TEXTILES ─ Sustainability & Eco-Friendly
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SUSTAINABILITY ECO-FRIENDLY
TEXTILES Developments that will define the next decade for the textile and printing industry
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n spite of the pandemic, or perhaps even accelerated by it, issues of sustainability have continued to dominate the psyche of the consumer. As the collective mindset has developed further, encouraged by the universal challenge of the COVID19 virus, increased importance has been attached to sustainable fabrics: how they are made, what innovations have occurred and what new regulations have arisen to monitor this progress. Navigating the current sustainable textile landscape is no easy task. In 2020, we witnessed heightened activity in the development and launch of sustainable fabrics as the marketplace accelerated to meet the requirements of the consumer and increasingly the inevitable reality of the eventual application of legislation across the globe. Much of this activity has been seen at the product, materials science and technical levels, but pressure mounts for industry change from numerous NGOs. As we look forward to 2021, the enormous strides made by textiles on the sustainability agenda in 2020 have created an impetus for change that cannot be ignored. As the groundswell of public opinion has shifted irreversibly to embrace sustainability and all its aspects, so too, has the textile industry risen and doubled down to meet the many challenges that face it. Looking back as we move forward into the next decade, and perhaps a decade of historic change within the textile industry, we recognize and round up some of the significant innovations, new product launches and campaigns by NGOs of the last year. Eastman Naia and Dupont Biomaterials collaborate to launch a new sustainable fabric collection. To meet a growing demand for sustainable fashion options, Eastman Naia and DuPont Biomaterials announced the launch of a fabric collection made with sustainable, biobased materials. The collaboration blends Naia from Eastman and DuPont Sorona fibers to create garments with exceptional stretch and recovery, luxurious drape and a smooth, soft hand feel. Duvaltex Launches its new Clean Impact Textiles, the industry’s first recycled biodegradable textiles for commercial interiors. This not only represents the first recycled
WhatTheyThink - Wide-Format&Signage | March 2021
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