Around 135 delegates assembled in London last week for the RITE Group (Reducing the Impact of Textiles on the Environment) conference where consumption was the focus for brands, retailers, government organizations, NGOs and academia at the 6th annual conference held at Central Hall Westminster.

Debra Cobb reported from London where presentations covered a wide range of sustainability issues and initiatives within the textile business, including resource consumption, dyehouse pollution, closed loop recycling, the future of cotton, eco-indexes, and game-changing technologies. Read the full report.

CO2 dyeing technology

Meanwhile Huntsman Textile Effects and the Netherlands’ DyeCoo Textile Systems are joining forces to develop and grow DyeCoo’s Supercritical CO2 textile processing technology with the aim of creating more sustainable products which will benefit the industry as a whole.

By using recycled carbon dioxide as the application medium, DyeCoo’s innovative technology completely eliminates the use of water in the textile dyeing process. However, the new technology requires innovation in dye and chemical products as the applications expand in order to obtain the high level of colour fastness and performance that consumers demand and this is where Huntsman comes in.

In February this year Nike announced a strategic partnership with DyeCoo which it said is illustrative of its long-term commitment to designing and developing the most superior athletic performance products for athletes and its overall sustainable business and innovation strategy. Read more

Blue Competence at Monforts

In an interview last week, Monforts’ Klaus A. Heinrichs talked about his company’s participation in the VDMA’s Blue Competence sustainability initiative.

Blue Competence is an initiative launched by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) to demonstrate the know-how and experience of its members for sustainable solutions. Key points of the campaign are technologies and products that conserve raw materials, reduce emissions and sustainably improve the living conditions of people.

According to Heinrichs, the Mönchengladbach based company can demonstrate three examples of innovative solutions for how the future can look. Read more

Hosiery and seamless events

Elsewhere in Europe, new technology for the hosiery and seamless garments was on the agenda and although sustainability was not the key topic, automation certainly was. At a series of exhibitions – public and private – leading machine builders such as Santoni and Lonati showed their latest technology  offerings.

Make sure you read the following articles to get up to date with what’s new:

Over 3000 people attended the FIMAST show in Brescia, Northern Italy last month to find out about the latest technology for hosiery manufacture - Good turnout for Brescia hosiery machinery events

Lonati’s Sergio Delre talks about his company’s optimism, its latest technologies and how ‘closed toe is the future world wide’ - Lonati optimistic at in-house show

Meanwhile at a private show also in Brescia, Santoni showcased the latest machines for both weft and warp knit seamless, as well as a new assembly system for tights manufacture - Santoni flat lock system for tights assembly