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Upcoming Webinar: Cotton’s Biodegradability

Upcoming Webinar: Cotton’s Biodegradability

Posted on March 14, 2018

What happens when your favorite cotton shirt finally reaches the end of its functional life?

Join us on Tuesday, March 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET for a webinar exploring cotton’s afterlife. We’ll explore recent studies on the biodegradability of the fiber in both natural and activated soil environments. Hear from Cotton Incorporated’s expert researchers and get a breakdown of the science behind this topic.

What about nonwovens?

With a growing consumer market for wet wipes, there is also a growing concern in the nonwovens industry about the biodegradability of these single-use wipes. Recent studies also evaluated cotton’s ability to return to nature in a composting environment as well sewer and septic systems. We’re sharing the results of these independent analyses during this webinar.

UPDATE: Registration for this webinar is now closed. Click here to see the replay.

About the Speakers

Dr. Jesse Daystar
Chief Sustainability Officer
Cotton Incorporated

Webinar Moderator

Dr. Jesse Daystar is the Chief Sustainability Officer and Vice President of Sustainability at Cotton Incorporated. In this role, Daystar oversees and coordinates internal and external sustainability efforts. These efforts include directing sustainability research, working with cotton industry stakeholders to develop industry stainability goals, assisting in the communication of sustainability messages, and providing technical insights to Cotton Incorporated, the cotton industry, and brands.

Dr. Daystar’s career at Cotton Incorporated began in 2017. Prior to his work at Cotton Incorporated, Daystar was the Assistant Director of the Center for Sustainability and Commerce at Duke University where he directed sustainability research for apparel, energy, bioproduct, and other industry sectors. He earned his two Bachelor of Science Degrees in Chemical Engineering and Pulp & Paper Engineering, a Master’s of Science Degree and a Ph.D. in Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University.

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Mary Ankeny
Vice President of Product Development and Implementation
Cotton Incorporated
Webinar Presenter

Mary Ankeny serves as Vice President of Product Development and Implementation at Cotton Incorporated, overseeing all lab operations as well as the Textile Chemistry Research Department, where the focus is on sustainable wet processing technology for cotton from preparation through finishing. Mary has held various research positions within Cotton Incorporated since joining the company in 1995. Prior to working at Cotton Incorporated, Mary was employed with Amoco Fabrics and Fibers as a research engineer in the Nonwovens Group, and before that, with Milliken & Company as a weaving engineer. Mary holds an M.S. in Textile Technology from the Institute of Textile Technology and a B.S. in Textile Engineering from Philadelphia University. Mary has been an active member of AATCC since 1995 and is currently secretary of RA80, Printing Technology, a member of the Olney Medal Award Committee, and a member of the Review Board for the AATCC Student Research Scholarships.

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Jan O’Regan
Director, Nonwovens Marketing
Cotton Incorporated
Webinar Presenter

Jan O’Regan is Director, Nonwovens Marketing for Cotton Incorporated. In this capacity she works to uncover new opportunities for cotton to bring value in to the nonwovens industry. The work includes leading efforts in strategic planning, technical and market project management and sharing ideas and results with the global supply chain.

Jan’s professional experience is strong in nonwovens. She has spent over three decades in this industry in a variety of assignments including sales, marketing, strategic planning and business management. Market responsibilities included consumer and industrial markets on regional, national and global teams. Over the past ten years, she has had the opportunity to apply these broad experiences to new markets for cotton in nontraditional applications.

Jan earned a B.S. in Textiles and Business, summa cum laud from Penn State and an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Since then she has continued to learn through executive education programs at Northwestern University.