#Sustainability

2019-09-06

100,000 garbage bags made from recycled plastic for the RhineCleanUp Day on September 14

For the second time in a row, volunteers in six countries will join together to collect garbage and waste along the River Rhine on September 14. To support this project, 100,000 sponsored garbage bags made from 100 percent recycled plastic waste will be sent now to key locations throughout Germany. From there, the bags will be distributed to the teams participating in the cleanup.

The project organizers sent out a call to clean up the shores of the Rhine to prevent the garbage from being swept down the river to the North Sea. Last year, about 10,000 people joined the cleanup campaign and collected 100 metric tons of garbage. This time, the team wants to go one better – they aim to break the 200-ton mark! Things look very promising. Since May, the initiative has already mobilized helpers in 100 districts on both sides of the Rhine. “This time we expect 20,000 helpers to join in the Rhine cleanup and do their bit to remove waste from the Rhine shores,” predicts Ingo Lentz from the RhineCleanUp Team.

100.000 bags from 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste

A project of this size depends heavily on sponsors and local garbage disposal companies, either to equip the helpers or transport the garbage to waste disposal centers. “So, it was great news for us when Reifenhäuser signaled they wanted to back our project,” says Lentz. The idea originated in 2018 during the Reifenhäuser Marine Litter project when Lentz first contacted Reifenhäuser employees with the request whether Reifenhäuser could donate sustainable garbage bags. The project soon took off thanks to Reifenhäuser’s extensive network and the right partners. Following the company’s initiative, the EREMA Group, Verpa Folie Weidhausen, and FVH Lobbe pledged their support. The result? 100,000 garbage bags made from 100 percent recycled post-consumer waste.

As a general rule, the use of virgin material is unavoidable in this type of application. Nonetheless, the four companies made good their pledges: FVH processed the recycling granulate from post consumer package waste on an EREMA line. Verpa extruded and printed the film on a Reifenhäuser Blown Film line and produced the bags. The action and good collaboration between the four companies made the RhineCleanUp even more sustainable than it already was as the helpers will collect waste in garbage bags which previously served their purpose for packaging.

“The hands-on mentality which the RhineCleanUp stirred up on behalf of the environment and the numbers of those mobilized is remarkable,” comments Ulrich Reifenhäuser, CSO of the Reifenhäuser Group. He adds: “We also tackle the issue of waste with responsibility. Recyclability is always a requirement when we develop new technologies. In the future, lines and machines that produce film and nonwoven will be capable of processing recycled plastic so that waste plastic is returned to the recycling economy - and does not end up in nature.”

Reifenhäuser wins German Design Award for new user interface

At K 2025 in Düsseldorf, the Reifenhäuser Group unveiled its new company-wide machine user interface, which offers a uniform design language for blown film, flat film, and nonwoven lines – and stands out for its particularly simple operation. The overall concept impressed not only customers, but also the jury of the German Design Awards, who honored the system with the prestigious design prize during the trade fair.

Reifenhäuser NEXT: Tackling the skills shortage and achieving operational excellence with industrial AI

At K 2025, the Reifenhäuser Group will demonstrate Industrial AI's full potential for productivity in plastics processing. At the heart of the dedicated “Reifenhäuser NEXT” brand is a powerful AI chatbot that enables even inexperienced line operators to quickly solve complex tasks in their daily work, thereby maximizing availability, productivity, and quality.

Reifenhäuser strengthens field service operations in the Middle East and Africa

Reifenhäuser Group, a global leader in plastics extrusion technology, announces a significant expansion of its field service operations across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Building on a longstanding presence in the region, which includes a sales office established in United Arab Emirates five years ago, Reifenhäuser is now taking a major step forward to enhance its local customer support and service capabilities.

Global Standard gGmbH launches second public consultation for GRTS Draft 2 for the textile industry (1–30 April 2026)

Global Standard gGmbH is pleased to announce the release of Draft 2 of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS) for its second public consultation. The consultation will be open from 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026, inviting stakeholders across the textile and apparel value chain to provide input and contribute to the further development of this new Standard.

Textile Exchange publishes cotton Life Cycle Assessment study to strengthen impact data

Textile Exchange has published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first LCA study focuses on cotton and addresses critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.

Experts publish APAC policy priorities

Cascale today announced the publication of its APAC Policy Priorities Paper, developed by the Asia-Pacific (APAC) Policy Member Expert Team (MET) to identify key regional sustainability challenges and provide practical, aligned recommendations for policymakers and industry stakeholders across Asia-Pacific.

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.

PERFORMANCE DAYS proves its relevance as the industry’s key meeting point

Held on March 18–19, 2026, PERFORMANCE DAYS once again confirmed its position as a leading international platform for functional textiles. A total of 3.366 trade visitors and around 560 exhibitors gathered in Munich, with the event already kicking off successfully on DAY 0, which received highly positive feedback for its interactive format. Despite challenging conditions caused by the public transport strike in Munich, the event saw strong attendance and a consistently high level of activity across both exhibition days.