New fabric harvests and stores energy

June 14, 2021  |  EcoNote

Bioengineers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and their colleagues have developed and successfully demonstrated a wearable fabric that can harvest and store solar energy from the sun. Their study, published by the journal Matter, shows a path to developing lightweight, smart clothing and…
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Scientists succeed in plastics degradation

June 7, 2021  |  EcoNote

Most compostable plastics, made primarily of the polyester known as polylactic acid (PLA), end up in landfills and last about as long as any other plastic. But University of California, Berkeley, scientists have now invented a way to make them break down more easily within a few weeks using just hea…
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Researchers discover new waterproofing solution

May 10, 2021  |  EcoNote

A new coating solution discovered by researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, can transform regular materials into waterproof surfaces. The university reports that the product will be free of harmful fluorinated compounds, and effective on a variety of materials. SFU chemi…
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Teijin offers recycled fiber breakthrough

May 7, 2021  |  EcoNote

Fibre manufacturer Teijin has developed technology to mass produce a new version of its Nanofront ultra-fine polyester. The Japanese company has described Nanofront as the world’s first nanofiber to be made from recycled polyester raw materials. It also said that the new technology it has develope…
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Conference on the sustainable finishing of textiles scheduled

April 26, 2021  |  EcoNote

A special edition of the World Congress on Textile Coating (WCTC) will be held to consider all aspects of sustainable finishing of textiles. The conference will take place live online Sept. 30–Oct. 1 and Oct. 7–8, 2021. The aim of the event is to explore the materials, processes and machinery th…
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NILIT launches Sensil® BioCare

April 26, 2021  |  EcoNote

NILIT, a global provider of Nylon 6.6, has introduced Sensil® BioCare, a sustainable premium Nylon fiber enhanced with a technology that helps reduce the persistence of textile waste in sea water and in landfills. The product is the newest addition to the Sensil® portfolio of responsibly manufactu…
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H&M, Good News launch sustainable shoe collection

April 12, 2021  |  EcoNote

A partnership with retailer H&M and U.K.-based shoe brand Good News has produced a unique trainer collection that uses recycled rubber from car tires and old shoes, with uppers made of recycled cotton, Vegea® and Bananatex®. Bananatex is a material based on the fiber from the banana plant fami…
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New technology makes foldable solar cells possible

March 8, 2021  |  EcoNote

Researchers at Pusan National University, Rep. of Korea, have built on recent developments in foldable electronics and phone screens to develop a foldable technology in solar panels. A key requirement for an efficient foldable conductor is the ability to withstand the pressure of bending within…
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Green Button: Hohenstein named an authorized certification body

February 17, 2021  |  EcoNote

Textile testing provider Hohenstein has been authorized by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to verify compliance for the Green Button, a German government certification for sustainable textiles. Now, in addition to certification for MADE IN GREEN by OEKOTEX®, a qu…
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Process for reusing silk textiles in thermal insulation developed

February 5, 2021  |  EcoNote

Freudenberg Performance Materials and Ratti, the Italian fashion textile company, have been working together on sustainability projects. The first fruit of this collaboration is a process for reusing silk textiles in the manufacture of high-performance thermal insulation.  The practice of using rec…
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