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The jute sector in Bangladesh has been facing a major setback due to a severe disruption in transport of raw materials to mills and movement of export items to ports amid a countrywide blockade and hartal. Transport cost has doubled due to violence. As a result, purchase of raw jute and production of finished products have marked a sharp fall.
Many export consignments can’t be sent to ports due to the disruption in transport network amid widespread arson attacks on vehicles. Some 154 raw jute purchase centers operated by the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation bought 10,382 tons raw jute in December last year, which came down to only 2,785 tons in January this year.
As jute mills are not getting sufficient raw materials, and facing problems in delivering finished goods, mills have scaled down their production. There is a fear export of raw jute may see a steep fall this fiscal due to internal shocks coupled with a global economic recession. Jute export was also meager in the first six months of the current fiscal.
Truck owners are reluctant to carry jute, which is highly flammable, due to events of setting vehicles on fire during blockade and hartal. Truck owners agreeing to transport jute charge double amount as fare.
The Ramanathapuram District Cooperative Spinning Mill, started exclusively for dalits by former Tamil Nadu chief minister MG Ramachandran in 1982, has remained defunct for the last 10 years. The mill was reopened again at a cost of Rs.28.02 crores. The mill became defunct owing to labor problems and other factors, and based on the suggestions of the South India Textiles Research Association, the mill was modernized and reopened once again. About 200 dalits in the area are now employed with the reopening of the mill.
With an installed capacity of 12,096 spindles, the mills would start commercial production in a month and produce about 3,700 kg of cone yarn and hank yarn per day. The grey yarn would be supplied to the government for distribution to the cooperative societies which produced saris, dhotis and school uniforms for free distribution.
After receipt of funds, in a month’s time, the department would set in motion a revival package and place orders for new machines. The existing machines have become obsolete, the government therefore install modern spinning machinery (long frame automatic machines) to compete with private mills.
The government is also gearing up to modernize five cooperative spinning mills in the district. These mills are presently producing 10,000 to 25,000 spindles a day and the capacity would double after modernization.
The higher ups of different textile export associations in Pakistan have appealed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to immediately appoint a federal minister for textile industry so that major issues of the sector are speedily resolved in the larger interest of the country’s exports. The absence of a textile minister and the proposed merger of textile and commerce ministry under the Ministry of Commerce is creating uncertainty and negatively affecting the major export earner of the country.
Most of the important decisions regarding textile policy, Export Development Fund (EDF) and budget preparation exercise for the next financial year are hanging in the balance as Senator Abbas Khan Afridi left as Minister last month on completion of his tenure as senator and no new appointment has so far been made to fill the slot.
Further, the Cabinet Committee on Restructuring (CCoR) in its meeting held last week proposed to club Textile division and Commerce division under the umbrella of Ministry of Commerce. Textile industry is a complicated and vast subject and it needs a separate ministry. They further said that keeping in view the strategic importance of textile sector, the government established a separate Ministry of Textile Industry in September 2004. Pakistan’s textile industry comprises cotton spinning (yarn), cotton weaving (cloth), cotton fabric, fabric processing, home textiles, towels, hosiery and knitwear and apparels. These are manufactured both on large scale as well as by small and medium cottage units.
The new Oeko-Tex certification 'Sustainable Textile Production (STeP)’ is required for environmentally friendly and socially responsible production facilities from April 1. Certification is possible for production facilities of all processing stages. From July 2013, STeP replaced the previous certification of production sites according to Oeko-Tex Standard 1000. According to David Pircher, Business Development Manager of Oeko-Tex, the interest in STeP goes well beyond the penetration known as the Oeko-Tex Standard 1000, which was the precursor to STeP. The acceptance of STeP is expected to rise.
In the future, production sites certified in accordance with STeP must comply with new criteria relating to their waste water. Also, STeP standard requires all employees to comply with ethically correct behavior and therefore, companies must provide employees with a written Code of Conduct defining company’s ethical principles.
With a view to exclude the worst forms of child labour, the STeP criteria for ‘Social Responsibility’ have also been modified. STeP certified companies must, in the future, also be able to provide evidence of compliance with ILO standard C182. All forms of slavery and forced labour, such as Sumangali, practised in India, are categorically excluded. Two new processes have also been included in the list of banned processes. These are: Sandblasting for the treatment of jeans and other articles.
Appropriate storage areas must be provided immediately to ensure that, wherever possible, pollution of the immediate environment and groundwater is excluded. This also specifies that the storage of production waste must be protected from external weather conditions and from fire.
The list of banned and regulated substances for the manufacture of textiles (MRSL, Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) has been updated. The list of exclusionary criteria includes aspects such as specifications that each employee must receive a written employment contract, the company ensures specific workplace conditions for young employees and payment of deposits for the recruitment of new employees is not permitted.
The STeP standard can now also be applied to production companies for accessory parts for textile manufacture with immediate effect.
Mohair, one of the oldest textile fibers in use is now seeing a resurgence as for the past two years, prices paid for Australian mohair have risen steadily. Signifying the Australian mohair industry is regaining its mojo which had declined in recent times at the expense of synthetics. Mohair is usually a silk-like fabric or yarn produced from the hair of the Angora goats, used in high-end fashions and furnishings.
Bales of the finest fleeces fetched record prices at an auction late last year in Narrandera, New South Wales. One reason for renewed optimism among Australian producers is the arrival of two internationals, key figures in the global textile trade. The first, GT Ferreira, a South African emigrant who recently brought his vast expertise and elite Angora goat genetics to Australia, where he now lives.
Second, late last year Ferreira brought a leading Italian textile producer Cesare Savio to tour Australian mohair farms. Savio is co-owner of Safil, a firm that employs more than 700 workers in factories in Bulgaria and Italy. Safil annually spins and weaves about 300 tons of mohair into expensive fabrics that are used by elite brands such as Zegna.
Australian mohair industry could fill the breach left by South Africa. All textile world thinks that the best mohair is from South Africa and 80 per cent is purchased in South Africa. Mohair production in South Africa has waned since the end of the Apartheid era and Savio said Australia could help fill the space.
Australian mohair production reached about one million tons annually in the 1980s. Today, the figure is a tenth of that but the quality of today’s product is far superior and the economics are more than tempting.
Besides facing load-shedding of around six to eight hours, the value-added industry in Punjab, Pakistan, except spinning sector, is without gas for the last two weeks. The SNGPL had committed to provide at least 25 per cent gas to the garment sector but even this limited quantity of gas was not ensured, as the industry on Ferozepur Road, Kotlakhpat industrial area, Township industrial estate, Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate and industrial clusters on Multan Road are not getting gas supply for last two weeks along with suspension of power supply of over 6 hours.
As per Malik Naseer, Vice Chairman, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA), the garment industry in Punjab was becoming uncompetitive within Pakistan due to prolonged power load-shedding and complete gas supply suspension while there was smooth gas and power supply in other provinces. Value-added textile industry in Punjab was facing problems because of the increasing cost of production due to gas shortages, higher electricity tariff, and amounts stuck up with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in sales tax refunds, he urged the government to provide a level playing field to the Punjab-based clothing industry by providing greater gas and power supply, which will help exporters reduce their energy costs, and by releasing the amounts stuck up in sales tax refunds.
Ijaz A Mumtaz, president of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, warned of massive lay-offs and industrial closures if unscheduled load-shedding is not stopped immediately in Lahore Township Industrial area by the Lahore Electric Supply Company (LESCO). LCCI former vice president Kashif Anwar too has said the industry needs continuous supply of electricity to keep the units operational and to complete the export orders well within the given timeframe but only because of the shortage of electricity the exports are not up to the mark. Pakistan had already lost a number of international markets and the new longer hour power cuts would further aggravate the situation, he claimed.
Bayer MaterialScience and the International Apparel Federation have entered into a collaboration aiming at significantly improving innovation and sustainability in the apparel and footwear industry. They have undertaken a series of workshops across three continents. Under the theme of ‘Setting New Standards for Material Innovation and Sustainability’, the workshops proved to be essential events for footwear and apparel brand owners that use polyurethane (PU) coated fabrics, for example, PU synthetic leather.
With pure waterborne PU technology and rich textile coating application expertise, Bayer MaterialScience wants to inspire brand owners and manufacturers to explore new possibilities in the design and creation of magical PU-coated fabrics.
Offering design freedom, durability and economy when compared to genuine leather, PU leather is increasingly becoming the material of choice for footwear, apparel and accessories. The textile industry is extremely complex and sometimes for manufacturers it is difficult to get visibility and direct access to brand owners interested in sourcing more sustainable materials. Also for brand owners, transparency about the origin and quality of fabric materials is often difficult to achieve.
Textile coating experts from Bayer MaterialScience have introduced Insqin, a novel turnkey solution for brand owners and manufacturers looking to achieve ambitious goals related to innovation and sustainability.
www.bayer.com/
Cut-Tex PRO, is an ultra-high performance cut resistant fabric, developed by UK’s PPSS Group. PPSS is a manufacturer of bullet and stab resistant vests. It provides protection to personnel engaged in high risk security operations in some of the most hostile environments. The group seeks out the most effective approaches to reduce the risk of workplace violence related injuries and lethal accidents. It designs and produces personal protective clothing that is specifically designed around the precise operational threats, risks and duties of customers.
Cut-Tex PRO is used to line uniforms, tactical gear, and work wear. It acts as a shield and protects vulnerable areas of the human body, in particular, the radial, brachial, carotid, axillary and femoral arteries. It comes in colors like optic white, olive green, navy blue, yellow and orange. It is made out of an innovative combination of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and other technical fibers on high-density knitting machines.
The product has passed several European and international standards for cut, tear and abrasion resistance. The product is comfortable to wear, machine washable, strong and durable. The great level of durability of this fabric gives it some technological advantages over other products, such as aramid-based technical fabrics.
www.cut-tex.com/
Spinnova started operations in Finland in January 2015. It is a research and product development company that converts wood into fabric. It is the latest spin-off of the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. It produces sustainable yarns directly from wood fibers. The fiber to yarn threads, are recyclable, environmentally-friendly and cost competitive products made of wood fibers. The process requires no extra chemical treatments.
The fiber to yarn technology is totally different from traditional textile yarn production. It uses no dissolution chemicals to dissolve wood fiber to a polymer level and regenerate cellulosic filaments. Instead the technology allows the production of novel, low cost and environmentally friendly textile yarns for filaments made directly from wood fibers through a wet spinning process.
Spinnova’s technique is ideal for refining Finnish long fiber length woods such as that of pine and spruce species. It is the only technology which can be used to spin yarn directly from wood fibers without chemical processing. The technology allows the production of novel, low cost and environmentally friendly textile yarns for filaments made directly from wood fibers through a wet spinning process.
The fiber yarn technology represents a breakthrough that can revolutionise both the textile and forest industries. Spinnova has won the international bio refinery competition with its new textile fiber production technology.
www.spinnova.fi/
Stefanie Tschirky from Royal College of Art UK has won the Future of Denim Branding Competition, a contest designed to challenge the way the industry thinks about denim branding. Tschirky’s winning innovative design transforms the story of denim from a textile that is manufactured and mass¬ produced to one that is crafted with care. Tschirky was selected from 11 talented design students from around the world. ARTS THREAD and Avery Dennison Retail Branding & Information Solutions (RBIS) announced Stefanie as winner of the competition.
The winning project, titled 'Your Story – Your Denim’, examines the origin story of denim before it reaches the consumer. Tschirky’s denim design begins with details like the name of the seamstress who fashioned the textile. Other details include the distance the denim travels from creation to display in¬ store. Taking the story concept even further, the garment also comes affixed with a sealed test glass containing fibre of the cotton used to produce the denim jeans. The rest of the story is for the wearer to tell. An expert panel of judges including the ‘godfather of denim’ Adriano Goldschmied; Kristina Szasz, denim design director of Karl by Karl Lagerfeld; Jonathan Cheung, Senior VPt, Levi’s; Matt Abbott, vice president, Men’s Denim, Calvin Klein; Bob Rinjders, founder, Butcher of Blue; Donna Ida Thornton, founder, Donna Ida; and Amy Leverton, director, Denim & Youth, WGSN scored the entries by creativity, aesthetic and innovation.
"Building a brand is one of the most challenging and satisfying things a designer will do in their career," said Cheung. "The ability to portray the brand's character at a glance is a fundamental skill. It was great to see how all the entrants endeavored to tie emotional content to their branding and to see sustainability and social responsibility play an increasing role in defining a brand's values. I'm delighted for Stefanie's win and congratulate all the entrants for their work."
As the winner, Tschirky will have the opportunity to bring her design and branding to life through an internship with the Avery Dennison RBIS creative team in London as well as Los Angeles.
Launched in October 2014, the Future of Denim Branding competition was created as a partnership between Avery Dennison RBIS, a global leader in apparel, footwear and industry solutions, and ARTS THREAD, a digital platform designed to connect students, graduates, institutions and industry exclusively in the field of design.
