Sustainability meets Hightech – the driving force behind textile innovation
4 Nov 2025
When machines become smarter, processes more efficient and materials more environmentally friendly, a new paradigm emerges: Sustainability meets Hightech.
Few industries embody this transformation as clearly as the textile sector – from fibre to fashion, from coatings to digital design. We present three companies that demonstrate that technology and sustainability are not opposites, but rather mutual drivers: Dilo, Michelman, and Shima Seiki.
Mechanical intelligence: New standards in nonwoven fabric production
Mechanical needling is regarded as one of the most versatile methods in nonwoven production. Dilo has been advancing this technology for decades, with an increasing focus on energy efficiency. Its latest development, MicroPunch, demonstrates how mechanical processes can also be applied economically and resource-efficiently in the lightweight nonwoven sector. “We save approximately 75 to 80 per cent energy compared with hydroentanglement,” explains Johann Philipp Dilo, Managing Director of the family-owned company. Until now, very lightweight nonwovens were usually bonded thermally or by water jet. With MicroPunch, Dilo has made mechanical needling viable for this weight range too – cutting energy consumption by up to approx. 80 per cent. It marks a decisive step towards more sustainable production for hygiene, medical and apparel applications.
At the same time, digitalisation plays a central role. With the DIConnect system, production data, energy consumption and machine efficiency can be monitored in real time. Intelligent control systems – such as the DILOWATT system for optimising air flow – further reduce the energy demand of the air handling system, which can account for around 50 per cent of total energy consumption.
“We are not only reducing costs, but also drastically lowering the CO₂ footprint.”
Source: Dilo Systems GmbH
Recycling plays a central role at Dilo – and that stems from a long technical tradition. The roots of needling technology reach back to the late 19th century, when textile waste and fibre residues were first mechanically consolidated into new materials – for upholstery, mattresses or automotive interiors, for example.
Dilo builds on this historical idea and today offers complete recycling lines that transform waste fibre streams into high-quality nonwovens. Together with partners such as Dell’Orco & Villani (fibre recovery) and TechnoPlants (aerodynamic web formation), the company develops modern, energy-efficient solutions for a wide range of applications. In this way, high-tech mechanics become a tool for a truly circular economy.
Chemistry without compromise for sustainable functionality
While Dilo focuses on mechanical processes, Michelman, headquartered in the United States with manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia, provides the chemical foundation for sustainable performance. The company develops water-based coatings and binders that functionalise textile materials – while consistently avoiding environmentally harmful PFAS. The Unyte® product line is a prime example: it offers adhesion, thermal stability, and water and oil resistance – and remains environmentally safe.
Photos: Michelman
“Everything that Michelman does is water-based. We’re experts in solution-based surface modifiers. Sustainability is part of our DNA,” emphasises Lauren Hickey, Senior Manager, Global Marketing. The water-based systems achieve the same level of abrasion and water resistance as PFAS coatings – only without their environmental drawbacks.
Michelman views sustainability as a circular process: its coatings not only enhance product performance, but can also be reapplied to recycled fibres – extending the material’s life cycle. At the same time, the company calls for a shift in mindset: not every application requires maximum oil repellency if adhesion and abrasion resistance are sufficient.
“What’s important now is to understand the critical performance requirements — not everything needs to be over-engineered.”
With this philosophy, Michelman has earned EcoVadis Gold rating for three consecutive years and established itself as a driving force behind a new generation of smart, green textile chemistry.
Seamlessly digital: Connecting design, production and circularity
At the other end of the textile value chain, Shima Seiki demonstrates how digital high-tech solutions are transforming the fashion industry. The Japanese company is recognised as the inventor of WHOLEGARMENT® knitting – a technology in which garments are produced seamlessly in a single piece. This eliminates cutting waste and sewing residues entirely: “A single garment used to generate around 130 grams of waste – with 1,000 pieces, that’s 130 kilograms,” explains Yuen Yim from the Digital Solution Team.
By combining digital design (APEXFiz®) with computer-controlled production, a continuous and resource-efficient process emerges: virtual 3D samples replace physical ones, saving time, energy and materials. “Our customers reduce development time by over 50 per cent and costs by 60 per cent,” says Yim.
Photos: Shima Seiki
The G2G project shows how old clothes can be transformed into new fashion pieces directly onsite. Source: Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel
At the same time, the technology opens doors to new business models – from customer-to-manufacturer approaches to microfactories that transform recycled yarns into new fashion directly on site. One example is the G2G project (“Garment to Garment”) by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel, which demonstrates how old clothes can be turned into new pieces inside a container-space store.
“Sustainability is not an expense – it’s an opportunity,” says Yim. Indeed, digitalisation, individualisation and circularity merge here into a system that unites creativity with climate responsibility.
Conclusion: The textile future is hybrid – and holistically green
Whether through mechanical efficiency, chemical innovation or digital intelligence – these three companies show that sustainability in textiles does not mean compromise, but technological progress.
Dilo turns mechanical energy efficiency into a viable solution for lightweight nonwovens, Michelman proves that chemistry and environmental awareness can go hand in hand, and Shima Seiki demonstrates how design software and knitting technology can together lead to almost waste-free fashion production.
The common denominator: Sustainability combined with high-tech is a living practice throughout the textile value chain – from fibre to fashion retail. The future of the textile industry will not only be more sustainable, but also smarter, more connected and more creative than ever before.
Cover photo: The G2G project (“Garment to Garment”) by Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel. Source: HKRITA
