Reef, a Carlsbad, Calif., manufacturer of sandals and surfing wear, sponsors the annual Reef Hawaiian Pro surfing competition, bringing surfing fanatics from around the globe to the first stop on the Vans Triple Crown of surfing. Vinyl banners from this and other sponsored events once ended up in landfills, until Reef launched its Reef Redemption™ [...]

Zachary Quinn and Brian Keller, students at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., launched a class project to fight pediatric cancer called “Love Your Melon.” The “Buy one, Give one” strategy involves asking people to buy a knit hat and donate another, which are then distributed with good humor to children hospitalized with [...]

Oil tycoon Edward Doheny built the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills in 1927 to make a grand statement. Less than 40 years later, his elegant mansion with its formal gardens and European sensibility became a public space, purchased by the City of Beverly Hills as a public park and event destination. Interior design firm L’Esperance [...]

The Perth Hockey Stadium is where Australia’s national field hockey teams prepare for and play their most important matches, and Hockey Western Australia wanted the best artificial grass system available for the venue. Following the example of the Royal Netherlands Hockey Association and ten other Dutch hockey clubs, Hockey Western Australia selected GreenFields® TX to [...]

Workers in the electric utility, oil and gas, emerging energy and manufacturing lines face daily risk from flash fires, arc flash and related dangers—and often have to trade comfort for safety in their fire-resistant apparel. Bulwark® FR, Nashville, Tenn., part of VF Corp.’s portfolio of brands, makes durable, flame-resistant protective garments, and in partnership with [...]

A research team led by Ali Javey, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, has created a material that moves quickly in response to light. The team layered carbon nanotubes on a plastic polycarbonate membrane. Light is absorbed into the nanotubes, which convert it to heat and transfer [...]

The European Space Agency launched a satellite in December 2013 that will survey an unprecedented one percent of the 100 billion stars in our galaxy. Technical Fibre Products (TFP), Kendal, England, provided specialty nonwoven fabrics incorporated into the satellite GAIA’s solar shield, part of the multi-layer insulation that manages temperature extremes in space. TFP develops [...]

With the year-end 2013 deadline for completing the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) now passed, the focus has shifted to completing the talks ahead of a visit by President Obama to Asia planned for April 2014. Although TPP negotiators are said to have identified potential compromises or “landing zones” on key outstanding issues last December, they [...]

Textile companies have a new option to have production plants independently evaluated and certified as using sustainable technologies and social working conditions. “STeP by OEKO-TEX®” certification helps brand providers, manufacturers and retailers select textile companies that meet their sustainability principles and requirements. Now, OEKO-TEX, Zurich, Switzerland, makes supply chain sustainability tracking even easier with a [...]

The “cure for the common cold”—as well as other viral and bacterial infections that cause bronchitis and diarrhea—is prevention through good hand washing, covering aerosols produced during sneezes and keeping surfaces clean. The Hohenstein Institute, Bönnnigheim, Germany, has demonstrated the benefits of copper-based fabric finishes in surface wipes that absorb 91 percent of viruses and [...]