#Recycling / Circular Economy

2022-11-03

Dame Ellen MacArthur receives 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for international cooperation

Friday 28th October 2022- Tonight, Dame Ellen MacArthur will accept the 2022 Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation at an awards ceremony in Oviedo, Spain.

The Jury conferred the prestigious award on Ellen for her work with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation towards accelerating the transition to a circular economy.

The opportunities offered by a circular economy are increasingly being supported by business leaders and policymakers, with Spain among the front-runners having adopted the circular economy in its 2030 Circular Plan.

When announcing this award, the Jury highlighted Ellen’s and the Foundation’s contributions to the global plastics agenda, working in partnership with World Wide Fund For Nature to push for a UN treaty to tackle plastic pollution.

The Award for International Cooperation is also an acknowledgement of the Foundation’s work bringing together businesses, policymakers, academia, and institutions to support the switch away from a linear economy towards a circular one.

Ellen is honoured to accept this award, with past winners including the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, and the World Health Organisation, among others.

Tune into the live stream of the event here from 5:30pm UK this evening. (Please note that the event will be streamed in Spanish.)

“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.

RE&UP’s Next-Gen Cotton fibers power Zalando private label t-shirt collection crafted from innovative recycled textiles

RE&UP Recycling Technologies’ Next-Gen Cotton powers a new collection from Zalando’s private labels, marking a step forward in bringing textile-to-textile recycled fibers into commercial fashion production. Launching on Zalando in August, the collection comprises five t-shirts across YOURTURN by Zalando and Even&Odd by Zalando, made from a circular-knit fabric blending 80% organic cotton with 20% RE&UP Next-Gen Cotton — textile-to-textile recycled fiber produced from textile waste. This is the first time RE&UP's recycled fibers feature in Zalando's private label assortment.

Driving circularity with Uster Recycled Fiber Matrix

The textile industry’s commitment to circularity continues to accelerate, and mechanical recycling is viewed as a targeted approach to cutting textile waste and its environmental impact. At the forefront of this drive, Uster has developed the Recycled Fiber Matrix, a two-dimensional assessment of mechanically recycled fibers to guide optimum processing and end-uses.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

ITMA Asia 2026: How Barmag is reshaping the future of man-made fiber production

The textile industry is entering a groundbreaking era. Manufacturers face rising energy prices, growing sustainability demands, increasing labor shortages, and an unprecedented need for flexibility. For a globally active textile industry, where competitiveness is closely linked to production efficiency and cost leadership, this means that technology is no longer merely a means of improving operational processes – it is increasingly becoming a strategic differentiator.

Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.