Bio-tech dyes

March 1, 2023  |  Markets

Fabric dyeing is one of the more polluting industrial processes, using many toxic chemicals and more than 1.3 trillion gallons of water annually. Colorifix, based in Norwich, U.K., is the first company to develop an entirely biological process to produce, deposit and fix pigments onto textiles. The …
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ATA podcast celebrates one year

October 1, 2022  |  Markets

Want to learn more about what’s happening in the textiles industry? Just tune in to Talking Textiles, a series of free podcasts available online on Apple, Google, Spotify and Libsyn and at textiles.org/podcast/. The first show was posted online on September 8, 2021. New shows appear the third week…
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Weaving in Wi-Fi

August 1, 2022  |  Markets

For most of us technology becomes part of our day almost from the moment we wake up. At the Simon Fraser University School of Interactive Art and Technology (SIAT), researchers are weaving “threads” of Wi-Fi into fabric as a way of pushing boundaries to further understand how technology impacts …
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Wide format graphics rebound

August 1, 2022  |  Markets

To get a handle on how the wide format fabrics graphics industry is faring these days, as the worst of the pandemic fades, a good source to ask is Bill Farquharson, a well-known sales coach, author and print sales veteran who keeps his finger on the pulse of the field. 
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Color by nanocrystal

August 1, 2022  |  Markets

Colorful fabrics are beautiful, but creating them is one of the world’s largest sources of water pollution. Textile mills have been known to dump residual dyes and hazardous chemicals into canals, streams and rivers.
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Flame-retardant shade sails

June 1, 2022  |  Awnings & Shades, Markets

As the world continues to call for commercial fabrics that can withstand ever-greater environmental challenges, shade sail vendors are waiting to see whether that will translate into greater demand for flame-retardant (FR) shade sails.
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New Year, new reasons to know your supply chain

April 1, 2022  |  Markets

On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) which will significantly raise the stakes for any company importing from or doing business with China. Most significantly, once the statute fully comes into effect in 2022, importers of a wide range …
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Environmentally speaking

March 1, 2022  |  Markets

We are standing at an inflection point in world history. We can create an environment that raises the standard of living around the world,” President Joseph Biden said in his speech at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “This is a moral imperative, and it is also an econom…
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Textiles that support energy conservation fill a growing need.

December 1, 2021  |  Markets

Although many people are not aware of it, textile materials are important components of the energy and sustainability equation. Not long ago, the public, generally, knew little about the textile materials in products such as layered fabric face masks. That all changed as the entire world turned to w…
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New solutions in solar shade

November 1, 2021  |  Markets

From the earliest tents to contemporary athletic stadiums, textiles have played a central role in offering protection from the elements and drawing energy from the sun. As locations worldwide struggle with record-shattering temperatures, researchers and architects are utilizing textiles in groundbre…
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