[pageLogInLogOut]

#Raw Materials

Technical advancement secures the future – cotton processing procedures

In just a few weeks, the International Cotton Conference Bremen will be launched worldwide. This time the organisers, the Bremen Cotton Exchange and the Fibre Institute Bremen, are presenting a future-oriented conference platform in digital format. It is available to professionals from science and practice anywhere in the world. In addition to subjects such as production, sustainability in the cotton sector, and exciting new products made from cotton, several sessions will focus on the heart of the Bremen conference: the technical lectures.

Technical Progress is Gaining Momentum

Cotton processing procedures are becoming more and more productive and intelligent. This is illustrated by a series of lectures by representatives from the fields of textile research and textile machine manufacturing on production processes. On both conference days there will be a session chaired by Stefan Schmidt. Schmidt is a long-standing advisor for science and technology at the Industry Association for Finishing, Yarns, Fabrics and Technical Textiles (IVGT), Frankfurt, Germany.

Ring Spinning Machinery © Bühler AG
Ring Spinning Machinery © Bühler AG


Among others, the presentations include the following:

Innovative Products from Recycled Raw Materials

Stephan Baz is Head of the Staple Fibre Technology Division in the Research and Development Department of the German Institute for Textile and Fibre Research (DITF), Denkendorf, Germany. “How does recycled raw material behave during spinning?” Baz discusses this question in his lecture and includes cotton, polyester and technical fibres made of carbon. Based on the respective properties of the raw materials, he presents concepts for converting recycled raw materials into new yarns and innovative products for special applications.

Spinning Fibres into Quality Yarns with a High Proportion of Short Fibres

“Spinning with a high short fibre content” is the topic of an informative lecture by Harald Schwippl. Schwippl is Head of Technology and Process Analytics at machinery manufacturer Rieter AG, Winterthur, Switzerland. He presents the results of a technical study for a rotor spinning process to produce yarn from cotton with high short fibre content and/or admixtures of short-staple noils. The rotor process offers improvements in the area of yarn nonuniformity compared to conventional processes and reduces production costs.




Improved Carding Technology for More Quality and Production Performance

Ralf Müller is Head of Research and Development in the field of spinning technology at textile machinery manufacturer Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, Mönchengladbach. In the carding process, the cotton fibres are aligned following a pre-cleaning process. In his presentation, Müller presents a new method for ensuring that the carding gap between the cylinder and flat clothing is as small as possible. Intelligent sensor technology ensures that the carding gap is automatically set within the machine and kept constant. A minimal carding gap previously not achieved in practice creates new potential for increasing the quality and productivity of carded cotton.

Card Sliver in Spinning Mill © Jean-Paul Haessig
Card Sliver in Spinning Mill © Jean-Paul Haessig


Minimising Cotton Contamination Before Processing

Oswald Baldischwieler, Product Manager Online Systems at Uster Technologies AG, Uster, Switzerland, presents the results of a five-year practical study of the Total Contamination Control System (TTC) in 236 spinning mills in nine major textile producing countries including China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Vietnam. The TTC offers 24/7 online quality monitoring at all relevant stages within the spinning process. Ultimately, even the smallest contamination can lead to considerable quality impairments. Uster assumes that contamination in cotton deliveries is not likely to decrease, but rather increase in the future.

Less Hairiness with Fine-Thread, High-Quality Ring-Spun Yarn

Stuart Gordon is a Senior Scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in the Agriculture and Food Division based in Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia. Controlling the hairiness of ring yarns is an important research focus within ring spinning. There is great interest in the spinning sector in reducing undesirable hairiness and any resulting pilling effects in yarns using new techniques at low investment costs. A new unit presented by Stuart Gordon makes this possible.



 

More News from Bremer Baumwollbörse

#Natural Fibers

Bremen Cotton Exchange: Fritz A. Grobien re-elected as President

The members of the Bremen Cotton Exchange have re-elected Fritz A. Grobien as President during the association’s 152nd General Assembly on June 18, 2026. The election confirms the organization’s commitment to maintaining its role as a leading international platform for the cotton and fiber industry amid a period of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

#Raw Materials

Fiber traceability - A vehicle to ensure sustainability or injustice?

The Bremen Cotton Exchange is making a new paper available for download. In this paper, analyst Veronica Bates Kassatly and statistician Terry Townsend examine the justifications behind this approach and assess the consequences for textile and apparel sustainability claims and global legislation.

#Raw Materials

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.

#Natural Fibers

Beyond Cotton: Natural Fibres in the Spotlight at the Bremen Cotton Conference - Branded by DNFI

Climate targets, fragile supply chains, and rising regulatory requirements are fundamentally changing the perspective of the textile industry - the focus is increasingly shifting toward the base material. Not only cotton, but natural fibres are gaining significant importance: they stand out not only because of their outstanding functional properties, but also because they make a valuable contribution to the bioeconomy and responsible product development.

More News on Raw Materials

#Raw Materials

AMSilk and Ajinomoto Foods Europe expand partnership to enable industrial-scale production of silk proteins

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a global leader leader in biotech produced silk materials, today announced a significant expansion of its partnership with Ajinomoto Foods Europe (AFE), marking a key step in scaling the industrial production of its silk proteins. Building on the collaboration first established in 2023, the two companies have now entered into a long-term manufacturing and supply agreement, enabling the transition from industrial validation to dedicated, large-scale production.

#Natural Fibers

Global cotton trade poised for recovery as India and China drive import demand

The July 2026 issue of Cotton This Month highlights a changing global cotton market, with consumption and trade expected to strengthen despite a modest decline in production during the 2026/27 season. The next issue of Cotton This Month will be released on August 1, 2026.

#Natural Fibers

Cotton made in Africa partners receive top marks in independent verifications

Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) and CmiA Organic are two internationally recognised standards that aim to promote sustainable development in the African cotton sector south of the Sahara. To ensure the standards’ credibility among brands, retailers, and consumers, independent verifiers evaluate compliance on the ground. The verification results for 2025, now published in the Aggregated Verification & Implementation Report, were very strong: The verifiers awarded consistently very good remarks regarding management, people, prosperity, and the environment.

#Natural Fibers

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Latest News

#Research & Development

ALADIN paves the way for circular and demand-driven textile production in Europe

Textile production can be organized sustainably by utilizing short supply chains and preventing overproduction. This can already be achieved today by intelligently connecting and efficiently utilizing existing infrastructure. At the same time, production becomes circular when innovative technologies and materials are used that enable high-quality recycling. The ALADIN research project, launched in May 2026 and co-funded with five million euros under the EU Horizon Europe program, is creating the conditions for this.

#Nonwovens

Katharina Obergruber appointed to the Management Board of Sandler AG

The Supervisory Board of Sandler AG has appointed Katharina Obergruber to the company’s Management Board. Effective September 1, 2026, the Board will consist of Philipp Ebbinghaus (CEO), Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck (currently CCO, future COO), and Katharina Obergruber (CCO). Katharina Obergruber, currently Chief Sales Officer Hygiene and member of the Management Team of Sandler AG, will assume responsibility for all sales activities as Chief Commercial Officer. She will assume this role from Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, who will focus primarily on production and supply chain topics.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.

TOP