#Raw Materials

2019-07-04

Elastic cotton clothing made of 100% cotton

For many years now, polyester and cotton blends have been used to make clothing. In addition, elastane, also known as spandex or Lycra, is used as it emphasises the fit and provides comfort. This could change in the future, as the US research firm Cotton Incorporated, Cary, North Carolina, has now presented the market with 100% cotton elastic clothing fabrics.

The newly developed product is being marketed under the Natural StretchTM brand without the use of elastane. According to information provided by the supplier, the fabric offers the elasticity and comfort that consumers are used to from wearing long-standing products.

It is known in the industry that normal cotton fabrics already have a given elasticity of three to six percent. The material developed by Cotton Incorporated creates the increased stretch effect through a special mechanical manufacturing process. The material offers highly comfortable stretch properties in combination with the naturalness and softness of cotton. The material does not lose its elasticity when worn. The fabrics can be processed into shirts and blouses, as well as denim jeans, other trousers and skirts. According to Cotton Incorporated, there are currently licensees for the manufacture and sale of Natural StretchTM fabrics in Peru, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Indonesia.

However, an additional innovation could provide a boost for change: The Commonwealth Scientific Industrial Research Organisation (CISRO), Canberra, Australia, is currently working on growing cotton seed or cotton plants whose fibres provide many of the attributes of manmade fibres such as elasticity, crease resistance, and water resistance, without restricting the natural properties of cotton.

Whether these innovations will prevail depends on the readiness of the clothing industry to deal with them and undoubtedly on changes in the fashion attitudes of consumers. Based on its observations, the Bremen Cotton Exchange assumes that issues related to sustainable production will play an increasingly important role in clothing purchasing in the future. Compared to manmade fibres such as polyester, cotton has the advantage that it is natural, renewable and biodegradable.

Bremen Cotton Exchange: Fritz A. Grobien re-elected as President

The members of the Bremen Cotton Exchange have re-elected Fritz A. Grobien as President during the association’s 152nd General Assembly on June 18, 2026. The election confirms the organization’s commitment to maintaining its role as a leading international platform for the cotton and fiber industry amid a period of geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

A Powerful Opening: Global thought leaders launch the International Cotton Conference Bremen

The International Cotton Conference Bremen will open on 25 March 2026 in the Parliament building of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen with a keynote session of exceptional calibre. Distinguished international experts will set the stage for the conference by offering incisive perspectives on the most pressing challenges and the defining trends shaping the future of the global cotton trade. Their insights will span a broad spectrum — from geopolitically driven disruptions affecting global supply chains to the opportunities emerging from innovation-led agriculture capable of supporting a growing world population. Together, these opening keynotes will frame the dialogue of the conference, highlighting both the complexity of today’s market environment and the pathways toward a resilient and forward-looking cotton sector.

Beyond Cotton: Natural Fibres in the Spotlight at the Bremen Cotton Conference - Branded by DNFI

Climate targets, fragile supply chains, and rising regulatory requirements are fundamentally changing the perspective of the textile industry - the focus is increasingly shifting toward the base material. Not only cotton, but natural fibres are gaining significant importance: they stand out not only because of their outstanding functional properties, but also because they make a valuable contribution to the bioeconomy and responsible product development.

AMSilk and Ajinomoto Foods Europe expand partnership to enable industrial-scale production of silk proteins

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a global leader leader in biotech produced silk materials, today announced a significant expansion of its partnership with Ajinomoto Foods Europe (AFE), marking a key step in scaling the industrial production of its silk proteins. Building on the collaboration first established in 2023, the two companies have now entered into a long-term manufacturing and supply agreement, enabling the transition from industrial validation to dedicated, large-scale production.

Cotton made in Africa partners receive top marks in independent verifications

Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) and CmiA Organic are two internationally recognised standards that aim to promote sustainable development in the African cotton sector south of the Sahara. To ensure the standards’ credibility among brands, retailers, and consumers, independent verifiers evaluate compliance on the ground. The verification results for 2025, now published in the Aggregated Verification & Implementation Report, were very strong: The verifiers awarded consistently very good remarks regarding management, people, prosperity, and the environment.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.

Commission clarifies rules on plastic bottles recycling

The European Commission today adopted new rules on recycling of single-use plastic beverage bottles made primarily of polyethylene terephthalate (PET bottles). These rules establish, for the first time, a methodology to calculate, verify and report chemically recycled content. This is part of the Commission’s December 2025 plastics package.