#Yarn & Fiber

2023-02-02

Natural cellulose composite wins innovation award

Alternatives to plastic-based materials are urgently needed if the world is to make a shift to sustainability. The annual Innovation in Natural Fibres Award, presented by the Discover Natural Fibres Initiative (DNFI), was given this year to researchers from the German institute of Textile Technology and Process Engineering (Deutsche Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung, DITF) for their work on PureCell, a single-variety composite material made of cellulose.

This composite enables the environmentally friendly use of cellulose as a matrix polymer for the first time. Its many applications open possibilities for replacing toxic, non-recyclable, petroleum-based composites with non-toxic, renewable, recyclable and biodegradable material – and with no microplastic!

The Advantages of PureCell

PureCell is a natural fibre-reinforced composite based on pure cellulose. The cellulose matrix of PureCell is produced in a process in which the solvent from ionic liquids is 100% recycled. After impregnation of the natural fibres, which reinforces the cellulose matrix, the desired composite material can be obtained.

The manufacturing process is particularly environmentally friendly and follows the sustainability concept in textile and material production.

Physically, the composite material is lightweight and impresses with its high mechanical strength. It can be easily molded in a hot pressing process and thus prepared as a component for technical parts. Applications include automotive interior trims such as door panels and dashboards. Many others may be imagined: furniture design, cell phone covers, surfboards, and more.

The lead researchers of PureCell are Dr. Frank Hermanutz and Dr. Tanja Schneck of DITF Denkendorf.

The DNFI Innovation Award

With this award, the DNFI jury honours outstanding scientific achievement in the field of innovative research and processing with natural fibres.

The DNFI is an international association of 30+ natural fibre manufacturers and research institutions.

The aim of the DNFI is to educate companies about the added value of natural fibres and to identify new applications. For the sixth time since 2017, the DNFI has offered its DNFI Innovation of Natural Fibres Award.

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Wool shoes at the Paris Olympics

The Olympic flame’s journey to Paris 2024 has been a global spectacle, and it took on a particularly sustainable twist in Guadeloupe. Legendary French sprinter Marie José Perec played a pivotal role in carrying the flame, and she did so in style—wearing Circle Sportswear’s innovative SuperNatural Runner shoes, which are made with merino wool.

Expansive innovations converge in Shanghai as Yarn Expo Autumn 2026 opens doors next week

With just days to go, industry enthusiasm is building for the opening of Yarn Expo Autumn, Asia’s premier yarn and fibre trade fair, running from 25 – 27 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Across 27,000 sqm in Hall 8.2, buyers will find nearly 600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, spread across seven specialised zones that range from cutting-edge man-made and regenerated fibres to time-honoured cashmere and silk. Beyond the extensive sourcing options, a fringe programme of trend showcases, presentations and product launches rounds out the three¬day event with design, innovation and market intelligence.

Dornbirn GFC 2026 expands conference program with new thematic sessions

For 65 years, Dornbirn GFC has stood for innovation and is one of the world’s leading conferences in the fiber industry. From September 16 to 18, 2026, the international fiber community will meet in Dornbirn, Austria, to discuss current trends, technological developments, and forward-looking solutions. More than 600 experts from industry and academia from over 30 countries are expected to attend. With around 100 presentations by renowned speakers, a 2,5-day conference program, and three parallel presentation rooms with moderated sessions, Dornbirn GFC provides a first-class platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and international collaboration. Together, participants will generate ideas and impulses that will sustainably shape the future of the global fiber industry.

Coats Digital launches AI-powered GSD RealMotion for motion analysis

Coats Digital has launched GSD RealMotion, an AI-powered solution designed to provide apparel manufacturers with greater visibility into factory-floor operations. By analysing shop-floor video and applying Coats Digital’s GSD methodology, the solution turns video recordings into structured, motion-by-motion method studies.

Archroma and Lameirinho partner in pioneering deployment of InOneGO single-step dyeing

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, and Lameirinho, a leading home textiles manufacturer based in Portugal, are collaborating to bring InOneGO by Archroma, a new single-step dyeing process, into commercial production. Lameirinho’s first InOneGo bedlinens collection is now available worldwide.

Reducing development times for technical textiles by accelerated thermo-oxidative aging in a high-pressure autoclave

Synthetic polymers used in technical textiles can be effectively protected against degradation caused by heat, oxygen, and water through the use of stabilizer systems. This enables service lives of several decades, extending to more than 50 years. As the use of durable technical textiles continues to grow, so does the demand for reliable methods to predict their service life within economically feasible testing periods. For the first time the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) developed methods for robust service life prediction for textiles in an IGF research project.