Sustainability
Fiber innovation follows its natural course
Fiber technology development is critical to the advancement of textile applications in the modern age for many reasons. The 20th-century ideal was to create mass production of plastic fibers that would last forever. By contrast, today’s fiber technology development places a premium on fibers that decay gracefully. The characteristics of the fiber and fabric structure …
Student Spotlight: Turning textile waste into thermal and acoustic insulation
Shafiq Islam developed a strong interest in textiles pursuing his undergraduate and master’s degrees in textile engineering in Bangladesh, while also working in the textile research and development sector. As an undergraduate, Shafiq’s main interest was technical textiles, nonwovens, and composites, and this is also the focus of his Ph.D. research at the University of …
Sustainability should still be more than just a buzzword
Not so long ago, sustainability was the buzzword in the fiber industry with several companies announcing progress in terms of recycling or using bio-based alternatives. The hope is that the coronavirus crisis will provide the catalyst for developing more sustainable supply chains going forward. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced fashion retailers to drastically reduce costs …
Fibers for nonwovens – in pursuit of viable alternatives
As has been previously noted in International Fiber Journal, the nonwovens industry needs alternatives to synthetic fibers, and specific sectors need them fast (see “Legislation poised to boost demand for Lenzing’s lyocell fibers,” IFJ, Issue 6 2019, page 20). With the imminent arrival of the European Single-Use Plastics Directive, and similar legislation planned in North …
Plastic microparticles and microfibers in the environment
There are huge and growing amounts of plastic waste products in the environment. The plastic debris in the oceans mostly occurs from improper waste disposal. Plastic particles can be present from direct water and air discharges of particles as well as from solar, chemical and mechanical degradation of larger products. These degradations are very slow …