Performance Days Gives A Boost To Sustainability

Apparel, Footwear, Fashion

Performance Days Gives A Boost To Sustainability

Performance Days has given a major push to sustainability in the textile industry. In the recently concluded edition of the fair, only sustainable fabrics were presented at Performance Forum, and this initiative will continue in every edition. The popular PERFORMANCE FORUM once again displayed the most important innovative fabrics and proved revolutionary: All 240 fabrics on display were selected not only for their trendsetting features, but also and above all for their sustainability. And this will remain the case. As from this season onwards, only sustainable fabrics will be eligible for the coveted tables of the PERFORMANCE FORUM. Of the 240 fabrics, the 24 best in terms of sustainability were also presented and explained at the PERFORMANCE WALL, as well as the winners of the PERFORMANCE AWARD and the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD, which have set new standards in terms of function and ecology. Important sustainable fabric highlights were presented by (among others): Hemp Fortex, Long Advance, LMA, Merryson, Pontetorto, Polartec, Shinkong, Sympatex, Schoeller GmbH & Co. (Award) and Schoeller Textil, Tintex and Teijin Frontier (Award). Among the newcomers in the category of particularly sustainable fabrics were Ecosensor by AsahiKasei, Stotz and WA. Cloth Hybrid. Among others, ACG, Laurema, Nilorn, Welltern and YKK were a source for sustainable accessories, and PrimaLoft and Lavalan for sustainable insulation. Besides showing groundbreaking innovations in the field of sustainability, exhibitors also proved that sustainable fabric makes no compromise in a functional or fashion sense. Some highlights of the PERFORMANCE FORUMs are, for example:

New plant-based fabrics with Himalayan nettle fibres, with ginger fibres or with abaca (banana hemp)
New natural materials, undyed or dyed with vegetable dyes (wool or plant-based fabrics)
A variety of synthetic fabrics dyed without the use of water (spin-dye, dope-dye)
New top functional monocomponent laminates, e.g. made of 100 % polyamide or polyester, which are recyclable
Fabrics with recycled natural fibres, such as recycled wool or cotton
Denim made from paper cloth
Polyamide from natural raw materials such as castor oil
Recycled polyamide or polyester produced from marine waste

All exhibited fabrics are as always also tagged with a QR code, which provides further product information such as its composition and certification data. Two awards for the most innovative and sustainable fabrics This season, the PERFORMANCE FORUM Jury has not only chosen the most sustainable fabrics in all categories, it has also chosen two winners, awarding both the PERFORMANCE AWARD and also the ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD. Both fabrics are especially innovative in their own way. ECO PERFORMANCE AWARD: Schoeller Spinning Group This sustainable blend of organic merino (70%) and fine alpaca (30%) comes undyed in its natural wool and alpaca colors. The various colours of the softshell jacquard are created by the animals' natural wool colouring. This means that neither dyestuff nor chemicals are necessary for the production, and the product is recyclable and biodegradable, even in household compost. Thanks to its knitted and felted design, the softshell fabric is suitable for a wide range of applications, being windproof and water-repellent to a large extent, and at the same time very warm. With Schoeller's EXP wool treatment process the merino wool can be treated chlorine-free. PERFORMANCE AWARD: Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd The award-winning 3Layer laminate is the perfect combination of top function and sustainability. The mono-material made of polyester not only consists of recycled components but is also 100% recyclable. The outer fabric and the backing are made of polyester and also the high-performance membrane. With a water column of 20,000 mm and a breathability of 30,000 g/qm/24h, it meets the highest performance requirements. Thanks to the textured yarn made of 100% recycled polyester, the outer fabric can also be produced with a melange effect. Of course, the DWR is PFC-free. PIAVE MAITEX presents unique performances with "AGAIN" line PIAVE MAITEX presented its unique line "AGAIN" at the show, a smart and technically advanced line, that balances performances, functionality and sustainable features, formed of highly performing jerseys. Three premium Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified sustainable ingredients have been involved in the production of AGAIN: the premium stretch fibre ROICA™ EF - part of ROICA Eco-Smart™ Family - constructed out with more than 50% pre-consumer recycled content, perPETual high quality sustainable polyester born from a cost-effective process that reverses engineer consumer waste PET bottles and Reco Nylon® yarn by NUREL from 100% made of pre-consumer waste revalorizing the discarded nylon material, which is divertied from the waste stream during our manufacturing process thus closing nylon life cycle. Lastly, Piave selected the NILIT® Ecocare recycled nylon 6.6 with deep, uniform color that is certified as a pre-consumer recycled fiber by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS). In addition to the key high-tech, responsible raw materials, the Italian manufacturer presented a new development characterised by sustainable water-saving printing, with the possibility to be colour-customised.