#Associations

2022-03-17

AATCC announces new interest group: Rising professionals

AATCC’s newest Interest Group is focused on the needs of new members. The new AATCC Rising Professionals Interest Group will concentrate on career development, networking, diversity, mentorship, leadership, and other similar aspects of a career in textiles.

The Rising Professionals Interest Group desires to be the AATCC “home” for individuals new to the industry—whether recently-graduated students or professionals recently employed by a company in this industry—and new to AATCC. The Interest Group hopes to foster involvement, engagement, and leadership within AATCC and to benefit the industry.

The “nickname” the Rising Professionals Interest Group will use is RISE—standing for:

• Reach (programs & events)

• Information (educational content, training materials)

• Services (member services)

• Empowerment (mentorship program)

The new Interest Group grew out of AATCC’s Young Professionals Committee—which has opened its membership to members of all ages, as long as they are interested in the aims and organizational pillars of the Interest Group.

The pillars for the RISE Interest Group will be responsible for include:

• Education: Interest Group Discussion meetings, Textile Discovery Summit content

• Empowerment: mentorship program, diversity & inclusion, leadership development

• Member Services: (understanding AATCC as a valuable resource) including AATCC Committee Best Practices, training materials to function well in committees, other services and activities available to members

• Students/Academia: representation of students’ ideas, needs, and interests

• Professional/Industry: representation of professional ideas, needs, and interests

Current RISE officers are Interest Group Acting Chair, Tyler Pickett, and Acting At Large member R. Bryan Ormond, North Carolina State University. (pictured below)

Interest Group officers serve as AATCC Board of Directors members. AATCC members can nominate new Interest Group officers until March 31. Only AATCC members who are voting members of the Rising Professionals Interest Group may vote for the RISE officers who will be on the Board of Directors. For more information about the AATCC Board of Directors and their duties, visit https://aatcc.org/bod/

If you are new to the textile industry and want to get involved, network, or learn more about AATCC and the industry, join AATCC’s Rising professionals Interest Group! It is a great place to get started within AATCC. To learn more about all AATCC interest groups, visit https://aatcc.org/join/#ig. Not sure about joining an interest group yet but would like to join AATCC? Become a member of AATCC at https://aatcc.org/join/!

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.

Joint Statement: Urgent clarification needed on scope of Textiles EPR for PPE and Medical Devices

EDANA, the voice of nonwovens, alongside fellow industry associations CIRFS (European Man-Made Fibres Association), EURATEX (The European Apparel and Textile Confederation), ESF (European Safety Federation), and EuroCommerce (Retail & Wholesale), has issued a joint statement raising critical concerns regarding the transposition of Directive (EU) 2025/1892, the targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive.

Young researchers recognised for cutting-edge work in recycling, fibre technology and textile mechanics

At the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference held in Aachen at the end of November, Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA, honoured five successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability prizes were awarded in the categories bachelor/project theses and diploma/master theses. Academic theses that develop solutions for resource-saving products and technologies, for example, are eligible for the sustainability awards.

Level playing field at stake: Europe’s textile industry demands decisive action

Yesterday, the European Parliament took a welcomed and necessary step by voting a resolution calling for stronger market surveillance, reinforced customs controls and faster enforcement of the Digital Services Act in case of infringements. For Europe’s textile and clothing manufacturers, this is the first political acknowledgement that the system is broken — and that enforcement must finally match the scale of the problem.

SHIMA SEIKI returns to ShanghaiTex

Leading flat knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Hong Kong and Chinese market subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI (HONG KONG) LTD., will exhibit at the ShanghaiTex 2025 exhibition (Booth No.: Hall N3, Booth A20) held in Shanghai, China this month. This marks the return of SHIMA SEIKI to ShanghaiTex after a 14-year hiatus, its last exhibit at the show having been in 2011.

Fraunhofer CCPE presents the “Monomaterial Design Set” – Innovative solutions for circular product design

Composite materials made from different types of plastic often extend the lifetime of products but make recycling more difficult in the circular economy. That is why Fraunhofer CCPE has developed the “Monomaterial Design Set”. This new approach helps to reduce the variety of plastics used in durable products and offers circular solutions for designers and product developers.

arena introduces renewable LYCRA® EcoMade fiber in its latest swimwear collection

Italian swimwear specialist arena has unveiled a new collection that brings sustainability and performance even closer together. Launched on December 4, the line features swimsuits made from recycled nylon and renewable LYCRA® EcoMade fiber — the first time the bio-based spandex has been used commercially in swimwear.