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Welspun India, one of the largest home textile manufacturers in the world, has introduced a patented, end-to-end traceability process called Wel-Trak. This innovative process ensures customers and consumers can trace the provenance of the cotton raw materials throughout the supply chain from farm through to the retail.
Wel-Trak delivers end-to-end traceability using automated data capture using RFID, customised software for validation and robust IT & ERP systems to enable smooth operations across all stages of the production process.
Dipali Goenka, CEO and Joint Managing Director, Welspun India explains, all customers across the globe are happy about Wel-Trak as it is unique in the textile industry. Having a mechanism in place that enables them to track the source of the final product right back to the specific farm it comes from definitely adds value and transparency to the whole process.
The proprietary process permits traceability of any product back to its fibre source, through a state-of-the-art solution, thus ensuring transparency and real time information. Welspun announced a partnership with Oritain Global, a world leader in the use of scientific traceability to determine provenance of food, beverages, pharmaceutical and now extended to cotton fibre. This partnership ensures independent validation of Welspun’s supply chain using a method of chemical fingerprinting to identify the origin of the cotton fibre used for its home textile products. This exclusive tie-up with Oritain’s traceability technology supplements Wel-Trak and demonstrates Welspun’s commitment to full transparency and traceability of its home textile products throughout the supply chain.
VF Corporation has made history by becoming the only apparel company in the world to get placed into the list of World’s Most Ethical Company for the year 2018.VF Corporation, a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories, has now been placed in august company with the likes of Microsoft, Dell, Salesforce and Adobe, among a few others, in the list chosen by the Ethisphere Institute. The company’s ethical business standards and practices enabled VF it to become an honoree.
Steve Rendle, VF’s Chairman, President and CEO exults, “This honour has come as testament to integrity, commitment and passion of our 65,000 staff around the world who are doing the right thing across VFs global enterprise.” All participants are given scores which provide them with valuable insights into how they stack up against leading organisations.
A total of 135 companies from 23 countries representing 57 industries were recognised as ethical companies in 2018. The award will be bestowed on 13 March. Major parameters they are assessed on are: Ethics and compliance program, corporate citizenship and responsibility, culture of ethics, governance and leadership and innovation and reputation. These companies are shortlisted on Ethics Quotient (EQ) framework.
Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, has been honouring World’s Most Ethical Companies who recognise their critical role to influence and drive positive change in the business community and societies around the world and work to maximize their impact wherever possible since 2007.
Studies show a steady growth in the capacity of European plastic recyclers resulting in enhanced manufacture of fibres made from recycled PET. The latest figures are good news for the industry following uncertainty over the Chinese government’s decision to ban the import of plastics.
The annual Petcore conference held recently in Brussels, saw speakers from organisations including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation speak on the implementation of plastic circularity. Data from the Plastic Recyclers Europe show since 2015, the installed capacity for plastic recycling in Europe has grown from around 1.5 million tonnes to 2.3 million tonnes annually. Spain, Germany, Italy, Poland and France are accountable for around two thirds of the current capacity for plastic recycling on the continent.
Ton Emans, Chairman of PE Working Group says plastics recycling sector has been dynamic in the last few years. This shows that the industry is paving the way to enhance the circularity of plastics...The Plastics Strategy of the Commission and the Chinese import ban have already a positive impact as we see an acceleration of new projects across Europe.”
Under the theme ‘Strategy for PET in the Circular Economy’ at this year’s Petcore conference, speakers from the European Commission, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and PCI Wood Mackenzie spoke about the PET market as well as the plastics industry in the European Circular Economy.
Petcore also focused on the European Circular Economy. Eline Boon spoke on behalf of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, delivering a presentation ‘New Plastics Economy’. Boon said there is “a global momentum to rethink the plastics system,” emphasises that it isn’t a case of eradicating plastics, but just approaching their manufacture and usage in a different way.
Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association has asked for restoring trade association’s role in timely and transparent disbursement of PM Revised Export Package for 2017-18, due to banks failure in appropriately processing the refund cases of exporters. PHMA Chairman Khurram Anwar Khawaja says most commercial banks have failed to establish separate section and appoint professional staff for verification of exporters' refund cases. Majority of the banks/authorised dealers are also violating the SBP instructions to verify and forward the cases within 15 days due to lack of their capacity and expertise.
He further noted manufacturers and exporters of knitted garments are the largest industrial employment providing sector of Pakistan, besides earning around $2.5 billion annually through exports. Exports of the country during the past few years had seen a decline but the PMs Export Package 2017 had helped the export sectors to move forward.
A notification created hurdles in transparent disbursement of PM Package by eliminating the role of Associations. Khurram said during the textile quota regime misappropriation of billions of rupees took place in the Export Promotion Bureau along with malpractices in its management. When quota management was handed over to Textile Associations, not a single case of corruption or malpractice came up and the full utilization of quota was ensured. He said that it is on record that subsidy scheme of the Ministry of Commerce for establishment of business offices abroad was totally mishandled by TDAP officers.
Studies have revealed workers who have technical ability as well as soft skills have more job opportunities and correspondingly enhanced wages. A new research paper from a team of economics and business professors at Harvard, Boston College and the University of Michigan notes employers also benefit when workers possess soft skills. Garment workers in India who took a course in personal advancement were 20 per cent more productive than workers without the training.
The study, released as a working paper has not yet been peer reviewed, involved a field experiment at five factories that makes clothes for Gap in Bengaluru, in South India. Almost 3,000 workers entered a lottery to take part in an 80-hour course designed for Gap to teach the workers, largely women in their 20s with limited education, life skills such as time management, communication, problem solving and financial literacy.
The 1,087 workers who joined the course became more productive, measured by the quantity of items they produced on the shop floor, by executing simple tasks more efficiently. Workers who finished the course were 11 per cent more productive than before the course and 20 per cent more productive than the control group who did not join the course.
The survey further revealed the women who completed training said they were more likely to ask for additional training that permitted them to master more difficult projects, than those who didn’t take the course. They were also more likely to take advantage of employer and government benefits that helped their productivity and because they took courses on goal setting, they became more focused on increasing their earnings to save for the future. A unique fallout was that other workers on the assembly lines who did not take the course became more productive as they learned from the women who had taken the classes.
The flip side was increased profits did not go to the workers. Their wages went up by only 0.5 per cent, partly due to the fact that they had no way of communicating their new skills to other employers — who hire workers based strictly on sewing ability.
Global unions IndustriALL and UNI have announced that more than 100 brands have joined the new Accord on Fire and Building Safety. Valter Sanches, General Secretary of IndustriALL Global Union says the brands that have signed the 2018 Transition Accord are showing a commitment to transparency and to the safety of Bangladeshi workers. The Accord’s legally-binding framework is the only credible way to guarantee that life-threatening fire and structural hazards are remediated in a timely manner in ready-made garment and textile factories.”
Since the new Accord was announced in June, over 101 brands have come on-board, including Adidas, Benetton, Carrefour, H&M, New Look, Esprit, Hugo Boss, Inditex, Tesco and John Lewis. Thus the agreement covers more than 1,200 factories and around 2 million workers.
Christy Hoffman, Deputy General Secretary of UNI Global Union was happy with the way things are turning out and is confident the vast majority of 2013 signatories would sign the 2018 Transition Accord and now that they have broken 100 signatories. Hoffman says they made improvements to the industry and turning away now simply doesn’t make sense. It is also important to make these advancements in worker safety sustainable through functioning Health and Safety Committees and the Transition Accord will put a priority on this work.
Last month, an unnamed apparel brand was forced to come to a $2.3 million settlement to mitigate safety hazards in factories. The funds will be used to improve working conditions in 150 factories and to support IndustriALL and UNI Global’s workers’ fund.
Kristina Jensen, PRPS women’s account executive disclosed PRPS is adding a bit of stretch to its premium Japanese denim collection. The amount is marginal at around 1.5 to 2 per cent but delivers just enough give while maintaining the brand’s DNA. The well-known denim label is also launching its first-ever collection made in Italy for fall. The capsule features Japanese fabrics designed and stitched in Italy with new cuts demanded by the European markets, including straight and wide leg crop. The collection is expected to retail for $248-$448.
Levi’s Made & Crafted presented its largest collection, including a wide range of button-down shirts and hoodies. For Fall ’18, Levi’s welcomes the addition of the 501 and 511 for men and the 700 series for women. Ingrid Rodriguez, Royal Workshop Chief of Operations, said designing in the confines of what’s available in large quantities forces a higher level of creativity. The brand sources bulk vintage goods from warehouses and reintroduces pieces with chain fringe and Tiffany rhinestone settings.
Other styles are hybrids, such as the vintage Levi’s jacket with an elongated military camp fabric bottom. The brand will start looking outside the 50 states for the same. Australian label Outland Denim made its US debut at Liberty Fairs with prices around $200, the men’s and women’s denim collection targets the premium luxury market. Founder James Bartle proudly says, the biggest point of difference from other brands is that they have a story.
Turkey-based mill Calik made its second appearance at this Liberty show. Calik showcased Athfeat, a collection of athleisure jeans, leggings and jackets made with its Fly Jean concept. The garments were created by Turkish designer Ozak Tekstil. Fly Jeans use Invista’s Lycra fibre, Coolmax and Thermolite IR to create true performance-driven denim. The lightweight fabric keeps the wearer cool, dry or warm without bulk, offers excellent shape retention and has a creamy soft touch while maintaining the authentic look and wash down of denim.
Product Innovation (PI) Apparel, the fashion industry’s premiere technology conference, was held recently. The event is well-known as a place where industry disrupters team up to learn latest trends in fashion technology, brainstorm, share their experiences adopting fashion technology and discuss ways to ensure how fashion technology can be or better implemented.
Stephanie Kleinjan, Owner of Socialite Clothing (a Los Angeles-based apparel brand), discussed her experience, successes and teachings from integrating 3D virtual sample-making into a fast-fashion business model. Using Tukatech’s TUKA3D application with real-time motion simulation for fit and design analysis, the design team at Socialite built a season’s worth of styles virtually before cutting and sewing physical garments. They draped the garments on virtual fit models, examined tension maps that reveal where the cloth is tight or loose, following which they showcased the styles in different colorways to buyers and designers.
Ram Sareen, Tukatech’s Founder, and an industry disrupter said, TUKA3D brings brands and designers to the next level. They can reduce production time by months, saving money and beating others to market.
Tukatech is the garment and apparel industry's leading provider of fashion design software and technology solutions. Founded in 1995 by Sareen, Tukatech offers award-winning 2D pattern making, grading and marker making software, automated marker making software, 3D sample making/virtual prototyping software, as well as garment plotters, automatic spreaders and cutters for production.
Czech textile and clothing companies last year showcased their best results in the past 12 years. Data from a survey carried out by the Czech Association of Textile, Clothing and Leather Industries (ATOK) 2017 records companies sold fibres, textiles and clothing valued at 55.3 billion crowns. This was largely due to the fast growing economy and focus on technical textiles, which are used in the automobile industry, agriculture, health care and aviation. The head of the Czech Association of Textile, Clothing and Leather Industries, Jiří Česal points out. The growth suggests a close interconnection between the textile industry and other fields. It is clearly driven by the auto industry which uses textiles for the production of many of its components.
Currently, technical textiles make up two thirds of global textile production and experts say their significance will continue to grow. Česal says seven out of the country’s top 10 textile producers manufacture technical textile. The Czech Republic’s leading producer is Juta, which produces unwoven textiles for the building industry and agriculture, followed by nappies producer Pegas Nonwovens.
As per a study by Czech Association of Textile, Clothing and Leather Industry, Textile and Clothing Associations last year recruited new employees and increased their salaries. Wages increased by over seven per cent, with workers in textile companies achieving an average wage of 24,000 crowns.
Just like in other fields, however, Czech textile and clothing companies are facing a serious lack of workers. Earlier, Czechoslovakia was a textile and clothing industry power, but in the 1990s many of the country’s companies went bankrupt following cheap imports from Asia.
Circle Economy has officially launched the Fibersort Project which uses innovative technology to automatically sort large volumes of mixed post-consumer textiles based on fibre composition. Along with project partners Valvan Baling Systems, Reshare, Procotex, Worn Again and Smart Fibersorting, the organisation will soon undertake testing on the sorted materials and the results will be disclosed in future Fibersort reports. A ‘Demo Day’ has been scheduled for March 14th to showcase Fibersort’s technology at work and to share performance information with the industry for the first time. The event will also have project partners host workshops to gain an in-depth understanding of systemic issues around recycled textiles.
The project partners give out figures which show of all textiles discarded in Northwest Europe, only 30 per cent are collected and almost half of the collected items are only fit to be downcycled, landfilled or incinerated. The Fibersort Project hopes to give them a chance to become inputs for textile-to-textile recycling.
The Fibersort technology, funded by Interreg NWE, is now in operation and the first Fibersorted materials are now commercially available. The project aims to reduce the need for virgin textile materials by providing feedstock more efficiently for textile-to-textile recycling and creating additional market value by making it economically feasible to sort textile waste. Cyndi Rhoades, CEO, Worn Again explains, Fibersort will enable suppliers of post-consumer textiles to meet the feedstock specification for our process more efficiently than today’s sorting methods. The results of the Fibersort are looking promising.
