#Associations

2024-01-18

Shape the future leadership of AATCC

AATCC is currently accepting nominations for open positions on its 2025-2026 Board of Directors. As a member-led organization, serving on the AATCC Board provides a valuable opportunity to guide the direction of the association while advancing your industry knowledge and professional relationships.

Board members are elected by their peers to represent the diverse interests of AATCC’s global membership. By bringing your unique perspective to the table, you can leave a positive mark on the textile industry while gaining skills and connections to boost your own career.

AATCC members will vote by emailed ballot this Fall. The new Board members will be announced in November and serve from January 2025 through December 2026.

President-elect

The AATCC President-elect serves in this role for two years before serving as President for two years, and then serves as Immediate Past President for another two years, serving six years in total as a member of the Board of Directors. In that time, he or she is a member of multiple administrative committees and helps set the strategy for the Association. Each President brings a new passion and focus.

Interest Group Officers

Each interest group is represented by an interest group Chair. Nominees must be a voting member of the interest group they represent.

+ Chemical Applications Interest Group

+ Concept 2 Consumer Interest Group

+ Materials Interest Group

+ Rising Professionals Interest Group

If you are interested in nominating yourself or someone else to join the AATCC leadership, please submit completed nomination forms by March 31, 2024. This is a volunteer-led commitment invested in shaping the future of textile knowledge exchange, research, and testing standardization.

To learn more about each role on the board, meet the current board, and submit a nomination, visit

http://www.aatcc.org/bod.

Get involved with AATCC and play an integral role in driving innovation for the wider industry. The organization needs engaged members who can offer their talents to further AATCC’s vision.

More information on membership at

http://www.aatcc.org/join

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.

VDMA members at Techtextil: Smart technologies for technical textiles

At Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, the members of VDMA Textile Machinery underline their key role as global technology leaders for technical textiles and textile processing. With a strong presence of more than 50 members they will highlight how engineering excellence, innovation strength and sustainability expertise from Germany and Europe are shaping the future of the textile industry. Seven companies will be present at the VDMA group stand in the centre of hall 12.0.

Between geopolitical pressure and industrial resilience

In this interview, Dr. Janpeter Horn (VDMA) discusses the current challenges facing textile machinery manufacturers, shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and subdued investment. He also outlines why innovation strength, integrated solutions and strategic positioning remain key to global competitiveness.

Europe is losing its textile industry

EURATEX has released its latest Economic Update on the performance of the European textile and apparel industry in 2025. For the third consecutive year, the sector recorded negative results across all key indicators — production, turnover and employment — confirming a continued erosion of competitiveness across Europe.

Kornit Digital expands digital production into footwear and technical textiles with Presto MAX PLUS

Kornit Digital (NASDAQ: KRNT) (“Kornit” or the “Company”), a global pioneer in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production, today unveiled the Kornit Presto MAX PLUS, a new roll-to-roll system expanding digital manufacturing into footwear, automotive interiors, military camouflage, high-performance sportswear, and high-end furnishings. Debuting at Texprocess 2026 in Frankfurt, Presto MAX PLUS enables entirely new applications for on-demand textile production.

Covestro, FILK Freiberg, and OUT e.V. develop flexible, conductive polymer smart textile system

As the smart textiles market continues to grow across healthcare, personal protection, sportswear, and automotive applications, developers are seeking new ways to integrate electronic functionality directly into textiles, without the rigidity and complexity of conventional wiring. To address this challenge, FILK Freiberg Institute, an independent research institution with expertise in polymer coatings for textile applications, collaborated with Optotransmitter-Umweltschutz-Technologie (OUT) e.V. The joint project, funded under the German Industrielle Gemeinschaftsforschung (IGF) program of the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (BMWE), focused on developing flexible, conductive polymer surfaces for next-generation smart textiles.