Sustainable medical textiles

March 1, 2023  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

IT’S A SOBERING statement: “The U.S. health care system is responsible for an estimated 10% of national greenhouse gas emissions, which cause extreme weather events and contribute to worse health outcomes.” That’s the start of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee repo…
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Simplifying sustainability

February 1, 2023  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

There is an abundance of information available about sustainability that, while conveying much, can lack clarity. A simpler directive regarding sustainability would be this: If you produce something, to be “sustainable” (leaving aside the social aspects for the moment) you need to:
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The challenge of innovating

January 1, 2023  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Manufacturing to scale is arguably the most significant challenge facing the smart materials and wearable technology industries—and it’s not just desirable, but essential for growth and survival. Without full commercialization, the drive for new developments and research is in jeopardy. There is…
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Toward standardization for e-textiles

November 1, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

As the e-textiles industry continues to grow, it will be essential to have consensus-based international standards to support the industry to ensure reliability of materials and products and best practices used in design and manufacturing. 
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Safer on the job

October 1, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

A safe, clean and pollution-free workplace is important in offering a quality of life for a labor force, which also enhances worker productivity. But there can be multiple risk factors in a work environment, including mechanical or electrical hazards, extreme heat or cold, toxic chemicals, noise and…
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Defining “textiles”

August 1, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

When is a material a textile? When is a textile a fabric? The unprecedented scope of new materials in development—by academia, government-funded technology groups and start-ups—is challenging traditional concepts of fabric formation. How this will impact the larger industry is a useful question …
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Sustainable options for functional fabrics

July 27, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

A recent report from the Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns about hazards caused by a projected global warming of 1.5 degrees C in the next two decades. The report emphasizes the importance of proper urban planning, infrastructure development, healthy living ecos…
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A look back at 2022 Smart Fabrics Summit

June 1, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

IFAI’s Smart Fabric Summit returned to an in-person event with a new location at North Carolina State University (NC State), its producing partner. This choice allowed for adding another day of activities that included student demonstrations and tours of the Zeis Textiles Extension complex and the…
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E-fibers and yarns have haptics and security applications

May 1, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Electronic or e-yarns are a natural development within e-textiles as the sector strives toward greater miniaturization, flexibility and a more seamless integration of electronics and textiles. What has started to emerge in a relatively short time is the added value and novelty that it can bring to b…
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Incremental or disruptive?

April 1, 2022  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Addressing the challenges of COVID-19 has underscored the importance of having faith in the ability of science and technology to make our lives better. While the textile industry has been an integral component of the manufacturing sector before COVID-19, people generally would not have realized that…
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