Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024 - 47

At Fisher Textiles in Matthews, N.C.,
technology shortens the time to print,
cut and sew the full graphics and gets
products out the door quicker than
ever before. " Finishing equipment such
as automatic textile laser cutting and
industrial sewing tables with conveyor
belts that automatically cut bead can
shrink bottlenecks in the finishing
department, " says Lisa Scarafoni,
sales and new business development
manager at Fisher Textiles. " Laser
power that's adjustable to the fabric
being cut means constant quality and
no yellowing or burning of the edges. "
Sustainability efforts
Increasingly, customers care about
what comprises a fabric and its life
cycle. Many big players in the trade
show market seek out sustainability
features in a display's components, says
Scarafoni. That drives change from
suppliers and manufacturers. Fisher
Textiles responded to those concerns
with its Enviro-Tex line, which includes
the company's top 10 selling fabrics in
100% recycled postconsumer versions.
" Our lineup includes fabric media
with between 20 and 51 recycled
plastic water bottles per linear yard
for backlit and front-lit [silicone edge
graphics] SEG, printable blockout,
pillowcase displays, outdoor canopy
tents, backdrops, roll-up banners and
tablecloths, " Scarafoni says.
Fisher Textiles recently released
Green Groove keder, which is PVCfree
and matches typical silicone
properties in elasticity and hardness.
It performs like silicone when sewn
onto the backside of printed fabric
to produce silicone edge graphics,
without traceable amounts of metals
or compounds that cannot be
recycled. " Traditional recycling chains
that accept polypropylene-based
products can recycle Green Groove, "
 A Moss eMotion™ animated lightbox with a scenic graphic printed on SustainaGlow UV, a
material that has a 100% recycled base and acrylic-coated backlit fabric. Image: Moss Inc.
Scarafoni says. " In contrast to many
other plastic materials, it can be
recycled-reprocessed-an indefinite
number of times with negligible
reduction in performance. "
In June 2024, Moss launched
Sustaina, a fabric collection that
includes materials with recycled
content. These sustainable fabrics
are priced the same as other Moss
fabrics. Decker says, " We have the raw
materials to help customers take action
without a cost impact. Customers who
choose Sustaina products pay zero
additional cost [over materials without
recycled content]. "
Moss is also testing a gasket made
solely of woven polyester. " Using
narrow fabric, we will have a gasket
for display booths made entirely from
fabric, " says Decker. " Coupled with our
Sustaina fabric, the entire display will
be recyclable, which is where we see
the industry headed. "
Other environmental efforts include
running the business on renewable
energy and a continual quest for
SpecialtyFabricsReview.com 47
" Printing technology
performs so fast that
we can print [colored]
fabric on demand. "
Elissa Decker
Moss Inc.

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Specialty Fabrics Review December 2024

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