#Raw Materials

2022-01-20

LPP Partners with Cotton made in Africa – Cotton Initiative wins first polish partner

LPP, a Polish fashion company, has partnered with Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), launching yet another year of growth for the internationally respected standard for sustainable cotton. By joining CmiA, LPP – whose brands include Reserved, Cropp. House, Mohito and Sinsay – is making a clear commitment to sustainable cotton cultivation and people in cotton-growing countries. Its first CmiA-labelled products will come to market before the end of 2022.

With this new partnership, the Polish fashion company LPP is making a valuable contribution to environmental protection and is supporting African small-scale farmers and their families. The globally active fashion company’s contractually agreed purchase volume of up to 60 million items per year supports its strategic sustainability goals, which include significantly increasing the percentage of more environmentally friendly products and implementing good production standards for a sustainable textile industry.

“We are thrilled to have won our first Polish partner in LPP and to be working with them to create a sustainable basis for their product portfolio through CmiA,” says Tina Stridde, the Managing Director of the Aid by Trade Foundation, commenting on the new partnership.

“Cotton is one of the key raw materials for our textiles. The chance to go through Cotton made in Africa to procure a valuable raw material that has significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions, conserves natural resources, and observes social criteria is a key step towards implementing our sustainability strategy of ‘For People For Our Planet,’” says Dorota Jankowska-Tomków, Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) Director at LPP.

For each CmiA-labelled textile item, LPP pays a licensing fee to the Aid by Trade Foundation, Cotton made in Africa’s parent organisation.

Licensing revenue is then reinvested in CmiA’s activities in Africa, which focus on providing small-scale farmers with training in sustainable cultivation methods and in business fundamentals, ultimately enabling them to maintain soil fertility and to protect their plants with natural materials. In addition, the CmiA standard prohibits the use of genetically modified seeds as well as the logging of primary forests. Only rainwater is used for irrigation. According to the latest study results, CmiA cotton has a significantly smaller ecological footprint while also helping to improve living conditions for small-scale farming families through training provided by CmiA [1]. There are currently around one million small-scale farmers growing CmiA-verified cotton in ten countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, making up around 30 percent of African cotton production. Consumers can identify these products by means of a Cotton made in Africa label. The products will come to market this summer.

[1] The data on CmiA’s environmental footprint is drawn from the 2021 CmiA Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), conducted by Sphera. Published under: https://cottonmadeinafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/CmiA_LCA-Study_2021.pdf [online resource]. Global averages are drawn from The life cycle inventory & life cycle assessment of cotton fiber & fabric (Cotton Inc, 2017).

The data on improving living conditions for small-scale farming families is drawn from the Syspons impact study (2021). Published under: https://cottonmadeinafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/CmiA-Impact-Study-2021.pdf (CmiA, 2021)

“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.

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.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.

C&S strengthens its governance to support its evolution

C&S announces the appointment of Marco Lucietti to its Board of Directors. With extensive international experience across the textile and denim industries, Lucietti will work alongside CEO Federico Corneli, contributing to the company’s managerial development, organizational structure and long-term strategic direction.