Perhaps you wouldn’t expect the director of materials research from US outdoor brand Patagonia to be scouring the weaving hall (Hall 4) for new engineering advances? Surely that should be left to his textile suppliers? But wait a minute, here he is at ITMA talking to around 200 delegates at a round-table discussion on sustainability organised with the help of Textile Exchange.
He revealed that from a retail perspective, environmental issues should be on the agenda all the way up the textile supply chain. “Machinery innovation is an important part of this whole process,” he told delegates.
“Walking around ITMA I see that the building blocks are already in place for machine builders to help create a more sustainable future for the global textile industry,” said Richardson, “The next step is to move towards finding collaborative way for this sector to work together if we are to take this a whole lot further.”
Clearly, the Patagonia man was referring to some sort of standard for textile machinery industry that can identify technology which is ‘environmentally friendly’. Yet this is already happening!
John Easton from dyestuff producer Dystar, also speaking at the round-table summed up this issue very neatly when he said “which way are water and energy costs going in the future? It’s a simple calculation to make!”
Ultimately, of course, this type of new technology also means cost savings too … but only if the manufacturer is prepared to invest in the latest technology. So it’s good to see that at this ITMA, and for the first time, the latest environmental developments have been outlined in the new Green Guide to ITMA (Hall 3, B152) … a free 80 page guide book for visitors.
Hidden gem creates buzz
At ITMA it’s always nice to see innovation especially when it’s hidden away in a booth within a booth. That’s what we’ve noticed at Mayer & Cie (Hall 3, B138), where the German company has stashed away a unique circular knitting machine that also spins the yarn before it gets knitted. Benefits of the machine are said to be both cost and energy savings plus the ability to produce uniform fabrics with low spirality.
where the German company has stashed away a unique circular knitting machine that also spins the yarn before it gets knitted. Benefits of the machine are said to be both cost and energy savings plus the ability to produce uniform fabrics with low spirality.
Dubbed ‘Spinit’ the new knitting machine is claimed to be a world first although we understand that rivals Pai Lung (Hall 3, B132) and Terrot (Hall 3, A161) are also looking closely at developing this type of new innovative solution.
source: ITMA
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