BRIXEN, Italy — July 11, 2023 — TAS Premium has become the official partner for Vanguard Europe in Portugal and Spain in a strategic step where both companies see important growth opportunities. The exclusive agreement covers sales and distribution, service, ink supply and distribution, plus ongoing after-sales support.
A subsidiary of Vanguard Digital Printing Systems Corp, of Lawrenceville, Ga., producing 200 systems a year, Vanguard Europe believes the announcement underpins its strategy to become market leader through growing customers’ business together through meeting and anticipating their needs.
TAS – Technical Assistance Services – Premium, covers the Iberia peninsular from its headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal. The company, which is headed by Samuel Correia and André Dias who both have many years’ experience in digital flatbed and roll-to-roll markets, offers bespoke expertise to customers in their digital transformation, as well as providing premium technical service support.
“This is a huge opportunity,” said Mr. Correia, general manager of TAS Premium. “We are very excited for the future of this new endeavour with Vanguard Europe to promote high quality, industrial speed production machines that are competitively priced in the marketplace. Flexibility, quality of print and simplicity to operate, as well as sustainable benefits, are all part of the reasons why we are convinced this partnership will grow significantly in a short space of time. We know we are dealing with a great and supportive team from Vanguard.”
Yiannis Apostolidis, Vanguard Europe’s Business Development director, said: “We see many benefits and value having such a knowledgeable and experienced team as our new partners in Portugal and Spain. This announcement marks another significant step forward in our strategy to become market leader through providing true digital flatbed and roll-to-roll UV LED production printers from a company in the Durst Group that are designed both in Europe and the US, and assembled in Europe.”
BURLINGTON, N.C. — July 10, 2023 — Trivantage — a one-stop shop for fabrics, hardware, and accessories — announced its most recent update to the best-selling Sunbrella Fusion Collection. The upholstery collection — updated every three years to meet modern design needs — is distributed exclusively by Trivantage.
The news comes on the heels of a recent collaboration with Rockwell Group, the Currents Collection, also distributed exclusively by the company.
“Each offering within Sunbrella Fusion is uniquely different yet also layers beautifully with other Fusion designs for truly distinctive living spaces,” said Jimmy Barnhardt, sales manager of decorative fabrics for Trivantage. “We hope the new patterns inspire designers and fabricators to imagine new possibilities with fabric.”
Made for outdoor or indoor furniture, Sunbrella Fusion is ideal for patio furniture, sofas, pillows and more. The durable fabrics stand strong against water, staining, mildew and color loss. Built for continued use, they resist pilling and tearing with many varieties suited for high-traffic areas.
As with all Sunbrella fabrics, the Fusion collection offers softness and comfort, along with a synergistic blend of artistry and performance.
Sunbrella Fusion fabrics are sold by the yard, backed by a five-year limited warranty and compatible with Sunbrella Clean, Restore and Extract products. For more information, visit trivantage.com/fabric-upholstery-sunbrella-fusion.
BEDFORD, Mass. — July 11, 2023 — When more than 92 million tons of textile waste are landfilled annually, new solutions are needed to enable fabric reworking in manufacturing and recycling on a mass scale. Conagen, the biotechnology innovator, announced the development of a groundbreaking debondable textile adhesive made from high-performance materials sourced from sustainable and natural biomolecules.
Conagen’s debondable adhesive offers a major application in the realm of reworkability during clothing production. Traditionally, when mistakes occur during manufacturing, it can lead to material wastage and additional production costs.
The reworkability aspect of Conagen’s adhesive presents a game-changing solution for the clothing industry. It allows for quick and efficient correction of errors without the need to discard and waste valuable materials. Adjustments can be made by simply debonding the adhesive and the fabric components can be seamlessly reworked, resulting in improved production efficiency, reduced material waste, and significant cost savings for manufacturers.
Moreover, debonding textile fabric plays a vital role in textile recycling by enabling efficient material separation, preserving material quality, expanding recycling opportunities, and advancing the goals of a circular economy.
Traditional adhesives used in garment manufacturing often create a permanent bond, making it challenging to separate fabric components during recycling. Conagen’s debondable adhesive not only drives sustainability through fabric recycling but also offers a practical and economical solution for optimizing production processes in the clothing industry. The ability to debond and rework materials bring newfound flexibility and efficiency, benefiting manufacturers and the environment.
“Conagen’s pioneering adhesive has unlocked new possibilities and opportunities. This groundbreaking development enables efficient material separation during reworking and recycling processes and preserves the integrity of textile fibers, ensuring their quality for future utilization,” stated Sara Johnson, senior materials scientist. “With the introduction of Conagen’s adhesive, we are taking a significant stride towards achieving a more sustainable and environmentally responsible textile industry.”
Having previously created debondable adhesives for other sectors, such as appliances, smartphones, cars, and more, Conagen identified the significant benefits such an adhesive could bring to the textile and clothing industry and tailored a new product specifically to its needs.
Adhesives and tapes are commonly used today in garment manufacturing, either alone or in combination with stitching. This is particularly evident in the manufacturing of women’s underwear, where up to six layers of material are often glued together to achieve the desired fit and comfort. It is essential to bring attention to these modern manufacturing methods as they reflect the evolution of textile production.
Conagen’s new adhesive offering provides strength comparable to existing fabric adhesives but with the added feature of controlled debondability at end-of-life. Inspired by self-healing materials, Conagen utilizes sustainable and natural ingredients to create high-strength debondable hot melt adhesives. Unlike traditional offerings, this new adhesive is designed with reversibility, exhibiting the strength of conventionally cured adhesives, with the added benefit of transitioning to a flowable material after heating.
Conagen’s high-strength debondable textile adhesive can be used for garments, but also extends to accessories and other soft goods applications. Furthermore, the technology is compatible with both natural and synthetic fibers and materials.
To develop sustainable debondable textile adhesives, Conagen leverages its precision fermentation technology, independent of plant source materials, to create more efficient and sustainable bio-based ingredients compared to chemically-synthesized versions.
“Conagen’s fermentation technology is forging a path towards a more sustainable future, where the utilization of sustainable biocompounds and biomaterials takes center stage in propelling high-performance solutions that prioritize environmental consciousness,” said J. McNamara, vice president of chemical applications.
The seam tapes market stood at $128 million in 2020. It was projected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.9% between 2020 and 2025, making Conagen’s adhesive formulation lucrative for a supplier to distribute to clothing manufacturers.
Debondable adhesives have the potential to significantly impact the market by offering a more sustainable and efficient solution for fabric bonding. The ability to easily debond materials could lead to increased adoption of adhesive-based manufacturing techniques and open up new opportunities for textile reworking and recycling, thereby potentially expanding the market for debondable adhesive products.
Conagen’s hallmark in biotech specialty and industrial space lies in discovering applications from the platform of natural biocompounds and biomaterials, ushering in a new era of high-performing and sustainable materials.
“By harnessing the power of fermentation, Conagen is leading the charge in promoting greener alternatives and revolutionizing industries with its commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said McNamara.
Conagen’s commitment to green chemicals and sustainability has been greatly reinforced by its strategic partnership with Sumitomo Chemical. The collaboration represents a major step forward in their shared vision of developing biosolutions for a more sustainable future.
WINTERTHUR, Switzerland — July 10, 2023 — Maschinenfabrik Rieter AG is selling the land that is no longer required for operations at Klosterstrasse in Winterthur, Switzerland, to Switzerland-based Allreal, Glattpark. The company will take over the land covering a total area of around 75,000 square meters. A sales price of 96 million Swiss francs was agreed. The corresponding sale will be notarized in the coming days.
With the sale, Rieter is implementing its announced strategy of disposing of space no longer required for operations. The new owner will take over all existing tenancies.
The transfer of ownership is expected to take place in the fall of 2023 after fulfillment of the legally and contractually stipulated execution conditions.
“We are convinced that Allreal is the ideal owner to further develop the site together with the city of Winterthur,” said Thomas Oetterli, CEO of the Rieter Group.
LEIPZIG, Germany — July 6, 2023 — The innovative German company emtec Electronic — a manufacturer of specialized testing equipment for the paper, textiles, and nonwoven industries — develops and manufactures the cutting-edge TSA device that optimizes textile production by quickly delivering a reliable haptic and optical analysis of any material. A new digital database makes the haptic and optical properties of textile samples virtually accessible and easily reproducible.
Enhanced measurement capabilities and digitization take haptic testing to new heights
Much like its predecessor, the new TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer allows manufacturers to objectively measure the subjective traits that determine the way a material feels to the touch, calculate specific hand-feel values, and reliably compare samples. Now, in addition to measuring the softness, smoothness, flexibility, and deformation/recovery behavior of base and finished products, the redesign now includes the following features:
Surface thermal conductivity and thermal insulation measurement — The TSA reliably measures a product’s thermal “handshake,” delivering objective data on how warm or cool a material feels to the touch. This function is steadily gaining in popularity, since it paves the way for the design of innovative specialty products such as recreational clothing that feel cool to the touch even in the blazing sun, or lightweight outerwear that insulates as well as a down parka.
An improved design for measuring springback behavior — The TSA employs an improved method for measuring springback behavior, which accurately captures the fabric’s ability to return to its original shape after deformation. This feature allows manufacturers to evaluate the elasticity and resilience of textiles, ensuring they meet the desired performance standards.
An integrated high-resolution camera — To digitize optical properties, the camera captures a high-resolution image of the sample, showing in detail the fabric structure, weave, as well as any visual embellishments.
A cloud-based Virtual Haptic Library — The Library is an online database, available via license, in which sample data can be digitized, processed, and categorized according to specific haptic and optical traits. Developed in cooperation with Black Swan Textiles, the Virtual Haptic Library can be accessed in real-time by authorized persons from anywhere in the world, enabling efficient quality assurance and control regardless of location. The Library can also be used as an online marketplace, making it easier for textile professionals to find, compare, and reproduce samples with certain haptic requirements.
“We expect the new TSA to be a game-changer for manufacturers wanting to improve and unify product quality, regardless of where the source material is coming from,” explains Alexander Gruener, Global Marketing and Business Development Manager for emtec. “The Virtual Haptic Library gives designers, technicians, and quality controllers objective parameters to rate, compare and reproduce a product’s exact haptic properties, ultimately saving time, money and resources.”
The TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer will be available to order in 2024.
WASHINGTON — July 7, 2023 — Import cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports is expected to climb toward an August peak this summer, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. But even though a tentative contract agreement has been reached at West Coast ports, retailers are closely following labor disputes at ports in western Canada and a potential Teamsters strike against United Parcel Service.
“We were relieved that labor and management at West Coast ports reached a tentative agreement last month but that doesn’t mean supply chain disruptions are over,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “The port strike affecting Vancouver and Prince Rupert shouldn’t have a major impact here but could affect some U.S. retailers whose merchandise comes in through Canada and could have a potential ripple effect at other ports. Meanwhile, the ability to move goods from U.S. ports to stores could be impacted if UPS and the Teamsters don’t resolve their differences before their contract expires at the end of the month. We urge all parties in both negotiations to get back to the table and continue efforts to reach a final deal without engaging in disruptive activity. Seamless supply chains are critical for retailers as we head into the peak shipping season for the winter holidays.”
Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett noted that first-quarter gross domestic product growth was revised upward to 2%, consumer demand is stable, and consumers have continued to spend while retailers and wholesalers have reduced their inventories. “These numbers together point toward another quarter of economic growth, which should confirm that the prospect of a recession is looking less likely,” he said.
U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.93 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units – one 20-foot container or its equivalent – in May, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was up 8.5% from April but down 19.3% year over year.
Ports have not yet reported June numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 1.86 million TEU, down 17.5% year over year. That would bring the first half of 2023 to 10.6 million TEU, down 22% from the first half of 2022.
July is forecast at 1.94 million TEU, down 11% year over year, and August is forecast at 2.03 million TEU, down 10.1% year over year but the first month since last October to reach 2 million TEU. September is forecast at 1.96 million TEU, down 3.4%; October at 1.97 million TEU, down 1.8%, and November at 1.88 million TEU, up 5.9% for the first year-over-year increase since June 2022.
Global Port Tracker has not yet forecast the full year, but the third quarter is expected to total 5.9 million TEU, down 8.3% from last year, and the first nine months of the year should total 16.5 million TEU, down 17.6% year over year. Imports for all of 2022 totaled 25.5 million TEU, down 1.2% from the annual record of 25.8 million TEU set in 2021.
Canada’s Vancouver and Prince Rupert aren’t included in those totals and not all of their cargo comes to the United States, but the two ports handled over 185,000 TEU in May. That accounted for approximately 9% of combined U.S.-Canadian container imports at ports covered by the full Global Port Tracker report.
Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker
CARY, N.C. — July 5, 2023 — New consumer research from Cotton Incorporated finds that half of adults surveyed are familiar with microplastic pollution, and fewer are taking action to minimize microplastic pollution when it comes to their clothing choices. The quantitative online survey of 527 U.S. adults found that 49 percent are familiar with the term “microplastics,” and among these, 52 percent of those surveyed recognized that clothing made from synthetic materials, like polyester, impacts the problem of microplastic pollution. Adults who are familiar with microplastic pollution are most likely to identify plastic bags (76 percent) and microbeads (61 percent) from health and beauty products as contributors, reinforcing the need for further education and awareness.1
When asked what actions consumers took to reduce their contribution to microplastic pollution, 64 percent of respondents familiar with microplastic pollution said they carried reusable tote bags, 63 percent said they used refillable water bottles, and 49 percent said they used reusable straws (or no straws). Only 38 percent of respondents said they purposely chose to wear clothing made out of natural fibers instead of synthetic materials, while 35 percent said they check the label on clothing before purchase to see if it is made from natural fibers.1
Microplastic pollution has a growing impact on our lives, and a study conducted by the University of Newcastle estimates that each person consumes, on average, up to a credit card’s worth (0.17 ounces) of microplastics by weight every week. Microplastic fibers generated from textiles during laundry represent 35 percent of these fibers, meaning the clothing we wear, and wash has a direct impact on microfiber pollution.
“Numerous studies have demonstrated that cotton microfibers biodegrade readily in wastewater treatment conditions, freshwater, and seawater, unlike synthetic microfibers that do not easily degrade and persist in the environment for long periods,“ said Dr. Jesse Daystar, vice president, and chief sustainability officer, Cotton Incorporated. “Despite the proven environmental benefits of choosing a natural fiber like cotton, we do not see intentional behavior change to avoid plastic pollution – like switching single-use bottles for refillable containers. As we enter Plastic Free July, we encourage everyone to swap synthetics with natural fibers for the month, which can help stop the cycle of releasing polluting microplastics in our water sources.”
Biodegradability of Cotton Textile Fibers
Studies published on microfiber and microplastic degradation show that regardless of water type — lake water, seawater, or wastewater — natural microfibers like cotton readily biodegrade, whereas polyester microfibers essentially do not.
When tested in different aquatic environments, most cotton samples degraded by more than 60 percent in less than 20 days, and some degraded by as much as 85 percent over a 100-day test period. In comparison, every sample biodegraded faster and more extensively than an oak leaf. Another study found that after 35 days in lake water environments, 86 percent of cotton fibers had biodegraded, while it would take a polyester shirt between 20 and 200 years to decompose under the same conditions completely.
“The presence and biodegradability of textile microfibers shed during laundering and everyday use is an important environmental issue,” said Mary Ankeny, vice president of product development and implementation operations at Cotton Incorporated. “This research demonstrates that cotton biodegrades naturally when it enters the environment, which sets it far apart from synthetic fibers — particularly those made from petrochemicals, like polyester, which shed microplastics into the environment, adding to the significant and growing problem of microplastics in the world’s ecosystems.”
To learn more about how to stop the cycle and reduce microplastic pollution, visit cottontoday.cottoninc.com
1 Quantitative survey of 527 adults 18 and older in the US to understand the awareness and perception of about microplastics, clothing purchase decisions and decisions around the environment. The survey was conducted using an online data collection methodology through Dynata. The survey was conducted June 15-16, 2023.
BRUSSELS — July 4, 2023 — The following is a joint letter sent to Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, on July 4.
“We are writing you on behalf of 19 European business associations, representing different European industrial sectors that create millions of jobs in Europe and provide an essential contribution to the wellbeing of the Europeans citizens. United, we are calling on the European Union to take all the necessary initiatives to ensure the swift ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement.
For all our sectors, the EU-Mercosur agreement is key to preserving our competitiveness. It would offer us an opportunity to diversify our export markets and the portfolio of suppliers of critical industrial inputs.
The war in Ukraine and its subsequent strain on our supply chains has demonstrated the importance of diversifying our portfolio of export markets and of suppliers of critical industrial inputs. The EU-Mercosur agreement will help ensure that our supply chains remain operational in an increasingly volatile and ambiguous world marked by several crises, which span from strategic dependencies on the supply of critical raw materials, to concerns for feedstock, as well as to demographic challenges. In this context, finalising the adoption of the EU-Mercosur agreement is absolutely vital.
The multiple crises that Europe is facing since 2020 demonstrate that strong and diversified trade relations are key to secure the availability of essential goods and industrial inputs on the EU market as well as the prosperity of our production through diversified markets. The competitiveness of our industries goes hand in hand with the reliability of our supply chains and, ultimately, it is key to safeguarding the European way of life. Free Trade Agreements (FTA) play a vital role in mitigating the impact of the Russian aggression of Ukraine and balancing geopolitical tensions and uncertainties. In our view, it’s essential for Europe to seize the economic and geopolitical benefits of FTAs.
In particular, the EU-Mercosur agreement offers Europe a unique and timely opportunity to seize a first mover advantage into the wider Latin America market. The European Union must grasp the momentum and finalise the deal with the Mercosur countries. As significant barriers to trade with the Latin America region are still in place, the ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement would help Europe remain a key player and open up trade opportunities with both the Mercosur countries and with Latin America at large.
We are glad to see that the importance of this topic has been recognised in the trade pillar of the Green Deal Industrial plan. We also welcome that discussions are held at the highest political level, which focus on the EU through its trade policy can foster sustainable development while creating opportunities for closer trade and investment relations between the EU and Latin America. While we understand the legitimate concerns on environmental aspects, the EU-Mercosur agreement offers a very strong incentive to maintain the region’s sustainable development pledges, including the halt of illegal deforestation.
The ratification of the agreement would provide concrete tools to engage with Mercosur countries on global challenges, such as climate change, forests preservation, and labour rights. It will also enhance regulatory dialogue on specific topics such as animal welfare and traceability, antimicrobial resistance, and products standards where stronger cooperation is needed.
It offers the EU a unique platform to raise environmental and social standards and foster tangible improvements in the Mercosur region.
The EU-Mercosur agreement is also a key building block in the EU’s broader strategy with Latin America and the Caribbean, as presented in the Joint Communication of the High Representative and the European Commission published on 7 June 2023. The EU is already the largest investor in the region and bilateral trade has increased by 40% since 2018 thanks to FTAs already in force in the area. Ratifying the EU-Mercosur agreement would further boost these relations.
Taking all these elements into account, we would like to call on the European Union and its Institutions to take all the necessary initiatives to ensure the swift ratification of the EU-Mercosur agreement.
We thank you in advance for your consideration to our letter and we remain at your disposal for any further cooperation and questions.”
Yours sincerely,
ACEA – The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association
The Brewers of Europe
CEC – European Footwear Confederation
CECE – Committee for European Construction Equipment CEEV – Comité Européen des
Entreprises Vins
CECIMO – European Association of the Machine Tool Industries and related Manufacturing Technologies
The European Chemical Industry Council
CELCAA – European Liaison Committee for Agricultural and Agri-Food Trade
CLEPA – European Association of Automotive Suppliers
Cosmetics Europe – The Personal Care Association
COTANCE – European Confederation of the Leather Industry
EDA – European Dairy Association
ESF – European Services Forum
EURATEX – The European Apparel and Textile Confederation
EUROCHAMBRES – The Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry
PARIS — July 6, 2023 — This partnership has started with the participation of JEC during SAMPE China 2023 in Beijing, where JEC presented the composites global market trends, had a booth and interacted with many participants, and will be further developed with the participation of SAMPE China to JEC World 2024 (3-5 March 2024). The aim of this collaboration is to reinforce the relationship between both organizations, dedicated to composites and advanced materials.
Eric Pierrejean, JEC CEO, stated: “Both SAMPE and JEC entities are entirely dedicated to the composites and advanced materials community, fostering knowledge sharing and networking at their events. JEC is enthusiastic about reinforcing our relationships with SAMPE in China, enabling to connect the Chinese R&D and scientist experts’ community to our global network, throughout our media channels and our global event, JEC World gathering the world of composites professionals in Paris every year”.
Jason Cui, SAMPE China Secretary General, stated: “SAMPE is entering into a new era strengthening the interactivity between the different regions constituting the SAMPE Global community. In recent years, China has been committed to develop advanced composite materials technology to serve low-carbon policies and sustainable development. Meanwhile, we focus on the education of future engineers and designers, sponsoring and organizing students contest and training every year. Based on this, JEC and SAMPE China have the common values and cooperation opportunities. We hope that we can build up the global networking resources of advanced materials and process engineering and promote the applications and educations.”
ZÜRICH — July 6, 2023 — MAS Holdings — a global apparel & textile manufacturing and tech conglomerate headquartered in Sri Lanka with a global footprint across 16 countries — has secured a stake in HeiQ AeoniQ™ as part of its Plan for Change initiative to support the development of next-generation cellulosic filament fibers to replace polyester and nylon.
Switzerland-based HeiQ and MAS Holdings entered a partnership for MAS to secure a stake in HeiQ AeoniQ GmbH, a subsidiary of HeiQ Group that will produce HeiQ AeoniQ™, a climate-positive cellulosic yarn.
With this investment, MAS Holdings becomes the first manufacturer to partner with HeiQ AeoniQ in their efforts to provide a sustainable alternative to polyester and nylon. The investment to be made by MAS Holdings is part of the group’s strategy to drive a positive environmental impact. The MAS Plan for Change aims to generate 50 percent of the company’s revenue through sustainable products by 2025, revolutionizing the textile industry with a focus on innovation, sustainable sourcing, and pioneering circularity at scale.
With the closing of this deal, HeiQ and MAS agreed to a 5-year Offtake Agreement for 3,000 tons of HeiQ AeoniQ yarn in 2025 and 5,000 tons per year from 2026 to 2029, valued by HeiQ in the aggregate to $100 million. MAS will finalize this commitment within a stipulated time period after achieving milestone one, and a mutual plan for commercialization. HeiQ and MAS firmly believe that rapid scaling is key to facilitating the fast adoption of sustainable, circular technologies such as HeiQ AeoniQ.
HeiQ AeoniQ: a game-changer for the textile industry
Since Q4 2021, HeiQ’s launch of the HeiQ AeoniQ technology has been attracting the attention of major global players in the textile and clothing industries.
With the proprietary manufacturing method, for the first time in history, a cellulosic filament yarn can be made from a wide range of non-valorized feedstock and is able to reproduce comparable performance features of polyester or nylon, while being sustainable and endlessly circular.
The HeiQ AeoniQ pilot plant in Austria is manufacturing this revolutionary continuous cellulosic filament yarn since Q3 2022, with up to a 100 tons capacity to be upscaled up to 300 tons by the end of 2023.
The HeiQ AeoniQ™ production scale-up is planned to have its definitive boost by early 2026 with the construction of an entirely new gigafactory capable of a 30,000-ton output per year, in a 250M USD estimated investment.
Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ Group, said: “Since the beginning, HeiQ has pioneered textile innovation, revolutionizing sustainable functionality and enhancing the lives of billions. Now, with the introduction of HeiQ AeoniQ, we solidify our unwavering commitment to disrupting the textile industry — a sector that has long held the dubious distinction of being the world’s second-largest polluter. MAS’ investment and offtake agreement serves as resounding proof that leading textiles value chain players recognize HeiQ AeoniQ as the ultimate game-changer, placing their trust in its transformative power, and is a natural result of the confidence built over a decade that HeiQ and MAS have been doing business together”
Group CEO of MAS Holdings Suren Fernando added: “MAS was built on the foundational belief of doing the right thing. As a global organization nurturing over 100,000 individuals, we are convinced of our responsibility to drive positive change within the apparel industry through sustainable product solutions. We believe that this investment is an important step in our efforts to reshape our industry by driving innovation, collaboration, and scale. With HeiQ AeoniQ as a key catalyst, we are poised to pave the way for a more sustainable future.”
Polyester and nylon, two oil-based fibers, virtually non-recyclable, account for about 70 percent of all the global textile production, they take between 350 to 1,000 years to degrade in nature, are currently close loop recycled at less than 1 percent, and are at the origin of 35 percent of the microplastics that can be found in today’s oceans. HeiQ AeoniQ was innovated and is being hyper-scaled up to change this course of action.
