Technological progressGeneral Trends of Innovation in the Technical Textiles Sector Development level Chart: Life cycle stages of materials and manufacturing systems from a technological point of view. (Source: Tecnitex Ingenieros) focusing on the transformation of in- sulating tissues into fabrics with con- ductive properties or obtaining electron- ic textiles, among others. Thus, the main innovations in the field of materials, in recent years, have been based on: •Provide new properties and func- tionalities by means of: •New and improved polymers and additives •Multicomponent fibers and multifil- ament •New fiber surfaces •New shapes / dimensions of the fi- bers (micro / nanofibers) •New or improved fiber blends •Innovative uses for conventional fi- bers •Improving the sustainability of fibers (recyclable, renewable fiber/ biopolymers)Research lines in materials/fibres Technological area: Materials/fibres Main lines of research: Deployment and exploitation of technical capacity from current fibres. Development of adaptable fibres, capable to regulate their functionality according to the surrounding environment.solutions such as recycling, waste re- duction, production efficiency and closed-loop production. With increas- ing involvement from governments, these standards now are becoming crucial for trade and businesses. It is obvious that sustainability is a ris- ing concern of brands, equipment and fabric manufacturers, and consumers. The industry is still very recycled-cen- tric, which is clearly not enough. There has been a greater push for water sav- Production of super-mimetic fibres, with a deployment functionalities alike living beings. The fiber and yarn sector is an integral part of the textile and garment indus- tries. To stay competitive, these indus- tries are striving for continuous im- provement and therefore are constantly looking for innovative solutions to meet the changing demands and in- dustry standards. These standards are geared mainly towards sustainable NCM-OCTOBER 2021 47Image: Electron microscope photo- graph of a banana fibre for its use in composites, developed in the BAN-TEX project (Source: LEITAT).