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Released as a part of its ongoing ‘Fossil Fashion’ campaign, a report by Changing Markets Foundation accuses 12 biggest British and European fashion brands, including Asos, H&M and Zara, of making misleading environmental claims on their websites.
Titled ‘Synthetics Anonymous,’ the report assesses the sustainability claims of brands like: Asos, Boohoo, Forever 21, George at Asda, Gucci, H&M, Louis Vuitton, Marks & Spencer (M&S), Uniqlo, Walmart, Zalando and Zara. Around 39 per cent of their products are labeled either ‘recycled’, ‘low impact’ or ‘sustainable’. The foundation finds 59 per cent of these claims are misleading and not complying with Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) new guidelines on greenwashing.
The CMA’s guidelines on greenwashing emphasize on product accuracy and clarity. They demand brands cover their products’ impact across life-cycles, and verify their sustainability claims. The report names H&M, Asos and M&S as worst performers on greenwashing with 96 per cent, 89 per cent and 88 per cent claims flouting CMA guidelines.
The report also studies the materials used by these brands to make their garments, accessories and footwear. It finds, H&M mostly uses synthetic
materials in its Conscious Collection and the labels on many items fail to reveal the percentage of recycled materials used.
No clarity on synthetics use
The report also charts the brands’ overall use of virgin, fossil-fuel-based synthetics. Findings reveal, most brands belong to the ‘red zone’, as they fail to disclose this information both to the foundation and online. Brands classified in this zone are: Primark, Target, Walmart, Uniqlo, Wrangler, Burberry, Gap, Gildan, Lululemon, Patagonia, The North Face and Timberland.
Some brands in the ‘red zone,’ highlight their use of virgin synthetics. For instance, adidas has disclosed almost 90 per cent products use virgin synthetics including polyester. Nike too declared it used over 152,000 tons polyester and 111,490 tons rubber in its collections in financial year 2020.
The foundation is concerned about the brands’ use of synthetics as they cannot be recycled. As per the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, less than 1 per cent of synthetics can be recycled after being discarded. Synthetics also cause microplastic pollution after being washed in water. They release over a half million ton of microfibres into the ocean annually. They also release around 700 million ton of carbon dioxide every year, the report shows.
Fail to address gender inequality
Released this week, the World Benchmarking Alliance’s (WBA) first gender benchmark highlights, less than one-third of 80 per cent brands that promised to address gender-based violence across supply chains, actually addressed this issue through training. Less than 10 per cent launched initiatives to address gender pay gaps in their business and supply chain.
Paulina Murphy, Engagement Director, WBA sums up, even though these companies have been dressing up millions of women for decades, they empower only a fraction of them.
Denim manufacturers Isko and Soorty have partnered to transform and introduce new ways of working and doing business for brands and their contemporaries.
As per a Women’s Wear Daily report, both the companies have signed a licensing agreement for a partnership that involves blending Isko’s expertise in denim technologies and Soorty’s extensive vertical production network to create new business opportunities for both brands.
Isko and Soorty said that through the partnership, they’ve jointly developed a new business model that has the potential to “change working practices for the better and unlock value for the entire market” by scaling their respective “responsible innovations.”
Both companies are actively involved in sustainability, inclusivity, technology and education in the denim industry, and are “driven by a shared approach that prioritizes synergy, cross-fertilization, and a quest for constant improvement.”
Its first collaborative effort is the launch of the Isko Future Face by Soorty collection, a patented woven fabric with the look of a knit that combines a soft, silky finish with comfort, enhanced shape retention, and a flattering drape while maintaining all the properties of true denim.
ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 welcomed 65,000 visitors over five days.
As per Textile Excellence, the exhibition included face-to-face contact with local buyers from the world’s largest textile manufacturing hub. In addition, it featured overseas visitors who were able to travel to Shanghai.
The combined exhibition brought together 1,237 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions. In an exhibitor survey conducted onsite with over 1,000 exhibitors, over 60 per cent of the respondents revealed that they were happy with the quality of visitors; 30 per cent reported that they concluded business deals, of which more than 60% estimated sales ranging from RMB 300,000 to over RMB 3 million within the next six months.
The next ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 exhibition will be held from 20 to 24 November 2022 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai. It is organised by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Co., Ltd. and co-organised by ITMA Services.
Danish sportswear brand Hummel has been named as the official team kit partner for Indian Super League (ISL) side Hyderabad FC for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
As per Fashion Network, through this partnership, Hummel aims to strengthen its brand visibility through its association with sports and plans to invest in football for growth in the Indian market.
Hummel is owned by the Danish Thornico Group and is currently present in over 35 countries. Hummel considers India to be a high-priority market and has also launched its website apart from strengthening the online network by partnering with other e-commerce firms in the country. The company was founded in 1923 by Albert Messmer and his brother Michael Ludwig Messmer, with the name "Messmer & Co" in Hamburg, Germany; that same year, the Messmer brothers introduced the first football boots to the world.
Fashion retailer H&M’s global sales growth slowed in the second half of June, highlighting a patchy recovery from the pandemic as restrictions ease and stores reopen.
The world’s second largest fashion retailer, reported a 4 per cent decline in sales from June 1-28 compared to 2019, indicating that sales slowed throughout the month.
Helena Helmersson, CEO, attributed the June easing of sales to a combination of factors, including tough year-ago and 2019 comparisons, cold weather in some European markets last week, and how coronavirus restrictions are being eased.
The retailers local-currency sales in China declined by 23 per cent in the company’s second quarter after H&M was wiped off Tmall and domestic phonemakers’ app stores in March amid a backlash after H&M had expressed concerns about alleged human rights abuses in Xinjiang.China is one of H&M’s top clothing suppliers and fourth-biggest market by sales. Other big brands were also hit by consumer boycotts in China for raising similar concerns.
For its second quarter, H&M swung to a pretax profit of 3.59 billion crowns ($419 million) from a year-earlier loss of 6.48 billion, ahead of analyst forecasts.
Around 95 of its 5,000 stores globally remained temporarily closed due to restrictions currently, against around 1,300 at the start of March.
To focus on its online markets in Europe and save costs, Gap Inc plans to sell its stores in Italy and France.
As per a Reuters report, the retailer also plans to shut all Gap Specialty and Gap Outlet stores in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland by the end of September. The owner of Old Navy brand is in discussions with Hermione People and Brands, the retail branch of FIB Group, to take over its stores in France, while an unnamed partner is in talks to buy its Italian stores.
The move comes as Gap competes with apparel brands like Zara and H&M for market share. The coronavirus pandemic has compounded troubles by stifling sales at brick-and-mortar stores across the globe. The Gap, Inc is an American worldwide clothing and accessories retailer. Gap was founded in 1969 by Donald Fisher and Doris F. Fisher and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company operates six primary divisions: Gap (the namesake banner), Banana Republic, Old Navy, Intermix, Hill City, and Athleta. Gap Inc. is the largest specialty retailer in the United States, and is third in total international locations, behind Inditex Group and H&M.
A new report by UK Fashion and Textile Association shows a 98 per cent increase bureaucracy since the implementation of Brexit deal on January 1, 2021. As per Draper Online, 92 per cent of UK fashion leaders experienced increased freight costs while 83 per cent encountered increased costs and bureaucracy around customs clearance.
The UK Fashion and Textile Association’s (UKFT) Brexit Survey questioned 138 leading UK fashion brands, textile manufacturers, wholesalers, fashion agencies, garment manufacturers and retailers in May 2021. Around 74 per cent fashion businesses reported experiencing generally increased costs associated with Brexit. The vast majority of those were looking to pass on these costs to consumers in the next six to 12 months.
Around 53 per cent reported an increase in order cancellation due to Brexit, while 44 per cent encountered rejected or returned goods due to higher duty costs, customs clearance and VAT. Forty-four cent reported been affected by unexpected duties when re-exporting goods.
About 7.5 per cent respondents said they planned to relocate production from the EU to the UK in the next 12 months, while 6 per cent said they had already relocated production from the EU to the UK as a result of Brexit.
The fourth quarter net profit of Ahmedabad-based denim maker Nandan Denim was Rs 15 crore against a net loss of Rs 8 crore it reported in the year-ago period. The company’s revenue for the quarter rose 21 percent to Rs 372 crore, as against Rs 308 crore it reported in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.
During FY 2020-21, Nandan Denim’s net loss increased to Rs 19 crore as against net loss of Rs 1 crore during the previous year ended March 2020. Its revenue for the year declined by 28 percent to Rs 1,090 crore as compared to previous fiscal’s Rs 1,524 crore.
A Chiripal Group company, NDL commenced operations with textile trading in 1994. It forayed into textile manufacturing in 2004 and currently manufactures denim fabric, shirting fabric and yarn.
A Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC has hailed the textile ministry’s decision to investigate yarn cartelization that has led to a sudden spike in cotton yarn prices. The Textile Ministry at a recent TEXPROCIL award function had announced its intent to find a solution to the problem in partnership with the industry for the overall interest of the industry.
Sakthivel said, the industry needs to undertake a third party study of sudden spikes in cotton yarn prices which affects the prospects across the value chain of Indian textiles. It cannot be accepted that data to the same is not available. This will help curb the steep increase and unpredictability in availability of cotton and yarn that is hampering the apparel industry’s order book planning and overall competitiveness of the entire value chain, he added.
In recent years AEPC has worked tirelessly in integrating the entire industry - starting at the grass root level of training the workforce and supplying a steady stream of man power to the industry; identifying the best countries to source machinery and other infrastructure and brokering several path breaking deals for its members and finally helping exporters to showcase their best at home fairs as well as be highly visible at international fairs the world over.
Twice a year, AEPC showcases the best of India's garment export capabilities through the prestigious India International Garment Fair, playing host to over 350 exhibitors displaying the exotic, the haute, the pret, the contemporary and much much more.
With AEPC's expertise and all the advantages that India has, it makes for a truly win-win situation - Indian exporters grow stronger each year in their achievements, skills and proficiency, while international buyers get superior solutions for their garment imports.
Gap Inc’s first standalone Equality and Belonging (E&B) report summarizes Gap’s initiatives to end racism in the company. As per Sourcing Journal, the report offers a complete breakdown of ethnicity and gender representation throughout the company globally for the 2020 fiscal year. Though Gap Inc. has publicly reported global employee gender data and overall US race and ethnicity data since 2013, the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 revealed the need for more detailed information.
Only 4 per cent employees at the company’s headquarters are identified as Black, and 10 per cent identify as Latinx and 26 per cent of employees are Asian. The company has employed more Blacks and Latinx at the store level. Around 27 per cent store employees have been identified as Latinx and 19 per cent Blacks. Six per cent store-level employees are identified as Asian.
The company reports similar disparities at the gender level. Only 58 per cent of its female employees are designated as vice presidents and C-level employees, despite women representing 76 per cent of its total employees. The report notes that the company was founded in 1969 by Doris and Don Fisher, who each held the same equity stake—during a time when women were often left out of financial and professional conversations.
