KEY MESSAGE
In a modern business environment, traceability within supply chains is essential to ensure compliance throughout the entire process, thus improving working conditions for all stakeholders. Despite significant progress, achieving full traceability remains a challenge.

ABSTRACT CONTENT
This presentation will outline the opportunities and challenges associated with achieving full traceability within the supply chain of plant fibre processes, from the initial sowing of the crops to the final production stage. When considering the various fibres and origins, it is important to recognise that different implementation stages and challenges are involved in achieving full traceability.

KEY MESSAGE
Natural fiber nonwovens are not only a sustainable alternative, but also a valuable complement to synthetic materials with growing importance for technical applications.

ABSTRACT CONTENT
Natural fiber nonwovens are becoming more important as a sustainable solution for technical applications. Their renewable origin, lower environmental impact, and availability make them attractive for industries such as automotive, agriculture, and animal farming. At the same time, natural fibers create challenges in process stability, material consistency, moisture and fire behavior, and technical performance.

This presentation gives an overview of current applications, technical challenges, and possible solutions to improve material properties and processing. It also shows that natural fibers are not only an alternative, but a valuable complement to synthetic materials for many industrial applications.

KEY MESSAGE
There is a very wide range of different qualities available in natural fibres. There is either a sustainable processing or smooth, cottonised fibres available. This presentations provides an overview about available fibre resources and processing possibilities according to their physical properties.

ABSTRACT CONTENT
Multiple research projects are going on to focus on endemic alternative natural fibres. This paper provides an overview about current fibre alternatives to PES or Cotton and potential value streams. One big focus as well is current waste streams, where endemic natural fibres are dumped, burned or otherwise lost. Moreover, an overview is provided of current staple fibre processing technologies with an impact analysis, how fibres influence the machines and vice versa. A deeper look is done to compare the physical properties of cotton, viscose and alternative natural fibres, accessing their potentials in usage and opening up research demands.

KEY MESSAGE
It is necessary to trace polyester through the supply chain to meet sustainability goals. To burden millions of farmers with traceability requirements, while allowing polyester producers to avoid accountability, not only ensures that sustainability goals will not be met but also represents a moral injustice.

ABSTRACT CONTENT
Polyester accounts for more than 50% of all fibre production, while cotton accounts for a little over 20% and wool 1%. Nevertheless, brands & retailers and government regulators require that only natural fibres be traceable from retail, through the supply chain, all the way back to the farm. Everyone simply asserts that there is no need to trace polyester.

In a paper published by the Bremen Cotton Exchange, Veronica Bates Kassatly and I debunk this assertion and its underlying assumptions.