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In a recent development, 20 companies from Italy’s Prato fashion district pledged their commitment to Greenpeace’s fashion Detox. The district is home to some of Italy’s oldest textile manufacturers and is Italy's most extensive fashion supply chain, exporting 2.5 billion Euros of clothing annually to retailers such as Burberry, Valentine, Armani and Gucci.
This agreement of companies within the Prato district will affect 13,000 tons of yarn and 13 million meters of fabric each year. These companies have already removed several hazardous chemical groups from its production as required by the Detox campaign. These include brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, organotins compounds, and amines associated with azo dyes that can have negative effects on human reproductive systems and cause cancer.
To eliminate the use of all hazardous chemicals from their global supply chain by 2020, Greenpeace Detox campaign demands that fashion brands avoid the use of all hazardous chemicals. Among the companies joining Detox are Miroglio and Inditex as well as major international brands such as Valentino, Adidas, H&M, and Burberry.
Textile Exchange has released the first draft of the ‘Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) for Public Stakeholder Review’ by interested parties. This is an important opportunity for the public to give their input into the standard, and ensure that it meets its goals and delivers value to the wool industry.
The intention of RWS (responsiblewool.org) will be a global benchmark for animal welfare and land management practices in sheep farming. The goals of the standard are to provide the industry with the best possible tool to recognize the best practices of farmers around the globe, ensure wool comes from responsibly treated sheep and from farms with a progressive approach to managing their land, drive understanding and adoption of best land management principles and practices and provide a robust chain of custody system from farm to final product to ensure consumer confidence in RWS products.
To develop the Responsible Wool Standard, Textile Exchange started an International Working Group. The standard has been written through an open, multi-stakeholder process, with representation from a broad spectrum of interested parties, including animal welfare groups, farmers, wool suppliers, and brands and supply industry associations, covering both apparel and home categories.
Surat is planning to enter production and export of western wear. Saris and dress materials worth Rs 110 crores are traded at the textile wholesale markets in Surat on a daily basis. But it is felt Indian or ethnic garments have a market only in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan. So textile entrepreneurs want to grab the opportunity and manufacture western outfits and increase garment exports across the globe.
Surat is the country's biggest man-made fabric hub. The polyester fabric hub employs over 10 lakh workers. If textile entrepreneurs set up western outfit manufacturing unit, the employment in the textile industry is expected to rise from 10 to 20 lakh.
Right now there are just a few players in the textile industry manufacturing western kurtis and leggings. Most textile players make Indian outfits including saris, chudidars, lehengas, Punjabi dresses, etc. Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Kolkata and Ahmedabad have been manufacturing western and indo-western outfits for the domestic and export markets. Most western outfits are exported to UAE, the US and Europe.
Under the Trans Pacific Partnership, Vietnamese companies won’t have to pay tax when exporting products to the US. Vietnamese textile and garment products now have an import tariff of 17 per cent on an average when entering the US market. However, there is a feeling that it is not Vietnamese enterprises, but US importers which will get benefits, because US importers have to pay the tax.
The question being raised is whether US importers would pay more for the products of Vietnamese exporters and if so whether they would share benefits to be brought by TPP with Vietnamese enterprises. The opinion is that US importers will take full advantage of TPP to optimise their profits. However, in an indirect way, there will be benefits to Vietnamese enterprises, because US importers would get higher profits thanks to TPP, and therefore, would place bigger orders with Vietnamese enterprises.
Once demand increases, and Vietnamese supply is limited, US importers will have to offer higher prices to scramble for contracts with Vietnamese enterprises. Meanwhile, it has been estimated that 70 per cent of Vietnam’s textile and garment export turnover is from foreign invested enterprises. Vietnam exported $23 billion worth of textile and garment products in 2015, while only $7 billion went to Vietnamese enterprises’ pockets.
A slide in China’s exports in January was eclipsed by an even bigger tumble in imports, leaving a record trade surplus for the world’s biggest trading nation. Shipments from China declined 11.2 per cent in January in US dollar terms from a year earlier and compared with a 1.4 per cent drop in December. Imports extended a stretch of decline to 15 months, tumbling 18.8 per cent.
The yuan surged the most in more than a decade. The slide in exports suggests the yuan’s depreciation since August has yet to result in a sustained boost to the competitiveness of China's factories. China's economy continues to give mixed signals. While areas like consumption and services show signs of holding up, the manufacturing sector remains in the doldrums. Retail sales over the spring festival holiday rose 11.2 per cent from the same vacation period a year earlier, with cinemas posting sharp increases in box-office sales.
If China wants to deliver a 6.5 to 7 per cent growth target this year it has to rely on domestic demand. Exports are likely to grow zero per cent this year and property investment by zero to five per cent. The country needs to come out with a bigger infrastructure package to invest.
Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition (AISEX) will take place in Sri Lanka, June 10 to 12, 2016. AISEX aims at sharpening the manufacturers’ hunger for technological innovations in the apparel industry and providing the garment industry with the complete solutions necessary to forge ahead in Sri Lanka.
It will bring together suppliers and service organizations under one roof and focus on a wide range of textile machinery, accessories and services from many parts of the world. The exhibition will generate new opportunities closer to home, within the South Asian region. AISEX 2016 will encourage suppliers and service organisations to showcase their latest products for apparel manufacturers. The networking taking place during this exhibition will also help build global relationships between such parties.
Exhibiting companies will be from material flow, quality control, model and cutting preparation, cutting room, fusing, stitching, joining and fastening technology, product processing, distribution logistics, energy and air-conditioning, information media, fabric and yarn, and support services like insurance companies and banks, freight forwarders, courier companies and shipping companies.
Readymade garments are Sri Lanka’s biggest export products. However, the region’s investment in technological development and R&D is rather low, and in the face of increasing global competition, the apparel industry is in need of sustainable solutions to meet its technology needs.
Intermoda was held in Mexico from January 19 to 22, 2016. This fair is regarded as one of the most important and specialised apparel and textile events in Mexico which connects potential buyers. It was supplemented with a fashion extravaganza showcasing the latest fashion trends on colors, textures, fabrics and merchandising.
The event brought together Mexican and international companies, manufacturers, importers and distributors, and was an ideal place for publicising brand image, besides giving one and all the opportunity to analyse competition, step up sales, launch new products, get to know market trends and expand network of business contacts.
India unveiled her apparel and textile export potential at the fair. India's participation was aimed at strengthening bilateral trade and economic cooperation with Mexico, a strategically located Latin American country bound by the United States to the north and Belize and Guatemala to the south-east. Indian brands exhibited apparel, textile, leather garments, fashion accessories, blouses, skirts, evening wear, woolen shawls, tie and dye items, made-ups, fashion jewelry, wooden block printed garments and terracotta items etc.
The fair aims to provide an excellent business opportunity in high potential Mexican markets, which attract a large number of buyers from North America and Latin American regions.
intermoda.com.mx/
Sangam India a leading integrated textile conglomerate has reported a 12.92 per cent rise in net profit at Rs 15.55 crores for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to Rs 13.77 crores in the corresponding quarter ended December 31, 2014. Earnings before interest, depreciation and taxation (EBIDTA) increased by 4.02 per cent at Rs 55.35 crores compared to Rs 53.21 crores in the corresponding quarter ended December 31, 2015. The company’s operating margins improved by 112 basis points to 15.61 per cent in the third quarter of financial year ’16. Increased integration and a focus on exports have helped the company in maintaining realisations, despite falling prices.
Falling commodity prices impacted the company’s net sales during the quarter. The company’s total income from operation dipped marginally to Rs 354.54 crores for the quarter ended December 31, 2015, compared to Rs 367.31 crores in the corresponding quarter ended December 31, 2014.
Despite falling commodity prices, the company was able to maintain realisation in exports of denims and suitings during the quarter. Denim exports reported a sharp jump of 204 per cent year on year and suiting fabrics exports rose by 25.7 per cent year on year.
www.sangamgroup.com/
India’s textile exports are likely to decline marginally to $40 billion this year as against $41.4 billion last year. However, prices of raw materials in India are higher than prices in international markets. Because of this, the country’s exports are becoming uncompetitive. India is the largest producer of cotton in the world. The industry wants a quick implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and a rethink on free trade agreements with major consuming countries like Canada.
Textile mills want cotton available at prices cheaper than prevailing prices in international markets. The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil), has been the international face of cotton textiles from India facilitating exports worldwide. Texprocil has a membership of around 3,000 companies spread across major textile clusters in India. Its members are well established manufacturers and exporters of cotton textile products like cotton, yarns, fabrics and home textiles.
Demand is healthy for Indian cotton from Pakistan and other Asian countries like Bangladesh and Vietnam. India’s production in the current year is estimated to drop four per cent especially after floods hit cotton growing in Tamil Nadu. Financial year ’17 is unlikely to bring cheers for the Indian cotton sector as prices are set to be under pressure.
At the recent ‘Happening Haryana: Global Investors Summit’ in Gurgaon, the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) had a discussion with industry experts on the scope of investments in apparel industry. Speaking at the summit P K Das, Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana, commented the state has made a mark in apparel exports globally. It is the seventh largest apparel exporter in the world and the industry is growing at 3.50 per cent. Haryana is the upcoming destination for investment in apparel industry and is turning into an apparel hub. He said Gurgaon has the potential to become an apparel hub like Surat and Banaras. The Haryana government will support budding entrepreneurs and provide a favorable environment.
Critical issues such as skilled manpower supply, ease of doing business and need for constant interaction between government and industry for easier compliance of regulations for the apparel industry were discussed. The agenda of the meeting was to understand critical issues that the apparel industry is facing and the entrepreneurial growth in the sector.
