#Sustainability

2021-11-25

Fashion for Good Asia builds momentum with new partner, consortium and innovations

The Fashion for Good Asia Programme celebrated another successful year, sharing the highlights of 2021 at their Innovation Fest this week. Continuing to drive innovation across the region, Japanese fibre and textile manufacturer Teijin Frontier was officially welcomed as partner, establishing a footing in East Asia where the programme is gaining momentum.

The Innovation Fest served as an occasion to mark the graduation of its recent batch of innovators and to announce the launch of an industry convening project, Sorting for Circularity India, in collaboration with eight corporate partners.

“We are extremely proud of our accomplishments with the Asia Programme in just two short years; in building a solid foundation in South Asia with our partners Arvind, Birla Cellulose and Welspun and now establishing a relationship in East Asia with Teijin Frontier, who we warmly welcome to Fashion for Good. We look forward to strengthening our presence in 2022 and are excited to collaborate together on industry changing projects.” – Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good

GAINING GROUND ACROSS ASIA

Fashion for Good is excited to welcome its newest partner -Teijin Frontier. Part of the Japanese based Teijin Group, Teijin Frontier, is an industry leading producer of innovative raw materials including synthetic fibres, yarns and apparel. With long standing commitments to tackle climate change in the areas of circular economy, reduction of emissions, removal of hazardous chemicals, and efficient management of water resources, Teijin Frontier is a pivotal partner to the Fashion for Good network of global players and portfolio of innovators from across the world.

After establishing a firm foothold in South Asia with partners Arvind Limited, Birla Cellulose and Welspun India, the addition of Teijin Frontier expands not only the geographical span of activities of the platform farther East, but also the breadth of material and industry expertise.

“We’re happy and proud to be a member of Fashion for Good; to accelerate the environmental innovations together and to contribute with our best technologies and accumulated knowledge of polyester.” – Yukihiro Shigemura, General Manager, Technology & Production Division at Teijin Frontier

Building on the successful consortium framework, the project brings together industry players including partners adidas, Levi Strauss & Co., PVH Corp., Arvind Limited, Birla Cellulose and Welspun India. A key technology partner for the project is Fashion for Good innovator Reverse Resources who provides the analysis of the pre-consumer textile waste streams in addition to designing and running the pre-consumer pilot. The project is supported through catalytic funding provided by Laudes Foundation and aims to build an infrastructure to drive the scaling of chemical recycling technologies towards greater circularity.

Read more about the project here:

https://fashionforgood.com/our_news/fashion-for-good-launches-the-sorting-for-circularity-india-project/

SCALING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN ASIA

The end of the year also marks the graduation of 18 innovators from Batch 2 and Batch 3 of Fashion for Good’s Asia Programme in 2021. Spanning eight countries, they represent technologies focusing on solutions across the fashion supply chain and have made tremendous progress through pilot projects with industry partners, fundraising and overall product development. Some standout successes include:

MYCL, an innovator focused on providing leather alternatives with their low-impact mycelium leather, partnering with Zalando and Bonprix (Otto Group) to pilot their innovation.

KBCols Sciences, a technology that extracts natural colours from renewable biomass that can be applied to textiles, has completed the first phase of their pilot with a European luxury brand and is now testing dyeing textiles in bulk.

In addition to commercial opportunities with industry partners, the innovators secured various investments to further scale operations. Fashion for Good invested in both Graviky Labs and MYCL, supporting their activities in piloting their technologies with Fashion for Good partners. Innovators Nordshield, Phool and Lucro secured external investments, and Danish innovator Aquaporin, who enrolled in the programme to support their Asia expansion activities, is listed on NASDAQ Copenhagen.

“It has been an exciting journey with Fashion for Good over this year. We received access to industry experts and advisors with Fashion for Good proactively curated pilot opportunities and helped us secure multiple partnerships. The life cycle assessment has been very useful in understanding our footprint in the industry. We are very grateful for this year of learning, exposure and continued support and look forward to completing pilots in the coming year and sharing the learnings with the wider industry.” – Adi R. Nugroho, CEO and Founder at MYCL

“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.”

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“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.

ITMF names three winners of the Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026

Three projects from the UK, Korea and China have been selected as winners of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026. The projects address textile-to-textile recycling, chemical recycling for automotive textiles and a regenerative approach combining silk production with ecological restoration.

180 years of TESTEX: From Zurich silk testing to global certification

For 180 years, TESTEX has developed alongside the textile industry while maintaining the same underlying purpose: creating trust through independent and reliable measurement. Founded in Zurich in 1846 as the Zurich Silk Conditioning Institute, TESTEX has grown from a local institution serving the silk trade into an international Swiss testing and certification institute for textiles and leather.

Cascale launches member-led process to shape 2030 strategy

Cascale has launched a member-led process to define the industry alliance’s strategic direction for the next decade. At the Cascale Annual Meeting 2026 in Athens, CEO Ying McGuire announced that members will contribute to an industry system map that will inform Cascale’s 10-year vision, its 2030 strategy and priorities for 2027. The new strategy is scheduled to be finalized in December.

KARL MAYER invites the Global Textile Industry to celebrate its 90th anniversary at its German Headquarters in 2027

KARL MAYER is turning its anniversary year 2027 into a milestone for the textile sector. To mark its 90th anniversary, the industry leader is inviting customers, partners, and experts from around the world to a unique event series in September aimed at pushing boundaries, unlocking new opportunities, and jointly setting the course for a new era in textiles – just as KARL MAYER has done throughout its history. The company’s headquarters in Obertshausen, near Frankfurt, is the place to be.

Durak Maxibalance thread supports users’ movement and balance comfort

Durak Tekstil, a leading brand in its industry, has developed Durak Maxibalance, a new product engineered with bio-ceramic and FAR IR technology. Ushering in a new era for sportswear, activewear, and medical textiles, this technology offers features designed to support balance and movement comfort by reflecting the energy absorbed from the body back into it.

Yarn Expo Autumn 2026 draws to a close, weaving sustainable innovation into global sourcing

Yarn Expo Autumn 2026 concluded with approximately 600 exhibitors from 14 countries and regions, connecting with nearly 22,000 visitors from 110 represented markets, bringing the textile industry’s evolving material agenda into sharper focus. Held alongside Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition, CHIC and PH Value, the fair connected upstream fibre and yarn innovation with fabric development, garment production and fashion-market demand.