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A reprieve for viscose as European Commission publishes new SUPD
Viscose fibers are no longer classified as “plastic” under the European Commission’s long-awaited guidelines on single-use plastic products, which were finally published on May 31 after several months of delay. Earlier drafts of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which aims to combat environmental problems caused by single-use plastic products, had categorized some regenerated cellulosic fibers …
Textile fiber innovation abounds in Scandinavia
Scandinavian countries are currently leading the pack when it comes to new developments in the sustainable production of fibers and moving towards the establishment of circular manufacturing and supply chains. The region’s long heritage in forestry and paper production has led to the introduction of a number of new sustainable cellulosic fibers made from waste …
Intelligent fibers
I recently received a call from Yoel Fink, Ph.D., the founder of Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) and a professor of Materials Science and Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Fink is leading a course called Computing Fabrics – the first class on fabrics taught at MIT in the past century …
The Fiber Year 2021 – Key Findings
Work for The Fiber Year 2021 is still in full swing when writing this article in early May, but essential findings are becoming apparent: 1.) supply surprisingly robust 2.) demand dropping at double-digit rate 3.) massive investments for fiber specialties 1. Supply surprisingly robust The pandemic pummeled the international fashion industry and most textile-related applications. …
Student Spotlight: CNT fibers express their value from a position of strength
Lauren Taylor and Oliver Dewey are pursuing doctorate degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Rice University where they study the processing of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into high-performance fiber. Lauren’s research interests also include purification of CNTs for dissolution into chlorosulfonic acid (CSA) and application of CNT fibers for wearable textiles. She became interested in …