Chemical recycling may offer a solution to textile waste

October 1, 2023  |  Markets, Product Trends

As the detrimental environmental impact of the textile and apparel industries becomes better known and understood, great effort is being expended to become greener, with the recycling of textiles receiving considerable attention.
Read More
Sneaker brands embrace sustainable footwear

August 31, 2023  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

When Nike launched its Flyknit trainer in 2012, it kickstarted a new era in sustainable footwear. The one-piece uppers, knit on a flat machine, created 60% less waste than traditional construction. The transition to recycled polyester (rPET) yarns in 2016 added to the brand’s sustainability cred.
Read More
Allergen-reducing textiles

August 31, 2023  |  Industry in Focus, Markets

The COVID pandemic was hard on everyone, but for allergy sufferers, it meant having to announce, “It’s allergies, not COVID!” after every sniffle, cough or sneeze as strangers glared and moved well beyond the required 6-foot distance. Fortunately, those days have passed, but the number of peop…
Read More
Outdoor fabrics: School spirit via banners, tarps and more

August 31, 2023  |  Markets, Product Trends

When high schools and colleges resume classes every fall, outdoor sports are underway too. Fabrics play a key role in training and in the way stadiums and other sports facilities look.
Read More
Getting new products manufactured and into the marketplace

August 1, 2023  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

This year’s Smart Fabric Summit was again organized by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) and the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh, N.C., and took place in April on the NC State campus. A full schedule of education, student project presentation…
Read More
The future landscape of the workforce

August 1, 2023  |  Business, Markets

Organizations need to be thinking about tomorrow and, more specifically, how the future of work, the workforce and the workplace will be dramatically different from what we know today. And more important, from what it has been in the past.
Read More
The role of fabric, shade in reducing embodied carbon

August 1, 2023  |  Markets, Product Trends

By now it is standard baseline that all architects have an existential and fundamental need to begin all projects they design with the knowledge that the built environment contributes around 40% of embodied carbon to the environment. The future of the profession and indeed of the Earth must be kept …
Read More
Is it the end of polyester (as we know it)?

July 1, 2023  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Where would we be without polyester? Fibers created from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are ubiquitous in our apparel, home furnishings, automotive, filtration and personal care industries. In 2021, they represented 57.57% of the global fiber market, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight t…
Read More
Reducing microplastics: Research and what we can do now

July 1, 2023  |  Industry in Focus, Markets

When synthetic textiles and clothing are washed—at both the industrial and the personal level—they shed small plastic particles known as microfibers that make their way into our ecosystem. Microfibers make up more than a third of the type of pollution in our oceans called microplastics, as estim…
Read More
Interest in reupholstering rises following the pandemic

July 1, 2023  |  Markets, Product Trends

Growing demand, using environmentally friendly materials and finding ways to address the labor shortage are some of the market trends and challenges upholsterers are seeing in their industry.
Read More