Indeed, bBrands and retailers are on board with the idea of sustainability. Many are setting targets to green their supply chains. However, the committed may still be too few and their commitments still too small. Brands are thinking about sustainability but because of the price sensitivity, they are also concerned whether their customers understand about sustainability versus the price. Brands that haven’t woven sustainability into the fabric of what they do are finding themselves hard-pressed to get consumers to pay up for a more eco-friendly product.

For example, Geetanjali Woollens which has been recycling post-consumer clothing for 40 years. The company gathers post-consumer apparel from waste collectors in the US, Europe, Australia and Japan, sorts it by fiber composition, then sorts it again by color. Each color gets shredded into fiber, spun into yarn and finds its way into sweaters, accessories, beanies and socks—each produced without dyes and chemicals, and substantially less water.

Brands can make the product but what if they are not able to sell it? Geetanjali finds retailers take in just a fraction of the nearly 25,000 kg of clothing Geetanjali recycles every day. This is not sustainable because as a factory Geetanjali has workers to pay, bills to pay.

Pakistan is opting for import substitution as a way to add value to its textile chain. Growth of the textile sector is directly linked to the availability of cotton which is consumed by at least 16 sub sectors starting with cotton ginning up to the manufacturing of fashion garments.

Small and medium enterprises are being encouraged to switch over to latest technologies so that their overall share in Pakistan’s exports can be enhanced. The country is working on upgrading its supply chain and improving productivity. There is room for further expansion of the textile sector with improvement in the law and order and energy situations. In order to promote value addition and exports, the regulatory duty on import of yarn and other raw materials has been significantly decreased.

The regulatory duty has been revised only on 90 items whereas the same has been increased on 100 luxury items. Further, rebate will also be paid with the export proceeds electronically in order to facilitate the exporters. The process of validating licenses – for export-oriented units and manufacturing bonds – will be soon automated. The audit will also be done automatically by the system. Pakistan’s textile exports constitute a major portion of the country’s overall exports.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says, to prevent a climate catastrophe, carbon consumption must be radically reduced worldwide. Therefore, industry, government and social enterprises in New Zealand have collaborated to launch the Textile Reuse Programme - an initiative to combat clothing consumption, waste and the subsequent climate impact.

Textile Reuse Programme figures reveal, clothing consumption has reached 100 billion units annually, with only one per cent of this being recycled. Also, along with the environmental implications of our throwaway culture, waste material represents a loss of $100 billion per annum. To address this mounting issue, the collaboration hopes to leverage the latest in disruptive technologies in order to gradually transition the wider industry into implementing more sustainable manufacturing and disposal methods.

Partners include: Alsco New Zealand, Wellington City Council, Wellington Zoo, Barkers Menswear and Fonterra. The initiative will be led by the sustainable textile R&D company, The Formary.

New York is currently the world’s best city for conventional retailers. Los Angeles takes the runner-up spot, while Singapore completes the podium at the third place. New York offers an ideal location based on its socio-economic, demographic and political factors, as well as its tourist appeal and the quality of its infrastructure.

Demographics, the economy, politics, the socio-economic landscape, tourism, retail, fashion and trendiness represent the eight major areas analysed to give a score to these urban areas, underpinned by criteria such as population, wealth, GDP growth, minimum wage, tax barriers, airport passenger traffic, tourist figures and the entrepreneurial climate.

The ranking has been done by Hot Retail Cities whose mission is to help fashion companies better understand where they operate and where they can set up shop going forward. The report provides an analysis detailing the retail conditions in 100 cities around the globe. Based on these characteristics, the report measures each city’s degree of merit for conventional retailers.

The hope is that this tool, which offers great insight into all aspects and trends to identify the hottest retail cities, will become a key driver over time to optimise each city’s retailing conditions.

Retailers are faced with the challenge of serving a global market with local tastes. Their success in ultimately establishing a footprint within a certain market will depend on how well they analyse the local landscape.

Cotton arrivals declined significantly in Maharashtra, the second-largest producer of the fibre crop, forcing ginning mills to operate at less than 30 per cent capacity as farmers held back stocks on expectations prices will rise. The daily all-India cotton arrivals are currently at 75,000 bales to 80,000 bales of 170 kg each. Half of the cotton comes from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, while the remainder is from central and south India. In Maharashtra, cotton arrivals have started from Khandesh region, while supplies from Marathwada and Vidarbha are yet to pick up.

Farmers are waiting for prices to rise to offload stocks, while ginners are going slow on purchases, expecting rates to cool once the prices of cotton seed soften with growing arrivals. Raw cotton prices have increased to Rs 5,850/ quintal in Maharashtra – more than the MSP prices for medium staple and long staple cotton of Rs 5,150/quintal and Rs 5,450/quintal, respectively.

Labor experts in Britian urged the country's top 100 companies to be more transparent and lead by example. The average combined score of the 100 companies - 47 per cent - shows they are generally failing to take meaningful anti-slavery action and spur better practices in the private sector. Major retailer Marks & Spencer topped a list recently ranking Britain's biggest businesses on their efforts to tackle modern slavery.

Supermarket Tesco and British American Tobacco ranked second and third on the first Global Governance FTSE 100 League Table, which judged firms based on their compliance with Britain's landmark anti-slavery law, and overall human rights practices.

Under Britain's 2015 Modern Slavery Act, companies with a turnover of more than $47.5 million must produce an annual statement outlining the actions they have taken to identify and stop forced labour in their supply chains. Big brands in Britain and beyond are facing growing pressure from regulators and consumers alike to ensure that their global operations and products are not tainted by modern-day slavery.

While most companies on index were found to be largely compliant with the requirements of the law, only one in four of the companies were fully in line, the research found.

Hitesh Kumar Sharma is the new president of the International Federation of Knitting Technologists. He has been with the organisation since 1999 and has more than 25 years of working experience in the knitting industry. He and has worked in a senior techno-management position in global multinational companies in the US, Canada, Italy and North India.

It is expected that with his familiarity with the knitting sector in a wide North America perspective, he will be a great asset to IFKT. The number of American and Canadian members is gradually increasing due to his presence in the organization. The International Federation of Knitting Technologists, founded in 1956, was conceived to establish friendly ties between works managers, technicians and knitting specialists from different countries and thus promote the general interests of the knitting industry and its further technical development.

The organisation holds annual conferences. Countries that have held such conferences so far are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, France, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the US.

IFKT is present in Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia and Switzerland. In addition, there are individual members in Canada, Egypt and Taiwan.

Welspun’s chairman Balkrishan Goenka is the Assocham president and Niranjan Hiranandani, Co-founder and MD, Hiranandani Group, is the senior vice president.

Goenka is one of India’s most dynamic business leaders. Under his leadership, Welspun has grown exponentially to become one of the most notable corporates in the global arena with a presence in over 50 countries. Welspun has a diversified portfolio of businesses spanning large diameter line pipes, home textiles, infrastructure, oil and gas, advanced textiles and flooring. The textile firm sees a positive growth momentum in volumes and is confident of achieving its annual guidance for revenues and profits.

Welspun continues to pursue its differentiation strategy based on branding, innovation, sustainability and its patented traceability solution. The company is seeing substantial growth in e-commerce.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India began its journey in 1920. It has always been an important partner with the government in shaping India’s growth story. To continue this partnership, it has formulated a new vision called 4-Sight based on the pillars of entrepreneurship, digitisation, women empowerment and sustainability. Within each of these areas it will have a focused approach so that it can play an important role with industry and government.

Indonesia is hoping for a series of trade agreements. Eight are in the process of negotiation, three are under revision and two are in the process of negotiation. One agreement is with Australia. Another is the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, a proposed free trade agreement between Asean and China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Yet another is the European Free Trade Association. Agreements with Mozambique, Tunisia and Morocco are expected to be completed this year.

For Indonesia, trade agreements with partner countries can increase the export value and increase market share. With such agreements in place Indonesia expects its exports of textile and textile products to increase three-fold. The cooperation agreement with Japan has helped increase Indonesia’s exports. Till now lack of market access has been a constraint for the textile industry. Meanwhile, textile products from neighboring countries, such as Vietnam, can enter with zero per cent import duty.

At present, the market share of new domestic textile products is around 1.8 per cent while in Indonesia the textile industry has been integrated from upstream to downstream so that the potential for development is still large. The industry in Indonesia wants downstream products to be protected from the onslaught of imports.

The ongoing Sao Paulo Fashion Week from, October 21 to 26, 2018 features a new venue, a new format, and debuts four new labels. Novelties include workshops, presentations and panel discussions. Familiar names in Brazilian fashion festival such as Oskllen and Reinaldo Lourenco made an appearance.

Just like previous Sao Paulo Fashion Weeks, Brazilian designer Ronaldo Fraga stood out with a runway show that offered much more than just clothes and the latest trends. This time Fraga displayed a collection he said is a reflection on intolerance -- strongly influenced by the Israel-Palestine conflict he observed during a 2017 trip to Tel Aviv.

At the end of the show, Fraga’s runway moved to center around a large banquet table with models and invited spectators sitting around it. He once again presented a diverse line-up of models, reflecting the reality of the city of Sao Paulo. The austere collection heavily featured blue embroidery work with minimal patterns.

First-time presenters Piet, Cacete Company, Torino and Bobstore arrived in full force. The fashion week will have offered a total of 31 shows by its end. It has a focus on design and identity, creating a legacy of value and transformation.