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Style Group, a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of window blinds, has launched two innovative fabrics that are proven to fight against COVID-19. These two fabrics known as Antiviraltex and Aircleantex, protect against the virus in different forms.
While Antiviraltex is a fabric that eliminates coronavirus and other such viruses on every contact, Aircleantex is a fabric that transforms ultraviolet light and purifies the air.
These fabrics have been a long time in the making and are set to revolutionise the market. Anti-viral protection is a priority for hotels, homes and businesses. The effectiveness of these fabrics novelty has been tested and approved by UK-based LTC – a provider of wide range of consultancy, training and testing services for the laundry industry. Moreover, it also meets the requirements of ISO.
Style group has three manufacturing units in Spain, Romania and Netherlands for manufacturing fabrics for home business and hotel industry.
Invista has started construction of its nylon production plant in Shanghai that will produce 400,000 tonne of the fiber’s key ingredient per year.
The company has invested $1 billion investment in the adiponitrile (ADN) plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP) which will help meet the growing demand for nylon 6.6 chemical intermediates in China and the Asia Pacific region.
The plant will deploy Invista’s most advanced, energy-efficient ADN technology in China to satisfy the strong local demand for the intermediate ingredient used in the production of nylon 6.6. When complete, the new ADN plant will integrate with Invista’s existing HMD (another nylon ingredient) and polymer facilities to supply domestic customers, as well as those throughout the Asia Pacific region, with the inputs they need for production.
The plant will also help to cultivate local talent, bring more employment opportunities and promote the development of relevant collaborative industries to further enhance the local community’s economic strength.
The Indonesian Government declared a tax break for all manufacturers of PPE including N95 masks and gloves along with the makers of antiseptic hand sanitisers, ventilators, reagents for diagnostic tests of COVID-19 and disinfectants.
According to the country’s tax department’s website, manufacturers will be able to offset 30 per cent of their production costs for the months of March through September 2020 against their taxable income.
Earlier in March, the Indonesian Government had imposed a ban on exporting of 10 commodities, including antiseptics, PPE and raw materials to make surgical masks, in order to fight any paucity of necessity equipments in the country. However, they received a lot of backlash as the export ban would not only block Indonesia’s potential for further growth but also negatively affect Indonesia’s trade partners’ capacity to produce raw materials.
The decision was relaxed into export licensing quickly after a G20 meeting in late March regarding the decision to support trade and global supply chains.
PVH Corp announced additional actions it is taking to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on its associates and the company’s business and financial position.
The measures announced by the company include abolition of cash compensation for its board members during the period of crisis, reduction of 50 per cent salaries of approximately 250 senior leaders and executives globally, salary reductions for all office associates in Asia, pursuing governmental relief packages, including governmental salary subsidiaries, to retain associates and which would significantly offset payroll expense and 50 per cent reduction in performance bonuses for 2020.
On World Rainforest Day today, 45 brands, including Walmart-owned ASDA/George, Ralph Lauren, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Bestseller, Ivy & Oak, Masai, Fiber X Finland, Nanushka, and Ted Baker—which together represent $100 billion in annual revenue—have launched CanopyStyle policies to transform the viscose supply chain and protect the world’s forests.
The addition of the 45 companies shows great momentum for the CanopyStyle and Pack4Good initiatives, and the efforts to protect the world’s ancient and endangered forests. The CanopyStyle initiative now represents 259 brands worth over $370 billion in total revenue working together to create demand, shift supply chains, and implement more sustainable sourcing practices.
According to a new survey named “Sedex Insights Report: COVID-19 impacts on business, the revenues of export-driven Bangladeshi clothing and shoe producers have decreased by 77 per cent due to the pandemic effect of COVID-19.
Of the total suppliers surveyed, 469 are from China, India, Bangladesh, and Turkey from the clothing and footwear industries. According to the results, 68 per cent of member countries reported a substantial decrease in their sales, while only 38 to 55 per cent reported helping their customers during the pandemic on average.
Almost, 43 per cent respondents viewed disruption to supply chains and inability to get input of raw materials as the biggest challenged they faced. Reasons for this included delay in raw material delivery, suppliers stopping production, and higher prices of raw materials or transport.
On the other hand, 20 per cent respondents have had orders cancelled by customers and 4 per cent experienced delayed payment terms
According to Brian Cornell, Chairman and Chief Executive officer of the Target Corp feels, the COVID-19 pandemic will create a heightened propensity towards online shopping amongst US consumers besides increasing their demand for curbside pickup or home delivery, curbing their desire to visit stores.
In addition, Cornell believes there will also be an even greater focus on safety in the future, and retailers need to offer more contact-free options for their customers. And with growing economic challenges, consumers will increasingly focus on the value of their purchases.
In the past few months, though Target has benefited by being deemed an essential business, it has also been hurt by the rioting surrounding the killing of George Floyd that was centered in its home town on Minneapolis. To further accelerate its initiatives to understand the psyche of its Black associates and start to drive change, the company donated $10 million to organizations that work against racism and pledged 10,000 hours of consulting to minority-owned small businesses. It also vowed to rebuild and reopen its Minneapolis-area stores that were damaged during the looting that was on the fringes of the otherwise generally peaceful protests.
An Italian company specializing in developing eco-friendly yarns, Manifattura Italiana Cucirini (MIC), has launched a specially treated sewing thread. Especially suitable for making PPE, the thread has significance in the fight against COVID-19. It has been developed with the help of a new treatment called SAFE that makes it suitable for all sectors demanding protection, hygiene and odour controlling properties, including production of medical supplies like masks, gowns, and PPE, technical textiles and sportswear.
The treatment lasts up to over 20 washes and is compatible with all fibers – synthetic, artificial and natural. It can be combined perfectly with other MIC treatments (i.e. water repellent PFC-free), without altering the characteristics and solidity of the treated sewing threads. This treatment is performed with Sanitizer , a disinfecting product that thanks to its properties can reduce the antibacterial and viral load up to 99 per cent.
MIC treated sewing threads are tested and approved according to international standards ASTM G21 (antifungal) and JIS L 1902 (antibacterial). Threads’ antiviral properties are tested in independent laboratories, therefore the final product in which Safe treated yarn has been used must necessarily be certified and authorised according to regulations.
Italian fashion company, Teddy Group, has assured Bangladesh of its support to the country’s apparel industry. The group recently assured the Bangladesh Embassy that it would neither cancel nor hold orders at the moment besides continuing its business with the country.
The group also assured Bangladesh of granting a major orders at the end of this month. However, the value of this order might be slightly due to a lower demand in the global apparel market. One of the top fashion groups in Italy, the Teddy Group has six brands including Terranova, Calliope and Rinascimento. It also has over 600 stores in 40 countries.
Bangladesh is one of the most important markets for the group from which it sources apparel products worth more than $200 million per year. The group set up an office in Bangladesh in 2004 where, currently, 80 people including two Italian nationals are employed.
Italian textile machinery manufacturer Lonati has launched a new four feed model under its Donna range of hosiery knitting machines. Certified to ACIMIT's Green Label standard, the new single cylinder machine, Donna LB04Y7 has electronic controls for the production of stockings and pantyhose with individual electronic needle- by-needle selection unit on each feed.
The machine is equipped with four motorized stitch cams for gradual or partial stitch narrowing or widening in any part of the sock, a motorized needle raising cam and electronic yarn finger control with a plating option at different heights and a motorized yarn finger for angular movement.
With a maximum speed of 850 RPM, it also has single or double dial jacks and an electronic device to maintain the size at any temperature of the machine. ACIMIT's Green Label certificate for the machine ensures that its carbon dioxide emissions are under control besides measuring its water consumption, energy usage and acoustic emissions to give an overall environmental footprint measurement.
Once manufacturers achieve this certificate, they are entitled to display the display the Green Label on the specific machine that has achieved certification.
