#Yarn & Fiber

2021-05-27

Eastman expands capacity to produce Naia™ cellulosic yarn

Demand for sustainable fibers leads to strong Naia™ growth in textiles segments. © 2021 Eastman

To serve rapidly growing customer demand, global specialty materials provider Eastman (NYSE: EMN) is increasing its capacity to produce Naia™ filament yarn at its Barcelona, S.L., site by 30% by mid-2021 and more than 50% by the end of 2022.

“The growing importance of sustainability and circularity as key market drivers is accelerating adoption of sustainable fibers. As a result, Naia™ cellulosic filament yarn is gaining a lot of traction among our customers,” said Burt A. Capel, Eastman vice president and general manager of fibers.

“Our vision is to make sustainable fashion accessible to all, and we have a very committed team at our Barcelona site actively working to bring this expansion onstream as soon as possible to serve our customers across the globe,” Capel added.

The expansion will support new brand adoptions of Naia™ in womenswear fashion, where there is a growing demand for sustainable fibers.

“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.

Lenzing and Kaihara to debut REMOD denim collection at Kingpins Amsterdam

The Lenzing Group, a global producer of wood-based fibers for the textile and nonwovens industries, has partnered with Japanese denim manufacturer Kaihara Corporation to launch the “REMOD Collection”. The collection combines three of Lenzing's fiber offerings for denim applications: TENCEL™ Lyocell Standard, TENCEL™ Lyocell – HV100 and TENCEL™ Lyocell dtex 2.2.

Circ and Huafon partner to scale textile-to-textile recycling in China

Circ® and Huafon, a leading spandex producer in China, are partnering to build and scale a new multi-phase textile-to-textile recycling site in China, expanding Circ's global pathway to industrial scale. The project will be located within Huafon's industrial footprint and will use Circ's technology to process polycotton textile waste and recycle both inputs, recovering recycled PTA, recycled MEG and recycled cellulosic pulp for use in new textiles. The site will be developed in phases, with Phase 1 designed for approximately 200 metric tons of textile waste per day and additional capacity planned.

UNIFEQ Europe adopts Coats Digital’s GSDCost and AI-powered GSDQuest to support rapid growth

Coats Digital is pleased to announce that rapidly growing Polish defence and uniform manufacturer UNIFEQ Europe Sp. z o.o. has invested in its award-winning GSDCost solution together with its AI-powered GSDQuest platform to establish a consistent approach to garment costing, improve sewing-floor productivity and accelerate labour costing for tenders and new products.

EURATEX urges Member States to prioritise competitiveness in the next EU budget

Ahead of crucial discussions among EU Member States on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028–2034, EURATEX, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation, calls on European leaders to safeguard ambitious funding for industrial competitiveness and ensure that these resources translate into concrete investment support in European companies.

Brazil: The Italian textile and textile-machinery sector takes centre stage at two workshops

From 19 to 24 October 2026, Brazil will host a mission showcasing Italian excellence in the textile and textile machinery sectors, with two workshops scheduled for 20 October in the state of Santa Catarina and 22 October in São Paulo. The initiative will bring together Italian companies specialising in textile machinery, yarns, fabrics and clothing accessories, with the aim of strengthening commercial and industrial ties between the two countries and opening up new opportunities for collaboration.

KARL MAYER highlights new technologies and growth opportunities at INDIA ITME 2026

India‘s textile industry is undergoing a profound transformation: What was previously a production hub driven primarily by cost and volume is increasingly evolving into a market focused on technology, exports, and value creation. KARL MAYER supports this change with high-performance machinery solutions and innovative textile concepts, and is therefore looking forward to INDIA ITME 2026 with great anticipation.