#Raw Materials

2021-09-23

‘Review’ articles address arbitration during Covid, the cotton portal, textiles in Cameroon and World Cotton Day

With the September 2021 issue, this publication certainly lives up to the second part of its title: 'Review of the World Situation'. The eight articles it contains cover topics ranging from price outlooks to settling disputes during a pandemic to a rapidly approaching global celebration of the world's most important natural fibre.

As always, the Review opens with an analysis of the current and near-term outlook for the cotton market.

Next, ICAC Commodity Trade Analyst Parkhi Vats takes a look back at the 2020/21 cotton season, while her colleague Lorena Ruiz, ICAC Economist, assesses the price trends we saw during that same season.

In the fourth article, the Fibre Year's President Andreas Enhgelhardt reviews the supply and demand for cellulosic and other natural fibres, not just cotton, while International Cotton Association Head of Arbitration John Gibson sheds some light on how the pandemic affected dispute resolution.

For those who hunger for cotton statistics, Wenjing Wu, economic affairs officer at the World Trade Organization, offers a detailed look at the Cotton Portal, which contains all of the cotton-specific information that the WTO, International Trade Centre and ICAC have in their databases.

Finally, the September 'Review' contains a pair of articles from ICAC Communications Director Mike McCue, one on the upcoming World Cotton Day and the other on an initiative in Cameroon that seeks to introduce textile manufacturing and other cotton processing capabilities into the country.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Dr N Vigneshwaran is named 2026 ICAC Researcher of the Year

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is pleased to announce the selection of Dr N Vigneshwaran, Principal Scientist and Head of the Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division at the ICAR–Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT), Mumbai, India, as the ICAC Researcher of the Year 2026.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.