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There is a move to include handloom weavers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). MGNREGS is a rural job scheme. Under the scheme, workers are given a standard wage in the range of Rs 159 to Rs 241 a day, for 100 days a year.
Even though weavers are not unskilled workers, they earn much less than what an unskilled worker does. But they have refused to give up on this profession only because of family tradition and the love for the art. However, economically the weavers belong to the bottom of the pyramid, and the average daily income for many of them often falls below the mandatory wage provided to unskilled workers under MGNREGS.
At present, only silk farming from the textile segment is covered under the scheme. The textile ministry, however, has been seeking extension of MGNREGS to the entire textile and garment sector. Such a move can help tackle labor shortage in the sector, especially in the more labor-intensive garment factories. Most importantly, even unskilled workers could be given proper training, which they can benefit from.
The handloom sector provides employment to 4.33 million people across 2.38 million handlooms in the country and accounts for 11 per cent of India’s textile production.
nrega.ap.gov.in/
Work on apparel and garment manufacturing centers in the Northeast has commenced and is nearing completion in some states. The scheme for construction of apparel and garment manufacturing centers in the Northeastern states was launched in 2014. The objective of the scheme is to promote employment in the northeast states and encourage entrepreneurship, especially among women, in the area of garmenting. It covers various segments like silk, handlooms, handicrafts and apparels and garments.
Each apparel and garment making center set up under the initiative is estimated to generate direct employment for 1,200 people. Each state will have one center with three units, each having 100 machines. For local entrepreneurs with the requisite background, the required facilities to start a unit will be provided in the plug and play mode. Once such entrepreneurs get established, they can set up their own units, allowing the facility to be provided to new entrepreneurs.
The project will be fully funded by the Ministry of Textiles, with an estimated expense of Rs 18.18 crores for each state. The scheme has a total outlay of Rs 1,038.10 crores.
The Apparel Training and Design Centre has entered into a partnership with Juki India to offer product specialty courses and training in lingerie wear. ATDC is India’s largest vocational training network for the apparel sector. Indian consumers are becoming aware of the significance of inner wear. Based on the income classification of consumers, they can be identified as those who have less than five pieces, between six to 10 pieces, and over 10 pieces.
Juki produces different machines used for making lingerie wear especially bras. It has machines that can be used in cup making, strap making and cutting, D-ring attaching and advanced machines that do not need thread trimming after sewing.
Keeping in mind the need to bridge the skill and knowledge gaps in the lingerie industry, ATDC is announcing various courses. To begin with ATDC Bangalore will be conducting workshops for the industry and faculty. These are aimed at short programs on pattern making, design and style analysis, introduction to operations etc. A detailed training course of 300 hours is proposed to commence in the first quarter of 2016. This program will include basic designing, body measurements, pattern making, and introduction to materials used in lingerie wear in addition to practical sewing.
www.atdcindia.co.in/
Zodiac Clothing Company (ZCCL) has won Gold certificate in LEED certifications for its energy-efficient office. A trusted name in men’s wear for the last 61 years, ZCCL had recently renovated its corporate building and laying emphasis on energy saving items.
The building has been designed in such a way that sunlight reaches each floor made possible through a pyramid like rooftop skylight. Then, the office light fixtures are suspended in such a way that they project light both upwards and downwards. This helps to utilise 90 per cent of the light through reduced glare. Energy consuming projectors have been replaced with LED televisions so that less energy is consumed. Even the elevator has been replaced by a glass one which has V3F drive, thereby saving 50 per cent energy.
Windows have been laid out in a manner that natural light flows inside. Daylight sensors dim the light when there is sufficient sunlight and switch them on when there isn’t. Cooling at peak hours is provided high-energy efficiency water-cooled central chillers that use 0.67 KW per tonne instead of the normal 1.5 to 2KW per tonne.
All this has been achieved in a conventional building design. As Salman Noorani, MD, ZCCL, says, ‘if all commercial buildings in India were as efficient as ours, the country could cut energy production enough to meet the demands of the Koto Protocol’. He also believes that energy saved in this manner through green buildings can be used by the country wherever there is a shortage.
The LEED certifications acts as an extension of the identity of the brand.
Comprehensive trade fair for apparel fabrics and accessories is gearing up for its biggest ever spring edition, to be held from March 16 to 18, 2016. Over 3,000 exhibitors from around the world have already confirmed to partake in Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics which will be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).
This year’s International Zone is housed in hall 7.2, while domestic exhibitors are in halls 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 8.1 and 8.2. Domestic and international denim exhibitors are grouped together in Beyond Denim (hall 7.2), while Chinese and overseas accessories suppliers are located in hall 8.1. A relatively new addition to hall 7.2 is the France Zone, which expands in size this year after a strong debut showing at the 2015 Spring Edition. Some of France’s leading suppliers have already confirmed to take part
The France Zone is located inside SalonEurope, which is the destination to find high-end apparel fabrics and accessories producers from Europe. Some of the leading brands returning to the fair this year include Miroglio Textile from Italy, Turkey’s Soktas Tekstil and Liberty Art Fabrics from the UK. And a highlight for many buyers at the fair is the Milano Unica Pavilion from Italy, which this year features around 100 of Italy’s best textile producers showcasing their latest collections for women’s wear and men’s wear.
Organised by Japan Fashion Week Organization, the Japan Pavilion returns with over 20 exhibitors, while the Korea Pavilion – with more than 70 participants – features a large selection of man-made and functional fabrics. Organised by the Korea Fashion Textile Association (KFTA), this pavilion expands by over 50 per cent this year due to strong demand for Korean products at previous editions. One of the largest zones at the fair is the Taiwan Pavilion – organised by the Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF) – which houses over 50 exhibitors of accessories, cotton, denim, embroidery, jacquard, knit, lace, polyester, spandex and wool blended and woven fabrics suitable for mass to luxury markets. Rounding out the pavilions from Asia are the Pakistan Pavilion featuring cotton fabrics for casual wear and jeanswear and organised by the Commercial Section, Embassy of Pakistan, and the Texprocil (The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council) Pavilion from India.
www.messefrankfurt.com
Chinese denim mill Prosperity Textile has decided to use Better Cotton for all its lightweight cotton denim fabrics beginning with the Spring/Summer 2017 season. The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a non-profit organisation that seeks to bridge the cotton supply chain from farmer to retailers by providing global standards for sustainable cotton production.
“We believe sustainable cotton is what every denim mill should use, and we value the importance Better Cotton has for both farmers and the industry in general,” said Leo Ku, president of Prosperity Textile, in a statement.
Prosperity Textile can produce up to two million yards per month of lightweight denim, including shirting and dress-weight fabrics. According to the company, there will be no change in the price with the shift to Better Cotton.
In addition to Olah, Levi Strauss & Co, G-Star Raw, Marks & Spencer, Tommy Hilfiger, Adidas, H&M, IKEA, VF, Inditex and Nike are members of BCI.
Founded in 1995, Prosperity Textile is a vertically integrated denim production facility with the capacity to produce 60 million yards annually. The company provides research and development, design, and manufacturing services to customers worldwide. Located in Shaoguan, China, the company dyes, weaves and finishes its fabrics in weights ranging from 5 oz. to 15 oz. for menswear, womenswear and children’s wear. In addition to BCI cotton, Prosperity also produces fabric from other sustainable fibres including Tencel, hemp, recycled materials and organic cotton.
www.prosperity-textile.com bettercotton.org
Vietnam's central bank is letting the country’s currency dong to fall against the dollar, hoping to close the gap between its reference rate and market forces and tap the export benefits due to a softer currency. The State Bank of Vietnam on Monday moved its reference rate for the dong from 21,890 to the dollar to 21,896, announcing that it would begin setting the rate daily by taking into account the movements of the euro, dollar, yen, yuan and other currencies. Cuts have continued nearly every day this week, mirroring a slide by China's currency.
The new policy steps away from the dong's de facto peg against the dollar. The reference rate previously has remained fixed for lengthy periods, with the central bank ensuring that the currency's value stays within a certain trading band, usually a few per cent. The shift comes after months of pressure for a weaker dong, fueled by factors including speculation around US interest rate hikes. The central bank in August widened the allowable deviation from the reference rate to 2 per cent from 1 per cent. That was followed by another expansion to 3 per cent later in the month, alongside a cut to the rate itself.
The conclusion of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact in 2015 also gave support for a weaker dong. Vietnam is expected to reap the benefits of TPP membership as its textile industry ramps up exports. A stable currency will boost the country's appeal further as it tries to position itself as a key market in Asia.
A global framework agreement (GFA) signed between IndustriALL Global Union and Swedish clothing company H&M has been an accelerator in reinstating sacked workers at garment factories in both Myanmar and Pakistan just a couple of months after it came into force.
The GFA, which was signed in November 2015, serves to protect the labour rights of 1.6 million workers in H&M’s global supply chain. In Myanmar, the GFA was key to getting trade unionists back to work, as well as achieving trade union recognition at the Jiale Fashion factory in Yangon. Eight union leaders were sacked at the garment factory in October 2015, leading to a month-long strike. The Confederation of Trade Unions in Myanmar (CTUM) reported the dispute to IndustriALL’s South East Asia regional office, which invoked the GFA with the H&M Sustainability offices in Yangon and Sweden, especially as the case raised issues on freedom of association.
H&M Sustainability then pushed for dialogue through both their local office in Yangon and Jiale Fashion’s owners in Hong Kong. H&M Sustainability, IndustriALL and CTUM were involved throughout the process until an agreement was reached between workers and the factory. As well as reinstating the dismissed workers, the factory agreed to recognize the factory trade union, the Jiale Basic Labour Organization, which is affiliated to CTUM and IndustriALL through the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IWFM).
In November 2015, 88 workers at the Denim Clothing Company (DCC) factory in Pakistan were sacked for demanding their rights. As part of the newly signed GFA with H&M, both parties worked to bring the 88 workers back to work through joint negotiations with IndustriALL Pakistani affiliate NTUF and the local management at Denim Clothing. All workers were reinstated with full pay from 26 November, the date they had been fired.
www.hm.com
Industry sources claim that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) may soon launch a development plan for the textile industry. The plan is expected to be unveiled during the first half of this year - the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). The measures may include focus on high-end production, textiles for automobile use, implementation of recycling system for waste textile and developing Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as a major textile base by 2020 to provide easy access to the western countries.
Despite all reports and studies pointing out how falling currency, rising raw material and labour costs in China are impacting the country’s apparel market, according to the forecast made by the Euromonitor, the country will exceed the United States to become the world’s largest apparel market by 2019.
The report suggests that annual apparel sales in China will reach $333,312 million in 2019, an increase of 25 per cent from $267,246 million in 2014. While in comparison, apparel sales in the United States are estimated to reach $267,360 million in 2019, which is only 3 per cent higher than $260,050 million in 2014.
The study points out that China seems to be an even more competitive apparel market than the United States because no apparel brand was able to achieve a market share more than 1 per cent in 2014 in China, whereas in the United States, market shares of several leading apparel brands exceeded 2 per cent. Moreover, domestic brands overall outperform international brands in the Chinese apparel market.
www.euromonitor.com
The government has rejected claims made by the textile mills seeking subsidy against investments made under the Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) during the black-out period. Industry sources say that the subsidy claims are to the tune of Rs1,000-1,200 crores.
The blackout period is considered to be from June 28, 2010 to April 27, 2011, when the government had stopped fresh sanctions of projects under TUFS, to change it from an open-ended scheme to a closed-ended one, and launched the revised scheme only from April 2011. The allocation of a total of Rs17,822 crores approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) last week for subsidy payments under both the old and the new schemes have not considered claims made for investments made during the black-out period.
The Cabinet announced a new Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS) last week and approved Rs12,671 crores for its “committed liabilities” under the old scheme. It provided another Rs 5,151 crores for subsidy payment under the new scheme (ATUFS) over a period of seven years.
The industry is of the opinion that the government’s decision to not consider the black-out period cases as “committed liabilities” would adversely impact textile mills, which have taken loans to invest in expansion or upgradation and are simultaneously facing low demand from the importing countries.
Texmin.nic.in
