#Raw Materials

2020-01-13

ICAC elects new standing committee officers during plenary meeting in Brisbane

One of the most important items of business undertaken during the Plenary Meetings of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is the appointment of the Officers of the Standing Committee for the coming year.

In Brisbane, Australia, the following individuals were named Standing Committee Officers for 2019:

Ms Maha Zakaria of Egypt as Chair
Mr Selman Kurt of Turkey as First Vice Chair
Mr Anshul Sharma of India as Second Vice Chair

The Standing Committee meets in Washington, DC, at the ICAC Secretariat’s offices or a member’s embassy, every two months to receive updates on the ICAC’s activities.

‘It is such an honour to serve as the Chair of the ICAC Standing Committee for 2020’, Ms Zakaria said. ‘I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the Standing Committee to continue the ICAC’s momentum as it continues to evolve into a more effective and dynamic organisation that can fully represent the needs of cotton and textiles in the global economy’.

According to ICAC Executive Director Kai Hughes: ‘With Ms Zakaria serving as Chair of the Standing Committee, the ICAC is well positioned to continue improving on its strategic initiatives — adding value for Members, increasing the effectiveness of our communications, increasing demand for cotton and forming partnerships with key industry organisations. The experience she gained while serving as Chair ad interim during the second half of 2019 will serve her well, and with Mr Selman Kurt and Mr Anshul Sharma in place as First Vice Chair and Second Vice Chair, respectively, the ICAC’s Standing Committee will benefit from the continuity of a strong leadership team’.

ICAC to support European Commission on pending PEF legislation

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is proud to announce that it has been included as a member of the European Commission’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB) on the Product Environmental Footprint methodology. The Commission developed the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) to assess and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organizations.

ICAC to collaborate with Uzbekistan and Bizpando on regenerative agriculture

The Government of Uzbekistan has allocated 55,000 hectares of land to implement a regenerative agriculture program for cotton as part of a collaborative project with the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and Bizpando, a company with a a blockchain-based internet platform designed to ensure supply chain compliance.

ICAC announces postponement of the 83rd Plenary Meeting in Tanzania

Due to unforeseen circumstances arising from the recent developments in Tanzania, the ICAC has announced that its upcoming 83rd Plenary Meeting has been postponed. Scheduled for Nov. 17-20 in Mwanza, the delay was recommended by Tanzania, and the decision was made out of an abundance of caution, prioritizing the safety and well-being of all participants.

Lenzing AG to become majority owner of TreeToTextile AB and accelerates industrialization of new fibers

The Lenzing Group is taking another strategic milestone by acquiring a controlling majority in the Swedish innovation company TreeToTextile AB. This step strengthens Lenzing’s position as a leading provider of sustainable, wood‑based specialty fibers and expands its innovation pipeline with a highly scalable, patent‑protected technology platform. The transaction is executed through the issuance of new shares.

Cotton Incorporated appoints Bev Sylvester as Chief Marketing Officer

Cotton Incorporated announces the appointment of Bev Sylvester as chief marketing officer. In this newly created role, Sylvester will oversee Cotton Incorporated’s marketing strategy, brand positioning, consumer engagement and global outreach to increase demand for cotton and strengthen its relevance in the marketplace.

OEKO-TEX® chooses TextileGenesis to advance digital traceability for organic cotton

OEKO-TEX® today announced a full collaboration with TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, to digitally trace and authenticate organic cotton, strengthening fraud prevention across the supply chain. This announcement follows a successful pilot and brings together OEKO-TEX®’s certification expertise and closed testing system with TextileGenesis’ digital traceability platform to deliver a secure, end-to-end solution for managing certified organic cotton flows.

The hub of smart and sustainable transformation in yarn technologies: ITM 2026

With global fiber production projected to reach 169 million tons by 2030, yarn manufacturing is becoming one of the most strategic fields within the textile machinery industry. Located in Halls 6, 7, and 10, the Yarn Hall at ITM 2026 is set to bring together industry professionals with innovative solutions developed around automation, energy efficiency, digitalization, and circular production.

New DIN SPEC assesses environmental impact of textile fragments in soil

Textile products made from synthetic fibres, finished fabrics or dyed materials release fibre fragments into the environment at every stage of their life cycle. With the new DIN SPEC 19296, Hohenstein has developed a standardised testing method to analyse how these fragments behave in soil under natural conditions. Until now, little was known about their environmental behaviour or potential ecological effects once released.

Solid Air Dynamics wins second place at RWTH Innovation Award

On 30 January, RWTH spin-off Solid Air Dynamics was awarded second place in the RWTH Innovation Awards for its research in the field of aerogel fibres. Manufactured from renewable raw materials, aerogel fibres offer outstanding thermal insulation, are extremely lightweight and completely biodegradable, and can consist of over 90 per cent air.