TEXTILES.ORG
A record number of delegates heard optimistic and encouraging news at the 2016 International Conference on Textile Coating and Laminating held at the Novotel Praha Wenceslas Square Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic. More than 130 senior staff from companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia attended the event.
“Sustainability” was a key focus of the gathering, according to a report by the organizing International Newsletters Ltd. of the United Kingdom. International Newsletters publishes newsletters, magazines and reports and organizes conferences and other events in the fields of advanced, high-performance and industrial materials.
Related issues included the drive to find alternatives to fluorocarbons for repellent coatings, including carbon-6 technologies and fluorocarbon-free chemistries. One such technology—hyperbaric dry finishing—was featured by Green Theme Technologies of Albuquerque, N.M., which said a new facility being built in Taiwan will commercialize the technology and hinted at further developments that will allow three-dimensional coating.
Another company, Vetex of Ingelmunster, Belgium, confirmed its commitment to develop solvent-free technologies. Other issues addressed included the imperative for the industry to reduce water consumption and the impact of pressure groups, such as Greenpeace.
Another key issue addressed had to do with regulations banning flame-retardant agents in textiles because of their potentially toxic properties. Companies are working to find effective alternatives.