In the dynamic and global textile fiber industry with its various manufacturing processes and end-uses, news and information is breaking on a daily basis. International Fiber Journal is tracking stories relevant to our industry from manmade to natural to bio-based fibers, innovations in nonwoven, woven, braided and technical textiles, technologies for additives, bonding, coatings and polymers, and applications from apparel to hygiene to transportation, and more. Here we will post news stories relevant to textile fibers and their downstream applications on an ongoing basis. Please check back for regular updates. If you have news that you feel should be added to this summary report, please email it to Ken Norberg at ken@ifj.com.
Most recent update: July 31, 2025
World of Wipes® 2025 Delivers Industry Engagement, Insights, and Innovation
The World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference brought the global wipes industry together for four engaging days of insights, innovation, and connections, July 21-24, at the Hilton Columbus Downtown, in Ohio.
WOW featured expert-led sessions, over 50 tabletop exhibits, and the presentation of the World of Wipes Innovation Award®. The event garnered high praise from attendees for its valuable networking and content, as well as strong participation from across the global wipes supply chain.
World of Wipes Innovation Award®
The 2025 World of Wipes Innovation Award® was presented to Cookware Care Seasoning Wipes™, 100 percent viscose wipes that offer a convenient, mess-free solution for maintaining cast iron and carbon steel cookware. Infused with non-petrochemical oils and beeswax through a proprietary waterless process, the wipes simplify seasoning while expanding nonwoven applications beyond traditional uses.
“Walking into WOW 2025 as a brand-new company, we didn’t know what to expect. From the moment we arrived, the encouragement, curiosity, and warmth of the industry made us feel truly welcome,” said Cookware Care co-founders Jordan and Blaire Burdey. “Connecting with so many knowledgeable and inspiring individuals made winning the World of Wipes Innovation Award® even more meaningful. This recognition validates two years of passion, late nights, and unwavering belief in our vision, and it motivates us to continue growing and getting Seasoning Wipes™ into more hands. We are deeply grateful to INDA and to everyone who showed us such genuine support.”
Fellow finalists Dude Products’ Dude Odor Destroyer XL Flushable Deodorant Wipes and Magnera’s Sontara® EC Green Cotton were also celebrated for their innovation and market potential. Nominations for the 2026 World of Wipes Innovation Awards will open August 7, 2025.
Thoughts from Industry Leaders
“The content was comprehensive, timely, and engaging, making it a truly enriching experience for all attendees,” said Nick Santoleri, COO of Rockline Industries. “The venue (just a stone’s throw away from The Ohio State University) provided ample space for networking as well as private conversations, allowing for meaningful connections to be made. Additionally, the overall look of the conference and signage gave one the feeling of a world-class event. Kudos to the organizing, marketing, and creative staff at INDA for this year’s exceptional event!”
“This year’s WOW conference was a great opportunity to meet with several of our suppliers and customers in one place,” said Pramod Shanbhag, Vice President of Innovation and Technology at Suominen. “I loved the interactions at the tabletop events and hope to see even more tabletops next year.”
WOW Session Highlights
With the theme “Wipe to Win: Innovating for a Sustainable and Profitable Future,” WOW 2025 delivered a wide array of expert-led sessions and panel discussions, including:
- Global drivers for plastic-free wipes and machinery innovations for sustainable materials
- Consumer motivation, emotional product design, and social media impact
- Nanofibers, niche applications, and a licensing deal for sports wipes with the NBA
- Consumer perceptions, slitting advancements, and classic and innovative preservation strategies
- Expert panel addressing evolving regulatory legislation, trade and tariffs across the U.S. and Europe
Among the other key topics discussed were product responsibility, inflation, artificial intelligence, the California wastewater forensic studies, and sustainability.
The event opened with the WIPES Academy, held July 21-22 and led by Heidi Beatty, CEO of Crown Abbey. This 12-session course provided a comprehensive overview of wipes development, from concept to commercialization, covering materials selection, formulation design, and packaging considerations.
INDA announced that the next edition of the World of Wipes® Conference will take place June 29-July 2, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee.
Dyneema® Launches New Fiber for Protective Gloves
Dyneema®, an innovator of materials solutions, announced its third generation of Dyneema® Diamond fiber. Surpassing cut protection and light-weight performance of prior-generation fiber, the new material enables gloves to be made using a single yarn technology – delivering built-in cut resistance without the need for reinforcement yarns. The result is a significant enhancement of comfort, dexterity, and user safety.
According to OSHA and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics70% of workplace injuries result from unworn gloves. Dyneema® has been tackling this issue for over a decade through its market-leading Dyneema® Diamond fiber technology, which supports the creation of protective gear with unmatched strength, wearability, and reliability. This unyielding commitment to excellence has earned Dyneema® the trust of elite manufacturers in sectors, including automotive, medical, food, and heavy industry. With the new Dyneema® Diamond 3.0 fiber technology, the result of three years’ dedicated research, testing, and market research, Dyneema® raises the bar yet again, bringing unparalleled performance to industries where safety is non-negotiable.
Gloves made with Dyneema® Diamond 3.0 are up to 40% lighter than those made with previous iterations of the fiber – a game-changer for user comfort. It also delivers breakthrough improvements in worker safety, with 6 times higher cut resistance than gloves made from generic HPPE fiber, and a +2 cut levelcompared to previous generations of Dyneema® fiber. Further advantages over other fibers include improved coating adhesion, higher fiber integrity, plus touchscreen friendliness. This all-around performance has been verified by robust, comprehensive testing at dedicated facilities in Europe and Asia. The results are clear: no other tested material can match Dyneema® Diamond 3.0’s performance against all key criteria of glove performance.
Sandler AG and Phoenix Non Woven Partnership
Sandler AG has acquired a 24.9% stake in Phoenix Non Woven, also in Germany. The investment is valued at a low single-digit million-euro figure, and signals Sandler’s intent to enhance its innovation pipeline by leveraging Phoenix’s expertise in wet-laid nonwoven technology.
Wetlaid technology, which draws on principles similar to paper production, allows for the use of a diverse array of fibers—including high-performance synthetics—to manufacture advanced, tailor-made nonwovens. This method opens up new possibilities for applications in sectors such as battery technology, fuel cells, construction, mobility, and industry.
A joint team of specialists will collaborate on the development of advanced technical nonwovens, expanding Sandler’s product portfolio with materials not previously in its range—including aerogel, ceramic, carbon, and metal fibers. These materials are critical for complex applications in demanding, fast-growing industries.
Phoenix will take the lead in developing next-generation products that cannot be manufactured using conventional nonwoven or paper-based processes. Their role includes creating innovative, fiber-based solutions tailored to the evolving needs of Sandler’s customers.
Sandler AG will also leverage its extensive global network to support marketing and distribution efforts, ensuring the new product offerings reach key markets worldwide.
GreenCore and Emerson TEN Partner on TreeFree Diaper® In-Store POS Displays
GreenCore Solutions Corp., a global leader in tree-free disposable baby diaper innovation, announced a strategic partnership with Emerson TEN OÜ, an Estonian-based retail display and point-of-sale (POS) solutions leader, to transform in-store visibility and sales performance for TreeFree Diaper® and FemCare UltraThin across major European markets.
Through this collaboration, Emerson will design and deploy high-impact POS displays tailored for GreenCore’s rapidly expanding European retail network, including grocery, drugstore, and convenience channels. These new POS solutions will make it easier for retailers to highlight and restock TreeFree Diaper® products, driving higher shopper engagement and accelerated sales velocity.
TreeFree Diaper® is the world’s first large-scale private label, tree-free, cellulose-free disposable baby diaper. By eliminating tree cellulosic fiber, it reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 85% and water footprint by up to 90% compared to conventional pulp-based diapers. These environmental breakthroughs align with surging consumer demand for sustainable hygiene products — particularly among Europe’s 224 million Gen Z and Millennial consumers, who together represent over 50% of the EU population.
Emerson TEN’s in-store solutions include custom display units, shelf-ready marketing kits, and rapid restocking systems designed to fit seamlessly into European retail environments. As part of this partnership, Emerson TEN will also provide local customer support and ensure timely production and delivery to retail locations across the continent.
INDA Opens Registration for Hygienix™ 2025, Exhibits
INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has opened registration and tabletop reservations for Hygienix™ 2025, taking place Nov. 17-20 at the Omni Orlando ChampionsGate Resort in ChampionsGate, Florida.
Hygienix will bring together industry leaders, innovators, and business professionals from across the absorbent hygiene products (AHP) industry for expert-led conference sessions, product showcases, interactive workshops, networking opportunities, and the presentation of the Hygienix Innovation Award™.
Hygienix Program Highlights
Attendees will gain valuable insights across key areas driving the future of hygiene:
- Sustainability and Circularity: Presentations and panel discussions will cover the latest advances in biobased materials, natural fibers, packaging innovations, Safe Operating Limits (SOL) and End-of-Life (EOL) solutions, and product construction with sustainable materials.
- Consumer and Market Insights: Speakers will explore trends such as the growth of private label products, regional market outlooks, and in-depth sessions on skin health and the microbiome.
- Product Innovation: Panelists will delve into strategies for overcoming hurdles in the race to bring period care innovations to market.
- Regulations and Standards: Presentations will address crucial regulatory updates, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and testing methods for modern AHP designs.
Business Opportunities and Networking
Tabletop exhibits will showcase the latest innovations in the absorbent hygiene industry, offering a platform for companies to demonstrate their products and services to potential partners and clients.
Hygienix 2025 will also feature Lightning Talks—a series of fast-paced, five-minute presentations by nearly 20 companies scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in the afternoon.
Workshops
Kicking off the conference, INDA will host three workshops on Nov. 17, providing hands-on learning and insights on crucial topics within the sector, including:
- Fundamentals of Absorption Systems and Opportunities in Adult Incontinence: James Robinson, Principal, Absorbent Hygiene Insights, LLC
- Innovations in Menstrual Care: Heidi Beatty, Chief Executive Officer, Crown Abbey, LLC
- Baby and Infant Care Market Dynamics: Natalia Richer, Director of Business Development, Diaper Testing International
Hygienix Innovation Award™
Recognizing breakthrough products, technologies, and solutions that are making a significant impact in the hygiene sector, the Hygienix Innovation Award will be awarded at the event.
Nominations will be accepted until Sept. 15. Finalists will present their products on Nov. 18, and the winner will be announced on Nov. 20 to close the event. Last year’s winner was HIRO Technologies’ MycoDigestable™ Diapers, a biodegradable solution driving environmental progress in infant care.
For information, registration, and tabletop reservations, visit Hygienix 2025.
Nice-Pak, Vivos Goldings to Combine Operations
Vivos Holdings, LLC, a portfolio unit of Emprise Group Inc, announced it will combine operations with Nice-Pak Products, creating one of the world’s largest solutions partners supporting brand owners and retailers with healthful living products.
“This transaction will be a seamless transition for our respective customers,” said Richard Koulouris, chairman and chief executive officer of Emprise. “This will broaden the combined company’s portfolio of private brand and co-manufactured hygiene and personal care products, extend its geographic footprint into Europe, and accelerate product development with industry-leading innovation capabilities.”
As a global leader, the combined company will be well-positioned to drive growth with top retail and consumer-packaged goods customers across the globe. The transaction is expected to close in August, subject to regulatory and other approvals. Terms were not disclosed.
Functional Fabric Fair announces new Winter Edition
Beginning in 2026, Functional Fabric Fair powered by PERFORMANCE DAYS® is expanding to a fourth event with the launch of its winter edition in Orlando, Florida. The show will take place January 21–22, 2026, at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in the Tangerine Ballroom, running concurrently with the PGA Show, the longest running and largest global gathering for the business of golf, organized by Reed Exhibitions (RX) and the PGA of America.
The new Orlando winter edition of Functional Fabric Fair will feature 75 curated exhibitors and spotlight key areas including Expert Talks and the Trend Forum. Registration opens in September 2025, is free to verified industry professionals, and is separate from the PGA Show.
Functional Fabric Fair is the premier North American trade-only sourcing event for high-performance textiles with a focus on sustainability, featuring spring and fall editions in Portland, Oregon, and a summer edition in New York City. The Orlando edition is designed to bring innovative materials and technologies to a wider audience, particularly those in the golf, outdoor and activewear sectors.
Reju, Circle-8 to Advance UK’s Large-Scale Textile Recycling Efforts
Reju and Circle-8 announced a collaboration that will see Circle-8 support Reju’s upcoming European Regeneration Hubs by providing raw material from post-consumer textile waste processed at its first digitized Automated Textile Sorting and Preprocessing (ATSP) facility.
Reju will use this feedstock to manufacture its regenerated Reju Polyester, which features a carbon footprint reduction of 50% compared to traditional virgin polyester and offers the potential for infinite regeneration.
Reju CEO Patrik Frisk said: “Working with Circle-8’s growing ecosystem and ATSP enables us to elevate the efficiency of the textile recycling process, making it easier and more precise, resulting in a premium product meeting the high Reju standard for polyester.
Indian Textile Stocks Rally as US Tariffs Hit Rivals
India’s textile stocks rallied the second week of July after the United States imposed a 35% tariff on garment imports from Bangladesh. US President Donald Trump sent tariff letters to 14 countries the same week, with steep duties.
Alok Industries surged 14%, Vardhman Textiles and Gokaldas Exports rose 4%, Welspun Living and KPR Mills gained 2% initially. Analyst Aditya Hujband said that this tariff development is expected to raise sourcing costs for US retailers dependent on Bangladeshi suppliers, making Indian exporters more attractive in comparison.
Starting August 1, the US has implemented a series of “reciprocal tariffs” ranging from 25% to 40%, targeting multiple low-cost textile-exporting countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and others.
World Emblem to Reshore Jobs to the USA
World Emblem, the world’s largest emblem and patch manufacturer, announced plans to reshore jobs to the company’s new factory opening in Houston in October.
Fort Lauderdale-based World Emblem has signed a long-term lease for a new 72,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 6740 Signat Drive in Houston. The company is moving its regional operations from approximately 35,000 square feet in northwest Houston into the larger space, which will initially produce up to 500,000 emblems and patches per week.
Approximately 140 employees will work at the plant to start, with plans to reshore 50 jobs and add up to 100 additional staff in total as U.S. production continues to grow to meet rising demand for the company’s emblems, patches, and promotional products including custom stickers, labels, pens, pencils and name badges.
World Emblem has additional U.S. factories in Norcross, Ga., and Upland, Calif., with more than 300 employees in total located throughout the country. The company utilizes its cutting-edge technology, expertise and proximity to clients in the United States to enable faster production and delivery times than overseas manufacturers.
World Emblem is the largest emblem and patch manufacturer in the world. The South Florida-based company produces and ships 250 million products a year for sports headwear, footwear, sports garments, uniforms, and other apparel.
First Standard for Conductive Yarns
The Global Electronics Association, in Bannockburn, Illinois, has issued the first global standard for classifying, designating and qualifying conductive yarns
The release of IPC-8911, Requirements for Conductive Yarns for E-Textiles Applications will help address longstanding challenges in supply chain communication, product testing and material selection within the growing e-textiles industry. The Association retains the IPC brand for the industry’s standards and certification programs which are vital to ensure product reliability and consistency.
Developed by the IPC Conductive Yarns for E-Textiles Test Methods Task Group, IPC-8911 defines key yarn categories, introduces a standardized designation system and includes qualification and conformance requirements tailored to conductive yarns. The standard is supported by eight new test methods, designed to evaluate performance characteristics such as conductivity, mechanical durability and resistance to environmental and chemical exposures.
The task group included global experts from both textile and electronics sectors, with leadership from Joe Geiger of Bally Ribbon Mills and Sahar Rostami of Meta.
New York Mandates Diaper Labelling
In a major victory for parental transparency, New York has become the first and only state so far, to require diaper manufacturers to list all intentionally added ingredients on packaging.
Signed into law in December 2024 and taking effect no later than December 2025, the legislation mandates clear labeling for both disposable and reusable baby diapers. Under this law, diaper packaging must clearly list all intentionally added ingredients in order of predominance. The list can either be printed on the packaging or affixed to it. The law does not mandate disclosure of contaminants, but it closes a major gap in transparency by requiring disclosure of every ingredient, which has until now been considered voluntary information. “Ingredient” is defined as an intentionally added substance. Failing to comply could lead to fines or removal of products. Similar legislation is expected in other states, according to reports.
Researchers Develop AI-based Textile Recycling System
A research team at Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) Golisano Institute for Sustainability (GIS) is developing a fully automated system to identify, sort, and disassemble garments at high speed and in high volume, for textile recycling in efforts to address a critical global waste problem.
In the US alone, more than 11 million tons of textiles end up in landfills each year. Much of that waste includes garments that are too complex to recycle efficiently due to mixed materials, embedded components like zippers and buttons, screen-printed designs, and other label inconsistencies in garment composition.
Led by program manager Mark Walluk, the team, consisting of staff engineers Ryan Parsons ’17 (mechanical engineering), Nick Spears ’24 (robotics and manufacturing engineering technology), Sri Priya Das, Ronald Holding. and Christopher Piggot ’91 (computer engineering and technology), as well as associate research professor Abu Islam, is using an automated system to detect and remove these non-recyclable elements to enable higher-value material recovery.
The process begins with a conveyor-fed imaging station where three specialized cameras generate a high-resolution, multi-dimensional map of the garment which allows for fiber composition analysis down to the millimeter level. The system then leverages artificial intelligence and machine vision to identify and remove non-recyclable elements from clothing, which proved to be a unique challenge for the team.
Though still in the pilot phase, the technology is already attracting interest globally from recyclers in the U.S., Europe, South Asia, and Latin America. The team anticipates transitioning the system to its partners for continued testing and potential deployment later this year.
INDA Announces World of Wipes Innovation Award® Finalists
INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced that eco-friendly wipes developed by Cookware Care, Dude Products Inc. and Magnera have been selected as the finalists for the 2025 World of Wipes Innovation Award®, honoring advances in sustainable materials and next-generation wipe performance.
The three standout products competing for the award are Cookware Care’s Seasoning Wipes™, Dude Products’ DUDE Odor Destroyer XL Flushable Deodorant Wipes and Magnera’s Sontara EC® Green Cotton.
The companies will showcase their products at the World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference, July 21-24 at the Hilton Columbus Downtown in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will be announced during the closing session on July 24.
Presented annually, the World of Wipes Innovation Award recognizes breakthroughs in nonwoven product design and application. It celebrates innovation across the entire wipes supply chain, highlighting advancements in raw materials, fibers, technology and functionality that enhance the utility and sustainability of nonwovens.
Circulose Partners with Mango: Circularity at Scale
Sweden-based Circulose has partnered with Mango as the first Scaling Partners since the restart, a major step toward accelerating the adoption of circular materials in the global fashion industry.
The partnership marks a milestone in Mango’s commitment to sustainable fashion, aligning with its long-term strategy to transition towards a circular model and to reduce its environmental impact. This collaboration reflects the brand’s commitment to shifting a meaningful share of their MMCF use to fibers made with CIRCULOSE®.
CIRCULOSE® is a regenerated material made from 100% discarded textiles that enables fashion brands to reduce their reliance on virgin fibers while maintaining high standards of quality and design.
Mango, one of the leading international fashion groups, is a global company with design and creativity at the heart of its business model and a strategy based on constant innovation, the pursuit of sustainability and a complete ecosystem of channels and partners. Founded in Barcelona in 1984, the company closed 2024 with a turnover of over 3.3 billion euros, with a third of its business coming from the online channel and a presence in more than 120 markets.
Registration for EDANA’s Sustainability & Policy Forum is Now Open
EDANA announce that registration is now open for the Sustainability & Policy Forum 2025, the premier platform for professionals across the nonwovens value chain to explore, discuss, and shape the sustainable future of our industry.
The Forum will take place on 9–10 December 2025 at the Residence Palace in Brussels, just across the street from the European Commission, where important decisions for our industry are made. This year, the Forum expands its scope to fully integrate policy alongside sustainability.
Early bird registration is now available – participants are encouraged to book soon to benefit from the reduced rate and secure their place at this exciting event!
The Forum will feature a forward-looking program addressing: Circular economy initiatives, Evolving stakeholder expectations, Green claims and sustainability reporting, Corporate sustainability due diligence and The policy landscape shaping our industry.
EDANA Sustainability & Policy Forum 2025 – EDANA
Nonwovenn Invests in Indutech
One of the world’s leading nonwoven fabric-tech companies, Nonwovenn has announced it is investing in innovation, research and development for technical fabrics in high-growth areas. This includes activated carbon filtration, coalescer filtration and acoustic solutions. The strategic investment will form part of the company’s broader expansion plans, supporting its ambition to increase its market share and technical capabilities.
The next phase of targeted investment follows an extensive £13 million business-wide transformation program which has included significant self-funded capex investment in manufacturing, plant and equipment. It also involved an end-to-end operational efficiency program and an enhancement in R&D and innovation capability, to enable the servicing of growing order volumes.
PureCycle earns GreenCircle’s Recycled Content Certification
PureCycle Technologies, Inc. announced it has achieved GreenCircle Certified’s Recycled Content Certification for multiple grades of PureFive™ polypropylene resin and co-products. The certification confirms PureCycle’s sustainability claims to customers regarding the percentage of post-consumer recycled content in those materials.
GreenCircle Certified, LLC is a third-party certification company that conducts extensive audits of organizations to verify the accuracy of sustainability claims. GreenCircle is an industry-leading organization endorsed by the Association of Plastic Recyclers and their certification is a critical requirement for many procurement organizations.
