#Natural Fibers

2025-06-19

Woolmark and COLOURizd™ introduce clean, low carbon QuantumCOLOUR™ textile colouring solution for wool

Woolmark, the global authority on wool, has teamed up with COLOURizd™, pioneers in dry textile colouring processes, to introduce a revolutionary new method to colour wool and wool blends.

QuantumCOLOUR™ is a cutting-edge yarn colouring process that significantly reduces resource consumption and costs. Using just 0.5L of water per kilogram of yarn, this technology eliminates the need for bleaching, pre-treatment and wastewater discharge. This makes the COLOURizd™ QuantumCOLOUR™ a reduced resource-intense colouration process, where only the wetting agent and pigment binder system are required.

“After extensive testing on Merino wool and wool blends, we realized the team at COLOURizd™ is on to something truly revolutionary for the wool industry,” said Woolmark General Manager Processing Innovation & Education Extension Julie Davies. “The QuantumCOLOUR™ process provides durable solutions, creating faded to saturated tonal depths of colour for wool and wool blends. And since it uses very little water, suppliers can choose to colour wool and wool blend yarns without the need for wastewater processing infrastructure.”

Traditional dyeing requires a variety of chemicals, including caustic soda, acids, bleach, and salts, all washed in with between 60 and 120 liters of water per kilogram of yarn. The COLOURizd™ method uses none of these chemicals, instead utilising a bluesign® certified pigment and binder injected into a yarn fibre bundle. The result is a process that allows for a range of colours and supple textures.?

“Woolmark represents the gold standard within the wool industry and they will be instrumental in helping to offer our lower impact, higher performance process to new markets,” said COLOURizd™ CEO Jennifer Thompson. “Our current clients include Kontoor Brands (Wrangler and Lee), Cone Denim, and GANT, and working with Woolmark will allow us to reach an entirely new market, bringing sustainability and performance solutions to wool manufacturers around the globe.”?

Successfully validated on 100% Merino wool, as well as blends with cotton, TENCEL™ and nylon, on a range of yarn counts from 30/2NM to 80/1NM, the COLOURizd™ QuantumCOLOUR™ pigment process meets all standards for colourfastness and durability. Assessed through authorised laboratory partners, Woolmark testing was carried out on yarns, fabrics and garments, showing the technology delivers consistent colour performance and long-lasting wear.?

Woolmark and COLOURizd™ will introduce this new technology during Pitti Immagine Filati, booth I/20, on July 1-3, in Florence, Italy. To schedule an appointment, please email Woolmark at meetwithus@wool.com.

Merino wool moves into China’s high-performance sportswear market

China’s leading sportswear brands are beginning to treat Merino wool not as a lifestyle material, but as a performance input as natural fibres move from the margins of sportswear into elite technical applications. That shift is increasingly evident in the material strategies of major domestic groups such as ANTA.

Beyond the wardrobe – innovative cotton takes the spotlight

Cotton can do more – a lot more. Cutting-edge textiles and high-tech products made from 100% cotton prove just how powerfully performance and sustainability can come together. That very surge of innovation is front and centre at the 38th Bremen Cotton Conference, taking place March 25–27, 2026, at Bremen’s Parliament on the historic market square – culminating in a bold and dedicated closing session on Friday. In the spotlight: performance upgrades for pure cotton, smart strategies for circular textile waste solutions, and pioneering concepts for demanding technical applications. From natural fibre–reinforced composites to highly effective flame-retardant solutions, cotton steps out of the closet and shows the future potential woven into every fibre.

Measure and control the fiber – optimize yarn quality

Producing consistent yarn quality is an everyday challenge – and a very difficult one. Detailed knowledge and understanding of the fiber raw material is absolutely critical to achieving the best possible quality in the yarn. To help spinners, Uster experts have put together guidelines for avoiding yarn irregularity claims, in a special edition of the Uster News Bulletin.

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.

RETECH showcases high-precision godets for high-performance fiber processing at Techtextil 2026

RETECH designs and manufactures godets and draw frames for heated, ambient and cooled processes, enabling precise heat treatment and consistently high yarn quality for a wide range of polymers and applications, with process temperatures of up to 400 °C for high-performance fibers. The company’s key competence lies in exact and stable temperature and speed control, individually adapted to the specific material and process requirements.

BW Converting expands Southeast Asian presence with new agency partnerships in Vietnam and Indonesia

BW Converting is strengthening its presence in Southeast Asia through new agency partnerships in Vietnam and Indonesia, reinforcing the company’s commitment to supporting textile manufacturers across the region. The expansion comes as BW Converting prepares to exhibit at SaigonTex 2026 (April 8–11, Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and INDO INTERTEX 2026 (April 15–18, Jakarta International Expo, Indonesia).