#Recycling / Circular Economy

2022-01-13

Institute welcomes new members to standards steering committee

The Institute is pleased to welcome Dr. Anna Lennquist, Senior Toxicologist at The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec), and Dr. Nikola Juhasz, Global Technical Director for Sustainability at Sun Chemical, who have been appointed to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute’s Standards Steering Committee by the Institute’s Board of Directors, as of 1 January 2022.

The appointments are the result of a thorough selection process that started in September 2021 with a public call for members.

The Committee is composed of technical and subject matter experts from a variety of stakeholder groups. The new appointments deepen the expertise of the Committee across all categories of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Standard, bringing on board additional material health expertise. Below is a full list of current members:

• Sean Ansett - Founder, At Stake Advisors Limited

• Dr. Alain Casoli - Group R&D Regulatory Affairs Director, Tarkett

• Don Frey- Chief Innovation Officer, The Honest Company

• Annette Hastrup - Owner and CEO, Vugge til Vugge ApS

• Dr. Nikola Juhasz - Global Technical Director for Sustainability, Sun Chemical

• Dr. Anna Lennquist - Senior Toxicologist – The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec)

• Dr. Jennifer Russell - Assistant Professor, Department of Sustainable Biomaterials, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

• Jimmy Summers - Vice President of Environment, Health, and Safety, and Chief Sustainability Officer, Elevate Textiles, Inc

• Tom Vereijken - Director, European Water Stewardship, Water Stewardship Academy BV

• Dr. Susan Klosterhaus - Vice President, Science and Certification, Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute

The Standards Steering Committee is charged with providing oversight of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard and is the main governance body for the standard.

The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute verifies products and materials that are safe, circular and responsibly made by assessing sustainability performance across five categories: material health, product circularity, clean air and climate protection, water and soil stewardship, and social fairness. For more than a decade, leading brands, designers and manufacturers have relied on the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard to optimize products for immediate and long-term positive impacts on human and environmental health.

Learn more here about the Committee and its members:

https://www.c2ccertified.org/the-team/standards-steering-committee

“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.

Novel flame-retardant and recyclable fiber-reinforced composite

Airplanes and passenger trains must meet strict safety requirements, including fire safety standards. This calls for materials that are flame-retardant, lightweight, robust, and scalable. Empa researchers, in collaboration with their industry partner Elantas, have now succeeded for the first time in making such a material – a composite – fully recyclable.

Indorama Ventures advances circular fashion through RECO Collective 2026

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, is taking RECO Collective into its 12th year under the theme “The Next Original,” reinforcing its mission to promote recycling and upcycling knowledge while encouraging SMEs in the fashion industry to embrace recycled materials. The program focuses particularly on recycled polyester (rPET) yarns and fabrics made from post-consumer PET bottles, using these materials to create value-added products that combine distinctive design with consumer needs and market opportunities.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues 2026 concludes with 50 international participants immersed in Brazilian cotton production

The Cotton Brazil Dialogues concludes its 2026 edition after a series of technical visits to farms, cotton gins and reference centers, as well as workshops focused on Brazilian cotton production. A total of 50 participants from 14 countries took part in the field trips. The initiative is led by the Brazilian Association of Cotton Growers (Abrapa) and the National Association of Cotton Exporters (Anea), with support from the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil).

WHILL selects Teijin’s tough, lightweight Carbon Fiber Composite for new last-mile mobility

Teijin Limited announced today that WHILL Inc., a global leader in inclusive mobility technology, has selected Sereebo® P CFP series, a carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) material, for key structural components of the upcoming WHILL Model C Lite. Sereebo® P CFP series provides high strength, light weight, design flexibility and system cost advantages to the Model C Lite, which is a battery powered, single-seat, last-mile device. This new model combines maneuverability with light weight and one-handed folding to ensure ease of handling and operation.

ZymoChem secures $4 million in renewed federal funding to advance U.S. biomanufacturing of critical materials and their supply chains

ZymoChem, the specialty chemicals company dedicated to bringing decarbonization, sustainability, and supply chain resiliency to the chemical industry through innovative biological manufacturing, today announced the resumption and expansion of its federal research portfolio. The company has been notified that previously paused work under a $5 million U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) program is officially back on, to be joined by continuing collaborations with three of the nation's premier national laboratories.