MycoWorks Opens Fine Mycelium™ Plant

November 30, 2023

(Left to right): MycoWorks Chief of Culture Sophia Wang, COO Doug Hardesty, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and CEO Matthew Scullin at the ribbon cutting ceremony held to celebrate the opening of the biomaterials company’s factory.

MycoWorks recently held a ribbon-cutting cere-mony at its new full-scale Fine Mycelium™ production facility in Union, S.C. The event was attended by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, as well as other government officials, community leaders and brand partners. The facility will help MycoWorks meet demand for its patented Reishi™ biobased, leather-like material that is used by luxury brands, among other companies.

“I was proud to join with MycoWorks to cele-brate the grand opening of their new Union facility,”said Governor Henry McMaster.“It’s great to add a biomaterials manufacturer to South Carolina’s expanding range of products and services, and we look forward to the opportunities this investment will bring to students and technicians across the state.”

November/December 2023

Trützschler Donates Equipment To New Gaston College Fiber Innovation Center

November 30, 2023

The Gaston College Fiber Innovation Center, Belmont, N.C., recently received an equipment donation worth $1.2 million from Germany-based Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG for the new facility expected to open in 2024. The equipment is designed to promote circularity and a reduce the carbon footprint in fiber and textile production.

“Trützschler is excited to be a part of the new state-of-the-art Fiber Innovation Center at Gaston College and proud to show our commitment to the textile industry for the future,”said Greg Duncan, vice president of Sales, Spinning at American Trützschler, Charlotte, N.C.

“Thanks in part to our longtime partnership with Trützschler, the Fiber Innovation Center will help revolutionize the textile industry as we know it,” said Stephen Sharp, vice president of Fiber Innovation at Gaston College.

“The current process for developing innovative textile solutions is expensive, timely, and highly fragmented. With this center, and through Trützschler’s gracious donation, textile innovation can occur from conception to completion, all here at Gaston College.”

November/December 2023

PVH Sells Warners, Olga And True&Co.

November 30, 2023

PVH Corp., New York City, has announced plans to sell its Warners, Olga and True&Co. businesses to Basic Resources Inc. also based in New York City. The purchase price is $160 million all cash, which is subject to adjustment plus a maximum value earn-out of $10 million based on the net sales on a portion of the businesses for calendar year 2024. PVH plans to use net proceeds from the sale to repurchase shares of its common stock.

“This transaction is an important next step as we continue to accelerate our focus under the PVH+ Plan to build our core brands, Calvin Klein and TOMMY HILFIGER, into the most desirable lifestyle brands in the world,”said PVH CEO Stefan Larsson. “I want
to thank our teams for building Warners, Olga and True&Co into the beloved brands they are today. We know the Basic Resources team well as a longstanding PVH partner and are confident they are the right company to help grow these brands and ensure their continued success over the long term.”

November/December 2023

Milliken & Company Rebrands Healthcare Subsidiary

November 30, 2023

Milliken & Company, Spartanburg, S.C., recently unveiled OVIK Health — a new brand platform for its healthcare business, Milliken Healthcare Products LLC. As a subsidiary of Milliken & Company, OVIK Health will continue to carry the same products — wound and burn dressings, compression solutions, cohesive bandages and tapes — and current product names will remain the same. However, the branding for these products will become OVIK Health in name and visual instance.

“Launching OVIK Health marks a new era in our work to positively impact the healthcare industry,” shared Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Company. “Through OVIK, we reaffirm our commitment to providing innovative healthcare solutions and open the door to future opportunities that can heal, protect and support patients.”

The new branding unites under one umbrella Milliken & Company’s business with that of Andover Healthcare, a company it acquired in 2019.

November/December 2023

Redefining the Future of Textile Authenticity with Forensic Traceability

November 30, 2023

Oritain provides a solution to regulatory barriers with forensic isotopic testing, a method approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to verify the origin of cotton imported into the U.S.

Sponsored Content

The textile industry has been a major contributor to the global economy for centuries. However, with the rise of counterfeit and fraud, the authenticity and integrity of this industry are being compromised. The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) revealed that 72% of Chinese cotton products use Xinjiang cotton, linked to forced labor, many finding their way into U.S. supply chains and those of its free trade agreement regions. In response, the U.S. textiles association is pushing for stricter inspections and testing of such imports from China.

Rupert Hodges, Chief Commercial Officer at Oritain, observed, “Today’s consumer is not just buying a product; they are buying a story. They want to know where the raw materials in their clothes come from and the journey they’ve been on. For the textile industry, this means ensuring the authenticity of their products through every step of production.”

Fraud and unethical practices often undermine supply chains, especially in the cotton space. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) and similar legislations worldwide are responses to these malpractices, which have put brand reputations on the line. Oritain provides a solution to these regulatory barriers with forensic isotopic testing, a method approved by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to verify the origin of cotton imported into the U.S.

Dr. Kate Jones, Oritain’s Senior Scientific Advisor, said, “Our technology is based on the naturally occurring isotopes found in soil, water, and air. These isotopes are unique to a specific geographical location and act as a natural fingerprint for the products grown there.”
Oritain’s team collects samples of raw cotton, or genuine products, directly from the farm or from other authorities around the globe. These samples are then analyzed using innovative chemical fingerprinting technology, robust and proven science developed in the criminal forensics fields, to identify the isotopic fingerprint of the cotton.

“Once we’ve created a genuine origin fingerprint, it can be used to audit a wide variety of products throughout the supply chain, from farm to fabric, to differentiate the legitimate from the fraudulent,” added Dr. Jones.

Hodges explained, “We help brands confirm their raw material sourcing and validate the integrity of their supply chain. We gather samples to test and compare them against our extensive database of global isotopic signatures. This allows us to provide robust scientific proof of origin and authenticity for our clients.”

Oritain’s forensic testing has already been implemented by major clothing brands, empowering them to assure their customers of the ethical and sustainable practices followed in their supply chain. Dr. Kate Jones added, “Our audits only require a small product sample and can integrate seamlessly into existing supply chains. This makes auditing at different stages in the supply chain, even up to a retail store, easy and scalable.”

Visit oritain.com/cotton to learn how you can promote supply chain transparency by verifying and authenticating the origin of your cotton.

This sponsored content was been provided by Oritain.

November/December 2023

Shows, Meetings, Events Dominate Textile Schedule

November 30, 2023

By James M. Borneman, Editor In Chief

After a fairly manageable spring and summer 2023 schedule, Textile World editors saw no shortage of events fill the fall calendar as the new year quickly approached.

Shows, meetings and events of all stripes dominated the industry calendar — a welcome turn from the bleak days of COVID seclusion, and healthy sign that the industry is curious, outgoing and searching for new ideas and innovations.

Meeting old friends and making new connections is a great feature of the old school face-to-face event schedule. Strong themes including sustainability, recycling, traceability throughout supply chains, efficient manufacturing, near shoring and technical applications, dominated conversations.

With the overhang of an uncertain economy, investment activity and the search for innovative technologies continues to be center stage.

In some areas, like fiber recycling — or better yet fiber “regeneration”— there seems to be a maturing theme as budding technologies are taking hold.

Recently, a press release posted in TextileWorld.com’s “Breaking News” section informed readers about a new company, Reju, formed by Technip Energies, IBM Corp. and Under Armour to “address the fast-growing market of global rPET.” According to the news release, global rPET — recycled polyester —demand from the textile market is “expected to grow up to 20 [million tonnes per annum] by 2033, driven by industry pledges and targets on recycling, regulation and consumer awareness of the need to reduce plastic waste.”

Apparently, the trio of codevelopers have been working together since 2021 to bring IBM’s VolCat technology to a commercial level and using the “molecular sorter” to regenerate polyester indefinitely.

According to Reju, former Under Armour CEO and apparel industry veteran Patrik Frisk will lead the new company along with Alain Poincheval as COO, a senior executive with Technip Energies. Arnaud Pieton, CEO of Technip Energies, stated: “Globally, less than 1 percent of PET textiles waste is recycled today. This means that most textiles end up as waste in landfills when they could be repeatedly reused in new clothes. What has been holding the world back in textile circularity is not a lack of demand for textile recycling but the lack of a solution that makes recycling of textiles economical on an industrial scale.”

This is just one of many stories illustrating the dynamic nature of today’s textile industry— and the importance of circularity in textiles.

This issue of TW is an interesting mix of stories. On one hand, it presents coverage of the many events that have recently sparked industry conversations, and on the other hand features continued technology coverage from the many innovations showcased at ITMA 2023.

It may seem as if the ITMA coverage will never end, but that is a narrow view. If one stands back and considers things from a technology perspective, what a display of real invention, innovation and creativity there is to explore from ITMA. Consider the hours and level of investment made to bring new manufacturing concepts to a commercial level and then educate the global industry about the potential these new technologies present— it really is an incredible opportunity for the textile industry.

It is heartening to see major players like IBM and Under Amour take a stake in textiles— a challenging industry, but one that always looks to innovation to power a bright future.

November/December 2023

TITAS: A Vibrant World-Class Event

November 30, 2023

Participants in the TITAS Opening Ceremonies Fashion Show

The 27th edition of TITAS — Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show — showcased Taiwan’s innovative and youthful textile industry.

By Jim Kaufmann, Contributing Editor

To begin, here are some interesting statistics and information collected from the 27th Taipei Innovative Textile Application Show (TITAS) held recently in Taipei City, Taiwan:

More than 35,000 attendees —yes, actual attendance numbers! —from more than 15 different countries during the three-day event.
A vibrant, colorful and youthful atmosphere throughout the show floor.
Some 381 international exhibitors from 11 different countries.
Taiwan’s textile industry ranks first globally in terms of functional and green fabrics resulting in a core theme for this year’s TITAS of “Sustainability, Functional Applications and Intelligent Manufacturing” with virtually every exhibitor booth prominently dis-playing sustainable, recyclable and/or circular products, future concepts and/or even demonstrated results.
Taiwan’s Vice President Dr. Lai Chingte spoke at the TITAS opening ceremonies emphasizing the textile industry’s importance to Taiwan and Taiwan’s commitment to its textile industry.
Creativity and innovation were on display pretty much in every direction, including several fashion shows over the show days featuring local designers focusing on what can be done with recycled content, new fabrics and technologies. For example, for the opening ceremony fashion show, the designers involved were given the challenge “to interpret and reflect the fabric’s performance in the garment’s design.”
Future business opportunities generated during the three days of the show estimated to be in excess of $47 million dollars in value. Not bad for an island country slightly larger in land mass than the state of Maryland.

Organized by the Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF) in partnership with Taiwan’s International Trade Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, TITAS was held at the Nan-gang Exhibition Center. As a first-time visitor, the impressions made were immediate and lasting. TITAS exemplified itself as an active, interesting and truly vibrant show. The TTF and its President Justin Huang are forward thinking, knowledgeable, influential and vibrant. The collective feeling derived from the majority of participants was one of youthfulness and yes, vibrance! The innovative products and technologies on dis-play, not to mention the colors found throughout the exhibitor booths and show floor — yep, also vibrant.

TTF’s Influence And Focus On Technology

TITAS is widely regarded as Asia’s key sourcing platform for textiles and clothing, but this status did not happen overnight. It began years ago when Huang and his colleagues at TTF came to the realization that, “Geopolitics are important and you need to maintain a global perspective to compete.” Huang noted: “Taiwan— with a population of just over 23.5 million people — can never compete with the manpower and efficiencies that other countries in the region possess and we have no free trade agreements with anyone. To compete, we needed to devise a strategy based on technology and innovation to keep all potential customers interested and keep Taiwan ahead of the curve. Once a technology is developed and moves into production, the resulting products will likely be produced in other countries. So, we need to continue developing newer technologies.”

Given the push to advance technologies, Huang and TTF also made a conscious decision to hedge their bets by taking a realistic look at and focusing more on what Taiwan’s textile industry does best. “We don’t have a lot of land to grow cotton, but we do make a lot of synthetic yarns,” Huang said. “So, we devised a strategy to ‘feed the machine’ through encouraging designers, manufacturers and brands to focus on synthetic yarns. Since Taiwan primarily makes synthetic fabrics, it only makes sense to have designers in Taiwan’s schools and mills feed those capabilities they have access to and focus on synthetics and now recycled content in creating performance fashion. Cotton is very important globally, but cotton blends are more important to us.”

The next step was to focus on global and local brands by inviting them to attend TITAS and getting the brands involved in the development process as early as possible. As a result, Taiwan’s textile industry has effectively evolved itself into a leader in textile technology and functionality. “We are able to adapt and change quicker than other countries because of an innovation focus and by playing the long game, or big picture view of industry,” Huang added. “We compete by pushing the envelope and advancing technologies further forward. The designers, brands and retailers want and need versatility and options and we endeavor to provide these options for them. It is difficult to keep this position, but we just try to keep the ideas coming.”

Today, TITAS largely focuses on making available all sectors of Taiwan’s apparel and sportswear markets to all visitors and notably the global brands. “Taiwan is a hub of innovation and functionality, especially in textiles,” stated Philip Wang, assistant sales manager for Freudenberg Performance Materials. “It’s not just the big companies, but also the small ones who do their own developments as well,” a fact that was largely illustrated throughout the show floor.
A few of the many highlights dis-covered at this year’s TITAS included (in no particular order):

Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI), New Taipei City Taiwan — The research institute, partially funded by its home country, showcased a wide array of textile related research activities developed within the institute primarily for Taiwan’s textile industry.
A mono-material waterproof and breathable jacket — In an effort to resolve one of the major challenges found in garment recycling, companies including Tokyo-based YKK Group, Singtex Industrial Co. Ltd., Taiwan, and TTRI worked together to develop a functional garment where all components are produced from a singular polymer — in this case polypropylene — for more efficient recycling at the garment’s end of life.
•TITAS Trend Forum — This display of more than 100 different fabric and component examples filled a section of the exhibit hall and was devoted to showcasing the breadth of technical developments presented throughout TITAS by Taiwan’s participating exhibitors.
Far Eastern New Century Corp. (FENC), Taipei, Taiwan— The company’s colorful booth presented a clever marketing campaign for its technologies including various consumer products from polymers and yarns made using recycled content “from land,” “from ocean,” and “from air” emphasizing FENC’s broad efforts toward developing recycling solutions.
Tactile Sensation Analyzer (TSA) — Developed by Germany-based Emtec Co., the TSA can reliably measure and quantify haptic qualities or the “hand” of a fabric surface in an objective manner. “The human hand and eye are no longer reliable enough for this industry to manage comparisons effectively,” said Alexander Gruener, Emtec’s Global Business Development manager. According to Gruener, TSA data can be used for lot-to-lot quality comparisons; to effectively categorize different products; to compare suppliers or competitive products; and potentially to feed accurate data into AI, modeling or simulation programs.
Pailung Machinery Mill Co. Ltd., Taiwan — showcased further advancements in circular (weft) jacquard knitting machine technologies, including its AlterKnit inverse plating technology in both single and double needlebar machines, as well as a new artificial intelligence (AI)-driven fabric defect detector system that learns as defects happen and are identified.
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC), Washington — In a unique move to further promote textiles to young adults, ICAC had students take a picture of themselves inside a large picture frame promoting World Cotton Day and offered 15,000 Taiwan dollars — approximately $465 — to the student who posted the image online and garnered the most likes.

Youthful Atmosphere

Another example of Huang and TTF’s forward thinking was the youthful atmosphere found on the show floor. It was rather evident throughout the duration of the show that a much greater number of participants were under the age of 40 than the number of participants over the age of 40. This presented a very real and striking contrast to the age ratios generally found at U.S.-based textile shows as previously has been discussed in past issues of Textile World. When asked about this comparison, Huang offered that: “We saw the industry getting older years ago, so we went to Taiwan’s universities and learning institutions and helped them create programs to attract more youth into the industry. We wanted to make the industry more appealing to young people by highlighting technology and the recognizability of the brands we cater to. We want the young people to feel engaged, and that helps to keep them here. Textiles do not have negative connotation here in Taiwan and young people continue to relate to the textile industry, technology and the brands. The semi-conductor folks may pay 2.5 times more, but the work is tedious. Textiles is more interesting and continually evolving, which keeps the young people interested. As a result, the majority of people in textiles in Taiwan are younger.” Obviously looking around the show floor, this strategy has been successful!

The recipe for a successful event of almost any kind generally involves a clear focus and purpose, a viable “product” to offer, some solid planning, and a bit of foresight. By all accounts, TITAS is a world-class event certainly worth attending by anyone interested in functional and advanced textile technologies offered in a colorful and most likely vibrant atmosphere.

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November/December 2023

Merrell Appoints Pallav Tamaskar As New Chief Marketing Officer

November 30, 2023

ROCKFORD, Mich. — November 30, 2023 — Merrell®, a hike and outdoor footwear brand, has announced the appointment of Pallav Tamaskar as chief marketing officer (CMO), effective November 30, 2023. As CMO, Tamaskar will be responsible for leading Merrell’s global marketing strategy, directing the creation of modern and integrated global integrated marketing campaigns, elevating full-funnel media planning, and driving cultural relevance through innovative product collaborations and brand-purpose programming.

Pallav Tamaskar Merrell Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

“Pallav is an innovative leader and talent builder, with a strong track record of growing global brands and pioneering digital marketing strategies to accelerate consumer demand creation,” shared Janice Tennant, Global Brand president of Merrell. “With his experience leading brands through transformation, Pallav will be instrumental in helping Merrell tell amazing stories to deliver engaging consumer experiences that accelerate demand creation and build brand love.”

Tamaskar joins the Merrell team with a strong Consumer Packaged Goods and Media background. Most recently, Tamaskar served as the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Myprotein (THG) North America, one of the world’s largest sports Nutrition Brands. There, he led the regional operation through a dynamic period of topline transformation and profitability.

Prior to THG, Pallav was an executive at ESPN (The Walt Disney Company) where he held multiple roles instilling game-changing category marketing tactics across ESPN Masterbrand and College Sports portfolio which helped to grow overall ratings and brand affinity. He has also held numerous additional marketing roles, domestically and internationally, at some of the top Fortune 100 companies including PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble.

Of his new role with Merrell, Tamaskar said, “As an avid outdoor participant, I am excited to bring my passion for marketing and consumer experiences to Merrell and be a part of the team that is helping to shape the future growth for the brand”.

Posted: November 30, 2023

Source: Merrell

RISE®: Highlighting Emerging Technologies

November 30, 2023

The 2023 RISE® conference focused on emerging technologies in nonwovens and engineered fabrics.

TW Special Report

The Cary, N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) held the 13th iteration of its RISE® — Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics — conference recently at the Talley Student Union on the campus of North Carolina State University (NC State), Raleigh, N.C. The two-day event was again co-organized by INDA, NC State and the Nonwovens Institute (NWI).

RISE focuses on emerging technologies and ideas with the aim of connecting innovations with real-world applications for professionals in the nonwoven/engineered fabrics industry.
Speakers included experienced industry, government and academic personnel. Topics included the future of nonwovens manufacturing, real-world applications and advances in filter media, recycled polymers and sustainability, circular solutions, and market statistics and data trends, among other topics. Johann-Philipp Dilo, Dilo Group CEO, traveled from Germany to share information about Dilo’s new MicroPunch needling technology for lightweight nonwovens that was introduced at ITMA 2023.

Graduate students from the NWI had the opportunity to present their research work to attendees in a poster display. The conference also featured a tour of NWI to view its extensive collection of lab- and pilot-scale manufacturing and testing equipment.

Ed Thomas, with Nonwoven Technology Associates LLC, was honored with the 2023 INDA Life-time Technical Achievement Award for his contributions to the growth and success of the nonwovens industry over many decades. He was presented with the award by INDA President Anthony “Tony” Fragnito and Matt O’Sickey, INDA’s director of Education and Technical Affairs.

On day one of the conference, each of the RISE Innovation Award finalists gave a short presentation about their nominated technology to the conference participants who then were tasked with voting for the winner. Presentations were provided by Chris Nelson with Curt G. Joa Inc. about the ESC-8 – The JOA® Electronic Size Change; Thomas Wittrup with Fiberpartner ApS about BicoBio Fiber; Tobias Wagner with Reicofil GmbH & Co. KG about the Reifenhäuser Reicofil RF5 XHL; and by Dr. Hani Sherry with TiHive SAS about its SAPMonit technology. TiHive emerged as the 2023 RISE Innovation Award winner for its diaper inspection technology. Using advanced cameras, high-speed vision algorithms and secure cloud integration, SAPMonit detects the weight and distribution of superabsorbents inline and can optimize resources, detect flaws and accelerate research and development. The technology has the capability to avoid hundreds of tons of plastic waste per machine per year, thus reducing costs and providing a more sustainable operation.

“INDA values its long-standing collaboration with NWI,” noted INDA President Anthony “Tony” Fragnito. “Together we provide valuable workforce development opportunities and disseminate industry innovation and research in the material sciences impacting nonwovens. The 2023 edition of the RISE conference is another shining example of our organizations working together for the benefit of the industry.”

RISE 2024 is scheduled for October 1-2, 2024, at a new venue on the NC State campus — the James B. Hunt Jr. Library.

November/December 2023

SYFA: Focus On Recycling

November 30, 2023

The SYFA’s fall conference took a deep dive into recycling and sustainable technologies in the man-made fiber sector.

TW Special Report

The Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association (SYFA) held its 2023 fall conference recently at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel, Charlotte, N.C. The format differed slightly from typical meetings. It began with single presenters speaking on a variety of topics under the theme “Reimagining Fibers, Factories and Waste.” The intent of the conference was to take a deeper dive into recycling and sustainable technologies in the man-made fiber sector.

Laura Murphy, Wood Mackenzie, kicked off the presentations with a data-driven “Fiber and Yarn Update.” She was followed by Parkdale’s Cheryl Smyre who presented an update on CiCLO® technology to attendees in her talk titled “Biodegradable Technology to Reduce the Impacts of Synthetic Microfiber Pollution.” After a networking break, Dave Kasper with Canada-based General Recycled, talked about his company’s unique recycling process developed to keep non-biodegradable flame-resistant (FR) garments out of landfills. The presentation, titled “Closed Loop Recycling of Aramid Garments at the End of Their Lifecycle,” provided an interesting look at the process that begins with FR garments at the end of their lifecycle and ends with new FR garments made using recycled aramid yarns. Rounding out day one of the conference was Lee E. Moritz Jr. with the NC Military Business Center who provided attendees helpful information on how to go after Federal contracts in his presentation “Introduction to Federal Contracting.”

After dinner, attendees heard from Keynote Speaker Augustine Tantillo from consulting firm SRG & Associates. Rieter’s Jerry Eskew, who is retiring, was also was recognized for his 47 years of service to the SYFA. For most of his time as a member, Eskew served on the association’s board.

The second day of presentations began with Bruno Langlois, business development and partnership director with France-based Carbios. He joined the conference via an online video call from France to deliver his presentation about “Enzymatic Recycling,” which focused on Carbios’ enzyme technology for depolymerizing polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in a circular manner with no loss of quality. Carbios recently obtained building and operating permits for the world’s first biorecycling plant in Longlaville, France, which is expected to be operational in 2025.

Langlois was followed by Aaron Alvarado, with Germany-based Setex, a supplier of controls, sensors and camera measurement technology, and planning and manufacturing software for textile machinery manufacturers. Alvarado presented on the topic of “Transformation in Textile Manufacturing from Automation to Digitalization.”

The final session was arranged as a panel discussion led by moderator Alasdair Carmichael, a long-time SYFA board member and program director at the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR). The panelists — Raymond Randall, WM (Waste Management); Megan Helton, Eastman; Chad Bolick, Unifi; and Sarah Coulter, Accelerating Circularity — offered expertise in collection and logistics, molecular and mechanical textile recycling, as well as ongoing actions downstream in the textile recycling sector. After each panelist gave a short presentation about his or her company and its recycling journey, the group discussed the ideas of collection, sorting and end-of-life treatment as it relates to textile recycling. Information shared and discussed included:

It is estimated that 92 million tons of textile waste is generated each year by the apparel industry;
Some 15 percent of all fabric delivered into the apparel supply chain ends up as waste on the cutting room floor; and
Of all garments produced, 30 percent are not sold at retail and must be disposed of some way.

Moderator Carmichael warned attendees that legislation is coming and that the textile and apparel industry needs to be involved in writing the legislation or rules will be created that are not at all favorable to the industry.

Conference sponsors included Diamond Sponsor Premier Fibers Inc.; Gold Sponsor Goulston Technologies; Silver Sponsor Pulcra Chemicals LLC; Bronze Sponsors Polyspintex and Unifi Inc.; and Keynote Sponsors Measured Solutions Inc. and Milliken & Company.

“On the heels of a successful 50th anniversary celebration last year, the 2023 Fall Conference shined a light on what’s ahead for the next few decades,” said SYFA President Hardy Sullivan. “The synthetic yarn and fabric industry has experienced an evolution of ways North American companies try to set themselves apart. Over the years we’ve seen a gradual transition of focus — from throughput to quality to recycled content; and now there is emphasis on minimizing resources and circularity. To recognize we’ve reached an inflection point, the conference theme was ‘Reimagining Fibers, Factories and Waste.’ We had a great lineup of speakers and panelists that revealed ways to modernize, expand into new markets, and make our industry more sustainable by using materials and processes that allow synthetics to biodegrade or be recycled at large scale. SYFA has reached its 51st year but, in many ways, we’re just starting a new chapter.”

The next edition of the SYFA conference will be held April 18-19, 2024, at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel. The association is planning its second annual golf outing the day before the conference, on April 18, to raise money for the SYFA Scholarship Fund for Gaston Community College’s textile program. Lauren Eck, the first recipient of SYFA’s scholarship, was in attendance at the fall meeting.

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