Transparency tech: solutions for materials tracking
February 1st, 2024
Preparing a cotton sample. “Any volume of fiber can be tagged,” says MeiLin Wan of Applied DNA Sciences. “For example, if 20 million pounds of cotton need to be tagged at a particular gin or spinner, we can provide the automated CertainT® tagging system to achieve this. We have tagged hundreds of millions of pounds […]
Selling your business
January 1st, 2024
If selling a residence can be an angst-filled undertaking, how much more unsettling is the thought of selling a business, especially one you’ve poured heart, soul, money and reputation into? But as potentially nerve-wracking as the prospect may be, there are measures shop owners can take to lessen the stress and achieve their desired outcome. […]
Chemical recycling may offer a solution to textile waste
November 1st, 2023
Among the bio-based chemicals in Circa Group’s portfolio is Cyrene™, a novel solvent that is being used by Textile Change, a company that has developed technology for the recycling of textile waste. Shown here is a Textile Change pilot plant that will be using Cyrene as well as other solvents during its trial run. Photo: […]
PFAS Regulations prompt innovation
August 1st, 2023
Shown here is a water-resistant fabric, one of many offered in the new Milliken Outdoor Fabrics line of non-PFAS DWR performance fabrics designed to stand up to every weather element. Photo: Milliken & Co. As the momentum to eliminate per- and polyfluorinated alkyl compounds (PFAS) picks up speed, growing numbers of product manufacturers and suppliers […]
Dyeing for change: Companies create pollution solutions
June 1st, 2023
Focused on plant, plant waste and bacterial-based dyestuff, Sodhani Biotech provides textile mills worldwide with a vast selection of commercially available and sustainable dyes. The company uses a biological process to fix pigment onto textiles. The plant-based dyes are suitable for cotton, wool, silk, polyester, nylon and other fibers. Compared to manufacturing synthetic dyes, the […]
Fabric structures that withstand extreme environments
November 1st, 2022
Creativity is required when it comes to designing shades that can withstand Hawaii’s extreme trade winds. A solution devised by Tropical J’s is using motorized wire-guide shades, shown here installed at a residence, rather than tracked or keder shades, which can blow out of the tracks in high wind. Photo: Tropical J’s Inc. Visitors to […]
An Olympian Task
July 2nd, 2022
Several volunteers and VIPs at the Beijing Winter Olympics are shown outside the 15-by-30-meter double-decker lounge structure by Liri Modular Structure. Photo courtesy of Liri Modular Structure and Liri Tent US. It would have been a tall order for a less adept company. After all, the job wasn’t only extremely high-profile—the Beijing Winter Olympics—it involved […]
Decoding standards, regulation and certification
December 1st, 2021
American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists’ testing methods are key components of industry certifications and labels. Photo: AATCC. With sustainability increasingly on consumers’ minds, textile end product manufacturers (EPMs) are tasked with ensuring that the eco-friendly claims they make about their products and production processes are valid. This can prove challenging, as can staying […]
Relocating your business
November 1st, 2021
Poised to move to a much larger, 125,000-square-foot space by the end of 2021, American Tent is currently operating out of relatively tight quarters, with some employees, such as this staffer shown sewing, working in a production area of about 12,000 square feet. The move to a nearby renovated and vacant mall will vastly improve […]
Covering climate change
August 1st, 2021
The MakMax TensoSport Sports Canopy is designed to provide protection to large-court sporting facilities, such as tennis or basketball (shown here). The canopies are fabricated with high-translucency architectural-grade PVC fabric with PVDF coating, or with high-translucency, long-life PTFE woven fiberglass with fluropolymer coating. Photo: MakMax Australia Pty. Ltd; photographer: Grant Kennedy, We Shoot Buildings. Broiling […]