What if someone said to you, “When we meet to go plogging, let’s talk about SBTi, SDG, and the Savory Institute regen ag program and later we can click & collect for the weekend.” A gold star to you, if you can explain that sentence. But if you can’t, you are not alone.

As the textile industry pushes toward circularity and away from the conventional linear system, consumers are becoming the newest link in a modern supply chain. We feature companies creatively engaging a contemporary consumer audience.

Over the last three years, KEEN researched the best organic materials to use in its midsoles and footbeds and outsoles deciding to go with harvested coffee ground waste. Now two upcoming sneakers styles from KEEN, the Elsa and Eddy Harvest footwear, will debut in August.

In keeping with Boston running tradition, Tracksmith chose April 19th to launch its Bill Rodgers Collection. As distance runners and New Englanders alike know, the third Monday in April is Patriot’s Day, the traditional start date of the Boston Marathon. (This year the Marathon will be held in...

PrimaLoft’s popular ThermoPlume is 100 percent synthetic — and now 100 percent recycled, too. This latest version of the company’s down alternative insulation is made entirely out of post-consumer recycled materials. Four years after the introduction of the first blowable synthetic insulation...

Outdoor brands are dusting off the conventional image of archives as old documents and faded photographs filed away in a drawer for safe keeping and applying a fresh coat of contemporary vision by presenting corporate and cultural history in an inclusive and informative way with mainstream appeal.

In a sign of strength, eco efforts not only advanced during Covid, but flourished. We see responsible product development and planet-positive investment on all fronts these days which bodes well for the staying power of sustainability.

In an effort to establish an environmental baseline to pursue continuous improvement, the LYCRA Company has completed the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) self-assessment at all six of its Lycra fiber manufacturing sites. The impact assessment reviews environmental management systems...

Bringing textiles to life virtually has accelerated during Covid with companies such as Concept III launching innovative online presentations to highlight brand partners’ latest responsibly produced fabric developments. Concept III’s digital series kicks off with a video featuring partner...

Greater durability, smarter chemistry, natural performance and total circularity is the aim of Polartec’s full system approach to achieving 2025 sustainability goals, according to Polartec president Steve Layton, who stated that PFC-free DWR, new thinking around reducing...

The landscape of recycled down is changing as momentum builds around circularity throughout the textile supply chain and spills over as brands heighten “reuse” themed storytelling marketed to consumers. Recent industry achievements reflect this new environment, bringing energy and...

As industry continues its quest to advance from a linear system to a circular economy, Aquafil is expanding our understanding of what’s possible now, as well what will come next in terms of the continuous recyclability of products derived from waste.

Facing a host of challenges in 2020, textile firms set forth to discover how to engage with their audience by boldly going where industry never dared to go before: the virtual world. And now, having found success online with initiatives launched over the course of the past year and into...

As the textile industry pushes toward circularity and away from the conventional linear system, consumers are becoming the newest link in a modern supply chain. We feature companies creatively engaging a contemporary consumer audience.

From innovative materials and business models to an upcoming Nordic recycling hub, Finland is bringing to market a slew of answers to challenges facing the textile industry. “By replacing primary raw materials with recycled components or using, for example, wood-based...

What a difference a year makes. Online is the new in-person, trade shows last for weeks not days, and textiles are presented to customers without the ability to touch or feel fabric. These COVID-influenced 2020 business trends have not served the textile industry particularly well.

Eco-conscious product development hits a new high in Fall ‘21 in styles that feature responsible materials and manufacturing. Biodegradability, ocean plastics recycling and regenerative practices are now boxes to check in today’s advancement of circularity and a climate-positive approach...

Last week I caught up with Chad Kelly, president of eVent Technology, to get a quick update on the company and chat about business challenges as well as industry bright spots. A self-described “gearhead,” Kelly started his career in outdoor specialty retail and worked as a rep before pivoting to...

In her new book “The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World,” Virginia Postrel highlights how textiles shape our existence. Each chapter in her book represents a stage in the textile journey and outlines ways in which fabric drives technology, business, culture and politics.

Tons of plastic end up in the sea every year and hundreds of thousands of pieces of plastic waste now float in every area of the oceans. Coastal regions are major contributors to this problem; According to recent statistics, 80 percent of ocean plastics originate from these locales.

From Spiber’s Brewed Protein to Yakima Chief Ranches’ breeding of new hop varieties, innovation is brewing in the material world. While there aren’t yet game-changing textiles derived from beer, demand for highly-functional eco-alternatives along with wider acceptance of biotech offerings...

Determining what the consumer wants in the months and years ahead is really anybody’s guess because if there is one thing we’ve all learned during our collective COVID experience in 2020 it’s that even the best-laid plans can quickly go out the window.

Whether the relationship is rooted in chemistry, circularity or consumer awareness, experts believe the best course of action in the era of sustainability is to know your supply chain. Understanding that it takes an interrelated system to improve the sustainability of product...

Whether actually worn or not, face coverings are now recognized as a mainstream lifestyle item. Results from our recent Trend Insight Consumer survey not only confirm this trend but also reveal that masks have become a must-have fitness accessory...

The new Cordura Fabric Finder allows brands to navigate a user-friendly digital interface to view an assortment of over 500 fabrics. The digital fabric library includes images of all fabric angles, and close-up details as well as fabric content information so that partners can...