"According to the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), from January to September 2018, Bangladesh witnessed a 14.20 per cent increase in its export earnings to the US; i.e. from $367.10 million to $419.21 million during the same period of 2017. China on the other hand earned a $683 million from exports a hike of 1.3 per cent from 2017, while Mexico witnessed a 1.08 per cent increase in exports from 2017 to $595.40 million. Vietnam, a close competitor of Bangladesh earned 41.95 per cent more i.e. $205.43 million which was $144.72 million during 2017. While Cambodia saw a 30.85 per cent rise in export to $88.34 million."

As per Eurostat data Bangladesh earned €917.14 million from exporting denim products to EU countries from January to August 2018, a growth of 4.23 per cent from the corresponding period last year. The country’s denim manufacturers saw a healthy rise in exports to the US and European Union (EU) markets, beating its biggest competitor China. It witnessed a steady growth in exports to the US and EU from January to August 2018.

Rise in denim exports to the US

According to the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), from January to September 2018, Bangladesh witnessed a 14.20 per cent increase in its export earnings to the US; i.e. from $367.10 million to $419.21 million during the same period of 2017. China on the other hand earned a $683 million from exports a hike of 1.3 per cent from 2017, while Mexico witnessed a 1.08 per cent increase in exports from 2017 to $595.40 million. Vietnam, a close competitor of Bangladesh earned 41.95 per cent more i.e. $205.43 million which was $144.72 million during 2017. While Cambodia saw a 30.85 per cent rise in export to $88.34 million.

Exports to EU countries rise by 4.23 per cent

Eurostat figures reveal, Bangladesh earned €917.14 million from exporting denim products to EU countries during January-August period of 2018, which is 4.23 per cent higher from exports earned in the corresponding period of last year. Turkey, the second largest exporter of denim goods to EU, registered a 11 per cent loss in earnings to €687.28 million from €772.93 million in 2017. Pakistan saw a 4.83 per cent rise to €500.56 million, while China’s exports registered a 14.30 per cent decline to €304.79 million from €355.68 million in the same period of 2017.

Bangladesh denim products include blue denim trousers WG, blue denim trousers MB, blue denim skirts, blue denim jackets, blue denim suit type coats MB, playsuits and sun suits.

The reasons for Bangladesh’s steady growth in exports earnings are improved technology in fabrics manufacturing, improvement of safety standards in the apparel sector and the trade war between China and the US. There is no such unified, safe and secure sector in the world other than Bangladesh. Alliance for Bangladesh Workers, a platform of American buyers has certified Bangladesh as a safe place, which also boosted buyers’ confidence for sourcing products from here.

In recent times, production cost in China and other countries have gone up due to wage hike. As a result, EU manufacturers are moving to Bangladesh for sourcing denim products. On the other hand, Bangladesh has increased its production capacity in both denim fabrics manufacturing and other denim products. The Bangladeshi manufacturers have also moved to introduce latest technologies for improved quality of products.

In recent times, Bangladesh has seen the establishment of state of the art denim fabrics manufacturing plants, which has increased production capacity. This has helped to attract more work orders from the US buyers, as well as EU, as a result, the manufacturers can supply the orders within much shorter time compared to previous ones.

"Many apparel producers, brands and retailers are making a lot of noise about their sustainability initiatives, but in reality little progress has been made as more and more clothes are being thrown into the landfills every year. To deal with this, brands need to increase investments in sustainability and also cut down their volume of production."

Many apparel producers, brands and retailers are making a lot of noise about their sustainability initiatives, but in reality little progress has been made as more and more clothes are being thrown into the landfills every year. To deal with this, brands need to increase investments in sustainability and also cut down their volume of production.

Brands continue to feed consumers addiction for new clothes while at the same time appeasing them by signing into numerous environmental initiatives. This only creates an appearance of sustainability which is far from truth. Consumers should refuse to buy these cheap, disposable clothing.

Manifesto on circular economy

Some organisations genuinely aim to improve the environmental impact of textile and apparel industries. One such organisation which aims to address this issue in a disciplined way is the Ellen MacArthur Foundation which recently collaborated with some of the biggest names in fashion and apparel industry to create a manifesto based on the principles of circular economy. The manifesto: ‘Make Fashion Circular’ includes partners like H&M, Burberry, Gap, HSBC, Nike and Stella McCartney. Its other participants are DuPont, Lenzing, and VF Corp and other well-known fashion designers, producers, and brands along with government authorities, NGO’s and innovators.

The fashion industry can save around $460 billion if they make clothes that last longer. As Ellen MacArthur Foundation report “A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future” notes, in 2015, 46 per cent of the collected garments were reused. If 100 per cent of discarded clothing were collected, 22.2 million tons would be reused instead of 5.6 million ton as at present.

Emerging Initiatives

To address these issues, some brands are upgrading their operations through several new initiatives. For example, H&M started an initiative in 2013 to collect used H&M clothing at all their retail outlets and works with I:CO, a global recycling company, to either reuse or repurpose the clothing as rags, insulation or back into fiber. Similarly, Unifi’s Repreve® yarns are made from recycled plastic bottles and reduces petrochemical consumption and delays plastic bottles being put into the landfill for a short time until the clothing is discarded. And Cotton Inc supports reducing water and chemical use in growing cotton. Parkdale’s JV with Intrinsic Textiles produce CiClo® biodegradable polyester yarns.

Though encouraging, many of these efforts are either insignificant or insincere to have a meaningful impact on this massive problem. It requires bold and fundamental changes which are unlikely to materalise unless consumers demand them.

Ending their obsession with fast fashion

To achieve this goal, consumers need to end their obsession with fast fashion and disposable clothing. Non-profit organisations need to initiate a broad and well-planned global education program to develop and fund a global public service advertising campaign explaining the enormous environmental effects of apparel production and disposal and identify ways to dispose off or repurpose that clothing in a sustainable and responsible manner.

If brands produce and sell higher quality, more durable apparel, demand for clothing swaps and second-use sales will grow and brands and retailers would have a new financial incentive to expand access beyond the few specialty resellers currently in place. Increase in demand recycled clothing will encourage the industry to invest more in these technologies.

For addressing the growing negative environmental impact of textile and apparel industries, wide-ranging and expensive structural changes are required. However the industry will take action only when the consumers threaten to ban those brands that do not adopt these changes.

For the second quarter Clariant’s profits were up 16.1 per cent. Sales clocked up Rs 256 crores as against Rs 244 crores for the corresponding quarter of the previous year. Sales were Rs 521 crores for the first half of the year as against Rs 502 crores for the corresponding half of the previous year.

The company’s initiatives to upgrade product portfolio is paying dividends, despite the uncertainties like the depreciating rupee and a surge in crude oil prices. Clariant, based in Switzerland, is a specialty chemical company operating in care chemicals, catalysis, natural resources and plastics and coatings. Its corporate strategy is based on five pillars: focus on innovation through R&D, add value with sustainability, reposition portfolio, intensify growth, and increase profitability. It is with several external sustainability initiatives such as the Global Product Strategy and the United Nations Global Compact. Clariant is one of the top European chemical companies being part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices.

In India the business includes pigments, masterbatches and additives, which deliver solutions for the emerging industry sectors in India. Clariant has also invested in a state-of-the-art regional innovation center in Mumbai, with an aim to co-create tailormade solutions with customers for the industry.

Puerto Rico, in collaboration with the SFA (Smallholder Farmers Alliance ), plans to conduct a feasibility study for reintroducing smallholder-grown cotton in the country later this month. With the support of brands, Puerto Rico hopes to replicate the agronomic revitalisation experienced by Haiti through its cotton reintroduction project – conducted by the SFA and Timberland.

The cotton reintroduction project was conceived at the 2017 Textile Exchange conference, as the effects of Hurricane Maria were emotively discussed in relation to the nation’s smallholder farmers. Subsequently, the Puerto Rico Cotton Fund was launched and over $30,000 was pledged to support the immediate implementation of measures such as emergency micro-grants for smallholder farming families and the development of a smallholder recovery program. Cotton production in Puerto Rico collapsed in the early 1930s following a major hurricane and the failure of the nation’s growers to successfully combat plagues and pests such as pink bollworm and cotton boll weevil.

Around five decades later, Haitian cotton growing stopped due to governmental policies of the time, but now with the support of Timberland and the Smallholder Farmers Alliance a new phase of cotton expansion is now underway in the nation.

Hyosung TNC, the textile and trading arm of South Korean fibre giant Hyosung, plans to increase its production efficiency by improving the production process with an optimal quality algorithm, which will be prepared by analysing the data of each machine vision. The company recently transformed its five Spandex factories into smart factories in China and Vietnam as it looks forward to boost the product quality as well as capacity while preparing its business for the Industry 4.0 era.

The company completed the installation of the smart factory in September at the company’s spandex factories in Quzhou City, Jiaxing City, Guangdong Province and Zhuhai City in China, and in Dong Nai in Vietnam.

With the beginning of the next generation production system environment, it will now be easier to manufacture products of identical quality at each of its global factories and monitoring their status in real time for better quality control. The new system comprises of a process monitoring system, quality control system, and smart IoT among the other elements.

The company’s IT division, Hyosung ITX has launched smart factory solutions brand-XTRM Factory so that it can also enter the smart factory systems market in Korea and overseas by using its experience of establishing smart factories for Hyosung TNC.

The Mewar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) in Bhilwara is going through tough times with no new member enrolled in the last three months, Instead, existing members urging it to change their registration — from textile units to other businesses.

For the last two years there has been no growth in the textile industry, the mainstay of Bhilwara’s economy. The city is home to 850 textile units that create direct employment for 85,000 people and indirect employment for 60,000. Unlike in other industrial towns, here migrants make up just 20 per cent of the workforce, which means it is locals who are employed in the units. Bhilwara is the state’s largest textile center, producing cotton yarn, polyster or viscose-blended yarn and fabrics, denim and other textile products. Its decline started with demonetisation in November 2016, which reduced purchasing power for few months.

The Supreme Court order directing industrial units to not use petcoke in order to control air pollution, increased their dependence on coal and lignite. The worst fear of MCCI is a lockdown of units if the government remains indifferent to industry needs. They have also been requesting a rebate in power tariffs.

Global sewing machine market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6 per cent from 2018 to 2026. The increasing popularity of the do-it-yourself culture is an important factor contributing to the growth of the sewing machine market. People in order to give a personalized touch to their garments are increasingly practicing home arts such as sewing and knitting. Moreover, sewing machines have witnessed significant advancements in recent years. These advancements are focused upon efficiency and precision. Another prominent factor aiding the sewing machine market growth can be attributed to the declining cost of electronic sewing machines. This has enabled their adoption even across households with modest income. Furthermore, in coming years, the demand for industrial sewing machines is expected to be on the rise, mainly owing to fact that garment manufacturers are increasingly opting for high end sewing machines with a focus to save time, energy and reducing complexities.

In recent years, sewing machines have witnessed significant technological advancements. Apparel manufacturers are transitioning from manual sewing machines to digital sewing machines. Moreover, sewing machines have been bestowed with a plethora of new features and functionalities.

For instance, Kinoshita introduced sewing machines have automatic bobbin changers. Similarly the sewing machine market has witnessed other innovations in the form of real-time monitoring in sewing machines, modular sewing machines, convertibility in sewing machines, smart sewing machines and digital feed system in sewing machines, among others.

Asia Pacific is the largest market for sewing machines. The presence of a large number of sewing machine manufacturers headquartered in the region is an important factor propelling market growth in the region.

Some of the major players operating in the sewing machine market include China Feiyue, Brother, Juki, Jack, Singer, Bernina, Pegasus and Million Special, among others. Research and development is one of the most common strategies adopted by the market players and it helps companies stay afloat in the market by addressing the increasing competition.

Puma is thinking of shifting its footwear and apparel production out of China and possibly to Bangladesh, Cambodia or Vietnam. Reason: US threat of hiking tariffs as high as 25 per cent on footwear. This has forced Puma to lock in capacity at facilities in hubs like Vietnam earlier than usual. Currently, the company makes about one-third of its products in China. The tariffs mean Puma has to accept a lower US margin or raise prices. But tariffs are not the only reason for Puma’s shift. The company has been shifting production away from China over the past couple of years because of rising labor costs.

The US and China have not yet reached an agreement to de-escalate the trade war. Moreover, the US has threatened to slap duties on another $325 billion of goods. In the light of this, more companies are pulling out of China to save themselves from unwarranted losses.

Tariffs on shoes made in China are expected to be catastrophic for consumers, the companies and the US economy as a whole. However, Chinese consumers are shielded because the factories that once churned out products for the world increasingly serve domestic customers’ needs now.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership will provide greater market access to Vietnamese firms but also open up the country to foreign products, increasing competition. In particular industries such as automobile and agriculture would face intense competition.

Clothing and leather products, chemicals, plastic products, and transport equipment and machinery are expected to get an export boost while imports will grow in almost all sectors. Under the CPTPP average trade-weighted tariffs would drop from 1.7 per cent to 0.2 per cent for Vietnamese exporters. Non-tariff measures are predicted to reduce by 3.6 percentage points in terms of tariff equivalence.

With strict rules of origin, Vietnam would have to develop supporting industries to benefit from the trade deal. The country plans to improve the investment environment and protect intellectual property rights to attract investors. Institutions and administrative systems need to be reformed to take advantage of the CPTPP.

It is also necessary for Vietnam to focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. These account for a majority of the economy and labor market and have to be aligned with global supply chains. CPTPP was signed last March following a period of turbulence caused by the departure of the United States.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is unlikely to be signed by year end. This is being negotiated by 16 mostly Asian countries. The RCEP negotiating countries are the ten Asean countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — plus Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

After more than five years and 24 rounds of negotiations since May 2013, RCEP countries are still struggling to try and forge an agreement. Concluding the pact by year-end looks unlikely due to differing levels of development among the countries involved, as well as political factors including general elections next year in India and Australia.

India has issues in goods and services. It is of the view that there are many issues that are yet to be resolved, including the extent of commitments India would take in opening up its goods market and what it would get from other members in terms of increase in mobility of professionals. Giving substantial concessions to members, especially China, could lead to protests from a large section of the Indian industry. Once concluded, the RCEP is likely to result in the largest free trade bloc in the world covering about 3.5 billion people and 30 per cent of the world’s GDP.