring the illegal trade that is undermining this essential sector.
We also appreciate DHS ramping up inspection of de minimis packages. While this plan is specific to textile and apparel enforcement, it’s important to note that we are aware that the administration is also exploring other avenues, including regulatory changes, to address concerns regarding de minimis shipments. This was a critical request made by our industry and many other stakeholders. We commend the administration’s expeditious review and urge them to close de minimis to the maximum extent possible under their current authorities. This loophole in U.S. trade law facilitates 4 million duty-free packages a day, putting a significant strain on CBP resources, making it virtually impossible to enforce U.S. laws, and significantly hurting domestic manufacturers and retailers.
We also urge Congress, without delay, to pass critically needed comprehensive de minimis reform legislation, given the urgency of the situation and the economic harm this loophole is causing.
We look forward to continuing frequent communication with the CBP and DHS teams to ensure effective enforcement of our trade laws and trade agreements as part of these ongoing and intensified activities for our sector.
We are grateful for all the strong bipartisan support on the Hill in amplifying the urgency of the needs of our sector. Our industry stands ready and willing to do whatever is necessary to help ensure this plan is a success in stopping predatory trade practices and fraud from undermining this critical industrial base in order to help drive business back home. We are grateful to Secretary Mayorkas and the entire DHS team for this essential plan and are committed to working with DHS in full support of these upgraded enforcement activities. NCTO also looks forward to Secretary Mayorkas’ keynote speech at our annual meeting on April 9th in Washington, D.C.”
Posted: April 5, 2024
Source: National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)
CORNELIUS, N.C. — April 8, 2024 — Allertex of America Ltd., a supplier of nonwoven and recycling solutions in the United States and Canada, is excited to announce that it has signed an agreement with Margasa to represent its machinery in the United States and Canada.
