A new fabric, AirCore, represents a step forward in breathable weather protection, Polartec says.

A long-standing partnership between fabric manufacturer Chargeurs PCC and textile machinery developer Karl Mayer has delivered a weft-insertion innovation that, in turn, has brought about the lightest three-layer fabric on the market.

Emulating the properties of a squid’s suction cups or, more prosaically, those of wool, two new biotech protein fibres are in the works at Tandem Repeat. What began in a biomimetic materials lab at Penn State University is now close to being ready for market.

At each stage of a future circular apparel ecosystem, the design of an item of clothing will impact how smoothly the process runs.

Textile-to-textile recycling is making progress for items made from pure cotton or polyester, and blends of both.

A textile initiative for Africa envisages huge boosts to the continent’s cotton production capacity and to textile-sector employment there.

Mass balance models, common in fair trade goods, are used when physical traceability is deemed unfeasible.

Polyester and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are two different names for the same polymer.

After years of outdated data on cotton, 13 industry bodies worked with Cascale to provide new figures for the Higg Index.

Yulex believes a desire for options other than petrochemical-based raw materials will create opportunities in the footwear sector and its repositioning in Asia will help it capitalise on demand.

A highly focused show, Mare di Moda attracts top buyers and suppliers in the swim, beach and athleisure-sports sectors.

A source of superfood, biofuels and more, algae is touted by some as no less than the most influential organism of the twenty-first century. A thriving natural resource, but also a bane when it blooms in excess, the aquatic plant is also being tapped to make biobased dyes and fibres for the textile industry.

Consultant editor, David Buirski, has been covering the performance textile industry for more than three decades and textiles in general for much longer.