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Tech Textiles & Nonwovens

New Fibres Move Into Protective Textiles

• By  Textile Excellence
• September 30, 2026

New-age fibres are moving beyond niche applications and into some of the textile industry’s most demanding jobs, including protective clothing and extreme-weather gear.

That was the focus of a seminar on “Application of New-Age Fibres in Protective Textiles” held at NITRA, Ghaziabad, on September 10, 2026, alongside a meeting of the BIS Protective Clothing Sectional Committee (TXD 32).

Organised jointly by NITRA and BIS in hybrid mode, the event brought together experts from industry, academia, research institutions and standards organisations to examine how emerging fibres can deliver better performance, comfort, durability and sustainability.

Technical presentations covered the development of lightweight extreme-cold protective clothing using high-Clo-value milkweed fibre, as well as the potential of ramie, flax, nettle and industrial hemp as new-age bast fibres for technical textiles.

The discussions went beyond fibre performance. Experts highlighted the need for stronger research, testing, standardisation, technology development and industry collaboration if these materials are to move from promising research to commercial protective textiles.

The TXD 32 meeting also provided a platform to discuss protective-clothing standards, testing requirements and emerging technologies.

Dr M. S. Parmar, Director General, NITRA, welcomed J. K. Gupta, Scientist ‘E’ & Head (TXD), BIS, and thanked BIS for its continued cooperation in textile standardisation and technological advancement.

The message was clear: new fibres will need both technology and standards to make the leap into real-world protective applications.

Dr M. S. Parmar, Director General, NITRA, welcomed J. K. Gupta, Scientist ‘E’ & Head (TXD), BIS, and thanked BIS for its continued cooperation in textile standardisation and technological advancement. The message was clear: new fibres will need both technology and standards to make the leap into real-world protective applications.