#Associations

2022-09-15

Reconnections and committees

AATCC Committees provide the helping hands, hearts, and minds that bring textile industry standards to life. Each year, AATCC committees provide groundbreaking standards and conferences that fill much-needed industry gaps. More than 30 AATCC Research Committees will meet this November to develop test methods, conferences, and other educational programs or publications. When you connect with AATCC committees, you can impact the textile tests used worldwide!

The Administrative Committee Meetings will be October 18-20, 2022, and are remote only.

The Research Committee Meetings will be held at the AATCC Headquarters located at 1 Davis Dr. RTP, NC. The Research Committee Meetings will be held November 14-17, 2022, and are in-person with hybrid remote options for all meetings.

The AATCC Interest Groups will kick off the meetings on Monday, November 14, with an impressive list of speakers. On Tuesday, AATCC will hold a dedication ceremony renaming the Library in honor of past Executive Vice President, John (Jack) Daniels. Throughout the week, there will be opportunities to reconnect and participate with the committees in providing standards development and industry guidance.

There is no fee to attend, and your input is welcomed. Unless otherwise noted, meetings are open to all. Registration, however, is required. Committee meeting registration, meeting schedules, and information on hotel accommodations are available at https://www.aatcc.org/aatcc-events/research/.

Please register to reconnect, participate and help in the good work of the AATCC committees.

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

New funding available for textile research

The AATCC Foundation Student Research Support Grant Program provides financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing textile-related projects. Students may submit proposals now for funding to be awarded January 2026. Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025, to be considered.

Business situation weakens slightly, but the industry stays cautiously optimistic

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published the results of its 39th Global Textile Industry Survey (GTIS), conducted from 14 to 22 July 2026 among companies along the entire global textile value chain. Worldwide, 10% of participants rated their business situation as good, 53% as satisfactory and 37% as bad — a balance of -26pp, down from -17pp in May but still well above the 2023 lows. All regions are now in negative territory, from South Asia at -3pp to North & Central America at -58pp.

Italian textile machinery orders show quarterly recovery in Q2 2026

In the period between April and June 2026, order intake for Italian textile machinery manufacturers showed mixed but encouraging signals for the second half of the year. The order index at constant prices stood at 46.6 points (taking 2021=100 as the base year), showing a slight decrease of 3% compared to the same quarter of 2025. This trend was largely due to the contraction recorded in the domestic market, which fell by 25% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.