Cotton remains one of the main fibres of choice for apparel, home textiles, industrial textiles, and more. Advancements like genetically-modified cotton, combined with yarn manufacturing improvements, have further fuelled market expansion amid growing populations and economies worldwide. As the world’s largest producers of cotton and cotton-based products, China and India play major roles in the global market, which, following a healthy 6.3% CAGR, is projected to exceed USD 94.5 billion by 2028[1][2].

At the spring show, cotton exhibitors from China, India, and beyond are gearing up to meet strong international and domestic demand, with buyers able to source a wide range of related products.

32 exhibitor-strong India Pavilion in the spotlight

Maintaining its active role in India’s cotton yarn industry, the Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) will again organise the India Pavilion, set to feature some of the country’s top suppliers. At last year’s show, Mr Murali Balkrishna, Joint Director of Texprocil, commented: “We facilitated exports of over USD 15 billion of Indian cotton textiles last year to more than 150 countries around the world. China has been our biggest market over the past few years. Yarn Expo was an opportunity to regain the market share lost during the pandemic by building old relationships and forming new ones. There is no other platform that can match up to these fairs’ sheer magnitude, and they’re among the world’s best.”

This edition’s pavilion will feature over 30 exhibitors showcasing an array of cotton-related yarns and other products, including pure cotton carding, pure cotton combing / compact spinning, viscose, blended yarn, modal yarn, recycled, organic / BCI yarns, polyester, and polyester cotton. Highlighted exhibitors include:

• Amar International – one of the leading exporters of Indian cotton yarns, raw cotton, cotton waste for recycling purposes, woven and knitted fabrics, agricultural commodities and chemical dyes. Its high quality “AMAR” products have garnered meaningful recognition, winning the “Silver Award for Export of Cotton Yarns 2017-2018.”
• Excel Enterprise – a manufacturer of cotton yarn, including BCI, Pima, dyed, melange, as well as 100% viscose and viscose blended yarns. The company utilises the high-quality Shankar-6 cotton variety for its range of “EXCEL” yarns, and maintains a strong foothold in leading markets such as Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Korea, Pakistan, and Thailand, as well as Europe and South America.
• Siddhi Sales Corporation – the ginning and spinning company serves as a key supplier of raw cotton to over 60 spinning mills in India, and exports to more than 30 countries worldwide, with products highly sought after by spinners and textile fabric manufacturers operating in the global market.

International cotton players making Yarn Expo Spring debuts

Coinciding with China’s peak sourcing season, many international exhibitors will be returning to the fairground. Several major industry players will be making their first appearance at the fair, including:

• Blinks International (Pakistan) – renowned as a premier textile sourcing house in Pakistan, the company specialises in procuring raw cotton, cotton yarn, and grey fabrics for the global market, with a particular focus on Asia, Europe, and South America. Products include mélange, core spun, compact spun, jet spun, slub, stretch slub, multicount, zero twist, and hollow yarn.
• PT. Bintang Makmur Sentosa Textil Industri (Indonesia) – specialising in spinning, weaving and finishing, products include ring-spun yarn, open-end cotton yarn, rayon, polyester, and more. The company has a monthly production capacity of 250,000 spindles of yarn, equivalent to approximately 20,000 bales.
• RÜTEX GmbH (Germany) – the company’s extensive assortment comprises raw white and coloured yarns, both single and twisted, designed for weaving and knitting. RÜTEX utilises various spinning systems, including OE, ring, compact, siro, airjet, producing worsted yarn, core yarn, and filament yarns (FDY, DTY, ATY, BCF).

Yarn Expo Spring is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT. The fair will be held alongside Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, CHIC and PH Value, with the resultant synergy allowing exhibitors and buyers to maximise their business opportunities.

For further information, please visit: www.yarn-expo-spring.com.

Yarn Expo Spring will be held from 6 – 8 March 2024.

Other upcoming shows:

Vietnam International Trade Fair for Apparel, Textiles and Textile Technologies

• Ho Chi Minh City  – February 28 –March 1  2024

Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics / Yarn Expo

• ShenzhenShenzhen (Futian) June 5 – 7, 2024

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition / Yarn Expo Autumn

• Shanghai – August 27 – 29, 2024

Posted: February 8, 2024

Source: Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd

The gear metering pumps of the GM and GA series are mainly used for high-precision metering of demanding fluids under difficult conditions.

Focus on gear metering pumps
The high-speed metering pump of the GM series has been specially developed for metering poorly- lubricating and abrasive media. The main advantage of the pump is the sealed product chamber. The space touched by the media is limited to the area around the gears. The external, ball-bearing support points in the high-speed pump are externally lubricated and thus prevent the product to be metered from causing damage due to insufficient lubrication. This considerably extends the service life of the pump.

In addition, the increased speed range (30 – 500 rpm) allows an extended application range, for which several pumps of different sizes had to be used previously. This saves on production changeovers and significantly reduces the number of spare parts required. With its low weight of 1.4 kg, the compact pump (ø65 mm) promises significant space savings as well as less strain on the machine.

In addition to the proven GM pump in a square design for standard metering tasks, the GM pump in a multi-stage design conveys low-viscosity media (e.g. 250 bar, 100 mPas) under high pressure and the most difficult operating conditions. The round 2-stage GM pump has been specially developed for use in high-pressure technology. It masters the special challenge of pumping small flow rates with low viscosities. The pump is perfect for 0.05 to 20 ccm/rev feed sizes and is ideally suited for the production of PUR molded parts, block foam, refrigeration unit insulation or sandwich panels.

GA series for higher viscosity media

Manufacturing companies are constantly faced with the challenge of making their products and processes more efficient. Oerlikon Barmag supplements the proven GM series with the GA series, which has been specially developed for the demanding conveying of higher viscosity media. The GA series is available for conveying volumes of 1.25 – 30 cm³/rev (0.6-144 l/h). It is designed for pressures up to 200 bar, for viscosities up to 1,500 Pas and for temperatures up to a maximum of 225°C. With this pump series, Oerlikon Barmag offers customized solutions for process engineering processes where highly accurate and uniform metering is required.

Eccentric screw pump – robust and durable

High wear resistance, increased durability and robust appearance – the pump with a viscosity range from 1mPas to 1,000 Pas is tailor-made for pumping highly filled, highly viscous or abrasive media, such as filled adhesives, filled silicones or filled potting compounds. Eccentric screw pumps are used in sectors as diverse as the plastics industry, the automotive industry, the paint and coatings industry, the pharmaceutical industry and food technology. Customers benefit from a significant increase in productivity, as the maintenance intervals of the pumps are shortened and machine downtimes are significantly reduced.

The highlight of the eccentric screw pump is the multi-stage sealing system, which significantly extends the service life of the pump. The upstream shaft seal ring protects the slide ring seal from rapid wear caused by difficult media. The optimized alignment of the ball-bearing drive shaft, which runs centrally through the shaft seal ring, prevents any metal abrasion and thus ensures a significantly longer service life.

The drum pump – pumping and dosing in one

With the drum pump, the pump experts at Oerlikon Barmag are presenting a pump that is specially designed for conveying and metering highly viscous materials such as adhesives, silicones and other highly viscous materials from drums and other large containers and for pressures of up to 250 bar. One of its special features is that it discharges highly viscous materials from the drum and meters them directly without an intermediate stop.

The gear pump and drum follower plate are coordinated in such a way that the plate effortlessly reaches the bottom of the container, leaving behind only a very small residual quantity of < 1%. This in turn reduces material costs and has a positive impact on the production process. The dosing process, which was previously carried out in two steps and required scoop piston and metering pumps, can now be combined with the drum pump in a single unit.

Caption: The eccentric pump series covers a throughput range from 1 ml/min. to 30 l/h and, with a viscosity range from 1 mPas to 1,000 Pas, also conveys highly filled, highly viscous or abrasive media.

Posted: February 8, 2024

Source: Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG

Hyosung and Hung Yen introduced their successful sustainable textile innovation — a swimwear fabric made from an 80/20 blend of Hyosung GRS-certified regen Ocean 100 percent post-consumer nylon made from discarded fishing nets, and RCS-certified 100 percent recycled regen Spandex — during Interfilière Paris last summer.

According to an independent 3rd party Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), the manufacture of 1 kg regen Ocean nylon reduces CO2 emissions by 73 percent and water consumption by 98 percent as compared to production of 1 kilogram of conventional nylon.

“We wanted to support the development of this new material and we thought that the Vitamin A customer would be most likely to understand why it was important,” said Mark Sunderland, vice president of product innovation at Swim USA, parent company of Vitamin A. “Our customers want to know that their swimwear is not harming the planet — and with our ReLux line, we’re offering them a product that actively improves the health of our oceans.”

Founded in 2000 by California native Amahlia Stevens, all Vitamin A bikinis and bodysuits are designed and produced locally in California from plant-based and recycled materials. As a proud member of 1 percent for the Planet, the company gives back to organizations who work to protect the oceans.

“Vitamin A has ranked among the top five sustainable swimwear brands for the past three years,” said Claudia Anselmi, Hung Yen General Director. “Given its commitment to sustainable production and the protection of our oceans, we are glad Vitamin A has attentively selected our fabric — N850 FishTale — that is entirely focused on marine preservation for its new ReLux collection.”

“Vitamin A exemplifies the fusion of sustainability and style, demonstrating that eco-friendly fashion can effortlessly inspire and enable positive environmental choices among consumers” said Laura Nilo, Hyosung US marketing manager – West Coast Lead.  “It’s an ideal brand for commercializing our 100 percent recycled fabric for swimwear, and we look forward to furthering our collaboration with regards to sustainable textile solutions.”

More information about the new Vitamin A ReLux collection of bikinis and one-piece swimsuits can be found online https://www.vitaminaswim.com/pages/relux

Posted: February 5, 2024

Source: Hyosung

Highlights:

• Profitability Improvement Plan includes:
  • Cost reset and headcount reductions that are expected to lower expenses by $10 million to $15 million annually
  • Sales transformation initiatives focused on improving efficiencies and processes expected to bolster operating margins by $6 million annually
• Savings are expected to be invested into margin accretive opportunities and product innovation for REPREVE and will be used to strengthen the Company’s financial profile beyond actions taken to date
• A.J. Eaker promoted to executive vice president and CFO
• Meredith S. Boyd promoted to executive vice president and chief product officer
• Brian D. Moore promoted to executive vice president and president of Unifi Manufacturing Inc.
• Gregory K. Sigmon promoted to executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary, with expanded leadership responsibilities over Sustainability and Government Affairs functions.

“In recognition of the current operating environment, we recently implemented an extensive Profitability Improvement Plan to optimize our resources,” said Eddie Ingle, CEO of Unifi Inc. “While this Plan came with difficult decisions, these measures will significantly improve profitability, helping to ensure UNIFI has a robust foundation to foster growth and innovation, core tenets of the company’s strategy. Additionally, the transformation of our sales processes will serve as a direct catalyst to improve gross margins and operational efficiencies. Savings from these initiatives will be reinvested in the business, first in areas that should help us accelerate growth as demand levels reach the expected rebound across our industry in calendar 2024, and then to bolster the our balance sheet and already strong financial profile.”

Ingle continued: “We have streamlined our organization and realigned our Leadership Team to support a more efficient and responsive go-to-market structure. Collectively these actions will better prepare the business to deliver stronger results as our industry pivots to growth in calendar 2024. Over the last decade we have focused on leadership development within our organization, and we are therefore very proud to announce promotions of talented leaders like A.J., Meredith, Brian, and Greg. Each has extensive experience and proven track records at UNIFI that have been invaluable to the organization and our customers. The Board and I are thrilled to complete the leadership appointments and promotions, as they will make strong impacts on their respective teams and help drive the future growth of our company.”

Profitability Improvement Plan

UNIFI began the implementation of an extensive Profitability Improvement Plan in December 2023. The first part of this strategy realigned resources, reduced headcount and further reset costs, which lowers the company’s variable operating expenses in both production and administrative activities in the United States. These actions have been completed and are expected to reduce expenses by $2.5 million per quarter at the start of fiscal 2025. The company recorded a severance charge of $2.4 million during the December 31, 2023 quarter as a result.

The second part of the Profitability Improvement Plan is focused on gross margin expansion initiatives through a transformation of the company’s sales process. This transformation includes actions designed to streamline processes, improve inventory management, and realign resources to maximize efficiencies in the current and future operating environment.

The total reduction in costs and anticipated profitability improvement as a result of the execution of this Plan is expected to reach $20 million on an annual run-rate basis at the start of fiscal 2025. The company plans to reinvest these savings into areas of the business that will create additional revenue and margin accretive opportunities beyond the traditional apparel market it serves today.

Leadership Appointments

A.J. Eaker has been appointed executive vice president and CFO. Eaker served as Interim CFO of UNIFI since August 2023, as treasurer since December 2022, and as vice president of UNIFI’s primary domestic operating subsidiary since June 2017. Eaker has held various positions with increasing leadership and functional responsibilities since joining the company in March 2014, including vice president of Finance, corporate finance manager, and assistant controller, following more than five years in public accounting.

Meredith S. Boyd has been appointed executive vice president and chief product officer. Boyd previously served as senior vice president of Sustainability, Technology & Innovation for the last three years and joined UNIFI in 2007. She has been instrumental in driving international growth and product differentiation, particularly in sustainable practices. Her expertise spans multiple roles, including Global Business Development and Brand Sales, and she has been a prominent figure at industry conferences and in publications.

Brian D. Moore has been appointed executive vice president and president of Unifi Manufacturing Inc., the company’s primary operating subsidiary in the United States. Moore previously served as senior vice president of Direct Sales & Operations, leading various aspects of the United States sales team for the past year, after serving as vice president of Global Brand Sales from 2020 to 2023. Moore first joined UNIFI in 1993, eventually leading UNIFI’s Asian market and gaining extensive experience in various sectors of the textile industry through transforming sales and operations for global fashion and apparel companies before returning to UNIFI in 2020. His leadership and experience underscores his capability to steer the manufacturing division effectively.

Posted: February 2, 2024

Source: Unifi, Inc.

Pélinova: a hybrid alternative combining TENCEL Lyocell fibers and recycled leather fibers 
Recyc Leather’s next-generation material, Pélinova, is created through a unique, transparent process which involves collecting pre-consumer recycled leather and then hydro-jetting the leather fibers into the TENCEL Lyocell fibers, a standout material within the TENCEL brand portfolio that is produced from a resource-saving, closed-loop production process¹. TENCEL Lyocell fibers are also unfavorable to odor-causing bacteria. The combined efforts between Lenzing and Recyc Leather result in a material which is supple, flexible, and durable, with a low environmental impact utilizing 70-percent less water than traditional methods and reducing CO2 emissions.

“Since our establishment in 2017, we have recycled 100 tons of leather from landfill, earning recognition from European authorities and positive responses from brands”, said Olivier Grammont, Co-founder of Recyc Leather.

“Our partnership with Lenzing and GANNI demonstrates Pélinova’s potential as a truly sustainable alternative to traditional leather, inspiring us to continue to broaden the application of Pélinova in shaping the future of the leather industry.”

“The pioneering partnership between TENCEL and like-minded companies like Recyc Leather and GANNI is a catalyst to unlocking the power of planet-conscious fabric innovation,” said Florian Heubrandner, executive vice president Global Textiles Business, Lenzing AG.

“With the use of responsibly produced² TENCEL Lyocell fibers in Pélinova, we are not only creating a unique alternative for leather applications in footwear that brings long-lasting comfort, but also demonstrating the versatility of fiber applications. We are confident that the new collection will stand out within the industry and catch the eye of consumers.”

Riding on this exciting breakthrough in footwear, Recyc Leather is also exploring the possibility of expanding the fabric application to other leather goods spanning home textiles, furniture, automobile interiors and the luxury segment.

Elevating the GANNI partnership

GANNI is a B Corp certified company, on a journey to become the most responsible version of itself. They believe it’s a moral obligation to do better every day. GANNI is committed to minimizing social and environmental impact within its business operation with a goal to reach 50 percent absolute carbon reduction by 2027, with materials and innovation among its key pillars in reaching this target.

“By the end of 2023, we achieved the ambitious goal of phasing out all virgin leather from upcoming collections – making this year our first without producing any virgin leather across both ready-to-wear and accessories collections,” said Lauren Bartley, chief sustainability officer at GANNI. “However, the work doesn’t stop here. Collaborating and experimenting with partners like TENCEL and Recyc Leather on new fabric innovations to develop alternatives to materials as we know them today, is crucial to reaching ambitious carbon reduction goals like GANNI’s. GANNI has partnered with Lenzing for years gone by, using various of their materials in GANNI fabrications. Lenzing continues to be among the perfect partner when it comes to finding preferred materials which have a proven lower environmental impact.”

In addition to footwear, GANNI sees the application of Recyc Leather’s Pélinova with TENCEL Lyocell fibers in the accessories category. GANNI, Recyc Leather, and Lenzing have future developments in the pipeline to get even closer to being able to scale the use of the material.

During Première Vision Paris (PV Paris, February 6–8), Lenzing will be joined by Recyc Leather and GANNI at a panel discussion to share their collaborative experiences as a prime example of how companies can unite to create high-end fashion using responsibly produced recycled materials. For more interactive participation, visit the TENCEL brand at Booth 6D67 and Recyc Leather at Booth 6HUB11.

¹ Savings consider solvent recovery.

² The responsible production of TENCELTM Lyocell and Modal fibers uses at least 50% less water and emits at least 50% less CO2 compared to generic lyocell and modal fibers, according to Higg MSI, thereby saving precious resources for future generations. ^Results based on LCA standards (ISO 14040/44) and available via Higg MSI (Version 3.7).

Posted: February 1, 2024

Source: The Lenzing Group

Congressman Dale Strong of the Fifth Congressional District of Alabama delivered the event’s opening remarks and highlighted Toray’s contributions to national defense. “I am thrilled to see Toray’s commitment to investments in Decatur and North Alabama. Toray provides high performance carbon fibers which are critical to our defense industrial base and national security. I want to thank them for their investment in Alabama and wish them continued success,” said Congressman Strong.

Major General Tom O’Connor, commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, participated as the featured guest in a policy discussion led by former Commander of the Army Material Command, retired General Paul Kern. The discussion focused on the importance of a strong domestic industrial base following the January 11, 2024 release of the Department of Defense’s inaugural National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS).

Other esteemed guests included a cross-section of local and federal government, industry, and academia.

Toray has already begun production utilizing this new capability and are in the process of qualifying the new line with a number of customers. “Our team in Decatur worked tirelessly to advance the commissioning of our upgraded carbon fiber production line to support the strong demand from the defense industry. As the DoD prioritizes developing a resilient supply chain as part of the NDIS, Toray’s focus is to ensure that we are doing our part to produce and increase material availability for various defense programs,” said Dennis Frett, President of Toray Composite Materials America.

Toray is the largest carbon fiber and prepreg producer in the United States. The Decatur Plant has operation lines from precursor to carbon fiber and is one of three Toray manufacturing facilities. The company has other locations in Tacoma, Washington, and Spartanburg, South Carolina, producing precursor, carbon fiber, and prepreg. Toray’s comprehensive portfolio of carbon fiber composite materials supports customers in aerospace and defense, industrial, and automotive industries.

Posted: January 30, 2024

Source: Toray Composite Materials America, Inc.

“We are pleased that Suzano has passed some important milestones related to the MFC raw material development. Spinnova continues to finalize the fibre and textile material development work so that fibre deliveries from Woodspin to customers, made from Suzano MFC, can begin in the coming months,” explained Spinnova’s CEO Tuomas Oijala.

Spinnova and Suzano continue to work together to improve the efficiency of the production process, and the operating expense and capital expenditure usage of both Suzano’s raw material process and Spinnova’s process, so that Woodspin can move to commercial scale production in future plants.

As announced earlier, the production volumes of Woodspin’s first factory are expected to be limited in the short term as the factory is currently primarily being used for testing MFC batches and optimizing the entire production process. The market opportunity and ambition level with Suzano to scale Woodspin’s production capacity with future plants remains unchanged.

Posted: January 30, 2024

Source: SPINNOVA PLC

Sustainability represents one of the fundamental aspects of the synergy existing between Filo and Milano Unica: for this reason, for some years, Filo has chosen to exhibit on this occasion just the yarns produced by those companies participating in FiloFlow, the sustainability project which is now including most of Filo’s exhibitors. On the other hand, concerning style and creativity, Filo is participating in the 38th edition of Milano Unica through the video entitled “Alchemies”, with the suggestions from the “Creative Dialogues” carried out by Gianni Bologna for the 60th Filo edition.

Paolo Monfermoso, responsible for Filo, said: “As an expression of a well-established synergy, the participation of Filo in Milano Unica is highly appreciated by the professionals working in textile industry, since it allows highlighting the power and the consistency of textile supply chain. We are linked to Milano Unica, first of all, by the proceeding of the supply chain, with Filo’s exhibitors which are increasingly providing materials to produce fabrics and accessories proposed at Milano Unica. However, we also share the choice to bring forward a concrete approach to the complex challenges that companies in the textile sector have to face: from digitalisation to training, up to frontiers that we would never have imagined a few years ago, as artificial intelligence and the prospects it can open up in our industry.

In particular, the cooperation between Filo and Milano Unica is laid on some issues which reflect the real interests of the companies: sustainable production, enhancement of sustainable creativity, products’ traceability, circularity and continuous research combining tradition and innovation. Filo is renewing its commitment on these concepts, in the belief that just a whole and cohesive supply chain can produce high-quality products, achieved by protecting both people and environment, in favour of competitiveness of our industry and of end-users”.

Filo awaits you at Milano Unica from January the 30th to February the 1st at Rho Fiera Milan, in Hall 8: you will find on display FiloFlow yarns and the video “Alchemies” showing Filo’s creative proposals.

Posted: January 30, 2024

Source: Filo

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is focusing its development on a strong ambition: turning European Flax-Linen and Hemp into the premium sustainable fibres of choice around the world, a strategy focused on three jointly agreed upon main areas:

• Expanding the Flax-Linen and Hemp ecosystem
• Becoming an innovative and sustainable international reference point
• Ensuring quality and embodying desirability

The Alliance Is Strengthening Its Positions In Italy

A champion of social and environmental causes, The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, the only agro-industrial organisation for European Flax and/or Masters of Linen certified European Flax-Linen and Hemp, also plans to:

• Develop a B2B and B2C promotional strategy for European Flax-Linen in Italy in order to increase its visibility with the textile industry, brands and end consumers.
• Become a reference point on European Flax-Linen when it comes to the economy, innovation, CSR, and regional promotion.

The Alliance’s New Representative in Italy: Guisy Bettoni – C.L.A.S.S

Based in Milan, Giusy Bettoni assumed her official duties of representing The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp in Italy in early January 2024. An expert on textile value chains, Giusy Bettoni has in-depth knowledge of raw materials and also specializes in CSR.

In 2007, she founded C.L.A.S.S (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy), an international eco-hub based in Milan that is promoting a new generation of fashion where a blend of design, innovation, communication, and responsibility are promoting more informed and competitive businesses capable of playing both an economic and social role. C.L.A.S.S supports the whole supply chain to trigger CHANGE in the system while activating VALUES that speak clearly to contemporary consumers. Thanks to her international network in the textile and fashion ecosystem, Giusy Bettoni is working together with designers and brands to support them in their sustainable development strategy.

Initially, the Alliance’s mission will be to meet all Italian players in the Flax-Linen industry to obtain all the necessary resources for creating an action plan for the Italian market with the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp and its members.

Ornella Bignami – Elementi Moda, the Alliance’s loyal partner in Italy, is now the training contact person for various textile, fashion, design, and lifestyle learning centres in Italy.

The Alliance has always spearheaded efforts to transfer knowledge about European Flax-Linen and textile Hemp to young people in order to create a virtuous dynamic in the industry. There is strong demand among fashion, architecture and design schools for teaching new generations about the advantages of Flax-Linen, a plant fibre of the future.

Giusy Bettoni is now the main contact point for the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp in Italy.

Posted: January 30, 2024

Source: Alliance For European Flax-Linen & Hemp

As described in the Cradle to Cradle Certified® (C2C Certified®) Product Standard Version 4.0, Material Health certification indicates that “Chemicals and materials used in the product are selected to prioritize the protection of human health and the environment, generating a positive impact on the quality of materials available for future use and cycling.”

To meet these levels of certification, 100 percent of the materials that comprise Thrive matter nylon 6 fiber have been assessed and found to be optimized for material health both in terms of optimal substances it does contain, undesirable substances it does not contain, and its emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This assessment also serve as the foundation for a material health optimization strategy to further improve material health over time.

Anna Plumb, vice president of Universal Fibers sales and marketing for Europe celebrates “Now our customers who select Thrive® matter nylon 6 can proceed with assurance that their products can in turn pursue C2C Certified certification. And they can be proud to have made the best environmental impact possible in their choice of fiber.”

The C2C Certified Material Health Certificate offers a solution to growing industry and consumer interest in knowing more about the chemicals used in products across their supply chains and avoiding chemicals of concern. By using the rigorous, globally recognized material health assessment methodology of the C2C Certified Product Standard, the Material Health Certificate provides manufacturers with a trusted means of assessing, optimizing, and verifying their product chemistries for safety and the environment. The material health evaluation of Thrive® matter was executed by third-party C2C accredited assessor WAP Sustainability.

“We enthusiastically embrace the C2C Certified standard,” said M. Ranae Anderson, Global Sustainability Leader for Universal Fibers. “It is another of the many ways we work to hold ourselves accountable for the impact our fibers have both upstream—influencing the supply chains that feed us—and downstream through our customers’ products that help people thrive.”

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Universal Fibers on their first C2C Certified Material Health Certificate for Thrive matter,” said William Paddock, co-founder & managing director of WAP Sustainability. “We know how many of Universal Fibers’ customers are committed to C2C, and by obtaining a Material Health Certificate, they are communicating their commitment to transparency and extending industry leadership in Cradle to Cradle Design.”

Posted: January 30, 2024

Source: Universal Fibers, Inc.