FW
Shu Yang of Penn Engineering and Randall Kamien of the School of Arts & Sciences are teaming up with a researcher at Drexel to make a new kind of wearable health tracking device that gathers information from its wearer through his or her sweat.
This Penn-Drexel collaboration aims to develop a garment, knitted out of smart yarn that will chemically analyze the wearer’s sweat. A student in the Yang Lab, Weerapha Panatdasirisuk has already hand-knit the first strands of the team’s nanoscale yarn into braids.
What if everything ‘smart’ about your smartwatch was in the band? This is what Shu, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering & Applied Science and Randall, the Vicki and William Abrams Professor in the Natural Sciences in the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS), intend to find out.
The researchers are teaming up with Genevieve Dion, director of the Shima Seiki Haute Technology Lab at Drexel University, with the goal of making a new kind of wearable health tracking device: where the “smarts” are embedded in the fabric itself.
The team recently received a $100,000 grant from the Keck Futures Initiative, a project of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine that supports forward-thinking, highly interdisciplinary collaboration to develop a garment that gathers health information from its wearer through his or her sweat. They plan to achieve this by spinning nanotechnology-inspired yarn that can be knitted like its conventional counterparts.
Instead of absorbing the sweat, the team’s yarn will be able to chemically analyze its contents and change color of the garment accordingly.
Wearable technology requires materials that are both flexible and functional so that developers often look to polymers or to make harder materials as thin as possible.
The government has informed that it has started the process of setting up a national committee to coordinate and implement the WTO's trade facilitation agreement (TFA). The cabinet has approved the constitution of the national committee on trade facilitation (NCTF) under the chairmanship of the cabinet secretary.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the committee will facilitate the ease of doing trade through effective cooperation between custom authorities and relevant stakeholders she also said that through TFA, WTO members are encouraged to share information on best practices in managing customs compliance. TFA will lead to simplification of trade procedures and help promote cross-border trade, bring greater predictability to traders and reduce transaction costs.
The minister also said that the government has taken various steps to track the trade restrictive measures of other countries through various mechanisms such as regular interaction, organizing workshops on important issues like standards and monitoring of draft notifications of member countries.
At the WTO ministerial conference held at Nairobi in December 2015, some members wished to identify and discuss issues other than the remaining issue in the Doha Development Agenda and mostly developing country members did not agree. There it was agreed that any decision to launch negotiations multilaterally on such issues would have to be taken by consensus, she answered.
Pakistan’s readymade garment exports rose five per cent in July to May 2015-16.
The quantity of readymade garment exports went up by four per cent. In May 2016, readymade garments exports were up five percent compared to May 2015. In terms of volume, readymade garments exports were up 2.23 per cent in May 2016 from May 2015.
The growth of readymade garment manufacturing in Pakistan represents a progression towards higher value addition in the global textile chain. Low or intermediate value-added products make up approximately 69 per cent of Pakistan’s total textile exports.
Pakistan’s garment exports have a relatively narrow base, with a few products accounting for the bulk of exports; the top six export products account for over 78 per cent of all garment exports. Export concentration also occurs at the lower end of the price range. For four out of the five most traded products, Pakistan’s average export price is approximately half of the world average export price.
The decision to protect the local fiber industry and impose high tariff and non-tariff barriers on the import of man-made fibers, yarn, and various fabrics has severely limited the export potential of garments. Garment manufacturers are required to produce and export items without imported yarn, fabric, or special trimmings and accessories. This raises costs and reduces international competitiveness. Additionally, given that man-made fibers now comprise 65 per cent of total fiber consumption in the world, Pakistan’s exporters are excluded from a substantial proportion of the market.
According to Pakistan’s industry officials, the US is likely to replace India as the major exporter of cotton to Pakistan in the current fiscal year after the commodity’s prices of the world’s second biggest producer increased.
Pakistan imported 2.5 million bales from India so far this year out of the total imports of three million bales to meet the shortfall. But, now the US is likely to emerge as the leading cotton supplier to Pakistan as its prices are competitive compared to Indian one, said Asif Inam, vice chairman at All Pakistan Textile Mills Association.
Meanwhile, the Indian cotton prices increased 35 per cent within the last 15 days due to low sowing reports. The price is eight to 10 per cent higher as compared to the international market. An official at the Pakistan Agriculture Research said local mills haven’t booked any more cotton from India and, ‘all have shifted to the US cotton.’
Industry officials expect cotton production between 11.2 and 11.8 million bales for the current season subject to improvement in yield and no major pest attacks. The cotton harvest reached only 9.786 million bales during 2015/16 season ended in mid April against the previous year’s 14.863 million bales. The local consumption for the last year stood at over 14 million bales.
Any business that wants to comply with the relevant social and environmental issues, minimise risks in its supply chain, avoid damage to its image, or has decided to source products in a more responsible manner, can consult Textile Standards & Legislation (TSL).
This is a 100 page printed booklet which includes easy-to-read snapshots and concise summaries of the key points of each third-party label, standard, framework or individual piece of legislation.
Textile Standards & Legislation is published to complement the associated TSL website, a fully searchable, regularly updated online tool which guides brands through the myriad of standards currently pertaining to the global textile industry.
TSL combines all the best elements of the previously published Eco-Textile Labeling Guide from MCL and the Signs tool developed by the European Outdoor Group. The guide was first published back in 2009, then known as the Eco-Textile Labeling Guide. There is currently no other printed guide of this nature in the market place.
TSL is a partnership between MCL News & Media – the leading media platform for the textile supply chain – and the European Outdoor Group, which with over 80 brand and retail members undertakes a number of innovative projects for the benefit of the European outdoor industry.
Armed with the text of a model bilateral investment treaty (BIT) that bars any enterprise from a treaty partner country from seeking relief on tax disputes under the treaty, India has fast-tracked the process of replacing several existing accords with fresh BITs and clinching such deals with countries outside India’s current treaty framework.
While the Cabinet note has already been circulated for a BIT with Cambodia, new treaties with countries with which India has strong economic ties will follow, it is understood.
However, talks with the US could take a bit long to come about. This is because the US is not one among India’s existing Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPA) partners and the BITs have no defined foundation to stand on.
People privy to the early talks with Washington in this connection have observed that the US has demanded that its companies be given the right to seek international arbitration rather than seek remedy through local courts in case of disputes, something which goes against the grain of India’s BIT text and so, it is not inclined to accept.
India has over 80 BIPAs with its trading partners. Sources said the US has also redefined its investment protection accords with major partners and so aligning these norms with India’s BIT would be necessary.
According to the latest Cotton Corporation (CCI) of India statistics, after a steady rise over the years, cotton cultivation in the country has declined by 8 per cent this year. The national cotton acreage has come down from 128 lakh hectare to 118 lakh hectare from 2014-15 to 2015-16.
The CCI had earlier predicted higher cotton acreage for 2015-16. Now, the total cotton output of India is also expected to be a dismal 352 lakh bales, compared to the 380 lakh bales a year ago. A large number of cotton growing farmers are supposed to have switched to food crops such as soybean for better returns this time.
Farmers prefer cotton as it requires lesser water. Recession in the global market last year, however, has led to a crash in cotton prices, which has alerted the growers now. In addition, poor yield, high cultivation cost and decreasing resistance of BT cotton have made it less lucrative over the years, according to activists.
Barring Punjab, Gujarat and MP, all cotton growing states have witnessed a huge drop in acreage this year. Tamil Nadu topped the chart with one-third of the cotton land going to other crops. Maharashtra – the second largest cotton growing state in the country after Gujarat – has witnessed a 9 per cent decline (from 42 lakh hectare to 38 lakh hectare) in cotton sowing. A campaign of ‘withdraw cotton’ has also been launched in the state last year, which seems to have started showing its results.
Bangladesh’s State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam recently invited textile sector businessmen to come to his ministry to resolve problems if any. Textile manufacturers and exporters do not come to his ministry, he said.
As some of textile manufacturers demanded not to increase the gas price again otherwise the sector will hit very hard and cannot cope with anymore, Azam urged textile makers to come with written demand for halting the move to hike gas prices further and said he would pursue it to the government's high up for solution.
Azam was speaking as the chief guest at a networking dinner organised by India International Textile Machinery Exhibition 2016 (ITME 2016) at a city hotel. Chaired by India ITME 2016 Chairman Sanjiv Lathia, the programme was also addressed by Senior Vice President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Faruque Hassan, Vice President of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) Fazlul Haque, Deputy High Commissioner of Indian High Commission in Dhaka Adarsh Swaika, Vice Chancellor of Bangladesh University of Textile Masud Ahmed.
Meanwhile, Mirza Azam urged textile manufacturers and exporters to participate in the fair to be held in Mumbai. The 10th edition of India International Textile Machinery Exhibition 2016, the largest textile machinery and accessory exhibition in India, will be held from December 3 to December 8, 2016 at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai.
Prices of cotton yarn have increased by around 25 per cent in Pakistan during the last one-and-a-half months.
The country’s garment manufacturers and exporters say this is due to cartelization by local manufacturers who are taking advantage of the 10 per cent additional regulatory duty on the import of yarn.
Garment makers want the additional regulatory duty on imports of cotton yarn to be abolished. They also want a ban on the exports of raw cotton and cotton yarn for a short period till the arrival of new crop rationalizes the rates of yarn in the local market. They say the whole value-added apparel sector has been hit hard, especially due to limited availability of cotton which is being exported without any hindrance.
Textile exports of Pakistan have a more than 54 per cent share in total exports of the country. But the apparel sector already has a very limited production line owing to the lack of the latest fabric varieties. This has resulted in a significant decline in apparel exports. The export target of 25 billion dollars could not be achieved in the last fiscal year. Enhancing textile exports can help the country reduce the trade deficit.
Blackstone, the private equity giant has sold another large chunk of shares in garment exporter Gokaldas Exports as it looks to gradually liquidate one of its loss-making investments in India.
It sold 7.4 per cent stake in the company for Rs 29.2 crore ($4.4 million) recently. The P.E firm sold shares at Rs 113.5 each or less than half the price at which it had invested in the firm.
According to the exchange data, ICICI Bank bought the shares. This is the second large chunk of shares of Gokaldas Exports that Blackstone has offloaded in the past few weeks. Last month, Blackstone had sold just under 10 per cent stake in the firm for Rs 43.5 crore ($6.5 million). That time too ICICI Bank had picked the shares.
Separate disclosures suggest ICICI Bank has been slowly selling the shares previously purchased from Blackstone at a loss. With the latest share sale, Blackstone's holding in the company has fallen to 40 per cent. This is currently worth Rs 154 crore.
Meanwhile, Gokaldas Exports' scrip declined 2.12 per cent to close the day at Rs 110.95 a share on the BSE in a strong Mumbai market.
