#Textile chemistry

2021-11-11

Elke Katz joins the board of the Beitlich Family Foundation

The Beitlich Family Foundation, owner of the CHT Group, is pleased to have appointed Elke Katz as an additional member of the Foundation's Board of Directors, which includes the function of Supervisory Board, on 1 September 2021. Elke Katz is currently CEO of ratioform Verpackungen GmbH, a company of the Haniel Group, based in Munich.

She has extensive, cross-industry experience in strategic and operational corporate management at companies such as BMW and Telefonica. She holds a degree in business engineering and has extensive know-how in customer experience management, digital business and business development.

Johan de Ruiter, Chairman of the Board of the Beitlich Family Foundation: "We aligned ourselves with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals several years ago and defined sustainability, digitalisation and diversity as important strategic components for the CHT Group.

We are therefore delighted to have gained a proven digitisation expert for our board. We are certain that Elke Katz will give us further impetus on this path so that we continue to be a leading, modern and innovative company.”

The Beitlich Family Foundation now again consists of 5 members, in addition to Elke Katz and Johan de Ruiter, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Götz Gresser (Vice Chairman), Dr. Antje von Dewitz and Prof. Dr. Klaus Müller.

Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli new Chief Operating Officer at CHT

The CHT Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO). With this appointment, Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli completes the management board consisting of Dr. Christian Rink (CFO) and Eva Baumann (CEO). With the now complete management team, the CHT Group is continuing its strategic realignment. As COO, Lorenza Sartorelli will focus her responsibilities on the sustainable global alignment of the CHT Group's operational functions.

Sustainable CHT innovations at PERFORMANCE DAYS SPRING Functional Fabric Fair

CHT Group is set to participate in the PERFORMANCE DAYS SPRING Functional Fabric Fair in Munich on March 5 and 6, 2025. As a key player in sustainable textile solutions, CHT will present its latest innovations at booth E11, with a strong focus on pioneering dyeing processes and functional finishes designed to enhance textile properties while minimizing environmental impact.

TEXTILCOLOR AG launches strategic collaboration with Alpex, Majocchi, and Trans-Textil in the field of Pyroshell™ flame protection

TEXTILCOLOR AG, a leading provider of innovative solutions in textile chemistry, today announces the start of a strategic collaboration with Alpex Protection, Majocchi, and Trans-Textil. Starting November 1, 2025, the partners will jointly advance the flame-retardant finishing of textiles using the patented Pyroshell™ technology at production sites in Germany, France, and Italy.

Huntsman and Steitz Secura deliver breakthrough in sustainable safety footwear

Huntsman, in collaboration with Steitz Secura, has developed a breakthrough polyurethane (PU) solution that can help improve the circularity of safety footwear. Together, the two companies have created a DALTOPED® polyurethane midsole system that can incorporate recycled content without compromising performance – setting a new benchmark in protective footwear production.

Zschimmer & Schwarz at ITMA Asia in Singapore

At ITMA Asia in October 2025, Zschimmer & Schwarz will present 100 % bio-based spin finishes from the LERTISAN range designed for hygiene nonwovens, and HYDROSET ECO-DRY, a bio-based wicking agent that delivers excellent moisture management for synthetic fabrics. For dye fixation on polyamide, the company has developed a sustainable, plant-based product completely free from phenol, bisphenol, and formaldehyde. The patented aftertreatment agent ZETESAL ECO-FIX PA ensures durable and reliable fixation, particularly on dark shades.

Covestro and Heraeus Precious Metals collaborate to enable safer, more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings

Laboratory tests reveal that AGXX antimicrobial surface technology from Heraeus Precious Metals is fully compatible with Impranil® PU dispersions which are part of the waterborne INSQIN® textile coating technology from Covestro, paving the way for more sustainable antimicrobial textile coatings. This discovery comes at a key moment for the textile coatings industry. As the sharing economy continues to grow, more people are coming into regular contact with high-use surfaces, creating ideal conditions for bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms to thrive.

Toray develops recycling technology that retains carbon fiber strength and surface quality

Toray Industries, Inc., announced today that it has developed a recycling technology that can decompose diverse carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) made from thermosetting resins while retaining the strength and surface quality of those fibers. The company drew on this technology to create a nonwoven fabric employing recycled carbon fibers.

Panty liners prevent bacterial vaginosis

Worldwide, almost one third of women of childbearing age suffer from bacterial vaginosis. This is when the sensitive microbiome of the vagina becomes unbalanced. Such a disorder of the vaginal flora can cause urogenital infections, abscesses on the ovaries or fallopian tubes or premature births. This significantly increases the risk of infertility in women and of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or HIV.

PERFORMANCE DAYS sets benchmarks with record attendance & strong industry presence

With around 4,500 professional visitors and 515 exhibitors, PERFORMANCE DAYS closed its doors on October 30, 2025, after two highly successful days in Munich. Expanded show areas, an international audience, a top-class Expert Talks program, and an inspiring DAY 0 Conference with an innovative concept underlined one thing clearly: PERFORMANCE DAYS has become the leading business platform for the functional textile industry.