BIOPHIL Natural Fibers, a hemp stalk processor with a processing facility in Pennsylvania, has announced plans to invest more than $10.9 million in a new operation in Lumberton, N.C. The company produces fiber and hurd from the stalks, which can be used in a variety of applications from construction to paper and nonwovens and woven textiles. The new 90,829-square-foot facility will have decortication equipment as well as parallel processing lines to further clean, refine, and cut hurd and fiber to customer specifications. The operation also will house research and development for mycelium load-bearing structural composites by Okom Wrks Labs, as well as prototyping and eventually manufacturing for hurd-based construction materials and other hemp-based products.
Biophil will hire 41 associates for the new facility including production, administrative and managerial roles with an average starting salary of more than $40,000.
In this issue of Textile World, the cover story, “CiCLO®: Just One Arrow In The Microfiber Pollution Solution Quiver” highlights three impressive points.
It is refreshing to see the U.S. textile industry acknowledge, address and invest in solving serious environmental challenges.
Environmental issues facing the industry have always been taken seriously, but on some level the industry has had a contentious relationship with environmental regulators.
There is a strong history of progress on improving the relationship and impact of
textile manufacturing on the environment — who doesn’t want clean air, clean water and efficient use of clean power?
In truth, the relationship between textile manufacturing and the environment really has moved to the next level.
Now, in some cases, effluent leaving the plant is cleaner than the water entering the plant. Technological improvements in textile dyeing, printing and finishing have reduced both consumption and waste of water, dyes and chemicals. Digital printing, new indigo technology, waterless dyeing, and improved foam and spray application of finishes are perfect examples.
The next level of improvement is focused on embracing sustainability and the full life cycle of products the industry creates.
Recycling technologies have moved from a fringe group of manufacturers to the mainstream with recycled polyester in common use. Apparel brands have been supportive and demanded sustainable solutions for their products which has encouraged manufactures to invest and innovate with new technologies.
Acknowledging the man-made microfiber pollution challenge — the impact fiber and plastic five millimeters in length loose in the environment — goes a long way to developing serious solutions.
The CiCLO story is a prime example of developing a serious solution. As Co-founder and CEO of Intrinsic Advanced Materials and Co-inventor of CiCLO technology Andrea Ferris explained: “CiCLO technology gets blended with conventional or recycled polyester and nylon during melt extrusion at the very beginning of the fiber manufacturing process. It becomes permanently embedded in the fiber, so it never washes out.”
CiCLO provides nutrients that encourages microbes to biodegrade the polyester or
nylon within which the CiCLO is embedded. One can only imagine the breadth of
environmental impact this technology will have and the proof is in the partnership.
In 2018, Intrinsic Textiles Group LLC and Parkdale Advanced Materials — the fibers
and yarns innovation division of Parkdale Inc., Gastonia, N.C. — formed a joint venture named Intrinsic Advanced Materials.
Ferris stated: “As the largest spun yarn manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere, Parkdale’s production of polyester-containing yarns exceeds 500 million pounds per
year. It has taken a leadership position in delivering sustainable solutions for the
textile industry and CiCLO is the proven technology to mitigate microfiber pollution generated by man-made textiles.”
It is that kind of leadership — acknowledging, addressing and investing in solving serious environmental challenges that takes the textile industry’s relationship with the environment to the next level — and into the future.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) recently was signed between North Carolina State University, Gaston College and Catawba Valley Community College, and Honduras-based Central American Technological University (UNITEC) in an effort to educate and train a next-generation textile workforce using training and certificate programs as well as undergraduate and graduate degree programs. An increase in nearshoring and onshoring in Honduras, Central America and the United States is leaving the industry with a shortage of trained workers.
With almost $1 billion of textile and apparel investment in the United States and Central America anticipated this year, employee growth projections over the next five years suggest more than 10,000 new skilled workers will be needed to meet the demands of the industry in Honduras alone.
The MOU, backed by the U.S. Department of State, also creates an educational pathway to economic opportunity in Honduras and the region.
A signing ceremony was held at Gaston College in Dallas, N.C. Both U.S. and Honduran government officials — including Jose W. Fernandez, under secretary of state for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment; Jennifer Knight, deputy assistant secretary for
Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials at the U.S. Department of Commerce; and Hector Zelaya, private secretary to Honduran President Xiomara Castro — participated in the signing, as well as a roundtable discussion that followed. In addition, the government officials toured two of Gildan Activewear’s yarn spinning facilities in Salisbury, N.C.
After a string of months in which demand for U.S-made yarns remained remarkably high, especially considering inflation rates and a slowing economy, the past few weeks have seen a slight-to-moderate drop in inquiries and orders for a number of spinners.
“I think we’re in a lull — a temporary one, I hope — because the market is currently saturated,” said one source. Added another, “The retail pipeline looks to be full at the moment. Store shelves are generally well stocked, and our customers are hesitant to place new orders until they see how the economy goes. Fingers are crossed at this point that we can avoid a recession, but the odds of that seem to be decreasing day by day. Consumers have already begun to tighten up their pocketbooks.”
In fact, The Expectations Index, part of the Consumer Confidence Index published by The Conference Board®, although recovered slightly in August from July’s nine-year low, still remains below a reading of 80, suggesting recession risks continue. Consumer concern about inflation remains elevated, but has retreated from the high of previous months.
Cotton Prices, Sustainability Practices
Spot quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets measured by the USDA averaged 108.53 cents per pound for the week ending September 15, 2022. The weekly average was up from 90.71 cents reported for the corresponding period a year ago. Daily average quotations ranged from a high of 111.07 cents Monday, September 12 to a low of 106.10 cents Thursday, September 15. Spot transactions reported in the Daily Spot Cotton Quotations for the week ended September 15 totaled 7,467 bales. This compares to 7,613 spot transactions reported the corresponding week a year ago. Total spot transactions for the season were 20,447 bales compared to 24,772 bales during the same period a year ago.
The ICE October settlement price ended the week at 105.24 cents.
In other cotton news, Cotton Incorporated, as part of the USDA Partnership for Climate-Smart Commodities pilot project, is collaborating with industry leaders to focus on increasing the adoption of climate-smart agriculture practices. The project will build markets for climate-smart cotton and provide technical and financial assistance to more than 1,000 U.S. cotton farmers to advance adoption of climate-smart practices on more than one million acres. This will allow the production of more than four million bales of climate-smart cotton over five years.
“The climate-smart cotton program brings together USDA with private industry resources to increase the production and demand for climate-smart cotton that will help the U.S. cotton industry meet the ten-year sustainability goals,” noted Dr. Jesse Daystar, vice president and chief sustainability officer for Cotton Incorporated.
Eastman, Patagonia® Collaborate On T-shirts
Eastman, maker of Naia™ Renew sustainable fibers and yarns, is collaborating with Patagonia® to offer a limited run of T-shirts made with Naia Renew ES — Eastman’s latest fiber offering made with increased recycled content.
Named for its enhanced sustainability, Naia Renew ES is made with 60 percent recycled content. Unlike other cellulose-based yarns and fibers, this option requires fewer virgin materials to make an environmentally friendly product. Naia Renew ES is made from a combination of 40 percent molecularly recycled waste material, 20 percent recycled cellulose, and 40 percent renewable wood pulp.
The 20 percent recycled cellulose comes from waste materials, textiles waste and non-forest-derived cellulose waste. This innovation is made possible through Eastman’s continuous efforts to collaborate with eco-conscious partners throughout the value chain. For example, the Naia team has partnered with GP Cellulose, a pulp supplier with a focus on sustainability, to integrate renewable forest fibers and non-forest fiber solutions into its feedstock.
The remaining 40 percent recycled content comes from Eastman’s molecular recycling technology that breaks down hard-to-recycle waste materials like plastic packaging and old carpet into fundamental building blocks to produce the acetic acid used to make cellulose acetate yarn and fiber.
The Washington-based National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) recently hosted two roundtables — one with Representative Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) and a second with Congresswoman Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) — and both featuring textile executives from the fiber, yarn, fabric and finished textile product sectors. The meetings were designed to highlight the importance of the industry and urge the lawmakers to back policies that support the competitiveness of the U.S. textile industry.
The event with Representative Murphy was hosted by East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.; while Unifi Inc. hosted the roundtable with Representative Manning at its headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.
Executives spoke about the innovative and sustainable production practices, as well as the industry’s contribution to the state of North Carolina. According to U.S. government data, textile jobs employ more than 36,000 people in the state and support a further 108,000 jobs. The state also leads the nation with its $2.7 billion in textile-related exports.
Executives also raised priority issues for the industry in Washington such as maintaining the yarn forward rules of origin in the Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), advancing the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, and upholding buy American and Berry Amendment procurement policies, among other issues,
“As the proud representative for North Carolina on the Ways and Means Committee, it’s an honor to work alongside NCTO to promote American jobs, grow our state economy, and protect domestic manufacturing,” Representative Manning stated.
“I am thrilled to engage with industry leaders in my district, as we discuss ways to grow the U.S. textile industry and the critical role that textile manufacturers play in our local, state, and national economy,” Congresswoman Manning said.
NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas expressed her sincere appreciation to both lawmakers for participating in the meetings. “It is imperative that we have sound trade and government procurement policies that help the U.S. industry continue to grow jobs and contribute to the overall U.S economy,” Glas noted.
Radians is expanding its Memphis, Tenn., campus with a new building. The manufacturer of a wide variety of personal protective equipment required additional space for its growing warehouse operation. The addition will allow the company to have more inventory in-house and grow its supply chain capabilities. Additionally, the new facility will process orders for some big box retailers and large industrial customers.
“The increase in space is significant because the expansion represents a 20 percent increase in Radians’ overall square footage, bringing our Memphis campus footprint to approximately eight acres under roof,” said Radians CEO Mike Tutor.
Calhoun, Ga.-based Mannington Commercial recently joined the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact, a consortium of Georgia businesses that are working together to address climate issues in the state with the shared goal of transitioning Georgia to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Pakistan-based Gadoon Textile Mills Ltd., a member of the Yunus Brothers Group, has
joined the Zurich-based International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) as a corporate member.
Atlanta-based sublimation paper manufacturer Beaver Paper has announced price increases of up to 12 percent across all its paper grades. The increase goes into effect for all deliveries after October 1, 2022.
Atlas Copco recently introduced a new generation of variable speed drive compressor named the GA VSDS.
Germany-based Freudenberg Performance Materials was recently awarded the EcoVadis Silver Medal for U.K.-based facilities in Ebbw Vale and Littleborough that manufacture advance wound care and ostomy products. The silver medal recognizes the company’s performance in environment, ethics, labor and human rights, and sustainable procurement categories; and ranks the company in the top 25 percent of companies rated by EcoVadis. The company also recently established the Apparel Technical Solution Center – Asia at its Nantong, China, factory, to expand innovation capabilities.
New York City-based Carnegie Fabrics has expanded its Xorel® biobased fabric with
four new patterns — Ashford, Windsor, Dover and Galway.
New York City-based Schumacher has opened its first concept showroom in Nashville, Tenn. Located at 609 Merritt Ave. in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood, the space features a to-the-trade showroom exclusively for interior designers and also a luxury boutique for consumers interested in smaller items.
Epson, Los Alamitos, Calif., has introduced its first Epson-built spectrophotometer, the SD-10.
A garment from Marimekko and Spinnova’s recent collaboration
Finland-based companies Marimekko and Spinnova have collaborated on a capsule clothing collection that features Marimekko’s iconic Unikko poppy print on a blended SPINNOVA® fiber/organic cotton/cotton fabric.
Matouk reports it received STeP by OEKO-TEX® certification for sustainable and responsible textile production practices at the company’s Fall River, Mass., facilities. Pendleton Woolen Mills also recently announced both its century-old mills in Washougal, Wash., are now STeP by OEKO-TEX certified.
Suominen, Helsinki, has announced general surcharges on all its products in North America as a result of increases in raw materials, energy and freight costs.
Regel™ recycled acrylic fiber from Thai Acrylic Fibre Co., a member of the Aditya Birla Group, is now bluesign® Approved.
Boston Scientific Solutions Inc., Woburn, Mass., has launched the Natron-SilTexAS Series of screen printing silicone inks for socks and gloves.
Finotex, Miami, recently launched a new website located at finotex.com. The site was redesigned with the user experience in mind and includes all the information as well as a geolocation feature to help customers with their specific branding needs.
Gildan Activewear Inc., Montreal, recently published its 18th Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.
Santa Clara, Calif.-based Avery Dennison and the San Francisco 49ers recently announced an exclusive partnership naming Avery Dennison the official cutting-edge embellishment partner of the football team. Avery Dennison will provide smart embellishments and digital labels for select 49ers Fanatics merchandise to introduce digital connectivity into the products.
Alpharetta, Ga.-based Datatex TIS Inc. reports Parkdale Inc. selected NOW as its next
generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution replacing an older Datatex TIM ERP system. Parkdale also will implement the solution at its U.S. Cotton business.
With athlete performance and sustainability in mind, Nike’s Forward platform focuses on needlepunching for apparel creation.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
Nonwovens are a relatively new textile material compared to woven and knit constructions that are thousands of years old. The nonwovens process allows a wide variety of fabric types with unique properties to be produced depending on production parameters. This adaptability has led to an extensive portfolio of products used in automotive, construction, filtration, and medical applications, to name just a few markets.
There is still lots of potential to unlock in nonwovens production, especially as it relates to apparel and fashion applications. Although applications are broad, the properties of a nonwoven fabric typically do not have the aesthetics or performance characteristics sought in a non-disposable apparel fabric. However, Beaverton, Ore.-based Nike Inc. is looking to change that notion.
The company recently introduced Nike Forward — a platform used to produce a sustainable nonwoven that the company believes can be used in place of traditional fleece fabrics in athletic applications. The motivation behind the platform was to help solve problems for athletes with environmental concerns top-of-mind.
Nike saw the potential of nonwoven manufacturing techniques to reduce the number of steps required to produce a fabric compared to traditional knit or woven fabrics and set about “hacking” a needlepunching machine in a research and development process that took more than five years.
Fewer processing steps — as with all nonwovens, the process goes from fiber directly to fabric — results in less energy consumption, which Nike reports translates into an average of 75-percent reduction in the carbon footprint compared to the traditional knit fleece fabrics it currently uses.
A diverse range of fibers can be incorporated into the layers from pre- and post-consumer waste as well as industrial waste; and the garments feature 70-percent recycled content by weight. No water is used to dye or finish the fabric, and garments initially will be available in only one color — gray. The garments also feature raw cut pockets and no embellishments such as trims, zippers or other closures. These design details result in a garment that is easier to recycle at the end of its useful life.
The garments feature raw cut pockets with no closures or embellishments to make it easier to recycle at the end of its useful life.
The initial introduction of Nike Forward includes a crew and hoodie style made using 100-percent polyester in a five-layer construction. This lightweight material, which will break in over time, is warm and meets Nike’s Therma-FIT ADV technology standards for warmth without the weight.
Nike does admit piling is possible and provides specific care directions to mitigate the issue.
“As part of our commitment to serve athletes by offering more sustainable options and meeting our bold, science-based impact targets, we’re introducing a material innovation that can be adapted to different lifestyle and performance purposes,” says Seana Hannah, vice president, Sustainable Innovation, Nike.
“We believe this platform has the potential to reset the way we think about material and apparel,” said Aaron Heiser, vice president, Global Apparel Product Merchandising, Nike. “This is the biggest Nike apparel innovation since Dri-Fit 30 years ago and has huge potential to transform the industry in the way that Air and Flyknit did for Nike footwear.”
According to Nike: “Today Nike Forward shows up as a hoodie — the uniform of sport and a style around the globe. Tomorrow it could be anything.”
The Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association (SYFA) will celebrate its 50th anniversary during its fall conference with an enhanced schedule.
TW Special Report
The history of the Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association (SYFA) is an interesting one (See “A Time For Celebration: 50 Years Of Leadership In Synthetic Fibers,” TW, this issue). Established in the 1970s with the dawn of draw texturing as the Textured Yarn Association of America Inc. (TYAA), the organization is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Today’s SYFA comprises more than 265 individual and corporate members affiliated with the man-made fiber, yarn and fabric industry. Its mission “is to support the production and continued advancement of synthetic yarns and fabrics through technology and education and to promote both existing and new uses for these quality materials. Through our conferences and other events, SYFA provides members with a valuable forum for networking, discussion and presentations related to the development of synthetic yarns and fabrics and their downstream applications, as well as to explore current trade issues to find new solutions to the challenges that face our industry.”
SYFA’s fall conference, to be held November 3-4, 2022, at the Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel, will celebrate the milestone anniversary with some special features.
As usual, the conference will feature a slate of speakers with presentations from Consultant Jeff Dugan; Julie Rader, director, U.S. Manufacturing and Sourcing, Walmart; a speaker from the Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University; Laura Murphy, research director, Fibres, Wood Mackenzie; Nello Masciarelli, director of Energy, Gildan; and Alasdair Carmichael, program director, NAPCOR.
In addition, a panel featuring six of the textile industry’s top leaders — Leib Oehmig, CEO Glen Raven Inc.; Cameron Hamrick, CEO, Hamrick Mills; Jeff Price, executive vice president of Strategic Initiatives, Milliken & Company; Charles Heilig, president and CEO, Parkdale Mills; Eddie Ingle, CEO and director, Unifi Inc.; and Amy Bircher, CEO and founder, MMI Textiles — will sit together and share their thoughts on the “Past, Present and Future” — the theme for this anniversary event.
Several past TYAA and SYFA presidents will be in attendance as the association looks back over its 50 years.
At the end of Thursday’s session, all attendees will gather for a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by a sit-down dinner at 6:30 p.m. During dinner, Kim Glas, president and CEO, National Council of Textile Organizations, will deliver a keynote address.
Mark your calendars to come network and reminisce with SYFA members past and present this November as the association celebrates its 50th anniversary.
For more information about the SYFA’s fall 2022 conference and to register for the event, please visit thesyfa.org.
The left vial shows dye solution in water (blue) and the right vial shows clear water after the dye was removed from the solution by the polymer. (Photo: Januka Budhathoki-Uprety)
Recent research focused on using polymer to clear dyes from wastewater
By Laura Oleniacz
North Carolina State University researchers have demonstrated that a synthetic polymer can remove certain dyes from water, and that the polymer can be recovered and reused. The findings offer a new potential method for cleaning wastewater after use by textiles, cosmetics or other industries.
“Dyes are used everywhere, including in the textile industry, as well as in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, paper, leather and even in medicines,” said Januka Budhathoki-Uprety, lead author of a paper on the work and an assistant professor of textile engineering, chemistry and science at NC State, Raleigh, N.C. “If these contaminants aren’t properly removed from wastewater after dyeing and finishing, they can be a significant source of environmental pollution and pose risks for human health.”
In the study, published in ACS Applied Polymer Materials, researchers made a synthetic polymer called polycarbodiimide. The researchers then tested the material’s ability to clean wastewater first by dissolving it in a solvent, and then mixing it with water contaminated with dyes. They tested the polymer solution against a series of 20 anionic dyes, also called acid dyes, which are used in the textile industry. For initial assessments, the researchers did a visual test with the naked eye to see if the polymer worked. The researchers later quantified how well the polymer removed the colorant using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy.
“We mixed the polymer solution and dye-contaminated water so the polymer in the solution can grab on to the dye,” Budhathoki-Uprety said. “This is a two-phase solution, just like oil and water. The polymer part of the solution grabs onto the dyes. Then we were able to easily separate the clean water from the contaminated solution mixture by draining it out, similar to separation of water from a mixture of oil and water.”
The polymer solution removed all but four of the 20 acid dyes they tested. In addition, they found it was easy to recover the polymer within minutes. They found characteristics of the dyes — related to their molecular structures — that contributed to whether the polymer worked or not.
“We found that the polymer solution can remove dyes from contaminated water, and we can recover the polymer and use it to remove dye from contaminated water again,” Budhathoki-Uprety said.
In future studies, researchers are planning to develop a library of polymers that would have the potential to work with more types of dyes. In addition, they want to develop a more practical mechanism for using polycarbodiimide to clean wastewater.
“We are working to develop materials that can do the same work without having to use the polymer in the solution phase,” Budhathoki-Uprety said. “If you have dye spill, you don’t want to have to use a flammable solution — you want a solid material that is easier to handle.”
The study, “Polycarbodiimide for Textile Dye Removal from Contaminated Water,” was published online in ACS Applied Polymer Materials on July 22, 2022. Co-authors included Meghan Lord, graduate student in Fiber and Polymer Science Program, and Graham Neve and Mike Keating, undergraduate students in the Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science Department at NC State. The study was funded by the Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science Department at NC State. Individual researchers were also supported by the Office of Undergraduate Research Federal Work Study Research Assistant Program at NC State.
Editor’s Note: Laura Oleniacz is Public Communications Specialist at NC State News Services.
