Sustainability
The plastics problem – a roundtable discussion
One of the most exciting areas of development in the fiber industry going forward figures to be in identifying solutions to minimize the environmental impact of nonwovens, technical textiles and other fiber-based end products. With the European Union’s recent ban on certain single-use plastic products, similar legislation currently being considered in California, and public outcry …
The future of the ‘Forever Molecule’
The history and evolution of “the forever molecule” is both revolutionary and fortuitous. Polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE, was discovered completely by accident on April 6th, 1938 by a DuPont Chemist, Dr. Roy Plunkett, while he was conducting research on chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants. Its first broad commercial use was non-stick cookware in 1960. PTFE has since evolved and is utilized in an extensive array of products that take advantage of its unique properties.
‘There is no AWAY’ – How do we minimize plastic waste in the environment?
The source of the phrase “There is no AWAY” is the NGO Better Alternatives Now (BAN): “Plastic – a material invented to last forever – can no longer be used to make products intended to be thrown away. There is no AWAY.” As the director of education and technical affairs at INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, part of my mission is to look at issues affecting our members and determine what we can do. One of the big issues we are examining now is plastics in the environment with an emphasis on single use.
Taking steps toward a sustainable bio-based textile economy
The past decade has seen a surge in demand for bio-based and environmentally sustainable products, motivated primarily by global challenges, such as marine litter and microplastic contamination and growing environmental
Upcycling for the Circular Economy – the Next Big Venture for Indorama?
As reported in the review of the Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress 2018 by Geoff Fisher in the October issue of International Fiber Journal, the push towards the circular economy is very much animating manufacturers at present.
Among notable moves in this direction is the joint venture signed recently between Indorama Ventures and a fast-rising new chemicals company – Loop Industries, based in Montréal, Quebec, Canada.
There was little indication back in 1994, when Indorama Holdings became Thailand’s first worsted wool yarn producer, that in under a quarter of a century it would rise to become one of the biggest – and certainly the most diversified – synthetic fiber and fiber feedstocks producers in the world.