INDEX 23, the biggest trade event of the global nonwovens industry, came to a close on 21 April with a showcase of the latest breakthroughs and innovative developments across nonwovens’ applications.

A raincoat made out of algae is what a researcher at the Arizona State University has experimented on and given the right partners it could be pushed further for commercial readiness.

In its bid to remain an effective tool to drive continuous improvement and deliver sustainability impact at field-level, non-profit Better Cotton has revised its Principles & Criteria (P&C) to drive continuous improvement and deliver sustainability impact at field level.

Indian fashion conglomerate Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have launched the ‘Circularity Innovation Challenge 2023’  — a platform for innovators to introduce sustainable and impactful solutions, and raise awareness about textile circularity. 

A Consortium to Reinvent the Retail Bag, managed by Closed Loop Partners, has launched two reusable bag pilots in three US states, with multiple retailers. The pilot initiative hopes to reduce single-use plastic bag waste through ambitious in-market interventions.

The American Circular Textiles has called for standardisation of terms and definitions for circular fashion which would inform consumers better on care, origins, and material contents of new items, which will in turn facilitate resale, repair, and recycling.

A new initiative to promote sustainable, circular uniform design, production and consumption has been launched by the Network Association of Uniform Manufacturers & Distributors (NAUMD), in collaboration with top industry leaders.

A report on fast fashion purchasing practices in the European Union paints a grim picture of the tenuous trade relations between brands and manufacturers, with business-to-business power imbalances, giving buyers even more influence in defining terms and conditions than elsewhere. 

Better Cotton is piloting innovative traceability technologies through India’s cotton value chain to provide end-to-end visibility. The new traceability framework will allow greater flexibility and visibility of the physical flow of cotton through supply chains as the network grows.

Fashion and lifestyle brand conglomerate VF Corporation is rolling out collections that take advantage of regeneratively-sourced natural rubber, made possible through its pilot programme in Thailand with regenerative design firm, Terra Genesis.