Textiles Review |

Textile Exchange Publishes The Final Criteria For Its New Materials Matter Standard, Marking A Pivotal Shift In Connecting Certification To Impact

2025-12-30T10:00:00+00:00

The criteria were developed over five years in close collaboration with a designated International Working Group made up of brands, retailers, suppliers, producers, NGOs, and technical specialists. Two publicly consulted drafts and a pilot version, tested in key material production regions from Peru to Italy, have helped refine the framework, alongside extensive work to ensure alignment with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems.

The first version of the Materials Matter Standard includes all materials currently covered by Textile Exchange’s Responsible Animal Fiber framework, including wool, alpaca, mohair, as well as recycled materials, as currently covered in the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Recycled Claims Standard (RCS). Organic cotton, which has long been an integral part of Textile Exchange’s standards system, will continue to play a central role through a gradual transition pathway for the Organic Content Standard into the Materials Matter System. This pathway will preserve essential functions such as traceability while strengthening the system to enable more holistic, farmer-centered outcomes.

Looking ahead, Textile Exchange intends to expand the system through partnerships with credible programs that align with their shared vision for climate and nature impact. This includes exploring pathways for fibers such as cotton produced through preferred production systems and man-made cellulosic fibers. By collaborating with established partners and bringing efforts together under one framework, Textile Exchange aims to reduce duplication, ease the burden on suppliers, and enable brands to more easily source materials that deliver measurable benefits on the ground. This partnership-driven approach is designed to broaden opportunity and impact across the industry while accelerating progress for climate, nature, people, and animals.

Today, the publication of the final criteria marks the first phase of the transition. The Materials Matter Standard will become effective on December 31, 2026, meaning that sites can start to get certified, and will be mandatory from December 31, 2027. Organizations may continue using Textile Exchange’s current standards until this date to ensure a smooth shift for certified sites globally.

Ultimately, the goal of the Materials Matter Standard is to provide brands, suppliers, and producers with a credible mark that links production practices to measurable outcomes—supporting the industry’s move toward integrity and accountability at scale. To support this transition, Textile Exchange has also released the Materials Matter Claims and Labeling Policy, which guides brands in communicating certification to the Materials Matter Standard with clarity and accuracy, strengthening consumer trust and ensuring claims remain grounded and responsible.

Together, these documents form the basis of a transparent and trusted framework that provides certification users with a reliable way to substantiate the environmental and social information they share about their products. In the coming months, Textile Exchange will continue to provide its community with practical information on certification to the new standard through the release of further policies and guidance, as well as close collaboration on piloting certification procedures.

Today, the launch of the final Materials Matter Standard criteria represents a significant step toward Textile Exchange’s vision: a world where materials have lasting value, leading to thriving communities and landscapes.

Claire Bergkamp, CEO of Textile Exchange, said:

“The Materials Matter Standard is more than a certification; it’s a commitment to driving measurable impact at the very start of the supply system. By aligning expectations and outcomes across the industry, this standard accelerates progress toward climate and nature goals and ensures that sustainability becomes a shared responsibility.”

Ashley Gill, Chief Standards and Strategy Officer at Textile Exchange, said:

“The Materials Matter System strengthens integrity, reduces complexity, and connects best practices to real outcomes. By consolidating our existing standards into one system, we’re creating a clearer, more scalable pathway to systemic change across the textile and apparel industry.”

Better Cotton Initiative And Planboo To Launch Biochar Project In India

2025-12-30T10:00:00+00:00

Throughout the project, Planboo’s digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRVin) system will capture data points from the production of biochar to the calculation of carbon removals.

This end-to-end software accurately calculates waste inputs, biochar volumes, carbon removals, and in turn streamlines the availability of carbon data. The quantification of carbon reductions and removals using this data will create new income streams for communities.

Freddie Catlow, Founder of Planboo, said: “Cotton farmers are sitting on an unrealised asset, their crop residues, currently going up in smoke.With Planboo’s MRVin technology, farmers can learn, burn and earn by turning their waste into biochar. This durable, accredited form of carbon removal, builds resilience into soils, supporting farmers, the foundation of the cotton textile industry.”

The project will conclude in 2026 at which time BCI will share project learnings and outcomes with its members.The project will measure how biochar influences key agricultural indicators such as crop yield, water retention, as well as data on reduced farm level emissions and carbon removed.

In the longer term, both BCI and Planboo will assess the potential to take this approach to scale by demonstrating the value it can provide from environmental and economic improvements at the field level to Scope 3 reduction data and carbon credits.

Brückner showcases Future-Proof Textile Finishing at ITMA ASIA 2025 in Singapore

2025-12-20T10:00:00+00:00

Brückner Textile Technologies is presenting German engineering expertise and energy-efficient line concepts at this year’s ITMA ASIA in Singapore. The family-run company has been a leader in customized technologies and solutions for textile equipment for over 75 years. The focus is on energy efficiency, automation, and maximum productivity.

Brückner stenter POWER-FRAME SFP-2

The new POWER-FRAME SFP-2 stenter frame generation is being presented, which is particularly attractive for finishing fabrics with a high cotton content. This machine can be used for drying and heat-setting processes, is easy to clean thanks to horizontally arranged lint screens, and features an intelligent split-flow air circulation system, a vertical circulating transport chain, and energy-efficient motors and gas burners. With this machine, Brückner offers an alternative to the high-tech POWER-FRAME SFP-4 stenter, which is efficient, requires lower investment costs, and has short delivery times.

Of course, the POWER-FRAME SFP-4 stenter, which is unmatched in terms of energy efficiency and ease of maintenance, will also be presented for challenging processes and finishing of technical textiles. Here, Brückner will introduce new features such as electricity- and hydrogen-powered heating systems and intelligent software solutions for optimizing recipes. In addition, heat-recovery and exhaust air purification systems help to save energy and comply with environmental regulations. A new feature here is a fully automatic cleaning system that significantly reduces maintenance and personnel costs. The cleaning programs are flexible and freely configurable, and production does not have to be interrupted for cleaning purposes.

Brückner relax dryer POWER-DRY PD-1

In principle, new Brückner systems can be equipped with various intelligent assistance systems on request, which help machine operators to quickly find the optimum machine settings for each process. The new ExperTex simulation tool uses artificial intelligence to simulate the desired drying or heat-setting production process on a computer. Various KPIs can then be compared with each other, e.g., throughput times, energy consumption, CO 2 footprint, and production costs. This innovative system allows for precise pre-calculation of orders, opens up productivity increases and/or energy savings, and enables “right-first-time production” by means of pre-optimized recipes. This tool and much more is available to customers in the new myBrückner customer portal. All important machine information, access to digital services, and a service system are bundled there and can be accessed at any time.

Another new product is the POWER-DRY PD-1, a completely newly developed relax and shrink dryer for finishing knitted fabrics. This dryer is suitable for both open and tubular fabrics and can be easily integrated into an existing line concept. Customers benefit from maximum evaporation capacity in the smallest possible length, optimum shrinkage values, excellent accessibility thanks to space-saving sliding doors, horizontal lint screens, low maintenance and cleaning times, and an energy-saving suction zone. The system can also be heated using a hybrid system or even CO 2-free using a high-temperature heat pump. The system has been specially designed for high-quality goods with a soft and voluminous hand, e.g., polo shirts, nightwear (interlock), single jersey T-shirts, or lining fabrics such as sweatshirts.

Customers can also look forward to a new unit in the coating sector: the OPTI-COAT 2in1 coating unit combines the advantages of floating knife and knife over cylinder, thus ensuring maximum flexibility. With a high-precision coating cylinder and a perfect ground coating knife, excellent results can be achieved for paste and foam coatings. In addition, the unit’s special design ensures optimum accessibility for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

If you would also like to benefit from these advantages or learn more about the optimization potential in your textile production, you are cordially invited to visit the Brückner team at ITMA ASIA 2025 in Singapore. In hall 7 at booth A-102, their experts will be happy to meet with you for a personal discussion and provide you with individual advice.

Wool’s Rebound: The New Era Of Wool & Protein Fibers

2025-12-18T10:00:00+00:00

According to the press release, the market value for wool is predicted to almost double from $34.9 billion in 2022 to $63.2 billion by 2033.

Once a wardrobe staple along with cotton, wool lost market share with the advent of man-made fibers. Concerns about animal welfare also painted wool as a less than desirable fiber choice. But the natural advantages of wool — including warmth, durability, elasticity, odor resistance, temperature regulation, moisture management, resilience and breathability, among other properties — make it too valuable to exclude from the fiber choice landscape. As a 100-percent natural performance fiber, wool also is biodegradable, renewable and recyclable, making it a perfect fiber for a sustainable ecosystem.

Beyond luxury fashion, where Woolmark reports wool emerged as a key fiber in recent Spring/Summer collections, wool’s natural properties and seasonal adaptability are motivating sports brands to launch innovative wool apparel.

“As citizens demand more from what they wear — comfort, performance, traceability and responsibility — merino wool is meeting the moment,” said Woolmark Managing Director John Roberts. “With leading influencers and brands alike embracing its story, it’s no surprise demand is rising across luxury fashion, sportswear and lifestyle. It’s the fiber that truly delivers, naturally.”

Following is a snapshot of some companies and apparel/footwear brands that are championing the use of wool fiber.

According to Andy Wynne, CEO of New Zealand-based Nuyarn®, “The wool industry has undergone a remarkable transformation.” Wynne sees wool escaping its traditional categories of suits, formalwear and sweaters, among other categories, and becoming a “legitimate performance and comfort material across diverse categories including everyday hoodies, footwear uppers, women’s activewear, technical sportswear, loungewear, athleisure and beyond.”

Technology advancements, such as Nuyarn spinning technology, are helping drive the shift in tradition. Nuyarn’s twist-free spinning technology drafts superfine merino wool with a high-performance nylon filament carrier yarn to produce an ultrafine, two-ply yarn with more volume and aeration than merino yarns made using traditional worsted spun-yarn technologies (See “Nuyarn: Wool A New Way,” TW, January/February 2023). According to the company, the light weight and softness of the resulting yarns make them perfect candidates for next-to-skin applications in baselayer garments in particular.

Rather than avoiding the conversation, Wynne prefers to tackle historical concerns about wool head on. The company uses transparency, certification and education including full Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certification, which ensures rigorous animal welfare standards and traceability from farm to finished product. “We’re also bluesign®, GOTS, and OEKO-TEX certified, demonstrating our commitment across the entire production chain,” Wynne shared.

Ibex’s Men’s Mammoth Full Zip Hoodie features Nuyarn® technology.

Nuyarn’s primary customers are active outdoor and lifestyle brands seeking to integrate natural fiber performance garments into their product lines. “Our development process is highly collaborative and tailored to each brand’s specific needs and customer base,” Wynne said. “As a fully vertical business — controlling every-thing from yarn production to fabric manufacturing to finished garments, we can offer brands a streamlined partnership with a single entity rather than managing multiple suppliers.”

Just some of the apparel brands using Nuyarn include:

Artilect — A long-time proponent of Nuyarn, Artilect offers baselayer products and accessories made using the yarn including the Flatiron 185 crew and leggings, which are made using a baselayer yarn blend — 91-percent superfine Nuyarn merino wool and 9-percent nylon — knit into a 185 gram per square meter (gsm) fabric that is bluesign certified. Artilect uses hangtags to share the benefits of Nuyarn with consumers under the “More than merino” tagline. The brand also incorporates a TAP wifi-enabled sticker on the hang-tags so users can scan using a smartphone to learn more online.
Ibex — Ibex features Nuyarn in its Woolies Pro Tech Q-Zip and Woolies Pro Tech Bottom baselayers. The fabric, comprised of 85-percent merino wool and 15-percent nylon, weighs 125 gsm making it Ibex’s lightest weight baselayer ever. While Ibex does not promote Nuyarn specifically on the hangtags, it touts the benefits of merino in a thoughtfully designed hangtag. The company does explain Nuyarn and all of its benefits on its website in the product descriptions.
Lé Bent — Committed to performance, apparel brand Lé Bent features Nuyarn in its Featherweight Hooded Merino Crew top and Featherweight bottoms. The 125 gsm fabric is made using a Signature Merino Blend that contains 60- percent merino, 25-percent bamboo and 15-percent nylon.

Nuyarn also has established partnerships with Allbirds and HOKA, and the footwear industry currently makes up one of the company’s largest categories.

Additionally, Wynne announced that the Herculan® technology has allowed the company to transition carpet wool — coarse fibers historically relegated to flooring and upholstery applications only — into high-performance wearable garments. “We’ll be launching a performance wool fleece using this material in fall 2026,” he shared.

“Wool isn’t a fiber of the past, it’s a fiber of the future and I wouldn’t be in this business if I didn’t believe that,” Wynne said. “We’re at an inflection point where consumers are actively seeking alternatives to synthetic materials due to growing awareness of microplastic pollution and climate concerns. Athletes and outdoor enthusiasts are driving demand for natural, sustainable performance options, and technology like Nuyarn makes those choices viable without performance compromise.”

Woolx’s Stella Leggings represent the brand’s warmest baselayer.

Woolx was founded in 2012 in Endicott, N.Y. as family-run brand focused on merino wool clothing that combines technical performance and everyday comfort. The product line incorporates essentials, pajamas, shapewear and layers, in ultra-heavyweight fabrics, featherlight pieces and everything in between for all seasons.

Traditional wool has an average thickness of 30 microns, while typical merino wool — known for its fineness — has an average thickness of 21 microns. To avoid any itchy, scratchy sensations against the skin, Woolx uses a super-fine merino wool with an average thickness of only 17 microns in many of its products.

“While wool might make some people think of their grandma’s scratchy sweater, this is not that,” said Nicole Calleo, co-founder and CEO, Woolx. “We’ve taken all the natural benefits of traditional wool —temperature regulation, durability and comfort — and reimagined them in a modern, insanely soft merino that’s as stylish as it is functional.” In addition, all of Woolx’s clothing is ethically sourced and responsibly made. “Every Woolx piece is certified non-mulesed ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare and sustainability, ” Calleo said.

Woolx offers the Stella Leggings and Piper Pocket Leggings. Stella represents one of Woolx’s warmest baselayers for fall and winter, while Piper is a merino wool baselayer with functional side pockets for all-day comfort and performance.

“The idea for Woolx’s merino wool baselayer leggings came from a simple need: clothing that could keep up with active, outdoor lifestyles without com-promising comfort,” Calleo said. “The founders wanted something that could move easily, breathe well, and regulate temperature during hikes, runs or even when used in everyday wear. Merino wool turned out to be the perfect solution — warm when it’s cold, cool when it’s warm, and soft enough to wear all day.”

The company recently extended the use of merino wool to mini Woolx, a new line of kids’ baselayers.

Ciele Athletics has launched its first Woolmark-certified merino wool collection of headwear and apparel.

Based in Montreal, Ciele Athletics— focused on headwear and apparel for runners — was founded in 2014 by Jeremy Bresnen and Mike Giles. “We are all very passionate about running, technical garments, responsibility, and doing the best we can as individuals and an organization,” said Dan Marrett, global marketing director, Ciele Athletics.

Ciele works with suppliers to develop technical fabrics and performance constructions tailored for running and movement. The brand recently partnered with Woolmark to launch its first-ever Woolmark-certified merino wool collection of apparel and headwear for winter. According to Ciele, each piece is independently tested and meets the Woolmark standards for durability, colorfastness and quality. Pieces in the line include beanies, balaclavas and baselayers made using 100-percent wool as well as merino/silk blended yarns.

“We’ve been exploring natural performance fibers for a while and that exploration led to our Sorino™ fabric line,” reported Ciele’s design team. “Partnering with an industry leader like Woolmark felt like the right move to help us highlight everything that makes merino exceptional. The Woolmark certification gives runners confidence that they’re getting the best quality merino possible. It’s a mark of fiber integrity, performance and traceability — all things that align with how we approach design and manufacturing at Ciele.”

Ciele is reimagining merino as a year-round performance fabric, not just a cold weather choice. “For us, reimagining merino means leaning into what it already does best and redesigning around its strengths to create true, all-season performance,” the company shared.

Paka innovates using alpaca fiber working with indigenous people in Peru to create its clothing and accessories.

While sheep’s wool currently is experiencing unprecedented demand, Peru-based PAKA is firmly focused on another fiber in the protein family — alpaca. Founded in 2017 by Kris Cody, the certified B-Corp. business works directly with non-governmental organizations alongside the indigenous people in Peru to create its natural, all-purpose clothing and accessories (See “PAKA: Tri-Blend Fiber Trio,” TW, November/December 2022). PAKA’s mission remains one of connecting people to where their clothing comes from and supporting the communities who make the garments.

“At PAKA, we’re continuously exploring how natural performance can evolve across categories,” said Megan Krajco, PAKA Design director. “Our foundation began with alpaca fiber in sweaters, but our vision is to build a complete ecosystem of products that support everyday explorers.”

Most recently, Paka has expanded into the outerwear category with its patented PAKAFILL® alpaca insulation material, which can replace down or synthetic fiber fill options, providing needed warmth without weight. PAKAFILL is featured in the brand’s Apu parkas and Mayu vests and jackets for men and women.

One interesting product that resulted after a 2022 PAKAFILL puffer launch, was a packing cube. In contrast to the company’s alpaca focused products, the upcycled packing cubes are made using deadstock polyester shell fabric left over from puffer production. The company was determined not to send the unusable material to landfills and came up with the idea for the packing cubes.

“From day one when Kris originally founded PAKA, our focus has been to help consumers connect to our natural world, make more conscious choices and support the Peruvian communities where our products come from,” said Laura Rysz, senior director of Brand and Marketing, PAKA. “That mission truly remains at the core of everything we do today, from the decisions we make on product development to starting team meetings with PAKA Foundation updates.” The foundation was formed in early 2025 to support “alpacas, alpaqueros, weavers and education for the Peruvian communities we work with,” Rysz shared.

PAKA just announced its first-ever Heritage Collection, co-created directly with master Quechuan artisans in Peru. The company gives back 5 percent from sales of the collection to the artisans’ non-governmental organization.

PAKA has also branched out into underwear and continues to innovate in knitwear building on “The Hoodie,” the original sweater PAKA developed. In addition, “the alpaca fiber in every PAKA item now is traceable back to the source,” noted Krajco.

“The wool/protein fiber market has made an incredible shift toward transparency, traceability and regenerative land management that was not part of the mainstream conversation 10 years ago,” Krajco offered. “At the same time, technology is allowing us to enhance what nature already perfected — through improved spinning, dyeing, and knitting techniques that preserve fiber integrity and reduce the environmental impact. What excites us the most is the fusion of tradition and innovation. We’re using modern tools to amplify the story nature already tells through fiber.”

As wool and other protein fibers step back into the spotlight, the apparel industry is seeing a convergence of innovation, transparency and consumer demand. Whether it’s Nuyarn pushing the boundaries of yarn engineering, Woolx refining next-to-skin comfort, Ciele reimagining merino for performance, Allbirds redefining footwear rules, or PAKA building a modern ecosystem around alpaca, these companies illustrate how nature and technology can thrive together. In a landscape once dominated by synthetics, wool and its protein-fiber counterparts are reshaping the future of performance, comfort and sustainability.

Allbirds: Footwear Disruptor Launches PFAS-Free, Fully Waterproof Shoes

A champion of wool since its founding in 2015, footwear brand Allbirds, San Francisco, recently introduced its first fully waterproof collection in three silhouettes — the Wool Runner NZ Waterproof, Wool Runner NZ Mid Waterproof and the Wool Cruiser Waterproof. Each shoe upper is made using merino wool and is treated with C-Zero per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)-free durable water repellent (DWR). An additional breathable, waterproof membrane placed between the upper and interior lining further prevents water from penetrating the upper and reaching the feet.

“We were really excited about C-Zero DWR because it gave us the all-weather performance we needed, without having to use PFAS,” said Adrian Nyman, chief design officer, Allbirds. “In the design and development process, we explored different PFAS-free DWRs an ultimately selected C-zero because it delivered the perfect balance of water-repellency, durability, and played well with our toolkit of natural materials.”

Allbirds previously offered a weather-resistant Mizzle style, but had not yet developed a fully waterproof, all-weather option for showers, heavy rain or slushy conditions. “We wanted to redefine what waterproof shoes could be, with an Allbirds twist,” Nyman, said. “While most waterproof shoes lean utilitarian and technical, we believe that by looking to natural materials like wool, we can bring something new and exciting to this space.”

When Allbirds got its start, wool was not material ordinarily used in footwear applications. “But our founders knew it had incredible properties that could be put to use,” Nyman said. In 2016, when Allbirds introduced its first shoe, the Wool Runner, the product “flew in the face of all the ‘usual rules’ of footwear, particularly because of the use of merino wool, an untapped natural material in an industry so often dominated by virgin synthetics,” Nyman noted. “Almost 10 years later, Allbirds has sold nearly a pair of Wool Runners every minute, and the style has become a mainstay in wardrobes around the world — safe to say the founders were onto something!”

2025 Quarterly Issue IV

U.S. Cotton Is A Natural Fit When Moving Away From Synthetics

2025-12-18T10:00:00+00:00

As the textile industry has evolved, the understanding of its environmental and social footprint has increased as has the acceptance of responsibility for limiting any negative impact and increasing any positive impact. Over the past 15 to 20 years, much of the textile industry’s focus has been on environmentally sustainable and socially ethical initiatives. Most of these initiatives are about how products are made.

Increasingly, however, the newest initiatives are more intently focused on the products’ environmental impacts during and after use. Of course, a product’s impact during these two phases of its life cycle is greatly influenced by its components. As part of this new and justified focus, the global textile industry, especially brands and retailers, will be looking for better fiber solutions to mitigate challenges like microfiber pollution and end of life disposal.

Cotton, and specifically cotton grown in the United States, offers brands and retailers and their customers a compelling fiber solution because the product is a responsibly produced, natural, renewable, biodegradable fiber with supply chain transparency that includes traceability and key environmental metrics.

While cotton, and especially U.S-grown cotton, plausibly has a lesser environmental footprint than synthetic fibers in the production phase, fiber production is not the emphasis of this article. Rather, the focus is on how U.S. cotton is positioned to help the textile and apparel value chain address the huge global microplastics disaster that is unfolding and growing land fill challenge. The microplastics crisis is not a textile-specific issue — 12 percent of all the plastic leakage into the environment from unmanaged or unmanageable waste comes from the polyester value chain, and the textile waste that is managed is estimated to occupy 7 percent of landfill space.

Undoubtedly, plastic has made life easier, and it is difficult to imagine a world that is completely void of plastic, but there are environmental and human health costs to that convenience. Plastic poses significant problems because it is not biodegradable. Rather, it breaks down into micro-plastics and nanoplastics that taint the earth’s sea, freshwater supply, soil and air.

Consumers are increasingly aware of the issue with plastics, and they are slowly but surely starting to make the connection that polyester is plastic and that their clothing choices can have a huge impact on the environment and human health, including their own. Because clothing, sheets and towels shed the fibers of which they are made when worn and laundered, they are constantly releasing microfibers into the air and water. Cotton products shed more microfibers than polyester; but when those cellulosic cotton fibers enter the environment, they break down through the process of biodegradation just as nature intended. Conversely, the microfibers of polyester and other synthetics are not targeted by the microbes responsible for biodegradation because they don’t recognize them as natural food sources. Those microfibers contribute to the microplastics crisis facing our environment and human health. Human inhalation or ingestion of microplastics that accumulate over time — including from our food supply; think shrimp and vegetables whose oceans and soil are polluted with microplastics and microfibers — can lead to organ damage, endocrine system dis-orders with negative reproductive and metabolic repercussions, and may even increase the risk of cancer.

Graphic courtesy of National Cotton Council

Considering the growing number of microplastics studies and major concerns for the global ecosystem, there is renewed interest in natural components. Likewise, natural fibers are highlighting just what it means to be natural. Two such campaigns are the “Plant Not Plastic” — plantnot plastic.org — and “Make the Label Count” — makethelabelcount.org. The “Plant Not Plastic” campaign, launched by the National Cotton Council of America in response to the findings from its “Microplastics

Corporate Strategy & Insights Consumer Survey,” is a public awareness campaign with a goal of educating consumers on the positive contributions they can make to the environment and human health by choosing clothing and home textiles made from natural fibers. The campaign has taglines like: “Plant, Not Plastic,” “What You Wear Matters,” “Choose Cotton — the natural choice to protect your family and y(our) home.”

While consumers have increasingly moved away from checking labels and have shown less interest in fabric content, the highlighted risk posed by choosing synthetic textile goods is likely to cause a significant change in behavior.

Speaking of labels, the “Make the Label Count” coalition’s work is aimed less at consumers and more at European Commission regulators who are responsible for establishing a standardized life cycle assessment method for measuring and communicating the products and services Product Environmental Footprint (PEF). Under EU regulations, products must be assigned a PEF to enable fair comparisons to be drawn between products when comparing their holistic environmental impacts. The international coalition, made up of natural fiber organizations and environmental groups, has been successful in convincing the European Commission that its preliminary PEF methodology for apparel and footwear has several omissions including microplastic release. Further, the coalition argues plastic waste generation, and the circularity of materials should be accounted for in the PEF.

Cotton wins when it comes to microplastics. It is that simple. Cotton is a naturally occurring plant that grew on earth’s trees, fell onto its soil, and was disposed of by natural biodegradation long before it clothed its inhabitants. In its natural life cycle, carbon dioxide simply moves back and forth from the atmosphere to the plant and then back into the atmosphere.

Some in industry and science want to make the argument that dyed and treated cotton fibers are no longer biodegradable. The dyes and treatments might not be biodegradable, but that’s a small fraction of the fiber’s weight. Comparatively speaking, neither the synthetic microfiber nor the dyes and chemicals in it are biodegradable. But, for cotton to be a viable replacement for brands, retailers, and consumers looking to reduce their microplastic risk, it cannot check only that box, other boxes also matter.

Graphic courtesy of Staplcotn

End of product life is another critical factor for our industry to consider. Cotton fiber is already more circular than polyester and has great potential to become even more so thanks to the research and innovations occurring within many public and private organizations including Cotton Incorporated, the Cary, N.C.-based not-for-profit research and promotion company for U.S. upland cotton which is funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers. The U.S. cotton industry is incessantly working on ways to keep the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere by the growing cotton plant and stored in its cellulose out of the atmosphere permanently, or at least temporarily, to help lower the textile industry’s carbon footprint.

Examples include compost, biochar, and mechanical and non-toxic chemical recycling and repurposing. Products labeled as “recycled polyester,” are not a polyester-to-polyester product, and it still contributes, perhaps even disproportionately, to the microplastic and land fill problems. If the two fibers are incinerated, cotton simply releases the carbon dioxide it absorbed during photosynthesis while polyester releases multiple toxic gases that are ultimately a source of new, man-made carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

And, of course, trust in the fiber production system is especially important to brands and retailers. U.S. cotton farmers use advanced, responsible production practices and many are choosing to take the extra step to document what they are doing using practice verification programs like Better Cotton, Regenagri, and the U.S. national sustainability program the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol (Trust Protocol). These programs are not only third-party practice verification programs, but are also a source of transparency, production metrics, and, perhaps most importantly, traceability back to country of origin. Just like cotton farmers, these programs are constantly evolving and increasing the value they offer to the supply chain.

Once such example of evolving program offerings is the Field Partner Program pilot launched by the Trust Protocol. This program allows merchandiser organizations with proprietary regenerative practices programs to partner with the Trust Protocol to provide brands and retailers with regenerative cotton via the program’s existing infrastructure. The standard Trust Protocol verification process is augmented with advanced satellite imagery analysis to validate regenerative practices.

The Trust Protocol has identified minimum requirements for the Field Partner Program based on regenerative agriculture frameworks from leading organizations. The practices observed and measured impact soil health, water use, synthetic inputs, water quality and biodiversity. The Field Partner Program is just one example of what the U.S. cotton industry is doing to make sure cot-ton fiber is a viable, desirable, and safe choice for brands, retailers and consumers.

Increasingly, brands and retailers are going to be looking for natural fiber alternatives as they respond to regulatory and consumer concerns over synthetic fibers. The U.S. cotton industry’s number one legislative priority right now is a federal tax incentive that would provide a financial incentive to make that transition to U.S. cotton easier. The Buying American Cotton Act (BACA), introduced in May 2025 by Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, would allow entities selling finished products in the U.S. retail market to claim transferable tax credits if they are able to demonstrate proof of the use of U.S. cotton in those products. The tax credit that may be taken depends on the price of cotton as established by the U.S. Treasury, the weight and type of U.S. cotton contained in the finished good — raw cotton, yarn, or fabric —and where the finished product was manufactured. U.S. manufactured yarns and fabrics’ raw cotton weight multipliers of 1.6 and 6.5, respectively, are applied in the case of U.S. cotton value added products. The final tax credit calculated for the product is determined by multiplying by a location factor of 24 percent if the good was made in the United States, or a country with which the United States has a free-trade agreement; otherwise, the location factor is 18 percent. For example, a product made in Pakistan imported for sale in the U.S. retail market that contains a pound of U.S. cotton valued at $0.85 per pound (lb). would be accompanied by a transferable tax credit of $0.15 when the applicable cotton price is $0.85/lb — $0.85 x 1 lb x 0.18 = 0.15. This credit will go a long, long way to increasing U.S. cotton’s competitiveness at U.S. retail compared to other non-U.S. cotton fiber choices.

Given all that is happening with the microplastic crisis in the world and textile waste, it is time for the global textile value chain to revisit its reliance on man-made fibers and move to a responsible natural solution. Sourcing professionals will do well to give U.S. cotton and all it has to offer a closer look.

Editor’s Note: Hank Reichle is president and CEO of Staplcotn, the oldest and largest cotton cooperative in the United States headquartered in Greenwood, Miss. He also serves as an officer of the National Cotton Council and as a director for the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol.

2025 Quarterly Issue IV

Textile Exchange Publishes The Final Criteria For Its New Materials Matter Standard, Marking A Pivotal Shift In Connecting Certification To Impact

2025-12-18T10:00:00+00:00

Claire Bergkamp, CEO of Textile Exchange, said:

Ashley Gill, Chief Standards and Strategy Officer at Textile Exchange, said:

New Global Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey Confirms Cotton Is The Fiber Of Choice

2025-12-18T10:00:00+00:00

“On World Cotton Day, we recognize the fiber that continues to appeal most to consumers around the globe,” said William Kimbrell, president and CEO at Cotton Incorporated. “Comfort and quality remain top priorities for consumers, and cotton delivers on both, naturally. The latest data from the Global Lifestyle Monitor Survey confirms that cotton is the fiber of choice for consumers for everyday wear, performance, and sustainability.”

Key Findings from the Global Lifestyle Monitor™ Study:

Cotton is the Preferred Fiber Globally

3 in 4 (75 percent) consumers prefer clothing made of cotton, cotton blends, or denim, overwhelmingly ahead of man-made fibers like polyester, spandex, and rayon.

Cotton Tops in Comfort, Quality & Authenticity

Consumers rate cotton clothing as the most comfortable (67 percent), softest (66 percent), best quality (59 percent), most authentic (56 percent), and most sustainable (49 percent) compared to clothing made from polyester or rayon.

Natural Fibers Command a Premium

Over half (59 percent) of global consumers are willing to pay more for clothing made from natural fibers such as cotton, citing comfort (66 percent) and quality (63 percent) as key reasons.

Environmental Trust in Cotton

Most consumers consider cotton (83 percent) and other natural fibers to be safe for the environment, while fewer than half believe manmade fibers like rayon (48 percent), polyester (46 percent), and Tencel (41 percent) are environmentally safe.

Sustainability Matters, But Trust Is Key

75 percent of global consumers are interested in sustainable clothing, with 21 percent calling it essential and 54 percent saying it’s “nice to have.”

Tactile Advantage in Retail

Consumers say trying on clothing (71 percent) and feeling the fabric (56 percent) are the top reasons why they prefer shopping in-store, a clear advantage for cotton’s tactile appeal.

“This year’s Global Lifestyle Monitor findings show that cotton’s strengths — comfort, quality, and environmental trust — are exactly what consumers are seeking, no matter where they live,” said Liz Hershfield, executive director, COTTON USA. “As brands and retailers adapt to shifting consumer habits and tighter economic conditions, cotton’s durability and versatility make it a smart choice for building products that last, resonate globally, and meet sustainability goals.”

New Adventure

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It has been awhile since I blogged and there has been a reason. Apart from being very busy with teaching associated with the Gathered Threads Exhibition, Geelong Fibre Forum and Slow Stitch in Ulladulla, my friend Cheryl Cook and I have been experimenting, playing and creating some exciting art and textile art using natural inks created by using recipes developed by Cheryl and pushing them further to encompass a range of textile techniques. They behave and work differently to eco dyeing and eco printing and allow all sorts of ancillary explorations on both cotton and paper. We are excited and have been working hard and we have now launched a website entitled Inkpot Alchemists. There are still more materials to add but we are offering workshops and some eye candy as well as sharing our ethos in working in this way and as we are both passionate about extending our creative muscles as well as yours. I case you are interested this coming Sunday we will be exploring printing with natural inks and including linocutting. Just email me if you would like to come and I can send details. The cost is $80 for a day workshop up at Cheryl’s studio at Tanjil South

For me this has been a very exciting development in a slightly different direction and opens the door to lots of exploration in both textile and book form ( something I had been dabbling in). Cheryl and I also intend to write a book exploring the work we have been doing both creatively and the processes we have used, though the book will also delve into the creative process and how the natural inks have fuelled exploration and contemplation. We have both inspired each other and get a great deal of joy out of working together and meet up weekly in order to explore further. Anyway have a look at our website and see some of the things we have been working on and what we have been thinking about.

Meanwhile here are some of the things I have been working on. Some of the things I have shown will be discussed in the future on our blog attached to the new website. I have not done very much stitching as I have been too busy exploring. I have printed with some of the inks on mulberry paper purchased at Geelong Fibre Forum in September and I am stitching the pages I printed and loving what happens with the stitching in combination with the natural ink printed linocuts. The linocuts were inspired by my two week sojourn in Perugia earlier this year and I love how the inks really have a medieval feel about them which seem to marry well with the linocuts I have made. I have found some naturally dyed linen threads in France from Fontywhich stitch beautifully. I must admit this palette I am working with is quite different to the one I use with the procion dyeing I did, but this new way of working is al about nuance and embracing nature as both inspiration and work friend

2025 Quarterly Issue IV

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Shawmut, West Bridgewater, Mass., recently launched Shawmut™ Insights, a proprietary Life Cycle Assessment system for its automotive textiles, from raw materials to end-of-life.

Microban International, Huntersville, N.C., recently introduced EcoFresh™ odor capture technology that was designed with active and outdoor enthusiasts in mind.

1888 Mills and Cotton Incorporated have developed a bath and bedding collection.

1888 Mills, Griffin, Ga., and Cotton Incorporated, Cary, N.C., have co-developed a new bath and bedding collection that comprises 100-percent cotton towels, sheet and bedding at an accessible starting price point.

Italy-based Thermore® has introduced Thermore Freedom, a 100-percent recycled thermal insulation material developed for active warmth and its ability to adapt to movement.

Fire-Dex, Medina, Ohio, has launched Fire Investigation PPE, a protective ensemble designed specifically for fire investigators.

Primaloft, Latham, N.Y., has expanded its product portfolio with the addition of six new products including PrimaLoft® UltraPeak™, ThermoPlume® PrimaLoft ReRun™, Silver PrimaLoft ReRun, PrimaLoft Therma-Stretch™, PrimaLoft Heat-Sphere™ and PrimaLoft Rise Sleeping Bag™.

Intrinsic Advanced Materials, Gastonia, N.C., reports the Home Fashion Products Association recognized its CiCLO® technology with the 2025 Home Excellence Behind the Seams award. In other CiCLO news, Minneapolis-based BOKSER Textiles has introduced the Vermilion Sheeting Collection — a blend of 52-percent polyester treated with CiCLO® and 48-percent modal.

For the third consecutive year, the Central Penn Business Journal and Lehigh Valley Business have named Herculite, Emigsville, Pa., as one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania in 2025.

The Textile Institute, England, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Its Royal Charter was granted in 1925 by King George V.

England-based Nonwovenn reports it achieved its 19th consecutive year of profitable growth, with a 25-percent growth in sales year-over-year during the 2024-25 financial year.

Cincinnati-based Standard Textile and hospitality brand Accor have launched the Mascioni Hotel Collection as the preferred luxury linen provider for some of Accor’s brands including Fairmont, Sofitel Legend, Sofitel and MGallery Collection.

SDL’s Scorch/Sublimation Tester

SDL Atlas, Rock Hill, S.C., has released the latest iteration of its Scorch/Sublimation Tester, which offers improved accuracy, efficiency and operator safety while testing fabrics that are under heat and pressure, according to the company.

The American Association of Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), Durham, N.C., reports the OEKO-TEX® Eco Passport certification, Number 21.0.93288, has been renewed for its AATCC Powder Laundry Detergent.

Atlas Material Testing Technology, Mount Prospect, Ill., recently introduced the nex-gen Ci3000 Weather-Ometer. The unit features almost double the sample capacity, enhanced irradiance and temperature uniformity, as well as a new user interface.

Replin by Hainsworth turned 80 this year.

England-based Replin by Hainsworth, a producer of fabrics for aviation and transport interiors, is celebrating 80 years since its founding by Hungarian refugee and textile innovator Dr. Maurus Banyai.

Milliken & Company, Spartanburg, S.C., reports its Milliken Assure™ Moisture Barrier was awarded a 2025 R&D 100 Award. The flame-resistant moisture barrier designed for firefighter turnout gear is non-halogenated, non-per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (non-PFAS) and UL-certified. Assure is certified to both NFPA 1971-2018 and NFPA 1970-2025 standards.

Sunbrella®, Burlington, N.C., has launched Sunbrella Interiors, a new sub-brand of fabrics and products developed for interior spaces. The product line includes plush chenilles, bouclés and other soft, textured fabrics; window treatments; and throws. In addition, Sunbrella has expanded its Sunbrella Horizon® marine vinyl collection with 14 new stock keeping units including the Tuscano leather-grain texture style in two colorways.

2025 Quarterly Volume IV

TAGS

1888 Mills, Cotton Incorporated Unveil 100% Cotton Bath And Bedding Line — Comfort, Durability And Affordability

2025-12-18T10:00:00+00:00

“1888 Mills champions cotton and consistently proves that natural fiber innovation meets real market needs,” noted Marcy Gang, executive account manager at Cotton Incorporated. “This collection shows cotton delivers cost efficiency and gives consumers the comfort and performance they want at prices that rival low-cost synthetics. We welcome 1888 Mills’ commitment to making the benefits of cotton accessible to more people.”

For retailers, the assortment of home textiles is value-engineered to meet aggressive opening price points while still delivering quality. It fills the “good” category in a good-better-best merchandising strategy and features:

Bath: Lower GSM (grams per square meter) towels, engineered for softness and long-lasting loft wash after wash.
Bedding: Soft woven 100% cotton sheets, quilts, and comforters in versatile constructions.
Design: A range of solids, yarn-dyes, and approachable prints in muted, sophisticated tones.

The new line meets consumer demand for more natural options in value-priced bedding and bath products. With increased awareness of microplastics entering waterways during wash cycles, 1888 Mills saw an opportunity to provide a natural alternative that doesn’t compromise on price or accessibility.