AATCC Method Quantifies Fiber Shedding

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — August 17, 2021 — AATCC TM212-2021, Test Method for Fiber Fragment Release During Home Laundering, provides a standardized method for quantifying fiber fragment shedding in the ongoing challenge to combat aquatic pollution. These fragments are sometimes referred to as “microfibers” or “microplastics.”

AATCC TM212 was developed to provide a means to determine the mass of fiber fragments released in an accelerated laundering setting. This method provides the global industry with a consistent and uniform test method to follow.

AATCC TM212 defines standard nomenclature with the terms fiber fragment and microfiber, which address discrepancies that have long been a source of confusion for many who work to tackle pollution.

Originally assumed to be a plastics problem, natural fibers are also appearing in marine life’s food cycle. AATCC TM212 is not limited to man-made fibers, as it can be used to determine the fiber shedding potential of natural fibers and blends.

The standard is the result of collaboration, not only within AATCC committee RA100 Global Sustainability, but among stakeholders from several organizations including The Microfibre Consortium, headquartered in the UK, and the Cross Industry Agreement of European signatories. The outgoing Chair of RA100, Heather Elliot, extends her sincere gratitude. She said: “Thank you to everyone who helped make this test method happen. It has been years in the making and would never have happened without the hands and minds of so many amazing people. We can’t thank you enough! Here’s to measuring our mess so we can figure out how to clean it up!”

The incoming Chair of RA100, Shulong Li of Milliken, goes on to add, “Small fiber fragments in the environment is an emerging and serious concern that raises heightened public attention. TM212-2021 results from extensive collaboration representing a broad range of stakeholders in the textile industry, public and private institutions, and technical experts in the Global Sustainability committee. This new standard method provides a common and useful tool for the textile industry to gain a better understanding of the issues.”

Although unofficial and proprietary methods have been in use, AATCC TM212 is the first global standard published to address the issue of quantifying fiber fragment release. The test method was developed and approved by consensus from a diverse group of experts from around the world and across related industries.

AATCC TM212-2021 Is now available for purchase through the AATCC website at:    https://members.aatcc.org/store/tm212/3573/

It will also be included in the AATCC 2022 Manual of International Test Methods and Procedures released January 2022.

Posted August 17, 2021

Source: AATCC

Datacolor® Donates Color Management Equipment To Wilson College of Textiles At North Carolina State University

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — August 18, 2021 — Datacolor® announced today a large donation of state-of-the-art color management equipment and software to the Wilson College of Textiles’ Datacolor Color Science Laboratory at North Carolina State University (NC State). Datacolor and NC State will unveil the newly updated lab this month during Techtextil North America, North America’s only dedicated trade show for technical textiles and nonwovens.

The donation is comprised of The donation includes a SpectraVision, a solution that objectively measures and digitally communicates the color of previously unmeasurable materials such as multi-color prints, trim, yarn, zippers and lace. With this new technology, students are learning how to run colorimetric and color matching experiments through hands-on training in the lab using the same high-end equipment that industry professionals use today.

“At Datacolor, we recognize the importance of color education, and we are proud to support the Wilson College of Textiles at NC State,” said Albert Busch, president and CEO, Datacolor. “By equipping the Datacolor Color Science Lab with our state-of-the-art software and instruments, we want to provide the next generation of color experts a chance to practice what they learn as they prepare for a career in color.”

The color lab has all capabilities needed for color measurement and visual assessment that conform to AATCC, ISO and ASTM standards. It is used for education, research, external service work and training. A donation made to NC State from Datacolor earlier this year included handheld ultra-portable ColorReaderPRO devices, which students have been using to measure color during remote classwork.

“NC State has always been at the forefront of innovation,” said Dr. Renzo Shamey, director of Color Science and Imaging Laboratories, NC State. “Through our partnership with Datacolor, NC State students now have a unique opportunity to work with innovative industry-grade color management equipment, providing them with invaluable hands-on experience and unparalleled access to technology that will help them succeed well beyond their time here.”

Datacolor will host a reception at the Datacolor Color Science Laboratory during Techtextil on August 24 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. EST to debut the donation. Attendees are invited to bring samples with them to be measured during a SpectraVision demonstration.

Posted August 17, 2021

Source: Datacolor

Textile Exchange Report Shows Growth Of Preferred Fiber And Materials Market Needs To Be Accelerated

LUBBOCK, Texas — August 17, 2021 — According to a new Textile Exchange report, the market share for preferred fiber and materials grew significantly in 2020. The Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2021 outlines the market for plant fibers such as cotton, hemp, and linen; animal fibers and materials such as wool, mohair, cashmere, alpaca, down, silk, and leather; manmade cellulosics (MMCFs) such as viscose, lyocell, modal, acetate, and cupro; as well as synthetics such as polyester, polyamide, and more.

The report is a unique annual publication about global fiber and materials production, availability, and trends, including those associated with improved social and environmental impacts, referred to as ”preferred.” The comprehensive report includes quantitative data, industry updates, trend analysis and inspiring insights into the work of leading companies and organizations as they create material change.

The results show that between 2019 and 2020 the market share of preferred cotton increased from 24 to 30 percent and recycled polyester from 13.7 to 14.7 percent. Preferred cashmere increased from 0.8 to 7 percent of all cashmere produced while Responsible Mohair Standard certified fiber expanded from 0 to 27 percent of all mohair produced worldwide in its first year of existence in 2020. The market share of FSC and/or PEFC certified MMCFs increased to approximately 55-60 percent. While the market share of recycled MMCFs is only 0.4 percent, it is expected to increase significantly in the following years.

Brands’ increased interest in the use of preferred fibers and materials was also demonstrated by an impressive 75 percent increase in the total number of facilities (to 30,000) around the world becoming certified to the organization’s portfolio of standards in 2020. These standards include the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), Content Claim Standard (CCS), Responsible Down Standard (RDS), and Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS) and the Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS). In early 2021, Textile Exchange launched the Leather Impact Accelerator (LIA) to address the major sustainability challenges throughout the bovine leather supply chain from farm to finished leather, including an Impact Incentives program.

However, the report also notes that despite the increase, preferred fibers only represent less than one-fifth of the global fiber market. Less than 0.5 percent of the global fiber market was from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.

Indeed, global fiber production has almost doubled in the last 20 years from 58 million tonnes in 2000 to 109 million tonnes in 2020. While it is not yet clear how the pandemic and other factors will impact future development, global fiber production is expected to increase by another 34 percent to 146 million tonnes in 2030 if the industry builds back business as usual. If this growth continues, it will be increasingly difficult for the industry to meet science-based targets for climate and nature.

“Whether for current or post-pandemic business, the production and use of preferred fibers and materials must be a non-negotiable decision,” said La Rhea Pepper, Textile Exchange Founder and CEO. “Now is the time to accelerate a transition to increasingly sustainable practices to reduce conventional fiber and material production’s footprint on the planet.”

Textile Exchange aims to be the driving force for urgent climate action, and its Climate+ strategy calling for the textile industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline in the pre-spinning phase of textile fiber and materials production, while also addressing other impact areas interconnected with climate such as water, biodiversity, and soil health.

“Increasing the uptake of preferred fibers and materials, proliferating regenerative practices, mitigating land-use change, supporting the transition to renewable energy, and encouraging innovation and circularity are known solutions towards Textile Exchange’s Climate+ goal,” says Liesl Truscott, Textile Exchange Corporate Benchmarking Director. “Acceleration of such solutions have to guide us in the next nine years that are so decisive for the future of our planet and all life on earth.”

Textile Exchange encourages companies to commit to its 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge and/or 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge which call for the apparel industry to commit to source all their cotton from the most sustainable sources and increase the amount of recycled polyester used from 14 to 45 percent (or 17.1 million metric tons), respectively, by 2025.

Textile Exchange invites brands, retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers to track and benchmark their progress by participating in the annual Material Change Index (MCI) survey (open through September; email: CFMB@TextileExchange.org).

Textile Exchange also invites participation in the organization’s 2021 Textile Sustainability Conference in Dublin, Ireland, November 15-19 including the preferred fiber and materials Round Tables Summits, held in conjunction with the event.

Posted August 17, 2021

Source: Textile Exchange

Precision Textiles Opens A Manufacturing Facility In North Carolina, Adds 100 Jobs To Local Economy

TOTOWA, N.J. — August 17, 2021 — To better serve its customer base in the high-growth mattress industry, Precision Textiles has signed a lease for a new 160,000-square-foot, 25-acre campus at 163 Glen Road in Troy, N.C. The new plant is expected to be operational by September 1 and will employ 100, all from the local area.

The facility — once a textiles production plant that serviced the automobile industry — is Precision Textiles’ first domestic manufacturing facility outside its New Jersey headquarters. It will double the manufacturer’s needle-punch nonwovens production and boost its high-loft quilting fiber output by 50 percent. In addition to its production capacity, the facility includes warehousing space. The workforce at the facility will include new employees as well as some experienced staff from the textiles company that previously operated the plant.

“Demand for these products has risen to the point where we are near full capacity at our home facility in New Jersey,” said Scott Tesser, CEO of Precision Textiles. “In addition to keeping pace with current demand, this investment positions us for future growth as we continue to expand our customer base in the bedding and automotive industries.

“This new factory will enable us to better meet the needs of our customers throughout the nation and logistically helps us reduce transit time to those located across the Southeast. It will also give us more capacity to better serve both existing and new customers,” Tesser added. “The plant previously had a nice history in textiles manufacturing, so it provided us with a head start in terms of equipment and experienced employees.”

Posted August 17, 2021

Source: Precision Textiles

Hohenstein Develops A New Quantitative Method To Detect The Type And Extent Of Genetic Modifications In Organic Cotton

With the combination of the Hohenstein Method and the ISO/IWA 32:2019, we can screen and quantify GMOs at any stage of cotton with undamaged DNA. ©Hohenstein

BÖNNIGHEIM, Germany — August 16, 2021 — Textile testing partner Hohenstein has developed a new quantification method specifically for genetically modified cotton. One of the first labs with this ability, Hohenstein uses DNA analysis to identify known genetic modifications and calculate their percentage in organic cotton. Stakeholders will use the data to distinguish between minor contaminations and mixtures, control quality and verify claims.

First step: qualitative screening

For qualitative screening, Hohenstein previously developed a molecular biological detection system. This method provides reliable evidence of the presence or absence of genetic modifications (GMOs) in cotton. Uniquely, testing can be applied at stages beyond the seed level, such as raw cotton and chemically untreated yarns and fabrics. Hohenstein is also one of the few laboratories in the world with ISO 17025 accreditation to test for GMOs in accordance with the ISO/IWA 32:2019 protocol.

Second step: identification and quantification of genetically modified cotton

Once qualitative analysis detects genetic modification, Hohenstein experts can identify the type and proportion of the GMOs. DNA analysis is used to search for cotton lines with known genetic alterations and quantify their proportion in the sample. This precise information is essential to determining whether an extremely small proportion of GMOs is due is to contamination, or whether genetically modified materials have been mixed in. This knowledge offers clear benefits to manufacturers, brands and retailers when it comes to supply chain transparency and fraud prevention.

There has been a sharp rise in demand for organic cotton products. In the cultivation of organic cotton, genetically modified seeds, chemical pesticides and fertilizers are prohibited. Nevertheless, genetic modifications are repeatedly found in textiles that are labeled with organic claims. Only claims and certifications backed by reliable testing should be trusted.

Posted August 16, 2021

Source: Hohenstein

Mannington Commercial Mobile Showroom Begins Cross-Country Journey

CALHOUN, Ga. — August 16, 2021 — Mannington Commercial is on the road through October 27. The Mannington Mobile Showroom is on a 13-week tour hitting destinations around the country where customers can safely explore new flooring designs, technologies and solutions for their projects.

Mannington Commercial is bringing its brand and portfolio of products directly to customers this summer and fall. The Mannington Mobile Showroom, a 44-foot truck custom-outfitted with Mannington Commercial product, is traveling to 30-plus cities across the United States, allowing customers to safely explore new flooring designs, technologies and solutions for their projects.

The tour started in Boston on July 26 and has already made stops in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, Nashville, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, among other cities.  Customers have been able to view Mannington’s latest product introductions and connect with other professionals from their local market. Stops have included breweries, Top Golf, and with commercial flooring dealers, among others.

“The Mobile Showroom is a great way for people to re-engage with the Mannington Commercial brand in-person, which is all about putting customers first and finding solutions for them,” said Tom Pendley, president of Mannington Commercial. “We’re an American-based company that prides itself on American manufacturing, so it makes sense that we’re traveling across the country to showcase our Made in USA spirit. We’re not only getting our new products in front of our customers, but we’re doing it in a way to meet them where they are, at their current comfort level.”

The Mobile Showroom will feature different experiences and events at each location based on market needs, while making it easy, safe and accessible for designers, dealers, installers and other partners to experience the Mannington Commercial brand. Local Mannington Commercial representatives can meet to discuss upcoming projects, trends and challenges in the industry at events ranging from catered breakfasts or lunches to after-work happy hours. One-on-one meetings are also available by appointment only.

Showcasing Mannington Commercial’s extensive product solutions, the Mobile Showroom will allow customers to view a wide selection of hard and soft surface flooring product, such as Mannington Commercial’s award-winning Legato® Liquid Linoleum, which harnesses both the benefits of traditional linoleum and sheet vinyl, to Swell, a modular carpet offering purposely designed to bring balance and harmony to workplace and education settings. Customers can also view and order samples. The truck will be following current local COVID protocols along the way, as well as using UV lights to clean and disinfect.

In addition, Mannington Commercial is inviting everyone to follow the journey on Instagram and participate in the weekly $500 Getaway House gift giveaway. Mobile showroom attendees, designers and flooring contractors can enter by tagging @mannington.commercial and themselves at the mobile showroom with #manningtononthemove. Those who are not able to attend the mobile showroom in person can enter by posting their favorite project using Mannington Commercial product and tagging on Instagram.

The Mobile Showroom is designed to tell the Mannington Commercial story, with every space being used to the fullest extent in the 44-square-foot trailer. The custom-design luxury truck includes multiple sections to showcase Mannington’s expansive product mix and allow for safe and productive conversations. The mobile unit also features video monitors, a mini-conference room, and inset carpeting.

Posted August 16, 2021

Source: Mannington Commercial

Sweden’s ACG At 100: Still At The Forefront Of Textile Industry Transitions With TMAS

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — August 16, 2021 — It is exactly 100 years ago on August 17 this year that Carl Axel Gustafsson returned from the USA to Sweden with a significant agency agreement from the Boston-based sewing machine leader Reece.

Back in 1921, Reece, along with its competitor Singer, entirely dominated the buttonhole machine market and were the world’s only manufacturers of these machines for jackets, trousers and coats.

Gustafsson’s license enabled his new company A C Gustafsson to become one of Europe’s first leasing organisations, hiring out Reece buttonhole machines and receiving payment per sewn buttonhole stitch.

This business thrived for many decades and formed the basis for the entire ACG Group as it exists today.

A notable lunch

Forty years later, on September 2, 1961, to be precise, Reimar Westerlind walked out of a restaurant after a long and enjoyable lunch with someone he’d never met before, having signed his intention to buy a company he knew nothing about on an improvised contract written on the back of a menu.

“What I didn’t know then was that my dining partner was the family lawyer of Carl Axel Gustafsson,” Reimar explained. “I had no money and knew nothing about the textile industry and I also quickly discovered the business was not doing so well at that time and tried to get out of the agreement, but he insisted I honor it. He told me he had money and would back me, but I’d have to work hard and pay him back in full.”

Reimar certainly took that advice, and at the age of 92 still travels to his office every day to oversee the operations of the diverse companies now operating under the ACG umbrella.

“I enjoy my work and being involved in new things every day makes me feel good, which is the meaning of life,” he says. “The average lifespan of a business company is eighteen years and we’ve lasted a hundred, based on having in place a simple plan for what we’ll achieve in the next ten years, which we move forward each year. Otherwise we don’t like to strategize too closely.”

This philosophy has held true throughout the two crises that have recently hit the textiles industry — the Covid-19 pandemic and the pronounced impact of online retail, he added.

“Crises are part of life and something good always follows them. Companies with long-term vision survive and become stronger.”

Microfactories

For Thomas Arvidsson, CEO of ACG Nyström, both Covid-19 and online retail are already resulting in many new opportunities.

“We are a complete supplier of CAD/CAM solutions for adding value throughout the garment manufacturing processes — from product development, technical design and cutting to making up with sewing and other techniques, as well as refining with the help of embroidery and textile printing,” he says. “Our knowledge of technical production systems and processes, built up over many years of close collaboration with our customers, has given us a unique role as the link between the world’s leading machine manufacturers and our customers in the important garment assembly business.

“What we’re seeing now, especially in Western Europe, is the emergence of microfactories which are closer to the consumer, eliminate many of the transportation costs which have rocketed recently, and can produce on demand. Everything is now about digitalization and automation and we’re very well placed to assist in this industry transition. We are already shipping the technology for a number of such microfactories and we are expecting a record year as a consequence.”

In September 2020, ACG Nyström also acquired fellow Swedish company Fyrtal, signficantly expanding it range of solutions for labeling and identification systems for a wide range of products.

Diversity

Although textiles remain the bedrock of the business, under Reimar Westerlind’s management, ACG Group has branched out into many other fields of activity over the past 60 years, and its diversity has also led to some highly unexpected developments.

The group, for example, owns the patent to the digital dental X-ray technology that is now standard in dental practices around the world, having identified a need and set its technologists and software developers onto developing a solution. Similarly, it holds a patent on the LED-based Exit signs now employed throughout public buildings, as well having developed the standard software and hardware for the RFID tagging and automatic transportation of hospital garments.

“There has been no other industry which has been responsible for so many technical breakthroughs and we’re proud to have been involved in many of them,” Reimar says. “Joe Gerber’s brush cutting marked the start of automation for the garment manufacturing industry, but other developments such as tensionless spreading and automatic thread cutting have also been small but very important changes we’ve been involved in developing.

Expansion

In addition to ACG Nyström, the ACG Group now consists of five other key companies in Sweden:

  • ACG Accent, the developer of creative labelling and packaging concepts for the textile, sports and clothing industries.
  • ACG Kinna Automatic, the manufacturer of textile machines for filled products such as pillows, quilts and mattresses, as well as filter systems.
  • ACG Nyström AB, a complete supplier of CAD/CAM for embroidery and textile print, pattern design and cutting, sewing and welding and PLM solutions.
  • ACG Pulse AB, providing automated management systems with associated RFID technology and software.
  • Printing solutions supplier Eskils.

Like many other European manufacturers, ACG also began to expand beyond its traditional borders from the 1970s onwards — initially into the former Soviet Union and subsequently establishing subsidiaries in Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, the Ukraine and Denmark.

TMAS

Both ACG Nyström and ACG Kinna Automatic are members of TMAS, the Swedish textile machinery association.

“TMAS provides us both with valuable support in the promotion of our services around the world,” said Thomas Arvidsson. “There are many synergistic benefits from open discussions and co-operations with other Swedish textile technologists and TMAS members are all at the forefront to digitalisation and automation.”

“For me, the textile industry has been my kindergarten and ACG Group is now full of young people with great ideas who enjoy their jobs too,” Reimar Westerlind concluded. “We always develop our own software in-house, as well as the technologies, which can steer us in unexpected new directions, so for a small, family-owned company we are very well equipped for the next ten years, if not the next hundred.”

Posted August 16, 2021

Source: TMAS, The Swedish Textile Machinery Association

Rieter Acquires Three Businesses From Saurer

WINTERTHUR, Switzerland — August 16, 2021 — On August 13, 2021, Rieter Holding Ltd., Winterthur, Switzerland, and Saurer Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai, China listed, signed an agreement by which Rieter will acquire three businesses from Saurer Netherlands Machinery Company B.V., Amsterdam, the Netherlands, the parent company of Saurer Spinning Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Uebach-Palenberg, Germany, and Saurer Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, Krefeld,Germany.

With this acquisition, Rieter will complete the offering of ring- and compact spinning systems by acquiring the Schlafhorst automatic winder business. Additionally, Rieter invests in two attractive component businesses: Accotex (elastomer components for spinning machines) and Temco (bearing solutions for filament machines).

In total, the three businesses had a combined turnover of 142 million euros in 2020, the year of the COVID crisis. In 2019 and 2018, the total combined turnover was at a level of 235 million euros and 260 million euros, respectively.

The purchase price for the three businesses is 300 million euros on a cash and debt-free basis. Rieter has financed the purchase price by cash and available credit lines.

Rieter and Saurer expect to close the transaction during the month of August. In the first step of the transaction, Rieter will acquire 57 percent of the shares of Saurer Netherlands. The shares will be returned to Saurer after the implementation of the transaction in six to nine months.

In connection with the transaction, it is envisaged that Rieter will supply automatic winders to Saurer in the future.

Changes in the Rieter Board of Directors

During the course of this transaction, it came to serious violations of the statutory duty of loyalty, the obligation to maintain business secrets and the Rieter Code of Conduct by two members of the board of directors Luc Tack and Stefaan Haspeslagh. They have used information internal to the board of directors in order to compete with Rieter through their own offer.

The board of directors considers this to be a strong violation of Rieter’s interests, to the detriment of all of its stakeholders, and a sustained breach of the relationship of trust within the board of directors which makes further cooperation impossible.

Therefore, the board of directors of Rieter Holding Ltd. intends to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting at which its members, Luc Tack and Stefaan Haspeslagh, are to be dismissed.

To protect Rieter’s interests, the board of Ddirectors will file a criminal complaint against the two members of the board.

The date of the Extraordinary General Meeting will be announced at the appropriate time.

Posted August 16, 2021

Source: Rieter Holding Ltd.

Techtextil North America 2021 Exhibitor Preview: Herculite Products Inc.

Emigsville, Pa. — August 16, 2021 — Herculite® Products Inc., an innovator and manufacturer of high performance and custom fabrics, will exhibit at Techtextil North America 2021 in Raleigh, NC later this month.

Herculite representatives and product experts will be on hand to discuss recent performance textile innovations, product manufacturing capabilities, and collaborative design process. There will be samples of recently launched Architent® with Sure-Chek® Antimicrobial, a specially formulated thermoplastic fabric for tent and structures developed using Herculite’s innovative Sure-Chek antimicrobial technology. Herculite will also be showcasing its new Lightweight Crystal Clear Agricultural Curtain material, engineered to be lighter, stronger, with more light transmission than standard curtain fabrics.

Posted August 16, 2021

Source: Herculite Products Inc.

Operating Results Improve: One Yarn Maker Reports 110+ Percent Increase

By Jim Phillips, Yarn Market Editor

Over the past 18 months, business for some spinners has been a hit-or-miss proposition. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies struggled mightily, resulting in lost orders and furloughed employees.

Around the middle of 2020, many companies began seeing a recovery in orders — some to the point where, by year’s end, revenues were not significantly out of line with previous years. A cross-section of the industry at the end of 2020 would reveal some spinners that struggled, some that maintained, some that flourished, and a few that excelled beyond any expectations. Among the latter was Unifi Inc., which has been featured often in this column for its sustainability endeavors.

In early August, Unifi, one of the world’s leading innovators in recycled and man-made yarns, released operating results for the fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended June 27, 2021. Sales increased an astounding 114 percent over the fourth quarter of 2020. Net sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2021 were $184.4 million, compared to $86.1 million in the same period in 2020.

Eddie Ingle, CEO, Unifi, said: “Our fourth quarter fiscal 2021 results demonstrated the resilience of our global business model and the value that our innovative solutions bring to our global customer base. We delivered strong performance across all segments during the period, driven by our team’s commitment to meeting the needs of our customers in what remains a dynamic business environment. I am proud of everything that we have collectively accomplished despite the challenges of the last several quarters.”

For the fiscal year, Unifi’s net sales were $667.6 million compared to $606.5 million in 2020. The increase was due primarily to the global economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking forward, executives said Unifi expects demand levels and trends across the business to remain healthy during fiscal 2022.

Textile Sales And Revenue Expected To Continue Growth

Unifi and other spinners also have hope for even great improvement in sales and revenue in the near future. The global textile market — cotton, jute, silk, man-mades and wool — is expected to grow from $594.61 billion in 2020 to $654.57 billion by the end of 2021 — a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1 percent. This is according to a research report, “Textile Global Market Report 2021: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery to 2030.”

The growth is mainly due to the companies rearranging their operations and recovering from the COVID-19 impact, which had earlier led to restrictive containment measures involving social distancing, remote working, and the closure of commercial activities that resulted in operational challenges. By 2025, the report maintains, the market is expected to reach $821.87 billion, a CAGR of 6 percent.

Consumer Confidence Holds Steady

One harbinger of growth in consumer confidence in the economy, and that remains at a high level, according to the Conference Board, publishers if The Consumer Confidence Index.® Consumer confidence in July remained at its highest level since February 2020,” said Lynn Franco, Senior Director of Economic Indicators at The Conference Board. “Consumers’ appraisal of present-day conditions held steady, suggesting economic growth in Q3 is off to a strong start. Consumers’ optimism about the short-term outlook didn’t waver, and they continued to expect that business conditions, jobs, and personal financial prospects will improve. Short-term inflation expectations eased slightly but remained elevated. Spending intentions picked up in July, with a larger percentage of consumers saying they planned to purchase homes, automobiles, and major appliances in the coming months. Thus, consumer spending should continue to support robust economic growth in the second half of 2021.”

Textile Leaders Laud Senate Passage Of Infrastructure Bill

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) issued a statement August 10 welcoming Senate passage of a bipartisan infrastructure bill that will provide billions of dollars in new spending to revitalize the nation’s roads, bridges and railways and help reconstitute a domestic supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE).

“We commend the Senate for passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which will provide critical resources for our nation’s aging infrastructure and at the same time help incentivize the reshoring of personal protective equipment (PPE) production, an important priority of the U.S. textile industry,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas.

NCTO worked with congressional allies to include a version of the Make PPE in America Act, legislation co-sponsored by Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), in the infrastructure legislative package. The bill ensures all PPE purchased by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs are Berry Amendment-compliant; guarantees long-term contracts (a minimum of two years) to U.S. manufacturers; and creates a tiered preference for PPE made in the Western Hemisphere by our free trade partners using U.S. components, after domestic manufacturing capacity has been maximized.

The U.S. manufacturing industry has produced over a billion lifesaving PPE and other medical products over the last year, as NCTO members retooled production chains in response to the nation’s needs. We will continue to urge the government to purchase Berry-compliant products containing 100 percent domestic content for PPE to help bolster the full U.S. production chain in the future.”

August 2021

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