Global response to ‘ban plastic’ call has been quite encouraging with people discarding most of their plastic bottles and bags. However, this is not enough to control rising plastic pollution as majority of microscopic, hair-like plastic fibers are not visible to the naked eye. They easily course through water and air, accumulate on beaches, in intertidal zones, and even in Artic Sea ice. These synthetic microfibers are thin pieces of plastic, a sub-category of microplastics that resemble a strand of hair. Only 6 per cent of the total plastic that enters the oceans can be viewed by naked eye as rest of it sinks to the seafloor by breaking into small micro particles.

Addressing multiple levels of plastic pollution

Quicker turnout of styles and increased number of fashion collections per year has ramped up demand for plastic-infused clothes, says a 2017 Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, ‘A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning Fashion’s Future’. Manufacturers add plastic additives such as antioxidants, dyes or fire retardants to the virgin while making clothes. These microfibers originate mainly from clothing made from synthetic fabrics like polyester, rayon, and nylon.

Industry experts, government, and academia need to address this plastic leakage at multiple levels from production, fabrication, usage, and washing of synthetic textiles to wastewater treatment plants. Fashion Pact -- the agreement between 32 companies and 150 brands -- helps the fashion industry lessen its environmental impact by encouraging clothing companies and brands to achieve zero gas emissions by 2050, restore natural ecosystems and protect species, and reduce the use of single-use plastic.

Accelerating efforts around microfiber pollution

Industry leaders can also join the Conscious Fashion Campaign, which encourages global leaders to achieve Sustainable Development goals. Additionally, the Clean by Design Program launched by Sustainable Apparel Coalition encourages multinational corporations to minimize environmental impacts of their suppliers abroad. These initiatives help the industry to build a network of companies to accelerate efforts around synthetic fibers and microfiber pollution.

Companies are also seeking a Certified B certification from non-profit organization B Lab to indicate their compliance to the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

Opportunities for innovative solutions in material science

A study by Patagonia and University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), found wastewater treatment plants can capture approximately 40 per cent of the microfibers produced by top-load washing machines. These microfibers travel through soil, water, and even air to all regions of the globe and are thought to comprise up to 35 percent of primary microplastics in the marine environment.

Companies and scientists across the globe are collaborating to address this problem of microfiber pollution. They are incorporating products such as the Cora Ball, Guppyfriend, and Filtrol with washers to catch excess microfibers. While these innovations do not completely solve the problem, they are help address the issue at the individual household level.

Internal and external pressures to reform fashion are creating opportunities for the launch of innovative solutions in material science and chemistry as well as environmental science, says Ellen McArthur Foundation. Experts need to strengthen the research on microfibers to fashion industry move towards a plastic-free future.

Unifi, a leading innovator in recycled and synthetic yarns, expects demand for its Repreve fabric to grow in non-traditional markets as more brands seek out ways to reduce carbon footprints in their raw materials.

The company posted a sales decline to $606.5 million in fiscal 2020, which ended on June 28, compared to $708.8 million last year. It incurred a net loss of $57.2 million compared to net income of $2.4 million in FY19. The operating loss was $8.8 million compared to operating income of $10.9 million in FY19.

Gross profit for the year fell to $39.0 million (FY19: $66.3 million). Selling, general and administrative expenses were down to $43.8 million ($52.6 million). Sales of Polyester during FY20 dropped by16.6 per cent to $309.1 million. Sales in Brazil plunged by 28.7 per cent to $73.3 million and nylon sales decreased 31.3 per cent to $67.3 million. However, sales in Asia rose 15.2 per cent to $153 million.

The volume of retail sales in the eurozone rebounded in June to levels recorded in February before lockdowns completing a recovery that began in May after record drops in March and April.

Sales in the 19-country currency bloc rose by 5.7 per cent in June from May, according to Eurostat, the European Union's statistics office. Spending on clothing and car fuel drove the gains.

The increase in sales was smaller than the 5.9 per cent forecast by economists polled by Reuters, but that was largely offset by an upward revision of May sales. Eurostat said that the volume of shopping increased by 20.3 per cent in May, revising its earlier estimate of a 17.8 per cent increase.

The two consecutive increases in sales fully offset the record declines in March and April, when many eurozone countries imposed lockdowns to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The shopping volume in June was 1.3 per cent higher than a year earlier, the first annual rise since February. Month-on-month, retail sales went up in June by double digits in Ireland, Spain and Italy, but fell again in Germany and Austria after large increases in May.

Sales of textiles, clothing and footwear grew by 20.4 per cent month-on-month in the eurozone, after a record 224.1 per cent jump in May.

Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan exporters will hold Made in Uzbekistan Textile online business forum from Aug 25-27, 2020.

The forum will include leading textile companies from Uzbekistan as well as Azerbaijani enterprises and retailers interested in Uzbek products. It will help create opportunities for manufacturers of export-oriented textile products to find new distributors, expand partner network, and create joint ventures with Azerbaijani companies.

The forum will hold business meetings that will be attended by buyers, distributors, specialists of sewing enterprises, ateliers, representatives of retail chains and investors from Azerbaijan.

The Uzbek side will be represented by leading companies in the textile industry, including Urganch Bakhmal LLC, Alliance Textile LLC, Oqsaroy Textile LLC, Khantex-Group Ltd., Imron Textile Group and others.

The forum will hold bilateral meetings on a fully automated platform specially developed by Azerbaijan's Caspian Event Organizers.

G-Star Raw has introduced the word’s first regenerative indigo diyed fabric in its Fall 2020 collection. The Dutch denim brand partnered with Italian mill Candiani Denim to introduce this innovation.

Along with being circular, the fabric offers performance qualities for the consumer on the go. The Iken Superstretch O fabric features 97 percent organic cotton and 3 percent ROICA EF, a Global Recycled Standard Certified stretch yarn that is designed to keep your jeans in shape wear after wear.

The new denim fabric is available in five jean styles: the Airblaze, Lancet and D-Staq for men, and the Noxer and Kafey for women.

The indigo innovation build on G-Star Raw’s range of Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold stretch jeans, which the brand introduced earlier this year. All items are made from organic cotton combined with a sustainable stretch fiber, and use processes powered by renewable energy and a wastewater recycling system. The expanded line includes the new C-Staq jean for women and five existing styles in new washes.

The Fall ’20 collection also includes the brand’s first line of Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold T-shirts for women. The jersey constructions are made from 100 percent organic cotton and zero harmful chemicals throughout the entire production process.

Madrid-based fashion tradeshow Momad has postponed its next edition to February 04, 2021, with Ifema and the organizing committee aiming to hold the event in a strengthened economic environment that’s more likely to mean a successful show for those taking part. The show was originally planned for September 18-20,2020.

The new dates, February 04-06 mean the show will coincide with the Intergift, Bisutex and MadridJoya salons, also at Ifema, and should create an environment that will be appealing to potential visitors.

The organizers also decided against a hybrid approach due to recent rises in coronavirus infection rates.

Momad ended its previous edition with 15,000 visitors, of which the foreign presence accounted for a total of 32 per cent. It saw 64 participating countries, according to data published on its official page.

German sports giant Adidas expects to bounce back to profitability in the third quarter after it plunged to a big loss in the second quarter when the majority of its stores were closed due to coronavirus lockdowns.

Adidas expects a material improvement in third-quarter sales assuming there are no new major lockdowns, but still down on 2019 by a mid-to-high single-digit rate.

It sees an operating profit of between €600 million and €700 million in the period. Adidas reported a second-quarter operating loss of €333 million (£301.16 million) worse than the €290 million expected by analysts on sales down 35% to €3.579 billion, ahead of analyst consensus for €3.3 billion.

The brand’s sales were flat for the second quarter in China, where it saw double-digit growth in May and June.

The quarterly loss included coronavirus-related charges of around €250 million, mainly due to an increase in inventory and bad debt allowances, as well as the impairment of retail stores and the trademark of its struggling Reebok brand.

The ‘2020 Fashion Industry Benchmarking Study’ says despite the changing business environment due to COVID-19, Asia's position as the dominant sourcing base for US fashion companies remained unshakeable. The study found the top 10 most-utilized sourcing destinations for US companies in 2020 remained the same as last year and eight Asian countries, including Bangladesh, saw a higher utilization rate this year than 2019.

Fifty-five per cent of fashion brands in the United States expressed their interest to expand sourcing from Bangladesh in the next two years while around half of the companies plan to modestly increase procurement from Indonesia, Vietnam, and India.

Benefiting from US fashion companies’ reduced sourcing from China, Vietnam and Bangladesh are expected to play a more significant role as primary apparel suppliers for the US market, the survey said. This benchmarking study was based on a survey of nearly 25 executives working at leading US fashion companies from April to June in 2020.

Around 29 per cent respondents indicated they would source more from Vietnam than China in 2020. Bangladesh became the third top sourcing destination for US fashion companies with an 85.7-per cent usage rate among respondents, up from 60 per cent in 2019, identified the benchmark study of the US Fashion Industry Association.

Executives from four Turkish denim mills discussed their strategies for navigating through the pandemic, sustainability investments and how the denim industry may change as a result of COVID-19 at a recent webinar.

Hurriyet Ozturk, Product Development Manager, Kipas believes the importance of Turkish denim mills is likely to grow post COVID-19. These mills can offer smaller runs, allowing brands with the flexibility to adopt a just-in-time manufacturing model that limits overstock risks. Their flexibility can also be extended to their dealing with clients. For instance, after closing temporarily in March, Bossa and Calik Denim were back in business offering extended payment terms to their clients.

These mills are innovating in the midst of a crisis. They are using this break in production as an opportunity to rethink products and marketing. They are adjusting to a blend of physical and digital interactions and moving towards seasonless collections, said Dr Sedef Uncu Aki, Executive Director, Orta.

Taking consumers’ needs into account, these mills are working on a number of concepts including denims made from more durable materials. They are using comfortable and CBD-infused fabrics alongwith biodegradable and recycled materials. Their investments in solar power and technology can reduce the amount of water needed in processing, he added.

Pinar Demirel, Marketing Communications Manager, Calik Denim said the lockdown period has helped the brand to analyze consumer needs and trends deeply.

According to the seventh edition of the survey report, conducted jointly by the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) and the University of Delaware, Bangladesh became the third largest sourcing country for the US-based apparel and fashion companies in 2020, advancing from its last year's sixth position despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a latest study. Bangladesh's position improved mainly due to the 'most competitive price' it offers and exports similar products over the years, the study revealed.

Around half of the respondents revealed plans to modestly increase sourcing from a few Asian countries in the next two years including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Vietnam, and India. Bangladesh accounted for 9.4 per cent of US apparel imports in the first five months of 2020, which was a record high and up from 7.1 per cent in 2019.

The report indicated Bangladesh exported similar products to the United States from 2015 to 2019, its export to the US increased despite the COVID-19 and the US-China tariff war. The report also found Bangladesh offers the most competitive price, followed by Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, India, and Sri Lanka. Other than the factor of labor cost, the strong capacity in cotton yarn and fabric production locally contributed to the cost advantage of ‘Made in Bangladesh’ products, it said.

However, respondents still regard sourcing from Bangladesh involving relatively higher compliance risks in general, with the rating score for the country at 2.0, the same as last year. Some respondents explicitly expressed their concerns about the dissolution of the Alliance and the Accord, a move that is widely viewed as not helpful with building more confidence in Bangladesh's social responsibility practices.