#Raw Materials

2022-08-11

The ICAC will give away $9,000 in multiple World Cotton Day contests

With two months to go until 7 October, the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has announced that it will hold a number of contests to celebrate World Cotton Day, totalling $9,000 in prize money. There will be six contests, with each awarding the winner $1,000 and the runner-up $500.

Four of them will be held on Twitter; winners will be those whose tweets get the most points (1 point for each like and 3 points for each retweet) for tweets sent between 1 September and 6 October, with the winners announced on World Cotton Day. Each tweet must include three hashtags — #worldcottonday; #ICAC_Cotton; #cottonforgood (the official theme of World Cotton Day) — as well as a fourth that indicates which contest the tweet is for:

1. #cotton: Tweets about the cotton plant, including the raw fibre.

2. #madewithcotton: Tweets about products made from cotton.

3. #sustainablecotton: Tweets about some aspect of cotton’s sustainability.

4. #cottonresearch: Tweets about the science of cotton.

In addition, two contests will be held at the World Cotton Research Conference, which begins on 4 October in Cairo and concludes on World Cotton Day:

1. Best live presentation, and

2. Best poster.

‘Because cotton alleviates poverty in many of the world’s least-developed countries and helps fight climate change globally, the more visibility cotton gets on 7 October, the better’, said Kai Hughes, ICAC Executive Director. ‘We want to motivate people to spread the good word about cotton with the Twitter contests, and want to reward the scientists whose research is the lifeblood of the cotton industry’s development at the World Cotton Research Conference’.

For more information about the ICAC’s World Cotton Day contests, and see an example of a tweet for the #madewithcotton contest, please click here:

https://www.worldcottonday.com/location/international-cotton-advisory-committee-icac-2/

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.

Lenzing commissions 14 MW power‑to‑heat facility, strengthening grid stability and heat management

The Lenzing Group has successfully commissioned a new power‑to‑heat (P2H) facility with an electrical capacity of 14 megawatts. The installation converts renewable electricity directly into process heat, is fully integrated into the existing heat network at the industrial site, and represents a key building block for a fossil‑free heat supply. As project partner, VERBUND was responsible for the energy‑market integration and will operate the facility for balancing energy marketing, enabling it to respond flexibly to short‑term fluctuations in the power grid.

Kraig Biocraft reaches next step in production growth

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories, Inc. (OTCQB: KBLB) (“the Company”, “Kraig Labs”, or “Kraig’s”), a world leader in spider silk technology*, today announced that it has produced more than 1.3 metric tons of recombinant spider silk cocoons in a single month. This is a new world record and shatters the Company’s previous production record by a factor of five. Today marks a pivotal step forward in the transition of spider silk from laboratory innovation to an industrial-scale material platform.

New study shows low environmental impact by Cotton made in Africa Organic Cotton from Tanzania

Today, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is announcing the results of a comprehensive life-cycle analysis (LCA) for cotton produced in Tanzania under the Cotton made in Africa Organic (CmiA Organic) standard. The study emphasises the small ecological footprint of CmiA Organic verified cotton. This can largely be traced back to the absence of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilisers, and artificial irrigation. Consequently, CmiA Organic cotton can help the textile industry meet regulatory requirements as well as science-based targets. The results also show that the consequences of climate change threaten the livelihoods of these cotton farmers, even though the type of agriculture they practise barely contributes to climate change.

Eastman Naia™ debuts at Kingpins Amsterdam, transforming Denim from the inside out

At Kingpins Amsterdam (April 15–16, 2026), Naia™ by Eastman Chemical Company makes its debut, presenting its approach to circularity and comfort in denim at Stand 1, Ground Level (Blue Area). The brand also highlights its growing global ecosystem, connecting mill partners, designers and brands working to expand denim possibilities through fiber innovation.

ISKO introduces a new chapter of denim innovation at Kingpins Amsterdam with FW 27/28

At Kingpins Amsterdam, ISKO presents its latest FW27/28 collection, a forward-looking exploration of denim that merges advanced color technologies, innovative fabric engineering, and contemporary finishing techniques. Designed to meet the evolving demands of the industry, the collection reflects ISKO’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of authenticity, performance, and responsible innovation, while also embracing a strong lifestyle perspective.

Asahi Kasei Advance to showcase high-performance non-woven and fibers at Techtextil 2026

Asahi Kasei Advance will present its portfolio of high-performance nonwovens, flame-retardant fabrics, and advanced textile and fiber solutions designed for various industries during its first-ever exhibition at Techtextil 2026. Techtextil is the leading international trade show for technical textiles and nonwovens, taking place from April 21-24, 2026, in Frankfurt, Germany. Asahi Kasei Advance will highlight 14 brands, with special focus on four key materials as its debut at the exhibition in Hall 12.1 at booth C35.

VEIT Group presents product highlights and innovations at Texprocess 2026

At Texprocess 2026 in Frankfurt am Main (April 21–24, Hall 8.0, Stand A18), the VEIT Group presents its latest solutions and product highlights for the industrial production of clothing and the processing of technical textiles. The focus is on efficient technologies for ironing, pressing, fusing, laminating and textile refinishing processes, covering applications from the apparel industry through to technical textiles as well as interior and automotive sectors.