#Raw Materials

2022-09-22

Incentivising smallholder farmers for implementing climate-smart agricultural practices

Better Cotton announces its involvement with the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which convenes global and emerging leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Better Cotton makes the announcement as part of its Commitment to Action at the Clinton Global Initiative 2022 Meeting.

As part of this initiative, Better Cotton is working with smallholder farmers to pioneer an insetting mechanism to promote and incentivize sustainable agricultural practices. The organisation commits to developing a cotton-specific carbon insetting accounting framework to be integrated into the Better Cotton traceability platform. Better Cotton’s traceability system is due to be launched in 2023, and will provide the backbone for the insetting mechanism. Once implemented, the insetting mechanism will enable retail companies to know who grew their more sustainable cotton, and allow them to incentivize farmers directly with credits. Until now, it has been impossible to build a carbon insetting mechanism to reduce GHG emissions in the cotton supply chain at scale. Farmer centricity is a key pillar of Better Cotton’s work, and this solution ties into the 2030 Strategy, which lays the foundation for a strong response to climate threats within the cotton value chain, and mobilises action for change with farmers, field partners and members.

To launch Better Cotton’s Commitment to Action, Better Cotton COO, Lena Staafgard, will attend the CGI meeting on 19th September 2022. The event will showcase the initiatives of organisations working towards climate resiliency, and will feature a video of Alia Malik, Senior Director of Data and Traceability at Better Cotton, introducing Better Cotton’s innovative solution.

We are pleased to be a part of the CGI community. This will amplify our work with smallholder farmers, and ultimately help us achieve our goals of enabling farmers to profit from implementing more sustainable practices in cotton growing. It will also allow to further build the business case for traceability up and down the supply chain and enable brands to have more insight in to who grows the cotton in their products.

Alan McClay, Better Cotton CEO

“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.