Man-made Fibers Congress Dornbirn, Austria, September 13-15,2017

The infinite story of ultra-light & always more ingenious high performance features: What’s next?

Dr. Isa Hofmann, managing director of IHOFMANN, will be moderating a panel discussion on protective textiles in the framework of the 56th Man-made Fibers Congress in Dornbirn, Austria, on September 14. IHOFMANN – INTERNATIONAL . INTERDISCIPLINARY, is a communication agency, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, whose key customers include international textile companies. Since several years, Dr. Isa Hofmann has been appointed as a member to the program committee of the international Man-made Fibers Congress and thus involved in the ongoing industry dialogue. Within the framework of the panel discussion leading industry representatives from Europe and the US will exchange their views on current and future requirements of the market for protective textiles. Among the participants will be a representative from the NASA. She is also giving a lecture on flame retardant fibers for human space exploration – past, present, future. Further committed participants are Tencate, DSM Dyneema from the Netherlands, Lenzing, Austria and the Israeli company Nilit with a representative coming from the Italian office.

UV-protection is by now a standard in outdoor clothing

The requirements for protective clothing have become more and more demanding. Not only products shall be ultra-light, but they have to fulfill the ambitious criteria for sustainable production and processing. Extreme high performance features are a must, the ecological footprint shall be kept as small as possible. How to combine both and how to further enhance product requirements in the future? These are some of the questions the participants of the panel discussion are going to debate.

There is a growing demand for additional UV protection with respect to the increase of skin cancer and a better information on the consequences of an unprotected exposure to the sun. This functionality is becoming more and more a standard feature, when it comes to the protective requirements for functional gear of numerous outdoor activities. Such as climbing, biking, fishing, football, golf, sailing, skiing as well as surfing, tennis and canoeing. Other important features are for example protection from insects, a well balanced moisture management and obviously well-being and comfort.

The Man-Made Fibers Congress has developed as a recognized brand

In recent years Dornbirn-MFC has gradually developed as a global brand. More than 700 participants from 34 nations underscore the importance. Around 100 qualified lectures, around 1/3 from the industry, attract annually representatives from the entire textile value chain, from fibers towards retail respectively branded products to come to Dornbirn. Among the visitors of the three days congress are also leading representatives from research and European associations as well as the chemical industry.