#Raw Materials

2022-01-06

COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ seminar in India shares fiber selection insights

Cotton Council International (CCI) hosted a COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ seminar in Coimbatore, India, on Dec. 17, the first in-person event there since September 2019. More than 65 participants representing 25 mills—including 14 COTTON USA™ licensees—attended the event. The mills attending the seminar have a cumulative annual cotton consumption of 3.3 million bales, of which more than 165,000 bales are U.S. cotton. A post-event survey showed that these mills are expected to buy an additional 64,000 bales of U.S. cotton as a result of attending the seminar.

Two CCI technical consultants gave COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ presentations to the group regarding fiber selection insights from the COTTON USA MILL MASTERY™ courses. The presentation included an introduction to the the five COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ offerings, plus the importance of fiber selection, which included a live demo. Another seminar outlined the importance of bale management, which included optimization of cotton processing and choosing the right selection for the right application.

Supima President and CEO Marc Lewkowitz presented updates on the Supima crop, prices, production and trade. India is the largest consumer of Supima fiber, and Supima is less than 0.5% of the global cotton production. Lewkowitz’s presentation also highlighted the importance of communication, collaboration and building better partnerships through responsible, authentic, fair, equitable and honest conversations based on facts and focused on positive outcomes.

CCI next presented updates on U.S. cotton’s sustainability record, the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® — the value proposition of the program and how the program’s verified trackable equivalency solution is providing a transparent supply chain in the textile business.

The leadership from the Indian and Sri Lankan textile industry also participated in a panel discussion to deliberate on what’s next for cotton in 2022. The panel consisted of leading mills and U.S. cotton merchants. Takeaways were:

• Indian mills are investing in additional spinning capacity in the coming 2 to 3 years.

• The importance of collaboration in the textile supply chains.

• Spinning mills have improved efficiencies during COVID while working remotely.

• Indian mills need to use tools like other South Asian counterparts to manage volatility.

• Data-driven programs like the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol® will gain importance in the future.

• India will continue to drive cotton consumption.

• The perception and cost of stickiness and the High Volume Instrument (HVI) testing equipment for cotton stickiness.

Post-survey results showed that 94% of the attendees were satisfied with the COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ seminar, 94% were familiar with COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ and 48% were very likely to use COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ services. Meanwhile, 94% of the attendees feel that U.S. cotton is better compared to cotton of other origins.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

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

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Dr N Vigneshwaran is named 2026 ICAC Researcher of the Year

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is pleased to announce the selection of Dr N Vigneshwaran, Principal Scientist and Head of the Chemical and Biochemical Processing Division at the ICAR–Central Institute for Research on Cotton Technology (ICAR-CIRCOT), Mumbai, India, as the ICAC Researcher of the Year 2026.

Mario Jorge Machado re-elected President of EURATEX

The EURATEX General Assembly has re-elected Mario Jorge Machado as President of EURATEX, renewing its confidence in his leadership at a crucial moment for the European textile and clothing industry. The sector is facing rising costs, global competitive pressure and an increasingly challenging transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

ITM 2026 makes happy participants with its international and qualified visitor profile

ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition, one of the most prestigious meeting points of the textile machinery sector, attracted attention in its first three days, particularly with its diverse international visitor numbers. Industry professionals from all over the world had the opportunity to closely examine the latest technology machines and solutions displayed in operation. Thousands of visitors from approximately 100 countries, primarily Egypt, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, met at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center for new investment and cooperation opportunities.

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.