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Representing a broad range of industries, 26 European business associations, have issued a joint declaration expressing their full support for the rapid ratification of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement.
The members of these associations account for a significant portion of the total trade between the EU and the Mercosur region, which reached over €153 billion in goods and services in 2024. They also represent much of the mutual investment, which stood at approximately €380 billion in 2023.
The business leaders emphasized, in an unprecedented time when the rules-based global order is under critical threat, this free trade agreement serves as a vital tool for the EU’s diversification strategy. They consider it a critical component for safeguarding the EU’s long-term competitiveness.
According to calculations from the EU’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade), the agreement is projected to generate substantial economic benefits by 2040. It is expected to add €77.6 billion to the EU’s GDP. It would also add €9.4 billion to Mercosur’s GDP.
Additionally, the agreement is also forecast to boost EU exports to Mercosur by 39 per cent Mercosur exports to the EU by 17 per cent.
The EU-Mercosur Agreement is expected to deliver increased market access and better access to resources while protecting key European domestic sectors, diversifying secure supply chains, and encouraging investment for both regions.
Furthermore, the pact will deepen cooperation on sustainable development, specifically in areas like combating climate change, conserving biodiversity, and advancing labor and social rights.
This year’s edition of the Global Sourcing Expo highlights the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The Expo’s Global Sourcing Seminar Program will feature a session titled ‘Growth, eCommerce and AI in Fashion,’ scheduled for November 18. This discussion is designed to bring together industry leaders to explore how technology and creativity are combining to drive smarter, more sustainable business growth.
The session will be led by Elizabeth Formosa, Founder, Fashion Equipped, who will be joined by Kelly Slessor, Founder, The Ecommerce Tribe & Tribe Gen AI and Christina Exie, Co-Founder, Stacked Studio. The experts plan to share practical strategies and real-world examples that highlight the fashion industry’s rapid digital evolution.
Formosa emphasizes, AI is changing how the entire industry operates, from design and sourcing to marketing and customer experience. Brands are no longer asking if they should use AI, but how to use it effectively and responsibly. She states, AI helps brands understand customers on a much deeper level. Further, it allows for personalized experiences, demand prediction, and smarter, faster decisions.
AI is also enabling the industry to work smarter and make more responsible choices, notes Fermosa. It helps reduce waste through smarter forecasting. Further , it improves inventory management and product development and by predicting demand more accurately, the technology can significantly minimize overproduction, she adds.
The Global Sourcing Seminar Program aims to offer expert-led education sessions that translate ideas into action. Formosa’s session promises to deliver practical, actionable takeaways across sourcing, brand development, digital strategy, and AI adoption, empowering attendees to immediately grow and strengthen their businesses.
Formerly known as simply ‘Better Cotton,’ The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has launched a new product label to enhance traceability and transparency for consumers.
This new label enables brands to claim that their products contain physical BCI Cotton that has been traced back to its country of origin. This is a shift from the previous system, which primarily used a ‘Mass Balance’ model where funds supported Better Cotton farming, but the physical fiber was not guaranteed in the final product. The claims made using the new label are verified by an independent third-party certification body, reinforcing accountability.
To use the label, products must contain a minimum of 30 per cent Physical BCI Cotton. The remaining content must be other materials (like synthetic fibers) but cannot be uncertified cotton.
The label will communicate two key pieces of information including the name of the certified commodity; BCI Cotton and the percentage of BCI Cotton contained in the product.
The new label is a direct response to the growing global demand from consumers and regulators for transparency and accountability in sustainable supply chains. It helps to substantiate sustainability claims and prevent ‘greenwashing.’
In conjunction with the label launch, the organization has clarified its brand identity. It is now formally referred to by its full name, the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The cotton sourced through the program will now officially be referred to as BCI Cotton.
The label and rebrand were announced to coincide with World Cotton Day. Products featuring the new label are expected to appear in retail outlets gradually over the coming months.
Kontoor Brands, Inc plans to release its financial results for Q3, FY25 on November 3, 2025. The company’s management will host a conference call at approximately 8:30 a.m discuss the results.
The conference call will be broadcast live and available at kontoorbrands.com/investors. An archived version will be accessible at the same website location.
Owner of three of the world’s most iconic brands like Wrangler, Lee and Helly Hansen, Kontoor Brands, In is a purpose-led organization focused on using its global platform, strategic sourcing model, and best-in-class supply chain to grow its brands and deliver long-term value for its stakeholders.
In a speech that captured both urgency and ambition, Danish MEP Rasmus Nordqvist stood before an audience of European policymakers, industry leaders, and sustainability advocates at a recent event hosted by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU 2025, and declared what may soon become the new mantra of Europe’s industrial future: ‘Circularity is security’.
Framing the circular economy not merely as an environmental agenda but as a pillar of Europe’s economic and geopolitical resilience, Nordqvist called it “the industrial revolution Europe needs.” His vision was clear transitioning away from the old linear ‘take-make-dispose’ model toward a closed-loop, regenerative system would be central to ensuring that Europe remains competitive, resource-secure, and globally relevant in a century defined by ecological limits and supply-chain volatility.
Circular revolution as industrial policy
“Keeping materials in use is not just a sustainability issue it’s a security issue,” Nordqvist said, underscoring that Europe’s dependence on imported raw materials leaves it exposed to global shocks, from energy crises to geopolitical tensions. Circularity, he argued, is the lever that can reduce this vulnerability.
The model he envisions would turn waste into value, shorten supply chains, and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs not in extractive industries, but in design, repair, remanufacturing, and recycling. It is a blueprint that marries ecological responsibility with economic competitiveness.
Indeed, recent European Commission data echoes this potential: a fully realized circular economy could add €1.8 trillion to the EU economy by 2030, while cutting net resource use by 20 per cent and generating over 700,000 new jobs across the bloc. “This is industrial policy for the 21st century,” Nordqvist emphasized. “Circularity is not just about reducing harm it’s about creating strength.”
Barriers on the road to circularity
But as Nordqvist and other speakers at the event made clear, Europe’s path to circularity remains uneven and beset with structural barriers. The first is price disparity. Virgin materials often subsidized, readily available, and globally traded still undercut recycled or secondary alternatives. This distorts the market and discourages investment in circular business models.
Second, Europe’s single market is anything but single when it comes to circular economy rules. The MEP lamented the “patchwork of national regulations” governing product standards, waste classifications, and recycling protocols creating complexity, raising compliance costs, and undermining scale.
Third, investor uncertainty looms large. The absence of EU-wide standards and metrics for circularity, such as how to measure product durability, repairability, or recyclability makes it difficult for financiers to assess risk and channel capital toward credible green innovations.
Finally, there’s the challenge of product design itself. “Too many products are still designed for obsolescence, not for longevity,” Nordqvist observed. Without embedding circular principles at the design stage, efforts to recycle or reuse often fail downstream.
A blueprint for Europe’s circular future
To overcome these hurdles, Nordqvist outlined a four-pillar action plan that could reshape Europe’s industrial landscape.
1. Closing the price gap: He proposed expanding the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to include plastics and chemicals, effectively internalizing the environmental cost of virgin materials and levelling the playing field for recycled alternatives.
2. Harmonizing regulations: A unified framework for waste and product rules across member states would reduce friction, lower costs, and enable true circular scalability within the EU’s single market.
3. Mobilizing capital: Establishing EU-wide metrics and standards for circularity could unlock private and institutional investment, giving confidence to investors seeking credible, measurable impact.
4. Designing for circularity: Nordqvist urged faster implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), prioritizing high-impact sectors such as electronics, textiles, and construction materials industries responsible for a disproportionate share of Europe’s material footprint.
“Europe has always led through innovation,” he said. “Now we must lead through regeneration.”
Emergences of a broader consensus
The event, moderated by Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Co-president of the Club of Rome, featured a lineup of distinguished voices including Emmanuel Chaponniere, Adèle Naudy-Chambaud, and Commissioner Jessika Roswall, who reinforced the call for an industrial strategy that fuses green ambition with economic realism.
Roswall noted that aligning circular policies with trade, competition, and investment frameworks will be critical to scaling their impact. “Circularity cannot exist in isolation,” she said. “It must be embedded across Europe’s value chains—from mining and manufacturing to consumption and waste.”
Chaponniere emphasized that the next wave of competitiveness will come not from resource extraction but from resource efficiency, echoing Nordqvist’s assertion that the circular transition offers Europe a “first-mover advantage” in the race for green markets.
Circularity as Europe’s strength
As the discussion drew to a close, Nordqvist’s message resonated as both a warning and a rallying cry. Europe, he suggested, stands at a crossroads between industrial decline if it clings to the linear past, and renewed leadership if it embraces circularity as its strategic core. “Waste should not be a burden,” he concluded. “It should be a resource. And in that transformation lies Europe’s strength.”
From vision to execution
The shift Nordqvist envisions is not merely environmental reform it’s economic reinvention. Achieving it will require political will, regulatory coherence, and substantial investment in infrastructure and innovation. But perhaps more importantly, it will demand a mindset change from consumers, corporations, and governments alike. For decades, Europe’s prosperity was built on throughput more extraction, more production, more consumption. The next era, as Nordqvist and his peers argue, must be built on circulation more reuse, more repair, more resilience.
As the EU crafts its post-2025 industrial agenda, the message from Brussels is becoming increasingly clear: the future of European competitiveness may well hinge not on how much it produces, but on how intelligently it reuses.
“The US government’s economic data makes no sense. It’s a con,” declares David Birnbaum, strategic planner for the global garment export industry. “The United States under Donald Trump is joining the national GDP conmen — and is increasingly paying the cheater risk premium.”
Birnbaum’s words cut deep. His critique isn’t political theatre — it’s a forensic assessment of a nation losing grip on its own economic reality. He accuses Washington of manufacturing an illusion of prosperity, where official data no longer reflects the experience of businesses or citizens. The result, he warns, is a “death spiral”: an America where truth has been replaced by narrative, and where survival for corporations may now depend on quietly relocating beyond US borders.
Unlike pundits driven by ideology, Birnbaum speaks as a pragmatic industry veteran — someone who has witnessed how misinformation distorts global trade and business strategy. His alarm is simple but chilling: the United States is becoming “a nation of economic liars,” a label that carries both reputational and financial penalties.
In his view, the future is already writing itself — one where America is no longer the world’s economic leader, but a “minor import customer” of its own offshored enterprises. The ultimate irony, Birnbaum notes, is that those who once rallied under “Make America Great Again” may well be the architects of its economic decline — “right-wing billionaires who, in their war to make their country an all-white Protestant state, went broke.”
For Birnbaum, this is more than a political moment — it’s a moral reckoning. A nation cannot build sustainable growth on falsified data and selective truth. Once economic integrity collapses, so does investor confidence, industrial trust, and ultimately, the very credibility of the state.
The Credibility Crisis: From data to delusion
The widening gap between official data and economic reality is not uniquely American — but it is newly American. Nations like Argentina, Greece, and China have all faced consequences for data manipulation, often to mask instability or lure investment. The outcome is always the same: credibility erosion, downgraded risk ratings, and soaring “cheater premiums” from global banks.
That credibility erosion is already visible in the US. A recent Reuters survey of 100 top policy experts found that 89 expressed concern over the reliability of federal data — citing falling survey response rates and drastic staff cuts at statistical agencies. With trust waning, businesses and investors are turning to alternative data sources like the Challenger Job Cut Report or ADP National Employment Report to read the true economic pulse. As one economist aptly warned, “You can suppress statistics, but you can’t suppress reality.”
That reality is showing cracks: the US Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded only a 22,000-job increase in August — a stagnation masked by political spin — while the Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% in the same month, its sharpest rise since January. These are not the numbers of a booming economy, but of one straining under its own false optimism.
As a Brookings Institution analysis put it bluntly: when official data loses credibility, it’s not just investors who lose confidence — it’s the nation itself.
Levi Strauss & Co delivered a robust third quarter for fiscal 2025, fueled by its strategic shift to a Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)-first model, prompting the company to raise its financial outlook for the full year.
The company’s net revenue grew 7 per cent Y-o-Y on both a reported and organic basis, hitting $1.5 billion for the quarter. This top-line strength translated directly to profitability, with the gross margin expanding by 110 basis points to 61.7 per cent. The company’s management attributed this expansion primarily to a favorable channel mix (more DTC sales) and strategic price increases. Adjusted Diluted EPS also edged up to $0.34, compared to $0.33 in the same quarter last year. Most impressively, the company's net income from continuing operations surged from $23 million in Q3 2024 to a significant $122 million in Q3 2025
The core driver of this performance was Levi's pivot to directly engaging its customers. The DTC Channel saw net revenues jump 11 per cent (reported basis) and accounted for 46 per cent of total net revenues in the quarter.
Within the DTC segment, e-commerce with net revenues soaring by 18 per cent. The Wholesale channel showed resilience, posting a 3 per cent increase in net revenue.
Geographically, Asia emerged as the strongest performer, with net revenue rising by 12 per cent growth, The Americas also delivered solid growth, with revenue increasing by 7 per cent.
Europe contributed positively to the quarter, with revenue also showing an increase.
Following this strong quarter, Levi Strauss leadership expressed confidence in its strategic transformation, forecasting continued strong performance through the holiday season despite the headwinds of a complex macroeconomic environment and higher tariffs. The revised full-year 2025 outlook signals the company's momentum is set to continue.
Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) exports to non-traditional markets recorded a sluggish growth in Q1, FY26, reflecting weak global demand and persistent economic uncertainty.
Official data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) shows, exports to these new destinations- including Japan, Australia, India, Korea, China, Mexico, and Turkey - grew by a mere 0.77 per cent Y-o-Y to $1.65 billion during the July-September quarter. Industry insiders attribute this marginal increase to high living costs, sluggish global economic growth, and geopolitical tensions that are forcing consumers worldwide to prioritize essential spending over clothing purchases.
Within the non-traditional category, woven garments outperformed knitwear. Woven exports rose by 2.99 per cent to $847.37 million, while knitwear shipments declined by 1.45 per cent to $808.91 million.
Despite the overall muted performance, a few countries stood out. China emerged as the fastest-growing destination, with RMG exports soaring by 59.52 per cent to $71.14 million, largely driven by an 85.88 per cent growth in woven garments. Japan remains the largest non-traditional market, importing $334.91 million in apparel. Other strong performers included Saudi Arabia (up 34.38 per cent), Chile (up 14.37 per cent), and Brazil (up 9.66 per cent) In contrast, exports to Australia, Turkey, Korea, and Mexico saw declines ranging from 8.13 per cent to 31.30 per cent.
The country's total RMG exports showed resilience, growing by 4.79 per cent to reach $9.97 billion overall in the quarter. This total growth was supported by strong performance in traditional, major markets: exports to the United States rose by 8.60 per cent to $2.01 billion, the European Union grew by 3.14 per cent to $4.74 billion, and the United Kingdom increased by 6.74 per cent to $1.21 billion.
Japanese fashion giant Uniqlo plans to open 11 new stores across the United States. This significant commitment marks a decisive doubling down on the US retail market, signaling a fresh, full-scale attempt to transform its presence from a specialized destination into a mainstream national brand.
The announced store openings will strategically place Uniqlo in key metropolitan hubs that have historically been underserved by the retailer. The new locations will stretch geographically from Seattle on the West Coast to Boston in the Northeast, suggesting a carefully planned push into major shopping centers and high-traffic urban areas nationwide. This coast-to-coast growth signals Uniqlo’s intent to challenge existing fast-fashion competitors like Zara and H&M more directly by offering its distinct brand of clothing to a wider American audience.
For years, the US market has been a slow-burn project for Uniqlo compared to the explosive growth seen in Asia. However, the recent success of existing flagship locations and increasing consumer demand for quality basics have provided the momentum for this accelerated growth phase. The company is investing heavily to capitalize on this appetite.
At the heart of this massive rollout is the brand’s core philosophy, LifeWear: clothing designed to be highly functional, high-quality, and affordable essentials. Uniqlo is betting that American consumers are increasingly seeking durable, versatile basics that transcend fleeting trends. Products like the popular Heattech thermal wear, ultralight down jackets, and premium linen shirts serve as the foundation for this expansion, positioning Uniqlo as a reliable provider of foundational wardrobe pieces.
This rapid expansion of 11 large-format stores represents a substantial physical investment in the American retail landscape. Each new location will require dozens of staff, translating into the creation of hundreds of new retail jobs across the country. By securing prime real estate, Uniqlo is emphasizing the importance of the physical shopping experience - a crucial component for consumers who prefer to feel the quality of LifeWear fabrics before purchasing. With these new stores opening, Uniqlo is set to become significantly more accessible, solidifying its position as a major player in American apparel.
Europe's e-commerce landscape showed a clear dominance of the clothing, footwear, and accessories category in 2024, with 70 per cent of online shoppers purchasing these items. This figure significantly surpasses multimedia products and streaming subscriptions, according to a recent report by Ecommerce Europe. The Eurostat-based survey also highlights, 31 per cent of consumers buy perfumes and cosmetics online, and 26 per cent purchase sports equipment.
The report offers insights into customer ordering habits, noting that a strong majority of Europeans place orders with domestic sellers. Cross-border shopping remains common, with 33 per cent of customers buying from other European countries. A notable 20 per cent of orders are placed with sellers based outside the EU - a figure being closely watched amid the expansion of non-European platforms like Shein and Temu.
Leaders at Ecommerce Europe are calling for urgent action on competitiveness and regulation. Luca Cassetti, Secretary General, states. while there's a shift in perspective on simplification, the urgency of the situation is unaddressed. Director general Christel Delberghe emphasized the need for consistent and rigorous enforcement across all Member States to ensure that all companies, domestic or foreign, meet the same obligations.
A technological gap persists between businesses of different sizes. Among large companies (over 250 employees), 46 per cent and 41 per cent report high and very high ‘digital intensity,’ respectively. In contrast, smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) lag behind, with 40 per cent reporting low and 27 per cent reporting very low digital intensity.
Geographically, Western Europe (France, Germany, UK, Ireland, and Benelux) remains the powerhouse of European e-commerce, driving 64 per cent of B2C online sales in 2024. Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Greece) holds the second spot with a 19 per cent share. In absolute figures for 2023, Western Europe generated €569 billion, followed by Southern Europe (€166 billion), and Central Europe (€79 billion). Northern Europe accounted for €56 billion, with Eastern Europe trailing at €17 billion.
