#Raw Materials

2016-05-12

IWTO welcomes new Secretary General

IWTO is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Secretary General, Dalena White. Bringing with her a wide range of experience in marketing, retail and fashion, Dalena will take up the role as of 17 May 2016 at which time the current Secretary General, Elisabeth van Delden, will step down to pursue new career goals.

Dalena's background includes working as a designer and pattern maker to two successful design studios, and for a number of years serving on the board of Sweet-Orr and Lybro, a leader in the protective clothing business, as Merchandise Director for men’s, women’s and children’s denim/cotton garments.

More recently she has served as Marketing Consultant for Cape Wools SA, promoting Merino wool with retailers and designers, building brand awareness and educating consumers about the unique properties of wool. She has curated exhibitions such as Design Indaba and Wool Week South Africa.

Dalena was chosen in a competitive selection process from a strong field of international candidates. Background knowledge of wool and the wool industry combined with experience for marketing, trends and retail made Dalena stand out and the Executive Committee felt these were skills that will help IWTO to deliver even better services to IWTO members.

"We are delighted that Dalena is joining IWTO to continue our goal of creating a sustainable future for wool," said outgoing Secretary General Elisabeth van Delden. "We are confident that she will carry forward all that has been achieved over the past years to establish IWTO as the key platform in support of the wool textile industry."

Pic: Secretary General Dalena White

Wool shoes at the Paris Olympics

The Olympic flame’s journey to Paris 2024 has been a global spectacle, and it took on a particularly sustainable twist in Guadeloupe. Legendary French sprinter Marie José Perec played a pivotal role in carrying the flame, and she did so in style—wearing Circle Sportswear’s innovative SuperNatural Runner shoes, which are made with merino wool.

ICAC announces 84th Plenary Meeting in Egypt with focus on cotton industry resilience

Registration is now open for the International Cotton Advisory Committee’s 84th Plenary Meeting, which will take place from 24 to 26 March 2027 in Alexandria, Egypt. The conference will address climate resilience, technological developments, sustainability and competitiveness across the global cotton and textile value chain.

New Cotton Review examines competitiveness, market risk, and opportunities

From moving record volumes of Brazilian cotton to market, to managing price volatility, unlocking Ethiopia’s production potential, and strengthening African textile trade, the latest edition of Cotton: Review of the World Situation examines some of the most consequential opportunities and challenges facing the global cotton industry.

Kraig Labs ships first commercial spider silk yarn

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“the Company”, “Kraig Labs”, or “Kraig’s”), a world leader in spider silk technology*, today announced the shipment of its first commercial order of recombinant spider silk yarn. The custom-engineered yarn was produced to fulfill a purchase commitment from a globally recognized performance sports brand and is slated for development into a first-of-its-kind performance textile.

ALLIED expands down traceability with lot-level carbon footprint data

ALLIED Feather + Down has expanded its TrackMyDown traceability platform to include validated cradle-to-gate carbon footprint data linked to individual down lots. The initiative is designed to provide brands and consumers with more detailed environmental information on the materials used in finished products and could also support future data requirements associated with Digital Product Passports.

Georg Stausberg, a veteran of the textile machinery industry, takes over as Rieter Group CEO

Georg Stausberg, one of the most experienced executives in the international textile machinery industry, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Rieter Group with immediate effect from 4 November 2026. With more than three decades of industry experience and a long-standing leadership career at Barmag, Stausberg brings extensive technological expertise, international market knowledge and an established network across the global textile industry to his new position.

Jeanologia and BCome connect factory data with Life Cycle Assessment and Digital Product Passports

A new white paper by EIM by Jeanologia and BCome demonstrates how primary environmental data from denim finishing processes can be integrated into a garment's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and prepared for use in a Digital Product Passport (DPP). A comparative case study highlights significant improvements at the production stage while also showing how these translate into the environmental performance of the finished garment.

Inside the Making connects denim and sportswear supply chains at Ecomondo 2026

Six European companies are joining forces at Ecomondo 2026 in Rimini to demonstrate how different stages of denim and sportswear production are interconnected. The new initiative, Inside the Making, highlights the importance of cooperation across the textile supply chain in addressing sustainability challenges, from reducing resource consumption to improving transparency and the reliability of environmental claims.

EDANA welcomes definitive EU anti-dumping measures on Chinese PET spunbond

EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has welcomed the European Commission's decision to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of PET spunbond originating in China. The association considers the measures an important step towards restoring fair competition and safeguarding European industrial capacity.