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Binita Bhuta, vice-president for marketing and sustainability at CovationBio. After a 17-year career at chemicals group BASF, Binita Bhuta joined DuPont Biomaterials in April 2022, just before its spinoff into a new company named CovationBio. She is its vice-president for marketing and sustainability. Many observers insist that there can be no...
  • China is pushing ahead with its five-year national fitness plan, announced two...
    Moving along nicely
    China is pushing ahead with its five-year national fitness plan, announced two...
  • The team at New Zealand-based TMC spent five years looking for a way to add...
    Herculean effort
    The team at New Zealand-based TMC spent five years looking for a way to add...
  • Could proteins provide the building blocks for a new fibre to rival polyester...
    Trash into treasure
    Could proteins provide the building blocks for a new fibre to rival polyester...
  • The European Space Agency is working with GOTS to map and monitor organic...
    Eye in the sky
    The European Space Agency is working with GOTS to map and monitor organic...
  • A multi-stakeholder team of designers, developers and engineers got together to ...
    On-demand gets directional
    A multi-stakeholder team of designers, developers and engineers got together to ...
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18 October 2023
As good as new As good as new
No longer the sole domain of artisanal practices, or of limited runs, upcycling and remanufacturing are progressively being applied on an industrial scale.
11 October 2023
Carbon from thin air Carbon from thin air
Using greenhouse gases as feedstock for fuels or materials is already a reality, and could become a source of clean, carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative synthetic fibres.
27 September 2023
Biodegradation-boosting synthetics Biodegradation-boosting synthetics
End-of-life scenarios are important when assessing a product’s impacts, but they are not an easy sell. This is one of many challenges the makers of synthetics yarns enhanced with biodegradation-accelerating additives face. As concerns regarding the permanence of plastic grow, so does demand for these materials that are engineered to leave no trace.
30 August 2023
A fine line A fine line
Advancements in recycled cotton ring yarns for knits unveiled at ITMA are likely to inspire a sizeable ripple effect.
23 August 2023
Future-proofing the industry Future-proofing the industry
Anticipation was high before ITMA opened its doors at Fiera Milano Rho on June 8.
16 August 2023
New fibres in the loop New fibres in the loop
The need to increase fibre-to-fibre recycling and lack of progress in achieving this is being called out by every sustainable fashion industry coalition and report.
02 August 2023
Relaxed explorers need multitasking shoe Relaxed explorers need multitasking shoe
Garmont taps into ‘unexplored market segment’ as the use of e-bikes and ‘slow tourism’ change consumer needs.
27 July 2023
Another angle Another angle
The pace to meet the under­served activewear needs of more women is picking up as industry leaders begin to zoom out and piece together the bigger picture.
20 July 2023
Plant­-based nylon garments Plant­-based nylon garments
An investment in equity in Genomatica in 2021 was Lululemon’s first in a sustainable materials company. The gymwear brand has now followed up by launching T­-shirts made from nylon, developed from Genomatica’s plant-­based building blocks.
12 July 2023
A look at what’s up in down A look at what’s up in down
It has unique performance properties and offers unrivalled warmth to weight. The natural material is also robust allowing it to be recycled, if properly cared for. But down is not without shortcomings and specific challenges.
28 June 2023
Can cellulosics compete with synthetics? Can cellulosics compete with synthetics?
Producers of manmade cellulosic fibres would like us to believe their wood-based yarns possess performance properties that make them suitable alternatives to polyester and polyamide.
03 May 2023
Prize fighters Prize fighters
A revamped format for the ISPO Award programme has given footwear its own category. In 2022, 12 different shoe, boot and footwear technology ideas were among the winners.
19 April 2023
Low-impact reused garments Low-impact reused garments
If Europe is to fulfil its vision of a sustainable and circular textiles industry, the system for collecting and sorting used garments and putting them to good use needs an overhaul.
12 April 2023
Reinvent to innovate Reinvent to innovate
There is no question that Nike Forward, which debuted last autumn with an inaugural hoodie and crew style, is an interesting textile development. But can the current iteration — with its raw details and grey-only colourway — be the ‘game changer’ the brand claims it to be?
05 April 2023
New legacy thinking New legacy thinking
The first technical outdoor gear to be produced with a non-fluorinated Gore-Tex membrane landed in stores towards the end of 2022.
29 March 2023
Healthier competition Healthier competition
Outdoor sports group Goldwin has been running its own race for over 70 years.
15 March 2023
3D printing takes a new turn 3D printing takes a new turn
A new generation of 3D printers can apply decoration or performance features directly onto fabric. Components made using additive manufacturing are also finding novel functional uses in shoes and backpacks. Together they may signal a new dawn for a technology that has yet to find a viable industrial use case, otherwise known as ‘killer app’, in consumer goods.
07 March 2023
Waves of change Waves of change
Technologies including ultrasound waves and digital printing promise to usher in a new generation of cleantech solutions for traditional wet processes.
14 December 2022
Old school meets new school Old school meets new school
The vibrant and entrepreneurial community of climbers in California in the 1960s and 70s spawned many of the brands that have shaped today’s outdoor industry.
07 December 2022
Lawmakers take on fashion Lawmakers take on fashion
Can two proposed bills — one state and one federal — harness US law to mitigate fashion’s social and environmental impacts globally?
30 November 2022
A new day is dawning A new day is dawning
Brands are giving themselves plenty of time to bring circular footwear programmes to market, but, for innovative companies in the shoe supply chain, work to develop the materials those programmes will need is already under way.
23 November 2022
New leadership at Foot Locker New leadership at Foot Locker
With Richard Johnson retiring, new Foot Locker CEO, Mary Dillon, might be exactly what the sportswear and apparel retailer needs.
16 November 2022
From forests to footwear midsoles From forests to footwear midsoles
It only became a player in the $30 billion global market for MEG (mono-ethylene glycol) recently, but UPM Biochemicals..
09 November 2022
PFAS have an Achilles’ heel PFAS have an Achilles’ heel
Problematic chemicals such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances have been present in moisture protection technologies for years, but time appears to be running out for them.
02 November 2022
A new crop of biomaterials A new crop of biomaterials
The agricultural and food industries generate waste products that can yield valuable raw materials to make fibres or dyestuffs... but only if the cellulose or colouring agents from these leftovers can be cost-competitively extracted and scaled.
26 October 2022
Plastic-free performance Plastic-free performance
Concerned by microplastics and seeking to avoid materials derived from fossil fuels, a few pioneering active and sportswear brands are taking the radical decision to phase out synthetics in the belief that nature knows best.
05 October 2022
Innovation in seaming Innovation in seaming
A combination of welding techniques may provide a new solution to a critical feature of performance outdoor clothing: making watertight and airtight seams.
28 September 2022
Double discs Double discs
Footwear brand Altra has partnered with lacing system specialist Boa to create its latest long-range trail-running shoe, the Mont Blanc. It uses not one but two Boa discs on each shoe.
20 September 2022
Lightweight protection Lightweight protection
An idea that began as a way of reducing foam waste has opened up wide­-reaching opportunities for apparel group MAS Holdings in the field of protective clothing for sports, health and wellbeing.
14 September 2022
Vital statistics Vital statistics
The stage is set for a summer 2022 launch of Zozofit, an accessible – and highly accurate – wearable 3D body-measuring system designed to track physical transformation from the comfort of home, the gym or wherever else one gets their wellness fix.
17 August 2022
The quest for common metrics The quest for common metrics
The need to back sustainable practices with bona fide third-party certification has led to the development of countless labels and standards serving the varied environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies of brands and retailers.
10 August 2022
Higg MSI claims under scrutiny Higg MSI claims under scrutiny
The Higg Materials Sustainability Index has often been the object of criticism and debate, but an investigation conducted by the Norwegian Consumer Authority into Higg-based marketing claims has added the question of liability to the conversation.
03 August 2022
rPET’s future is in danger rPET’s future is in danger
Authorities and organisations are taking an increasingly critical look at sustainability claims to expose instances of greenwashing.
22 June 2022
Seven concerns about sustainability Seven concerns about sustainability
A report from Eco-Age raises serious questions about the way brands and campaign groups in the textile and clothing industry present sustainability claims at the moment. The call for change is loud.
15 June 2022
Out of this world Out of this world
Adidas’ director of footwear innovation, Arnau Sanjuan, tells WSA how software program Gravity Sketch is changing his approach to shoe design.
08 June 2022
Out in the open Out in the open
Running and ski mountaineering star Kílian Jornet has launched a new footwear, clothing and accessories brand with Mallorca-based footwear group Camper.
25 May 2022
Alternative carbon blacks Alternative carbon blacks
The development of black inks and pigments that are derived from sources other than petroleum and are even proven to be carbon-negative could be a game-changer in the apparel industry and beyond.
18 May 2022
Carving up territory Carving up territory
Mapping new fibres and textile terrain would appear to come naturally to Finnish renewable fibre producer Spinnova.
11 May 2022
Next generation biopolyesters Next generation biopolyesters
The polyester family includes a wide array of biopolymers that have long-standing uses in plastics and are being tested for their potential in apparel.
04 May 2022
Nylon in many shades of green Nylon in many shades of green
Recycled, biobased, biotech, made from cleaner processes or difficult-to-treat waste, the new nylon yarns that are in development cover an array of carbon footprint-reducing measures.
03 May 2022
The pace picks up The pace picks up
Sustainability remains firmly on the agenda of almost every sports and outdoor company in 2022. More than that, a detailed new report insists that, as a result of covid-19 and the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the pace of change towards sustainable materials and practices is accelerating.
19 April 2022
Graphene keeps on giving Graphene keeps on giving
Engineering company Versarien sees vast potential for graphene to add beneficial properties to textiles and sportswear, with research unlocking new properties and applications.
11 April 2022
Second chance for circular suede Second chance for circular suede
Puma has launched an experimental shoe collection that will test strengths (durability) and weaknesses (biodegradability) and determine if industrial composting could create value as fertiliser at the end their useable life.
06 April 2022
A bright outlook A bright outlook
For international winter sports brands, the issues of how to harness the energy around Beijing 2022 and grow market share in China are of standout importance. Particularly in the current, ever-changing, climate.

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