#Yarn & Fiber

2021-11-25

Birla Cellulose retains the top ranking in the CANOPY HOT BUTTON REPORT 2021

For three consecutive years Birla Cellulose, the pulp and fibre business of the Aditya Birla Group, has retained top position in Canopy’s Hot Button Report.

In their latest Hot Button Report, Canopy, a not-for-profit organization, has again awarded Birla Cellulose with a ‘dark green shirt’ for relentless efforts in the Man- Made Cellulosic Fibre (MMCF) industry to support and conserve ancient and endangered forests, for bringing transparency across the value chain and game changing solutions for a circular business model in the fashion industry. Over the years, Birla Cellulose has raised its benchmarks in sustainability performance and the ‘Dark green shirt’ is a testament to company’s movement in the right direction.

“The top ranking is a testament to our long-standing commitment to suppliers and customers for a sustainable future. Our efforts and investments are focused on creating innovative solutions for ecological challenges, and scaling the next- generation fibre solutions which is an integral part of our business strategy. Our collaborative partnerships are intended to create broader and bigger positive impact for a more sustainable MMCF value chain in the fashion industry”, said Mr. H K Agrawal, Business Director Designate, Birla Cellulose.

Birla Cellulose has recently announced an ambitious target for scaling up the production of circular fibers to a level of 100,000 tons per annum by 2024. Its award- winning product Liva Reviva, made by utilizing cotton waste as feedstock is already getting good reception from the leading brands. Birla Cellulose is actively collaborating with brand and supply chain partners, innovators, and orchestrators such as Canopy, Fashion for Good, and Circular Fashion Partnership for scaling its circular business model. Company’s blockchain-based and molecular tracer-backed platform ‘GreenTrack’ provides end-to-end traceability of value chain from forest to fashion and comes free of cost to brand partners who source sustainability enhanced products such as Livaeco by Birla Cellulose and Liva Reviva.

“We are very encouraged by Birla Cellulose’s actions to advance the conservation of key Ancient and Endangered Forests and their commitment to scaling up production of Next-Generation Solutions to a volume that cracks the barrier between niche and commercial scale,” said Ms. Nicole Rycroft, Founder and Executive Director of Canopy. “The MMCF production sector needs a recast and we look forward to working with the Birla team to achieve that.”

“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.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Grasim Industries announces fresh investment of ₹3094 Crore to expand Lyocell capacity

Grasim Industries Limited, the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group and a global leader in cellulosic fibres, today announced an investment of ₹3,094 crore, for Phase II Lyocell capacity of 110K TPA at Harihar, Karnataka. This expansion will consist of 2 lines of 55K TPA (150 Tons per day) each. The first line is expected to be commissioned by 2028, and the second line is expected to be commissioned by 2030.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.

Keeping products moving with Swedish automation at FILTECH 2026

At FILTECH 2026, taking place in Cologne from June 30th to July 2nd, members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will highlight how the country’s engineering expertise is enabling filtration manufacturers to increase productivity, improve traceability and reduce dependence on labour-intensive manual processes.