#Raw Materials

2023-02-02

‘All ICAC’ Edition of the review focusses on textiles & sustainability

In the newest edition of ‘Cotton: Review of the World Situation’, Editor and Economist Lorena Ruiz turned to her colleagues at the ICAC to address the intersection of two critical topics for cotton: textiles and sustainability.

Executive Summary

The just-released edition of ‘Cotton: Review of the World Situation’ includes:

An article from ICAC Economist Ms Lorena Ruiz on the global textiles and apparel trade,

An article from ICAC Head of Textiles Mr Kanwar Usman on the Product Environmental Footprint,

An article from ICAC Communications Director Mike McCue on the global textile supply chain, and

The official Final Statement from the ICAC’s 80th Plenary Meeting.

In addition to authoring an article herself, ‘Global Textiles and Apparel Trade: A Post-Pandemic Review’, Ms Ruiz secured articles from:

Mr Kanwar Usman, ICAC Head of Textiles, who wrote a deep-dive analysis of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), a life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC), and

ICAC Communications Director Mr Mike McCue, who provided an overview of the 2022 World Café, which convened 27 experts from around the world to discuss ‘The Evolving Global Textile Supply Chain’.

The final entry in the 13-page issue is the Final Statement of the ICAC’s 80th Plenary Meeting, which was held virtually from 29 November 2022 – 1 December 2022 with the theme, ‘Driving Sustainability through Innovation and Leadership’.

‘This issue of the Review reflects the recent and intensifying focus of the ICAC on textiles, as evidenced by the hiring of the first-ever Head of Textiles, Kanwar Usman’, Ms Ruiz said. ‘And while sustainability has always been a major area of emphasis for the ICAC, its importance to all stakeholders in the cotton industry is growing rapidly. Between the three staff-written articles and the Final Statement, readers will have a good sense of what the ICAC has been focussing on recently and that will only increase as we move forward’.

To read this free issue of the Review, please click:

https://tinyurl.com/577m7ja7.

Organic cotton at the crossroads: Ideology, evidence, and the road ahead

Organic cotton occupies one of the most contentious spaces in global agriculture. While praised by brands and consumers for its environmental ideals, it also faces persistent questions about yield stability, certification integrity, and scalability. The current edition of The ICAC Recorder cuts through the ideology to deliver a rigorous, evidence-based assessment of both sides of the debate.

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.

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.

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.

Christian Wichert appointed Chief Executive Officer to lead next phase of growth

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a global leader in advanced biomaterials made from silk proteins, today announces the appointment of Christian Wichert as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective 1 June. The appointment marks a pivotal moment in AMSilk’s journey, as the Company advances from development through scale-up to commercialization.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

HKRITA signs MoU with Jeanologia and Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) yesterday officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two key global partners, Jeanologia and Looptworks, to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.