The 15th annual RISE was designed to explore collaboration and creativity for a more sustainable future in the nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry.
TW Special Report
The Cary, N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven & Fabrics Industry (INDA) recently hosted its 15th RISE® conference, co-hosted by The Nonwovens Institute (NWI). The two-day RISE —Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics — event focused on emerging technologies and ideas with the aim of connecting innovations with real-world applications for professionals in the nonwoven/engineered fabrics industry. The event this year was held at the McKimmon Center on the NC State campus in Raleigh, N.C.
Topics focused on sustainability and innovation. Carbon-smart materials and fiber science featured heavily on the agenda, and green chemistry and nonwoven processing technologies also were included in the presentations. INDA’s Director of Government Relations, Wes Fisher, concluded the conference with his presentation on “Nonwovens in a Shifting Landscape: Navigating Tariff and Policy Risks in a Second Trump Administration.”
RISE Innovation Award
Each year, INDA searches for commercializable technical products and technologies to honor with the RISE Innovation Award. The top three nominees for the award in 2025 — EsterCycle LLC, Rockline Industries and Keel Labs — presented their technologies at the end of the first day of conference proceedings, and then RISE attendees voted for their favorite innovation. Once those results were tallied with votes cast by INDA’s Technical Advisory Board and the affiliated Conference Committee, Keel Labs, Morrisville, N.C., was announced as the winner of the 2025 RISE Innovation Award for its Kelsun® fiber. The seaweed-based fiber is a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based fibers. Kelsun also is soft, inherently flame resistant and antimicrobial.
Associated Activities
The day before the conference, those interested in golf participated in a charity golf tournament at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course on the NC State campus. Money raised by the tournament supports graduate students with travel costs to attend INDA events.
During the conference, attendees had the opportunity to learn about research taking place at a variety of universities via the graduate research posters that were on display. It’s a great opportunity for the students to share their work with industry experts and potential investors. Tabletop exhibits from participating companies also were positioned around the posters in the exhibit area offering additional learning opportunities.
At the close of the conference, attendees were given the chance to tour NWI. This “Open Innovation” resource on the Centennial Campus of NC State comprises a consortium of stakeholders spanning the breadth of the nonwovens value chain. The collaboration between academia, industry and government works to develop nonwoven solutions and is the first accredited academic program for engineered fabrics. NWI houses more than $65 million in pilot lines and analytical labs for trials and development work.
“RISE continues to spotlight the technologies that are redefining what’s possible in engineered fabrics,” said Dr. Matt O’Sickey, INDA’s director of Education & Technical Affairs. “From renewable carbon and green chemistry to next-generation fibers and recycling innovations, this year’s conference showcased the kind of collaboration and creativity that will shape a more sustainable future for our industry.”
INDA has announced the date for RISE 2026, which will return to the McKimmon Center August 25-26, 2026.
2025 Quarterly Issue IV
