#Recycling / Circular Economy

2020-06-25

Eastman introduces Tritan™ Renew for sustainability without compromise

Global specialty plastics provider Eastman introduces Tritan™ Renew copolyester. Tritan Renew offers sustainability without compromise, providing the same durability, performance and safety of original Tritan but now with up to 50% recycled content derived from waste plastic. Eastman will produce Tritan Renew with its innovative Advanced Circular Recycling technologies that use recycled plastic as a raw material, reduce consumption of fossil fuel and have lower greenhouse gas footprints.

Sustainable materials provider previews new-generation Tritan copolyester

“Tritan Renew is a significant step forward for Eastman as the first product to market using molecular recycling made possible by Eastman’s Advanced Circular Recycling technologies. We have made considerable progress over the past year to create sustainable solutions that convert millions of pounds of waste into new materials,” said Mark Costa, Board chair and CEO of Eastman.

Eastman is committed to innovations that help build a circular economy. In 2019, the company began commercial-scale recycling for a broad set of plastics to keep material from being sent to landfills or incinerated or, worse, ending up in the environment.

Eastman’s Advanced Circular Recycling technologies—carbon renewal technology (CRT) and polyester renewal technology (PRT)—have a significantly lower carbon footprint than production processes for products made from fossil fuel-based raw materials. Eastman’s molecular recycling innovations can return waste plastic to its molecular form an infinite number of times, creating the possibility for a truly circular future.

“Thanks to the rapid innovation of polyester renewal technology, Tritan Renew adds certified recycled content to its exceptional performance and delivers one of the most exciting sustainability solutions available,” said Scott Ballard, vice president and general manager for Eastman Specialty Plastics. “Tritan’s toughness has been enabling durable, reusable products to reduce the waste from single-use materials since its introduction in 2008.”

Eastman is producing Tritan Renew with certified recycled content for a variety of durable products, including reusable sports bottles, small appliances, food-storage containers and eyewear, as well as textiles and cosmetics packaging. The recycled content of these products is achieved through a mass balance allocation process certified by ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification).

Visit http://eastman.com/tritanrenew to find out more about Tritan Renew and Eastman’s recycling technologies.

“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”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

20 Start-Ups selected for CEMATEX Start-Up Grant at ITMA 2027

CEMATEX has selected 20 emerging start-ups from nine countries to receive the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant and showcase their innovations at Start-Up Valley during ITMA 2027 in Hanover. Their participation will be fully funded by CEMATEX, giving promising early-stage companies access to the world’s leading textile and garment technology platform.

Moving Advanced Recycling from Innovation to Implementation

The Advanced Recycling Conference 2026 explores technologies, markets, financing and scale-up of innovative recycling solutions for waste streams including mixed plastic waste, textiles and PVC. Europe’s chemical and materials sector faces growing pressure to close carbon loops, strengthen raw-material safety and resilience and meet increasingly ambitious EU recycling targets. Against this backdrop, the Advanced Recycling Conference (ARC) will bring together industry leaders, technology providers, researchers, innovators and policy-makers on 17–18 November 2026 in Cologne, Germany.

New Cotton Review examines competitiveness, market risk, and opportunities

From moving record volumes of Brazilian cotton to market, to managing price volatility, unlocking Ethiopia’s production potential, and strengthening African textile trade, the latest edition of Cotton: Review of the World Situation examines some of the most consequential opportunities and challenges facing the global cotton industry.

Long John puts KARL MAYER's RDJ 7/3 into operation and strengthens its position as a market leader

KARL MAYER has just unveiled its new RDJ 7/3 Jacquard Double Needle Bar Raschel Machine in the international trade press, and the innovation is already causing a stir in the market: The Long John Group, a leading manufacturer of performance footwear fabrics and a long-standing partner of renowned brands, was the first customer to invest in the new machine and celebrated its official launch at its Indonesian plant on August 20.

An eco-friendly alternative to fluorocarbon treatments

Protective and outdoor clothing derives its durable water-, dirt- and oil- repellent properties from the application of fluorinated polymers or per- and polyfluorinated low-molecular- weight chemicals (PFCs). The beneficial properties thus achieved on textiles are offset by environmental and human health risks. For manufacturers of sports, medical, protective and automotive textiles, researchers at the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research have developed liquid-applied dispersions and solutions to functionalise textiles without the use of fluorine.