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Take IFAI’s survey: COVID-19’s Business Impact in 2020
December 22nd, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic will be remembered as one of the most challenging and unprecedented periods ever for the specialty, technical and engineered textile industries. As 2020 comes to a close, Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) would like your help in understanding how businesses in our industries were affected by the events of this year and […]
Hemp on the horizon
December 21st, 2020
Natural materials can help achieve a cost and benefit balance in sustainability goals. by Seshadri Ramkumar COVID-19 has up-ended our normal way of life, which we may have taken for granted. With the economy suffering as a result, and with the need to create growth and employment, the manufacturing sector has its work cut out […]
“The Sweater” is knitted from a plant-based biopolymer
December 21st, 2020
Photo: Goldwin Japanese technical apparel brand, Goldwin, and biomaterial innovator, Spiber, have created what the companies call the world’s first knitted garment made with Brewed Protein™, a biopolymer created from a plant-based microbial fermentation process. Named simply “The Sweater,” it is the partnership’s first Brewed Protein™ garment brought to market in the U.S. It was designed to emulate a traditional ski […]
MIT researchers send sensing fabrics to the ISS for testing
December 21st, 2020
A team of MIT researchers has sent a panel of passive smart fabric samples to the International Space Station for a year to help determine how well these fabrics survive low Earth orbit. Photo: Space BD/JAXA and edited by MIT News A team of MIT researchers has sent samples of high-tech fabrics, some with embedded […]
Technology for sterilizing masks is launched
December 21st, 2020
Swiss corporation Osmotex announces that it has developed the Osmotex Steriliser Technology that can make textiles virus and bacteria free. With the market for sterilizing facemasks and personal items increasing, due to the pandemic, the company considers its solution a breakthrough. “With the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw new opportunities for our proprietary osmosis technology. To […]
Puffer jacket is solar charged for visibility
December 21st, 2020
Photo: Vollebak High-tech apparel brand Vollebak has released a its Solar Charged Puffer, a warm jacket for extreme environments that builds on its original solar charged jacket, launched in 2017. Pure white during the day, the jacket will start glowing in the dark when it is exposed to light. In fact, one can literally write […]
CDP honors Lenzing for environmental transparency
December 9th, 2020
The Lenzing Group has been recognized by the global environmental non-profit CDP, securing a place on its prestigious ‘A List’ for tackling climate change and acting to protect forests. CDP’s annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. This year, more than 5,800 companies were scored […]
Designer grows shoes from bacteria
December 7th, 2020
Jennifer Keane/Vita Larvo. Biodesigner Jennifer Keane is moving forward with her efforts to help create a more sustainable future by “replacing the petrochemical-based materials of today with more sustainable ones.” She has been working with the k.rhaeticus bacteria that “naturally grow a tiny fiber called nanocellulose, which is eight times stronger than steel and stiffer than Kevlar, transparent […]
Nanomesh sensor developed for human fingers
December 7th, 2020
The nanomesh sensor is described as being "much thinner than a human hair.” Photo: 2020 Someya et al. Japanese scientists have created a pressure-sensitive “e-skin” that can be used on human fingers. The ultra-thin "nanomesh sensor" was built by a team at the University of Tokyo, led by Sunghoon Lee. According to information provided by […]
UV-activated polymer for smart fabrics developed
December 7th, 2020
E-textiles have progressed to e-fibers. The next means of incorporating functional elements may be in process, give the research into a new polymer that’s activated by UV light. As reported on newatlas.com, a team at MIT started by developing a photosensitive thiol-epoxy/thiol-ene polymer. When the material is exposed to ultraviolet light, its molecules crosslink with […]