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From February 2016, new criteria for STeP by Oeko-Tex have come into effect. The previous requirements have been expanded to include an additional point on handling sludge from waste water treatment. Sludge must be stored by companies with STeP certification in a way that rules out any ground contamination.
Oeko-Tex recommends that sludge residues of this type always be disposed off by professionals in accordance with environmental protection regulations. There are amendments to further improve employee working conditions. Certified companies in future will have to satisfy statutory regulations relating to a suitable level of maternity protection.
If there are no statutory regulations, companies are encouraged to define their own company guidelines to ensure paid maternity leave. Another addition to the latest STeP standard is that manufacturers of foams and mattresses can now have their production conditions certified in accordance with STeP.
Also new is the need for a plan that clearly highlights all of the areas of the company in which chemicals are supplied, stored, and used. The company facilities must also prove that chemicals are being transported safely and that affected staff are being provided with appropriate training.
STeP by Oeko-Tex makes the sustainability of production facilities throughout the textile value-creation chain visible using a transparent scoring system.
STeP gives brands, retailers, and manufacturers the opportunity to have each area of their company facilities analysed and assessed according to environmental and social criteria by an independent body.
https://www.oeko-tex.com/
Textile firm Bombay Rayon Fashions will convert debt worth Rs 934.26 crores into equity in favor of the lenders. The working capital term loan of Rs 712.67 crores and Rs 221.58 crores funded interest term loan would be converted into equity in favor of lenders.
Bombay Rayon Fashions was incorporated in 1992. The firm has fabric manufacturing facilities of 100 million meters per annum, garment manufacturing facilities of 60 million pieces per annum, which is being expanded to 90 million pieces per annum.
Bombay Rayon caters to the domestic and export markets. The company is also engaged in power generation through coal and windmills and manufacturing of buttons. It produces fabrics such as cotton, polyester, tencel, modal, Lycra, wool and various blends. Products include fabrics, apparel, retail, trims and yarn.
The company is the largest shirt manufacturer in India. It owns 13 manufacturing facilities, including one sampling unit across the country. It has a presence in the entire value chain starting from yarn dyeing, weaving, fabric processing, designing, garment manufacturing to retailing. In the domestic market the finished fabric is marketed through 70 distributors and more than 2000 retailers. It also exports to the Middle East and EU countries.
www.bombayrayon.com/
Wool brands are working for closer collaboration and joint product development with brands. Brands are increasingly combining different technologies and new applications of wool in their performance and outdoor wear products as the use of wool goes beyond the knitted.
Wool is used as wadding for jackets to replace downs or synthetic wadding. Companies already using wool are increasing use wool content in their collections. In addition, many companies who previously were not using wool are starting to do so.
Major brands are now making sure that they have at least some merino in their ranges. They have found innovative ways to integrate wool into their products. There are jackets with felted wool elements on the outside combined with fine next-to-skin knitted wool on the inside. Some synthetic jackets have wool elements worked into the design.
Wool is showing a positive trend in performance wear. One hundred per cent wool and blended fabrics will continue to show growth in this market sector. Woolmark’s innovations include a water and wind protection jacket made of a fabric that uses a specially treated wool fiber. The fabric is constructed through a unique fiber stretching and fabric compacting technology, resulting in a fabric that is wind and water resistant as well as sporting wool’s other natural benefits such as breathability and resilience.
www.woolmark.com/
Textiles and garments are being equipped with a wide variety of functions that offer protection and comfort at work and during leisure activities. Breathability, warmth, wind, water, oil and chemical resistance, as well as flame protection, rank among the most important properties of modern outdoor, ski or, in particular, functional protective and fire-fighting clothing.
However, textiles are affected by substances such as sweat, dirt and chemical or biological contamination. Only correct care can give garments back their functionality and protective qualities. Developments in mechanical engineering, detergent chemistry and textile research are aimed at maintaining the value and functionality of professional, protective and outdoor clothing and surgical textiles. Restoration of special effects calls for great expertise.
Particularly difficult to launder are garments with fluorine-based water, oil and chemical resistance, which require special surfactant blends. These surfactant blends shift dirt without any significant adverse effects on the functional aspects.
A textile care specialist can guarantee a perfect finish leaving breathability unaffected and retaining the protective function essential for workers in high-risk jobs. Professional wet cleaning is an alternative to classic dry cleaning with solvents and is gaining in importance thanks to the very gentle and efficient cleaning.
As compared to household laundry, professional cleaners can regulate the water exactly. The machines have a greater drum capacity, the mechanical washing action is greatly reduced and the detergent and additives are matched exactly to the process.
China is undertaking supply side reforms in a bid to sustain the growth momentum seen over the last few years. Over the last three decades there was a focus on the demand side. The rapid growth witnessed by Chinese economy during the last 30 years had capital investment, exports and consumption as its focus areas, which are all generally considered demand side parameters.
In 2008, following the sub-prime crisis in the US, China announced a four trillion yuan stimulus package to increase investment in infrastructure projects, and thereby create jobs and stimulate demand for materials used in construction. The rationale behind such a package also included a thought that wages paid to workers in newly created jobs would be spent on essentials and business would flourish. In the process, however, issues such as income distribution, rising home prices, and overcapacity were not paid attention.
By focusing on the supply side, which means stimulating economic growth through reducing barriers to production especially through tax cuts, wealth owners will be enticed to invest in things that increase supply. These may be in the form of launching new businesses or innovative goods and services. This is expected to generate sustainable, quality growth.
Pakistan is likely to see a fall in cotton consumption by 12 per cent this year. By consuming 2.2 million tons of cotton it would be exporting around $13 billion of textile products. Bangladesh and Vietnam with a 22 per cent and a 13 per cent increase in their cotton use would generate exports worth $54 billion. This means value addition in these two non-cotton producing countries is over four times higher. Both Bangladesh and Vietnam are among the low value-added textile product exporters.
China, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Tunisia add much more value to their textiles. The ongoing drop in polyester prices has caused a reduction in the share of cotton in the global market, particularly in China where polyester has been favored over cotton in the recent season.
Cotton consumption in China is forecast to go down five per cent in 2015-16, though it still remains the world’s largest consumer of cotton. When cotton prices dropped at the start of 2014-15, the gap between international cotton prices and polyester prices in China, which accounts for 72 per cent of the world’s polyester production, narrowed significantly and greatly improved the competitiveness of cotton.
However, this only lasted for a few months, as polyester prices continued to drop, while cotton prices stabilised. In 2015-16, the gap continued to widen.
As the Trans Pacific Partnership free trade deal that covers 12 Pacific rim countries including the United States and New Zealand deal gets signed it is expected to significantly boost trade. But for the pact to take force, each country must now ratify it through its domestic political process.
The agreement covers a region responsible for about one-third of all world trade, although noticeably missing from the agreement is China, which is forging ahead with its own trade deals. Proponents say the agreement will increase trade and make it more equitable by eliminating most tariffs and other barriers. But opponents say it will erode national sovereignty and hand too much power to US corporations. The countries who have signed the deal are Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Peru, Chile, Vietnam and Brunei.
Whether the politically divided US will agree to it remains an open question. Many people in New Zealand remain opposed to the deal, and hundreds protested outside the Auckland venue where it was being signed, blocking traffic on some streets, while others protested in the capital, Wellington.
In the US, the agreement has been at the center of President Barack Obama’s trade agenda, but while it is supported by business groups and many Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has not yet backed it and has suggested Congress shouldn’t vote to ratify it until after the November elections.
In 2014, US clothing imports from sub-Saharan Africa reached $986 million, up nearly six per cent from 2013, as countries such as Lesotho, Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania participated in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program. The program expands the list of products which eligible sub-Saharan African countries may export to the United States subject to zero import duty under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
While general GSP covers approximately 4,600 items, AGOA GSP applies to more than 6,400 items. AGOA came into law in 2000. It offers incentives for African countries to make efforts to open their economies and promote free trade. AGOA GSP provisions are in effect until September 30, 2015.
In June 2015 the US renewed the AGOA for another 10 years. The trade agreement will end in 2025. To build upon the success of the (AGOA), the US and its African partners launched the ‘Trade Africa’ initiative with the East African Community in 2013. This is a multifaceted cooperation agreement focused on compliance with WTO standards on trade facilitation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and technical barriers to trade.
The US is currently working to expand the ‘Trade Africa’ initiative to involve new partners, including Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mozambique, Senegal, and Zambia.
Scoop International the London tradeshow that took place from January 31 to February2, celebrated its 10th outing this season, bringing together some 250 exhibitors across apparel, accessories, jewelry and lifestyle products. According to visitors, the show is a joy to visit, partly due to its inspiring Saatchi gallery setting, which spreads over three floors and 12 individual spaces. Coinciding with London Fashion Week later this month, the venue will also play host to the next edition of Scoop London (February 21-23).
During the show, Dutch label Humanoid brought its distinctive lux-casual offering to Scoop International for the first time this season. J. Lindeberg has updated its bestseller shoe with a pointier toe for AW16. It’s been given yet another twist with tribal-themed embossing, synching it with the collection as a whole.
At the show, Young Irish jewelry name Chupi harnessed the vibe with delicate pieces cast from a swan feather found along a Dublin riverbank. Many a Scoop exhibitor offered products with green credentials. Founded in 2012 by Angie Sam, Ultra Tee crafts its well-cut tops from organic cotton, applying prints inspired by the natural world. The pomegranate and horse chestnut motifs made for unusual and rather compelling prints.
In another highlight, the Canadian name Matt & Nat’s vegan accessories appeal to consumers with modernist and green inclinations.
Between 2016-20 the global nanofiber market is expected to grow as the production system is forecast to show improvement with the vendors striving to achieve economy of scale and reduce the breakeven point. Many solution providers such as FibeRio technology, Elmarco are coming up with improved technology and new techniques, showcasing their capabilities to provide comprehensive nanofiber solutions.
According to analysts, the global nanofiber market will grow at a CAGR of 24.12 per cent during the period 2016-2020. The increased adoption of nanofibers in technical textile is the primary growth driver for this market. Technical textiles that include nonwovens make up around 25 per cent of the global fiber consumption and have huge demand in areas like medical devices, water purification, and responsive fibrous system.
During 2015, the filtration application segment dominated the market with a market share of around 59 per cent. However, the electronics application segment is expected to see the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Material cost is an important market driver of nanofiber in electronics application. Nanofibers have a structural advantage such as enhanced conductivity over other materials and are being used as deposits on the pre-patterned SiO2 substrate in field effect transistor (FET). These transistors and other logic circuits find huge application in the electronics sector.
