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Several million people are employed in the global apparel industry, which stands at $1.7 trillion worth in business. However, in the past decade, companies began taking their roles as partners in sustainability very seriously as they realised the harm fast fashion was causing the environment.
A dramatic change has come about since he started his PhD in 2004, says Timo Rissanen, Assistant Professor of Fashion Design and Sustainability at Parsons - The New School for Design. He adds that even those brands who churn out fast fashion have become eco-conscious in the past ten years and also the consumers are more concerned about their social responsibility. In light of consumer consciousness, according to the Environment Survey data, about seven of ten consumers (69 per cent) would be bothered if they found out an item they purchased was not environmentally friendly. And 39 per cent would blame the manufacturer, followed by the brand (15 per cent) and then themselves (12 per cent).
Thus, positive changes are seen throughout the apparel industry. In a move towards ‘making fashion sustainable and sustainability fashionable’, H&M now offers its Conscious Collection, which includes cotton produced through the Better Cotton Initiative. Walmart too, earlier this year introduced its online Sustainability Leaders Shop. It is promoting nearly 3,000 items from more than 100 companies labelled as ‘Made by a Sustainability Leader’.
According to the Environment Survey, the terms that influence consumers’ apparel purchases are—more than three in four consumers (77 per cent) say the claim of 100 per cent cotton is most influential. This is followed by Made in the USA (68 per cent), natural (61 per cent), and sustainable (57 per cent).
Pakistan’s imports of textile machinery fell nine per cent during July to August 2015. Imports of construction and mining machinery fell by three per cent. Imports of construction and mining machinery rose by 15 per cent. Electrical machinery and apparatus imports rose by 28.27 per cent.
The government grants exemption of customs duty on the import of a wide range of textile machinery and equipment including machines for extruding, drawing, texturing or cutting manmade textile materials and textile winding (including weft-winding) or reeling machines.
The textile sector is the backbone of Pakistan’s export economy. It comprises 521 textile units. Pakistan is the fourth largest producer of cotton and the third largest consumer. It contributes nine per cent of GDP and employs 38 per cent of the workforce in the manufacturing sector.
Pakistan’s imports of textile machinery increased by 58 per cent from July 2013 to May 2014. The aim was to replace old machinery with new imported ones, more modern, more sophisticated, offering a superior technology, in order to increase the output of textile manufacturers.
The country is in the process of developing the entire textile value chain at par with international best practices, expanding the textile sector to produce value-added garments along with new innovative products, and developing a state of the art infrastructure.
Iran has historically been a primary trading partner for Italy’s textile machinery industry. Italian textile machinery producers boast consolidated business relations with Iran’s textile manufacturers. International sanctions in recent years have delayed the modernisation process necessary for the Iranian industry to remain competitive globally.
In 2004, Iran was actually the fourth largest market for Italian textile machinery exports. International sanctions blocked the flow of textile machinery exports to Iran, but the recent nuclear agreement may pave the way toward a competitive re launching of the local textile industry.
Iran’s textile industry boasts an ancient tradition, with a very high number of manufacturers operating in a variety of different sectors along the production chain from spinning to finishing.
In 2014, the flow of imports of textile machinery to Iran resumed. The value of the sales of Italian textile machinery to Iran grew 170 per cent in 2014 compared to 2013.
ACIMIT (the umbrella association for Italian textile machinery manufacturers) will participate in the Italian trade mission in late November 2015. The visit will take place from November 28 to 30, 2015. ACIMIT has already planned a road show for 2016, with the aim of promoting Italian textile technology in Iran’s major textile producing areas.
www.acimit.it
India’s exports of goods shrank by nearly a quarter in September from a year ago. Imports fell 25.42 per cent in September from a year earlier. Consumer and industrial demand for imports has weakened. India’s economy, Asia’s third largest, is mostly driven by domestic demand.
However the trade deficit narrowed to $10.48 billion in September from $12.5 billion in August as gold and oil imports declined. The Trans Pacific Partnership may further hurt prospects for India’s exports, particularly of textile and leather products.
The country’s exports to Europe fell 10.9 per cent in the first five months of the current fiscal year. Exports to the United States fell 3.8 per cent, mainly because of a decline in the value of oil products and textile exports. India has cut interest rates by 125 basis points so far this year and boosted spending on public works. Economic growth still slowed to seven per cent in the April-June quarter from 7.5 per cent the previous quarter.
The country is feeling the effects of China’s slowdown. Weakness in industrial activity and trade and a lower grain production have led the Reserve Bank of India to lower its growth forecast for the current fiscal year.
HKTDC Hong Kong Optical Fair returns this year for its 23rd edition from November 4 to 6, 2015, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Over 740 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions will gather in Hong Kong to showcase new and trendy eyewear and related products.
A press conference is being organised on October 22, 2015 to present fair highlights and industry trends. Winners of the 17th Hong Kong Eyewear Design Competition will also be announced at the press conference. Under the theme ‘Cosmopolitan Glamour’, contestants from the open group and student group are challenged to integrate refined craftsmanship with elegant design.
Competition winners will join industry representatives at the press conference, along with models parading the award-winning designs. A range of eyewear from ‘Brand Name Gallery’ of the Optical Fair will be exhibited during the event, including Google Glass, the latest collection from A Bathing Ape, sunglasses from Seesun – the Korean winner of the Red Dot Design Award, the collaborated showpiece ‘Flower Dream’ of ic! berlin with the futuristic designer, Shinpei Naito as well as the 3D printed eyewear by Morgenrot.
The fair will also host seminars and eyewear parades, with the 13th Hong Kong Optometric Conference being a focal point for industry representatives. Experts will shed light on important topics in optometry at the two-day conference.
Hkopticalfair.hktdc.com
Planet Textiles, which recently came to a close, had a resounding message—only if the new environmental regulations are properly enforced, they can have a positive impact on the Chinese textile sector.
Speakers from the ZHDC Group, VF Corp, Adidas, bluesign, and IPE China spoke at the event. Some used the conference to unveil a new report, which measures apparel brands’ performance in managing the environmental impacts of factories in their supply chains in China.
John Mowbray Ecotextile News editor, while introducing the event said that the Chinese government was now taking environmental regulations in its textile sector more seriously and tough new regulations have come into force earlier this year. Mowbray though feels that the bigger issue is overall, and not just China, how can the authorities effectively enforce the new regulations across the whole industry.
Planet Textiles was the first textile sustainability conference that was hosted in China; the first show took place there in 2009. Mowbray, while explaining the move to China said that attending and organising sustainability events in Europe, there was always a void left at the conferences, though they were excellent. The Chinese textile manufacturing community where most of the textiles are made was the missing factor, he said. Mowbray believes that the event in China has definitely led the way and helped to move the conversation forward in China.
www.planet-textiles.com
The port city of Dalian in China will boost its garment manufacturing industry by creating six development centers. The six innovation centers are the core of the overall upgrade strategy of Dalian’s garment industry. These development centers would deliver better design services and improved testing facilities for quality control of exports.
Dalian will frame policies to reduce administrative burdens, improve technical innovation and help developments in the local petrochemical industry to benefit textile industry customers.
Exports will also benefit from the Dalian garment inspection and testing center. It will offer reduced cost international-standard testing of factors such as ecological impact, atomic absorption, flammability, colour fastness, covering hundreds of testing standards. Other centers will provide training, school uniform research, work wear development and industry integration.
Part of the plan is to make Dalian a brand in its own right for clothing, especially suits. In the next three to five years, the centers will strengthen Dalian’s current suit brands and continuously expand the range of brands with this substantial increase in research and development capabilities, further establishing the status of Dalian-made suit brands at home and overseas.
Dalian has major producers, processors and exporters of apparels with a focus on men’s business suits. These companies supply retailers and brands such as Macy’s, DKNY and Banana Republic.
To meet the challenges from buyers to compete with international competitors, RMG industries have now got a strong foothold in Bangladesh after a long struggle.
These industries, after local business threats that come from political instability and other crises, are surviving today. Around 4,500 garment industries are engaged in manufacturing and exporting RMG products. 3,500 garment factories are compliant and capable to meet any orders of world-class buyers in terms of quality, value and volume, as per the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Bangladesh’s RMG industries are the top exporters of the world; the industry exports are pegged at 81 per cent of the total earnings of the country. Thus, the industry needs support from stakeholders, the government, and central bank and trade bodies of the country to expand its exports and sustain its growth. It does encounter impediments from competitors, international and national political instability.
The USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, and Canada are main buyers of Bangladeshi RMG. The total export to these countries was $4,956.73 million of which 91.14 per cent (woven 51.55 per cent and knitwear 39.59 per cent) were garments, in the January-March 2015 quarter. Bangladesh's garments are facing stiff competition with the other exporters in the European countries. The government’s move of withdrawal of cash incentives given to the exporters has worsened the situation. Now, the Bangladeshi RMG exporters now face fierce competition in EU countries. The country’s apparel exporters would face a huge setback due to elimination of cash incentives.
To increase export of Bangladesh's RMG products, different strategies need to be adopted. Changing the products in terms of types and brands, diversifying the export-targeted countries in different continents will increase exports of the country.
www.bgmea.com.bd
Jupiter Comtex has introduced an innovation in indigo rope dyeing technology. This technology obtains deep Indigo shades of around six per cent. Ropes are prepared on ball warping after which cones are converted into ropes. There is no yarn waste or shade variation and it also offers higher productivity due to continuous process.
Jupiter Comtex is into warping, sizing and indigo denim yarn and fabric dyeing technologies. Its indigo rope dyeing machine is technologically different from other machines. Its tension control system is digital. Reliability is high as critical parts like drives, sensors, load cells are imported from Europe and the PLC controlled pre-calibrated cup dosing system is very accurate and more reliable than the metering pump dosing system.
Jupiter holds a massive 90 per cent share of the Indian denim fabric dyeing machinery installed in India and counts among its Indian clients top denim fabric makers like Arvind, Aarvee, Nandan and Raymond.
The company opened in 1973. It manufactures world-class weaving preparatory textile machinery. These machines are user-friendly. It also offers denim sheeting dyeing machines and has so far installed 90 of these sheeting machines worldwide. It expects to install ten more by the first half of 2016. Jupiter will be displaying its innovations at ITMA 2015.
www.jupitercomtex.com
One of India’s largest home textile manufacturer, Welspun has set a target of more than doubling its revenue to 2.5 billion dollars by 2020. According to the estimates, the Mumbai-based company, which is also the single largest player in the 17 billion dollars American home textiles space with a five percent market share, gets almost one-third or one billion dollars of its group revenue of three billion dollars from the textiles business.
The company also ventured into the ecommerce space by launching an online portal, Shopwelspun.com, which will offer brands such as SPACES Home & Beyond, Welhome and Spun, covering products such as rugs, carpets as well as bed and bath products. In order to enhance customer engagement and interaction, the portal will feature user-generated content and blogs from experts on home furnishing trends and home decor tips. The company expects this channel to contribute 25 percent to its total sales by 2020.
It recently bagged the license to supply towels to the teams vying for the coveted 2015 Rugby World Cup in the UK. This is not the first time that Welspun's towels made at its manufacturing capacities in Gujarat are making their presence at a global sporting event. In 2006, the company held license to manufacture towels for the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
The company has emerged strong in manufacturing textiles—towels and bed sheets. Around 95 per cent of Welspun’s revenue is driven by exports to global retailers in the US such as Walmart Stores and JCPenney. Companies like Welspun are also investing in research and development (R&D) to innovate and grow their business. The company has applied for six patents in Europe, the US, Brazil, China, Korea and Australia for its creations such as natural finish fabric, ergonomics mattress pad and eco-dry towels that use little water during washing. It has already got patents for Hygrocotton that has a hollow core for fluffiness, temperature control and moisture wicking, from the UK and the US in the past two years.
www.welspunindia.com
