New mill takes Italian cotton project a step forward
Technology group Rieter has received an order for a complete ring spinning system from Italian textile manufacturer Beste Spa.
Rieter said this technology, with digitisation and automation solutions, will allow Beste to set up a new production operation that supports a project called ITACO.
ITACO’s aim is to create a full, Italy-based supply chain for products made from 100% organic, traceable Italian cotton.
At one time, cotton production was common in the south of Italy, but farmers moved to other crops in the 1960s when clothing manufacturers began using high volumes of synthetic fibres; imports satisfied remaining demand for cotton.
With interest in extending the concept of 100% made in Italy to raw materials now, cotton production has begun again on farms in Puglia and Sicily. Clothing retail group OVS has committed to using Italian cotton as 5% of its total requirement for the fibre within a few years.
Beste is setting up a new mill in Bergamo, which will supply combed compacted yarn to garment manufacturers in the Prato region.
