Fashion
US researchers replace harmful chemicals with eco-friendly cottonseed
The process for harvesting cotton and creating fabric for textiles includes collecting the wispy cellulose fibres of the cotton boll, removing the cotton seeds interspersed in the fibres, spinning the cotton into yarn, weaving the yarn into fabric and then finishing the fabric with a variety of chemicals that alter its physical properties — for example, making it softer or wrinkle resistant.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a sustainable method using cottonseed oil to finish cotton fabrics—offering a safer alternative to harmful chemicals like formaldehyde and PFAS.
These methods aim to make fabrics smooth and durable without compromising environmental or human health.
Graduate student Taylor Kanipe presented the findings at the ACS Fall 2025 meeting.
Formaldehyde-based resins have traditionally been used as a fabric finishing agent. The sticky resin easily binds to cotton’s cellulose fibres, forming chemical bridges to make the long cellulose fibres resistant to wrinkling or stretching. While formaldehyde is cheap, easy to use and highly reactive, at high concentrations it is considered a Class 1 carcinogen. Formaldehyde can also cause skin and respiratory irritation.?Fluorine-
To eliminate the need for formaldehyde-based resins and PFAS in cotton fabric finishing, a group led by Richard Venditti, a professor of forest biomaterials, paper science and engineering at NC State, set out to create a green alternative by chemically altering seed oil from the cotton plant itself. Drawing on previous research at NC State, Kanipe, Venditti and colleagues took advantage of specific chemical properties in cottonseed oil to insert epoxy groups along the long carbon chains that make up the oil molecules. The epoxide group allows epoxidised cottonseed oil (ECSO) molecules to create strong chemical bonds with the cellulose fibres in cotton fabric and with each other, forming a polymer and making the fabric hydrophobic. The epoxy groups also create oil molecule bridges between the cellulose fibres, making the fabric resistant to wrinkling.
In addition to fabric finishing, ECSO could provide a use for the cottonseed oil harvested along with the cotton fibers, making it as inexpensive, easy to use and effective as formaldehyde resins.
“Epoxidised vegetable oils have a range of applications,” Kanipe explains. “While native cottonseed oil lacks the reactivity of formaldehyde-based resins, this simple epoxidation process produces a safer, more user-friendly alternative for applications like durable press finishes.”
The researchers weighed and chemically analyzed the ECSO-treated fabric using a type of infrared spectroscopy to ensure the ECSO molecules had successfully bonded to the fabric’s surface. To evaluate the finished fabric’s water repellent qualities, the researchers used a high-speed camera to measure the contact angle at which water droplets would interact with the cotton surface. The larger the angle between the water droplet and the surface of the fabric, the greater the water resistance. Untreated fabric showed no contact angle (in other words, the water was fully absorbed into the fabric), while ECSO-treated fabric showed a contact angle of 125 degrees, indicating a significant increase in water-repelling ability.
Future studies will measure additional performance factors in ECSO-treated cotton fabric, including tear strength, durability and wrinkle resistance. The team’s goal is to create a process of treating cotton with an ECSO water emulsion, a green process that does not require hazardous finishing substances.
“If we can achieve our goal of changing the properties of the cotton fabric — making it anti-wrinkle, anti-staining and water-resistant — using a water-based process, we’ll have a green process for putting a bio-based material onto cotton as a replacement for formaldehyde- and PFAS-based finishes,” says Venditti.
This research was funded by Cotton Incorporated and an Agriculture and Food Research Initiative from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)
Apparel imports (code **) eased to Au$*.*** billion (~$*.*** billion), compared with Au$*.*** billion a year earlier. In November ****, imports fell sharply by **.** per cent year on year to Au$*.*** billion (~$*.*** billion) from Au$*.*** billion. The November contraction points to retailers delaying replenishment amid weak consumer confidence, promotional stock overhangs, and a preference for tighter inventory management ahead of the peak sales season.
Imports of textile yarn, fabrics, and made-up articles (code **) increased *.** per cent to Au$*.*** billion (~$*.*** billion) from Au$*.*** billion in the same period last year. However, November **** shipments under this category slipped to Au$*** million, down from Au$*** million in November ****, indicating short-term moderation after earlier restocking by manufacturers and converters.
The CFDA x NY Forward Grant Fund, developed with funding from both the New York State Department of State and Ralph Lauren Corporation (Ralph Lauren), will provide partially matching grants to designers and manufacturers based in New York City’s Garment District. The U.S. Fashion Manufacturing Fund, created with Ralph Lauren as founding partner, will support apparel manufacturers nationwide. Both programs aim to help companies to modernize equipment, expand services, and train workers – building the capacity and resilience of American fashion manufacturing.
CFDA has launched two new grant programmes with Ralph Lauren to strengthen American fashion manufacturing.
The CFDA x NY Forward Grant Fund will support New York City’s Garment District, while the US Fashion Manufacturing Fund will aid manufacturers nationwide, focusing on modernisation, workforce training, innovation and long-term industry resilience.
These programs build on the success of the CFDA’s Fashion Manufacturing Initiative (FMI), launched in 2013 in affiliation with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Andrew Rosen, and with the long-term support of Ralph Lauren, among others. To date, Ralph Lauren has contributed $2 million as FMI’s Premier Underwriter, enabling grants to 54 factories and positively impacting more than 2,000 jobs.
“Strengthening American manufacturing to ensure designers have local partners has long been at the core of CFDA’s mission,” said Steven Kolb, CEO and President of the CFDA. “We are proud to extend our decade-plus work with Ralph Lauren Corporation and expand to a national level while also continuing our local NYC investments alongside our first-ever partnership with the New York State Department of State.”
Together, these new grant programs mark a landmark commitment: sustaining New York’s Garment District while bolstering U.S. manufacturing nationwide — ensuring that American fashion continues to lead globally through innovation, craftsmanship and community.
“Our expanded partnership with the CFDA reflects Ralph Lauren’s enduring commitment to advancing innovation and supporting American fashion,” said Katie Ioanilli, Chief Global Impact & Communications Officer, Ralph Lauren Corporation. “This is not only an investment in our industry — it’s an investment in a vital part of American culture that we share with the world.”
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Economic momentum remained strong at the end of 2025, with real GDP expanding 8.4 per cent year on year (YoY) in the fourth quarter, the fastest pace in several years. Growth was driven by robust export-oriented industrial production. Credit growth surged to 19.4 per cent YoY by December, well above deposit growth of 14 per cent, SBV said in a release.
Vietnam’s interbank rates, which rose sharply in late 2025, are expected to ease in 2026 as credit growth and economic momentum cool.
GDP expanded 8.4 per cent year on year in Q4, while credit growth of 19.4 per cent outpaced deposits.
Despite a strong 2025, US tariff risks remain.
The SBV is likely to keep rates steady while targeting slower credit growth.
While Vietnam enters 2026 on a positive footing after achieving an estimated 8 per cent growth in 2025, external risks remain significant for the export-driven economy. Goods exports to the US, which account for around 30 per cent of the total, face the lagged impact of 20 per cent reciprocal tariffs, uncertainty over transshipment duties, and the risk of additional sectoral measures, including possible semiconductor levies.
Monetary authorities have signalled a cautious policy stance for 2026 despite an official GDP growth target of 10 per cent, which analysts view as difficult to achieve. Growth is expected to moderate to around 6.5 per cent, while the SBV has set a lower credit growth target of 15 per cent to limit overheating and resource misallocation risks.
The refinancing rate is expected to remain unchanged at 4.50 per cent, though the possibility of an unexpected rate hike cannot be ruled out if liquidity strains persist.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
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