Finisterre Launches Award-Winning Biosmock Made With Traceable HD® Wool Apparel Insulation

SHIPLEY, England — January 27, 2022 — Nearly one year after British sustainable outdoor brand, Finisterre, was honored by winning a 2021 Gold ISPO Outstanding Award in the Insulation Apparel Category for its Biosmock, the company is pleased to launch its first fully-circular jacket for consumer purchase.

Built as a practical insulated outerwear piece, the Biosmock can be layered beneath a waterproof jacket or worn on its own as an outer shell, providing warmth and comfort in all conditions. Constructed with a PrimaLoft® BIO compostable shell, renewable and traceable HD® Wool Apparel Insulation, and biodegradable fasteners, the entire jacket is designed to break down safely at the end of its long and useful life.

“We worked closely with the team at HD Wool to source and incorporate HD Wool Apparel Insulation into the Biosmock design,” said A. Todd, lead designer at Finisterre. “Wool’s natural heat retention and breathability makes it an excellent insulator, as well as being renewable. Furthermore, through the  Woolkeepers® initiative, consumers are able to trace the jacket’s insulation back to the four individual farms in the South West of England that supplied the wool- providing full traceability and accreditation from farm to Finisterre.”

The HD Wool Apparel Insulation QR code on the Biosmock hangtag will link consumers to the farm that supplied the wool for the  garment. One of the farms providing the wool is managed by Natasha Harris, a fourth-generation farmer based in South Devon, which is just over the Tamar from Finisterre’s base in Cornwall.

Watch the video to learn more about Natasha’s farm and about what being a Woolkeeper means to her:

Through the  Woolkeepers quality assurance and sourcing program, HD Wool Apparel Insulation offers a complete solution to meet the growing demand among brands, retailers and consumers for natural fibers and traceability. It supports responsible farming and animal welfare, paying a fair price for wool, and nurturing a community of growers on the journey  towards regenerative agriculture – a sustainability initiative that builds soil fertility, sequesters carbon, improves watersheds, and supports biodiversity by properly managing livestock on the grasslands of the world.

“We are incredibly excited for the launch of Finisterre’s Biosmock and delighted to link our Woolkeepers community to end-consumers,”  said Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, Managing Director, HD Wool Apparel Insulation. “As with HD Wool, Finisterre is incredibly passionate about making a positive impact on the environment and pushing boundaries to make the best products it can. Collaborating with the team on the Biosmock project has been a true privilege.”

Posted: January 28, 2022

Source: Finisterre

New Geosynthetics Standard Provides Specifications for Vinyl Sheet Piling

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — January 27, 2022 — ASTM International’s geosynthetics committee (D35) has approved a new standard that will help engineers, designers, and specifiers who work with vinyl sheet piling. Applications for such piling include the construction of seawalls, retaining walls, and chemical cut-off walls.

“The new specification will standardize the materials used and it will allow producers to meet the United States Army Corp of Engineers’ requirements for vinyl sheet piling,” says ASTM International member Steve Hargrave. “It will standardize the maximum design stress, when stating the allowable moment.”

The new standard (soon to be published as D8427) covers material and testing requirements for polyvinyl chloride sheet piling.

This effort directly relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure, among others.

“The new standard includes the use of recycled materials, which use less energy to produce,” says Hargrave, innovation and engineering director, CMI Limited. “The vinyl sheet piling is inert in the environment in use.”

Hargrave also notes that the standard can be used to mitigate environmental issues like water flow and contamination and that transportation energy is reduced when using materials covered in the standard.

Posted: January 28, 2022

Source: ASTM International

TENCEL™ Celebrates 30 Years Of Sustainable Fiber Innovation

LENZING, Austria — January 26, 2022 — Lenzing’s flagship textile brand, TENCEL™, is celebrating three decades of sustainable fiber innovation this year. Since 1992, the TENCEL brand has empowered companies across the textile value chain to adopt more eco-friendly practices.

“Since its launch 30 years ago, TENCEL has always been envisioned as a solution provider for the textile industry,” said Robert van de Kerkhof, member of the Managing Board at Lenzing. “Aligning with the industrywide shift towards deeper levels of sustainability and transparency, in 2018, the brand evolved from a behind-the-scenes contributor to a front-facing player. From then on, TENCEL expanded its offerings from fiber creations to pioneering digital technologies. To date, the TENCEL brand has exceed expectations across the industry as ‘the trusted provider’ of high-quality sustainable fibers among leading global fashion and home textile brands. We are thrilled to reach this milestone and are looking forward to driving continuous innovation and building stronger partnerships over the next 30 years and beyond.”

Digital technologies enabling supply chain transparency

Since 2018, TENCEL has redefined itself as a consumer-facing ingredient brand. This success is reflected in the collaboration between TENCEL and more than 300 brand partners globally in various consumer-centric campaigns. The 2021 launch of TENCEL eShop, the first ever e-commerce channel created by a sustainable fiber producer, is a testament to TENCEL’s strong relationships with its brand partners and its commitment towards encouraging consumers to make informed purchases.

As part of the “digital first” strategy of the TENCEL brand, TENCEL invested heavily in proprietary technologies to reduce environmental impact during textile production and developed platforms to support stakeholders’ sustainability momentum. From the introduction of fiber identification technology to fabric certification and licensing services offered via the Lenzing E-Branding Service platform, the TENCEL brand has been a driving force towards full-scale supply chain transparency.

The achievements of the TENCEL brand thus far can be largely accredited to the ongoing trust, confidence and support of its supply chain partners, without whom, this milestone would not have been possible. Looking ahead, cross-sector collaboration between mills, fabric makers, brands and non-governmental organizations, will remain a key priority for TENCEL and help to further enable supply chain transparency and digitalization of the textile industry.

“With its circularity and solution for low carbon emissions, TENCEL is the answer to an eco-strategy in fashion,” said Adriano Goldschmied, Genious Group president and founder. “I was first introduced to the TENCEL brand about 30 years ago, when I was looking to give denim a more feminine and friendly style. I was so impressed by TENCEL that I designed a complete collection, which revolutionized the textile and denim industry. In an era where comfort and sustainability are ‘must-haves’, TENCEL branded fibers are essential.”

Forging the way to a carbon-zero textile industry

In addition to driving supply chain transparency, the TENCEL brand is also committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. In 2020, the industry’s first carbon-zero TENCEL branded fibers were launched, and the carbon zero offering was quickly extended to fibers with REFIBRA™ technology in 2021. Anticipating the rising demand from consumer brands for specialty fibers, Lenzing has been strengthening its production capabilities with an ambitious growth plan. Such growth will be fueled by the opening of the world’s largest lyocell production facility in Thailand in early-2022.

“In 2022, we will continue to focus on producing carbon-zero innovations that make a difference to the textile and fashion industries,” said Florian Heubrandner, vice president, Global Textiles Business at Lenzing. “The next decade will see more sustainability-driven innovations unveiled to actualize our 2050 vision. We are grateful to have worked alongside our partners and colleagues over the last 30 years and we look forward to greater success in the next 30!”

“In celebration of our 30-year milestone, the TENCEL brand will be commencing a series of brand, employee, and consumer activations globally to further advocate for change as part of the ‘Feel Good Fibers Since 1992’ campaign,” said Harold Weghorst, global vice president of Marketing & Branding at Lenzing. “We would not be able to accomplish these initiatives without the support and goodwill of our partners, to whom we are truly thankful. Moving forward, we will continue to empower brand partners and consumers on their journey to sustainability with our ongoing initiatives, like the #MakeItFeelRight Digital Campaign and TENCEL X Partner Campaign.”

From February onwards, TENCEL 30th anniversary celebrations themed
“Feel Good Fibers Since 1992” will kick-off on TENCEL.com and feature exciting content and partner activities across multiple regions and channels.

Posted: January 28, 2022

Source: Lenzing Group

Conveners Of The Textile Industry Jointly Support A Digital Platform To Enhance Scaleup Of Circular Economy

CAMPBELL HALL, N.Y. — January 26, 2022 — Industry organizations, working on related circularity projects, are aligning efforts to create the infrastructure to enable the recycling of post-consumer textile waste. Through their own projects and together through pre-competitive industry-wide collaboration, Accelerating Circularity, Fashion for Good, Global Fashion Agenda’s Circular Fashion Partnership, Reverse Resources, SMART, and WRAP are supporting the scaling of digital solutions to create the infrastructure for textile recycling. Reverse Resources is launching one such platform for collectors, sorters, and pre-processors – its goal is to facilitate textile-to-textile recycling.

We are calling on the industry to support this effort.

The Reverse Resources platform will now be able to house information on collectors, sorters, pre-processors, locations, services, and volumes.  The tool is designed to be open access allowing circular system actors to find required services. Reverse Resource’s initial digital platform made significant headway in the post-industrial textile waste industry – linking recyclers with manufacturer’s information to increase the transparency of availability of post-industrial materials – thus leading to greater circularity.  The expanded digital platform will develop information on the availability and access to post-consumer materials for all industry actors.

“Reverse Resources is a tracking and trading platform for textile and post-consumer waste, providing 360-degree transparency of the waste flows. We match the supply and demand, break down market barriers, shorten supply chains, thereby increasing value along the way,” said Ann Runnel, founder and CEO of Reverse Resources. “Our mission is to help to bring down the cost of recycling to support the scale-up of the circular economy. The more industry members that participate, the more we can create economies of scale”

Over the past two years, Global Fashion Agenda worked closely with Reverse Resources to engage global brands, manufacturers in Bangladesh, and recyclers to develop the platform for post-industrial textile waste.

“A key unlock to circular fashion systems is increasing transparency and traceability of waste feedstocks and matchmaking waste types, to recycling solutions,” said Federica Marchionni, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda.

“This is one of the first of many open-sourced digital tools we hope to see in the market that will allow the industry to move forward on its circularity goals,” said Karla Magruder, founder and president of Accelerating Circularity. “The industry needs the information that will be housed in the platform, on what services and materials are available when it comes to post-consumer textiles available for textile-to-textile recycling.”

“To achieve circularity, we need to collectively develop innovative business models, which require new digital systems, infrastructure, and collaborations,” noted Katrin Ley, manager director, Fashion for Good. “We are all aligned on the same objective to drive progress so working together to facilitate that through collaborative technology platforms makes sense.”

“WRAP is pleased to support the development of this platform via our connections with the UK textile reuse & recycling sector. Digital platforms will create the transparency needed for more circular textile industry,” shared Cat Salvidge, Sustainable Textiles Sector specialist, WRAP  “Circularity is key to WRAP’s new voluntary agreement for a more sustainable textiles industry, Textiles 2030, so this collaboration comes at a great time”.

The platform is being piloted with several large collectors, sorters, and pre-processors who have been participating in the Accelerating Circularity Project Europe, Global Fashion Agenda’s Circular Fashion Partnership in Bangladesh, and Fashion for Good’s Sorting for Circularity India Project. Ultimately the goal of the platform is to more effectively and economically allow for the recycling of the estimated 17 million tons in the USA [1]and 5 million tons in Europe[2] of post-consumer waste that goes to landfills annually.

Join us for a webinar  February 9, 2022 to learn more:

08:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) / 14:00 Central European Time (CET)

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwkce2vrj8sHNL2LsAyluMYNN7cnqsGyLOK

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

To learn more about Reverse Resources visit www.reverseresources.net

[1] https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/textiles-material-specific-data#TextilesTableandGraph

[2] https://publications.jrcec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC125110k p.8

Posted: January 28, 2022

Source: Accelerating Circularity

NCTO: Independent Study Highlights Benefits Of U.S.-CAFTA-DR Agreement And Devastating Impact Of Weakening Agreement’s Rules

WASHINGTON — January 26, 2022 — The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished products, issued a statement today on the release of an independent study examining the valuable economic and societal impact of the U.S.-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR), and the significant adverse impact of proposals aimed at weakening the agreement’s rules of origin.

The economic study conducted by Werner International highlights the importance of maintaining the current rules of origin in the agreement, which supports more than one million jobs in the U.S. and the region and $12.5 billion in two-way trade and has fostered significant and impactful investments in manufacturing and apparel production. The study also finds various proposals aimed at weakening the agreement’s carefully negotiated and longstanding textile rules of origin would severely harm the region and U.S. and result in massive job, investment, and export losses.

“The Werner report comes at a pivotal time, as the global supply chain crisis and concerns over forced labor in Xinjiang have sparked a shift in sourcing out of Asia and a renewed focus on nearshoring and onshoring jobs back to the Americas. As outlined in this report, the U.S-CAFTA-DR agreement is a critically important and deeply economically impactful agreement that has fostered a co-production chain for textiles and apparel supporting over one million jobs in the region and the U.S,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “This is due to a key element of the agreement called the ‘yarn forward rule of origin,’ a unique investment-based rule that ties lucrative duty-free access to the U.S. market to investment in yarn, fabric, and cut-and-sew production in the region and the U.S.”

Glas added: “We appreciate the broad bipartisan support, including from the administration, for maintaining the essential yarn forward rule of origin and ensuring those rules are not eroded through harmful changes. This common support for preserving the provision is vital to the bipartisan efforts focused on ushering in a new era of American manufacturing prowess and economic prosperity. Conversely, the report found that weakening the rules by adding ‘flexibilities’ such as cumulation and short supply changes would exacerbate the migration crisis by devastating our industries and further tether us to our counterparts in Asia, including China.”

Jan Urlings, vice chairman of Werner International, stated: “In our examination of the economic and societal impact of the U.S.-CAFTA-DR agreement, we found the current benefits of the agreement support a strong and vertically integrated co-production chain that has contributed significantly to investment and economic stability in the region and the United States. A major aspect of our report examined how various proposals aimed at weakening the rules of origin would impact the region and the U.S. The data overwhelmingly demonstrates that the current co-production chain would be undermined by subsidized Asian/Chinese fabrics and yarns whether directly or indirectly through a third party, would devastate direct and indirect textile employment and investment in the U.S., the region and the entire Western Hemisphere.  It would also exacerbate enforcement issues associated with Xinjiang cotton produced with forced labor.”

The study goes on to find that if brands and retailers made a commitment to double exports from CAFTA-DR to the U.S under the current rules, it would result in an additional 180,000 U.S. textile jobs, 2.17 million new jobs in the CAFTA-DR region, and conservatively $6 billion in new investments in the U.S. and region.

Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Textile Caucus co-chair, stated: “Imports from China and other countries that use forced labor and other predatory trade practices have crippled our manufacturing industries and destroyed millions of U.S. jobs. The manufacturing of cotton products and other goods from Xinjiang have tainted our supply chains and helped perpetuate the Chinese Communist Party’s continued human rights atrocities. As global supply chains are recalibrating to nearshore and onshore textile and apparel production chains under the rules of origin in our Hemispheric trade agreements, we must strongly reject efforts to erode those essential rules that support textile and apparel jobs in the U.S. We must not allow China backdoor access to these critical markets, which will further hurt our own industries and reward China and other countries with direct and indirect preferential tariff access.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Textile Caucus co-chair, stated: “The global supply chain crisis triggered by the coronavirus pandemic has exposed our severe overreliance on China.  This report showcases that onshoring and nearshoring of this critical production chain is critical for the U.S. textile industry and workers in the CAFTA-DR region.  The US-CAFTA-DR trade agreement has spurred hundreds of millions of dollars of investment because of the strong rules of origin that support this co-production chain.  Any erosion of these rules would harm American producers and exacerbate the immigration crisis.  As supply chains are pivoting, we must seize on the opportunity for growth in good paying jobs in both the U.S. and the region and end our overreliance on China.”

Key Findings from Werner report:

I. Adverse consequences to adding flexibilities to/weakening the yarn forward rule:

  • Destroys U.S. and Western Hemisphere textile employment, with a total projected loss of more than 307,000 U.S. textile and cotton farming jobs and a loss of 250,000 jobs in Central America’s primary textile industry.
  • Devastates U.S. cotton farmers, currently employing 115,000 people in 18 states. Projected sales drop of 30% for U.S. and Western Hemisphere cotton growers.
  • Provides direct and indirect backdoor access to Chinese textile inputs, further perpetuating Xinjiang forced labor.
  • Chills future investment and destabilizes current investment in region. Over $1 billion in capital investments have been made in CAFTA-DR countries since 2005, which have helped create a vertical regional production chain. Weakened rules place major future and long-term U.S. investments at risk.
  • Severely undermines defense procurement under the Berry Amendment and the domestic warm industrial base supplying mission critical items to U.S. armed forces. More than two-thirds of the U.S. textile and apparel industry would be wiped out, destabilizing the domestic textile military industrial base and its ability to meet surge production in times of military mobilization.
  • Cripples efforts to construct a viable domestic/nearshoring supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE).
  • Exacerbates the flow of immigration, undermining the administration’s intended goal of spurring economic development in the region to address the root causes of outward migration.
  • Exponentially increases greenhouse carbon emissions through transpacific shipping and Asian coal-fired energy.

II. Proactive steps to help improve the competitive position of CAFTA-DR region:

  • Better coordination among lending agencies of the federal government, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development, Inter-American Development Bank, and Export-Import Bank, to ensure targeted, strategic investment in this sector and competitive low or zero interest financing and loan guarantees.
  • Support for a comprehensive infrastructure plan with targeted, high-impact investments and competitive loans to upgrade regional power grids, roads, and local ports would pay immediate dividends.
  • Provide incentives to the Western Hemisphere co-production chain for carbon emission reductions and sustainable products.
  • Ensure trade stability in the region by maintaining maximum pressure on China, including enforcing the U.S. ban on cotton and cotton products made with forced labor in Xinjiang.
  • Refrain from changing cumulation and short supply process, which would lead to a surge of third-country yarns and fabrics and displace hundreds of thousands of jobs in the region and U.S.
  • Oppose granting duty-free access and other benefits through an expansion of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program to apparel and textiles and negotiating free trade agreements with major Asian suppliers.
  • Close the de minimis loophole for imports from China that allow goods valued at $800 or less to enter duty free if imported by one person on one day.

Posted: January 28, 2022

Source: The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)

IFAI: Tent Industry Back Together At Tent Expo

ROSEVILLE, Minn. — January 27, 2022 — Over 550 tent and rental professionals gathered in Daytona Beach, Fla., last week for the IFAI Tent Expo.

Members of the Tent Rental Division and other industry professionals took the opportunity to meet in person for the first time in two years, driving near-record attendance at this year’s event.

Tent Expo offers a chance to connect in-person that can’t be replicated by virtual events, said Josh Kohn, CEO and co-founder, SOHO Event Rentals, Fairhope, Ala.

“It’s so good, the relationships, the networking, getting to meet face to face with people, it really builds those relationships,” Kohn said. “To be here on the floor with the tents and manufacturers, to be able to ask questions … really speeds up the conversation versus just looking at a PDF or online at something.”

More than 50 exhibitors were on hand to share the latest innovations in tents, equipment, flooring, furniture, accessories and more.

“I’ve learned so much from all the manufacturers,” said Steven Eisenstein, president of Classic Tents & Events, Norcross, Ga. “I’ve learned the right tents, to buy. I got the TentOx from coming to this event many years ago. Coming to Tent Expo helps us learn how we can be more efficient with our labor, do more and save money. It’s coming to these events that you learn about all the different pieces of equipment and what they can do.”

The three-day Tent Expo kicked off with the annual golf tournament and a private, behind-the-scenes tour of the Daytona International Speedway, followed by two days of education, networking and product demos.

Indy Car racer James Hinchcliffe delivered the keynote address, telling the story of his struggles to become a professional driver, and his comeback from a life-threatening injury he suffered while practicing for the 2015 Indianapolis 500.

Two tent industry leaders were also honored with the Bruce W. Wodetzki Award. The award is named for the first chairman of IFAI’s Tent Rental Division and recognizes professionals who continue his legacy of impacting the growth, direction and success of the industry. This year’s honorees were Jim Reyen, business director at Eureka! Tents, and George Smith, president and CEO of Mahaffey Fabric Structures.

Education topics at this year’s Tent Expo included advice on diversifying your business and hiring, as well as tips on ballasting, an update on codes and standards and more.

“The biggest thing is the access to the knowledge,” Kohn said. “We’re a young company. We’re first generation, so we didn’t have all that knowledge passed down. To be able to go in and access all this information, particularly the safety information … this world didn’t exist to me before I started coming to Tent Expo and joined IFAI.”

Save the date for Tent Conference 2023

Mark your calendar now. The 2023 Tent Conference will be January 11-13 in Savannah, Ga.

Posted: January 28, 2022

Source: Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI)

What Really Happens To Unwanted Clothes?

How HELPSY, the Largest Clothing Collector on the East Coast, Works 

By Laura Johanson

What really happens to the clothes that are put into a HELPSY clothing collection bin, left curbside for a municipal partner pickup, or handed over during a clothing drive?  It is a misconception that these items are given directly to the needy. HELPSY™ does provide clothing, coats and, on occasion, garment transportation to shelters, churches, and other relief organizations and partners with others to raise funds.  The company’s ultimate objective, however, is not charity, but to preserve the environment. Textile waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the United States. By extending the useful life of clothing, HELPSY strives to keep unwanted textiles from becoming trash.

The Misconception

Reverend Nathan Ives, from St. Peter’s/San Pedro Church in Salem, Mass., understands the common misunderstanding associated with clothing collection. “As a former volunteer with the Red Cross, I’ve seen first-hand generous, but misguided people clean out their closets to offer piles of clothing after a natural disaster,” Father Nathan said.  “The reality is, these well-intentioned donations result in a mountain of clothes that can’t be processed,” he said. St. Peter’s Church hosts a HELPSY clothing collection bin and earns a monthly rental check which is then used to fund community outreach programs. “I don’t know how HELPSY manages all that goes into collection, sorting and storage while still offering us a portion.  This income goes toward our rental assistance programs, food assistance, and even to offer a laundromat-love gift card so someone in need can clean their own clothes,” he said.

The church is not only a bin host but is also a recipient of donated coats through HELPSY.  During the months of November, December and January, St. Peter’s Church switches gears, and offers a shopping event to the community offering FREE warm winter coats provided to them by HELPSY.  “HELPSY has really gone out of its way to make this event possible again this year. We are expecting hundreds of coats to be delivered for our event,” Father Nathan said.  “We have just enough storage to keep the coats left over until the next event.  We would never have been able to collect and store these many coats without HELPSY.”

Clothing Surplus — The Challenge

While some organizations work toward meeting the need for emergency clothing or warm coats, there is still an abundance of unneeded and unwanted clothing ending up in landfills.  One reason for this is the changing clothing industry.  According to the EPA, since the beginning of the millennium, the amount of clothing manufactured has more than doubled from approximately 6 million tons in 2000 to 16 million tons in 2020. The business of creating trendy items at low cost, known as “fast fashion,” creates greater profits for the fashion industry and instant gratification to consumers.  Unfortunately, this trend also leads to a shorter shelf life for clothing items and adds to the general disposable mentality that creates a surplus of outdated, worn, torn, or otherwise unwanted clothing items.

“The average person throws away more than 100 pounds of clothing every year,” said Dan Green, co-founder and CEO of HELPSY.  “Only 15 percent of textiles are currently reused or recycled, while 95 percent of what winds up in landfills can be. HELPSY is working to change this lopsidedness. Recycling or otherwise reusing clothing can help save natural resources such as water and fuel and help to reduce toxins from pesticides,” he said.

While preservation of the environment is a noble mission, recycling is also an industry.  HELPSY strives to balance profit and purpose… to use business as a force of good™.  These efforts have earned them a Certified B Corp designation. HELPSY has also earned a Real Leaders Impact Award for 2020 and 2021 ranking as one of the top 150 impact companies solving business problems in socially constructive ways.

Through a combination of clothing drives, municipal partner curbside pickups, partnerships with thrift stores and clothing collection bins, HELPSY diverts nearly 30 million pounds of textiles from landfills every year. Working with organizations and various groups to collect these unwanted clothing and other items, HELPSY has also helped to raise more than $10 million for non-profits and other organizations while helping the environment.

“Recycled clothing aids in reducing waste in landfills, which is of great help to the environment,” said Fred Vineyard, State Commander, AMVETS Department of New Jersey.  “However, AMVETS is most grateful for the funding received through our collaboration with HELPSY.  It allows AMVETS to provide our services and to fulfill our mission,” he adds. In New Jersey, 548 AMVETS dedicated clothing collection bins in 226 different locations are serviced by HELPSY. The funds raised through these collection bins go to support AMVETS programs.

“At Helpsy we create win-win-wins,” said Dave Milliner, co-founder and COO of HELPSY. “The clothes you give away create jobs, save municipalities money that then gets passed to taxpayers and we help the environment.”

What Happens to the Clothes?

Of the textiles that HELPSY collects, 95-percent are salvageable. Broken down further, 75 percent is reusable; and 20 percent is recyclable. Items collected are first sorted by HELPSY partners and divided into grades. The higher grades are resold to thrift partners in North America and other secondhand markets around the world. The lower grades go to industrial use or things like rags, stuffing, and insulation.

One such thrift partner is PossAbilities, a chain of thrift boutiques in Flemington and Phillipsburg, N.J.  Danielle Crouse, area manager, takes pride in offering the local community quality and affordable secondhand merchandise. “Once our clothing and accessories are sorted and processed, they are neatly displayed by size in their appropriate department for easy browsing. This helps customers visualize the endless possibilities in giving fashion a new life.” HELPSY works with PossAbilities to manage their unwanted inventory items not sold in their boutique. These items are sorted and sent to both domestic and international resale markets. The remaining textiles, unfit to be re-worn, will be recycled, and turned into wiper cloths and fiberfill for furniture.

“While the situation is dire, there has been a shift in the perception of used clothing,” said Alex Husted, CFO and co-founder of HELPSY.  “In 2020 there was a 27-percent increase in the sale of used clothing, coupled with a decrease in fast fashion manufacturing. Americans are on a trend toward more sustainable clothing,” he added.

HELPSY’s environmental mission is to radically change the way people think about clothing reuse and recycling. In the process of serving this mission, it has created jobs, saved municipalities millions of dollars in disposal fees and has reduced the enormous environmental burden of the second most polluting industry in the world. Considering those numbers, recycling clothes makes sense both environmentally and financially. For additional information about HELPSY or to join in our environmental preservation efforts, contact info@helpsy.co.

Editor’s Note: Laura Johanson is marketing/public relations manager for Helpsy™, White Plains, N.Y.

January 28, 2022

Building Trust In Recycled Fibers

TW Special Report

With the launch of the 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge, manufacturers are urged to increase their use of recycled polyester (rPET) in textiles and clothing. In this article, Eric Wang, Global Softlines Technical Innovation Manager at SGS asks what are the challenges surrounding recycling fibers?

The 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge aims to build on the momentum generated by the Textile Exchange’s 2017 Recycled Polyester Commitment. Brands are encouraged to use 80-100% rPET, with the ultimate goal that a critical mass will be achieved, and 90% of all polyester will be recycled by 2030.1 This rPET initiative is just one of many that are currently being promoted to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and the apparel industry’s reliance on primary resources.

Textile fibers have traditionally been difficult to recycle. It is estimated the average US consumer generates 37kg of textile waste each year.2 Globally, it is estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste is created annually, and this figure is expected to increase to roughly 134 million tonnes by 2030.3 At the same time, the industry uses an estimated 98 million tonnes of raw materials every year, and this is expected to reach 300 million tonnes by 2050.4

Drivers For Change

The problem isn’t necessarily the amount of discarded clothes, it is what happens to them. To quote the US futurist Alex Steffen, “There is no such thing as garbage, just useful stuff in the wrong place.”

Consumers are increasingly demanding more sustainable products, and that includes apparel. For manufacturers there is a positive. A UK study found that 43 percent of consumers were willing to pay more for sustainable clothing. Ninety percent also said they were willing to buy a product that stated it was “upcycled” or “100-percent recyclable.” This should be considered in combination with the fact that 62 percent of consumers said they would stop using a brand if it was found to be “detrimental” to the environment.5

Industry is already responding. Sustainability is now a pledge being made by many high street retailers. One leading brand has pledged to ensure all cotton, linen and polyester used in their products is either organic, sustainable or recycled by 2025. Another has set a science-based target to reduce its GHG emissions and pledged to use 100-percent recycled or sustainable materials by 2030.

These changes are also being driven by governments. For example, the European Union (EU) is looking to create a circular economy based on the maxim: use, reuse, remake and then recycle.6 Approaching consumer products, and the materials they are made of in this way will significantly reduce the industry’s impact on the environment.

Garbage should no longer be seen as waste. It is a resource that we should be exploiting, and that includes the fibers used in textiles and clothing.

What Are Recycled Fibers?

ISO 14021 defines recycled materials as reprocessed from reclaimed materials by means of a manufacturing process and then made into a final product or component for incorporation into a product. Commonly recycled fibers include polyester, nylon, cotton, wool and down.

The textile industry is currently lagging behind other industries when it comes to recycling. Globally, just 12 percent of textiles are recycled. This compares to paper, glass and plastic PET bottle recycling rates in the United States of 66 percent, 27 percent and 29 percent. Indeed, most rPET used in clothing comes from bottles and not old clothing.7

Part of the problem is that garments are made from multiple materials, which makes them difficult to recycle. For example, a t-shirt that is labeled 100-percent cotton will still have other components, such as labels and sewing threads, which may be made from polyester. Cotton jeans often contain elastane alongside other non-cotton components such as zips, dyes, buttons and labels, for example. It is this combination of materials that makes recycling difficult.8

Material to material recycling is slow, labor intensive and requires skilled workers. In 2020, it was estimated that the United States recycled 13 percent of footwear and the European Union recycled 50 percent of textiles in this way. Globally, the figure is significantly less.9 There is hope however, and these figures are improving. Across the world the industry is increasingly using recycled materials, but we are still a long way from achieving the target of zero landfill.

This pressure to change is however creating opportunities for brands and manufacturers.

Consumer assurance

Consumers are looking for sustainability but, when they read a recycled material declaration, they want to have confidence in it.

The Textile Exchange has developed a range of voluntary standards to help the industry verify sustainability claims.10 Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and Global Recycled Standard (GRS) are internationally recognized standards that set the requirements for third-party certification of recycled input and chain of custody. The shared goal of these standards is to increase the use of recycled materials.11

RCS and GRS labeled products must contain independently verified materials that meet the ISO definition for recycled. Both standards also require a clear chain of custody between the recycler and manufacturer. GRS differs because it also includes provisions relating to social responsibility, environmental management and chemical restrictions. There are also differences in the levels of recycled material that the finished product must contain — RCS, from 5 to 100 percent; and GRS, from 20 to 100 percent. However, if a company wishes to display the GRS logo, then its product must contain a minimum of 50-percent recycled content.12

With consumers demanding more sustainable products, RCS and GRS provide the assurances they want to see when making purchasing decisions.

SGS Solution

SGS is a Textile Exchange approved third-party certifier for both GRS and RCS. We assist manufacturers, retailers and buyers to ensure their products and processes meet recognized standards for recycling. In complex markets, the ability to demonstrate the use of recycled fibers provides brands a competitive advantage among discerning consumers.

References

1 https://textileexchange.org/2025-recycled-polyester-challenge/
2 https://truecostmovie.com/learn-more/environmental-impact/
3 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle
4 https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report_Updated_1-12-17.pdf
5 https://www.drapersonline.com/news/consumers-demand-sustainable-products
6 https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/
7 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle
8 https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200710-why-clothes-are-so-hard-to-recycle
9 https://www.thebalancesmb.com/the-basics-of-recycling-clothing-and-other-textiles-2877780
10 https://textileexchange.org/standards/
11 https://textileexchange.org/standards/recycled-claim-standard-global-recycled-standard/
12 https://textileexchange.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/TE-301-V1.1-Standards-Claims-Policy.pdf

January 28, 2022

What’s Trendy With Lingerie Lace: An Interview With Lace Expert Neil Thorpe

TW Special Report

The Corona pandemic is still keeping us on tenterhooks, but the world will returning to normal and consumption. However, a change in customer attitudes is to be expected in the process. Forecasts speak of mindful, social consumption and enjoyment behavior, a return to what is really important.

Does the more conscious behavior of buyers have an influence on the lace business? How is demand changing, and what general trends can be expected?

Ulrike Schlenker from the corporate communications department at Germany-based KARL MAYER group asked lace expert Neil Thorpe these and other questions about the future of lace. The managing director and founder of Neil Thorpe Lace Design & Draughting along with his team have been developing and drawing lace patterns since 1986, serving a renowned clientele based around the world and with diverse setups.

Schlenker: The fashion industry is usually always one step ahead. What season are you preparing right now and what is more important: lingerie or apparel lace?

Thorpe: We are currently focusing on developing patterns for the spring/summer 2023 season. For some of our customers who are market leaders, we are already working on designs for the following season, i.e. for fall/winter 2023/24. The focus is clearly on lingerie lace. Around 80% of demand comes from this sector, with only 20% coming from apparel lace.

Schlenker: Many markets are benefiting from catch-up shopping effects in the wake of the abating Corona pandemic. Consumers’ lingerie closets are also filling up again. Are there any trends in demand for lace lingerie, for example in terms of design?

Thorpe: In the post-Corona era, there is a strong focus on the twin themes of comfort and sustainability. This shows up more in a shift in thinking than in a trend but it has a big impact on the kind of designs and drawings that are demanded by our customers. Consumers want garments that look and feel soft and environmentally conscious. That’s why we’re working more on designs with a natural cotton look and drawings that are straightforward to make with more ethically accepted yarns like modal.

Schlenker: Is the increasing demand for clothing with a sustainable look also reflected in the color design?

Thorpe: As in every season, the colors our customers choose for their patterns depend largely on their target markets. Nevertheless, as in all areas of the industry, a natural look is required. Fabrics should look as natural as possible. The color scheme plays an important role in this. Beige, white and cream in particular indicate minimal use of dyes and, therefore, give the impression of an environmentally conscious garment.

Schlenker: Yarns are just as important as colors in lace design. Which yarn materials will play a role in the coming collections? Are bourdon corduroy designs back in fashion?

Thorpe: Lighter yarns are in vogue, bourdon corduroy designs are less in demand. Due to the aforementioned desire for more environmentally conscious and natural patterns, lighter lurex yarns have fallen a bit out of favor as they are perceived as somewhat plastic. Yarn selection is of vital importance for the future of the lingerie industry. We need a wider selection of sustainable yarns here. That’s why we are very pleased to be working with customers who are leading the way in yarn development and producing brand new, super soft, environmentally certified fibers. The cooperation offers us, as the creators of the drawings, a unique opportunity to find the optimal lapping techniques for smooth processing of the latest yarns on the lace machine.

Schlenker: Which styles are implemented with these yarns? Are classic lace designs or abstract, geometric designs more popular?

Thorpe: Among young consumers there was and still is some demand for small geometric patterns. In general, however, the trends for the next season are going more towards floral patterns. This became very clear during our visit to the last Interfilière. The desire for less waste and more durable fashion has increased the demand for timeless aesthetics like florals. Of course, the challenge for us is to create classic designs that still excite the modern consumer. For refreshing patterns, we keep the flowers small or medium in size and experiment with sophisticated edge designs and new techniques.

Schlenker: Where is the trend heading in terms of fineness? Will fine lace be in?

Thorpe: Our customers have recently opted for some heavier patterns, as crochet and pinhole embroidery patterns are very popular and allow for a high percentage of cotton or similar yarns. However, the trend is definitely towards more delicate patterns. Lightweight yarns, especially in the ground, however, present a particular challenge in terms of environmental compatibility. Therefore, much depends on the development of new fibers and the adaptation of the lapping technique to these fibers when creating our drawings.

Schlenker: You work at the interface between the yarn and its processing on the machine, usually on a lace raschel machine. Do you have any wishes for KARL MAYER as the leading manufacturer of these machines in terms of the performance of its offerings? And do you have any wishes for the yarn manufacturers?

Thorpe: Regarding machine performance, we often get feedback from our customers that buyers see the offset pillar stitch for the stitch stop as a flaw in the fabric. We would welcome a new development that offers the proven function without the visual detriment. As for the yarn, a wider, more readily available supply of sustainable yarns is definitely needed to meet the demand for more conscious fashion. As pattern drafters, we would love to see the development of an improved lustrous yarn that, when combined with elastane, is not prone to slipping and looping, as is the case with lurex.

 

Fig.: Designs made by Neil Thorpe

January 28, 2022

 

Part Of The Change: Bergans Of Norway To Optimize Its Circular Consumption Program

Scandinavia-based outdoor brand Bergans of Norway is set to develop and implement a QR Code-based app, developed by Trimco Group, to manage the return and rental program for coveralls, an initiative meant to support the brand’s “Long live the product” project.

TW Special Report

With a focus to “lead and inspire towards a sustainable future”, Bergans of Norway is a brand driven by environmental responsibility. Bergans creates apparel and equipment inspired by nature and for use in the outdoors. Its aim is to develop durable clothing that can be used for years, thus reducing the carbon footprint.

The company’s latest project is a subscription-based option for kidswear, where parents can order and return specific snowsuits or coveralls for the season and re-order a different size when the child has grown out of it. Bergans takes the responsibility to receive, repair, clean and reimpregnate the returned garment, making it ready for reuse. The subscription is an initiative that is cost-efficient, removing the need to purchase a new snowsuit every season, a great educational tool, teaching the generations to come about the positive impact of reuse and recycling and is a great tool to prolong the life of a garment.

To ensure a seamless process, Bergans has assigned Trimco Group to develop a digital solution to optimize the outdoor brand’s efforts in this initiative. Thus, Trimco Group has designed a QR code app streamlined with a series of labels bearing the QR code, also provided by Trimco Group. The intuitive solution aims to help Bergans better manage the project’s inventory, making everything more efficient and accurate with just one scan.

Thanks to the solution proposed by Trimco, Bergans will be able to:

  • Quickly receive, send, and track items coming in for repairs or rental;
  • Always have an overview of the items’ status including repairs needed and location, for example;
  • Reduce or eliminate inaccuracy due to misplaced items;
  • Easily manage inventory; and
  • Gain knowledge on product use for future development.

Tonje Taraldsvik, project manager at Bergans of Norway, said: “We are excited to see this project come to life. Thanks to the help provided by Trimco Group, we will be able to optimize our efforts further and easily track the incoming flow of garments, check the status of a product, and trace it back to the consumer. It is no news that we are a brand with a positive environmental agenda, and we need our collaborators to understand and support that. Thanks to our previous collaborations with Trimco Group, we are confident that this will also be a success”.

The subscription initiative is fully sold-out for the upcoming season, and the QR code tracking system is set to go live in April 2022.

“Brands like Bergans of Norway inspire us to be at our best,” said Camilla Mjelde, sustainability director at Trimco Group. “Responsible consumption is one of the things on our agenda, and playing a role in Bergans initiative came as a natural thing for us. The QR-code based app is a tailor-made solution that will give Bergans full traceability reporting, facilitating their circular business model. We are proud to provide them with both a product like QR-labels that are responsibly sourced and a digital solution that will help them streamline the processes involved in this project.”

January 28, 2022

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