#Composites

2025-02-13

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp host Natural Fibre Composites Village at JEC World 2025

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp will host a Natural Fibre Village at JEC World 2025 that will showcase the activities of the Alliance and nine of its members in a 250m2 area dedicated to natural fibre composites. Partnering with the JEC Group, the Alliance will lead the European flax and hemp industry exhibit where Bcomp, Demgy, Depestele, Eco-Technilin, Flipts en Dobbels, Libeco, Norafin, Safilin and Terre de Lin and, for the first time, Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale SRL, will all exhibit a wide range of flax and hemp raw materials and composite products.

The façade of the new Cité Scolaire Internationale Jacques Chirac in Marseille is clad with 880 panels © 2025 Lisa Ricciotti

Materials on display throughout the village will include new services and products developed specifically for key Automotive, Architectural and Industrial Design applications such as: 2D woven flax reinforcements, roving, flax based thermoplastic tape, flax reinforcements produced from natural fibres and automotive industry waste, non-woven reinforcements, bio-sourced flax fillers for automotive OEM structural parts and much more.

On the JEC Mobility planets, JEC Innovation Award Finalist Bcomp and its partners Windicty, Arkema and NMG Europe, will display the rComposite® vertical wind blade, manufactured from recyclable materials including a mix of glass, flax and recycled carbon fibers combined with thermoplastic resins.

Bcomp will also showcase its collaboration with Temca on the Industrial Planet. Designed by Rudy Ricciotti and Roland Carta for Bouygues Bâtiment Sud-Est and manufactured by Temca using Bcomp's ampliTex™, 880 cladding panels were created for the façade of the new Cité Scolaire Internationale Jacques Chirac in Marseille.

Also on the Industrial Planet, EcoTechnilin and Babolat have partnered to develop NF²-TECH for high performance sports rackets. Prioritizing the technical advantages of flax fibers, such as enhanced vibration damping and improved comfort, this innovation, used across Babolat’s premium racket range, demonstrates flax's ability to meet strict technical and industrial requirements.

Finally, as part of the JEC Composite Exchange program, Alliance experts Julie Pariset Innovation & CSR Director and Marie Demaegdt Sustainability Director with the support of Bruno Pech, Innovation Project Manager will present a session entitled Advancing European Flax-Linen & Hemp Composites: Innovations, Insights, and Sustainable Pathways. This session, held on 4 March, 16.30, Agora Stage, will explore the latest advancements in the European flax-linen and hemp composites sector, shedding light on its technical innovations, environmental contributions, and strategic pathways for a more sustainable future.

JEC World 2025 will form a key part of the Alliance’s acceleration of its sustainable transformation trajectory and will include updates on the evolution of Flax-Linen certifications, new environmental footprint tools and scientific validations on the technical properties of Flax-Linen.

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp expands technical capabilities with addition of CIRCULAR STRUCTURES

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is pleased to welcome CIRCULAR STRUCTURES, a Bremen-based platform for sustainable material development and product incubation, to its Technical Section. This addition further enhances the Alliance’s mission to accelerate the industrial adoption of European-grown flax and hemp fibres in high-performance composite applications.

Groundbreaking architectural projects using natural fibres

Paris, May 19 2025 : The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is proud to spotlight a growing wave of innovative architectural and civil engineering applications featuring flax and hemp fibres. As the global construction industry turns toward sustainable solutions, flax and hemp are emerging as high-performance, low-impact alternatives for a new generation of bio-based architecture.

KARL MAYER at JEC: Multiaxial reinforced CFRP pultrusion profiles are picking up speed in the mobility sector

KARL MAYER Technical Textiles will be showcasing exciting new application potentials for multiaxial non-crimp fabrics in combination with the pultrusion process at the upcoming JEC in Hall 5, Booth C 46. The advancement of the tried-and-tested pultrusion process enables the cost-efficient production of complex CFRP multi-chamber profiles, which are used in the CETROVO high-speed metro. The world's first carbon-intensive lightweight rail vehicle of this type is designed for speeds of up to 140 km/h.

Engineering depth and diversity for composites

Airbond is the latest member of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) to receive recognition for contributions to the composites industry. The engineering firm based in Pontypool, South Wales, has just received the Make UK Energy and Sustainability Award for its Lattice 3D Printing project.

Coats Digital appoints Himanshu Mehrotra as Managing Director to lead next phase of cloud and AI-driven innovation

Coats Digital is delighted to announce the appointment of Himanshu Mehrotra as Managing Director to lead the company’s strategic direction, innovation agenda, and global growth as it accelerates the development of its cloud-native, AI-powered software solutions for the global apparel and footwear supply chain.

Over 1,500 exhibitors: Techtextil 2026 grows in key future sectors

Techtextil 2026 continues to grow: more than 1,500 exhibitors from 49 countries present their products and innovations in Frankfurt am Main from 21 to 24 April 2026. Over 120 of them are first-time exhibitors. Texprocess is taking place at the same time, remaining stable with around 200 exhibitors despite challenging market conditions. Together, the two events bring more than 1,700 exhibitors to the Frankfurt exhibition grounds.

Esquel Group adds two new extra-long staple cotton varieties approved

Esquel Group’s Xinjiang Research & Development Center has successfully developed two new Sea Island cotton (Extra-Long-Staple cotton, ELS cotton) varieties named “Yuan Loong 37” and “Yuan Loong 42,” which have been officially approved and granted registration numbers. Both varieties have also obtained Plant Variety Rights certificates, marking another significant breakthrough for the Group in cotton breeding and commercial application.

Itema America acquires Palmetto Loom Reed, strengthening local manufacturing and service in the U.S.

Itema America, the U.S. subsidiary of Italy-based Itema Group, has acquired – through an Assets Purchase Agreement – Palmetto Loom Reed, a Greenville, South Carolina-based manufacturer of weaving reeds and one of the last remaining domestic producers of these precision components in the United States.