1. Economic impact of nanotechnology
in the textile sector

2. Table of contents
• Bax & Willems CV
• ObservatoryNANO
• The European textile industry
• What Nano can do for the textile industry
• Concerns about the use of nanotechnology
• Existing “nano-enhanced” products
• Barriers for nanotechnology in the textile sector
• What can we expect for the future
• Conclusions

3. Bax & Willems Consulting Venturing
• Support clients across Europe in optimising the ratio between R&D
investment and future business creation
• Matching future businesses with future technologies
• Searching & selecting business opportunities
• Developing collaborative R&D programmes
• Creating strategies to exploit opportunities
• Exploring the future to decide now
• Since 1985

4. ObservatoryNANO in brief
4 Years
Consortium 16 Partners
10 Technology/Market
sectors analysed
Aerospace, Agrifood Chemistry & Energy Environment Health, Medicine ICT Textiles Security
Construction & Nanobio
Automotive, & Materials
Transport

5. www.observatory-nano.eu

6. Let’s Focus… the European Textile Industry
• Turnover 2007: €210 billion
• Companies: 145,000 - Mainly Small & Medium-sized enterprises
• Employment: 2,5 million people (-6% compared 2006)
• Diverse sectors
 Clothing & apparel
 Home & interiors
 Technical textiles
• High competence of low-wage countries (North Africa, China,
Pakistan,..)
• Search for new commercialization strategies & innovative products

7. How is the future for European Textile Industry?
According to the European Technology
Platform for the Future of Textiles and
Clothing…
Potential benefits of Nanotechnology
New and/or enhanced functionalities
Self-cleaning textiles
Anti bacterial / anti-odour textiles
UV - Protection
Conductive textiles
Reinforced textiles
Flame retardant textile
Source: Strategic Research Agenda ETP for the future …
of textiles & Clothing - June 2006 - EURATEX
Reduction of material consumption
Environmentally friendly

8. But still, there are some general concerns….
What is Nanotechnology
What are the benefits of using it
How much will it cost me?
Is it safe to use nano-enhanced
products?
Is it dangerous to produce them?

9. However.. Is it already possible to buy “nano-enhanced”
products?
Self-cleaning / Lotus effect Water repellency
Moisture
management
Anti-bacterial Flame
retardant
www.nanotechproject.org

10. Why we can find already “nano” products?
• Use of nanotechnology is considered to be a good marketing
tool for certain properties
• Most of the current “nano-enhanced” products available in the
market are obtained by the application of “nano-enabled”
coatings
• Does everything that claims to be “nano” contain
naotechnology?
• Nano is not a protected term

11. What could be the “nano-enhanced” products in the
near future?
Technical textiles is the sub-sector with more potential
• Reinforced textiles
• Conductive textiles
• Nano-encapsulates for medical applications
• Fire retardant textiles
• Optical effects
• Nanofiltration
However growth is conditioned by several factors…

12. What are the barriers for nanotechnology to be widely
adopted by the textile industry?
• Textile industry is a fragmented/traditional sector reluctant to
change
• There is a general lack of knowledge about nanotechnology
(Benefits & risks)
• Difficulties in process scale-up
• Lack of “nano-experienced” personnel at the industry
• Technical limitations
 Process reliability, difficulty to achieve the desired particle dispersion,
“wash-ability”, availability of nanomaterials and other functional
requirements

13. What is the current situation of nanotechnology in the
textile industry?.. Facts
• Several “nano” textile products are already in the market
mainly in the apparel and home textiles sectors
• Main functionalities provided by nanotechnology are: self-
cleaning & anti-bacterial
In most cases nanotechnology is just part of the solution
• Still there are some technical and economical challenges for
wider industrial impact
• “Nano-enabled” products still represents a minor part of the
total market (Significantly less than 1%)

14. What can we expect in the near future?
• Initial forecast predicted an exponential growth of
Nanotechnology in the textile sector in the coming years…
• At present, these forecasts seem highly overrated due to:
 Current Nanotechnology penetration
 State of the art of nanotechnology developments
 Industry’s concerns regarding Nanotechnology implementation
(HSE issues, increase in final product costs, No perception of need
to change, difficulty to replace existing processes, lack of qualified
resources)
 … present economic situation

15. Nanotechnology is around the corner….
But…
it is going to take a while before we get there!

16. Thank you
for your attention!

17. Contact details
Member of:
Roger de Lluria 120
E-08037 Barcelona, Spain
http://www.bwcv.es
Tel: +34 93 476 04 44
Fax: +34 93 476 04 77
José Conde j.conde@bwcv.es