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#Natural Fibers

Alliance of European Flax-Linen & Hemp announces positive outlook for 2024 flax harvest

The Alliance of European Flax-Linen & Hemp is pleased to announce a positive outlook for the 2024 flax harvest. As the flax pulling period commences, the industry is optimistic due to favorable weather conditions that provide an ideal context for the upcoming harvest.

Alliance of European Flax-Linen & Hemp’s latest estimates predict average straw yields of 6-7 tons per hectare for spring flax, a significant milestone that has not been seen since 2019. While winter flax, cultivated on 30,000 hectares for this harvest, shows slightly lower performance with the overall prospects remaining strong. Flax straw, the raw material for fibre extraction during scutching, is expected to be abundant.

The area under cultivation for European Flax™ is projected to reach at least 180,000 hectares for both spring and winter flax combined, the highest since 2020. This expansion suggests that the European sector is poised to achieve record level yields of flax straw, the building block for premium flax fibres for composite applications, in a single harvest.

Whilst the exact amount of flax fibre to be extracted from this volume remains undetermined at this stage, the retting process, set to occur in the summer, will provide more detailed production output data.

Scutching of the current harvest is scheduled to begin in Autumn 2024 in French, Belgian and Dutch factories.

Flax pulling period begins with optimism with harvest on track to meet market demand © 2024 Alliance of European Flax-Linen & Hemp
Flax pulling period begins with optimism with harvest on track to meet market demand © 2024 Alliance of European Flax-Linen & Hemp




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#Composites

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp expands bio-materials presence at JEC World 2026

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is pleased to announce its participation at JEC World 2026, featuring a significantly expanded presence and an enhanced offering for the global composites industry.

#Natural Fibers

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp expands technical capabilities with addition of CIRCULAR STRUCTURES

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is pleased to welcome CIRCULAR STRUCTURES, a Bremen-based platform for sustainable material development and product incubation, to its Technical Section. This addition further enhances the Alliance’s mission to accelerate the industrial adoption of European-grown flax and hemp fibres in high-performance composite applications.

#Sustainability

Groundbreaking architectural projects using natural fibres

Paris, May 19 2025 : The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is proud to spotlight a growing wave of innovative architectural and civil engineering applications featuring flax and hemp fibres. As the global construction industry turns toward sustainable solutions, flax and hemp are emerging as high-performance, low-impact alternatives for a new generation of bio-based architecture.

#Composites

Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp host Natural Fibre Composites Village at JEC World 2025

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp will host a Natural Fibre Village at JEC World 2025 that will showcase the activities of the Alliance and nine of its members in a 250m2 area dedicated to natural fibre composites. Partnering with the JEC Group, the Alliance will lead the European flax and hemp industry exhibit where Bcomp, Demgy, Depestele, Eco-Technilin, Flipts en Dobbels, Libeco, Norafin, Safilin and Terre de Lin and, for the first time, Linificio e Canapificio Nazionale SRL, will all exhibit a wide range of flax and hemp raw materials and composite products.

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#Raw Materials

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.

#Raw Materials

Aid by Trade Foundation reaches new milestones in supply chain transparency

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#Natural Fibers

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

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#Raw Materials

Modern testing methods for raw cotton

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#Weaving

Itema America acquires Palmetto Loom Reed, strengthening local manufacturing and service in the U.S.

Itema America, the U.S. subsidiary of Italy-based Itema Group, has acquired – through an Assets Purchase Agreement – Palmetto Loom Reed, a Greenville, South Carolina-based manufacturer of weaving reeds and one of the last remaining domestic producers of these precision components in the United States.

#Recycled_Fibers

Reju announces site selection for French Regeneration Hub in Lacq advancing Europe’s circular textile infrastructure

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#Functional Fabrics

lululemon introduces Unrestricted Power™ — A new sensation for strength training

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#Knitting & Hosiery

KARL MAYER at JEC: Multiaxial reinforced CFRP pultrusion profiles are picking up speed in the mobility sector

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