Textilien für die Zukunft

In 2023, Hans Pilenz carried out a major project for Amann Nähgarn in collaboration with Afbw and Gherzi Germany. The aim of the project was to analyze innovations and development trends in the global textile industry and to identify specific opportunities for the European textile industry in the context of the Green Deal and upcoming developments. The focus was not only on technological innovations, but above all on the innovation of business models and vertical integration in value stream design along the textile value chain. The project emphasizes that these innovative approaches offer significant opportunities, especially for medium-sized companies in the textile industry, and forecast a positive future for the sector.

As the Erwo Group, we cover the entire textile value chain. This enables us and our partners to develop and implement complete solutions for sustainable / recycled products based on the circular economy.

Kelheim Fibres, the world's leading manufacturer of viscose specialty fibers, relies on innovations such as modified fiber cross-sections, additives and changes in fiber dimensions to develop sustainable products for fashion, hygiene, medicine, nonwovens and specialty papers. Close cooperation with players in the value chain and an open innovation approach are critical to success.

The presentation will show how different types of functionalized viscose fibres can create innovative and sustainable products and, among other things, ensure the competitiveness of a European fibre manufacturer.

How can a German textile company operate responsibly?

The presentation will report on experiences with the difficulties and obstacles encountered and present Topp Textil's approach to sustainability. Possibilities and opportunities for the development of new products in the area of sustainability and functionalization will be presented in more detail.

Solvent-based recycling is a promising method for recovering plastics, especially in the textile industry. In this process, plastic waste is heated in a solvent to dissolve the desired polymer. In the case of textiles, for example, this technology enables the extraction of pure polyester from mixed textile waste streams. This can in turn be spun into fibers to begin the next life cycle.

A Danish research project called ReSuit has investigated this technology and successfully implemented it on a small industrial scale. The presentation will show the possibilities of textile waste treatment through solvent-based recycling and will include the latest results of the recently completed ReSuit project.

The artisanal handling of natural fibers is increasingly being transferred to automated industrial processes, while new fiber developments and process engineering possibilities are driving innovative developments. The weaving of wood in the form of whole and split willow rods for furniture and basketry has not yet been transferred to an automated process. In this lecture, a new industrial process will be presented that could surpass the economic efficiency, formability and repeatability of the craft and thus significantly expand the potential use of wood as a natural, regional raw material.

In addition, current developments at ifm in the field of plant production will be presented. These respond to the increasing demands of climate change, particularly in fruit, vegetable and berry cultivation. New concepts such as intelligent, self-controlling textile components or hybrid construction methods are intended to improve plant protection. Current protection systems are often designed for weather events such as hail, but damage caused by so-called sunburn is increasing, leading to yield losses.

The article presents ultra-thin functional layers with a thickness of less than 1 µm that can be applied directly to textiles and are suitable for photovoltaic and thermoelectric energy generation. With minor modifications, these layer systems can also be used for security applications or enable targeted cooling. Textile actuators appear to be possible...

The EU Green Deal presents itself as a far-reaching challenge for SMEs in the deeper supply chain of the textile industry. The presentation offers a compact overview of how companies can categorize the new regulatory obligations and set up internal responsibilities.

In an ever-changing world where the challenges of climate change are becoming ever more pressing, the development of sustainable mobility solutions is of crucial importance. The ECO Designer from Dassault Systems is an innovative tool used at csi to underpin the concepts developed by csi with the LCA accompanying development. The aim is to develop new sustainable concepts with our customers and to confirm these with the ECO Designer.

In times of rising energy prices and growing environmental awareness, the trend in the textile industry is towards modern, ecological, energy- and cost-efficient application and drying systems. One drying technology that is already widely used in the coatings, printing and paper industries is UV curing. The work shows the application and potential of UV LED curing in the field of textile coating, 3D printing and fiber composites. The advantages over currently used processes are presented.

An important process in production technology for processing textiles is lamination, which has undergone considerable development in recent years and will therefore be the focus of this article.

During lamination, different layers of material are bonded together to make them more resistant or to enhance their appearance. Due to the increasing demands of the industry, systems should be able to be used for a wide range of materials. Not only different fabric widths, but also several layers or the use of different binding media should be possible.

It is important that the production capacity can be constantly increased.

Given these requirements, sustainable production is becoming increasingly important for the industry. Systems should be able to work continuously with fewer resources without reducing production or quality.