Story Ideas
Canada’s textile industry is big news. Choose from any of the current story ideas below to cover the latest on Canada’s thriving industry.
Canadian Textile Sector Saving Lives
The airbags in your car are one of those textile products that you like to know is there when you need it, but hope never to see close up. The talented Canadians who manufacture the precision yarns and manufacture airbags for automobiles around the world know this. They take quality control very seriously, ensuring that super-strong yarn is woven together in a way that prevents tears and retains its strength long after the car hits the wreckage yard.
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 19,500 people are alive today because of airbags. Among belted occupants in frontal crashes, deaths in frontal airbag-equipped cars are 26 per cent lower among drivers and 14 per cent lower among passengers compared with unequipped vehicles. Deaths among unbelted occupants in frontal crashes are reduced by 32 per cent for drivers and 23 per cent for passengers. Statistics show that the combination of an airbag and seatbelt reduces the risk of serious head injury by 85 per cent. Initial analyses of side airbags suggest they have reduced deaths drivers involved in driver-side collisions by about 45 per cent when the side airbag included head protection and by 11 percent when the side airbag was designed to protect only the torso.
Many of the airbags used in North American cars are made in Canada – from the high-density yarn manufactured at INVISTA Canada in Kingston, Ontario, to weaving, cutting and finishing at Autoliv Canada in Tilbury, Ontario.
For more information:
Paul Brown
Manager, Canadian Government and Public Affairs
INVISTA Canada
(613) 548-5320
Carpeting Improves Indoor Air Quality
More and more attention is being given to improving indoor air quality, especially in today’s increasingly air-tight houses.
In 2005, a study commissioned by the German Allergy and Asthma Society found that using “hard” flooring markedly augments the risk of finding an increased fine dust load in indoor rooms, while using wall-to-wall carpeting minimizes this risk.
Previously, in 2002, a major international survey of nearly 20,000 people in 18 countries was conducted to investigate environmental factors associated with asthma. The resulting report showed that people who lived in homes with wall-to-wall carpeting showed fewer symptoms of asthma and allergies than those without.
Another study, which surveyed environmental factors in the homes of 4,800 school-aged children in New Jersey, found that children whose bedrooms were carpeted were absent from school less often and were less prone to respiratory diseases, including asthma.
That’s because carpet fibres trap dust particles and other allergens until they are vacuumed away, while these same particles, in rooms with “hard” flooring, are constantly disturbed and present in the breathing zone.
While many consumers assume that hardwood and tile are the answers to air quality in the home, these studies show that carpet may be a better answer. The selection of a flooring material binding dust and not emitting it to the air to be breathed is an essential preventive aspect.
Meanwhile, Canadian carpet manufacturers Beaulieu Canada, Tandus, Kraus Carpet Mills, National Carpet Mills Ltd. and Venture Carpets are reacting to stiff international competition by coming up with innovative designs for home and business applications that are increasingly durable and, as shown above, easy on the air we breathe.
For more information:
Jean-Claude Carisse, CAÉ
Executive Director
Canadian Carpet Institute
(819) 684-8444
info@canadiancarpet.org
www.canadiancarpet.org
Textile Sector Leads the Way on Environmental Stewardship
The environment is a big issue these days – from climate change to air and water quality. Despite stalled talks about the Kyoto Protocol and whether Canada can meet its commitments, there is a big expectation that businesses will be major contributors to pollution reduction.
Textile companies like Hafner Inc. based in Granby, Quebec, have been making major strides on this front for more than a decade. The company implemented a company-wide recycling program in 1994 and has conducted environmental awareness training for its employees since 1996. In 1999, a water quality study of the Yamaska River indicated that the Granby water supply was contaminated and Hafner stepped up again. In 2001, the company formed an environmental committee and recruited an engineer whose dedicated area of responsibility was the company’s environmental program.
The company has also reduced atmospheric emissions by making changes to its production process. Its efforts to cooperate with other local companies have benefitted the entire community, and made Hafner an environmental leader.
For more information:
Michel Thibault
Executive Vice-President
Hafner Inc.
(450) 372-6862
Smart Textiles: Kinotex and Beyond
Since it introduced KINOTEX, a fibre optic, pressure-sensing material originally created to enable the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) Canadarm to detect other objects in space, Canada's textile industry has made a name for itself in the field of "smart" textiles. Today, Canadian textile companies continue to make waves with their innovative discoveries. Victoria-based Tactex Controls Inc., established in 1998 to commercialize KINOTEX, has applied the material to countless other products, including air-bag-deployment systems that can detect collision impact, and hospital bed sensors that monitor patients' behaviour. And Ottawa-based Solestrom Swimwear has introduced the SmartSwim™ UV Smart Bikini. The swimsuit features a waterproof UV meter that is integrated into the suit itself and that reports the UV index to the wearer.
Canadian Textiles Go High-Tech
Over the last 25 years, Canada's textile manufacturing industry has evolved to become increasingly modern, high-tech and capital-intensive. The industry's first-rate engineers and technicians have developed countless groundbreaking textiles, including biotextiles, geotextiles and aerotextiles. In particular, Canada has firmly established its reputation as a leading manufacturer of military textiles. In 1998, the Canadian government introduced the Canadian Disruptive Pattern (CADPATTM), a type of camouflage that incorporates digital patterns to provide more effective camouflage and disrupt digital surveillance equipment. Since CADPAT's debut, countries around the world have rushed to adopt similar designs for their soldiers. And the Department of National Defence's ongoing Clothe the Soldier (CTS) project, which was launched in 1996, is working with the latest textile technology to develop state-of-the-art protective gear for the Canadian military.
Textiles and Recreation
Leading Canadian technical apparel and equipment companies have had great success creating cutting-edge textile solutions to meet the needs of today's athletes and adventurers.
Quebec-based The North Face, premier supplier of technically innovative outdoor apparel, equipment and footwear, recently received the 2005 Polartec Apex Design Award for the Men's and Women's Apex Free Climb Jacket. The jacket employs a sonic welding technology to weld all of the jacket's seams together. The welded seams eliminate stitching, resulting in a light, comfortable, breathable jacket that is virtually waterproof.
Sierra Designs was awarded the 2006 "Gear of the Year" award by Outside Magazine. The Ontario-based company won the award for its Trade Wind 15-Degree DriZone™ waterproof/breathable sleeping bag. The sleeping bag is designed with the award-winning DriZone™ laminated waterproof and breathable fabric that allows moisture to escape while keeping condensation out.
Best Kept Secret: Canada's Leading-Edge Textile Companies
Over the past few decades, textile companies across the country have made a name for Canada's thriving textile industry. So far 2006 has been a banner year. After launching its new fibre optic patient-monitoring device at the White House in December 2005, Victoria's Tactex Controls Inc. is currently working with researchers in Canada and the United States to develop new sensing applications. In March of this year, Saint-Georges, Quebec's Victor Innovatex was awarded the prestigious Design Journal Award for Design Excellence for its sustainable, leading-edge fabric, Eco Intelligence® Asana panel fabric. And Montreal's Consoltex Inc., the largest Canadian manufacturer of woven, man-made technical textiles, joined forces with Florida-based Sun Capital Partners in a move that is expected to increase Consoltex's reach into the international market. For a list of some of Canada's leading textile companies, visit http://www.groupecttgroup.com/index.php?module=CMS&func=view&id=13.
Canada Leads the Way in Automotive Textiles
Canada has long been recognized as a leading supplier and manufacturer of airbags, delivering cutting-edge technologies that protect drivers and passengers around the world. A major contributor to Canada's success in automotive textiles is Autoliv, Inc. Based in Tillbury, Ontario, Autoliv is a worldwide leader in automotive safety, a pioneer in both seat belts and airbags. The company works with cutting-edge textiles to develop products that keep drivers and passengers safe. Victoria-based Tactex Controls Inc. is also a key player in the industry, having introduced KINOTEX to the automotive market. The fibre optic pressure-sensing fabric is used in intelligent airbag-deployment systems, and can detect collision impact on the sides of vehicles.
Canada Cares: Medical Textile Breakthroughs
From fibre optic bed sensors for patients, to bandages which can time-release medication, Canada is leading the way in medical textiles. Victoria's Tactex Controls Inc. has been a major player in the field of medical textiles, with advances in patient-monitoring devices such as "smart" beds that can detect changes in patients' vital signs. And Toronto-based Stafford Textiles Limited has developed a line of moisture resistant, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, breathable fabrics that can be used for hospital mattresses and wheelchair cushions.
Medical textile breakthroughs aren't limited to private companies. The University of Manitoba's Department of Textile Sciences continues to develop high-tech protective clothing that protects health care workers from bacteria, and artificial blood vessels and heart valves that are made from textile products.
Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Prompts E-Textile Breakthroughs
Many breakthroughs in Canadian textile technology came about as a result of projects that were commissioned for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). KINOTEX, a Canadian-made fibre optic pressure-sensing material, was originally created for the CSA's Canadarm. It was designed to simulate the function of human skin and give robotic limbs the sense of touch. This ability enabled scientists on Earth to detect when the Canadarm bumped into other objects while it performed maintenance tasks on the International Space Station, which was thousands of miles away. Since its launch in outer space, Canadian textile engineers have applied KINOTEX to a variety of medical, automotive and computer-input products. The so-called "smart fabric" is used in patient-monitoring devices, pressure-sensing controllers for animators and musicians, and intelligent air-bag deployment systems.
Textiles Keep Canada Working
Canada's textile industry has grown to become one of the country's most innovative and technology-driven sectors, making investments of $3.8 billion in new plants, equipment and process research and development from 1994 to 2002. The textile and clothing industries together are among Canada's largest manufacturing-sector employers. Canada's textile industry alone shipped $6.6 billion worth of fibres, yarns, fabrics and textile articles in 2002, and accounts for 2.5% of total manufacturing industry employment.
More than 150 industries use textile fibres, yarns, and fabrics to manufacture an almost endless array of products for markets such as apparel, household furnishings and transportation. Textiles are also used in leading-edge products such as flame retardant suits worn by firefighters, roofing material on domed sports facilities and automotive airbags.
Canada's Carpet Industry Breaks New Ground
Canada's carpet industry accounts for over 20 percent of the Canadian textile industry. Its carpets feature the latest advancements in textile technology, such as superior moisture barrier properties that offer resistance to moisture from spills. The industry owes its success in large part to companies such as Interface Flooring Systems (Canada) Inc. in Belleville, Ontario and Beaulieu Canada in Acton Vale, Quebec. Both these companies have helped to establish Canada's carpet industry as highly innovative and committed to preserving our natural resources.
Beaulieu Canada is the largest manufacturer and distributor of tufted broadloom carpet in Canada. Known for producing world-class carpets for commercial and residential buildings, Beaulieu is also dedicated to working with and manufacturing environmentally safe and sustainable products.
In 1994, Interface Flooring Systems launched its sustainability program which allowed the company to boost production by 250 percent and to save over $12 million in energy and resource costs. The company is also making waves with its climate-neutral carpets which were first introduced in 1999.
Canada's carpet industry is supported by organizations such as the Canadian Carpet Institute and the National Floor Covering Association.
The Canadian Textile Industry Most Innovative in Manufacturing
Canada's textile industry is capital and technology intensive, and continuously re-invests to remain internationally competitive. The textile industry invested $4.3 billion* between 1995 and 2004. (*This figure does not include investments by man-made fibre & filament yarn producers, for which data is not available.). A recent study entitled Innovation Performance in Canadian Manufacturing Industries showed an 85.8% innovation intensity rate for "Textile Mills" and 83.5% for "Textile Product Mills", compared to 80.2% for the Canadian manufacturing sector as a whole.
The same study also showed "Textile Mills" consistently outpaced the "Total Manufacturing Industries" average for all activities linked to product or process innovation.