Q Asia Fibre Trading operates out of Singapore but manages heavy trade flows between Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh. How has this ‘Golden Triangle’ of textile manufacturing evolved in its demand for mattress-grade fibres over the last two years?
As a leader of MMCF manufacturers, we sees the growth of demand in home textiles including bedding and furniture segments. We are also seeing big shift to Man-made fibers including VSF & Lyocell consumption to home textiles segment including mattress-grade fiber due to inherent bio degradability, complimentry nature to cotton and comfort.
Q There is a global push to reduce the reliance on polyester wadding. What is the technical feasibility of using viscose staple fibres as a high-performance, biodegradable alternative for mattress quilting and padding layers?
We at APR believes that both Viscose and Lyocell are a promising alternatives for mattress quilting/padding. However, with its exceptional strenth comparable to Polyester, Lyocell stands out as best alternative. Lyocell is a versatile fiber and compatible to almost all natural fibers and on top of that close loop manufacturing technology makes it much superior to other fibers in terms of sustainability.
Q As European and North American markets implement ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ (EPR) laws, are you seeing a demand from Asian mattress manufacturers for recycled or bio-certified fibres to meet future export standards?
Yes, there is an emerging and growing demand among Asian mattress and related textile manufacturers for recycled and bio-certified fibres to anticipate future export standards shaped by EPR compliance requirements that will financially and legally link product end-of-life performance to producer costs. We anticipate increased usage of biodegradable cellulosic fibers like Lyocell which brings in functionality and bio-degradability together.
Q We are seeing more ‘functional’ yarns (e.g., antimicrobial or cooling-infused). From a trading perspective, are these still niche luxury requests, or are they becoming a standard requirement for mass-market mattress production?
As Consumer becomes more evolved, conscious and demanding , we believe that functional yarns are no longer a niche luxury segment, especially for export they are steadily becoming standard baseline features. A good sleep is dependent upon texture, moisture regulation and comfort of the bedding textile and hence manifacturers will impart more and more functiinality in these products.