#Associations

2021-11-25

AATCC announces the TCR Service Award Recipient

AATCC is pleased to recognize Louann Spirito as the recipient of the AATCC Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award for 2021! She is being recognized for her leadership and support on the M14 Face Covering Monograph.

Spirito joined AATCC in 2001. She is a voting member Appearance Retention Test Methods Committee since 2003, Evaluation of Materials & Products for End Use Performance since 2011, and UV Protective Textiles Test Methods Committee since 2015. She was appointed to serve on the Joint AATCC/ASTM D13 in 2017 and will serve through 2021.

Spirito was appointed to the Executive Committee on Research in 2005 and served through 2007, and again from 2017 through 2020. From 2017 through 2018, she was elected to serve as the chair of the Concept 2 Consumer® (C2C) Interest Group; she was reappointed to this position in 2019 and served through 2020. As chair of the C2C Interest Group, she served on the AATCC Board of Directors. She also served on the Membership Committee, Publications Committee, Committee on Conferences, the Education Advisory Board, and the Technical Committee on Research from 2017 through 2018.

Spirito received a BS in Textile Science from the University of Rhode Island in 1976. She has been with SGS North America Inc. since 2001 and currently serves as US & Canada Softlines Business Head. Prior to this, she worked from 1981 through 1997 at Associated Merchandising Corporation as a Product Evaluation Specialist, and from 1997 through 2001 at Frederick Atkins Inc., where she advanced from Manager of Quality Assurance to Divisional Vice President of Quality Assurance.

Spirito is a frequent presenter at industry seminars and conducts training workshops for apparel and footwear testing. She has contributed a chapter on Textile Testing to Birnbaum’s Global Guide to Material Sourcing by David Birnbaum, as well as various articles on textiles and testing. In 2008, Spirito was named to the University of Rhode Island Textiles Fashion, Merchandising and Design Wall of Fame.

The Award

The Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award was established in 2008 to recognize those members who have contributed greatly to the AATCC organization in a technical capacity. Senior members of the Association with at least five years of continuous membership in AATCC, who have contributed outstanding technical service to the Association through activity in a research committee, are eligible. Selection is by unanimous choice of the TCR Service Award Committee composed of the current chair, vice chair, and secretary of the Technical Committee on Research (TCR), as well as the chair of the Executive Committee on Research (ECR). The Award consists of a plaque and an honorarium. This award was presented to Louann during the Textile Discovery Summit Awards Luncheon at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina on November 18, 2021.

To see a full list of past recipients, visit:

https://aatcc.org/tcr/

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

New funding available for textile research

The AATCC Foundation Student Research Support Grant Program provides financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing textile-related projects. Students may submit proposals now for funding to be awarded January 2026. Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025, to be considered.

Meadow Grove Research joins ITMF as Corporate Member

Meadow Grove Research is a commodity research firm specializing in supply, demand, and trade analysis in cotton and other soft commodities. Providing clarity to the complex nature of the global fiber supply chain is one of its most formidable services. The firm thrives on customer engagement and providing the best framework for critical decisions.

Sustainability: European industry calls on EU to keep Single-Use Plastics Directive unchanged

A broad coalition of European industry associations, including EDANA, Euratex and Plastics Europe, has urged EU institutions to maintain the current legal framework of the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD). In a joint statement, the organisations argue that reopening the Directive at this stage would create legal uncertainty, increase regulatory complexity and undermine investment, while its implementation across the European Union is still incomplete.

Textile machinery: Italian technology charts the course for revival

Operating in a scenario characterized by geopolitical instability, slowing industrial investments, and new protectionist pressures. This is the main challenge for the Italian textile machinery industry that emerged during the General Assembly of ACIMIT (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), held today in Milan at the Shareholders’ Hall of Palazzo Edison.

New skills for a circular textile economy

Based on the results of a comprehensive analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is developing three practical training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. The content of the first module, Recycling Technologies, has now been developed and validated together with industry representatives. The module provides participants with knowledge of regulatory requirements, material sorting and the preparation of textile waste for recycling.

Rieter sees Barmag integration on track as orders and sales rise

The first half of 2026 was shaped by the successful completion of the largest acquisition in Rieter’s history. The Man-Made Fiber Division enables entry into the growth segment of man-made fibers and sustainably strengthens Rieter’s market position in the Asia region. The expanded Group is now the world’s leading system supplier for the processing of natural and man-made fibers. In the first half of the year, initial cost savings in material costs and operating expenses have already been realized. The targeted synergies are expected to amount to at least CHF 20 million by the end of the 2028 financial year. Due to the completion of the acquisition on February 2, 2026, the first half of the year for the Man-Made Fiber Division only amounts to five months.