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Canopy is supporting the promotion of rayon and viscose products made from low-impact alternative fibers such as textile waste, microbial cellulose and agriculture residues.
Between 70 to 100 million trees are logged annually to produce pulp for rayon, viscose, modal and other cellulosic fibers. With demand for dissolving pulp projected to increase 122 per cent in the next 40 years, the cellulosic fiber industry poses a growing threat to vulnerable forest ecosystems.
Technology, however, could help. With viscose mills rallying to support new inputs, next-generation feed stocks could replace at least 90 per cent of viscose production volumes coming from ancient and endangered forests by the end of 2025. By 2030, as much as 50 per cent of all viscose could be made from next-generation feedstocks. Of the world’s five largest viscose producers, three already offer initial product lines with 20 per cent to 50 per cent recycled cotton. With an estimated 26 million metric tons of waste cotton and viscose textiles landfilled every year, a fraction of that could be mined to produce the 6.5 million metric tons of viscose currently generated annually.
The industry is moving away from viscose containing ancient and endangered forests and is ready for new innovative viscose fiber sources.
Ministry of Textiles under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Union Textile Minister, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, is in the process of formulating the new textile policy and it is likely to be announced in 2020. The Ministry has been conducting series of meetings for each segment and is in the process of drafting the Policy with the objective of making Indian textile industry a true global leader by improving its competitiveness, bridging the technology gap, encouraging sustainability and creating global brands for Indian textiles and clothing products. In this endeavor, the Ministry has started a bold initiative of mitigating the major challenge of scale of operation through the proposed mega textile park. In this connection, Secretary (Textiles), Shri Ravi Capoor convened a meeting with the industry stakeholders and the senior officials of various State governments on 17.2.2020 and gathered necessary inputs to frame the scheme.
Mr. T. Rajkumar, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has appreciated the unique initiative of encouraging scale of operation through the mega textile park scheme. Mr. Rajkumar has stated that the flagship programme of TUF Scheme had attracted over Rs. 4 lakh crores during the last two decades, the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks, enabled the powerloom sector and few other decentralized sectors to consolidate in different clusters and go for modern technology. In addition to few large players also could take advantage of SITP.
CITI chief has said that the country has been suffering with scale of operation and the new entrants like Bangladesh, Vietnam, etc., could grab the space vacated by China due to scale of operation and cost competitiveness. He said that at the global brands meeting chaired by the Hon’ble Union Textile Minister, most of the brands having retails in India, had stated that they had to import from countries like China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka due to volume and cost advantage. They also stated that India does not have large players to meet their demands.
Mr. Rajkumar has stated that the Central Government is making efforts to attract FDI, joint venture projects and also encourage large vertically integrated textile giants in the country to make investments in the proposed mega textile parks by setting up of a large scale vertically integrated textile manufacturing units. He said that the Government is contemplating to extend maximum support for the infrastructure facilities including land by the state governments, water, power, road connectivity, special priority in the port, relaxation in labour laws, etc., and the government is planning to market the scheme in different countries to attract FDI and joint venture projects jointly with the state Governments. Mr. T. Rajkumar has said that the proposed mega textile park scheme would throw more opportunities for the textile industry to cater to domestic markets and also international market.
Stitch & Tex Expo-Afro Edition, distinguished as “Africa’s Premiere Sourcing Trade Fair for Textile Technologies”; is featuring the presence of over 1000 brands from 37 countries namely: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA to serve over 40,000 visitors from Egypt and the entire African continent.
Stitch & Tex Expo- Afro Edition; will be held with the new concept of organizing two consecutive trade fairs; The first trade fair is dedicated to garment processing technologies including sewing, embroidery, fabrics and their accessories; While the second is dedicated to textile processing technologies including weaving, spinning, knitting, and dyeing machinery, technologies and spare parts; The two events are held under the giant brand Stitch & Tex Expo- Afro Edition; and will be held in the prestigious venue Cairo International Conventions and Exhibitions Center- Egypt during the period 27 February - 1 March 2020 and 5 -8 March 2020 consecutively.
Fortifying its continental leading position as Africa’s most important trade fair and platform for textile technologies, the Cairo International Convention Center will be shaped by the numerous investments, spontaneous business deals and lively discussions in addition to the exchanges of industrial expertise between exhibitors and professional visitors.
Held on an area exceeding 40,000 sqm; the exhibition covers the entire international market; where global old players, innovative newcomers and providers of niche technology are all represented here.
The 1000+ brands exhibiting will demonstrate progressive industrial solutions that will be revealed for the first time in the African markets to fuel the upward textile technologies demand; whilst exploring unprecedented profit-making business hot-spots.
For the first time in the history of textile technologies trade fairs in Africa, the event will feature the presence of 100 accredited buyers and factory owners from Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, South Africa, Madagascar, Tanzania, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to hold open channels of communication directly with the exhibitors within a well set bilateral business meetings program.
Stitch & Tex Expo- Afro Edition will open its doors daily for the garment processing technologies edition visitors during the period 27 Feb- 1 March from 11:00 am till 8.30 pm, and will open its doors again for the textiles processing industry edition visitors during the period 5-8 March from 11:00 am till 8.30 pm.
"Stepping up their sustainability efforts, fashion players like Kering and LVMH are organising hackathons that include awarding prizes to developers, students and experts to help them manage their supply chains and overproduction. However, as these hackathons lack proper resources or metrics, they run the risk of turning into ideathons that though discuss many issues do not resolve any of them."
Stepping up their sustainability efforts, fashion players like Kering and LVMH are organising hackathons that include awarding prizes to developers, students and experts to help them manage their supply chains and overproduction. However, as these hackathons lack proper resources or metrics, they run the risk of turning into ideathons that though discuss many issues do not resolve any of them.
One such hackathon was organised by luxury brand retailer Kering in October 2019 in Paris. This hackathon gathered 80 tech developers, students and industry experts at the behest of the brand’s chief sustainability officer Marie-Claire aveu to participate in ‘ Hack to Act’. The sun-soaked L’Atelier Riechelieu went on for 48 hours as competitors vigorously prototyped updates to My EP&L, an app Kering launched in 2017 that uses data from the French luxury group’s Environmental Profit & Loss research to educate designers and students on sustainable design principles.
Hackathons becoming more targeted
Hackathons enable brands to think and operate like tech companies. Once reserved for intensive digital
prototyping by coders and software engineers, these hackathons are now becoming more targeted. Besides Kering, LVMH, Prada and German online retailer Zalando have held hackathons based on sustainability, as pressure surrounding the environmental impact of luxury fashion mounts.
The challenge for these brands lies in whether the proposed solutions generated by these hackathons are practical enough to be implemented in the real world and whether they would have a measurable positive impact on the environment.
Helping brands reduce footprint
One of the reasons, fashion companies are turning to hackathons is to reduce their carbon footprint. Hackathons also enable these companies to advertise their sustainability initiatives. Held in July 2019, Moncler’s hackathon listed sustainability as one of the problem areas to be addressed, while LVMH’s hackathons bring together employees from across sectors, disciplines and continents in order to identify talent and new innovations for their hackathons.
Some of LVMH’s successful hackathons have yielded projects including zero-waste packaging for its wine and spirits category, and the implementation of a process that turns grape seed waste from its wine portfolio into a cosmetics ingredient. Despite these activities, experts wonder if hackathons are becoming more of a marketing ploy rather than a function for change. As Liz Bacelar, Co-founder, The Current Global points out, many events that brands call ‘hackathons’ are really ‘ideathons.’ She defines hackathons as something that results in a working product and go-to market strategy. In order to be successful, sustainability hackathons need to be backed by research, to identify challenges and to include industry mentors in fashion and R&D to guide young entrepreneurs. Else, brands run the risk of concluding with a handful of silver-bullet ideas unlikely to be realised.
Jan Leyssens, Co-founder of social good agency Switchrs defines hackathons as something that though bring new ideas or concepts to life, don’t magically translate these into real products or new businesses. The brand has facilitated several hackathons in multiple sectors, including one at a fashion festival in 2018 in Antwerp called MOOI.
One of the highest points for hackathon awards was the €10,000 prize announced by Kering. LVMH also offered €5,000 to winners of a student hackathon it sponsored around beauty products. However, other brands have only paid for travel expenses, offered mentorship and networking opportunities, or given out gifts to participants. This is rather demotivating as compared to the €50,000 cash prize announced for the designer or startup who wins the Yoox and Vogue Italia sustainable innovation competition or the €150,000 total prize money offered to winners of a sustainable fashion contest by the European Commission. However, these competitions will reward innovations introduced over a span of a year instead of just 48 hours.
Survey Shows Coronavirus Impact on Chinese Textile Industry -Part III
While businesses have restarted on limited basis, the impact on the companies in the survey in the first half of the year is not ambiguous if we just see some of the important indicators like business income, profits, employment and export.
A national online survey was conducted by China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC) from February 7-10, with a report circulated only to limited readership to show a comprehensive outlook and insight of the textile industry by specific sectors in different provinces on the basis of 1201 respondents, just a sample of the whole textile economic fabric if we can see wood and see forest. Continuing here is Part III of the survey analysis, as estimated impact on Chinese business for the first half of 2020.
Impact on Employment
Employees being the valuable assets even though the progress of modernization and digitalization driven by AI technology is cannibalizing human jobs. 9.5% of the companies in question think that there is no impact on their employment, but there is a bulk share of the companies, who have difficulty in recalling back their workers during this time of coronavirus , as is manifested by the 21.9% of the respondents reporting over 30% laborer loss and 44.1% of the companies with reduced employment by 10%-30%, and 24.5% of the survey participants expected to have less than 10 percent loss of their operators as compared with the same period last year.
In the segmental view, we see more loss of workers in garment, knitting and base textile sectors, rating at 31.6%, 30.9% and 30% respectively. Obviously, smaller companies have less employs and expected to be more handicapped.
Estimated Impact on Employment in the Companies in the First Half of the Year
Impact on Business Income
The first half of the year will see a reduced income by more than 20% in 65.2% of the companies surveyed, and by 10%-20% in 24.5% of the respondents under survey, as businesses are hard to rehabilitate to the full potential with uncertainties still struggling with doubts whether to take more orders while workers are not yet available in full number or to wait with inadequate capacity kept running until the situation turns out to be better.
Estimated Reduction of Business Income for the First Half
Impact on Export Estimation
China’s export from textile industry constitutes around 36 percent of the global outbound shipments in this trade sector, regardless of its increased investment in overseas operations in low-income countries largely in Southeast Asia, Africa etc. The increase in labor cost might be one of the important drivers for outgoing investments, resulting in year-on-year decrease of the textile and apparel export that registered US$280.7 billion last year with a slight drop at 1.5%, but significantly 5.3 percentage points down as against the year before. In spite of the export slowdown, it is still an important pillar that supports the whole textile economy. The impact as induced by the coronavirus on the export business is much of a growing worry if the indicator continues to remain as it chalks down in the survey.
83.6% of the knitting companies, 75% of the silk textile manufacturers, 73.7% of the base textile mills and 72.5% of wool textile enterprises responded to say that they would fall by over 10 percent in export as opposed to the first half of last year. 54% of all the companies in the survey report said that they would meet over 10% down in their export business, some silk companies in particular, reported to say their shipping out business would be cut by half, consequently.
Impact on Export for the First Half of 2020 (estimated)
The article is provided with data taken from the analysis report on the basis of online nation-wide Questionnaires survey with 1201 respondents. The impact on the textile industry is given in three phases as stated previously to cover the period from the start of New Year to the middle of February, and the period all the way down to the end of the month, and the longer period for the first half of this year. The picture looks a bit gloomy as the survey report came out on February 13, amid rising cases of symptoms suspected or confirmed for the novel coronavirus, to which people are susceptible if company owners waywardly summon workers back to work. The whole situation starts to look pretty sunny as the new symptomatic cases of the disease continue to drop over 16 days across the country. More and more people take on journey back to job on meticulously-arranged basis, business will return to not where we are, but to where we aim higher. Out of the distress of dark tunnel, we walk into the hope of sunshine.
Contributed by Mr. ZHAO Hong
He is working for CHINA TEXTILE magazine as Editor-in-Chief in addition to being involved in a plethora of activities for the textile industry. He has worked for the Engineering Institute of Ministry of Textile Industry, and for China National Textile Council and continues to serve the industry in the capacity of Deputy Director of China Textile International Exchange Centre, V. President of China Knitting Industry Association, V. President of China Textile Magazine and its Editor-in-Chief for the English Version, Deputy Director of News Centre of China National Textile and Apparel Council (CNTAC), Deputy Director of International Trade Office, CNTAC, Deputy Director of China Textile Economic Research Centre. He was also elected once ACT Chair of Private Sector Consulting Committee of International Textile and Clothing Bureau (ITCB)
Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference will be held in Amsterdam, April 28 to 29, 2020. The two-day conference agenda is segmented into open discussions, candid dialogues, insightful speaker address, and practical sessions. The sessions will cover social impact, environmental performance, factory engagement, consumer trust and expectations. More than 200 delegates are expected to attend the conference and initiate dialogues on topics ranging from planning to implementing sustainable practices across apparel and textile supply chains. The discussion topics will include consumer engagement and reducing climate impacts across fashion and textile supply chains. There will be insights into sourcing trends. The conference will be an open forum to get knowledge on the best practices adopted by industry leaders by better implementation of policies. It will also act as a networking platform to meet influential stakeholders, representing NGOs, government and industry bodies and supply chain people.
The event is organized by Innovation Forum, an independent UK-based company with decades of experience in organising sustainability events. The Forum's events are all about open debate and conversations between speakers and various stakeholders. For the past few years, it has added to its portfolio by organising events focused on preventing deforestation and sustainable issues like supply chains and apparel.
L Brands is on course to sell Victoria’s Secret to Sycamore Partners. Sycamore Partners is expected to buy 55 per cent of Victoria’s Secret and take the struggling business private. L Brands is expected to keep a 45 per cent stake in the separate company, which will include the Pink chain.
After shedding several brands in recent years, L Brands’ operations would be reduced to running the Bath & Body Works chain. This is a sharp fall for a business that operates hundreds of stores, elevated the profiles of supermodels like Tyra Banks and Gisele Bundchen, and generated about $7 billion in annual sales in its last fiscal year.
Victoria’s Secret, with its emphasis on supermodels wearing padded bras, has long dominated the US lingerie market but has struggled in recent years with falling sales. It has lost some women to upstart brands that promote comfort and inclusivity. Last year, Victoria’s Secret canceled its televised fashion show. In the nine month period Bath & Body Works revenue rose 12 per cent while the rest of the company’s revenue declined.
Sycamore Partners, founded in 2011, has scooped up several troubled apparel brands and bricks-and-mortar chains, including The Limited, Hot Topic, Nine West and Staples.
Simon Property Group, Brookfield Property Partners and Authentic Brands are in line to acquire Forever 21. Authentic Brands and Simon Property would own 37.5 per cent each of the retailer, while Brookfield Property would buy 25 per cent of the intellectual property and operating businesses.
Bankrupt teen fashion retailer Forever 21, which has 815 stores in 57 countries, will continue to operate in US and international markets. The retailer’s current owned store operations in Central America, South America, Mexico, the Philippines, and the Caribbean would be converted to a licensed partnership model. The new owners are also working with existing and new partners to expand Forever 21 across key territories, including South America, China, the Middle East and India. Forever 21, founded in 1984, became a multibillion dollar operation in over 40 countries before it filed for bankruptcy. The fashion chain had become successful due to its coolness factor and its ability to identify the needs of its customers. But these same customers started to move to online and other retailers. The brand specialised in the fast fashion principle as it made outfits for young teenage girls, who wanted to dress like their favorite celebrities. Forever 21 helped them by providing these fast and at affordable rates.
India will support micro, small and medium enterprises with finance, legislation, certification, quality control programs, and R&D. The textiles ministry will get in touch with small scale manufacturers, who are meeting exports compliances and meeting delivery schedules. They have been granted a host of benefits like a portal which is empowered to grant them loans of up to a crore in less than an hour. Access to credit, to the market, technology upgradation, ease of doing business, and a sense of security for employees are some of the other benefits. It is expected these will go a long way in mitigating the problems of small businesses.
Established opportunities will be diversified instead of leaving the space for one Export Promotion Council or one segment. Domestic capabilities will be augmented. The aim is to ensure India does not remain a nation of job workers but a leader in the textile sector. So, for instance, there won’t be just ten big textile companies but a hundred such companies. The manmade fiber sector will be encouraged to add to its capacity and occupy the space vacated by China. This country has vacated its apparel space in the last three years and most of this has been in the manmade fiber sector.
Sports equipment and fashion group Nike has announced changes in the financial and operational directions, as well as in the area of consumption and marketplace, due to the retirement of its current managers. The succession will be done in an orderly manner and will be completed by the end of 2020.
Heidi O’Neill, president of Nike Direct, has been appointed as the new president of consumer and marketplace departments. He will lead the entire business of direct sales to the consumer, as well as the global activity in the four geographic regions in which the company segments its business: North America; Europe, the Middle East, and Africa; China; Asia Pacific, and Latin America Latin. The executive will assume the role after being part of the Nik’s team for more than 21 years in the group, where she has undertaken various senior roles.
Andy Campion, Chief Operating Officer, will lead Nike’s global technological and digital transformation, technological development, supply and manufacturing, demand and supply management, distribution and logistics, purchasing, sustainability and design, and connectivity in the workplace. The executive joined Nike in 2007 as vice president of global planning and development and held finance and strategy positions before becoming chief financial officer in 2015. Prior to joining Nike, he worked at Disney.
Mathew Friend, financial director of the operating segments will work on corporate strategy and development. In 2011 he was CFO of emerging markets, then assumed that corresponding role for global categories, products and functions, and ultimately for Nike as well.
These three changes in senior management are the most relevant that have occurred since the Oregon multinational announced the succession of Mark Parker. The chosen one was Donahoe, former president of eBay, with a clear objective to deepen the online offensive of the brand and its commitment to have a more direct relationship with consumers.
