#Associations

2024-09-05

Winners of the ITMF Awards 2024

ITMF has just announced the winners of the ITMF Awards 2024. They will present their projects at the upcoming ITMF & IAF Conference 2024 which will be held from 8-10 September 2024 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan and will be co-hosted by the Uzbek Textile & Apparel Industry Association (UZTS).

The ITMF Awards 2024 are presented in two categories:

• ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award

• ITMF International Collaboration Award

The objective of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award is to recognize sustainable and innovative achievements in the textile industry with focus on innovation, design, development, and production under the strictest standards of sustainability and respect for the environment.

The winners of the ITMF Innovation & Sustainability Award 2024 are (in alphabetical order):

• GuoWang High-Technique Fiber Company (China):

Low-carbon & sustainable innovation in PET fibre industry

http://www.shenghonggroup.cn/en/

• HeiQ AeoniQ Holding AG (Switzerland):

Hyperscaling HeiQ AeoniQTM

https://www.heiq-aeoniq.com/

• Samsara Eco (Australia):

Infinite plastic recycling: a solution for end-of-life textiles

https://www.samsaraeco.com/

The objective of the ITMF International Cooperation Award is to recognize progress in international collaboration in the textile industry according to the values of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The winners of the ITMF International Cooperation Award 2024 are (in alphabetical order):

• DITF (Germany): and RBX Creations (France):

Next generation cellulosic filaments from hemp

www.ditf.de

https://www.iroony.net/

• HKRITA (Hong Kong, China):

Open lab

https://theopenlab.one/

Results of the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey

The global textile industry appears to be turning a corner, but this is more likely a fragile and possibly temporary improvement than the start of a durable recovery. According to the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey, conducted worldwide during the second half of May 2026, business sentiment, order intake, order backlogs and capacity utilization all improved versus March — yet every indicator remains weak by historical standards, and rising costs cast doubt on how long the upturn can last.

SIMTA joins ITMF as Corporate Member

In the past two decades SIMTA has established itself as producer of specialized machinery for the textile industry. In short period of time, SIMTA became an important supplier of precise rollers for top OEMs. Afterwards SIMTA started manufacturing overhead cleaners, bobbin transport systems, and other textile ancillaries. In the meantime, SIMTA is a leader in this space in collaboration with the German automation technology partner Jacobi.

Keeping products moving with Swedish automation at FILTECH 2026

At FILTECH 2026, taking place in Cologne from June 30th to July 2nd, members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will highlight how the country’s engineering expertise is enabling filtration manufacturers to increase productivity, improve traceability and reduce dependence on labour-intensive manual processes.

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Turkmenistan: Italian textile machinery focuses on high technology and specialization

The Italian textile machinery industry flies to Ashgabat to participate with a large “Made in Italy” delegation at TURKMEN TEXTILE EXPO 2026, the major international showcase taking place from June 4 to 6, 2026. The Italian presence, coordinated by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) and ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers), aims to consolidate Italy’s primary technological role in a highly strategic market with interesting prospects.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.