STOCKHOLM, Sweden — November 8, 2022 — Printful is one of the first print-on-demand companies to introduce the new Instant Thread Coloring Unit (ITCU) by Coloreel, a Swedish textile innovation brand. Printful can now give business owners an extra advantage through offering the latest cutting-edge embroidery technology to their customers.
Embroidery has always had a limited color offering because a single machine can only house a small number of threads, and each thread has its fixed color. For example, the red thread is only one kind of red, without brighter or darker color variations. This has made embroidery unfit for most designs that have a wide range of colors and gradients, which limits creativity. But thanks to Coloreel’s new ITCU technology, prior embroidery limitations have been removed.
“Printful’s new unlimited color embroidery technique offers customers new opportunities to experiment and turn their creative ideas into products. At Printful we put a heavy emphasis on innovation as we strive to provide the best solutions and services for our customers. I believe that this new feature will be an industry game changer and will empower store owners to sell intricately embroidered products or logos that perfectly match their branding,” said Elina Kruze, head of New Product Development & Merchandising at Printful.
“Through the new and unique possibilities in design, and our integrated digital solution for efficient on-demand production of embroidery, Coloreel offers Printful customers additional business and value creation opportunities. This makes it possible for retailers to elevate their brands and grow their business like never before,” commented Torbjorn Back, CEO of Coloreel.
At the moment, unlimited color embroidery is still in the beta testing phase at Printful, so it is only available for a small number of Printful customers. However, the company plans to complete testing and gradually implement this technology across its fulfillment centers in the coming months.
WASHINGTON — November 8, 2022 — Retailers expect a busy holiday season the next two months but imports at the nation’s major container ports should continue to slow from records set earlier in the year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.“Cargo levels that historically peak in the fall peaked in the spring this year as retailers concerned about port congestion, port and rail labor negotiations and other supply chain issues stocked up far in advance of the holidays,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “With a rail strike possible this month, there are still challenges in the supply chain, but the majority of holiday merchandise is already on hand and retailers are well prepared to meet demand.”
While consumers are still buying more, Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said demand has fallen from peak consumption during the height of the pandemic.
“We expect the flattening of demand that began around the middle of this year to continue into the first half of 2023,” Hackett said. “This will depress the volume of imports, which has already declined in recent months. Carriers have begun to pull services and are looking at laying up ships.”
U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled a record 2.4 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units – one 20-foot container or its equivalent – in May, but volume has seen a mostly steady decline since then.
Ports processed 2.03 million TEU in September, the latest month for which final numbers are available, down 10.2% from August and down 4.9% from September 2021.
Ports have not yet reported October’s numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.02 million TEU, down 8.5% year over year. November is forecast at 1.92 million TEU, down 9.2% year over year and the lowest number since 1.87 million TEU in February 2021, the last time the monthly total fell below 2 million TEU. December is expected to drop to 1.9 million TEU, down 9% year over year.
The first half of 2022 totaled 13.5 million TEU, a 5.5% increase year over year. The forecast for the remainder of the year would bring the second half to 12.3 million TEU, down 5.3% year over year. For the full year, 2022 is expected to total 25.86 million TEU, barely changed from last year’s annual record of 25.84 million TEU.
January 2023 is forecast at 1.98 million TEU, down 8.4% from January 2022. February is forecast at 1.71 million TEU, down 19.1% from unusually high numbers last year, when backed-up cargo kept congested U.S. ports busy despite the annual Lunar New Year shutdown of Asian factories. With most congestion issues continuing to ease, the month is expected to be the slowest since 1.61 million TEU in June 2020. March is forecast at 1.99 million TEU, which would be an improvement from February but down 15.2% year-over-year.
The cargo data comes as NRF forecasts that 2022 holiday retail sales will grow between 6% and 8% over 2021 to between $942.6 billion and $960.4 billion.
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
ZURICH — November 7, 2022 — Time for big adventures: namuk, the Switzerland-based premium sustainable outdoor clothing brand for kids is pleased to welcome Sebastian Reinhard to the team as chief marketing officer. In his new role, Reinhard will be an integral part of the management team, setting the strategic guidelines for marketing communications and being responsible for the development and implementation of all namuk’s marketing activities at a national and international level.
namuk has shown rapid development since its founding in 2016, and was able to double the revenue year after year. Parents and children appreciate the high quality, durability, product innovations and uncompromisingly ecological attitude of the brand with the owl. Last year, further important steps were taken with the launch of the Re-Use platform and the expansion of the product range in the bike and hiking segment — together with the global brands Giro and Lowa. Reinhard’s task will now be to transfer this success to the new markets in Germany and the United States.
In the last seven years, as marketing director EMEA of The North Face, the 43-year-old German was previously instrumental in the transformation of the brand and helped to establish it in the top league of premium outdoor brands. His career now includes more than 20 years of experience in marketing and sales, 14 of which were with Nike, where he most recently served as brand director for the Sportswear division.
“Sebastian is an outstanding marketer whose deep understanding of consumer behavior and innovative approach to connecting with consumers will help take namuk to the next level,” commented Franz Bittmann, founder and CEO of namuk, on the new addition to the team. “I am very pleased to welcome him to our team and am confident that he will increase awareness and demand and drive our unique positioning further.”
“I’ve been impressed with the brand for years,” Reinhard said, explaining his connection to his new employer. “I want to provide my two children with carefree, adventure-filled time outdoors — and that’s exactly what namuk’s clothes do. The combination of an uncompromising ecological approach, innovation and an understanding of the young wearers’ needs is unique to me. I am very proud to support Franz and the namuk team to continue this incredible journey.”
TARRYTOWN, N.J. — November 7, 2022 — Ultrafabrics is proud to be exhibiting at Boutique Design New York (BDNY) as the brand continues to lean into innovation in the post-pandemic hospitality design market.
This year’s booth is inspired by the notion of connecting people to nature using biophilic design, a creative approach that incorporates natural elements to provide respite and joy for users in the built environment. The booth concept is inspired by the hexagon shape, which can be found replicated in snowflakes, beehives, coral, crystals, and other structures both biological and non-biological. Nature on the surface appears random and disorganised but in reality, it’s all about geometry and physics.
Ultrafabrics will debut a hospitality-focused color palette of dynamic tones that influence mood, calm nerves and create an overall connection to nature.
Nicole Meier, Director of Branding at Ultrafabrics, said: “Ultrafabrics has been engineering its offering to bring beauty, performance and haptics to the hospitality industry. We are pleased to be showing our take on biophilic design to our customers.”
LENZING, Austria — November 8, 2022 — Lenzing Group, a global producer of wood-based specialty fibers, announced the release of a suite of new features on its Lenzing E-Branding Service platform that is now available across textile brands TENCEL™, LENZING™ ECOVERO™, as well as nonwovens brand VEOCEL™. Users will be able to use the new features — Artwork Approval, Fiber Blending Quick Check Tool, Onboarding Tool, E-Branding Master Class and E-Branding Helpdesk — to enjoy a smoother experience and greater convenience, as well as enhanced transparency across the value chain. The new features also complement existing services, such as fiber certification, application for product licenses, and branding materials.
“Since the introduction of Lenzing E-Branding Service in 2018, we have been on a mission to pioneer the digitalization of value chain management. While we remain committed to providing unprecedented traceability across the industry value chain, ensuring better user experience remains the key foundation of the Lenzing E-Branding Service,” said Harold Weghorst, vice president of Global Marketing and Branding at Lenzing AG. “With our latest upgrade, users can leverage the new Artwork Approval process to access licensed marketing or co-branding materials with a few clicks and learn about our service offerings via a suite of comprehensive resources. While material verification during the production process is important, we will not stop there. We aim to extend such verification services to finished garments, enabling greater traceability along the value chain.”
Artwork Approval process offers greater efficiency for brands and retailers
As more consumers become aware of greenwashing, there is a growing need for brands and retailers to enhance descriptions of the sustainability elements in their products. Since 2017, the number of applications for fabric certifications, product licenses and swing-tickets in the E-Branding Service platform has grown exponentially, by around 1.5 times annually. To address the growing need for co-branded marketing content, the “Artwork Approval” process was launched to ensure fast turnaround for artwork confirmations. With a structured online collection of approved artworks, users can access their artwork collection anytime, anywhere, and apply selected artwork for multiple license applications.
To ensure accurate labeling of product ingredient, fabric manufacturers can leverage the new Fiber Blending Quick Check Tool to easily check whether the planned fiber blend of a specific fabric is in accordance with Lenzing’s Certification Standards. The tool can also verify the correct Lenzing fiber brand for each fiber type, which significantly helps retailers promote the final product among consumers. The Fiber Blending Quick Check Tool can be found on the landing page of the E-Branding Service. It is accessible to all visitors to the platform and does not require one to register.
Onboarding Tool, E-Branding Master Class and Helpdesk double up on knowledge transfer
To support the increasing number of users from different regions, the new E-Branding Service Onboarding Tool features a series of step-by-step guides that advises users on how to use the platform’s features. The recently launched E-Branding Masterclass also enables users to expand their knowledge of the platform through live webinars and recorded self-study learning modules covering certification and licensing of Lenzing’s TENCEL, VEOCEL and LENZING ECOVERO brands. The self-study learning modules are available in English with subtitles in 10 languages. The E-Branding Masterclass is supplemented by the E-Branding Helpdesk service which provides users with live support from a dedicated team of Helpdesk specialists, creating a comprehensive knowledge sharing platform.
LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany — November 8, 2022 — trinamiX, a provider of mobile spectroscopy and a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF SE, now enables flexible on-site identification of textiles. With trinamiX’s Mobile NIR Spectroscopy Solution, more than 15 textile types and compositions can now be identified and thus better sorted. Even pieces made of material blends can easily be determined without damaging the material. The solution includes easy-to-use hardware with intelligent data analysis, an intuitive app for fast results, and an extensive customer portal where in-depth analyses and reports can be created.
trinamiX thus opens up new ways for customers from the textile industry to exploit additional potential in the field of textile recycling. Textile collection companies and organizations are equipped with an efficient tool that enables them to pre-sort goods according to quality and next processor. Recycling companies can improve the quality of the recycling process by continuously checking incoming goods. Textile manufacturers also benefit from mobile textile recognition: they can use spot-measurement at goods receipt to check if the delivered textiles are in conformity with the ordered quality.
“We are convinced that innovative solutions like ours make an important contribution towards a circular textile economy,” explained Adrian Vogel, Business Development manager at trinamiX GmbH. “Sorting is a key requirement for recycling and is largely done manually. Even experienced sorters cannot tell the difference between, for example, nylon 6 and nylon 6,6 just by looking at it or feeling it. This is where the handheld solution from trinamiX provides clarity.”
The solution supports a wide range of common textile grades used in clothing, furniture and household goods, for example: acrylic, cotton, nylon 6/6.6, polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polyester, polypropylene (PP), silk, sisal, viscose and wool. Textiles made from more than one material can also be identified. These include blends based on acrylic, cotton, nylon, polyester, silk or wool.
For the special requirements of recycling carpets, trinamiX has developed a dedicated application. It supports all common textile and plastic types used in carpets such as nylon 6 and nylon 6,6, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polypropylene (PP), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) and wool. The carpet application is the first one within trinamiX’s Mobile NIR Spectroscopy Solution to work offline. This means that the identification of carpet materials can be carried out when there is no connection to the internet. The data is evaluated and stored directly on the device and smartphone. A later upload to the customer portal is possible without any problems.
trinamiX will present the new applications on November 9 and 10 at two trade shows: Greener Manufacturing Show in Cologne, Germany (booth 5017 in hall 10.1), and Plastics Recycling World Expo in Cleveland, Ohio (booth 635).
HOUSTON — November 8, 2022 — Ascend Performance Materials has purchased a majority stake in California-based Circular Polymers, a recycler of post-consumer, high-performance polymers including polyamide 6 and 6,6, polypropylene and polyester (PET). The deal provides Ascend with a consistent supply of high-quality PCR materials for its ReDefyne™ sustainable polyamides, launched at K 2022.
Circular Polymers, which as part of the deal is renamed Circular Polymers by Ascend, reclaims and processes post-consumer carpet via a unique technology and has redirected approximately 85 million pounds of waste from landfills into new goods since 2018.
“We are focused on helping our customers reach their sustainability goals and Circular Polymers by Ascend provides materials that offer strong performance with a considerably smaller environmental footprint, compared to other technologies like pyrolysis,” said Phil McDivitt, president and CEO of Ascend. “Since we launched ReDefyne, the demand for our circular products has been significant across all segments of our business, including automotive, consumer, electronics and high-performance fibers and textiles.”
Ascend, a fully integrated producer of durable materials, has a sustainability strategy based on three pillars: empowering people, innovating solutions and operating without compromise.
Ascend has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2030 and recently announced two new efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its products.
David Bender, founder and CEO of Circular Polymers, will hold the remaining equity and stay on as CEO of the company.
“Since 2018, we have focused on improving the sourcing and processing of post-consumer high-performance polymers,” Bender said. “Having Ascend on board will accelerate our growth and ensure these materials go back into new long-term, high-performance applications.”
BURNLEY, England — November 7, 2022 — Family-owned weaving group the Ashfield Mill Company based in Burnley, are pleased to announce the sale of the business and its subsidiaries, John Spencer (Textiles) Ltd and Ian Mankin Ltd. by sixth-generation owners and majority shareholders, David and Megan Collinge.
The two businesses have been acquired through a management buyout by Simon Blackley, a current Managing Director who has been with the businesses since 2009.
John Spencer (Textiles) Ltd was incorporated in 1971 but has a rich history of weaving in Lancashire that dates back more than 150 years. The company weaves finished products for a number of industries from home furnishings to filtration and components. The Ian Mankin brand was acquired in 2010, when the then owner of the business, and its namesake, was ready to retire. Already weaving with John Spencer, and a keen proponent of British manufacture, it made sense for Ian to sell the business to his weaving mill; safe in the knowledge that the team here would deliver continuity for his customers and uphold his values of ‘affordable elegance’.
The sale has been the result of 12 months of planning and is supported by HSBC bank, PM+M accountants, Napthens and Taylors solicitors. In a positive move for the businesses, this MBO means that the whole of the workforce has been retained and the business will continue to operate from their existing Burnley and London premises.
Both John Spencer Textiles and Ian Mankin will continue to be led by the existing senior
management team and David Collinge will continue on in his current role.
Exiting co-owner, David Collinge, said: “I took over the running of the business from my father when he retired in 1992 and since then, have had wonderful support from a highly skilled and dedicated team without whom our success would not have been possible. The buyout represents the next chapter for some exciting developments and I have no doubt that under Simon’s leadership the businesses will continue to do amazing things.”
The newly formed Ashfield Mill Group headed by Simon Blackley is committed to building on the relationships created over the past 150 years with customers and suppliers and will continue to trade on the same terms as before.
Blackley commented on the acquisition: “I have inherited a fantastic business, with an impressive 150 year history! As the new owner I’m committed to ensuring that the legacy created by David, Megan and their family is not lost to faceless investment. I wanted to be there to ensure continuity of the business, not just for our customers but for our staff and David too.
“This MBO will build on the success of 6 generations of weaving, the strong standing of both companies and their enviable position in weaving and fabric retail is testament to the dedication and commitment of David and Megan. With an incredibly talented team and a loyal customer base, I’m looking forward to steering both into the future.
“For me it is very much business as usual. The John Spencer side has some fantastic customers and, with David still very much in the business, I have no plans for huge change. My intention is to build on the strength of our weaving knowledge, continuing to encourage a new generation of weavers in Burnley and the local region, whilst also pushing the boundaries of skill and knowledge within the existing, capable team. In turn this will help to build relationships with existing customers and to further strengthen the fantastic reputation this company holds.
“We are a small but ambitious team. David, the team and I have built up a wonderful network of customers and distributors both in the UK and internationally, but there is still more we can do. I intend to build on this tried and tested blueprint to extend our reach into new markets.
“The reputation of Ian Mankin fabrics has always been around quality and value. Keeping both businesses within the same group means that there are no changes to the supply chain or provenance and our customers can expect that same attention to detail and great service as they always have with a friendly hello at the end of the phone line.
“It promises to be an exciting and immensely rewarding journey for me, our staff, our suppliers and customers alike.”
The acquisition of the business was completed on October 31, 2022.
TOKYO — November 8, 2022 — YKK Corp. has signed the UN Biodiversity COP 15 Business Statement for Mandatory Assessment and Disclosure by 2030 as convened by Business for Nature.
Business for Nature was formed in 2019 by 13 international organizations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), as an international coalition calling on corporations to take comprehensive action to recover from the destruction of nature and protect ecosystems. This Business Statement, being made toward COP 15 to be held in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada, is a call to Heads of State to require all large businesses and financial institutions to assess and disclose their impacts and dependencies on nature by 2030.
The YKK Group adopted the YKK Group Environmental Pledge in 1994. In 2019, it established the YKK Group Environmental Vision 2050 with four themes, including “symbiosis with nature.” In October 2020, it established the “YKK Sustainability Vision 2050,” which converted the YKK Group Environmental Vision into concrete numerical targets for the Fastening Business. YKK is working toward achievement of goals under the five themes of Climate Change, Material Resources, Water Resources, Chemical Management, and Respect People, as well as 10 corresponding SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), and the company discloses its progress in achieving these goals every year.
By becoming a signatory of the Business Statement, YKK declares the following four actions:
COP15 Business Statement for Mandatory Assessment and Disclosure by 2030 (action pledge) and YKK Initiatives
(1) Assess impacts and dependencies on nature
YKK conducts company-wide risk assessments, and within these assessments, it evaluates the impact on the natural environment, such as the discharge of harmful substances into bodies of water and the air, and the contamination of soil. Furthermore, YKK uses an original checklist[1] to assess and understand water risks at each manufacturing site.
(2) Disclose important information related to nature
Important data on nature and the environment, including biodiversity, is published each year in the This is YKK (YKK Integrated Report) Databook.
(3) Commit to prioritizing the most critical issues within the business, value chain, and portfolio, and to disclosing avoidance and reduction of negative impacts
YKK made its commitment in the YKK Group Environmental Vision 2050, which outlines the Group’s long-term direction in relation to its environmental initiatives up to 2050. Furthermore, the Group formulated the YKK Sixth Mid-term Environmental Policy based on the Vision and has disclosed it in the This is YKK (YKK Integrated Report) Databook.
(4) Transform business strategies and models to restore and rehabilitate nature and work collaboratively in river basins, on land, and in the sea
By switching to the use of sustainable materials for fastening product materials and packaging, YKK is working to prevent the destruction of nature when virgin materials are harvested. At YKK’s Kurobe Manufacturing Center, the company is working to recreate the original landscape of Kurobe by developing forests and waterside areas to realize the ideal of “a factory in the forest” envisioned by YKK founder Tadao Yoshida.
In addition to continuing and enhancing the initiatives that YKK has been taking up to now, YKK will work even harder toward achievement of a sustainable society through its core business under the Cycle of Goodness YKK Philosophy.
FRANKFURT, Germany — November 8, 2022 — Dr. Harald Weber will become the new managing director of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association on January 1, 2023. The 44-year-old industrial engineer succeeds Thomas Waldmann, who has held the position since 1991 and will retire at the end of the year.
After completing his doctorate at the Technical University of Darmstadt and working as a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen (THM), Dr. Weber joined the VDMA in 2011. Since then, he has been responsible for the topics of technology and innovation in the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association.
Dr. Janpeter Horn, chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association and Managing Director of August Herzog Maschinenfabrik, commented on the change of personnel: “From his previous work in the plastics industry, Dr. Weber has profound knowledge and experience in topics that are also gaining in importance in textile machinery manufacturing. Examples include recycling and the circular economy, as well as digitalisation and especially the communication standard OPC UA.”
Dr. Horn added: “We combine our warm welcome to Dr. Weber with a big thank you to Thomas Waldmann. 30 years as managing director at the Textile Machinery Association also stand for constantly changing framework conditions. Mr. Waldmann has always had his finger on the pulse of the industry and, together with his team, has represented the special interests of the member companies: From technology policy to challenges of market access to the leading trade fair ITMA and the European association CEMATEX. ITMA 2007 in Munich was certainly a highlight. The executive board of the association wishes Mr. Waldmann all the best for the new phase of his life that is now beginning.”
