Page 62 - TEXtalks. March- April 2023

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Facemask with a 65% ETH stretchable sensor

carbon footprint reduction capable of measuring

Roswell Textiles and its sister company and commercial partner, PADM Medical, have announced using body movements
its plant-based nonwoven materials. The Viraloc Eco face mask has a 65% carbon footprint reduction
compared to a traditional synthetic mask. The material is made using the ECOFUSE™, which can drive
meaningful and substantial change in the way in which we manufacture products, helping to reduce our Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an electronic yarn capable of precisely measuring how the body
collective carbon footprint by simply utilizing materials that are plant-based and return to the environment moves. Integrated directly into sportswear or work clothing, it can predict the wearer’s exhaustion level during
in a more sustainable circular process versus synthetic plastics that will take thousands of years to physical exertion. The yarn consists of inner fiber made of a conductive, elastic rubber wrapped in a rigid wire
degrade in our landfills. and clad in a thin layer of plastic.

Roswell Textiles utilizes proprietary production technologies that allow for the technical processing of “These two fibers act as electrodes and create an electric field, forming a capacitor that can hold an electric
biopolymers to achieve the high-performance requirements in nonwoven materials that have previously charge,” says Tyler Cuthbert, a postdoc in Menon’s group, who was instrumental in the research and
been impossible to achieve commercially. development that led to the invention.

ECOFUSE™ materials are being used to increase OEM’s accomplishment of net zero carbon emissions Stitching this yarn into the thigh section of a pair of stretchy running leggings means that it will stretch and
in their product lines, as well as helping companies and industries reduce their carbon emissions to slacken at a certain rhythm as the wearer runs. Each movement alters the gap between the two fibers, and thus
comply with federally and internationally mandated carbon reduction policies. ECOFUSE™ materials also the electric field and the capacitor’s charge.
align with The Paris Agreement, COP26 Initiatives, WHO, the Canadian Governments 2030 Emissions
Reduction Plan, US federal executive orders and legislation (the Federal Buy Clean Initiative, Inflation To enable the textile sensor to send electrical signals wirelessly to a smartphone, the researchers equipped it
Reduction Act, Building a Clean Energy Economy, and sustainable procurement initiatives). with a loop antenna made of conducting yarn, which was also sewn directly onto the leggings. The researchers
still have quite a bit of development work to do to make this happen but are working on turning their prototype
into a market-ready product.

Digital tool enabling Roica V550, the world’s

partners to choose first sustainable and

sustainable dyes degradable stretch yarn

Amsterdam-based Fashion for Good is launching the innovations will participate in lab and pilot trials over Roica V550 is Cradle to Cradle Gold certified and degrades under ISO 14855-1 standards,
Dyestuff Library, a digital tool enabling partners to the course of a year, with extensive compliance and decomposing to CO2 and water.
choose sustainable dyes based on competitive toxicity testing to ensure they are safe for commercial
performance and environmental metrics for use. Testing and validating the performance of these Artistic Milliners was the first manufacturer in the world to develop C2C-verified Denim Fabric in partnership with
commercial use. innovative dyes and pigments on various textile G-Star RAW and is now using Roica V550 premium in its Earthcore platform. Earthcore fabrics are Ellen
substrates will be supported. MacArthur Jeans Redesign-compliant and dyed with the company’s proprietary Crystal Clear 2.0 technology
Over the years, a significant amount of effort has which enables salt-free sulfur overdyeing.
gone into phasing out harmful chemicals and there
are consistent efforts to develop non-hazardous “The shift towards a more sustainable industry
chemistry. Today, many alternative dyes from natural happens when we share existing knowledge and give Candiani Denim is employing Roica V550 in its ReSolve collection based on a blend of GOTS-certified organic
sources such as plants, microorganisms, algae, and access to innovations with one another,” says Katrin cotton and certified regenerative cotton
recycled materials are available, but the lack of clarity Ley, Fashion for Good managing director.
on their performance and scale makes it difficult for “Collaboration, not competition, will allow the industry In its Leave No Trace collection meanwhile, Prosperity Textiles is using Roica V550 in denim based on
the industry to switch to these sustainable options. to truly transform. We are excited for the launch of our bio-based polylactides and Ciclo-infused recycled and degradable polyesters. At the Kingpins denim show in
Dyestuff Library project, which will make an extensive Amsterdam from April 12-13, Asahi Kasei showcases its Roica V550, the world-first
As part of the project, 15 selected dyestuff resource for the entire industry to use.” sustainable and degradable stretch yarn.

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