CONTENTS VOL.20 NO.2 ISSN 1015-8138 Feature Story 24 Keeping in step with clean production trend Retailers, textile and apparel manufacturers around the world are deriving various approaches to turn the notion of sustainability into reality Market Focus 28 Specialty fabrics fill niches in healthcare market Medical textile is believed to be one of the few market segments that remain relatively stable under the global economic crisis Machinery Technology 32 Spinning sector looks for niches and higher efficiency Both the suppliers and users of textile machinery are searching for new opportunities in the areas of industrial yarns and compact spinning to outperform others Material Technology 36 New uses of elastic fibres under exploration Elastane / spandex is commonly used for its elasticity that gives to high quality and high performance of garment ranging from sports wear to body-shaping underwear and swimsuits Chemical & Auxiliaries 42 In search of cost-effective biotreatments Enzyme treatments, a major member of biotreatments, contribute various aspects of modern dyeing and finishing Environmental Watch 20 Eco-conscious buyers drive change Nonwovens / Specialty Textiles 44 Creative approaches to sustainability Textile production becomes more creative in reducing environmental impact through latest technologies China Focus 48 Chinese textile industry on guard for trade barriers 52 Haiyang's knitwear industry put more weight on domestic market Retail Scene 54 Enchantment shown on Copenhagen walkways Corporate Profile 68 Setting development goals amid market challenges Leading wool textile maker in China, Jiangsu Sunshine Group, says it wants to contribute to the building of national clothing brands for consumers in domestic market and abroad Regular columns 6 Editor's note 8 Industry news 62 Show watcher 70 Company bulletin 74 New product guide 73 Coming events calendar 76 Advertisers'index Cover Advertisement Enquiry code: 101 Habasit As the global market leader in belting, Habasit can provide the best power transmission belt for any application. What our products all have in common is reduced energy consumption, greater flexibility, and a longer service life. Habasit's ingenious adhesive-free Flexproof joining method for polyester and aramid belts is another asset that cuts costly downtimes. China Shanghai Habasit (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Shanghai Phone: +86 21 5488 1228 Hong Kong Habasit East Asia Ltd., Hong Kong G/F Unit 16 Hi-Tech Centre No.9 Choi Yuen Road N.T. Hong Kong Phone: +852 2145 0150 Fax: + 852 2145 0151 E-mail: info@habasit.com.hk Website: www.habasit.com.hk Singapore Habasit Far East Pte. Ltd., Singapore Phone: +65 6862 55 66 Website: www.habasit.com.sg India Habasit-Iakoka Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore Phone: +91 422 262 78 79 Website: www.habasitiakoka.com Headquarters Habasit AG Roemerstrasse 1 CH-4153 Reinach-Basel Schweiz Tel.: +41 61 715 15 15 Fax: +41 61 715 15 55 E-mail: info@habasi.com

Editor's Note A period of slow development is anticipated for the Asian textile and apparel industry for the coming year. According to some financial reports released recently, garment retailers and textile machinery builders have seen a decline in orders, while signs of recovery is yet to be in sight. During such quieter time, industry players are trying to sharpen their competitive edge. "Feature Story" of the current edition focuses on the latest development of cleaner production, a trend that manufacturers in the textile industry need to keep pace with, as more and more international buyers are setting new requirements on the environmental impact of their products. Sustainability is particularly relevant to the dyeing and finishing sector. A discussion on biotreatments in the "Chemicals & Auxiliaries" column offers cost-effective approaches with the use of enzymes to allow eco-friendlier textile processing. "Market Focus" this time takes a closer look at specialty fabrics used in the healthcare sector, where technology has advanced rapidly. Demand for medical textiles remains stable at present, while the future of such special fabrics looks promising as new medical and healthcare textile products will continue to emerge to provide for the enlarging global population. Elastic fibres, also known as elastan / spandex fibres, are discussed in "Material Technology". A small amount of the material is able to transform the performance of garment products ranging from functional wear, swimsuits, intimate wear to hosiery, sometimes even exceeding the expectation of the consumers. In the meantime, an assortment of spinning machinery are introduced in the "Spinning Machinery Supplement". Machinery builders have put forth innovations for the manufacturing of industrial yarns, as well as potential benefits of compact spinning. Even if a booming market is yet to be here, past experiences showed that people could turn challenges into opportunities if they are creative enough to uncover the hidden treasures. ATA JOURNAL for Asia on Textile & Apparel is published by Adsale Publishing Limited (a member of the Adsale Group) Address: 6th Floor, 321 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong Tel: (852) 2811 8897 Fax: (852) 2516 5119 Email: cta.ata@adsale.com.hk Web-site(Adsale Group): www.adsale.com.hk Adsale Industry Portal: www.2456.com/ata General Manager: Annie Chu Senior Executive Editor: Naomi Lee Associate Editor: Michelle Phong China Editor: Joany Hao Assistant Editor (China): Tiffany Zhu Editorial Emails cta.ata.edit@adsale.com.hk cta.ata@sz.adsale.com.hk Contributors Adrian Wilson (Europe) Ajay Sinha (India, Pakistan & Sri Lanka) Baari Inggi (S E Asia) Gail Taylor (Hong Kong) Ian Holme (Europe) Lucia Carpio (Europe) Manik Mehta (US & Europe) Ngo Tuan (Vietnam) Sanjay Gupta (India) Marketing and Advertising Janet Tong Advertising Sales Offices See page 76 Production Sonia Lai Circulation Circulation Department Publication Frequency 6 times in 2009 Distribution ATA JOURNAL is distributed free to individuals who meet the publisher registered terms of control. Fill in the reader form to apply for qualified readership. Subscription Rates (annual incl postage) Hong Kong: HK$455 Asia (surface mail): US$75 All Other Regions (surface mail): US$85 Cover Price: HK$76 / US$13 / US$15 Copyright ?2009 All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. The publisher is not responsible for statements or opinions expressed herein nor do such statements necessarily express the views of the publisher unless stated as such. Printing Elite Printing (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd.

Industry News East Asia China Real economy may be hard hit China saw its real economy worst hit by the global financial turmoil instead of the financial sector in many other countries, according the nation's chief economic planner. Zhang Ping, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, commented that China's financial system is sound and stable after years of reform. However, the Chinese authorities identified 10 key industries (including textiles), which would need economic stimulus plans with an aim of industry optimization and upgrading. At the sideline during the two national political conferences held in Beijing earlier this March, namely the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), the top legislative body, National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a political advisory body, Wang Tian Kai, Vice President of the China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) told Chinese local media that the textile and apparel industry needed a further hike of export tax rebate to 17%. A proposal was sent to the Chinese authorities in favour of bolstering the export tax rebate to 17%, from 15% since this February, covering textile and apparel products, as well as home textiles, according to Mr Wang. He explained that the industry was under threat due to dampened world demand, and the industry players were really in need of greater governmental support. In addition, financing proved to be a uphill challenge for many enterprises in the industry. Mr Wang advocated for a public servicing platform that can help small- and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) to get business credit and to release tax burden. New policies taking shape to support Chinese textile industry Earlier this February, the State Council of China agreed at its regular meeting to support the country's industries, including the sector of textile and apparel. The meeting decided to increase export rebates for textile producers to 15% from 14% effective since last November. Areas of concerns that would draw further attention in the future policy-making included: • Balancing markets overseas and at home: The government planned to take a proactive attitude to enlarge domestic consumption, innovate new production, expand rural markets and promote the use of textile products in relevant industries, while stabilize international market by expanding export destinations. • Technological improvement and proprietary brand development: Special projects and funds would be established to support the technological development of yarn making, textile printing and dyeing, in addition to chemical fibers. • Phasing out obsolete capacity: Steps would be taken to phase out obsolete capacity, eliminate energy-intensive, polluting equipment and technology. Supports would be given to stronger enterprises that acquire those in difficulties. • Industry relocation: The government would encourage textile and garment makers to relocate from southeastern parts of China to central and western areas. Under this plan, eastern coastal areas would later focus on the development of advanced, value-added and less impacted products of textiles and apparel; while Central and West China would pick up more work of textile and apparel processing. Manufacturing of quality cotton yarns and textile products would be developed in Xinjiang province. • Strengthening financial and taxation support: Export rebates for textile producers increased to 15%. Credit support would be offered to enterprises with solid foundation but facing temporal difficulties in operation and financing. The support towards small- to med-sized enterprises would be increased, especially in credit and financing. The central and regional governments as well as enterprises would further acquire cotton and silk yarns. These measures would be considered for the Chinese government to ensure employment in the country and reduce unstable risks among the population. Domestic enterprises were reportedly pleased, especially with regard to financial incentives (e.g. subsidies on loans) to support technological upgrade of stronger enterprises. South East Asia Vietnam Shirt exports show gloomy figures The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) of Vietnam released a report showing gloomy figures of shirt exports in both last November and the first 11 months of 2008 as a result of the global economic crisis. The United States was the biggest exporting market of the products in the January-November 2008 period, although it saw declines in volume and value. The shirt exports to the US amounted 41.91 million pieces, down 12.7% compared to the same period in 2007, and worth US$207.41 million, representing a 5.1% decrease year-on-year. The European Union ranked the second by purchasing 21.42 million pieces for US$117.63 million in the first 11 months of 2008 from Vietnam, representing a rise of 5.5% (volume) and 11.1% (value) when compared to the previous year. Middle East seems to offer hope The Viet Nam National Textile and Garment Group, Vinatex, directed its companies to focus on relatively small markets in Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa in a bid to offset their export slumping in the US, the EU and Japan. The group predicts a strong decline in exporting to the three top markets this year due to the global economic turmoil. Diversification of new markets for greater economic opportunity is, therefore, important for its subsidiaries to overcome the current tough times, Vinatex commented.

Industry News Country Focus Japan outstands in Asia with technology Japan is considered a forerunner in the Asian textile and apparel industry and a pioneer in areas such as fabrics innovation, dyeing and finishing techniques, fashion design, textile machinery development and more. Its technological advancement had been spurred since the late 1980s when the country started repositioning itself in the globalized textile and apparel supply chain. Japanese apparel manufacturers and retailers moved their manufacturing bases to other Asian lands so as to minimize production costs from the 1980s. As a consequence, the domestic textile and apparel industry was no longer a foreign-currency earner and the country recorded an import surplus in the category of textile and apparel. Domestic textile and apparel entrepreneurs thus turned to high value-added fields to stay competitive globally. Differentiating with active R&D Synthetic fiber maker Toray Industries Inc, for instance, is now a specialty fabric innovator and maker. One of its recent development is a kind of special sportswear fabric initially designed for the use in the outer space, in collaboration with sportswear wholesaler Goldwin Inc and Japan Women’s University. The fabric is characterized with anti-static, fire-resistant, heat-retaining and anti-bacterial properties. Toray and Goldwin planned to set up a research institute this year and commercialize the product in about a year. Another Japanese fabric innovator, Mitsubishi Rayon, is known for creative manmade fibers. In the recent Expofil fair at the Première Vision Pluriel in February, the fabric maker showcased a range of products with special properties, e.g. anti-pilling, anti-static and super fine denier. Main application areas are knits, hosiery, hand-knitted yarns and for technical uses. The company, among other fibers, annually produces 120,000 tons of acrylic fibers, of which 90% are exported. Externally, Japan promotes exports and encourages economic integration in the Asian region and the West through the establishment of economic partnership agreements (EPA) and/or free trade agreements (FTA) with the ASEAN, Australia, Chile, India, Indonesia, Korea, Goods Production Shipments (sales) Inventory Unit 2007 2008 R.P.(%) 2007 2008 R.P.(%) 2007 2008 R.P.(%) Chemical fibers Synthetic fibers (Filament) t 495,898 470,528 -5.1 305,658 288,320 -5.7 46,866 51,121 9.1 Synthetic fibers (Staple) t 538,692 431,460 -19.9 518,784 411,946 -20.6 51,912 56,816 9.4 Spun yarn Cotton yarn t 71,669 65,816 -8.2 50,847 45,685 -10.2 7,097 7,252 2.2 Woolen and worsted yarn t 12,980 11,412 -12.1 13,165 10,980 -16.6 3,515 3,634 3.4 Synthetic fiber yarn t 58,115 52,708 -9.3 38,883 35,225 -9.4 4,671 4,934 5.6 Woven fabrics Cotton fabrics 1,000m2 367,733 327,132 -11.0 179,246 157,275 -12.3 27,599 24,333 -11.8 Woolen fabrics 1,000m2 67,590 60,227 -10.9 52,197 49,056 -6.0 5,220 4,392 -15.9 Silk and spun silk fXrics 1,000m2 15,466 13,912 -10.0 13,474 12,040 -10.6 2,436 2,366 -2.9 Synthetic fiber fabrics (filament)* 1,000m2 822,610 757,822 -9.4 330,463 283,585 -19.3 28,032 29,205 4.2 Synthetic fiber fabrics (Staple) 1,000m2 273,497 252,872 -7.5 110,467 103,638 -6.2 17,881 18,821 5.3 Towel cloth t 18,324 17,735 -3.2 20,759 20,006 -3.6 4,675 5,473 17.1 Dyeing and finishing processes Cotton fabrics 1,000m2 606,536 540,071 -11.0 606,528 542,677 -10.5 17,069 11,562 -32.3 Sythetic fiber fabrics 1,000m2 1,418,191 1,314,003 -7.3 1,420,479 1,319,501 -7.1 65,184 58,814 -9.8 Knit fabrics 1,000m2 511,460 464,296 -9.2 511,266 461,001 -9.8 32,478 35,669 9.8 Clothes Knitted fabrics outer wears* 1,000num 67,638 60,052 -11.2 55,684 51,959 -6.7 10,834 10,790 4.4 Woven fabrics outer wears 1,000num 63,984 57,633 -9.9 68,421 60,539 -11.5 16,805 17,087 1.7 Underwears* 1,000num 84,747 79,437 -6.3 90,351 84,558 -3.7 5,571 6,335 13.7 Hosiery 1,000num 350,387 327,388 -6.6 575,335 560,975 -2.5 118,793 130,131 9.5 Other textiles Futon sheet 5,888,249 4,780,238 -18.8 5,790,259 4,937,336 -14.7 257,552 234,908 -8.8 Tufted carpets m2 77,335,737 74,651,653 -3.5 79,095,924 74,601,258 -5.7 5,758,480 6,328,966 9.9 Nonwoven fabrics* t 340,142 338,540 -1.3 325,641 325,925 -0.8 20,469 21,739 6.3 Knit fabrics t 84,701 82,133 -3.0 83,855 81,714 -2.6 3,669 3,609 -1.6 Export performance of Japan's textile and apparel industry (Source: Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry of Japan) *Notes : 1. Shipments - "Dyeing and Finishing processes" is inventories at the end of previous month + production in the month - inventories at the end of month. 2. Inventory - Producers Inventory. However Inventory of "Dyeing and Finishing processes" is woven fabrics processed or knit fabrics.

Industry News Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand and Vietnam. Moving to a greener world Sustainability is another buzzword for Japanese manufacturers and they have made considerable efforts in terms of technology. This January, Teijin Fibers Limited, a Japan-based global polyester polymers, fibers and textiles company and Swany America Corp, a leading manufacturer of ski gloves and mittens, announced the launch of a closed-loop recycling program for used polyester ski gloves. Swany America planned to use Teijin Fiber's Eco Storm, a recyclable, waterproof and breathable material made from recycled fibers, for a new glove in its 2009-2010 winter lineup. Swany also agreed to collect and recycle used products through Teijin Fibers' recycling system, called Eco Circle. Japanese dyers are also known for their ecological commitments. Emiko Katayama, director of Showa, for instance, presented the company's eco-friendly dyeing techniques at the recent Première Vision Pluriel. Ms Katayama said: "It's been ten years since we started employing yarns without chemical products, and over the past four years we have developed a real organic offer... We are the first to have succeeded in applying the cord dyeing process to vegetal products like khaki or indigo. This technique is particularly ecological, because the fluid that is used is completely recyclable, and the variety of colour attained is equal to that of chemical dyes. In terms of bleachings, the process isn't organic because we use ozone, but that is a much less polluting product than chlorine." Eco-fabrics, on the whole, have become a hot product area for Japanese producers. Yuko Watanabe, International Coordinator for JFW-Japan Creations, described sustainability is inevitable in the industry. "The textile business has been greatly affected by the slowing economy. As promoters of quality functional and eco-friendly textiles made in Japan, we are looking to develop our business on a global scale," she said at the recent Interstoff Asia Essential in Hong Kong held in mid-March. Additionally, Japan has also developed and marketed internationally advanced textile machinery from various producers such as Murata Machinery, Shima Seiki, Tajima and Toyota. To the guru of fashion, Japan is known for respecting the traditional culture. Japanese fashion designers, such as Hanae Mori, Issey Miyake, Kenzo and Yohji Yamamoto, have earned their fame internationally with their unique style, often inspired by Japanese aesthetics and cultures, for instance, iconic cherry blossoms and elegant kimono fabrics. Moreover, it is observed that countries in the Middle East experienced a small effect of the global economic crisis and saw consumption rising. Small textile and apparel enterprises in Vietnam are also suggested to produce mid-price products with a unite price of below US$12, which can better suit for general working customers. Vietnam's textile and garment exports turnover reached US$9.1 billion last year, accounting for 96% of the 2008 target (US$9.5 billion). The government considered to lowering the 2009 target from US$9.2 billion to US$9.5 billion. Apparel accessories export grows Vietnamese apparel accessory exports turnover achieved US$833 million in the fiscal year 2008, posting an annual increase of 31%. An official source of MOIT depicted this a remarkable growth comparing to other exporting goods of the country. In December 2008 alone, the export turnover of apparel accessory reached US$88.33 million. By the end of 2008, made-in-Vietnam apparel accessories were marketed in 45 countries and regions around the world, with the US being the biggest buyer at US$235.09 million, followed by Japan at US$74.6 million and Belgium at US$70.62 million. Yarn imports fall 2.4% last year Vietnamese textile and garment industry imported 414,000 tons of yarns in 2008 for production, worth US$788 million in total, with reference to the data of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam. These figures show a drop of 2.4% in volume but a 6.3% increase in value when compared to 2007. The importing price level of yarn saw an 8.8% rise on average last year from all supplying regions; however, there were large fluctuations during last year due to unstable oil prices. Local experts commented that as the industry is generally dependent on imported yarns for production, the price changes in imported yarns will continue to affect the bottom line of garment manufacturers in Vietnam. Governmental assistance in need Vietnamese textile and garment manufacturers expressed their need for financial help from the government as they faced bankruptcy and losses under the global economic crisis. In a meeting with Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) early this year, companies of the Vinatex submitted a proposal to the government outlining three assistance packages, including a plan of VND5,000 billion (US$294 million) to support textile businesses by compensating the bank loan rate. Additionally, the proposal included a package related to giving financial assistance to workers in difficulty and another one worth VND50 billion (US$2.94 million) to promote the textile and apparel industry. Indonesia Exports exceed US$6 billion last year Indonesia's textile and garment exports turnover registered an annual growth of

Industry News 11.4% in value and 13% in volume to reach US$ 6.49 billion in the fiscal year 2008. The Indonesian Textile Association (API) reported increases in almost all textile and garment overseas markets in 2008, including the EU, Middle East and the US in spite of the global economic turmoil. Garment exports to the EU, Middle East and other traditional countries rose 40% from the previous year, while the growth in the US was 1.5%. However, exports to Japan decreased by 3.7%. Indonesia is one of few textile and garment exporting countries, which so far reported to be relatively less affected by the global economic recession and it seemed to be able to maintain growths in the traditional major markets. Industry observers commented that it was because Indonesia had invested substantially (worth US$363 million by investors and IDR255 billion supported by government) to upgrade technologies, machines and production capacity. South Asia India Indian military textile market arouses interests An expanding military force was believed to bring business opportunities to the Indian textile industry, industry chamber said. The Indian military forces planned to add some 1.5 million defense and 1.2 million paramilitary personnel. The country's textile industry thus urged the Indian authorities to favor the domestic sector over import as Indian producers were capable of delivering world-class military gear. In a study conducted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) after consulting with the Defense Research & Development Organization (DRDO) of India, the FICCI said that many materials currently in use were outdated and should be immediately upgraded. The Indian industry chamber believed the government should leverage strengths of the domestic textile industry rather than depending on imports. "When demand for our textile products is weakening in the overseas market, strengthening industry-defense partnership would provide new avenues for Indian textiles," said the industry chamber, estimating that the potential market for textiles in Indian defense was approximately Rs 2,000 crore. Requesting public fundings Demanding a package more specific to the textile sector, the Indian clothing industry requested for a further 2% interest subvention, removal of income tax on exports, an increase in duty drawback rate, and changes in the labour law. "We sent a proposal to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), requesting a specific package for the textile sector," said Rahul Mehta, President of the Clothing Manufacturers' Association of India (CMAI). The Indian government, in a stimulus package announced last December, provided an interest subvention of 2% up to March 2009 for pre- and post-shipment export credit for labour-intensive exports (textiles, leather, marine products), and the small-and-medium-sized-enterprise (SME) sector. Mr Mehta said that industry players were also "seeking reintroduction of the Section 80 HCC in the Income Tax Act for a short period, by which exports can be made income-tax free and gain leverage in the global market in terms of competitiveness." However, it was not yet estimated as to how much this step, if implemented, would cost the exchequer. Product innovation set off Some knitted garment makers in Tirupur, South India, were working on innovative product development to cope with the unfavourable market environment. RBR Garments, producing apparels for men and women, ventured into producing garments out of an imported minerale fibre. "The business is dull now, and we need to experiment with new fibres to stay ahead of the competition," he said. "This fabric makes use of the natural technology derived from minerals," said Shanmuga Sundaram, Managing Director of RBR Garments. New-generation garments made of the new minerale fibre would improve the performance and comfort of fabrics by providing exceptional evaporative cooling, odour resistance and added UV protection. Ideal for producing sportwear, the natural technology in minerale fabrics is permanent and does not wash off or wear out. "The market segment of innovative fibre is small, but we have so far received orders for 50,000 pieces from various companies in the US and UK for the whole of 2009," said Mr Sundaram. These garments are priced 25% more than regular garments due to higher production and development cost. Pakistan Demanding free market access to EU and US After a meeting of a small group of countries failing to agree on agriculture and Non-agricultural Market Access (NAMA) (i.e. industrial products) deals in December 2008, Pakistan aimed to intensify efforts to gain free market access for its textile and apparel goods. The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) planned to pursue the case and Pakistani officials said that the authority was also consulting with the private sector that had expressed satisfaction over the authority's role and WTO agenda. Initially, the WTO cell of the TDAP prepared a NAMA proposal for EU market and planned to also initiate it for the US. Proposed products for free market access included: • "Men's or boys' trousers and breeches of cotton, excluding denim, cut corduroy, knitted or crocheted, industrial and occupational, bib and brace overalls and underpants. • Women's or girls trousers of cotton, not of cut corduroy, of denim or knitted or crocheted, and excluding industrial and

Industry News occupational, bib and brace overalls, briefs and tracksuits bottoms. • Men's or boys' shirts of cotton, knitted or crocheted (excluding night-shirts, T-shirts, singlets and other vests). • Men's or boys' jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, of cotton, knitted, or crocheted (excluding lightweight fine knit roll, polo or turtleneck jumpers and pullovers and wadded waistcoats. Anti-dumping duties against China under criticism The spinning industry of Pakistan strongly objected imposition of provisional anti-dumping duty on import of Chinese polyester staple fibre (PSF). The Pakistani government imposed this February an anti-dumping duty on PSF ranging from zero to 10.44% of the CIF (cost, insurance, and freight) value to provide protection to local manufacturers. The duty would be applicable on PSF into Pakistan originating in and exported from China for a period of six months before coming up with final dumping duties for five years. The PSF is used in woven and knit application to produce textile and apparel products. Strongly reacting to the governments decision, Pakistan's spinning industry commented that the government intervened through Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) when cotton prices fell and imposed anti-dumping duty when weavers imported PSF from abroad to meet rising cost of doing business. Chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Association (APTA), Adil Mehmood, said that the textile makers suffered as they were neither able to obtain cheaper cotton nor cheaper PSF. Promoting energy efficiency The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), the Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore signed a memorandum of understanding to implement sustainable energy conservation programme for the textile industry. The energy management system (EnMS) programme was initiated by the APTMA in cooperation with GTZ (German Technical Cooperation) and Smeda for the training of Energy Managers selected from member mills of APTMA. The programme was launched in October 2008. Under the terms of MoU, the Engineering University planned to provide training facility and related infrastructure to participants of the training programme. Various energy audits conducted by the National Productivity Organisation (NPO), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and other consultants showed that there were prospects to conserve 10%-15% energy by local textile mills. The programme was expected to help the industry achieve higher efficiency, reduce cost of doing business, as well as conserve national resource. Bangladesh German launches biggest foreign investment in country A leading German company set up one of the world's largest textile factories in Gazipur, Bangladesh, with an investment totaling at least US$200 million. Steffen Mohler, marketing and sales director of Multiline Limited, said his company planned to invest US$200 million in a state-of-the-art knit composite manufacturing facility, which would be five times bigger than its nearest local rival. "We have already bought 80 bighas of land in Gazipur and are purchasing another 220 bighas in the same area. It will have 14 factory halls employing more than 10,000 workers once it goes into production in early 2010," said Mohler. The factory would have all the forward and backward linkages -- spinning, weaving, dying and washing and sewing in one compound — along with a three-star hotel to house German technicians, he said. Mohler explained that textile and apparels produced by the country's over 4,000 manufacturers remained the cheapest in the world, prompting most of the world's retailers to set up buying houses in Bangladesh. Bangladesh exported apparel and home textiles worth US$11 billion in the year to June 2008, and Mohler anticipated the figure would double by 2011. Local yarns less attractive than Indian ones Sales of locally made yarn dropped significantly, as downstream producers found Indian yarns cheaper after the recent depreciation of the Indian currency against the US dollar and a slump in apparel demand in the international market. Most of spinning mill owners in Bangladesh thus had an inventory of yarns after buyers turned to lower-priced Indian yarn. Prices of yarn decreased between 57 cents and 58 cents in every pound on the Indian market in recent months, and that is the main reason behind the increase of yarn imports from India, industry observers said. They said that local knitwear and woven industries of Bangladesh found it viable to buy yarn from local sources if their prices are, at best, 15-30 cents lower than the prices in India. However, yarn from India sold at US$2.55 a kg, 25 cents lower than that produced locally, Bangladeshi exporters said. The "30 count" variety of yarn sold at a price ranging from US$2.75 to US$2.80 per kilogram, up from US$2.40 and US$2.45 at the beginning of the current year as Bangladeshi yarn producers faced rising costs of raw materials. Export processing zones gain popularity Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) expected to attract more investments in the country’s Export Processing Zones (EPZs) as it received positive signals from the government to go for expansion. The Bangladeshi government approved to build up another two EPZs this January. When these two EPZs are set up in Feni and in Meghna, the total number of such zones will reach 10. The existing eight EPZs are located in Uttara (Nilphamari), Ishwardi, Adamjee, Mongla, Dhaka,

Industry News Comilla, Chittagong and Karnaphuli respectively. A total of 292 enterprises are in operation in the existing eight EPZs. They produce 17 items including garments, knits and textiles, terry towel, garments accessories, caps, tent and other non-textile products. Of these enterprises, 173 are totally foreign-owned, 48 are joint ventures, and the remaining 71 are owned by local investors. Bangladesh is known to be one of Asia's most competitive production bases due to its cheap and abundant labour force. Currently, 228,932 labourers are working in EPZs: 36% of them are male and the rest are female (64%). In the fiscal year 2007-2008, total investment in EPZs was US$302.19 million, almost double than that of fiscal year 2006-2007 when it was US$152.37 million, the BEPZA official data showed. During the first six months of the current financial year (i.e. July-December 2008), the BEPZA saw an investment of US$74.70 million and at the end of the current fiscal year it would, the officials hoped, be at least equal to that of last fiscal. Prasanta Bhusan Barua, member (Investment Promotion) of BEPZA commented that BEPZA signed agreements with a number of investors worth US$1.4 billion last year. Investors were anticipated to implement their projects phase-by-phase in around three years. Data showed that BEPZA's contribution to national exports increased steadily. In the fiscal year 2007-2008, total export of EPZs was worth US$2.4 billion, 17.22% of the Bangladesh's total export US$14.11 billion. In the fiscal year 2006-2007, total export of EPZs reached US$2.06 billion. In the first half of the current fiscal (up to December 2008), export earnings stood at US$1.26 billion. Sri Lanka Factories close down in tough market Clothing association warned that the future of Sri Lanka's apparel industry was uncertain in 2009, unless the government would introduce policy measures to address issues faced by the export industries. "This is the beginning of the crisis and our order books are full up to March. But we can't predict what will happen thereafter," said Secretary General of the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), Rohan Masakorala. Statistics demonstrated that there was a 4.7% overall growth (turnover) in the apparel exports in 2008, with a 20% growth in the EU market and a 6.7% decline in the US market. These figures, however, did not give the full picture of the export market, which experiencing a rising export volume and significantly declining margins. "Under the global economic crisis, this (export market) is a buyers' market and we can't dictate terms and conditions," he pointed out. Tough market conditions already dampened the industry and some players had closed down or terminated operations. Facing high costs, many companies were unable to accept discounted order prices demanded in the market. Other survivors needed to cut costs down through downsizing its employment, stopping expansion and recruitment plans etc. At the beginning of 2008, there were 350 garment factories in operation and by mid 2008 this had reduced to 320. Today, only 270 are in operation, according to the JAAF statistics. A large apparel manufacturer Sinotex Lanka, for instance, closed down this February. Fashion fairs of Colombo and Dubai join hands Colombo Fashion Week planned a tie-up with Dubai Fashion Week to help project Sri Lanka's fashion design to the international arena. Dubai is an important fashion market in the Middle East and we want our designers retailing there. It's a great honour and a big step, for us to take it forward and the designers to take it beyond," said Ajal vir Singh, Founder and Organiser of Colombo Fashion Week. The tie-up involves one selected designer from Colombo Fashion Week to showcase his collection in the Dubai counterpart and Dubai doing the same. This also involves mutual promotions for the two fashion weeks in Colombo and Dubai. Europe Italian textile machinery sector meets subsiding demands Preliminary year-end 2008 figures for Italy's textile machinery industry register a 18% drop in production compared to the previous year, with a total production value estimated at 2,285 billion euros. This decline affects both Italy's domestic market and export sales, according to Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT). Exports fell from 2,151 billion euros in 2007 to 1,782 billion euros last year. Manufacturing companies in the world's primary markets, which include China, India and Turkey, are currently not investing. There are very few countries in which Italian exports recorded an increase in sales for 2008 (i.e. Brazil and Russia). Italy's domestic market also witnessed a 20% fall in demand for new machinery on an annual basis. During 2008 second half, the order index (2000 = 100 basis) reached only 28.4 points, a 52% drop compared to the same six-month period in 2007, the ACIMIT observed, which did not foresee any reversal of weak demand for the first half of 2009. Access to credit was the primary element among members of ACIMIT. "The main objective of our requests is to get through the current crisis with the entire industry – suppliers, machinery producers, customers – becoming more competitive, and without losing our capital of know-how, both in terms of technology and human resources, which has thus far contributed so significantly to the success of the textile machinery sector and of our "Made in Italy" throughout the world," said Paolo Banfi, President of ACIMIT. For daily news of the textile industry, please visit textile.2456.com

Environmental Watch Eco-conscious buyers drive change Fashion passes, but fabric and pollution do not. "Eco-savvy fashion" choices mean not only reducing post-consumer refuse, but also pre-consumer waste and pollution, Lizette Smook writes An awareness of sustainable textile lifestyle products as well as demand is growing globally. Eco-friendly textiles are becoming a very real alternative in terms of sustainability when compared to normal chemically intensive fabrics based on fossil fuels or natural fibres dyed and finished with chemicals hazardous to the environment. Sustainability can be defined as the continual improvement of business operations to ensure long-term resource availability through environmental, socially sensitive, and transparent performance as it relates to consumers, business partners, and the community. In essence, sustainability is changing the way we do things in order to be more eco-friendly or green. This results in the preservation of the natural resources upon which we depend on. Fashion passes, but fabric and pollution do not. After fashion passes the fabric remains. "Eco-savvy fashion" choices mean not only reducing post-consumer refuse, but also pre-consumer waste and pollution. Progressively, mass retail fashion over the last 10 years have become cheaper and cheaper. Competition increased, markets became more proliferated with more brands appearing targeting the same segments and as a result price wars "kicked-in" with a result of total "non-sustainability". Surveys found that the average US consumer discards in excess of 68 pounds of textiles per annum. The average woman in the UK annually bought 19 items of clothing a decade ago, and this has risen to 34 items in recent years. Among the 1.9 million tonnes of textiles disposed of in 2005 in the UK, some 1.2 million tonnes went into the rubbish bin. There is evidence that attitudes are changing. Recent polls show: • over half (23.1 million) of Britain’s consumers rate the ethical/responsible production of the clothes they buy is important; • three-quarters feel an end to child labour and sweatshops is very important, followed by offering producers a fair price (60%) and • damage caused to the environment (50%). Consumers are also increasingly willing to pay more for more "ethical" products. The growth of the fair trade and organic clothing market is evidence of this trend. Pursuit of eco-friendliness is spreading One of the pioneers was Marks and Spencer (M&S) who kicked off its Plan A, highlights commitments in the areas of climate, waste, sustainable materials, fair partner, and health. The stores were environmentally friendly in that these used less energy and emitted 95% less carbon dioxide. Marks and Spencer also re-labeled all the care instructions on all textile goods: • Marks & Spencer changed the care labels on almost three-quarters of its clothing ranges to lower washing temperatures of 30°C. • The changes are part of a campaign led by The Climate Group to help UK households reduce their carbon emissions. • It's effective on 70% of M&S garments, but it's also economical and better for the environment - saving around 40% of energy on each wash. • If all UK households moved to washing at 30°C, electricity saved could light every street lamp in the UK for 10 months.” Various other retailers followed and today, Levis, Orla Kiely, Guess, etc all have green garments and designers to the like of Karl Lagerfeld is even designing eco. H&M, Timberland, Tesco and Wal-Mart all have notable sustainability objectives. Swedish retailer H&M has eliminated PVC from all clothing and packaging, while US brand Timberland, along with its suppliers, aims to go carbon neutral by 2010 and has boosted investments in solar panels and wind turbines over the past few years. Unitika, a leading Japanese trading company launched the first compostable clothing in 2006. The corn-based fabric can be decomposed by bacteria into water and carbon dioxide when buried in soil. Caption: Consumers are suggested to wash clothes at 30°C or lower to save energy (photo: M&S) Retail scene transforming as climate alters The retail fashion industry has structured its collections and trends around the seasons which provided a safe and clear-cut guide on the

Environmental Watch essential pieces for a wardrobe, evoking excitement and expectations surrounding each new season's key colour, pattern, fabric or style. With erratic and unpredictable weather patterns associated with climate change set to intensify, a new phenomenon known as the “trans-seasonal” wardrobe was born and could be our future. This alleviates some of the wastage, (end of season sales to get rid of stocks) but not enough. The trans-seasonal wardrobe includes styles that allow for dressing all year round, where the message is to dress between the seasons rather than with them. However, some claims on organic fibres are not authentic. Organic cotton, for example, only refers to the fibre content. Organic cotton does not imply the product is good. All "organic cotton" implies is that the cotton grew on a field where no pesticides were used for three years. Studies of consumer claims in North America identified six types of claims that are demonstrably false or that risk misleading intended audiences, namely hidden trade-off, no proof, vagueness, irrelevance, fibbing, and lesser of two evils. Carbon footprint refers to the amount of greenhouse gas (e.g. CO2) used. The carbon footprint of what we do is key, but the environmental/ecological footprint is a priority. How much of the raw material we use has a huge environmental/ecological footprint? If we consider that 80% of the carbon footprint of a textile garment is in the "aftercare" of the garment (how the consumer washes and cares for it), then the environmental/ecological footprint needs to enjoy priority when sourcing or manufacturing. Wider choice of sustainable fibre varieties Hemp By far, the crop with the most potential for eco-friendly textile use is hemp. The ecological footprint of hemp is considerably smaller than that of most other plants considered for their fibres. Hemp plants grow very quickly and densely, eliminating the need for herbicides and artificial fertilizers. It requires no irrigation and is highly pest-resistant. Hemp has naturally long fibres, making it suitable for spinning with a minimum of processing. Hemp fabrics come in a variety of weights and textures. You can purchase fabric or clothing, woven or knit; buy yarn, rope, belts and a wide range of products made of this versatile plant. Wool Wool produced by caring farmers can be a wonderful resource, with a few caveats. Sheep graze plants almost to the dirt, and there is the issue of the manure entering into the water supply. Factory-farmed sheep (as with any factory-farmed animals) may lead a miserable life where handlers are concerned with productivity and speed, including during the shearing process. There is the matter of bleaching the wool to get it white, or dyeing it, but with a responsible eco-friendly manufacturer most of these issues can be overcome. Organic cotton Organic cotton is much more environmentally friendly than the traditional variety without using pesticides during the growing cycle. Usually manufacturers using this plant to make textiles, follow up the process by using natural dyes to further reduce the amount of chemicals dumped into our ecosystem. Even more promising is a new type of cotton that was traditionally grown by the Aztecs - coloured cotton. It does not fade in colour and in fact, gets more vibrant with first few washes. This naturally coloured cotton eliminates the use of dyes altogether, making it highly eco-friendly. Caption: Organic cotton Soy silk Soy silk is made from the by-products of the tofu-making process. The liquefied proteins are extruded into fibres which are then spun, and processed like any other fibre. The high protein content makes it receptive to natural dyes. Corn fibre - fibre from corn starch Ingeo is created by extracting the starch and then sugars from corn, and processing them to make a fiber, which can be spun into a yarn or woven into fabric. Corn fiber is both durable and sustainable. Bamboo Newer manufacturing facilities have begun using technologies to chemically manufacture bamboo fiber that are more benign and eco-friendly. The chemical manufacturing process used to produce lyocell from wood cellulose can be modified to use bamboo cellulose. The fiber is a highly renewable and biodegradable, as well as has natural antibacterial properties. Coconut There is an increased demand in coconut fabrics or fabrics made from the husks of coconuts, which possess good strength and durability as well as the anti-bacterial properties to reduce odors. Recycled and recycleable PET polyester Recycled PET polyester is made from water bottles and is sustainable in that no new fossil fuels are used to make polyester. This textile is used over a wide range of textiles and garments from performance to fashion. There are also recycleable PET polyester, introduced by fiber developers in cooperation with retailers. Sea Cell Sea Cell is a fibre made from kelp with unique properties. Sea Cell improves circulation, heals skin tissue and has many other healing properties. This fibre is hugely in demand in the spa Industry. Lizette Smook is Managing Director of Innovasians Ltd, a Hong Kong-based sourcing company. A further discussion of cleaner production is covered in "Feature Story" on page 24.

Environmental Watch New fabric finishes offer minimal environmental impact DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise launched new products for repellent and soil release finishes for the textile industry that deliver maximum performance with a minimal environmental footprint. Based on short-chain chemistry, DuPont Capstone products for textile finishes provide a step-change reduction in trace impurities below the limit of detection, offering the same or better performance than their predecessors without compromising fluorine efficiency, the company says. Capstone products also meet the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program. For consumers, these products may be identified as DuPont Teflon fabric protector once performance specifications are met by a DuPont licensed fabric mill. The DuPont chemistry for Teflon fabric protector complies with the Oeko-Tex standard 100 and is a Bluesign-approved finish. Fabrics treated with Teflon fabric protector look newer for a longer period, thus allowing consumers to save money and energy due to the need for less frequent laundering and the ability to wash and dry at lower temperatures. New Oeko-Tex criteria come into force The Oeko-Tex Association announced updates of requirements of the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, effective January 1. All limit values and test criteria of the Oeko-Tex certification system are expressed in the unit of measurement "mg/kg" rather than "ppm" (parts per million) to avoid possible confusion. In connection with the REACH-rating of decaBDE (decabromodiphenyl ether) and HBCDD (hexabromocyclododecane) as SVHCs (Substances of Very High Concern), these chemicals are explicitly included in the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 inventory of banned flame retardant substances. The same is true for the less than or equal to 0.1% by mass content limit for the problematic phthalates DEHP (Di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate), BBP (butyl benzyl phthalate), and DBP (dibutyl phthalate) already existing for Oeko-Tex Product classes I and II. This limit is extended to Product class III (garments worn away from the skin) and Product class IV (materials for interior decorating and decorative purposes). The existing heavy metal tests based on eluate with a solution of synthetic perspiration have been added by the total breakdown of both lead and cadmium. Also new in the Oeko-Tex criteria catalogue are tests for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA). Caption: Harmful substances are increasingly restricted in textile researching BASF inkjet inks certified for use in baby clothing The BASF Helizarin EVO P100 range of ink-jet inks has been certified to comply with the highest category of Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Product Class I. This standard applies to all suitable types of cotton fabrics and includes pretreatment with Luprejet EVO. BASF Helizarin EVO P100 ink-jet inks fulfill the most stringent criteria for the Oeko-Tex standard, Class I, and are recommended as suitable for babies and small children. "For our customers, ecological aspects are becoming extremely important in addition to technical printing and quality requirements", said Dr. Gernot Diehlmann, head of the ink-jet business at BASF. Green fashion themed in Shanghai garment fair The Fashion Shanghai exhibition this year named green fashion and European styles as the main theme. Held this March, it introduced a Green Fashion Pavilion for the first time to offer a platform for sourcing eco-friendly textiles, garment and fashion accessories. Organized by the Shanghai Municipal City Government, the event featured eco-friendly fashion collections in line with latest trends. Textiles, garment and raw materials of organic fibers (e.g. cotton and wool), eco-friendly, natural dyeing, and recycling were also showcased. PGI appoints company's first chief sustainability officer PGI announced this February to strengthen its corporate sustainability program and appoint the first chief sustainability officer (CSO). John Heironimus, chief marketing officer for the company, has been appointed to the newly created position of CSO. Mr Heironimus has been with PGI for two years, following an extensive career in various marketing and development roles with consumer products companies, and continues in his current marketing position. The company said that Mr Heironimus would lead the company's increased efforts in sustainability that would include public measurements of the impact its products and operations have on the environment as well as its social responsibility efforts. The company would begin publicly reporting such areas as energy and water usage, and carbon emissions, by issuing a global score card tracking its progress on its website.

Feature Story Keeping in step with cleaner production trend by Michelle Phong In response to the mounting consumers' acceptance of green living, international retailers as well as textile and apparel manufacturers internationally have linked the notion pf sustainability with corporate social responsibility (CSR).They have also derived varied approaches to monitor textile and apparel manufacturing activities, putting emphasis on both environmental and economic returns benefits. H&M green program suggests 40 tactics for suppliers The ascending trend of sustainable consumption has urged retailers to propel manufacturers for greener production. In recent years, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) highlights approaches that bring about environmental gains, cost savings and more efficient use of resources, so as to encourage its fabric suppliers to contribute to cleaner fabric production. Together with BECO and the Wuppertal Institute, H&M produced a tool covering around 40 measures, which can be adopted voluntarily by dyehouses. "Many are directly linked to cost savings and profitability improvements for the mill, making clear the important environmental and financial gains," H&M explains in its 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility report. Eleven fabric mills and 11 vertically integrated suppliers situated in India, China and Bangladesh joined the program in 2007. An early adopter of the H&M's sustainable program in Asia installed a system to separate and reuse caustic soda, H&M reports. The investment in the system paid for itself within two years and the mill now has a closed loop system for caustic soda with no basic waste that would need further chemical treatment. A Bangladeshi supplier entering into a cleaner production agreement with H&M in 2006 implemented 11 of the cleaner production programme measures in 2007. By using alternative dyes and chemicals, it decreases the use of water, salt and the number of times the fabric needs to be washed. The supplier also replaced the factory's 2,200 light bulbs for low-energy bulbs, and took measures to capture and reuse heat from pipes, machines, heaters and water to significantly reduce energy use and save on costs. The call of retailers is converged with a more active response from the supplier side. Taiwanese Everest measures, monitors and books costs to the earth Taiwan-based Everest Textile in past two years created its own "Everest Sustainability Model (ESM)" to realize its environmental CSR through a series of strategic actions on energy savings, environmental protection and the love for earth taken in its three production plants across Taiwan, Shanghai and Thailand. The company became a member of the Taiwan Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD-Taiwan) in 2007 and co-announced the "168 declaration" with 13 members of BCSD-Taiwan to show their support and determination on sustainability. Greener production is an integral part of Everest Textile's sustainability model. The company looked into its products' environmental impacts along the entire lifecycle in the manufacturing process. In the "Everest Sustainability Model" report published in April 2008, the company reported to have assessed raw materials, dyes and auxiliaries with reference to the restricted substances list (RSL) of different buyers and retailers. It also established relevant references for procurement of raw materials. In process optimization, Everest Textile reduced dyes and auxiliaries, optimized formula to minimize the environmental impact, and enhanced cost efficiency by lowering energy and water consumption. Process experiments were conducted to determine the optimal process and chemical dosage. It also replaced dryers with dehydrators to reduce heat and energy consumption and enhanced the reuse rate of water in the color-fastening stage. More considerations have been given in post-production packaging. Product re-design has also been conducted. Moreover, Everest Textile established quantifiable indicators to examine its achievement in cleaner production. It also joined "bluesign" in 2007 to ensure its processes and outputs meet international standards in such areas as resource productivity, consumer safety, air emission, water emission, and occupational health and safety. Thirdly, the company founded its own eco-efficiency indicators, with reference to definitions given by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These indicators are based on the general input-output formula: Eco-efficiency indicator = (Value of product and service produced / Environmental impacts) Everest Textile uses these indicators to track the correlation between sales turnover and water resource, energy, electricity consumption and waste, and most importantly, water consumption

Feature Story for producing every ton of fabric by a ratio of water used after dyeing and finishing to fabric. "Sustainability is a critical factor determining the competitive edge of enterprises. Obtaining the bluesign award is a beginning of eco-protection. Everest will continue devoting itself to save energy, to reduce wastes and ultimately to achieve zero emission in Everest's three plants, as we assume our corporate responsibility and preserve the environment in the future," said Roger Yeh, President of Everest Textile. Period Plant Taiwan plant Shanghai plant Thailand pland December 2008 111 124 133 May 2007 131 149 151 May 2006 207 200 248 Water-to-fabric ratios recorded by factories of Everest Textile [Unit: Weight of water usage (tons) / fabric produced (tons)] To further integrate the notion of environmental protection into the business decision-making process, Everest Textile introduced an environmental accounting system, which also helps cope with various regulatory requirements on environmental protection. Seven categories of environment-related investments are identified: • Operating and recurrent costs, • Costs associated with upstream and downstream activities, • Environmental management cost, • Related R&D cost, • Related social activity cost, • Environmental loss cost, and • Environmental taxes and fees. Expenses and investments incurred due to pollution prevention, environmental protection and resource recycling are also booked and disclosed in the company's financial accounts. Lower carbon footprint attained A lower carbon footprint is another target area in eco-friendlier production. Representative of the ESM team at Everest Textile told ATA Journal that the company brought down energy consumption some 20% in 2007 and subsequently another 10% in 2008, through adjusting the manufacturing process, machinery modification and heat recovery. With various energy-saving strategies in place, the company succeeded in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by 15,154 tons in 2007 and 8,667 tons in 2008 compared to the respective previous years. The two-year emission reduction is equivalent to what 3,000 Taiwanese households would have generated in a year. The company also invested in cleaner power generation, cutting down averaged monthly GHG emissions from 16,768 tons in 2006 to 14,859 tons in 2008. Everest Textile is delighted with achievements made in cleaner production. Moving forward, it has planned to intensify greener product development this year. More international organizations and research institutes are also eager to help Asian manufacturers put into practice environmental protection as much as possible. NGOs explain how to conduct cleaner production assessment The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) refers cleaner production as a preventive business strategy designed to conserve resources, mitigate risks to humans and the environment, and promote greater overall efficiency through improved production techniques and technologies. It is more than a mere end-of-pipe treatment, i.e. treatment of air emissions, wastewater and solid waste. Manufacturers can reduce pollution load with end-of-pipe treatment, but they do not usually recover the lost raw materials or optimize the resource use. End-of-pipe treatment, therefore, is often expenditure, whereas cleaner production potentially can bring more economic benefits. To start with, a cleaner production assessment is needed before a manufacturer can map out what to do to implement eco-friendlier production, according to the Viet Nam Cleaner Production Centre (VNCPC) suggests. Established in Vietnam, the VNCPC is a member of the UNIDO/UNEP network of national cleaner production centers. Key areas in eco-friendlier production Objectives More efficient & less polluting production Strategies • Waste minimization • Pollution prevention • Green productivity Approaches • Substituting different materials • Modifying processes • Upgrading equipment • Redesigning products Benefits • Reductions in energy and materials used bring direct savings in production costs • Lower costs incurred with less waste generated • New and improved market opportunities can be available as more international retailers and buyers are interested in greener textile and apparel products • Company more competitive • Enhanced corporate image • Cleaner production is often associated with better factory floor management, occupational health and safety conditions for employees Source: UNEP and VNCPC

Feature Story A top-down approach with company management's commitment is needed to drive a thorough review of production operation and subsequent changes to reduce the environmental footprint of manufacturing activities of the company. In addition, awareness-raising and training programs may be needed for general staff so that they will support and follow new measures required in the implementation stage. Experts in the UNEP advise a cleaner production (CP) team should be set up and decide the scope and emphasis of a cleaner production assessment (CPA). The entire process flow is under review to identify problem areas and good practices. It indicates the housekeeping status of the enterprise as well. In the next step, detailed material and energy balances should be made to provide a quantitative recording of material and energy inputs and outputs. Material balances provide an inventory of material flows (raw materials, chemicals, water, energy and etc.) entering and leaving a manufacturing company. Costs are assigned to waste streams identified. Here, biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), concentration in liquid wastes and other material content are monetized. The CP team then needs to find out reasons behind the existing situation and possible solutions. Identifying practicable options The UNEP advises that preventive options without generating wastes are more desirable than measures to recycle/reuse wastes. • Waste reduction at source - Good housekeeping - Better process control - Material substitution - Equipment modification - New process technology • Recycling - On-site recovery and reuse - Creation of by-products • Product modification - Improving the products - Changing packaging Feasibility of these options should be analyzed in technical, environmental and economic aspects, and the CP team can identify possible options and categorize them into a) directly implementable, b) need further study, and c) rejected. After feasibility analysis and economic evaluation of different options are made, a cleaner production action plan can be drawn up for implementation, monitoring, as well as result assessment and reporting. "Cleaner" machinery — users' experiences Equipment modification is one way to reduce wastes at the source and more machinery builders are responding to market needs by deliberately designing systems that consume less resources, especially in terms of energy and water. An energy-saving solution with an industrial yarn (IDY) machine is suggested by Oerlikon Barmag. It explains that the main energy consumption generally relates to the following components: extruder drive (21% of overall consumption), spinning section (15%), take-up drive (25%) and godet heating (35%). The extruder drive offers considerable savings potentials. "We have reduced this consumption by using motors made from superior materials and with an increased copper ratio and hence higher conductivity and optimized ventilation technology, for example", explains Arnulf Sauer, Head of Electronics & Software at Oerlikon Barmag. An Oerlikon Barmag 17E10/24D (175-mm Ø) type extruder can save 3.6 kW per hour this way. When calculated over a whole year of operation, totaling 8,400 hours, this represents a saving of more than 30,000 kWh – so, about US$ 3,800 at US$ 0.10 per kWh. Hence, the extruder reaches the ROI point in less than one year, the company says. In the area of water use, advanced and relatively water-saving systems are on offer by various machinery builders, such as Fong's, Monforts and Thies. Textured Jersey based in Sri Lanka introduced airflow dyeing techniques with Thies Luft Roto Plus last year to solve the issue of creasing and enhance its competitiveness. "The Thies Airflow technology with liquor rates of 1:4 and 1:5 provides us with a competitive edge over other local manufacturers experiencing larger water consumption, increased costs and three times the quantity of chemicals, plus of course a larger effluent content," said Shehan Witharana, General Manager – Operations, Textured Jersey. The company previously worked with 180-280 gsm fabrics weights, and is now able to work as low as 100 gsm. Production increased to 2.1 million m/month and expected to rise further to 2.5 million metres by this March. Caption: Shehan Witharana Caption: Factory floor of Textured Jersey Devanlay, the sole supplier of finished fabrics for the Lacoste

Feature Story brand of apparel, also makes use of Luft-roto Plus to reduce consumption of water at the plant, and improve productivity and reproducibility as well, according to Jean-Christophe Tripier, a knitting and dyehouse manager at Devanlay. Thies describes Luft-roto Plus system is a development in short liquor ratio dyeing technology, meeting today's demands for environmental friendly and cost effective production. Huamei Thread Company Limited in Ningbo, Zhejiang province of China, adopts the Allwin package dyeing machines of Fong's that requires a very low liquor ratio, thus consuming less dyestuff, steam, water and help the enterprise to achieve ecological benefits. Huamei Thread is a Sino-American joint venture between Ningbo Veken Elite Group and American & Efird (A&E). "The social responsibility is also one of the key issues that the enterprisers in China should take account into their business operations. The success of environmental protection and product quality control hinges not on the government-led regulations, but on overall attitude change within the industrial sector," said Richard Yuen, Group Vice President (Manufacturing–Asia) of A&E, who added that such an attitude change will translate into more companies seeing these problems as potential business opportunities. Ready-made garment makers in Asia may be interested in new eco-friendly ways to achieve shrinking of textile fabrics. A redesigned compressive shrinkage sanforisor for both woven (Monfortex) and knitted (Toptex) fabrics was introduced by A. Monforts, offering reduced water consumption for cooling and substantial time savings for blanket changes, as well as increased residual shrinkage and higher production speeds. Thomas Päffgen, Senior Technologist Sanfor Ranges, A. Monforts, explains that water consumption is reduced by 40% to 1.8 m3/h with the new Sanforisor system. Greener textile processing is also crucial in reducing environment footprint of textile manufacturing. Cotton Incorporated from the USA, for instance, has developed a new bleaching procedure that lowers the environmental impact in cotton wet processing applications. Typical process time for conventional bleaching method is 95-100 minutes, however, the typical process time for this new rapid bleaching method is 70-75 minutes. The new technique is applicable to all batch operations including garment, package and jet machines, as well as continuous processing, yet require no additional cost or machinery to perform. Caption: Richard Yuen

Market Focus Specialty fabrics fill niches in healthcare market In addition to rapid technological advances have been driving the global medical textile market, as Sanjay Gupta observes, other factors, including global population increase, rising awareness over hygiene, and protective measures to avoid contamination and infection in hospitals are inspiring the market Technical textiles and nonwovens are estimated to constitute half of all spending in Asia's textile segment. For two decades, China's technical textile consumption has grown by more than 10% annually, and is expected to total five million metric tons by 2010. Nonwoven consumption has grown by an astounding 30% per year and expected to reach approximately two million metric tons by 2010. Demand for technical textiles and nonwovens was earlier fuelled by the 2008 Beijing Olympics and now the World Expo to be held in Shanghai in 2010. Chinese government's plans for construction of new rural roads, in addition to agriculture, medical treatment and housing improvements is stimulating the growth even further. The Indian technical textile industry was estimated to be worth US$6 billion in 2006 and projected to reach US$7.5 billion by 2010, registering an annual growth of 11.51%. A governmental working group for the Indian 11th Five-Year Plan has projected the market size of technical textiles to grow at about 15% per annum and reach US$13 billion by 2011-12. The medical textiles segment is anticipated to grow at 12%, manufacturing sanitary napkins, incontinence diapers, baby diapers, surgical dressings, healthcare textiles, sutures, medical devices and implants. Turkey, where Southwestern Asia meets Southeastern Europe, is also showing high growth rates in this segment. Imports of technical textiles grew from US$265 million in 2000 to US$625 million in 2006. Exports more than doubled in the period reaching US$847 million in 2006. Medical fabric market relatively bright Among other areas in the technical textile sector, the segment of medical textiles is one of the fastest growing segments in the global technical textiles market. Medical textiles are broadly segmented into the following: • Implantable materials include sutures, vascular prostheses, artificial joints, and scaffolds; • Extracorporeal devices like artificial kidney, artificial lung, artificial liver, etc; wound-care products such as absorbent pads, dressings, bandages and plasters (that are classified as non-implantable medical textiles); • Other textile products, e.g. protective gowns, gloves, operating-room drapes, masks, wipes, incontinence diapers, and shoe covers. They also form a part of non-implanted textile materials but are segmented under healthcare and hygiene products along with bedding, mattresses and so forth. Most of wound care, healthcare or hygiene products are pre-fabricated ready-to-use textile products are made of bio-compatible skin-friendly fibres with some inherent properties and added functionalities. The functionalities are added in the form of a specialty finish to the fibre, yarn, fabric or the product itself via coating, spraying or padding route. The finish to be applied may have an auxiliary function or may be an integral part of the whole product. Properties like hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, alcohol repellency, nano-porosity, water density, medicine release can be imparted. These products can also be made "interactive" through the use of phase-change materials (thermo-regulation), shape-memory materials, thermochromic dyes, reaction triggered by change of temperature, pH-value and electro active influences, microencapsulation of specific agents, and transdermal / active substance-coated textiles and more. Nursing wounds with specialty fabrics Surgical dressings are primarily used for protection against infection, absorbing blood and exudates, promoting healing, or simply to apply medication to the wound. They are expected to be soft, pliable, protect wound from further injury, easily applicable and removable, sterile, lint free and non-toxic. They are, therefore, usually made from highly absorbent fibres, polymer coatings or composite fabrics. Fibers like collagen, alginate and chitin also have proven effectiveness in healing of wounds. The dressings come in a variety of styles and sizes for all parts of the body. Some categories are low-adherence, impregnated gauze, alginate, hydrocolloid, hydrogels,

Market Focus Application areas of technical textiles Market size of 2006-07 as per ECTT (Rs crores) Anticipated growth rate* (%) Projected market size1 of 2011-12 (Rs crores) Medical and healthcare e.g. Sanitary napkins, diapers, medical devices & implants 1280.32 12 2256.36 Construction e.g. Hoardings / signages, scaffolding nets, awnings and canopies, tarpaulins. 1415.43 15 2846.94 Home e.g. jute carpet backing fabric, stuffed toys 1628.74 16 3420.91 Industry e.g. Conveyor belts, hoses, ropes, filtration 1253.35 12 2208.83 Geotextiles e.g. textiles for civil and geotechnical engineering. 1688.91 15 3397.00 Agriculture e.g. Fishing nets and covers for crops 417.77 8 613.84 Clothing e.g. Shoe laces, narrow fabrics 7988.73 12 14078.87 Packaging e.g. Polyolefin woven sacks. 5785.93 20 14397.25 Automobiles e.g. Seat belts, nylon tyre cord fabric, headliners and insulation felts 1613.53 15 3245.39 Sports e.g.Sports composites, sleeping bags, parachute fabrics 1906.36 12 3359.66 Protective e.g. Fire retardant textiles, ballistic protective clothing 1027.11 17 2251.89 Environment control e.g. municipal solid waste, industrial hazardous waste. 69.91 12 123.21 Total 26076.09 14.94 52200.13 Note: 1Market sizes of different technical textile application areas in 2011-12 are projected with the anticipated growth rates* Source: Working Group on Textiles and Jute Industry for the Indian 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-2012) vapour permeable adhesive film, polyurethane foam, zinc paste, and iodine containing dressing. 3M Healthcare, BSN Medical, Elder, and Shanghai Xindong Medical Material Company are some innovative manufacturers in this area. A vapour permeable adhesive wound dressings, for example, consist of a layer of absorbent gauze or foam layer, supported on an adhesive, coated and semi-permeable backing sheet. The absorbent layer serves to absorb wound exudates and the adhesive-coated margin of the backing sheet extends outwardly for attachment by adhesion to the skin surrounding the wound. A zinc paste dressings, on the other hand, can consist of zinc oxide, glycerin, water, a preservative and a natural substance like gelatin, alginates, or agar as binder. About 160g/m2 of this mix would be applied in a conventional coating plant to a gauze bandage of 10cm wide and having 20 threads and a selvedge. The coated product is wound on a polystyrene core, wrapped in wax paper, and wrapped in polyethylene-coated aluminum foil before being fused. The latest addition to the wound dressings is those with an antimicrobial agent such as iodine, ionic silver, silver plus charcoal or polyhexamethyl biguanide (PHMB) incorporated into foams, hydrocolloids, alginates, and fibres. Silver containing dressings where silver cations are released into the wound as they absorb or come in contact with wound exudate are the most popular. Bandages are mostly used to hold a surgical dressing in place over the wound and can be woven, knitted or nonwoven, and either elastic or non-elastic. Bandages can be used for light support where elasticity obtained by weaving crepe yarns with high twist content is used for managing sprains or strains; or for exerting a certain amount of compression for treatment and prevention of deep vein thrombosis, or as orthopedic cushion used under plaster casts. Compression bandages can provide padding and prevent discomfort. Bandages have themselves evolved into advanced dressings for wounds and burns enabling direct delivery of antibiotic and other drugs to the affected parts of the body. Some incorporate agents to quickly stop blood loss. Recent advances include those from USA-based Battelle Memorial Institute, Ethicon, Perlei Medical, Quick-Med Technologies, and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, as well as from Comvita (New Zealand), ConvaTec (UK), Imedex Biomatériaux (France), and Nycomed (Norway). Meanwhile, moisture-curing resins and glass fibres offer a lightweight and more comfortable alternative to plaster of Paris. Recent advances have been introduced by BSN Medical in Germany, Ossur of Iceland, and Japan's Alcare. Caption: Comvita's wound care products (left) is naturally anti-bacterial with absorbent alginate (seaweed) fibres; and Elder offers those with a water-repellent contact layer

Market Focus Minimizing infection with healthcare fabrics Healthcare and hygiene products are either used for the purpose of protecting healthcare professionals from contamination by blood and other infectious fluid or more commonly, in hospital wards for the care and hygiene of the patient. Several studies have found that personnel in contact with contaminated textiles, or the presence of contaminated textiles themselves in hospitals, are an important source of endogenous, indirect-contact, and aerosol transmission of nosocomial-related pathogens. According to a report hospital-acquired infections in England cost the National Health Service in the region of ₤1 billion each year. At least 5,000 patients die of complications from infections contracted in hospitals, and about 9% (or 300,000) of hospitalized patients in the UK have an infection that they did not have before they arrived. In USA, hospital infections kill 60,000 to 80,000 people a year at an average annual cost of US$6 million per hospital. Products with antimicrobial, odour absorbing, temperature regulating, blood repelling and anti-allergic properties are finding their way in hospitals. A number of manufacturers are producing antimicrobial gowns (scrubs), clothing, sheets and pillows using bacteriostatic and bacteriocidal type of agents that keep bedding cleaner and prevent foul odour. SilPure, a nano-silver-based treatment that claims to prevent bacterial growth and bad smells is widely being used for antimicrobial scrubs, bed sheets and pillows. Antimicrobial propensity of metals and metal salts has been attributed to their ability to deactivate proteins. Cupron healthcare products incorporating copper's antimicrobial properties is such a product. In addition, Vanson HaloSource has introduced HaloShield technology based on N-Halamine molecules that attract and bind chlorine on the bed linen fabric. Bacteria and viruses coming in contact with chlorine in the fabric are killed instantly. CMI Enterprises has taken into market Nanocide Antimicrobial that kills 99.9% of resistant Staphylococcus germs that come in contact with it within 30 minutes. It is claimed that Nanocide Antimicrobial-treated fabrics can free environment of contamination, and subsequent patient infection from seating and bedding upholstery material in hospitals, clinics, dental offices, and nursing homes. Increase in the overall population as well as in ageing population will create more demand in future. Other factors like the change in living standards of people; enhanced purchasing power of consumers; rise in awareness about the various health risks and health threats from blood-borne diseases and air-borne pathogens; privatization of healthcare and health insurance; medical tourism; and availability of better quality products will drive the market in future. Dr Sanjay Gupta is Professor of Textile Design and Development at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India

Machinery Technology Spinning sector looks for niches and higher efficiency Shaded by the global economic slowdown, both the suppliers and users of textile machinery are trying to identify rising trends and less crowded market segments. Industrial textiles and compact spinning are among the areas for attention by Staff Reporters Industrial textiles as a niche market With the advancing global industrialization, and expansion of local infrastructures in such counties as India, Russia and China, geotextiles is considered as a market niche or a less crowded market. In this segment, various customized products are available for differing applications. One of these highly specialized products is geogrids, for example, woven or non-woven and coated structures made from high-modulus polyester filaments, according to Oerlikon Barmag. Geogrids are used to improve stability and strength of the soft, poorly load-bearing ground and slopes both for asphalt roads and unsupported construction sites and forest paths. Bridging critical points using geogrids is often less expensive and more durable than conventional measures such as replacing the soil or installing stabilizing pylons. Geogrids can be used for reinforcing dams and embankments in road and railway construction. Geogrids permit the building of stable, precipitous embankments. At the same time, they are durable as they generally have a lifecycle of several decades. The starting product for geogrids is industrial polyester yarns with medium titers of between 2000 and 3000 denier. To absorb high tensile forces, i.e. to stretch only minimally when subjected to loads, these multi-filaments must have a high degree of dimensional stability – or a high modulus of elasticity, Oerlikon Barmag says. The yarns are plied into bundles and woven or made into wide-meshed grids using warp-knitting technology. The mesh width varies depending on the requirement, but lies between 15 and 30 mm in the case of most commercial geogrids. In sandy grounds, this open, tensile structure is interlaced with the ground or the fill, hence increasing the load bearing capacity. In a final step, the polyester grid is coated. A PVC mantle provides grids with stability and long-term protection against mechanical damage and aggressive soils. For asphalt surfacing applications, coating reinforces the adhesion of geogrids between layers of asphalt by means of a bitumen emulsion. To meet the market demand, Oerlikon Barmag Engineering introduced a complete system for geogrids, starting with solid state postcondensation (SSP) and its spinning plants all the way through to the coating machine. Caption: Heavy denier yarns can be spun by industrial yarn machines of Oerlikon Barmag One example of Oerlikon Barmag's solutions is a heavy denier and super heavy denier machine concept, which is designed to produce up to dtex 13,300 per winding position. These lines can produce such deniers as dtex 2,200, 3,300, 4,400 and 6,600. Beside the primary application in the geotextile or geogrid reinforcement, the yarn is also used for lifting slings, ropes and etc. Such applications mainly require high-tenacities and adhesive finishes. One of the main advantages is that such heavy deniers can be simultaneously produced on the spin-drawing winding machine without later plying in a further, downstream process. This machine can be equipped with Oerlikon Barmag's latest godet development, the HFpower (HFp) godet, in order to meet the high drawing and shrinkage forces needed for these products. The HFp godet, Oerlikon Barmag explains, combines an extremely high drawing force of 320 N and a withholding force of 5,000 N with a length of 535 mm and a diameter of 250 mm. Such technical features are essential for the production of high denier ranges such as four times dtex, 3,300 or dtex 13,300 total. Oerlikon Barmag says its technologies allow users to enjoy high per-unit production capacities, while lowering per-thread investment and the per-kilogram operating costs of produced yarn. The company has also introduced an innovative EvoQuench quenching system, opening up ways to manufacture new FDY quality products. A single spinneret suffices to manufacture products with a high number of filaments, e.g. 150f288 denier. Another method using DIO (double-in-one) spin packs offers improved efficiency and productivity.

Machinery Technology The EvoQuench system can manufacture medium-complex FDY products efficiently. It also allows the possibility to produce high-end flat yarns that until now has required extremely elaborate processes or has not been possible at all. "This paves the way towards higher-value products and hence offers the opportunity to add new impetus to the fiercely-competitive markets and to exploit machines to a greater extent", says Detlev Schulz, process engineer responsible for FDY processes at Oerlikon Barmag. Gaining from compact spinning Compact spinning technology is another area textile machinery suppliers have worked on to explore more efficient and potentially more profitable way of spinning. Elite CompactSet V5, an upgraded version developed by Suessen, is a flexible and versatile compact spinning system in the market, and it can be applied to new machines by the OEM or retrofit to different ring spinning machines. It also provides universal applicability of components and structural groups, improved yarn quality, extended service life, less maintenance and maximum operational reliability in industrial application. According to Suessen, the system can be used to accommodate with various business strategies of mill owners: • Quality improvement • Optimised utilisation of fibre substance (raw material) • Production increase • Substitution of products (carded instead of combed material) • Cost saving in raw material Suessen also outlines a number of benefits brought by the use of compact spinning. Caption: Suessen explains benefits attainable by Elite CompactSet system (above) Advantages for yarn • Tenacity increased by up to 25% • Zweigle hairiness (fibres exceeding 3 mm) reduced by up to 85%, Uster (H) hairiness reduced by up to 30% • Elongation increased by 15% to 20% • Work capacity increased by up to 50% • Yarn irregularity often improved • IPI imperfections frequently reduced significantly Advantages in spinning • Optimum utilisation of fibre substance • Substantially improved spinning stability • Possibility of reducing yarn twist by up to 10% with corresponding production increase • Ends-down rate reduced by up to 60% • Fewer fibres/inexpensive raw material • Fibre loss reduced up to 0.01% • Fibre fly definitely reduced Automatic winding solutions meet market needs Also developed to meet market trends is Savio's Polar/I - Direct Link System. The trend of linking ring frames with automatic winders is getting increasingly popular in low-labour-cost countries as the link solution gives the possibility of total quality monitoring of yarns, Savio notes. Caption: Savio's Polar/I - Direct Link System Main features offered by the Polar/I system are: • Uninterrupted movement of bobbins from the ring-frame to the winder • A new designed yarn finder station to increase efficiency • Possibility of additional 2° and 3° yarn finder stations • Easy front access to yarn finder stations which are located along the machine sections • New intelligent "Savio Bobbin Identification System" to remove identified yarn defects.

Machinery Technology The incoming bobbins are guided to the yarn finder station to be prepared for the following winding process, and then delivered to the winding heads. The end finder station is positioned along the winding heads housing, in order to allow a full operator monitoring and friendly intervention. The machine can be equipped with additional 2nd and 3rd station, bringing the feeding capacity of up to 2700 bob/hour, depending on requirements for longer ring frames. Each winding head has two spare bobbins in addition to the one under process with straight vertical yarn path. In case of the optional request of "Spindle Identification System", an auxiliary station is provided to remove defective yarn from bobbin, Savio says. Innovative winding and rotor spinning technologies In the field of winding and splicing technology, the Autoconer 5 is another recent advancement made by Oerlikon Schlafhorst. Its high productivity and reproducible package quality are outstanding features, the company describes. The new Preci FX drumless yarn traversing system from Oerlikon Schlafhorst makes it possible to use drumless yarn traversing for processing of bobbins. Caption: Preci FX drumless yarn traversing system of Oerlikon Schlafhorst Additionally, the Autocoro technology can be used in rotor spinning. The Autocoro S 360 is depicted by Oerlikon Schlafhorst as the only semi-automatic rotor spinning machine worldwide. The system realises rotor speeds of up to 130,000 rpm and take-up speeds of up to 230 m/minute in practice. It also features a new DigiPiecing piecing technology to achieve high quality. For wool processors, Oerlikon Schlafhorst highlights its Zinser CompACT³ system, which provides performance features such as an adjustable yarn structure, a separate compact vacuum and the self-cleaning compact units. The system also scores in terms of economy due to a significantly reduced outlay on cleaning and maintenance, the company concludes.

Material Technology New uses of elastic fibres under exploration by Adrian Wilson Strong investments over the past couple of years in added capacity for elastic fibres – generally referred to as either spandex (mainly in the USA), or related branded products such as Lycra now marketed by Invista – means that at the moment, either profit margins are falling, or new end-use markets are being found. Growth of capacity The global capacity of elastic fibers was 360,000 tonnes in 2007 and this was sold out. In less than two years ago, the total production volume of elastic fibres was put at 385,000 tonnes. However, Invista – as the manufacturer of Lycra following its purchase of DuPont's textile interests – has recently expanded its US plant at Waynesboro in the US, and also invested over US$100 million to add a further 12,500 tonnes of capacity in China. Hyosung, the second biggest manufacturer – after buying fellow South Korean operation Tongkook at the end of 2006 and adding a further 6,000 tonnes of capacity – has gone on to build further significant capacity in China, Korea, Vietnam and Turkey. Hyosung's current capacity is now 92,000 tonnes, having stood at 54,000 tonnes in 2005. On top of this, significant investments have been made in other plants in China, putting its production potential way above the 190,000 tonnes the country produced in 2007. There is much more capacity now than there was a couple of years ago. Bearing in mind that only a small percentage of elastic fibres go into any garment (usually about 5% in the yarn blend), this means that in order to avoid an overcapacity situation again – only five or six years ago, elastic fibres couldn't be given away at cost – new markets have to be developed. Targeting upscale buyers One field where added stretch can add much to both aesthetics and comfort is in denim, and in recent months Invista has been showcasing the many new design possibilities opened up by the use of Lycra – going as far as the Laura Bennett EcoChic ballroom gown showed at the Denim by Première Vision in Paris last December. Lycra fibre is well known for providing cotton-rich aesthetics and 20% or more fabric stretch, with good recovery and consistency, while Invista's latest Xfit Lycra offers an even wider window of fit, comfort and custom-like shaping. It also provides an authentic denim look and feel, with minimal shrinkage. Xfit is finding favour with leading brands such as True Religion, J Brand, La Perla Jeans and Trussardi. "We decided to develop a denim collection, leveraging our brand identity in new applications," explained Sandro Bicego, brand director at La Perla Jeans. "The opportunity to use Xfit Lycra fabric allowed us to give strong orientation to the performance of the product, in keeping with the tradition of our core intimate apparel business." Caption : Laura Bennett's EcoChic ballroom gown featuring Lycra shown at the recent Denim by Première Vision "We find Xfit is best in styles where the performance of the fabric works for the silhouette and we use this new fibre in all of our fashionable, high-waisted jeans," added Jeff Rudes of J Brand. "Our customers used to rely on low rise jeans for comfort but thanks to this technology, they no longer have to. The four-way performance of the fibre makes our jeans more comfortable and the results at retail have been excellent." T400 fibre, meanwhile, provides relaxed stretch (generally 20% or less), minimal shrinkage a wide range of aesthetics – from natural, formal and clean to highly distressed – and lasting fit. "With T400 fibre we can design jeans which maintain their performance after washing and even after several months of wear," says Antonio Zatti, of leading denim brand Diesel. "They do not lose their shape or bag out at the knees and waist, and they retain their original colour and have a rich, cottony touch." During 2008, Invista also introduced T400 Black, since dark denim is now a staple in most women's wardrobes. For the fabric to stand the test of time, however, the colour must resist fading away. The new T400 Black fibre is made black at the fibre spinning stage, making the colour permanent. When incorporated into denim fabrics, it offers a variety of benefits including darker, richer colours, the elimination of grin through or glitter and improved colour retention after wear.

Material Technology "The T400 Black fibre allows designers to create garments that offer comfort, style and fit, as well as a long-lasting colour," said Jean Hegedus, Invista's global marketing director for denim. A sometimes overlooked area where stretch can be a critical factor is in the seams, especially in performance sportswear and intimate apparel. All too often, elasticity can be provided in the fabric of a garment, only for an unnecessary feeling of restriction to result from rigid seamwork for the wearer. Employing elastane yarns in the seams too, during making-up of the garment, is an obvious solution. However, opening up wider possibilities – in respect of both new design possibilities and added comfort for the wearer – is the use of adhesive films and tapes. Since the introduction of its Sewfree range in 2001, US company Bemis has collaborated with brands, fabric suppliers, contractors and machine manufacturers to foster the growth of welded garment technology. The full potential of this is best illustrated by the record-breaking Speedo LZR swimsuit which employed a number of specially-formulated Bemis adhesive bonding sections to enhance both its aesthetics and performance. The LZR is perhaps so far the ultimate in a garment that conforms fully to every slight movement of the body and Bemis has just commercially introduced a new stretch and recovery bonding tape, type 3428/22μm, to the market. For outdoor performance apparel meanwhile, Epic technology by Nextec is designed to make stretch fabrics both wind and rainproof, as well as breathable and air permeable, while at the same time retaining any original elasticity. The process involves infusing a near-invisible silicone polymer into the fabric so that the face is left exposed, maintaining the original touch and look. The yarns are encapsulated and the air spaces are filled with silicone. This process is permanent and even strengthens the fabric. Epic can deliver this all weather performance to a huge range of woven fabrics from cotton to silk, linen to wool, polyester to nylon, viscose to poly/cotton, and even to denim. Protected by 51 patents worldwide, the Epic encapsulating technology by Nextec is now being produced in the United States by Nextec for the military sector and by Argo Manunggal Textiles in Indonesia for both sports and workwear. Easy-care clothing appeals to frequent flyers Also for sportswear, leading German shirt maker CasaModa has introduced durable, non-iron smart-casual sports shirts with Dow XLA stretch fibre to its Premium range. XLA is billed as the only stretch fibre that can support a true non-iron finish, since others tend to break away as a result of the rigorous process and finishes applied. The flexibility and easy-care properties of XLA, combined with CasaModa's patented process to prevent puckering at the seams, have resulted in shirts that always look crisp and smooth with a top-quality, non-iron finish. The collared shirts are available in black and white as well as various bold, fresh colours, with both long and short sleeves. "As the only stretch fibre that can support a true non-iron finish XLA enhances the look, hand feel, freedom of movement and longevity of our shirts," said Klaus Katt, CEO of CasaModa. "It's also incredibly durable, and able to withstand machine washing and tumble drying at high temperatures, holding colour and retaining its shape over time – something we find very attractive for our high quality brand." CasaModa's shirts are worn and modeled by German television personality Jörg Pilawa. "Many of today's professionals travel extensively and live out of suitcases, making CasaModa's shirts the perfect answer to their need for low maintenance clothing," he said. "As someone who not only travels extensively but who is also often in the public eye these shirts perfectly meet my need for easy-care smartness. When I take them out of the suitcase they look crisp and fresh and don't require ironing". The leading US manufacturer of elastic fibres is RadiciSpandex, and all of its stretch fibres now carry the brand name RadElast. The new RadElast branding programme is now being made available to fabric mills, manufacturers, designers and retailers in all end-use markets free of licensing fees as an optional value-added

Material Technology tool to enhance their marketing efforts. RadElast stretch fibres offer a wide range of features that enhance elongation, compression, shape retention and fabric appearance. A versatile high-performance spandex, S17B, is resistant to chlorine, UV rays and suntan oils, making it suitable for the swimwear market, while S17PC is used in the nonwovens industry to produce baby diapers and adult incontinent products. The company also offers polyester-based spandex, such as S45 that enhances warp knit and circular knit fabrics used in activewear, intimate apparel, and control garments, and provides chlorine resistance for swimwear. Hosiery a major user Intimate apparel not surprisingly remains the biggest market for elastane fibres, and Hyosung is achieving significant success with its Creora elastane products, now employed by many of Europe's leading hosiery brands. Sarah Borghi, for example, is the brand for hosiery collections produced in Italy by Gizeta. For the Autumn/Winter 2008/2009 collection it selected a wide range of Creora elastane 15 denier H-350 and 20 den C-100 for the ultimate in legwear fit and comfort and 140-210 den C-100 for the waist bands. Gizeta CEO Giancarlo Frizzi chose Creora for several reasons. He said: "First of all, the elasticity and ease of use of Creora elastane are essential. It also has to have the right fit and fashion content, and of course, real business considerations such as the price, quality and service we receive." Emilio Cavallini, another leading Italian hosiery brand, selected Creora for a number of reasons including its ease of processing. Intimate apparel and hosiery specialist Pompea uses a range of the Creora elastanes designed for hosiery, from the low heat settable C-400 to Creora Black. Pompea has a vertical production cycle: from yarn to the finished garment. The partnership between Hyosung and Pompea began more than four years ago. "In our collections, we use a lot of black and dark colours and Creora Black H-100D is ideally suited," said Pompea yarns research manager Gianfranco Allegretti, adding that the company expected a good reaction as black is always in fashion. Key points • Major investments in new capacity for elastane fibres have been made in the past two years. • Elastanes are moving into new areas beyond intimate apparel and swimwear, such as performance sports clothing, denim and shirting. • Intimate apparel remains by far the largest market for elastanes. • A sometimes overlooked area where stretch can be a critical factor is in the seams. • The correct coating is also an issue which must be considered if stretch is to be maintained in the final product. • Only a small amount of elastane is required in blends with other fibres to provide stretch. Upstream fibre developers proposing distinct market positioning Invista and Hyosung are among major suppliers of elastane/spandex fibres, which are better known by the brand names they are marketing with: Lycra and Creora respectively. Lycra fiber marketed by Invista is positioned as a fashionable fiber to enhance fabrics and fashions, making consumers look better and feel better, according to Invista. Lycra fiber adds comfort, fit, shape retention, durability and freedom of movement. It can be stretched up to seven times its initial length before springing back to the original position once tension is released. Invista says a small amount of Lycra fiber (as little as 2%) is able to transform the performance of a fabric, which can be either natural or man-made fibers. In the meantime, Hyosung has put more emphasis on its eco-friendly offerings. This includes launching a low heat settable elastane/spandex for saving energy in knitting, namely creora eco H-550 for circular knit. In addition, Hyosung also explores the combination of creora fibers with other eco-friendly fibers such as Hyosung's Mipan regen recycled nylon. Fabric manufacturers around the world, including Pacific Textiles (Hong Kong), Sofileta Group (France), Wah Fung (Hong Kong) and Utenos Trikotazas (Lithuania), also developed with creora elastanes that reduce waste and energy usage combined with sustainable fibres such as organic cotton, linen, Modal, soya and Seacell. Caption: Creora fabrics developed by Pacific Textiles (left) and Utenos Trikotazas (Photo: Hyosung) Radici Group also offers spandex /elastane fibres, including S-45, S-85 and S-17. The S-45 is a multi-purpose, high temperature resistant elastane formulated to provide protection from the damaging effects of dyeing at elevated temperatures, whereas the S-85 targets more on sheer to medium weight fabric applications and are used in hosiery, cores pun and covered yarns, strech wovens and circular and warp knit fabrics. Additionally, the S-17 is formulated to provide high performance and protection from multiple sources of damage and degradation including chlorine, UV rays, suntan oils and perspiration. Recent improvements on elastane fibers also include quick drying, anti-UV, and able to be digitally printed. All in all, elastane fibers make it possible for textile manufacturers to explore innovative applications including but not limiting to body-shaping swimsuits, underwired bikini tops, high-quality intimate wear, enhanced shirtings, as well as stretchy and highly comfortable jeans.

Chemicals & Auxiliaries In search of cost-effective biotreatments Ian Holme outlines a variety of application areas where enzyme treatments, a major member of biotreatments, can contribute in the field of dyeing and finishing Pretreatments are based upon the use of enzymes, and over the last two decades, an increasing number of biotreatments have been introduced into textile dyeing and finishing, mainly for natural fibres. Enzyme treatments are a major part of the biotechnology push, which is slowly transforming the textile industry. In particular, the use of enzymes as biocatalysts to operate chemical transformations more rapidly at lower temperatures-thereby saving both process time and energy consumption-can lead to cost savings in textile wet processing, as well as to novel effects in appearance, handle and performance. The major research and application areas for biotechnology in textiles so far have centred upon the following: • Synthetic fibre production, e.g. production of lactic acid for PLA (polylactide acid or polylactic fibres) • Colorant production, e.g. potential synthesis of anthraquinone for dye manufacture • Bio pretreatments, e.g. silk degumming, cotton bioscouring, enzyme retting of flax, biobleaching, biocarbonising using a cocktail of different enzymes, and residual peroxide removal. • Biofinishing treatments, e.g. biopolishing, shrink-resist finishing of wool, controlled hydrolysis of polyester and enzyme finishing of silk • Waste water treatment, e.g. a wide range of enzymes have been studied for decolorisation of dyes, especially for anionic and fibre-reactive dyes which do not absorb onto the biomass in conventional activated sludge waste water treatment plants • Use of low energy enzyme-based detergents that enable garments to be washed in domestic washing machines at temperatures as low as 30°C. In textile dyeing and finishing, varied enzymes can be combined to enable integrated processing to be attained, e.g. combined enzyme desizing / bioscouring and bioscouring / biopolishing. In addition, single bath combined bioscouring / dyeing, single bath bleach clean up and dyeing, and single bath biopolishing and dyeing can also be achieved. Single bath processing has the additional benefits of decreasing water consumption and effluent treatment costs. Bioscouring not only saves on the cost of alkaline chemicals, but can also yield handle improvements and more uniform dyeings. An area now attracting a greater interest from biotechnology research and development teams is that enzymes can open up through the functionalisation and activation of fibre surfaces. Such surface-modified fibres may thus be subjected to chemical finishes using innovative chemicals that can lead to novel effects, e.g. improved durability and performance of water repellents, flame retardants or self-cleaning finishes. Alternatively, the fibre surface activation process could lead to treatments that could repair fibre surface damage with improvements in performance in areas such as pilling and abrasion. Bio-washed denim captures consumer hearts Enzyme treatment of indigo-dyed denim, as well as sandblasting, and bleaching treatments have all lead to fashionable garments with an irregular coloured appearance. Many other effects have been obtained on cotton yarns dyed with vat, sulphur or pigment colours. Sand blasting followed by cellulase enzyme treatment can be followed by overdyeing of the abraded areas, further varying the dyed surface appearance of cotton garments. Much research and development has been directed towards finding a cost-effective ecofriendly dye decolorisation / degradation process. However, this is by no means a simple matter, and aerobic treatments (i.e. in presence of oxygen) and anaerobic treatments (absence of oxygen) have both been studied. Specific problems surrounding effective decolorisation of coloured waste streams relate to the specificity of the microorganism (e.g. bacteria, fungi, algae and yeast) for particular dye molecular structures. Thus, Bacillus subtilis bacteria may utilise an azo reductive enzyme that is capable of degrading the azo chromophore in azo dyestuffs leading to decolorisation. However, isolation of the strain of bacteria capable of dye decolorisation is time-consuming. Another problem is that the presence of different functional groups (e.g. auxochromes) on the dye molecule can exert a marked effect upon the rate of decolorisation. It is known that the presence of salts and anionic auxiliaries can inhibit the action of the enzymes that decolorise dyes. The varying composition of dyehouse effluent, the slow rate of Caption: Bio wash denim jeans are unique and ecofriendly (photo: PRPS)

Chemicals & Auxiliaries reaction of many enzymes and the difficulties associated with the isolation and commercial production of suitable enzymes for dye decolorisation have so far limited this approach. It is to be hoped that further research and development over the next decade will lead to a biotechnological breakthrough, namely, new enzyme decolorisation treatments that are rapid acting and more cost-effective than current physicochemical treatment methods, especially for highly water-soluble reactive dyes. In the search for a greater range of end-uses for bast (i.e. lignocellulosic) fibres like flax, jute and so forth, there has been a considerable effort expended in attempting to produce more efficient retting / pretreatment processes using enzymes in order to produce finer, softer fibres. From a technical viewpoint, the results on flax have been promising but so far the enzyme-based treatments are still not cost-effective compared with traditional dew-retting. Bacteria help kill cigarette smoke odour In the area of novel fabric finishes, there is a considerable scope for the application of enzymes both for producing textile finishes as well as for fibre surface functionalisation for the attachment of chemical finishes. For example, the production of fabrics containing genetically-engineered bacteria and cell strains could enable the production of agents, destroying odours like tobacco smoke on fabrics or providing an approach to self-cleaning fabrics. Cyclodextrin-based finishes depend upon a unique molecular structure, similar to a molecular bucket. The internal surfaces of the molecule are hydrophobic and can be utilised to trap hydrophobic odours, thereby enabling garments to smell fresher for longer and extending the wear time before laundering is required. It is possible to produce cyclodextrins from starch using cyclising enzymes, e.g. cyclodextrin glycosyl transferase, and such an approach may prove feasible in the future for enzymatic engineering of novel finishes. The surface functionalisation of fibres is potentially a fruitful approach for surface activation and reaction with appropriate chemical finishes. The application of hydrolase enzyme to polyester fibres based upon polyethylene terephthalate can cause fission of the ester bonds leading the production of hydroxyl- and carboxyl end- capped shorter chain molecules in the fibre surface. Diffusion of the enzyme within the fibre structure is prevented because of the compact physicochemical structure of polyester fibres. Introduction of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups offers greater opportunities for durably attaching surface finishes, as well as increasing the adhesion of textile coatings and laminating films. On natural protein fibres such as wool, mohair, alpaca, cashmere and silk, the controlled application of protease enzymes that cause scission of the polypeptide bonds will lead to a greater concentration of amino and carboxyl groups in the fibre surface. In wool, for example, this could create greater opportunities for chemical reaction and greater durability of a novel shrink-resist agent to wet treatments, e.g. washing treatments. It is clear that the potential for biotreatments in textile dyeing and finishing is considerable, but such treatments require careful process control, e.g. enzyme concentration, pH, temperature, and time to achieve optimum results.

Nonwovens/Specialty Textiles Creative approaches to sustainability As the concept of sustainable development is increasingly a talking point in the textile industry, Adrian Wilson reports on how nanotechnology could help the business sector to reduce operation cost, and the benefits that a cross-disciplinary search for materials could bring forth Studies conducted recently in China suggest that an average 140-room hotel could save over one million litres of water each year simply by employing nano-treated bed linen and towels. Claude Bérubé, an architect at the Directorate for Public Development Projects in the United Arab Emirates, enthused about the potential of nanotechnology in providing the materials for tomorrow's products. He was a keynote speaker at the lecture series held during this year's Heimtextil exhibition in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. "Sustainability has developed into a vital element of the world economy, and in terms of what's possible with nanotechnology, we are now at the beginning of a new era," he said. "It is now becoming possible to define performance, rather than just specify materials, and the ability of nano-treatments to make materials self cleaning or self healing, to have coatings that break down dirt, reduce abrasion or filter air or water, opens up many new opportunities for textiles." Mr Bérubé said that tests held at a hotel in Guangdong, China, employing the nanocoatings of Hong Kong-based Nano Group Holdings on sheets and towels, had shown immediate benefits. "Over a period of 30 days, savings were 100,000 litres of water, 52% of the electricity previously used, 90% of detergent required and no softener at all. And that's just in one average-sized hotel. Imagine the potential impact on a global scale," he said. Drawing nature's wisdom to save money Similar figures were spoken of by Jochen Schmidt, head of functional effects at Clariant, in respect of Nanosphere, the treatment the chemicals manufacturer is jointly developing and marketing with fellow Swiss company, Schoeller Textile. Nanosphere has recently been improved through the employment of the latest C6 fluorocarbon technology and is now both PFOS and PFOA free (below limit of detection). It is based on an inorganic process with no toxicity, no bioavailability, no metabolism and no hydrolysis. Case study Nanotechnology offers three major benefits to textile and apparel users, namely savings on energy and freshwater usage, as well as pollution reduction, Charlie Chow, Technical Director of Nano-Group Holdings Ltd, told ATA Journal. The company conducted a case study in cooperation with the 140-room Dongguan Hotel in Guangdong province of China between October and November 2008. The hotel's bedding linens were previously washed with three cycles of 45 minutes each. With the nano-treatment, each fiber of the bedding linens can be protected with liquid-, oil-, and stain-resistant properties by simply using nano additives during the laundering process, thus making them easy to clean. As a result, a hotel operator can substantially reduce laundering costs by washing bedding linens with a 20-minute washing cycle instead of three in each laundering process. Durability of this nano-treatment can be up to 60 times, according to Mr Chow. The company now targets the dynamic hospitality segments in Dubai (Middle East) and Las Vegas (USA) where freshwater is particularly scarce. Caption: Soy sauce floats on a nano-treated bed linens (Photo: Nano-Group Holdings) Daily consumption Ordinary Nano-treated Daily savings 30-day savings % change Water 7,000 liters 3,640 L 3,360 L 100,800 L -48% Electricity 294 minutes 140 min 154 min 4,620 min -52% Detergent 2,800 grams 280 g 2,520 g 75,600 g -90% Softener 2,100 grams NIL 2,100 g 63,000 g -100% A comparison of the laundering costs of 280 kg of bedding linen with Dongguan Hotel done by Nano-Group Holdings

Nonwovens/Specialty Textiles Nanosphere was subjected to a complete screening by the Hohenstein Institutes in 2005 and both Clariant and Schoeller work within the framework of the Bluesign Standard. As far as safety issues are concerned, Mr Schmidt said that the nanoparticles were completely fixed in a special chemical matrix, with absolutely no chance of migration. Citing the example of Germany, Mr Schmidt pointed out that the ability to reduce just a single washing cycle in the country's 40 million households could result in immediate savings of two billion litres of water. Products such as NanoSphere and the nanocoatings of Nano Group Holdings are based on the concept of the "lotus leaf effect". They imitate the papillae on the lotus leaf that ensure only 2%-3% of its surface comes into contact with water droplets. Because this minimal contact is confined to the outermost tips of the papillae, the adhesive forces that would otherwise cause a droplet to spread are also minimal. Instead, the water's surface tension forces prevail and invariably cause the droplet to form a spherical globule – and the water just rolls off. Particles of dirt on the surface, which because of the papillae also have hardly any contact with the leaf surface – are carried along by the droplets and washed away without any need for detergents or scrubbing. The principle sounds simple, but its practical implementation on textiles has been a challenge for nanotechnologists, with the main objective being to optimise the processing and durability of the finishing. In another example of developments drawing on nature (known as "biomimetics") for the home textiles market, Création Baumann, based in Langenthal, Switzerland, introduced an expanded range of its innovation award-winning Gecko adhesive textile wallcoverings at Heimtextil. The foot of the gecko lizard allows it to climb up walls without effort employing no stickiness or any unusual muscular ability. Instead it relies on a tiny force at the nano-level, multiplied many times by the use of the vast number of tiny surface contacts made by the pads of its feet. Many attempts are being made at the nanoscale to replicate this ability, in order to create the next generation of super adhesives. Création Baumann's Gecko allows fabrics to be attached directly on to all non-porous surfaces – from glass to metal to plastics – allowing great design freedom and ease of use. The specially-developed silicon-based coating means no adhesive is required in creating rooms, and in contrast to conventional films or foils, the textiles can be removed and used elsewhere several times without leaving any residues or losing any of their adhesive strength. Consequently, Philippe Baumann, Création Baumann CEO, explained that Gecko can be used wherever glare protection or privacy are required but when architectural or design specifications prevent the use of curtains, roller blinds or panels. Cross-disciplinary quest for innovative materials A lot of research and development work on new technical textiles may not be necessary, according to Anne Farken, another lecture speaker at Heimtextil. Often, what companies are seeking to develop may already be available in other industries, the material researcher for Material ConneXion said. Material ConneXion calls itself "a scout for innovative materials and technologies", involving a wide range of industries, from the automotive, aviation and aeronautics sectors through textiles, fashion and sport, and on to electronics and consumer goods. This includes research into materials, trend forecasts, support for product development, the provision of specialist workshops and product presentations. "In its networking role, Material ConneXion scouts make all the contacts, bring appropriate partners together and promote intensive dialogue between materials manufacturers and users within an industry," said Ms Farken at the organization, which offers a subscribed materials library, covering more than 4,500 original material samples from a total of 1,700 producers. Established in New York, the organisation is present in Cologne (Germany), Milan (Italy), Bangkok (Thailand) and Daegu (Korea). The development of the widely publicised GINA BMW concept car in 2008, which replaces steel with a stretch fabric body over a lightweight frame, is an example of the organisation's influence. It was at Material ConneXion in New York that BMW's design chief, Chris Bangle, was introduced to a range of fabrics with the strength and resilience to stand in for steel – and potentially to drastically reduce a car's weight and fuel consumption, while greatly speeding up assembly-line production. At the same time, Material ConneXion has also introduced sports clothing giant Nike to materials originally employed in automotive hoses, which it is now using in the production of uppers in sports shoes. The market for home and contract textiles has developed into a complex network of value creation and processing, and continues to refine its structure. Caption: Waterdrops float on tiny barbs or papillae on the lotus leaf surface Caption: Création Baumann's attachable Gecko fabrics Caption: Anne Farken

Nonwovens/Specialty Textiles On the supplier side, the market is becoming increasingly diversified, with the strong production regions of Turkey, China, India and Pakistan offering a complete range of ready-made household textiles – at every level of quality. Newly-emerging production markets include Vietnam and Thailand. While Europe, Japan and North America continue to lose importance as production sites, they are shifting their focus to design, research and development of new materials, and finishing techniques. These regions are the strongest sales markets in the world for home textiles, and set the tone for international home textiles consumption. Regenerative approach towards a greener industry For many home and contract textile designers, the concern of sustainability has come to the fore. As a consequence, during 2008, Material ConneXion announced the addition of "Cradle to Cradle" assessed and certified materials to all of its material libraries around the world. Cradle to Cradle Design, says Material ConneXion's Anne Farken, is a new approach to the re-design of industry based on the conviction that rigorous science and design can move human industry beyond simple concerns for "sustainability" – which is often no more than maintaining current levels of performance while limiting destruction – towards a new positive situation where growth is actually a good thing. This concept, as envisaged by US-based McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), is based on the healthy, regenerative productivity of nature, with the intention of creating new industries that are continuously improving and sustaining life and growth. MBDC has been engaging with both large and small companies to scientifically evaluate and design materials and products according to these principles. In response to industry demand, it is now offering companies the chance to have their materials and products not only evaluated, but also certified in accordance with the Cradle to Cradle Principles. MBDC Cradle to Cradle certification provides companies with a method for measuring achievement in an environmentally intelligent design and helps customers purchase and specify products that are pursuing a broader definition of quality. This means using environmentally safe and healthy materials, design for material reutilisation, such as recycling or composting, the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, the efficient use of water, and maximum water quality associated with production and instituting strategies for social responsibility. Material ConneXion describes the addition of Cradle to Cradle materials to its libraries "a vital step forward in creating greater global access to these materials and their design". Innovative ways to trim costs in the use and quest of specialty fabrics will probably be welcomed by various textile users and consumers in the unfavourable global economic scene.

China Focus Chinese textile industry on guard for trade barriers by Yu Liping and Staff Reporters Today trade protection is often carried out in the form of restricting market access or import & export quantity. China's textile industry is facing the risk of trade barriers as the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the US expired on January 1 this year. The global textile industry has been reshaped after global trading and industrial restructuring facilitated the division of labor between different countries. Western Europe, North America and Japan have been key consumer markets for textiles and garments while developing countries became manufacturing centers for global supply. China's textile industry has been in fast growth since 1998. In 2003, before the lifting of the worldwide textile quota, Chinese textile accounted for 17% of the world market. According to WTO's latest projection, China's market share in the world's textile market is expected to exceed 50%. Fast growth in China's textile trade is mainly attributed to the increasing textile consumption in the US and EU. Trade barriers feared The US is the largest textile importing country in the world, 80% of the garment and textiles are imported. China is one of the key textile exporters to the US market. In 2007, based on China Customs' statistics, China exported US$18.81 billion of garment and accessories to the US, up 15.53% YOY while based on the US Customs' statistics, the US imported US$22.745 billion of garment from China, up 22.83% YOY. Generally, among China's textile and garment export to the US, garment accounts for 70% while textile accounts for 30%. China's entry to the WTO has paved the way for the country's greater presence in the international trading market. However, there are protective measures such as antidumping, anti-subsidy and so on implemented by the importing countries. China's textile export is increasingly involved in trade conflicts. From 1995 to 2005, the WTO received 2,840 trade protection cases from its member countries and 469 of them were antidumping-related involving Chinese enterprises. There is also a rising trend in these cases. Responding to trade conflicts The government and business associations in China have been urged to support and help textile enterprises in dealing with anti-dumping and anti-subsidy measures in international market. Up to now, the impact from overseas antidumping investigations against the Chinese textile and garment enterprises is yet to be significant in terms of the number of enterprises, value and products involved. It is expected that antidumping and anti-subsidy measures will be much discussed issues in the next five to 10 years. Therefore, government and business associations should take measures to support and help enterprises to deal with these challenges. The state government was urged to establish special funds to deal with antidumping and anti-subsidy measures, in order to support Chinese enterprises involved in trade conflicts. On the other hand, business associations were asked to give instruction and advice to enterprises, based on their knowledge and experience, offering training on understanding antidumping and anti-subsidy. As many Chinese textile and garment export are restricted by different quota systems in different countries, some enterprises take high risk by transferring their goods via an entrepot, in an attempt to escape from the quota restriction. However, these decisions may go against the interest of the textile industry and even China. As specified in the trade agreements China made with the EU and the US, confirmed illegitimate transit trade can result in reduction in total quota for the entire country. This means violation of this regulation by one enterprise will lead to penalty for the entire industry. The penalty is more severe in the US – the reduction of quota could be tripled. Therefore, enterprises are urged to follow relevant regulations and should not seek private gains at the expense of the entire industry. Country (by ranking) Value (billion US$) Share (%) China 10.6 23.5 Mexico 2.9 6.5 India 2.7 6.0 Vietnam 2.6 5.7 Bangladesh 2.4 5.3 Indonesia 2.3 5.2 Cambodia 1.9 4.2 Honduras 1.8 3.9 Hong Kong 1.7 3.7 Pakistan 1.4 3.2 World 45.0 100.0 Top 10 cotton apparel suppliers to the US in 2007 (Source: US Department of Commerce and Cotton Inc)

China Focus US and China divided on protectionism When Hillary Clinton Rodham, the newly appointed US’Secretary of State, paid her visit to Beijing in February, many considered the gesture extended by the new Obama administration could help joining the two giant economies together against the global economic downturn. However, the trade relationship between the US and China does not seem to improve after all these talks, with both parties throwing accusations about the issues of trade protectionism. After Timothy F. Geithner, the US' Treasury Secretary, alledged China of "manipulating" its currency, as well as offering subsidies to exporters, Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), China's Premier, hit back by referring to the "buy America" program in the US' stimulus package. Industry groups from the US are calling for sanctions against the Chinese traders, accusing the latter for dumping cheap products abroad. The latest figure shows that trade deficit with China reached an all-time high of US$266.3 million. Beijing government's policy of value-added tax rebates further upset the US manufacturers, who found their competitiveness marginalized. They are not happy about the continuous state intervention, especially at time of the economic crisis. Based on recent information provided by Cotton Incorporated, an US agency promoting cotton trade, the price for 10 categories of textile and garment exported from China to the US dropped by 2% on average or even 6% for some categories. In addition, the prices for eight categories are below the global average. China's export industry is having a hard time. Raw material price and processing cost are hiking. In addition to Renminbi appreciation and the lack of other export markets, the best solution is to speed up export product restructuring and leverage on quality improvement. US and European countries usually restrict export by limiting the increase of product quantity but not unit price. If the textile industry improves quality and increase unit price for export textiles, the enterprises can increase export earnings while cutting down export quantity, making it more cost-effective. In recent years, the US textile and garment market has developed higher technical content products. The garments with crease resistance, contaminant repellant, permanent color, per shrunk and non-deformable features are especially popular among US customers. In the US market, a plain round-neck T-shirt sells not higher than US$3-5, but after the addition of coating or foam printing, it can sell US$ 8-10. If it is produced with combed cotton yarn in combination with handcraft processing such as embroidery, it can even sell US$15-20 in medium or high-end market. A cotton, short-sleeved reverse-collar T-shirt is usually priced at US$10-12 in a US supermarket, but for similar T-shirt dye-woven with India-made 9.7 tex combed yarn, it can sell at US$40 in medium or high-end market. The price could be four times higher. Currently, many export enterprises in China have been paying special attention to processing technologies that will increase the product's technical contents. Ordinary and conventional export products are unable to satisfy the US market's needs, Chinese enterprises have to improve the processing quality and the design of the products. Caption: Chinese textile exporters should acquire better understanding on trade barriers Building China-made garment brands In recent years, China has fostered some garment brands such as Youngor and Shanshan. However, Chinese garments famous in China are hardly found in the US market. Therefore, Chinese enterprises need to employ suitable strategies to open up overseas markets. In the US market, different grading of garments is sold in different stores. Most of the supermarkets, for instance, Wal-Mart, sell ordinary garment and accessories and target customers with modest income with the price set at a low level. Garment and accessories sold in department stores are usually medium-end brands, and only high-end stores or franchised brand stores sell high-end garment and accessories. For example, the price for POLO's cotton color-woven shirts and Dock's cotton trousers is generally 3 to 4 times that for ordinary products. Different garment grades represent different consumer levels. Higher price is accompanied by higher technical contents. Medium and high-end consumers in the US are willing to pay higher price to buy high-end garment and accessories. It is a future trend to improve technical contents and create brands for garment and accessories. Caption: China's swimwear, like other textile and garment products, is exported worldwide Background information was provided by Lanxi Municipal Textile Industry Association.

China Focus Haiyang's knitwear industry put more weight on domestic market Haiyang(海陽) City of Shandong (山東) Province is the biggest sweater base to the north of the Yangtze River. Currently, enterprises in Haiyang are carrying out market reconstruction, trying to expand in overseas market as well as domestic market by introducing advanced machinery. Haiyang is hoping that the changes would bring the indsutry to a new height by Tiffany Zhu Haiyang, a city in China's Shandong Province, has more than 40 years' history in sweater production, with annual output value over RMB8 billion, it accounts for 10% of total sweater output of the country. In 2004, China Textile Industry Association was honored as Haiyang "China's Sweater Town". Knitted sweater industry forms the backbone of Haiyang's industry with 120,000 employees, the largest cluster in Haiyang and accounting for 1/6 of the city's workforce. "Haiyang is the largest sweater base to the north of the Yangtze River in China," according to Xiu Jingtang(修京堂), director of Haiyang Private Economic Development Bureau. From January to October 2008, knitted sweater enterprises in Haiyang accomplished RMB3.68 billion and RMB430 million in direct sales and profit/tax respectively. Decline in industrial tax for the first time However, Mr Xiu indicated: "Due to Haiyang's high level of dependency on export, Haiyang sweater industry is substantially affected by the global financial crisis. Affected by shrinking demand in overseas market, this industry is faced with great challenges in 2009." From January to September 2008, based on data from Haiyang's tax bureau, knitted sweater enterprises collectively paid RMB83.59 million in value-added tax (VAT), down 16.85% year on year (YOY); RMB7.7 million in income tax, down 19.53% YOY; and RMB33.06 million in local tax, down 18.9% YOY. This leads to a decline in tax revenue for the first time in recent years and also leads to a decline in the contribution of the industry to total industrial and commercial tax of the city. In 2006, based on calculation by financial and taxation authorities, the contribution of the knitted sweater industry to total tax revenue of the city was 26.6% in 2006, 23.5% in 2007 and 15.2% in 2008. "Despite decline in tax revenue in recent years, the knitted sweater industry remains a key industry to create employment," said Xu Pengcheng(徐鵬程), Secretary General of Haiyang Knitwear & Sweater Industry Association. He added that despite substantial decline in tax revenue, the knitted sweater industry has created a large number of jobs and plays an important role in improving people's livelihood, maintaining social stability and propelling the tertiary industry. "Affected by the economic crisis in 2008, the total number of enterprises and private businesses decreased while the number of above-scale enterprises (annual sales exceeding RMB5 million) basically remained unchanged," he added. As of October 2008, Haiyang had 484 knitted sweater enterprises, of which, 113 were above-scale enterprises, five more than in the same period of previous year and accounting for 49% of total number of above-scale industrial enterprises in Haiyang. Enterprises in need of technical reform Xu Yuming (徐玉明), a CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) vice-chairman in Haiyang and mayor assistant, expressed earlier his expectation of a new round of structural readjustment as the economic situations underwent a dramatic change. He suggested that Haiyang's knitted sweater enterprises should speed up development in order to create a new environment for the knitted sweater industry in Haiyang. Specifically, they promote technical advancement for the sweater industry and encourage enterprises to perform industrial upgrade through technical innovation. For enterprises that introduce high-end computerized flat knitting machines from Japanese and German brands Shima Seiki and Stoll, governmental departments will provide fund award equal to 3% of purchase price, in addition, they will be fighting for tax-free policy. For top 20 tax-paying sweater enterprises that introduce such machines, municipal government will provide loans equal to 30% of total purchase price. In 2007, Haiyang introduced 154 fully automatic computerized flat knitting machines from Shima Seiki and Stoll and more than 300 China-made computerized flat knitting machines. In 2008, Haiyang introduced more than 900 high-end computerized knitting machines, including 300 imported machines and 600 China-made

China Focus machines, hitting RMB180 million in total investment. Early in 2008, Haiyang Municipal Government provided RMB1.585 million subsidy for 15 eligible knitted sweater enterprises for introducing computerized flat knitting machines in addition to RMB219,000 as advertising subsidy. Currently, sweater production in Haiyang is transforming from labor-intensive production to technical-intensive processing. Leverage brands to open up domestic market Haiyang exports 95% of its sweater products to overseas market. In 2007 the city earned US$430 million from export. Specifically, Haiyang accounts for 10% in total export of the country. According to Mr Xu Pengcheng: "In recent years, Haiyang sweater products are mainly exported to Japan, Korea, Europe and the US. They are highly fashionable. Haiyang sweater products have won extensive popularity for their style. On the other hand, however, this mode to win orders through foreign trade is also a disadvantage. Haiyang sweaters are worn by foreigners but it is less popular in China…Haiyang sweater enterprises lack the experience and popularity in the domestic market." Haiyang Knitted Sweater Industry Association and Haiyang International Knitting&Sweater Wholesale City (海陽國際針織毛衫城) jointly organize Haiyang spring/autumn sweater trade fairs each year. Haiyang municipal government also encourages enterprises to build up their proprietary brands. To promote the development of wholesale city and encourage sweater enterprises to open up international market and domestic market, local government offers a series of preferential policies. Specifically, in addition to enjoying existing preferential policies, enterprises that settle in the wholesale city and engage in selling local sweater products and materials to domestic market can have income tax refunded in the first 3 years (to be refunded in the first quarter of the next year); for enterprises that engage in domestic sales through other channels, 50% of their income tax can be refunded. Rosa Blu Textile is a Sino-German joint venture company mainly engaged in production of home textiles and sweater products. According to Rosa Blu general manager Liu Zhibo: "Last year, our export market was affected by global financial crisis. However, when financial crisis came, we had received most of our orders and some orders have been fulfilled. Therefore, the impact on us was insignificant and our output value and sales value in 2008 remained the same level as in 2007. We are not at all optimistic about the export market in 2009. However, we began several years ago to open up domestic market. For this purpose, we have adopted a "self operation + franchised operation" development mode. Currently, Chinese purchase power still promises great potential for improvement. We hope our business expansion in domestic market can substantially make up the deficit in export market. Besides, local government has enacted some measures to deal with financial crisis, which is particularly helpful to us. If we can successfully open up domestic market, we can maintain the same level of output and sales in 2009 as in 2007 and 2008." Caption: Fully automatic computerized embroidery machines in Rosa Blu Workshop Liu Zhibo concluded: "Haiyang is a traditional export processing base. To deal with current financial crisis, we have to focus on opening up domestic market. This is also a fundamental measure to help us out of the crisis. He said: "We have been fostering domestic market for many years. This market is becoming mature. Our domestic market can compensate for the shrinking export market. In addition, we have a strong R&D team. This year, we have further intensified our input in new product and new style development. We leverage on technical progress to upgrade our capability to open up market and meet specific needs of domestic customers. With high-quality products and intensified efforts to open up new market, we are sure we can successfully cope with the current financial crisis." He added: "China has enacted a series of policies and associated the textile industry with national economy and people's livelihood. This fully reflects that the Chinese government places great importance on the textile industry. Increasing tax refund rate for export is a specific policy to support enterprises. We feel the pressure on us is relieving." Sweater Wholesale City propels industrial takeoff Haiyang International Knitting&Sweater Wholesale City is a key project supported by Haiyang Municipal Government. After completion, it will become the largest sweater knitwear purchase center in North China. Exceeding RMB2 billion in total investment and covering 1,500mu in land area and 1 million square meter in floor space. As a purchase platform, the city started organizing China (Haiyang) International Knitted Sweater, Materials & Mechanical Equipment Expo in 2007. The exposition held in October 2008 accomplished RMB600 million in turnover, up 20% over the previous session. Caption: Haiyang International Knitting& Sweater Wholesale City will become the largest sweater market in North China.

Retail Scene Enchantment shown on Copenhagen walkways Presented at the Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) by the French trend agency NellyRodi early this February, four new trend theme stories for 2010 demonstrated the upcoming chic colors and materials Dandy manifesto This theme combines the elegance of the Oscar Wilde style dandies with a modern bohemian and poetic spirit. A dark, shady range in a variety of inky tones. Touches of color electrify the palette. White and taupy or grayed shades are used to tone it down. • Men's supple, ultra-fine worsted wools in the spirit of Savile Row tailors • Stripes used with subtlety, plus a graphic spirit borrowed from wide stripes of club ties or men’s satin waistcoats • Fluid fabrics, heavily drapey silks: crêpe, crêpe georgette, chiffon • Delicate lace and embroidered tulles • Jacquards and tapestry-style weaves are inspired by elaborate covers of old books Bewitchment An aquatic universe, conducive to charm, and all sorts of metamorphoses or mutations help express the deep desire for a poetic, re-enchanted everyday. A precious range inspired by the brilliance of raw gemstones. Baroque pearls, amethysts, tinted quartz. • Silky, fluid fabrics: chiffon, crêpe, silk pongee, light satin • Heavy-draping panne velvet • Shot effects: moiré, metalized, vibrant surfaces • Coatings and prints for damp, aqueous aspects • Precious weaves and cloths: damasks, Jacquards, lace or embroidery effects • Fringed effects evoking animal hair

Retail Scene Gold diggers A new take on the pioneer spirit. A range of denuded tones, neutrals evoking the vegetation of the American prairies, completed by a grayed blue and the pinkish notes of heather. A range of neutrals evoking the dusty landscapes, from ocher to green and completed by grayed blues and the colors of enamel. • Raw materials: tweed, thick broadcloths, boiled wool flannels, thick military blanket-style wools • Highly masculine notes: Prince of Wales checks, Harris Tweed, big checks • Soft, slightly used fabrics: washed, brushed, used, emerized cottons • Denim: authentic, raw or slightly softened by washing • "Handkerchief" checks, tone-on-tone embroideries, flounced trims. Cotton laces, floral poplins, quilt-style motifs Techno-folk An awareness of the world born of the desire to save endangered resources and folklore is combined with a cultural mix of natural instinct and technological progress. The bright shades of traditional embroideries: flame red, bright pink, turquoise, fuchsia or purple-blue. In contrast are a variety of more neutral beige accents inspired by the steppe and the desert. • Rustic wools: tweeds, floating or ripped-out yarns, granular hands • Thick, felted, boiled broadcloths • Ornamental or folkloric motifs in the form of Jacquards and damasks • Technical, waterproofed fabrics in a windbreaker spirit, occasionally enlivened by handcrafted trims or very soft lining (wool or cotton) • Folk trims and appliqués: pom-poms, beads, feathers and embroideries

Retail Scene Trendy petits hit runway In addition to the fantasy for adults, CIFF put on the stage the latest children's fashion for 2010. The children's TrendShow was compiled by stylist Iben Leth, who selected the clothing worn by the children on the catwalk based on trends identified by the English trend bureau, Mudpie. The show was divided on the basis of the four trend themes, namely well-being, intelligence, luxury and futurist.

Retail Scene British retailers consider making bigger kidswear As children in the West have in general grown taller and broader, retailers and manufacturers of kidswear are responding by reviewing the sizes they use. A national childrenswear survey was planned to measure at least 6,000 boys and girls aged between four and 17 across the UK, using 3D body-imaging scanners. This survey was supported by such retailers such as Next and Monsoon to gain more updated information of the average body shape of nowadays' children. Upon the findings, it is likely that retailers will make each size bigger to better reflect the changing shape and size of children. Measurements currently used among most shops in Britain were taken in 1990 when obesity was considered a new word for many children and their parents. More than a third of school pupils in the country are now classed as overweight, including 17% (or 900,000 in total) were found obese. US retailer reports shrinking profits due to markdowns The US retail industry was described to have experienced a catastrophe in the past few months. In Abercrombie & Fitch Co's recent fiscal announcement, the company reported net income of US$272.3 million for the year ended January 31, 2009. Net sales for the thirteen weeks ended January 31, 2009 decreased 19% to US$998 million from US$1.229 billion for the same period in the previous year. Mike Jeffries, Chief Executive Officer, described the fourth quarter of the company's fiscal year as "a catastrophe for the retail industry". The gross profit rate for the quarter was 64.4%, 280 basis points lower than the previous year, due to an increase in markdowns taken to clear through seasonal inventory. For Fiscal 2008, the gross profit rate was 66.7% versus 67.0% last year. Abercrombie & Fitch Co anticipated a difficult selling environment to persist throughout 2009 and believed there may be significant volatility in sales levels. Nonetheless, the company was committed to opening flagship stores in Milan and Tokyo this year, as well as in Copenhagen and New York in 2010. Chinese apparel market to top US$170 billion: report Apparel sales in the domestic market of China were projected to top US$170 billion by 2010, Indian researchers wrote in a recent report. The Chinese domestic market is emerging as an important segment for manufactures and exporters, partly as a result of slow growths recorded in exports due to financial crisis in western countries, according to the "China Apparel Industry — New Opportunities for Growth" research report published by RNCOS. Rising purchasing power and influence of western culture are attributes that have given new meanings to the Chinese domestic market. Consumers in China are anticipated to spend more on apparel, fueling an estimated annual growth of 10% to 15% in the local retail market, with reference to the report. In addition to department stores that have been popular for some years, domestic apparel brands and labels are establishing their own or partnered store chains across China. Jaunty styles showcased at New York fashion week Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicked off in New York this February showing fall 2009 collections from over 70 designers and labels, including Andy and Debb, BCBG, Badgley Mischka, Calvin Klein, Chado Ralph Rucci, Diane Von Furstenberg, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Zac Posen. Moreover, Barbie Brand launched for the first time a special runway show in celebration of its 50th anniversary with works from various designers. Caption: Andy and Debb Caption: Calvin Klein Men’s Collection Caption: Diane Von Furstenberg Caption: Barbie Brand Photos: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

Show Watcher 39,000 visitors show up for Paris fabric fair Organizers of Première Vision Pluriel announced some 38,945 fashion textile professionals, including 27,834 international visitors, attended the fairs to discover weavers' and spinners' latest developments for spring/summer 2010, and yarn directions for autumn/winter 2010-2011. The number of visitors was down 18% over the February 2008 session (and 9% compared with September 2008). Overseas visitors from North America, Japan and South Korea were found. In Europe, outside of France, the United Kingdom topped the list of visiting countries, followed by Germany, Italy and Spain. Among the total 1,479 exhibitors, some 682 exhibitors came from 28 countries (a decline of 2.8% from last year). Brazil presents hopes to suppliers International Textile Machinery Trade Fair (ITMEX) Americas 2009 was staged in São Paulo, Brazil, from March 10-13. Varied textile segments were covered, including machinery for the garment industry, laundry and dry-cleaning machinery, and systems used in the production of nonwovens and technical textiles. In total, some 400 exhibitors displayed state-of-the-art technology in the areas of spinning, weaving, nonwovens, knitting, dyeing and finishing machinery. A group of German companies were present with official country participation. The overall exports of textile machinery to Brazil amounted to 327 million euros in 2007. With exports worth 116 million euros, Germany had a market share of 35%, in accordance with data of the German Pavilion. Caption: Brückner Eco-Heat heat recovery and Eco-Air exhaust air cleaning systems Brückner from Germany demonstrated Power-Frame stenters, Eco-Heat heat recovery unit, Eco-Air air purification unit, and Power-Relax relaxation dryer. The improved Power-Frame stenter generation is characterized by the patented Split-flow air circulation system, making the line even more powerful and profitable. The energy demand is reduced with an optimum insulation. Using the optional Brückner Eco-Heat heat recovery unit allows energy savings of up to 30% depending on the process. The low investment costs pay back in short time. The low emission values of the Brückner stenters can be further reduced with the Eco-Air air purification unit, the company mentioned. Caption: Dornier PX lean rapier weaving machine Dornier, in the meantime, showcased PX, which is a new lean rapier weaving machine. It beckons with a satisfactory cost/performance ratio as it is customized for requirements of decorative weavers. In the words of Dornier, the PX incorporates quality characteristics of the established Dornier PS rapier weaving machine such as the positive center transfer, which enables the weaver to process yarns from 0.77 to 3333 tex without restrictions. Other Dornier technologies, such as ServoTerry for creative terry weaving or EasyLeno for producing technical textiles, were also presented. Lingerie and swimwear segments may look bright in Middle East As a gateway to the Middle East, Dubai is emerging as a fashion capital of the region with its good infrastructure, according to the Motexha lingerie and swimwear fair's organizer, IIR Middle East. The fair took place in Dubai on April 7-9. The Middle East retail industry is projected to exceed US$ 500 billion by 2010 and lingerie and swimwear are gaining popularity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Statistics of the European Fashion and Textile Export Council (EFTEC) revealed these two countries account for 77% of Europe's total lingerie brand exports to the Gulf followed by Kuwait at 16%. The demand for lingerie and swimwear products is set to grow on the back of rising consumer spending, surging tourists and rapid growths in retail space in the last few years, IIR Middle East said. ShanghaiTex 2009 offers new services The 14th International Exhibition on Textile Industry (ShanghaiTex 2009) will launch new professional services to facilitate networking between users and suppliers of textile machinery and equipment on June 12-15 in Shanghai, China. A new buyers' guiding zone will be set up at the fairground to provide buyers sourcing information. Moreover, the 2009 China Textile Industry Summit will be held concurrently to discuss the latest economic and business issues, opportunities and challenges for players in the Chinese textile and apparel industry, according to the organizers of ShanghaiTex 2009. Sponsored by Shanghai Textile Holding (Group) Corporation, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai Sub-council, China Chamber of International Commerce Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, and organized by Shanghai International Exhibition Co Ltd, Shanghai Textile Technology Service & Exhibition Center and Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. Turkish and Middle East visitors expected at ITM 2009 For the first time hosiery machineries will be exhibited at ITM as the International Knitting, Embroidery, Hosiery Machineries, Spare-parts and Accessories Exhibition is included in ITM 2009. Organized with the cooperation of Teknik Ltd and Tuyap, the ITM 2009

Show Watcher IMB Cologne: More efficient production solutions put on display Staged in the German city of Cologne this April, the IMB — World of Textile Processing exhibition attracted some 600 exhibitors from around 40 countries, and approximately 25,000 trade visitors from around 120 countries. According to Udo Traeger, Vice President for Furniture, Interior Design and Textiles at Koelnmesse GmbH, IMB features various solutions for the production of clothing, home textiles, and upholstered furniture and for leather processing. In 2009, the focus of IMB was on the product group of process technology for technical textiles and materials. Elgar Straub, Managing Director of the VDMA German Garment and Leather Technology Association, says the sector is undergoing radical changes, irrespective of the current financial crisis. "Across the world, production locations are being newly organized. Energy costs have risen and labor costs in some of the low-wage countries have also increased noticeably. At the same time the sector is counting on more flexibility and productivity within the whole production chain, from suppliers to distribution. The trend toward individualization is accompanied by an increased awareness of quality. Environmental protection, resource conservation and social responsibility are further important topics for the whole sector," he said. Sewing solutions presented A wide range of solutions providers offered various innovations for different users and applications at the fairground. The Amann Group showcased its latest developments in sewing threads and embroidery, for instance, a new N-tech CS sewing thread, which is flame retardant and non-melt, the company said. In the field of embroidery, the company showcased its Isa product range, including Isacord, Isamet and Isalon. It also introduced the new Amann Blue Sky Technology, making it possible to detect the source of branded products and trace back characteristics regarding quality and originality through the complete manufacturing and marketing processes. In addition, Isa Texlight is a new light absorbent and reflective thread from Amann Group, which is applicable for children's wear, sports and casual clothing, and other products. Caption: Sewing threads from Amann Group In the area of sewing needles, Groz-Beckert presented its diverse products for leather processing to international experts. The Groz-Beckert sewing-machine-needles product sector was represented. As well as practical product demonstrations in Groz-Beckert's own "sewing laboratory", highlights also included the presentation of new needle technologies. The company provided information on the environmentally compatible manufacture of its products. Visitors were also introduced a foretaste of the 25,000-square-metre Technology and Development Centre (TEZ), currently being built at the company's headquarters in Albstadt, Germany. Caption: Groz-Beckert's sewing needles IT and other aids for fashion industry offered Fast React Systems, a fashion industry planning specialist, introduced numerous tools for measuring and improving operational performance, enhanced customer reporting, collaborative planning for visibility and communication with remote factory sites, control for multi-stage embellishment and vertical integration for textile businesses. The company's Managing Director, Andrew Brown, commented that it is the time for companies to invest in technologies that can have a dramatic positive effect on performance. "In the difficult global climate, huge opportunities exist for companies to get ahead and establish their competitive advantage during and beyond the current crisis," he added. More exhibitors highlighted their latest developments for various applications. Dürkopp Adler exhibited 75 machines, namely 50 machines for the manufacture of garments and 25 for the production of home and car upholstery as well as technical textiles. Some 40 novelties were premiered, including solutions for pocket sewing, new applications for the manufacture of jeans, and the current range of Beisler sewing units for the automated trousers production. It also emphasized the newly developed special chainstitch machines class 175, 176 and 179 for the processing of difficult-to-feed materials for outerwear. Additionally, Vomatex from Germany exhibited innovations in a wide range of reliable technical fabrics, felts and foams. Based in Bremen, Germany, the company is a supplier of durable coverings used on industrial ironing tables, presses and fusing machines used in the clothing industry.

Show Watcher International Textile Machinery Exhibition will be held from June 6-10 at Beylikduzu Tuyap Fair, Convention and Congress Centre in Istanbul, Turkey. Organizers of ITM expected Turkish textile manufacturers, who have postponed their investment plans, to finalize their decisions after observing the latest technologies at ITM 2009. Turkish textile manufacturers are some active importers of textile machinery in the past decade. Middle East investors, who have started to increase their investment volumes in the recent years, are expected to attend the Turkish fair, according to the ITM organizers. QITMF rescheduled to September The 10th China (Qingdao) International Textile Machinery Fair (QITMF) announced to change the exhibition dates to September 15-17 this year, at Qingdao International Convention Center, Qingdao city, China. Show organizers explained that a number of professional visitors in the industry found exhibition dates in April less accommodating as they are attending fabrics shows at that time of the year. As a consequence, organizers of the China (Qingdao) International Textile Machinery Fair decided to hold this important regional industry exhibition in the second half of the year (September) from 2009 onwards, according to Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd (www.2456.com/qdtex). Caption: Turkey's textile machinery imports from Europe (2005-07) (source: ITM 2009) Nonwovens machinery upgrade in Asia expected The 4th edition of the Asia Nonwovens Exhibition & Conference (ANEX 2009) are the 13th edition of the Shanghai International Nonwovens Conference and Exhibition (SINCE 2009) will be held together in Shanghai, China, on May 20-22. A growing need for upgrading the nonwoven machinery in China and other Asian countries is anticipated by the exhibition organizer, CMP Asia. And a number of machinery builders and relevant suppliers will join the show to network with users in Asia. AKM Shanghai, sales and service organization of Andritz Kuesters GmbH in Far Asia, will present various solutions for users of textile padders, textile calenders and nonwoven thermobonding calenders. In the area of textile padders, AKM will provide rubber regrinding, such as S Roller or curve roller; rubber recoating; and S-Roll overhauling. AKM Shanghai also represents Menzel of Karl Menzel for their padder programs, which are completely made in Germany and with Andritz Kuesters original S-Rolls. In the area of textile calenders, nylon sleeve regrinding, S-Roll overhauling, steel roll regrinding and polishing & chromium plated for steel roller and other products are offered. Users of nonwoven thermobonding calenders can also learn more information about technology of S-Roll overhauling and steel roll regrinding at the booth of AKM Shanghai. Process water analysis introduced In the field of felting, the HyTec process water analysis for water jet hydroentanglement systems will be highlighted by Groz-Beckert. With this analysis, the company can help users obtain precise information about the process water they are using, e.g. level of micro organisms and metal particles in varying concentrations, as well as pH value, water hardness and chloride content. Groz-Beckert explains quality of process water used is decisive to the manufacture of spunlace products. HyTec cleaning instructions for jet strips will also be presented. Groz-Beckert recommends the use of a clearly defined cleaning process to protect the sensitive structure of the jet strip. In addition, UK-based Technical Absorbents Ltd (TAL) will display different fibre grades, a range of converted fabrics and yarns that are suitable for different applications – e.g. apparel, hygiene, dental, medical, food packaging, cable yarns and tapes, technical textiles etc – and a number of finished goods. "We gained a lot of interest from many different markets when we exhibited at CINTE last October," explains TAL Business Development Manager Dave Hill. "We are hoping to build on this success even further in May. In addition to the manufacture of Super Absorbent Fibre (SAF), TAL also manufactures SAF-based nonwovens, yarns, woven fabrics and finished consumer goods. TAL is owned by Bluestar Fibres Ltd, a member of China National Bluestar Corporation under the group of ChemChina. Disposable products used in the medical, hygienic and catering sectors are also an important area in the nonwovens sector, and GFM Maschinenbau from Germany is a supplier in this area, providing manufacturing and packaging solutions. The company provides special purpose machines and optimized automation solutions for fabricating and packaging of different products. GFM also comprehends feasibility studies concerning production automation, step-by-step upgrading of the existing level of automation, and accomplishing entire turn-key fabrication systems.

Corporate Profile Setting development goals amid market challenges Featured company: Jiangsu Sunshine by Liu Chunmei Jiangsu Sunshine Group (江蘇陽光) is a leader in China's wool textile industry. The group's chief, Chen Lifen (陳麗芬), said that Jiangsu Sunshine would like to contribute to building strong Chinese clothing brands for the domestic and overseas markets Company Profile Company name Jiangsu Sunshine Group Location Xinqiao Town, Jiangyin City, Jiangsu Province, China Main business Wool spinning and garment Profit & tax in 2008 RMB2.2 billion Leading brands "Sunshine" woolen cloth, Venetia, Pompei, Gezelia and Sunshine Fashion No. of employees 18,000 Certificates "Sunshine" woolen cloth:"China Top Brand"; "Sunshine" woolen cloth & "Sunshine" western style suit:"China's Free-inspection Products"; "Sunshine" woolen cloth:"China's World Top Brand" Sales in 2008 RMB23.6 billion CTA: With currency appreciation, material price rises, increased environmental cost and manpower cost, China's textile companies have been under great pressure. How does Jiangsu Sunshine cope with these challenges? Ms Chen: In fact, all these issues you mentioned did not affect Sunshine in the first half-year of 2008. The rise in material cost was transferred to our customers, but problems surfaced after last October –we experienced changes in market demand. The textile and garment market, as you know, is influenced by the rotation of seasons. The global market witnessed a softening purchasing power since last autumn. In particular, some customers placed orders in smaller batches, and often requested for price reduction. The rise of VAT rebates for textile and garment last August and November helped a lot in stabilizing exports. We estimated in early 2008 that RMB/USD exchange rate would drop to 6.5:1, but such rate hit 6.83:1 in the late 2008, which was less steep than we expected. Caption: Venetia, Jiangsu Sunshine's own brand For our company, the export market hits 70% at its best. Export of our fabrics and our garment accounted for 60% and 53% of our total export respectively last year. We continue to review such ratio in an attempt to balance our export and domestic sales, hoping to divide them equally. Under the financial crisis, we will constantly innovate and streamline our management at a faster pace. Financial crisis is a "two-sided sword" — On one hand, market demands drop and enterprises suffer. Retailers will lower their product prices to maximize interests. On the other hand, such unfavorable factors may turn out favorable if we manage to transform pressure into drive. For example, Sunshine is reviewing the structure of our product segments. We used to include full range of products with different grades, but we are more than happy to invest on top-grade products. Prior to the crisis, top-end overseas garment brands purchased fabrics from Italy, now they are looking for Chinese suppliers as well. They want quality assured products and Chinese fabric manufactures, with relatively lower labor cost, enjoy comparative advantages in price. This gives us new opportunities. Additionally, many textile technicians are unemployed after the closure and bankruptcy of the textile enterprises that they worked for. So it costs less to hire these talents, including designers, salespersons and brand planners.

Corporate Profile Sunshine this year will employ overseas experts to help create our own brands. They are very experienced in brand building and management. Caption: Ms Chen, General Manager of Jiangsu Sunshine Group CTA: Being China's or even the world's top manufacturer of woolen materials, how will Jiangsu Sunshine continue with its development? Compared with imported woolen fabrics, what are the company's competitive edges? Ms Chen: To stay competitive, we need to review the existing product structure. Firstly, we will introduce more high value-added products, as well as focusing on products of our own brands. At present, 44% of our products are sold directly in our own brands, we hope the proportion will increase to 70% in three years. We hope that we can contribute to improving China's reputation in clothing brands other than mass production. Compared with foreign woolen fabrics suppliers, we have price advantage, and our company has well-established flexible operation system. CTA: Jiangsu Sunshine is a leader in R&D in China. How much money is spent on this area? What's your R&D direction in wool spinning technology? Ms Chen: Jiangsu Sunshine boasts a comprehensive innovation system and has established the "one station, three centers" concept based on well-defined division of work. There are wool spinning technical development center, which is equipped with computer design system, electronic color-determining and solution-preparing system, woolen textile tester and other advanced equipments imported from Europe. The R&D costs of Sunshine each year account for not less than 3% of its sales income. What we do mostly is to improve technically, e.g., development of functionality, diversification of raw materials and application of new materials. CTA: Many of your spinning, weaving and dyeing equipments are imported and they are quite expensive. Has the economic downturn affected your investment decision? Ms Chen: More than 95% of our machines are imported from foreign countries. Regarding the difficult market situation, we think that we are capable of ensuring a stable investment in hardware. Fortunately, China has taken supporting measures to push up domestic demands, emphasizing on the enhancement of technical innovation of the textile industry in particular—such measures have just balanced out the negative effects of the financial crisis. Therefore, we will continue to improve the level of our technical equipment and to perform our technical innovation. CTA: It is now a difficult time for the textile industry. What advice would you give to the textile enterprises? What do you expect from this year's domestic market? When do you think the textile industry will regain its confidence? Ms Chen: Each enterprise has its own problem to solve. This year, the domestic textile market is definitely better than the overseas. Firstly, China is comparatively less affected by the financial crisis. Secondly, China has taken measures to counterbalance the adverse effects of the crisis. I visited Chengdu, Changsha, Nanchang and some other Chinese cities earlier this year and found that the consumer market and the textile consumption did not decline. Some data demonstrates that the average fiber consumption per capita in China is only half of that in developed countries. This means that China's textile market still has space to grow. Caption: Spinning and weaving workshops equipped with advanced equipments Regarding the issue of confidence, I think the confidence of the textile industry is back already. Since China introduced the measures to increase domestic demand for many industries (e.g., steel, automotive, infrastructure, etc.),the influence of such policies is gradually taking effect. The number of employees and the income of workers have not decreased. Therefore,, we can see that the market of daily necessities remains fine. CTA: The latest decision made to boost the textile industry is to raise the rate of export rebates to 15%. How can such measure help the export enterprises? Ms Chen: It will certainly help but I hope the rebate rate can increase further to 17%. If so, the effect would be more obvious. China's enterprises can compete with their competitors from neighboring countries, for instance, Vietnam, India, Cambodia and Bangladesh, which, like China, have lower labor costs.

Company Bulletin BASF takes steps to optimize its structures BASF announced to optimize its structures and sharpen the company's focus on its customer industries. It is also laying the foundation for the rapid and efficient integration of Ciba's businesses. In particular, BASF's Performance Products segment is being developed further. BASF expected the approvals of the relevant antitrust authorities and the closing of the Ciba transaction toward the end of the first quarter of 2009. The so-called "Discovery Phase" would begin immediately after closing. During this phase, which was expected to last about two months, joint teams consisting of BASF and Ciba employees would analyze the acquired businesses in depth. The analysis would define a market-oriented positioning for the combined businesses as well as the optimal organizational structure. The actual integration process was anticipated to start in the second half of 2009 on the basis of these results. Among other organizational measures, the leather and textile business unit also introduced an additional program to increase efficiency, which would reduce costs by about 25 million euros by 2011, according to Hans W. Reiners, head of the Performance Chemicals division. More organizational changes became effective as of April 1. Erhardt+Leimer celebrates 90-year anniversary Founded in 1919, Erhardt+Leimer rejoices at its 90th anniversary this year. The company is a specialist for system solutions and automation technology on running webs and belts, ranks worldwide among manufacturers of control equipment also for the textile industry. The company offers customized solutions for web guiding, web spreading, measuring and inspection technology, web cutting systems as well as weft straightening systems. Erhardt+Leimer is a third-generation, family-owned and family-run enterprise. In recent years the company was restructured worldwide to focus explicitly on the business units of automation (for such fields as textiles), inspection and building technology. Caption: Erhardt+Leimer employs 420 people at the parent company in Germany and about 650 people worldwide Navis Global restructures manufacturing Navis Global announced the restructuring of manufacturing operations in January. The company's primary manufacturing facility in Lexington, the US, shifts to an assembly-only operation. Accordingly, the component parts manufacturing operations currently performed in the Lexington facility are outsourced to a network of local suppliers. The Lexington site continues as the global headquarters housing all sales, engineering, technical and customer service, finance and executive functions, the company said in a press statement. It also has technical service centers in Honduras, Bangladesh, India, and China. "This move to outsourcing our component parts is a key element in our strategy to offer the latest technology to our customers at competitive prices. This will increase our flexibility and improve our ability to react to customer requirements," stated President and CEO, William J. Motchar. US university joins private firm for nonwovens research The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech University, the USA, partnered with US-based Enercon Industries Corp to jointly develop technology of advanced nonwovens and technical textiles. The partnership sought to explore the opportunities of commercializing atmospheric plasma technology in the nonwovens and specialty fabrics industry to make apparel-grade nonwovens and other value-added fabrics, such as liquid-repellant fabrics and breathable protective fabrics, according to Seshadri Ramkumar, an associate professor in the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory of TIEHH. Plasma technology is a surface modification treatment technique using gasses for the nonwoven and technical textile industry to modify the surface of the materials. This makes it suitable for various desired applications, such as making a fabric more or less absorbent, he said. Before, this treatment could be carried out only at low pressure, which was not feasible commercially in the industry. Recently, atmospheric pressure plasma technology was developed in which the plasma treatment could be achieved in normal atmospheric pressure. Texanlab approved by US product safety authority Texanlab Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., India, a member of the DyStar Group, was approved by The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), USA to test for the presence of Lead as per 16 CFR 1303 in children's garments and made-ups. Testing reports for lead content in paints and surface coatings are currently mandatory for all children's apparel exported to the USA. Founded in 1973, Texanlab is one of the largest independent textile testing institutes in Asia and at the forefront of ecological analysis and testing. "We can now be an even stronger partner for US retailers, brands and textile processors. We help them to keep harmful chemicals out of the textile supply chain and to make garments safe for people," said Rahul Bhajekar, Chief Operations Officer of Texanlab.

Company Bulletin People AWI has new chief executive The Chairman of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Wal Merriman announced that the former head of the Woolmark Company Brenda McGahan has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of AWI, effective from March 2. "I am happy to welcome Brenda back into the fold," Mr Merriman said. "She is a passionate advocate for the wool industry and the Board of AWI is 100% committed to her appointment." Ms McGahan's appointment followed an extensive recruitment and selection process. "It's a tribute to Brenda that she was selected from an impressive array of candidates for this position," Mr Merriman said. Michel promoted to head Benninger Heinz Michel, who headed Benninger's Textile Finishing Division since June 2008, was appointed as Chief Executive Officer with effect from March 1. Heinz Michel looks back on twelve years as CEO of fibre technology components manufacturer Heberlein, now Oerlikon Heberlein Temco Wattwil AG. Since June 2008, he headed Benninger's Textile Finishing Division. Following the sale of the Weaving Preparation Division to Karl Mayer Group by the end of last year, Benninger now focuses on the textile finishing business where it is the global leader as well as the two specialty areas, tire cord and automation. As a result of the realignment, Benninger Group's executive management has been resized, now including Mr Michel, Carmen Hayoz, Chief Financial Officer, and Gerhard Huber, Chief Operating Officer. The former CEO Daniel Hirschi remains a member of the Board of Directors. Caption: Heinz Michel Clariant names new staff for Asia Pacific region and archroma division Peter Lindner was appointed President, Asia Pacific at specialty chemicals company Clariant effective February 1. Mr Lindner was President of the former Special Market region of Clariant, which comprised of Eastern European and Middle-east countries such as Turkey, India and Pakistan. The region was integrated into the Europe and Asia Pacific regions as a result of Clariant's regional restructuring that took effect at the start of 2009. He said: "Clariant is very much committed to the Asia Pacific region, which remains strategically important for us and holds the promise of growth despite the current economic outlook." Located in Hong Kong, Clariant's Asia Pacific headquarters oversee operations in the region that include production facilities, laboratories and offices in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan and Thailand. Over 5,000 people are hired in the region. In addition, effective March 31, Brad McClanahan, Head of Marketing, Apparel & Interior for Clariant's Textile business in North America since 2006, assumes the additional responsibility of managing the company's global Archroma business. As Director of Archroma, Mr McClanahan focuses on global business development for color management products and services as well as operational management of Archroma facilities in the United States and in Guangzhou, China. He was a member of the Clariant team that conceptualized and introduced Archroma Global Services to the apparel and fashion industry in 2001. New faces at Dilo Klaus Maitre retired as Vice President of Dilo Inc in early 2009. "Through more than 25 years he provided excellent work and service to our North American customers," said Dilo Group in a statement. Mr Maitre is known in the nonwovens industry as an experienced and professional textile engineer, who has been marketing Dilo equipment on the basis of his wide technological competence. His successors are Dr Terry Purdy as Vice President Sales and Ms Nancy Haynes as Vice President Administration. Karl Mayer appoints commercial director Effective February 1, Dr Helmut Preßl is Commercial Director of Karl Mayer, and works in conjunction with Managing Director, Fritz P. Mayer. He was employed for many years in a variety of managerial positions at Siemens AG. In his last few years at Siemens AG, he was the commercial director of the Electronic Assembly Systems, and later of Dematic Holding and Dematic GmbH. Prior to joining Karl Mayer, Dr Preßl, in his role as commercial director at Dematic, was responsible for Dematic's carve-out from the Siemens Group, as well as for restructuring them. At Karl Mayer, his primary function is to support the process of reorganisation that is currently under way, and to coordinate international networks – an area in which he has had a great deal of experience. Caption: Dr Helmut Preßl

Coming Events Calendar Date Event Location Organizer Tel/ Fax/ Email/ Website 2009 Apr 21-23 Techtextil North America Las Vegas / USA Messe Frankfurt (1) 770 984 8016 (ext. 411) / (1) 770 984 8023 ttnasales@usa.messefrankfurt.com / www.techtextilna.com 25-30 High Point 2009 High Point / USA High Point Market Authority (1) 336 869 1000 shannon@highpointmarket.org / www.highpointmarket.org May 20-22 Asia Nonwovens Exhibition and Conference (ANEX 2009) & Shanghai International Nonwovens Conference and Exhibition (SINCE 2009) Shanghai / China CMP Asia Trade Fairs Pte Ltd. (65) 6887 9109 / (65) 6738 9057 anex2009@cmpasia.com.sg / www.anex2009.com Jun 3-5 Interior Lifestyle Tokyo / Japan Mesago Messe Frankfurt Corporation (81) 3 3262 8453 / (81) 3 3262 8442 info@interior-lifestyle.com / www.interior-lifestyle.com 6-10 ITM 2009 - International Textile Machinery Exhibition Istanbul / Turkey Teknik Fuarcilik (90) 212 592 5992 / (90) 212 599 3882 info@teknikfuarcilik.com / info@itm2009.com / www.itm2009.com 12-15 ShanghaiTex 2009 - The 14th International Exhibition on Textile Industry Shanghai / China Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd (852) 2811 8897 / (852) 2516 5024 publicity@adsale.com.hk / www.shanghaitexonline.com 16-18 Techtextil Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main / Germany Messe Frankfurt (49) 69 7575 6553 / (49) 69 7575 9655 3 Katrin.Mueller@Messefrankfurt.com / http://techtextil.messefrankfurt.com 16-19 Pitti Immagine Uomo 2009 Florence / Italy Pitti Immagine pr.visitatori@pittimmagine.com / www.pittimmagine.com July 6-9 Hong Kong Fashion Week for Spring / Summer 2010 Hong Kong / China Hong Kong Trade Development Council (852) 2240 4323 / (852) 2824 0026 exhibitions@tdc.org.hk / www.hkfashionweekss.com 16-19 10th Textech Bangladesh 2009 International Expo Dhaka / Bangladesh CEMS (880) 2 8812713 / (880) 2 989 4573 contact@textechonline.org, cems.bd@cemsonline.com / www.textechonline.org 20-22 Spin Expo New York New York / USA Well Link Consultants Ltd (852) 2824 8581 / (852) 2824 8268 steven@spinexpo.com (Mr Steven Chen) / www.spinexpo.com Sep 2-4 Preview in Seoul: Seoul International Textile Fair Seoul / Korea Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI), Seoul Metropolitan Government & Daegu Metropolitan City (82) 2 528 4052 / (82) 2 528 4069 kofoti@kofoti.or.kr / www.kofoti.or.kr 15-17 The 10th China (Qingdao) International Textile Machinery Fair (QITMF) Qingdao / China Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd (852) 2811 8897 / (852) 2516 5024 publicity@adsale.com.hk / www.2456.com/qdtex 15-18 Première Vision Paris Paris / France Première Vision S.A. (852) 2526 6715 / (852) 3013 9554 pvhkgd@pacific.net.hk, info@premierevision.fr /www.premierevision.fr Oct 22-25 Dye+Chem India 2009 International Expo Mumbai / India CEMS (1) 347 5435 543 / (1) 347 7304 560 contact@dyechemonline.org / www.dyechemonline.org * ATA Journal will be distributed at booth / media stand * These events are accurate to the best of our knowledge and are subject to change without prior notice. Event organizers are welcome to email information of their coming events to The Editor, ATA Journal cta.ata.edit@adsale.com.hk

New Products Guide New year-round Merino fabrics suit Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) unveiled its new Merino Perform range of Extrafine Merino performance fabrics designed for next-to-skin wear. The natural qualities of Australian Merino – such as natural breathability and elasticity; odour resistance; sweat and moisture control and suitability for multi-climatic environments – mean that Merino Perform fabrics provide an unrivalled level of next-to-skin comfort for everyday, active and sports wear – in all climates, year-round, according to the company. Merino Perform is produced according to Woolmark standards offering high quality, fit-for-purpose and ultimate next-to-skin comfort. Enquiry code: 301 Custom coating solutions offered Coatema introduced solutions for coating and laminating plants with R2R applications for textile and other markets. The company offers custom-made coating machinery solution to suit various substrates as well as coating chemistry. It is able to handle woven fabric, uni-, bi- and multi-directional fibre construction and products. Coatema also handles different resins (matrix) as coating materials including solvent or water based epoxy resins, hotmelt resin, polyester/vinyl ester/acrylic resin systems. Enquiry code: 302 Eco-friendlier way to bleach Huntsman Textile Effects and Genencor, a division of Danisco A/S, introduced Gentle Power Bleach, a novel solution for bleaching textiles in a more environmentally friendly way. Gentle Power Bleach is a new bleaching technology from Huntsman based on first-to-market enzyme innovation from Genencor. The peroxide bleach system allows for low temperature bleaching of textiles at 65°C and at a neutral pH range. By lowering the treatment and rinsing temperature considerably, savings in water and energy consumption of up to 40% are possible. On regenerated cellulosic fibers, in particular, textile processors can obtain full white levels. Fabrics pretreated with this bleaching solution demonstrate a soft, bulky, natural handle, seen especially on cottons. It also results in less fabric weight loss whilst delivering brighter and more brilliant color shades with a higher color yield, according to the two companies. Enquiry code: 303 Innovative rib fabric made possible The new machine design Technit D3 is set to open up new fields of application for circular knit fabrics, Mayer & Cie descibes. The new development knits three threads in three plies per feeder. The first plated thread is 50% visible on the fabric face, while the second plated thread is located inside the fabric and therefore concealed, allowing both threads to be used as a functional thread adding a function to the fabric. Caption: Spacer fabrics that can be knitted with a Mayer & Cie system It produces fine rib knit goods and 3D spacer fabrics capable of addressing a varied application spectrum. Fine rib with functional threads can be used, for instance, to provide a shield against electromagnetic waves (EMC) in articles of clothing. The functional thread can be used for the electrical transmission of heat in outdoor clothing or seat covers. Thermal functions permitting the selective dissipation of body moisture while offering simultaneous thermal insulation are additional application fields for these new-style fabrics. In the field of medical technology, the function thread can be used for a range of different treatment methods, e.g. knitting in a silver thread, Mayer & Cie says. Enquiry code: 304 Advanced card technology introduced in USA Oerlikon Neumag rolled out a new modular card system and elliptic needling technology at Techtextil North America on April 21-23 in Las Vegas, USA. The new carding technology involve a series of improvements on FOR preparation and carding, Fehrer needle punching and Autefa in crosslapping. Technical novelties include the new modular card system, crosslappers with improved profiling plus a new drive technology, needle looms with features like elliptic needling, optimised needle patterns and automatic needle board exchange, the company says. Oerlikon Neumag also presented fullscope service in planning, realising and optimising turn key installations, impressively documented by many prominent start-ups of lines with key players in the global nonwoven industry. Enquiry code: 305 High-temperature calender rolls unveiled UK-based Richard Hough Ltd (RHL) introduced newly developed Nomex calender rolls, featuring outstanding temperature resistance, excellent resistance to surface damage and resistance to high nip loads, ensuring minimum maintenance and a long service life. The new range of calender rolls are filled with Nomex, a DuPont high-performance meta-aramid fibre targeting at high-temperature calendering for technical textiles applications. Key applications of the Nomex calender rolls include high-temperature textile calenders, e.g. glazing calenders, friction calenders, thermobonding calenders for nonwovens; and high-temperature or high-speed embossing calenders. RHL's expertise in producing the Nomex rolls is officially approved by DuPont, according to RHL. Enquiry code: 306

New Products Guide Award Industry innovators applauded at JEC Composites Eight companies in different categories and their partners were rewarded for their composite innovations this year at the JEC Composites Show in March: • Aeronautics: A400M cargo door by Premium Aerotec (Germany) • Building & Construction (two winners): 1. Twintex-reinforced thermoplastic windows by OCV Reinforcements (France, USA) 2. A façade with an innovative modular system that makes an extensive use of sandwich composites to support both glass and marble elements by Skandinaviska Glassystem AB (Sweden) • Automation: Robotic welding system for thermoplastic composites by Kuka (Germany) • Environment & energy: Sea-wave energy converter designed to produce electricity by 3B Fibreglass (Belgium) • Process: Thermoplastic tape placement process for in situ consolidation by Institut für Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH (Germany) • Raw materials: Two new resin systems for composite parts in fuel cells by Huntsman Advanced Materials (Switzerland) • Transportation: High-pressure hydrogen storage tanks for vehicles, manufactured using a new, highly productive process by Profile Composites Inc (Canada) AATCC honors top textile scientists of 2008 The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) honored the world's top textile scientists in March, during AATCC's 2009 International Conference in the USA. AATCC named John R. Provost and Wim Prinsen as the recipients of the Henry E. Millson Award for Invention for the development of the first commercially available inkjet printer for textile fabrics. John R. Provost directed the team at ICI that developed the reactive dye colorant formulations and textile pretreatments for the first commercially available textile inkjet system, whilst Wim Prinsen was the manager of research and development for Stork Prints in Boxmeer, The Netherlands, until the late 1990s. He currently works as an independent consultant. In addition, David Malcolm Lewis is the 2008 recipient of the Olney Medal for outstanding achievement in textile chemistry.