Philippine Tropical Fabrics (PTF) every January is an initiative of the country’s Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI), to promote the country’s natural textile fibres. The PTF contains natural textile fibres from pineapple leaf, abaca, banana, and Philippine silk, which are produced, spun, woven, or knitted, and finished in the Philippines.
Rural women in Lakhimpur Kheri’s Ishanagar block have made banana fibre production a successful business model as they are able to make Rs 5-6 lakh yearly profits.
Theirs is also an eco-friendly venture that helps farmers in the area clear their land for the next farming season — an effort that otherwise requires an expense of Rs 18,000-20,000 per hectare.
Banana fibre production is now a sought-after venture in many parts of the country.
Launching the initiative in the district from Ishanagar in 2020, Arun Kumar Singh, the then block development officer (BDO) of the area, had realised that banana farmers were spending enormous amounts to cut down the existing trees after the season, thereby generating enormous amounts of agriculture waste.
On the 100th episode of Mann ki Baat, PM Modi reconnected with and lauded the efforts of Manipur’s Bijiyashanti Tongbram, who turns lotus stems into clothes. This is a boost not just to this designer, but more importantly to the entire sustainable textile chain in the country.
Kering has struck up a deal with Israel-based Sonovia and Italian manufacturer PureDenim that will see the French luxury group help to develop and install indigo yarn dyeing technology into its denim production lines.
The agreement comes as part of the conglomerate’s ongoing sustainability strategy, in which it has stated that it is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40%.
According to Sonovia, its D(y)enim ultrasound technology will reduce the usage of water in the textile dyeing process by up to 85%, and take away its reliability on polluting chemicals.
After participating in industry trials, Renewcell and TextileGenesis™ have the intention to establish an agreement for full pulp-to-retail traceability for Renewcell’s CIRCULOSE® recycled raw material across the entire textile supply chain. This announcement was made at an industry event in Milan, Italy called Challenge the Fabric, initiated and hosted by Ekman & Co.
The Lenzing Group, a world-leading provider of specialty fibres for the textile and nonwoven industries, has taken another big step towards achieving a circular future in collaboration with several partners. Austrian companies and not-for-profit organisations, including Lenzing’s logistics and sorting partner ARA (Altstoff Recycling Austria AG), the textile service provider Salesianer Miettex and Caritas, as well as the Swedish pulp producer Södra have joined forces to collect used household and clothing textiles for reprocessing to produce pulp and, ultimately, new lyocell and viscose fibres.
Denim manufacturer Evlox and materials science company Recover have signed a three-year agreement with the collaborative goal to advocate innovative technologies that drive the transition towards a circular textiles industry. Evlox will further commit by implementing Recover’s recycled cotton fibre in its denim products, which is created from textile waste and produced with “minimal environmental impact”. The agreement is in line with the denim brand’s intention to offer more sustainable products, move towards a more circular business model and fulfill its 2025’s corporate social responsibility programme objectives. A first collection in the frame of this collaboration including Recover’s recycled fibres made in Spain will launch this month and will be called Re-Iconics by Evlox.
FyberX is executing its strategy to align with strategic investors interested in industrial-scale US-grown hemp “done right” it said. FyberX is on a mission to create a “healthier planet” by revolutionising how fibres are produced. FyberX uses cutting-edge material science, green chemistry, and responsibly sourced natural fibres, like hemp, to create high-quality, eco-friendly textile fibres that are easily integrated into existing production processes. As a result, its drop-in fibres reduce the industrial environmental impact and deliver cost-effective solutions for customers.
The three companies want to build the first industrial automatic textile sorting line in France, combining automated sorting technology and recycling technology. The new textile sorting line is to be the first to combine Pellenc automated sorting technologies with Andritz recycling technologies.
A Virginia-based startup, Circ, has developed a unique hydrothermal processing technology for recycling blended textiles, like polyester-cotton blends. With fast fashion’s emissions and environmental impact becoming a significant concern, this innovation could play a crucial role in establishing a circular economy in the textile sector.
