#Sustainability

2022-09-08

Indorama Ventures wins Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2022

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical producer, won the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2022 in the Circular Economy Leadership category. IVL is the first Thai company to be recognized for this award category, which recognized the company’s successful "PET Bottles Recycling to Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) Distribution" project.

IVL recognized for PET recycling project to produce PPE medical safety suits

Mr. Yash Lohia, Chairman of ESG Council at Indorama Ventures, said, "We are delighted to receive the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2022 for the first time, and as the only Thai company to be recognized in the Circular Economy Leadership category. The award reflects the importance PET recycling, which is key to creating a circular economy. As the world's largest producer of recycled PET resins for beverage packaging, we have constantly developed our capacity to recycle post-consumer PET bottles and transform them into quality products with many uses, including specialty applications like medical equipment."

From 2011 to 2021, IVL collected over 72 billion post-consumer PET bottles for recycling, which prevented 1.6 million tons of plastic waste from going to landfill and reduced 2.4 million tons of carbon footprint in the product life cycle. IVL aims to expand its global capacity to recycle 50 billion bottles per year by 2025, increasing to 100 billion bottles per year by 2030.

This award recognized the company’s post-consumer PET recycling project to produce PPE suits for distribution to medical institutes to support personnel safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, IVL, in partnership with 14 organizations and 1,597 stakeholders, donated 8,000 PPE suits and 1,000 bedding sets. All are made from 9.35 tons of post-consumer PET bottles that were recycled into high-quality PET yarns and woven into polyester fabrics. The medical-grade PPE products were reusable and washable up to 20 times, reducing environmental waste commonly associated with single-use items. The PPE suits are certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Textile Institute of Thailand.

The Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards are the most prominent CSR and sustainability awards for leading corporations in Asia. The awards are organized by Enterprise Asia to promote responsible entrepreneurship. They are based on six key pillars: the environment; fair practices; health; leadership; community; and people. In 2022, more than 250 companies submitted entries that were selected by judges from six industries using the three parameters: effectiveness & reach, relevancy, and sustainability.

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI redefine textile processing

Making investment decisions in textile processing has become significantly more demanding. Increasing energy costs, a shortage of skilled labour and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are compelling companies to focus on technologies that deliver clear gains in efficiency and process reliability. This applies equally to apparel manufacturing and to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. As a result, modernisation initiatives are assessed more carefully – even as the need to upgrade production systems continues to intensify.

Techtextil 2026: Between innovation pressure & market reality

From 21 to 24 April 2026, Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main will once again become the central meeting point for the international technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Running in parallel, Texprocess will focus on the industrial implementation of textile processing technologies as the leading platform in this field. Together, the two trade fairs form a closely integrated presentation and working platform along the entire textile value chain – from material development to finished applications.

Between geopolitical pressure and industrial resilience

In this interview, Dr. Janpeter Horn (VDMA) discusses the current challenges facing textile machinery manufacturers, shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and subdued investment. He also outlines why innovation strength, integrated solutions and strategic positioning remain key to global competitiveness.

Hohenstein publishes 2025 Sustainability Report

The testing and research service provider Hohenstein has published its latest sustainability report, outlining key progress and strategic initiatives. The report focuses on ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, the company’s new mission statement and the systematic expansion of sustainable services for customers worldwide.

Global Standard gGmbH launches second public consultation for GRTS Draft 2 for the textile industry (1–30 April 2026)

Global Standard gGmbH is pleased to announce the release of Draft 2 of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS) for its second public consultation. The consultation will be open from 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026, inviting stakeholders across the textile and apparel value chain to provide input and contribute to the further development of this new Standard.

Textile Exchange publishes cotton Life Cycle Assessment study to strengthen impact data

Textile Exchange has published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first LCA study focuses on cotton and addresses critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.

Speed and connectivity: Techtextil and Texprocess provided market-ready solutions for industries under pressure

With more than 36,000 visitors and 1,700 exhibitors from a total of 112 countries, Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 demonstrated how innovation comes into industrial use. The convergence of research, industry and application proved to be a breeding ground for new material solutions, manufacturing and processing technologies. Natural fibres, performance apparel, connected systems and AI-driven processing technologies emerged as key growth and future markets.

Italian Textile Machinery heads to Geneva for Index 2026

An important delegation of Italian companies will exhibit at the upcoming INDEX 2026, the world’s leading event for the nonwovens sector, taking place from May 19 to 22 in Geneva (Switzerland). Numerous Italian exhibitors will be present within the Italy Pavilion, organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and ACIMIT, an exhibition area of over 140 square meters dedicated to the latest innovations proposed by the Italian industry.