Posted May 11, 2017

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – One-hundred-forty-four professionals from several areas of the textile/apparel supply chain turned out here recently for the Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association’s (SYFA's) Spring Conference, one of two events the group holds annually.

 

During the gathering, its board of directors elected Machell Apple of True Textiles as president for a two-year term. She replaced Roger Crossfield, managing partner at CTW Development Co., LLC.
 

“I’d like to say what an honor it is to have served as your president for the last two years,” Crossfield told the association, in turning over the gavel. “I’ve been supported by a really good group of board of directors, a very dynamic group. And, of course, behind the scenes, (Managing Director) Diane (Bayatafshar) is quietly pulling all the strings.

 

“I also want to congratulate Machell as she takes over as president. I’ve worked with her on the board for six years, and, combined with her industry experience and a creative talent, she will serve us very well as president for the next couple of years.”

 

Presentation content ran the gamut over the two half days, with wide-ranging appeal for attendees. Day 1 activities are covered here; Day 2 presentations will be published next week.

 

The manmade cellulosic fiber market

 

David Adkins, director of the Americas, Sales for Lenzing Fibers Inc., keynoted the opening session. He presented an overview of the manmade cellulosic fiber market, noting that the basis for Austria-based Lenzing’s sustainable products is wood pulp.

 

The company manufactures three types of fibers, and has for many years, Adkins said. They include Lenzing Viscose (rayon in the U.S.), which the company has produced for 75 years; Lenzing Modal, a high-strength version of Viscose, which it has made for 50 years; and Lenzing Tencel, which it has created for 20 years. He also explained the uniqueness of each.

 

According to the latest figures, Lenzing commands a No. 1 market share with Tencel and Modal and is No. 2 with Viscose, he said.

 

Adkins also discussed the growth in manmade cellulosics, pointing out that wood-based fiber demand is outgrowing the market. In addition, he offered an in-depth look at Lenzing’s sustainability strategy, focusing on wood security, water stewardship, de-carbonization and innovations. The company has earned numerous certificates, eco-labels and awards in this area, he added.

 

Patagonia’s work to combat microplastics

 

Elena Egorova, environmental metrics analyst at Patagonia, presented the current state of affairs for microplastics and textiles. Microplastics are small plastic particles that are less than 5 millimeters in diameter and pollute the environment, including oceans, she explained.

 

In 2015, Patagonia commissioned a project with the University of California-Santa Barbara, with graduate-level students working to quantify the microfibers shed from synthetic jackets and conduct a comprehensive review of scientific literature. The Bren Project concluded that a significant amount of fiber loss occurs during washing (front load machines show less shedding) and the quality of the fabric or jacket contributes to the shedding.

 

Egorova also noted that synthetic fibers are higher in density, so they sink onto shorelines and deep-sea sediments. She went over the types of fibers commonly found in soil and water samples, their ecological impacts (which can be deleterious to animals) and the current state of research.

 

“At Patagonia, we realized we needed to figure out a way to test and quantify fiber loss,” she said, before explaining another project with N.C. State’s College of Textiles aimed at developing a standardized method for doing just that.

 

Yarn is the ‘next invention’

 

Michelle Letendre and Stephanie Rodgers, co-founders of The Textile Foundry, explained that its mission is to enable designers, developers and engineers to achieve more with textiles through development expertise. The entity, which supports U.S. manufacturing, also serves as an educational resource with a focus on the foundational stages of textile development (yarn and textile formation), they said.

 

They discussed the textile development process, which can be lengthy, and the roadblocks encountered along the way. They called this a “revolutionary time in textiles.”

 

“Even people who have not talked about textiles are talking about textiles,” said Rodgers, pointing out how performance, smart and functional textiles are finding their way into mainstream media sources.

 

They surmised that yarn is the “next invention,” because it is the basis for textile development. “It’s the first step in the textile process and the foundation for something greater,” Letendre said. “End use is critical to the development of the right textile the first time.”

 

They went on to talk about The Yarn Connexion within the Foundry, aimed at reducing or eliminating the lengthy yarn development process; getting brands and end users to product faster; reducing costs; elevating yarn performance; and putting a system in place to transition to scale-up.

 

As such, the duo is collecting a yarn library of various types (synthetic, natural and specialty) and is currently using a Shima Seiki SWG-041 15-gauge knitting machine for sampling, they said.

 

The Textile Foundry has collaborative partnerships with BNG Knit of Los Angeles; Vanguard’s Wildfire initiative of Monroe, N.C.; mbody custom-fit bras of Nashville, Tenn.; and Haworth of Grand Rapids, Mich.

 

Technically speaking

 

In one of two technical presentations on Day 1, Fred Humiston, director of Business Development at Sigma Technologies, discussed “Radiant Barrier Fabrics: Understanding Low-Emissivity (Heat Reflective) Treatments for Wovens, Nonwovens and Knits.”

 

“You may wonder how we got involved in the textile industry,” Humiston said in his opening remarks. “It goes back to the 1980s when we were involved in depositing very thin layers of polymers on top of each other. We’ve become experts in this deposition of metals and polymers in combination of each other. We’ve seen value in this in bringing this technology to the textile industry.”

 

He explained low emissivity in good detail before going into applications for the textile industry. Heat-reflective fabrics, he pointed out, may be a new way to achieve warmth without weight. New metallization technology can drastically reduce fabric emissivity, he said, with virtually no added weight and no effect on hand or drape.

 

Sigma conducted comparative heat energy loss testing to learn more about its impact on thermal performance.

 

Meanwhile, Frank Adamsky, Ph.D., Regulatory Affairs manager at Daikin America, Inc. and a member of the Global FluoroCouncil, covered “FluoroTechnology and Textiles, A Global Safety & Regulatory Update." He explained FluoroCouncil member companies’ transition to the current generation of fluorinated products that provide desired performance benefits, with improved human health and environmental profiles and addressed concerns and common misconceptions regarding the current generation of fluorinated products.

 

Fluorotelemer-based applications are used in the textile industry to improve the lifestyle of fabric, Adamsky said.

 

He stressed that perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a manmade chemical used to manufacture a diverse collection of consumer goods, is not and never has been used as a durable water repellant (DWR) treatment for textiles, he said. PFOA was a minor impurity and potential degradant of C8 chemistry, the older DWR formulations, he added.

 

He discussed the history of concerns regarding PFOA and U.S. regulatory highlights, before noting that Daikin America voluntarily joined the U.S. Environmental Agency’s PFOA Stewardship Program. The program led to the virtual elimination of those chemicals from facility emissions to all media and product content, he said.

 

Adamsky added that FluoroCouncil member companies’ current FluoroTechnology products meet specific performance needs required by the textile industry and with more sustainable profiles. And, he said, regulators around the world have reviewed and approved these products.