2026 IAAs, Fabrication Excellence Awards accepting entries

February 10, 2026  |  ATA News, News

The 2026 International Achievement Awards (IAAs) are now accepting entries. Exclusive to Advanced Textile Association (ATA) members, this competition—now in its 79th year—celebrates the best projects in the specialty fabrics industry. With a reduced entry fee of just $25, it’s easy to enter. S…
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Big questions: bigger rewards

February 9, 2026  |  My Take

If I have learned one thing while working in the textiles industry, it is that innovative solutions are in the making all the time. If this industry can figure out how to make a single fiber conductive, so that a shirt can monitor vital signs 24-7, it can figure out how to make itself a friendlier p…
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Powering a more climate friendly future

February 9, 2026  |  Features

Textiles have typically been an industry with high energy consumption. In some circumstances it can be highly labor intensive and show lower productivity, depending on the level of modernization. The industry in past decades has been addressing these issues, and it has opportunities to be more clima…
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Scientists put a powerful computer inside a single thread

February 9, 2026  |  What's New?

Fudan University researchers in Shanghai have built complex electronic circuits within the tiniest of spaces: a flexible fiber thinner than a human hair. They call it a "fiber chip," and it's been more than a decade in the making.
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Smart exoskeleton for dogs helps them walk again 

February 9, 2026  |  What's New?

An attachable powered exoskeleton for dogs named “Repawse” allows them to walk again after an injury or illness. A design project led by Zhou Leijing and her team in Hangzhou, China, the device is worn on the pet’s hind legs to support their movement.
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Composite can repair itself 1,000+ times

February 9, 2026  |  EcoNote

Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have created a self-healing composite that is tougher than materials currently used in aircraft wings, turbine blades and other applications – and can repair itself more than 1,000 times.
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Stretchy sweat-activated yarn batteries developed for smart fabrics

February 9, 2026  |  Industry News, Swatches

Incorporating sweat-activated batteries into smart fabrics for athletic use may have jumped another hurdle. Researchers at the School of Materials & Energy, Southwest University in China developed a fiber wrapping technique to create these types of batteries in yarns, enabling them to be stretch…
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New Jersey passes PFAS bill for firefighting PPE

February 9, 2026  |  Industry News, News

The New Jersey state government passed Bill A5195/5223 on Jan. 20, 2026. Under the act, producers of certain firefighting personal protective equipment (PPE) in New Jersey will be required to disclose the use and purpose of PFAS beginning in January 2027. Firefighting PPE includes, but is not limite…
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Nalco Water and ANDRITZ announce 3-year collaboration

February 9, 2026  |  Industry News, News

Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, has entered a strategic three-year collaboration with international technology group ANDRITZ to support product development at the PrimeLineTIAC Tissue Innovation and Application Center (TIAC) in Graz, Austria. The partnership aims to support the future of the tissue …
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Rieter completes acquisition of Barmag

February 6, 2026  |  Industry News, News

Rieter has completed the acquisition of Barmag as of Feb. 2, 2026. Barmag will be consolidated and integrated into the Rieter Group as the “Man-Made Fiber” Division. The management of Barmag will remain with the company. Georg Stausberg will continue to lead the division and report to Thomas Oet…
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