HanesBrands Updates Fourth Quarter 2022 Financial Outlook; Announces Departure Of Chief Financial Officer Michael Dastugue And Refinancing Plans

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — January 12, 2023 — HanesBrands Inc., a global supplier of iconic apparel brands, today announced that it expects to report fourth-quarter 2022 net sales slightly above the top end of its outlook range and adjusted operating profit at the midpoint of the range. The company also announced that it will hold its regular fourth-quarter investor conference call at 8:30 a.m. EST Thursday, February 2, 2023.

“We are pleased we delivered fourth quarter net sales and adjusted operating profit that were above or in-line with our outlook given the dynamic macro environment, including ending 2022 with inventory units below last year’s level,” said Steve Bratspies, CEO HanesBrands. “Our Full Potential plan is progressing, and we have a clear financial strategy that we will continue to execute, including plans to refinance upcoming maturities as well as increase cost savings.”

The company also announced that its CFO, Michael Dastugue, has resigned effective February 28, 2023 for family reasons. Scott Lewis, the company’s chief accounting officer and controller will become interim chief financial officer until a successor for Dastugue is named. The company has initiated a comprehensive search to fill the CFO role with the support of a leading executive search firm. Dastugue will continue to serve the company in a financial consultancy position through the second quarter of 2023. The company noted that Dastugue’s departure is not the result of any disagreement with the company on any matter relating to the company’s operations, policies, or practices.

“On behalf of our board, our management team and the entire HanesBrands family, I would like to express our sincere thanks to Michael for his leadership and significant contributions to our company,” Bratspies said. “Michael has been a great partner to me personally. I value his friendship, and I respect his request to spend more time with his family.

“We are very fortunate to have a strong financial team at HanesBrands, and I am pleased to have Scott Lewis step back into the Interim CFO position — a role he held and performed extremely well prior to Michael joining the company. With Scott and our entire financial organization in place, we believe we are well positioned to take the appropriate amount of time to select the best candidate for the CFO position.”

Dastugue said: “I would like to thank Steve and the Board for selecting me for the CFO role. I have sincerely enjoyed working with the entire HanesBrands team, and I’m truly appreciative of the organization for understanding my desire to spend more time with my family. I am confident that the company will continue to aggressively execute the Full Potential plan, and I wish everyone at the company great success in the coming years.”

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source: HanesBrands Inc.

New Study From Pusan National University Explores Artificial Intelligence In Fashion

BUSAN, South Korea — January 13, 2023 — The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the fashion industry has grown significantly in recent years. AI is being used for tasks such as personalizing fashion recommendations for customers, optimizing supply chain management, automating processes, and improving sustainability to reduce waste. However, creative processes in fashion designing continue to be human driven, mostly, and not a lot of research exists in the realm of using AI for designing in fashion. Moreover, studies are generally done with data scientists, who build the AI platforms and are involved with the technologic aspect of the process. However, the other side of this equation, i.e., designers themselves, are not roped into research often.

To investigate the practical applicability of AI models to implement creative designs and work with human designers, Assistant Professor Prof. Yoon Kyung Lee from Pusan National University in Korea conducted an in-depth study. Her study was made available online in Thinking Skills and Creativity on September 15, 2022, and subsequently published in Volume 46 of the Journal in December 2022.

“At a time when AI is so deeply ingrained into our lives, this study started instead with considering what a human can do better than AI,” says Prof. Lee, explaining her motivation behind the study. “Could there be an effective collaboration between humans and AI for the purpose of creative design?”

Prof. Lee started with generating new textile designs using deep convolution generative adversarial networks (DC-GANs) and cycle-GANs. The outputs from these models were compared to similar designs produced by design students.

The comparison revealed that though designs produced by both were similar, the biggest difference was the uniqueness and originality seen in the human designs, which came from the person’s experiences. However, the use of AI in repetitive tasks can improve the efficiency of designers and frees up their time to focus on more high-difficulty creative work. AI-generated designs can also be used as a learning tool for people who lack expertise in fashion want to explore their creativity. These people can create designs with assistance from AI. Thus, Prof. Lee proposes a human-AI collaborative network that integrates GANs with human creativity to produce designs. The professor also defined and studied the various elements of a complex system that are involved in human-AI collaborated design. She also went on to establish a human-AI model in which the designer collaborates with AI to create a novel design idea. The model is built in such a way that if the designer shares their creative process and ideas with others, the system can interconnect and evolve, thereby improving its designs.

The fashion industry can leverage this to foresee changes in the fashion industry and offer recommendations and co-creation services. Setting objectives, variables, and limits is part of the designer’s job in the Human-AI collaborative design environment. Therefore, their work should go beyond only the visual aspect and instead cover a variety of disciplines.

“In the future, everybody will be able to be a creator or designer with the help of AI models. So far, only professional fashion designers have been able to design and showcase clothes. But in the future, it will be possible for anyone to design the clothes they want and showcase their creativity,” concluded Prof. Lee.

We hope her dreams are very close to realization!

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source: Pusan National University

Cariloha Announces Strategic Sustainable Bedding Partnership With Nationwide Marketing Group

SALT LAKE CITY — January 13, 2023 — Cariloha, a brand of sustainable bedding, bath and apparel, today announces its expansive partnership with Nationwide Marketing Group to offer more sustainably sourced sleeping solutions through Nationwide’s 5,000+ retail partners spread out across 14,000 locations in the United States and Canada.

By offering Cariloha premium mattresses, bedding and sleepwear products to a vast national clientele, Cariloha and Nationwide are making purchasing sustainable products more accessible.

“We see a lot of great products out there today, and then there’s us — we offer great products with a purpose,” said Adam Fain, Cariloha vice president of Wholesale. “We’re strategically working with partners who want to make an active impact and source responsibly — it’s a partnership with a purpose. That’s why we’ve decided to work with Nationwide — they’re aligned with us in spreading our movement across the country and in providing quality products that help customers sleep, live, and feel comfortably and responsibly.”

“The bedding, bath and apparel categories are some of the leading causes of micro-plastics in our oceans, not to mention the impact on our soils, drinking water and the air we breathe,” said Fain. “By our partnering with Nationwide, thousands of other retailers will have the ability to source responsibly and sustainably through Cariloha bamboo-based products, further reducing the pollutants created by non-sustainable textiles in our oceans.”

“Cariloha’s sustainability efforts have been part of our DNA since 2007 — long before it became a popular trend,” said Dustin Tate, Cariloha Executive VP of Sales. “We’re passionately committed to innovating and developing luxurious bedding that’s soft on our customers and our planet. That’s the heart of who we are and what the brand stands for.”

Cariloha mattresses, sleepwear and bedding products are made from comfortable, sustainable bamboo viscose, which allows consumers to sleep 3 degrees cooler than other non-bamboo products and is both odor and allergy resistant.

Softer than cotton, these bamboo sleeping solutions have been created for luxury and durability. Additionally, bamboo is an extremely renewable resource. Cariloha bamboo is harvested and manufactured from its own rain-fed, controlled-crop bamboo farm to produce high-quality bamboo products in an environmentally sustainable way.

With Nationwide Marketing Group’s 5,000 retail partners spread out over 14,000 locations, Cariloha’s soft and sustainable products are being rolled out nationally beginning in January 2023.

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source: Cariloha

Heimtextil 2023 Ends With Great Internationality And Sets The Course For Sustainable Transformation

FRANKFURT, Germany — January 13, 2023 — Streams of visitors from all over the world, intensive business encounters with top international decision-makers, an overwhelmingly positive atmosphere and inspiration as far as the eye can see: With 44,000 visitors and 2,400 exhibitors together from 129 nations, the global textile industry was guest in Frankfurt for four days at Heimtextil 2023 and filled the exhibition halls. In numerous workshops, tours, lectures and networking formats, buyers also explored circular approaches, the important role of certificates and new applications for textile materials — and thus experienced wholly integrated sustainability at Heimtextil.

Heimtextil 2023 ended with concentrated intercontinental strength and set the course for a successful trade fair year. 44,000 buyers took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the global market for home and contract textiles and to gain a bundled overview of global textile innovations — from fibers, yarns, upholstery and decorative fabrics, functional textiles, outdoor fabrics, artificial leather and wallpapers to bed and bathroom textiles, mattresses, sleep systems, curtains and decorative cushions. The top ten exhibiting countries were China, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, France and Great Britain. The top visitor countries included Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United States, Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Pakistan, India and Greece.

“Heimtextil made a powerful return to January and set all the signs for success as a barometer for the trade fair business year with an outstanding degree of internationalization of 129 participating nations,” said Detlef Braun, member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt. Compared to 2020, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles achieved an increase in the degree of internationalization — in terms of exhibitors to 94 percent and in terms of visitors to 82 percent. There was growth on the exhibitor side compared to the pre-pandemic edition from Turkey and Pakistan. In 2023, there were also more buyers from Italy, Turkey, Spain and especially Greece.

“The outstanding internationality proves: In times of geopolitical challenges, Heimtextil is the most important place-to-be for the global home textiles industry — both for new business contacts and market opportunities as well as for the redefinition of supply chains and important cooperations to overcome production bottlenecks,” Braun continued.

New contacts and successful orders: trade show participants achieved their goals

Finally, a return to new global contacts, networking and ordering: personal encounters were at the heart of Heimtextil 2023 and were celebrated in full exhibition halls. This was also reflected in the active ordering of the visitors:

“We had a fantastic Heimtextil with many new and old contacts. We will continue to participate in Heimtextil in the future. Our customers include major European brands, but we also had visitors from the USA, Japan, South Africa and South America at our booth. Our main customers include IKEA, H&M and Jysk, among others. Our most important message is sustainability. We have received many awards for this, for example, we were named the world’s most sustainable company by UN Habitat this year. Even our stand construction is completely sustainable,” says Shafiqul Alam Selim, managing director Karupannya Rangpur Ltd. from Bangladesh.

According to representative surveys, 80 percent of exhibitors had already achieved their trade show goals by the third day. Satisfaction with visitor quality was also very high: 72 percent of visitors were top decision-makers.

In addition to the diverse range of high-quality volume business from Asian exhibitor nations, the focus was also on European design and retail volumes — a mix that resulted in particularly high visitor satisfaction: 92 percent of buyers achieved their trade show goals.

And yet there is movement! Sustainable transformation in the textile industry

Innovative material developments from natural raw materials such as mushrooms, plant fibers or recycled waste products provide impulses for the future of home textiles. This was clearly demonstrated by the “Future Materials Library” at Heimtextil. But also to the present applies: the majority of the global textile industry has long since set out on the path to sustainably redesigning manufacturing processes and forming strong partnerships and measures for transparent supply chains. To this end, Heimtextil exhibitors offered products, solutions or suggestions at many booths.

The opportunity for personal exchange, inspiration and more know-how was offered by an extensive and multifaceted supporting program. This included guided tours at the trade show, high-profile lectures, events and special themed areas.

“The lectures are one reason for me to come to Heimtextil. Otto Group has set itself the goal of becoming even more sustainable and making this a topic for its customers. That is an exciting and indeed important task. Therefore, in addition to the trend presentations, I am particularly interested in what is happening in terms of the circular economy and sustainability. The presentation by Caroline Till, for example, was extremely exciting, as she also made the connection to innovative materials for which there are no standards yet. Top-quality presentations like these open up important new perspectives for companies. I really pick up knowledge here,” reports Ursula Streblow, head of Curtains & Decorations, OTTO, from Germany.

It was not only the “Trend Space” in Hall 9.0 with the integrated “Future Materials Library” and the material innovations for the interior sector shown there which was impressive. In the lead of the conception of this year’s Heimtextil Trends “Textiles Matter” was the British future agency FranklinTill with co-founder Caroline Till, member of the Heimtextil Trend Council.

With trade fair visitors’ significantly increased demand for sustainable products and solutions, the need for more transparency is also growing. This was evident, for example, in the Green Village in Hall 12.0, where interested visitors met label providers, certifiers and companies that have made an integral commitment to sustainability.

In the Green Lectures on the stage of the Green Village, certifiers, industry experts and NGOs spoke about solutions, best practices and challenges around sustainability in the contract business. The Green Tours led interested trade visitors to selected exhibitors and their sustainable product solutions.

Interior.Architecture.Hospitality specialist program impressed with innovative strength

An outstanding visitor magnet was the new Interior.Architecture.Hospitality LIBRARY. Interior designers and architects experienced curated innovative exhibitor materials up close. In guided tours, the curators of the LIBRARY explained to the international hospitality experts the innovative strength, the impressive design and the functional properties of the textiles such as “flame-retardant”, “sound-absorbing”, “light-resistant”, “antimicrobial” and “water-repellent”. A filigree and at the same time flame retardant curtain, fabrics with antibacterial effect made entirely of recycled polyester yarns or light and flowing fabrics for sound insulation represented the enormous potential and the wide functional range.

The Interior.Architecture.Hospitality DIRECTORY gave visitors an optimal overview of the numerous international exhibitors with solutions for the contract sector and allowed them to target them.

“Heimtextil 2023 was a complete success for us. Especially the quality of the visitors convinced us and we were able to meet many potential new customers. We offer a sustainable product collection with our outdoor fabrics and are pleased to present these at this year’s Heimtextil, where sustainability is emphasized,” reported Antonio Romera, Area Manager BLISS by Citel, from Spain.

Future-oriented topics, such as textile trends in hotel design or the sustainable use of high-quality materials, were discussed by experts and trade fair participants in the numerous formats of the specialist program, including the popular Interior.Architecture.Hospitality TOURS or LECTURES.

Area for fibers & yarns: Heimtextil responds to the growing market

In the new area for fibers and yarns, Heimtextil also met the growing demand for textile materials for preliminary stages. For the first time, visitors found a global range of fibers and yarns for decorative and upholstery fabrics compactly arranged in Hall 4.0. This was supplemented by exhibitors with outdoor fabrics as well as imitation leather.

“We are delighted to exhibit our products here as Reliance Industries and Heimtextil both have the common key focus area of sustainability and circularity. We are overwhelmed to receive an extraordinary response to the launch of HEXaREL — Graphane enhanced Fiberfill — specially designed to enhance high altitude performance, at Heimtextil. It has been a wonderful experience to showcase our products and be the part of world’s leading sustainable textile companies. The Heimtextil exhibition is the perfect place to witness the latest trends in the textile industry products and materials“, says Rakesh Bali, Sr. Vice President – Head Marketing at Reliance Industries Limited from India.

Up to date on the subject of sleep

For the bedding trade and retailers, Heimtextil 2023 offered an extended supporting program. In addition to the established Heimtextil Conference “Sleep & More”, Sleep Tours were offered for the first time and were very well received. Sleep coach and preventologist Markus Kamps guided interested visitors to selected exhibitors and provided exciting insights into the topic of “healthy sleep”. Among other things, the Sleep Tours took visitors to a sustainable mattress made from marine waste or a CO2-neutral fiber that is used in bedding, among other things.

At the Heimtextil Conference “Sleep & More”, experts from research, industry and design spoke about the science of sleep, sustainable trends and challenges facing the retail trade.

Exhibitors took advantage of the high internationality of Heimtextil visitors to open up new markets and strengthen their export business.

“Heimtextil is strategically crucial for us. This is where we present our new products and meet our important international customers, decision-makers and interested visitors. We will be back at Heimtextil as an exhibitor in 2024”, says Petra Schweigert, managing director of OBB Oberbadische Bettfedernfabrik GmbH from Germany.

“At Heimtextil we met new international contacts that are essential for our business. This trade fair has enabled us in a great way which was impossible for several years due to the pandemic. We exhibited here over four days to an attractive, international audience — from Northern Europe to Australia,” said Çağrı Ovayurt, managing director, L’appartement / Veritas Tekstil Konfeksiyon Pazarlama Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S from Turkey.

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

EcoVadis Awards Scott Bader Gold Sustainability Rating

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, England — January 13, 2023 — Scott Bader is proud to announce it has been awarded a Gold sustainability rating by EcoVadis, ranking it in the top 4 percent for sustainability of all companies evaluated globally.

Previously awarded Silver, Scott Bader’s sustainability rating has increased to Gold thanks to the implementation of additional measures to report on environmental management, the introduction of an annual Sustainability Report, the companies commitment to implementing green energy at its sites and its commitment to reducing emissions by 60 percent by 2025 and to be completely carbon neutral by 2028.

Last year, Scott Bader also offset its scope 1 and 2 emissions for 2020 in partnership with the World Land Trust. It has committed to doing this every year until it is carbon neutral.

EcoVadis is the world’s largest and most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings, creating a global network of more than 100,000 rated companies in over 175 countries across 200 industries.

Scott Bader’s performance was rated against 21 indicators grouped into four themes; Environment, Ethics, Labour & Human Rights and Sustainable Procurement.

Scott Bader is delighted EcoVadis has recognised its new sustainability initiatives and increased its rating to Gold. It is committed to becoming a fully sustainable company by 2036 which means it will have a net positive impact on the environment from all operations globally.

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source Scott Bader

Dr. Michael Gore Receives 2022 Cotton Genetics Research Award

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — January 12, 2023 — Dr. Michael Gore, noted scientist and professor in Cornell University’s School of Integrative Plant Science (SIPS), is the 2022 Cotton Genetics Research Award recipient.

The announcement was made today during the 2023 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, which convened as part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2023 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in New Orleans. Gore, who was selected by the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee, received a plaque and a monetary award.

SIPS Director Dr. Jocelyn Rose, one of Dr. Gore’s nominators, said his ground-breaking cotton genetics research has had a lasting impact on the cotton breeding and genetics community and beyond. She said that he has an innate passion for genetically improving crops through the large-scale identification of causal genes and the development of predictive models that are now being collaboratively used by breeders to accelerate the breeding process.

Specific to cotton, Dr. Rose said Dr. Gore’s research supported efforts to transfer the superior fiber traits of Pima cotton to higher yielding upland cotton. She noted that among other achievements, he has helped reveal the levels and patterns of genetic diversity for several cotton species and “his work has helped breeders on how to best find and utilize allelic diversity to increase the resiliency of cotton to changing weather patterns and rapidly evolving pests and pathogens.”

Another nominator, Dr. Jonathan Wendel, a professor in Iowa State’s Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, said Dr. Gore is “a remarkably productive, versatile, and accomplished scientist” who has been awarded more than $9.3 million in grant funding and his research accomplishments reported in 143 peer-reviewed articles. He said Dr. Gore, in fact, has averaged an astonishing 10 peer-reviewed publications per year in predominantly high impact journals since completing his Ph.D. in 2009. Dr. Gore, a member of multiple scientific and professional societies, currently serves as editor of The Plant Phenome Journal.

Dr. Gore has received numerous awards throughout his career among them being recently named a Fellow by the Crop Science Society of America.

Dr. Gore earned his bachelor’s degree in Plant Breeding from Cornell and his master’s and his Ph.D. in Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech. He was a researcher for Rohm and Hass, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Lancaster Labs before joining USDA’s Agricultural Research Service as a research geneticist in Arizona in 2009. In 2013 he joined Cornell in SIPS’ Plant Breeding and Genetics Section as an associate professor later becoming a professor and then chair of that section.

The annual Cotton Genetics Research Award was established in 1961 by U.S. commercial cotton breeders to recognize and encourage basic research in cotton genetics, cytogenetics and breeding. It is administered by the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee consisting of representatives of the NCC, the USDA, state experiment stations, Cotton Incorporated and commercial breeders.

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source National Cotton Council

Carpet Design Awards Announced At DOMOTEX

HANNOVER, Germany— January 13, 2023 — The eight winners were announced during the award ceremony on the second day of the fair, January 13, 2023. The prestigious awards — presented in collaboration with the trade magazines COVER and HALI — celebrate contemporary carpet design and have been reflecting the innovations and trends in the industry for more than 15 years.

The award winners are considered exceptional examples in the industry that combine design, quality and craftmanship to a special degree. In addition to the selection criteria of design and design concept, material, execution, structure and quality, the jury also paid attention to the aspects of sustainability and branding. “It was a great opportunity to be part of the Carpet Design Award judging process, sharing ideas with other members of the rug industry”, revealed Jamie Metrick, managing director of Elte and this year’s jury member and elaborated further: “The awards are really important for the market as they offer an invaluable window into the designs, trends and techniques of a particular time.”

With the newly introduced category “Sustainability Award”, the Carpet Design Awards 2023 take into account the growing importance and demand for sustainable design and ethical carpet production. “This year the Sustainability Award is a great addition to the event as for the rug market it is a topic that we must all start to take notice of,” emphasized Lucy Upward, editor of COVER.

All CDA-finalist carpets will be on display in Hall 2 until the last day of DOMOTEX.

EUCA Award for special achievements in the carpet industry

During the Carpet Design Awards, the European Carpet Importers Association announced the winner of the EUCA Award — also known as the Carpet Oscar — for the 15th time. Since 2007, this award honors personalities in the European carpet industry for outstanding achievements and thus ultimately expresses the gratitude of the entire industry. Bahram Tahbaz, this year’s winner of the EUCA Award and founder of Bahram Tahbaz Oriental Carpet Import, accepted the award for his lifetime achievements personally on site.

And the winner is…

Category 1: Best Studio Artist Design | Original small scale production design from an artist or designer
Omaggio a Maria Lai: Legarsi alla montagna, Joias | Tortolì (IT)

Category 2: Best Modern Design Superior | Original contemporary designs showing optimum use of materials
AAD…Enclosure of Life, Saraswati Global Pvt ltd | Jaipur (IN)

Category 3: Best Modern Design Deluxe | Original contemporary design showing optimum use of materials
Green Agate ltd., Ashtari Carpets bvba | Antwerp (BE)

Category 4: Best Transitional Design | A new rug that interprets traditional designs for a contemporary audience
Talisman Hand-knotted, Wendy Morrison Design | Musselburgh (UK)

Category 5: Best Flatweave Design | Original rug design demonstrating the flatweave technique
Tulu, Manglam Arts | Jaipur (IN)

Category 6: Best Collection | Contemporary Traditional or Transitional design collections demonstrating a common theme
Trails Collection by Sebastian Herkner, M2Rugs | Hamburg (DE)

Category 7: Best Interior | A high-end customization project or rug installation represented by high-quality images
Emily Forgot – Modular (Amity), FLOOR_STORY | London (UK)

Category 8: Sustainability Award | A rug that is produced with a low carbon footprint or/and that incorporates ethical practices
Taufa, Jaipur Rugs | Jaipur (IN)

Posted: January 13, 2023

Source DOMOTEX Events

The American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) Announces Board Of Directors For 2023-24

MISSION, Kan. — January 12, 2023 — The American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA) has announced its 2023-2024 board of directors. ARTA’s President Gabriel Boardman has shared that Shelley Petrovskis of Lac-Mac and Meredith Bowery of Virginia Healthcare Linen Services were elected and two incumbent directors have been re-elected — Jeff Courey of George Courey and Cecil Lee of Standard Textile. Their terms began January 1, 2023. ARTA director terms are for two years.

The complete roster for ARTA’s 2023-24 Board of Directors includes:

  • President Boardman of MIP, Montreal, Quebec;
  • 1st Vice President Jerry Martin of Prudential Overall Supply, Irvine, Calif.;
  • 2nd Vice President Duane Houvener, America Dawn, Nashville;
  • Secretary Steven Tinker of Gurtler Industries, Inc., South Holland, Ill.;
  • Treasurer Dave Balliet of HCSC, Allentown, Pa.;
  • Past President Brendan O’Neill of London Hospital Linen Service, Inc., London, Ontario;
  • Director Bryan Bartsch of Ecotex, Abbotsford, British Columbia;
  • Director Bowery of Virginia Healthcare Linen Service, Richmond, Va.;
  • Director Courey of George Courey, Montreal, Quebec;
  • Director Lee of Standard Textile, Cincinnati;
  • Director Petrovskis of Lac-Mac, London, Ontario;
  • Director Woodson, SourceAmerica, Jonesboro, Tenn., and;
  • Legislative Director Scott Delin of Superior Uniform Group, Seminole, Fla.

In addition, Nancy Jenkins of Jenkins Integrated Marketing, Mission, Kan., serves as executive director and editor of ARTA. ARTA will hold its election for the 2024-25 board in the late spring, with results announced after its Fall Board of Director Meeting. If you are interested in serving on the ARTA board or becoming more involved, please contact Jenkins at njenkins@ARTA1.com.

ARTA’s mission is to create greater appreciation and demand for reusable textiles. Founded in 1982 by Nathan Belkin, PhD, ARTA membership is open to all in the textile services industry. Its members represent the entire industry and include allied associates, suppliers, manufacturers and commercial, institutional, and cooperative laundry operators. For more information: www.ARTA1.com.

Posted: January 12, 2023

Source The American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA)

Robotics Research: How Asia, Europe And America Invest – Global Report 2023 By International Federation Of Robotics (IFR)

FRANKFURT, Germany — January 12, 2023 — Countries around the world invest in robotics to support developments in industry and society. What are the exact targets of robotics research funding programs (R&D) officially driven by governments in Asia, Europe and America today? This has been researched by the International Federation of Robotics and published in the 2023 update paper of “World Robotics R&D Programs”.

“The 3rd version of World Robotics R&D Programs covers the latest funding developments including updates in 2022,” says Professor Dr. Jong-Oh Park, vice-chairman IFR Research Committee and member of the executive board.

The overview shows that the most advanced robotics countries in terms of annual installations of industrial robots — China, Japan, USA, South Korea and Germany drive very different R&D strategies:

In China, the “14th Five-Year Plan” for Robot Industry Development, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in Beijing on 21st December 2021, focuses on promoting innovation. The goal is to make China a global leader for robot technology and industrial advancement. Robotics is included in eight key industries for the next five years.

In Japan, the “New Robot Strategy” aims to make the country the world´s number one robot innovation hub. More than $930.5 million in support has been provided by the Japanese government in 2022.

The 3rd Basic Plan on Intelligent Robots of South Korea is pushing to develop robotics as a core industry in the fourth industrial revolution. The Korean government allocated $172.2 million in funding for the “2022 Implementation Plan for the Intelligent Robot”.

Germany´s High-Tech Strategy 2025 (HTS) is the fourth edition of the German R&D and innovation program. The German government will provide around $69 million annually until 2026 — a total budget of $345 million for five years.

The National Robotics Initiative (NRI) in the USA was launched for fundamental robotics R&D supported by the US government. The NRI-3.0 program, announced in February 2021, seeks research on integrated robot systems and builds upon the previous NRI programs.

Information paper “World Robotics R&D Programs” by IFR for download at: https://ifr.org/r-and-d .

Posted: January 12, 2023

Source: International Federation Of Robotics (IFR)

Anellotech To Advance Development Of Tex-TCat™, An Efficient Recycling Technology For Mixed Waste Textiles

PEARL RIVER, N.Y. — January 12, 2023 — Anellotech plans to begin advanced lab testing and scale-up for Tex-TCat™, an innovative recycling solution to the growing problem of textile waste. Tex-TCat fluid bed catalytic pyrolysis technology is the first that efficiently recycles mixed waste textiles directly into the same chemical feedstocks (including benzene, toluene and xylenes) that are used today to make virgin synthetics like polyester and nylon — providing a closed-loop, fiber-to-fiber solution to today’s textile recycling problems.

Tex-TCat delivers a direct pathway from mixed textile waste to secondary materials (BTX) instead of intermediates like pyrolysis oil. And, the technology involves no incineration or burning of waste feedstock. Lab-scale studies have demonstrated that Tex-TCat can process a variety of common textile materials that are incinerated or landfilled today — including cotton, polyester, nylon, elastane, acrylic and polyurethane as well as blends of these and other commonly used textile materials.

The fashion industry produces 100 billion garments each year. Although the call for circular fashion is increasingly urgent, 92 million tonnes of waste still end up in landfills. This waste is due to the lack of commercially viable recycling technologies for low-quality and mixed textiles as well as textile blends. While garments like 100 percent cotton or polyester are recyclable with legacy technologies, Tex-TCat is a recycling solution that complements mono-fiber garments as well as all non-recyclable blends and functional textiles. Tex-TCat’s unique features include:

  • Recycles synthetic and natural fibers as well as blends into valuable chemicals, effectively improving circular economics and lowering global greenhouse gas emissions.; and
  • Plans to operate at scale with the first plant able to process ~200,000 tonnes per year, and subsequent plants as large as one million tonnes, depending on feedstock availability.

“Tex-TCat has the potential to divert large quantities of previously unrecyclable textiles from landfills and provide major brands, through their existing suppliers, with recycled content,” says David Sudolsky, president and CEO of Anellotech. “The technology promises to be a key enabler of the textile industry’s work to become more sustainable.”

The development program’s next steps include optimizing the feedstock preparation for efficient reactor feeding as well as additional lab studies that will lead to long-term trials in Anellotech’s fully automated 0.5- tonne-per-day process demonstration plant. The company is currently seeking forward-looking companies to join them in accelerating the development and commercial implementation of the Tex-TCat technology.

Posted: January 12, 2023

Source: Anellotech

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