#Textile chemistry

2024-02-22

Julien Born appointed CEO of HEIQ AEONIQ Holding to lead global expansion

HeiQ, a leader in textile innovation, proudly announces the appointment of Julien Born as Chief Executive Officer of HeiQ AeoniQ Holding, where he will champion the growth of HeiQ AeoniQ™, a game-changing cellulosic filament fiber.

HeiQ AeoniQ Holding, a subsidiary of HeiQ Group, is appointing Julien Born as its CEO, leveraging his extensive executive leadership and profound textile industry expertise cultivated in prestigious organizations such as DuPont, KOCH Industries, and The LYCRA Company, where he served as CEO since 2021.

The awarded HeiQ AeoniQ™ technology is poised for commercial production at the inaugural manufacturing facility in Portugal by the close of 2025. The just concluded €5M acquisition of land and buildings, within a 2-year project total investment of €80M, marks a pivotal milestone for the 15,000m2 facility in Maia, Porto. Situated strategically in Portugal’s thriving textile hub and a mere 20 minutes from a major commercial port, this facility is poised to catalyze the scale-up phase of the business, going from pilot manufacture to mass production when it will be able to compete at full-scale on cost and performance with fossil fuel-based fibers.

HeiQ intends to consolidate the Group’s current and future activities in Portugal at the newly acquired site. This includes Shared Service Center functions as well as the Innovation Hub for the HeiQ Textile & Flooring business unit.

ADVANCING THE SCALE-UP OF HEIQ AEONIQ™ TO DRIVE POSITIVE IMPACT

HeiQ AeoniQ Holding, established as an independent subsidiary to attract new investors, value-chain partners, and brands, embarks on an ambitious multi-year scale-up strategy. This strategy involves integrating diverse sources of bio-derived feedstock and hyper-scaling cellulosic filament fiber production capacity over the next decade, targeting industries such as apparel, footwear, automotive, home textiles, and aeronautics.

The recent addition of Julien Born to lead the charge follows the nomination of Robert van de Kerkhof to the HeiQ Board, a seasoned executive with extensive textile experience holding positions as CCO, CSO, Board member of Lenzing Plc, and Chairman of CIRFS, the European Man-Made Fibres Association. Robert will also serve as the Chairman of the HeiQ AeoniQ Holding Board.

Expressing his enthusiasm, Julien Born stated, “I am excited to join HeiQ, a company with a meaningful purpose, a passion for innovation, and tremendous growth potential. Together with a talented team working with a great entrepreneurial spirit, we have an opportunity to build with our partners a unique ecosystem around the HeiQ AeoniQ™ technology that can truly change the game on sustainability in several industries.”

Carlo Centonze, CEO of HeiQ Group, commented on the appointment, saying, “We eagerly welcome Julien to steer HeiQ AeoniQ Holding. His wealth of experience in high-tech fibers and demonstrated leadership will be pivotal to hyper-scaling HeiQ AeoniQ™ and achieving our transformative vision for the textile industry.”

HEIQ expands in ASIA with BIG SUNSHINE as key partner

HeiQ, a global leader in materials and textile innovation, is strengthening its presence in Asia by onboarding BIG SUNSHINE CO., LTD. as a key full-service partner in the region. This collaboration aims to further improve HeiQ’s overall service capabilities in Taiwan and across the wider Asian region, furthering its vision of global expansion and footprint in Asia.

HeiQ announces return to private company structure

HeiQ, a leading innovator in materials technology, announced its decision to return to private company structure from the London Stock Exchange as part of a strategic move to focus resources, streamline operations, and accelerate growth, effective November 19, 2024 (LSE:HEIQ). HeiQ shares will continue trading on the JP Jenkins securities or a similar matching platform from November 20, 2024.

HeiQ and GQ Apparel bring biobased cooling to denim in Thailand

HeiQ, a global leader in textile and materials innovation, proudly announces a strategic cooperation with GQ Apparel, a premier Thailand-based tech apparel brand. GQ Apparel enhances it denim offering with HeiQ’s advanced cooling solution, marking a significant milestone in the Southeast Asian market.

HeiQ expands application of HeiQ Allergen tech to upholstery fabric through collaboration with CULP

HeiQ partners with Culp to apply HeiQ Allergen Tech, a 100% biobased* solution that reduces allergens on textiles, onto interior upholstery fabric. HeiQ announces the extended application of HeiQ Allergen Tech to bring the benefits of this biobased textile technology to the interior upholstered furniture market, marking a unique launch into this segment.

SOKO presents low-impact denim finishing innovations at Denim PV Milan

SOKO will present a range of sustainable denim finishing technologies and collaborative projects at the upcoming Denim Première Vision Milan on 20–21 May in Milan. At booth G27 in Superstudio Più, the company will showcase new chemical solutions designed to combine fashionable denim effects with reduced environmental impact.

Cotton made in Africa partners receive top marks in independent verifications

Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) and CmiA Organic are two internationally recognised standards that aim to promote sustainable development in the African cotton sector south of the Sahara. To ensure the standards’ credibility among brands, retailers, and consumers, independent verifiers evaluate compliance on the ground. The verification results for 2025, now published in the Aggregated Verification & Implementation Report, were very strong: The verifiers awarded consistently very good remarks regarding management, people, prosperity, and the environment.

Bangladesh: Italian textile machinery mission stops in Dhaka and Chittagong

Technological upgrading and the transition toward higher value-added production are driving the new Italian industrial mission to Bangladesh. This year, the mission will split between the country’s two main manufacturing hubs, where Italian manufacturers will meet the leaders of the local textile supply chain in two strategic stages: July 7th in Dhaka and July 9th in Chittagong.

Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026 closes doors, advancing sustainable and innovative sourcing in South China

Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026 served as a strategically positioned mid-year sourcing platform for the Greater Bay Area, highlighting Shenzhen’s role in connecting regional demand, supply and innovation exchange across the textile value chain. During the three-day fair, over 20,000 visits were drawn from 74 countries and regions[1], as exhibitors and buyers engaged with new developments in greener, performance-led, and value-added yarn and fibre solutions. Held in conjunction with Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and PH Value, the fair underscored the benefits of closer synergy and new materials across yarn, fabric and apparel platforms for the South China market.