Small solutions – big impact

October 9, 2023  |  Features

In a Q & A format, researcher Vikram Iyer, Ph.D., University of Washington. His work, he says, “takes an interdisciplinary approach to connect ideas between different engineering domains and biology to build end-to-end wireless systems that push the boundaries of technology with particular foc…
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Successful innovation with 2PS  

September 25, 2023  |  Features

The textiles sector Is feeling the pressure of low demand and higher costs due to global inflation and geopolitical circumstances. A survey undertaken among 250 participants in a recent meeting organized by the Texas Cotton Association revealed that the demand for non-essentials like textiles is low…
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Collaborations benefit warfighters—and consumers

September 11, 2023  |  Features

The North Carolina Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (NC DMCSP), administered by NC State University Industry Expansion Solutions, is disrupting the performance and functionality that once defined the traditional textile industry. With more than 40 percent of U.S. textiles produced in …
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Renewed vitality in domestic manufacturing

August 28, 2023  |  Features

Since the pandemic, the world economy has been run by anomalies. With a strong labor market, one normally expects higher demand in daily nonessentials such as clothing, home textiles and home accessories; the financial reports of major retailers, such as Walmart and Canadian retailer Loblaws, show t…
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Concerns about chemicals 

August 14, 2023  |  Features

The chemicals used on many textiles are impacting apparel in concerning ways across the globe. In her book released in June 2023, To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back, journalist Alden Wicker discusses the hazards certain chemicals pose for human health. In an in…
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The challenge of making sustainable footwear

July 31, 2023  |  Features

A single method to calculate and mitigate the negative environmental impact of footwear is much needed. The European Commission is promoting the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), designed to offer a single method to calculate, and perhaps as important, to communicate the environmental performan…
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A new world in sustainable footwear

July 17, 2023  |  Features

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

June 26, 2023  |  Features

Billionaire investor Raymond Dalio, founder and chairman of Bridgewater Associates, an American investment management firm, has said that education and technology are key influencers among the factors that propel economic development and spearhead growth, but specific skillsets, beyond professional …
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Smart Fabrics Conference: Part II

June 12, 2023  |  Features

With a packed day-and-a-half, the Smart Fabric Summit in April 2023 provided plenty of information to process, ideas to incorporate and discussions to spark the imagination. Organized by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) and the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University (NC S…
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The life-changing possibilities for biomedical textiles

May 22, 2023  |  Features

The pandemic heightened the public’s awareness of textile substrates and elevated the value of textiles in everyone’s eyes, but few know of breakthrough technologies that could transform segments of the medical textiles field. Key attributes of these textiles are their functionality and biocompa…
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