Sustainability issues drive many of the innovations in the advanced textiles market. Products, projects and new ideas that support a healthier environment are discussed here. Archroma offers new indigo dye for denim
June 12, 2018
Chemical company Archroma has introduced Denisol Pure Indigo 30, an aniline-free* denim indigo dye. The company reports the new dye provides a nontoxic way to produce the traditional blue that consumers associate with denim. Currently, aniline impurities are an unavoidable element of producing indigo-dyed denim, but with its new product, aniline
Read MoreSustainable oil-absorbent mats receive recognition
June 5, 2018
WellGro Tech has recently been recognized as a qualified supplier of pollution control equipment by the Indian Coast Guard. The Indian Coast Guard, under the Ministry of Defense, is the central coordinating agency for oil spill response. The company, based in Chennai, India, developed the biodegradable oil-absorbent pads and mats
Read MoreUnifi receives UNC Sustainability Award
May 30, 2018
Unifi, maker of REPREVE performance fiber, announces that it is the inaugural business recipient of the 2018 University of North Carolina Sustainability Award from Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Center for Sustainable Enterprise and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise. The award recognizes leadership and best practices in environmental and business sustainability for North
Read MoreLenzing to produce EcoVero™ in China
May 23, 2018
The Lenzing Group marks a new milestone in its sustainability journey: It is introducing the eco-responsible process for the production of Lenzing™ EcoVero™ branded viscose fibers in Nanjing, China. The environmental awareness of consumers has been steadily growing over the past decade, and especially more recently in the fashion and
Read MorePolymer from the ocean used in water-based fabrication
May 21, 2018
Photo: MIT Media Lab. Under the leadership of designer and architect Neri Oxman, a group of researchers from the Mediated Matter group at MIT have developed a water-based digital fabrication platform using a renewable polymer from the ocean. The process combines an age-old, crustacean-derived material with robotic fabrication and synthetic biology. This biologically derived digital
Read MoreThe nova-Institute names six finalists for Innovation Award
May 9, 2018
The nova-Institute has announced its six finalists for the Bio-based Material of the Year 2018 Innovation Award, which recognizes technologies in the bio-based chemicals and materials industry for suitable applications and new markets for their products. The finalists are from six different countries and offer a range of innovations, including:
Read MoreSuper-thin solar cells can be printed on clothes
May 7, 2018
Japanese scientists have developed a super-thin organic solar cell that can be heat-printed onto clothes. Because the cell can be integrated into textiles through the commercially available hot-melt process without degrading the cell’s performance, its developers believe the cell has immense potential for many applications in every day life. A
Read MoreSMART promotes “recycling renaissance”
April 30, 2018
The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) invites next generation recyclers to revitalize the way people think about recycling. SMART would like to see millennials and members of Gen Z lead the way in making conscious decisions about recycling textiles. “The ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ motto, launched in April 1970, has been
Read MoreNapapijri introduces digitally knitted garments
April 23, 2018
Photo: Napaaijri. Italian fashion label Napapijri, launched its latest innovative endeavor, “Ze-Knit” at Milan Design Week. The line of digitally-knitted urban “future wear” is the result of the label’s research into sustainable manufacturing alternatives. Ze-Knit garments are digitally knitted from a single yard, which can mean up to 30 percent fabric waste
Read MoreNew testing for organic cotton announced
April 23, 2018
OEKO-TEX® recently announced new testing methods to identify genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in cotton that is labeled organic. Today, about 70 percent of cotton globally is genetically altered, OEKO-TEX says. Some forms of cotton have been engineered to be herbicide-resistant. Others have been infused with an insecticide to kill pests
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