The continuous research and development regarding firefighters’ personal protective equipment (PPE) has led to significant improvements in recent decades. Despite the evolution of firefighters’ PPE, every year an undesirable number of firefighters are seriously burned during firefighting operations, with some of them eventually losing their lives. The protection given by firefighters’ PPE can be further increased with the incorporation of smart textiles in the personal protective equipment, namely, wearable electronics (i.e., integrated sensors to monitor diverse parameters: heart rate, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide detector, and setting real-time communication with a command post) and advanced materials such as phase change materials (PCMs). The evolution of firefighters’ PPE has been followed by an evolution and update in the international and national standards that specify performance requirements for firefighters’ protective clothing for structural and wildland firefighting as well as technical rescue. This study will focus on the analysis of firefighters protective clothing evolution regarding the use and integration of advanced smart materials, namely, phase change materials, taking into consideration the evolution and requirements of international and European standards as well as national legislation for firefighters’ protective clothing.

Technical clothing with light-responsive features for outdoor sports practiced in environments with low visibility is extremely important for athletes’ safety. Lack of signaling by users and visibility for drivers is one of accidents causes, namely run overs, which can leave serious consequences. The products available on the market lack efficiency and their design is not appealing which makes the development of these new materials a compelling need. Therefore, fluorescent and phosphorescent functional finishings with ability to provide illuminant signalization without compromising the design and/or color of clothing as well as comfort and ergonomics, were developed and applied in the textile structure by knife over roll coating technology. The greatest challenge is to integrate the high visibility materials without compromising the design of the garment and accomplish the European Standard of Protective clothing: Enhanced visibility equipment for medium risk situations and test methods and requirements—EN 17353 (that supersedes EN1150:1999 and allows more freedom in the design of the apparel) published in 2020. Phosphorescent materials were evaluated by luminance decay according to DIN 67510, before and after fastness to wash tests. Results obtained regarding high visibility functional finishings and the integration of the materials developed in the final sports collection will be presented.

Considering the high level of heat and flame exposure firefighters encounter while performing their work activities, personal protective equipment (PPE) is of the utmost importance to enhance their safety. Phase change materials (PCMs) are known as advanced materials able to absorb high amounts of thermal energy, with the potential to increase the thermal performance of protective clothing. In this work, a PCM-vest was developed for the first time, and its thermal performance was evaluated. A three-stage approach was followed: (1) at a small scale in the laboratory, the effect of different encapsulated PCMs on a multilayer assembly performance was evaluated; (2) in the laboratory, the essential requirements of heat and flame tests were assessed; and (3) in a simulated urban fire, the thermal performance of three different PCM-vests (different textiles and designs) was studied. As the main conclusions, the PCMs significantly affected the heating rate of the multilayer assembly, particularly when a PCM with higher latent heat was used. In some cases, the heat transfer index (HTI) doubled by comparison with the sample without PCMs. As a drawback and as expected, the cooling time was increased. The PCM-vest sample ensured the requirements of the heat and flame tests. Through this study, the positive impact of using PCMs to enhance the heat protection of conventional PPE can be highlighted.

The nonwoven industry is undergoing significant changes, driven by rapid growth and sustainability concerns, with a growing need to shift from fossil-based polymers like polyester (PES) and polypropylene (PP) fibres to biodegradable, fossil-free materials. Compared to other cellulose-based fibres, lyocell (LY) is a promising solution due to its good mechanical performance and lower environmental impact. Additionally, cellulose acetate (CA) fibres, known for their thermoplastic and biodegradable properties, can act as a binder, offering another promising alternative to fossil-based fibres. This study explores the use of 100% LY fibres, alone and in blends with CA and recycled polyester (rPES) fibres, in the development of needle-punched nonwovens and assesses the mechanical benefits of adding a thermal bonding step. Among the blends, rPES-based nonwovens with thermal bonding showed the best results. 100% LY exhibited the best mechanical performance among needle-punched nonwovens, while rPES-based blends outperformed the others. Biodegradability and toxicity studies were also performed. 100% LY nonwovens fully biodegraded within 55 days, and 100% CA and 100% rPES showed no biodegradation. The findings revealed that the thermal process did not affect the disintegration level and, the germination of Brassica oleracea was not affected by soils in which the samples were buried for 75 days.

Due to the continuous optimization of cutting plans, the cotton scrap size resulting from the cutting of components for clothing production (post-industrial residues) is often considered insufficient to obtain fibres with the proper length to produce a new yarn through mechanical recycling processes; so it is important to search for other applications for these wastes. In this context, small pieces of cotton were submitted to a shredding process to obtain recycled fibres. Cotton small pieces and recycled fibres were then submitted to a refining process to achieve refined fibres. Using these materials alone and in blends with refined and unrefined bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP), wet-laid nonwovens were developed and characterized. An analysis of the results revealed that the replacement of unrefined BEKP by 70% cotton waste fibres in wet-laid nonwovens, reducing the use of virgin raw material, enhances the structures’ mechanical properties by 80% and 14%, for small pieces or recycled fibres, respectively. Additionally, refining small pieces of cotton seems to be more promising than refining recycled fibres, because less steps are required to obtain wet-laid nonwovens with better mechanical properties. These results highlight the potential of this approach to be explored further for different products and end applications.

Natural fibres have garnered substantial attention because of their eco-friendly attributes and versatility, offering a sustainable alternative to synthetic ones. This review surveys plant fibres, including flax, hemp, jute, banana, and pineapple, emphasizing their diverse properties and applications in nonwoven materials. This research also examines the use of synthetic polymer composites blended with natural fibres to create high-performance nonwoven materials. Furthermore, this review outlines the primary applications of nonwovens manufactured with plant fibres through needle-punching. These applications span geotextiles, automotive interiors, construction materials, and more. The advantages, challenges, and sustainability aspects of incorporating natural fibres in needle-punched nonwovens are discussed. The focus is on mechanical and thermal properties and their adaptability for specific applications. This research provides valuable insights for researchers and industry professionals aiming to leverage the benefits of plant fibres in needle-punched nonwovens across various sectors.