FW
A first-of-its-kind plant in Sri Lanka’s Horana export processing zone is poised to transform post-consumer plastic bottles into polyester yarn. The facility is owned by BPPL Holdings, a manufacturer of brooms, brushes and mops. It features cutting-edge spinning and texturing machinery from Europe that will make it a game changer for the industry.
The 13,000 sq. mt. plant will be one of two in the world to create yarn directly from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flakes, a tack that bypasses the polymerization process of converting flakes to chips and then yarn. The new plant, which boasts a capacity of 960 tons of yarn per year, will be able to supply 15 per cent of the polyester yarn required by Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel sectors. Ten plastic bottles provide enough yarn to produce a single T-shirt. It also has dope-dyeing capabilities to create colored yarn as part of the extrusion process.
By sourcing polyester yarn from Sri Lanka, fabric manufacturers can significantly reduce lead times and also lower inventory costs. To ensure its yarn meets strict international standards—and appeal to potential clients abroad—BPPL abides by the Global Recycled Standard, Restricted Substances Lists and Oeko-Tex Standard 100.
The sharp rise in imports from Bangladesh has made Indian industry apprehensive. India’s agreement with Bangladesh doesn’t include the minimum value addition criterion. This loophole can be used for imports of Chinese man-made fiber based garments through Bangladesh.
Over the last 11 months, Bangladesh’s garment exports to India increased by 113 per cent. Add to this footwear, fish, beverages etc and India’s imports from Bangladesh increased by 30 per cent since July 2017.
The introduction of GST in July 2017 led to the withdrawal of 12 per cent countervailing duty (CVD) on textiles. Though Bangladesh was not the only beneficiary, this came as an advantage for Bangladesh, which is the world’s second largest exporter of readymade garments.
Bangladesh had a distinct cost advantage vis-a-vis Indian imports in 49 garment items. GST related benefits should help Bangladesh grab a higher share of Indian imports by replacing other destinations.
India offers duty-free and quota-free entry to Bangladesh’s goods under the South Asian Free Trade Area agreement in 2011. Further Bangladesh’s competitive edge should increase with the recent hiking of import duty on 328 textile products, which is not applicable to Bangladesh.
This year might prove to be a landmark in bilateral trade relations. Bangladesh’s exports to India will close near $900 million.
Huntsman Textile Effects has appointed Rajiv Banavali its new Global Vice President, Research and Technology,. Banavali will join the company’s management as a part of its global leadership team and will report directly to Rohit Aggarwal, President, Textile Effects.
A Ph.D in Organic Chemistry from the University of Misssouri, Banavali was previously employed with Honeywell International where he held several research and development leadership roles including his most recent, as Vice President, Chief Technology Officer in its Advanced Materials division. He has over 20 years’ experience in development and execution of R&D strategies and the advancement of innovation platforms for both product and process technology roadmaps.
Banavali has successfully led large, global research organisations in the development and commercialisation of technologies in specialty chemicals, both at Honeywell and at his previous employer, Rohm & Haas. He will relocate from New Jersey to Singapore.
European textile groups are blaming the REACH regulation for the relocation of the European textile dye sector to Asia where supply chains are opaque, and pollution still rife. The relocation is not only causing loss of European jobs and innovations but also creating chemical monopolies. Recent findings by several leading European textile industry bodies show, the regulation is having the exact opposite impact of what it was originally designed to do. The potential impact of hazardous textile chemicals on both human health and the environment is being exacerbated by sourcing more from Asia.
Textile manufacturers have already warned the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) that the present global consumption of textile dyes and pigments cannot currently be replaced in sufficient quantities due to shutdowns in Asia and REACH is said to be aggravating the situation. This is important given that one car alone contains an average 23 kg of dyed and finished textiles – and illustrates how the current lack of raw materials and spiraling textile chemical prices can have knock-on effects to other important EU industry sectors dependent on these products.
Textile units in India have to use digital signatures for submitting Unique Identification Number (UID) applications and for making Joint Inspection Team verification (JIT) requests. The lending agency will fill in details of term loan information in i-TUFS and upload the final sanction order with the digital signature of the authorized signatory of the lending agency.
The lending agency will also verify the application against loan documents available with them and upload the copy of the final loan sanction order and sign off the verification with the digital signature of the authorized official of the lending agency.
Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) is a scheme aimed at creating a modern and vibrant textile industry in India. Under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), there is a provision for a one-time capital subsidy for eligible benchmarked machinery at the rate of 15 per cent for garmenting and technical textiles segments with a cap of Rs 30 crores and at a rate of ten per cent for weaving, processing, jute, silk and handloom segments with a cap of Rs 20 crores.
Beneficiary units and lending agencies have been asked to make the necessary arrangements so that they can apply with digital signatures, on or before August 30, 2018.
Cobalt Fashion, a JV between the Fung Group and South Ocean Knitters, has unveiled its new CS Innovation Lab at its headquarters in Hong Kong. The innovation lab is a collaboration between Cobalt and innovation partner Shima Seiki, a leading Japanese computerised flat knitting machinery manufacturer. The lab allows the two partners to work together on areas including advancing 3D and virtual design capabilities and driving efficiency gains in the design-to-production part of the supply chain.
The partnership leverages Cobalt’s market intelligence, sourcing capabilities and extensive knowledge in knitwear and yarn along with Shima Seiki’s advanced knitting technology. The lab will carry out highly specialised R&D and develop innovative technologies to deliver quicker, more accurate solutions that address fast-changing market trends and needs, creating a win-win situation for everyone along the supply chain. Cobalt’s design hub and the state-of-the-art Innovation Lab will service all the divisions under Cobalt Fashion. The launch coincides with the unveiling of Cobalt Centre, the company’s newly renovated office space which includes both the Innovation Lab, as well as Design Hub.
Great Place to Work (GPTW), a global research, consulting and training consultancy has listed Coats, world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer and a major player in the Americas textile crafts market, among the best 80 companies to work for in Brazil.
The company was ranked on the basis of the level of trust employees had in their organisation. This was measured using two methods. First, the culture of the organisation was surveyed through a Trust Index, which was modeled on five dimensions found in the employee view of a great workplace, including values, opportunities and wellbeing. Second, the workplace was evaluated through a Culture Audit, which looks at nine areas from the management definition of a great workplace, including development, inspiration and celebration. Coats had a trust index score of 90 per cent.
Coats runs an annual Employee Engagement Survey to measure the engagement of all its employees across the world. In the last three years employee engagement in Brazil has increased by 22 per cent to 80 per cent.
Fashion retailer C&A has launched a new range of sustainable jeans designed in partnership with Fashion for Good. These jeans meet the strict environmental requirements of the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Certified Gold level standard, which evaluates garments for human and environmental health, recyclability or biodegradability, energy and water requirements and social fairness.
The C&A denim range is accompanied by a toolkit, which details solutions on how to overcome the design of complex apparel such as jeans to reach full product certification at the C2C Gold level. An Assessed Materials Almanac – also a part of the toolkit – specifies the materials and ingredients currently assessed for C2C certification with regards to materials used in the production of the jeans.
The brand had to overcome many technical challenges to develop the new C2C certified jeans. This included maintaining the physical flexibility of the garment, which was addressed via new advances in elastane production as well as a complete rethink of how to produce the lining and sewing threads.
The weakening rupee against the dollar is expected to have a positive impact on the textile and clothing sector. As Sanjay K. Jain, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), noted, yarn exports to China increased 24 per cent between April and June. However, the Chinese yuan also weakened in the period and hence, Indian exports were affected.
As per Chandrima Chatterjee, Adviser, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), the weakening of the rupee this year compared to last fiscal will benefit garment exporters. The Centre is expected to reimburse embedded taxes and raise Reimbursement of State Levies, thus giving garment exports a push.
Apparel exports, which were almost stagnant for the last couple of years, are expected to do better. This will provide the garment producers cushion against increasing raw material prices. However, these producers will not benefit entirely as buyers are likely to demand rate cuts even in existing orders.
"Counterfeiting is a huge risk to fashion companies and is reportedly worth $450 billion. According to the UK’s Anti-Counterfeiting Group, counterfeiting and theft of intellectual property fuels drugs smuggling and cases of human trafficking. The Burberry statement says the company has careful processes in place to minimise the amount of excess stock produced. On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, they do so in a responsible manner and continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue waste."
Luxury fashion brand Burberry is on a fast track to transform its business model, which redefines waste and embeds the circular economy into an industry pierced with fast fashion discrepancies. The announcement came just after the brand burned more than £28m worth of stock over the past 12 months. But it is not alone in burning its defective, unused stock. Industry giants such as H&M and Nike have been following such a practice in order to protect brand prestige and intellectual property.
Counterfeiting is a huge risk to fashion companies and is reportedly worth $450 billion. According to the UK’s Anti-Counterfeiting Group, counterfeiting and theft of intellectual property fuels drugs smuggling and cases of human trafficking. The Burberry statement says the company has careful processes in place to minimise the amount of excess stock produced. On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, they do so in a responsible manner and continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue waste.
Burberry, which has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for three consecutive years, is keen to
lead this transformation. Pauline Bohl, Responsibility Programme Director, Burberry says the luxury fashion brand is turning to collaboration and innovation to kick start a journey that pushes Burberry and the industry towards a resource revolution that promotes closed-loop practices. One of the goals for 2022 is to revalue waste. Burberry recognises the need to address the issue of waste, which is a huge one for the industry and to invent new approaches that view waste as a resource. The company intends to foster business models that keep clothes in use. Luxury is quality, it is built to last and it’s the core of its products and customer expectations. The second area of work is creating renewable materials.
Prevailing situation
In the UK, an estimated 300,000 tons of clothing and fashion waste ends up in landfill each year. It is largely driven by fast fashion phenomenon; the accelerated production of cheap clothing that encourages consumers to purchase more items frequently. For luxury brands like Burberry, it is of paramount importance that counterfeit products of items don’t end up in this high-turnover cycle.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s report finds the UK economy loses £82 million through landfilling of clothing and textiles annually. Taking due cognizance of the situation, Burberry is keen to partner on solutions that make products more durable and reusable. The company is a core partner of the Make Fashion Circular initiative from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a project to create business models which will keep garments in use, utilise materials which are renewable and find ways of recycling old clothes into new products. Aforementioned companies Nike and H&M are also signed up to the initiative.
The Burberry Foundation, set up as an independent charity and awarded £3 million to the Royal College of Art to establish the Burberry Material Futures Research Group, the first of its kind in the world, and expand the Burberry Design Scholarship Fund. The Research Group is one of the first to utilise Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) research to apply radical thinking to invent more sustainable materials. The ambition of the program is to inspire and get the industry to think about the circularity issue and potential.
Way ahead
Burberry is keen for its products to not only drive circularity but also improve sustainability of the supply chain. Another key pillar for the company’s 2022 goals is to ensure that 100 per cent Burberry products have at least one positive attribute. The attributes can range from using cotton sourced through the Better Cotton Initiative, leather from certified tanneries, or ensuring the person who made the garment is paid a living wage. To date, 14 per cent of Burberry products have more than one positive attribute while 28 per cent have one. Burberry is just starting out on this journey to promote circularity. Bohl says, all consumers are becoming more aware of the impacts of their purchasing decisions. There is an expectation that being in luxury means they are doing business in a responsible way.
