The US and the Philippines plan to announce the start of a free trade negotiations by next month as the two allies look to bolster their economic relationship amid uncertainty over security ties. Once completed, the free trade agreement will be the US' second in Southeast Asia after the one with Singapore.

The move towards starting talks comes after both resolved issues around a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, including those related to e-commerce. The talks, which could last one to three years, are part of President Donald Trump's strategy to pursue bilateral rather than multilateral trade agreements to let Washington secure the best possible deal.

The US ranks among the Philippines' major trading partners. In 2017, bilateral trade totaled around $20 billion, with the US registering a $3.2 billion trade deficit, according to the Census Bureau. The Trump administration has been tough in trade negotiations, but Lopez is upbeat on a win-win deal. For the Philippines, a free trade agreement with the US would upgrade the current Generalised System of Preferences scheme wherein the U.S. reviews zero-tariff privileges given to more than 3,000 Philippine products every three years.

Pakistan textile industry has received technical support from the Punjab Environment Protection Department to implement environmental laws in the factories set up by knitwear and garment manufacturers and exporters. The entrepreneurs have chalked out a detailed plan of action to ensure total compliance with national and international standards. The time frame to bring about total compliance has been set at one year.

The move to complete compliance process was confirmed by the Environment Secretary Zafar Nasrullah. He said the department is actively giving technical support and mentoring to industry members to adopt technically sound and cost effective solutions facilitating green entrepreneurial processes.

The compliance initiative will also receive adequate support in terms of soft loans from banks and financial institutions. The department is also prepared to create linkage with financial institutions and banks to provide soft loans to the industry.

Nitin Spinners’ revenue has grown 22.70 per cent over the previous year. With an installed capacity of 2,23,056 spindles and 2,936 rotors it produces 50,000 tons of yarn in a year. To move up the value chain, the company has also established a knit fabric division with 63 knitting machines, with an installed production capacity of 9,000 tons of fabric a year.

Nitin exports around 64 per cent of its production to over 50 countries globally. Based in Rajasthan, Nitin a leading player in the textile industry, manufactures 100 per cent cotton yarn and knitted fabrics by using the latest ultra-modern technology. As a part of strategic initiatives, the company plans to foray into the finished fabric segment to meet the rising demand in the apparel industry.

The plan is to invest in a greenfield integrated textile complex with cotton/blended spinning facilities. This complex will have facilities for weaving, dyeing, finishing and printing of woven and knitted fabrics.

Nitin Spinners makes cotton yarn in single, multifold slub, compact, core spun and Elitwist yarns. The products are widely used in manufacturing apparel and garments, inner wear, terry towels, woven fabrics, home furnishings, carpets, denim, industrial textiles, medical textiles, mattress ticking and socks, among others.

Future Group has partnered fabric brand Vardhman to co-develop products for its apparel business and plans to launch 6-7 products every year. Future Group will use Vardhman's fabric for products being sold across its formats such as FBB, Central and Brand Factory.

Future Group plans to launch 7-6 products every year. Initially, the products will be launched for its value fashion format FBB. Later, these co-developed apparels will be launched at other Future Group apparel formats.

Earlier, FBB had revealed plans to invest Rs 350 crore to open about 140 exclusive outlets as it aims to double turnover in the next two years. At present, FBB retails through 385 points of sales in Big Bazaar stores, including 62 exclusive outlets.

Four European machinery manufacturers’ associations, AMEC of Spain, SYMATEX of Belgium, BTMA of Great Britain and UCMTF of France, will organize a roadshow in Mexico on November 20 and 21.
The European textile machinery manufacturers will present latest technical innovations and services to Mexican textile and carpet manufacturers. The machines will cover nearly the entire textile industry, from fiber processing to dyeing and finishing and even recycling through weaving, circular knitting; all end uses markets, textile for apparel, home textiles, carpet manufacturing and technical textiles for the automotive manufacturers, for example.

These state-of-the-art machinery manufacturers hope to be technology partners with Mexican manufacturers in designing new products, improving production processes, diversifying raw materials, doing energy and water savings and introducing new features of industry 4.0.

These manufacturers’ strategy is to be partners and not just machine suppliers. So they want to meet them at the highest possible level, face to face. The road shows enable them to understand customers’ needs and offer them the best possible technologies and machines with which they will be able to design new products, open new markets in a very productive, reliable, cost effective and sustainable way. The road shows allow machinery makers to meet long time customers and make new contacts.

Taiwan’s Far Eastern New Century has unveiled pioneering new recycling technology that converts discarded textile waste streams into fresh feedstock for other industries. The firm’s new process can help recycle polyester from all types of used textiles, including mixed streams. Initially, post-consumer textiles are separated without a need for additional decoloring or use of complex solvents. Polyester is then dissolved and the mixed polymers and dyestuffs are filtered out. Cellulose is isolated in the process and converted into energy-dense fuel rods which can generate electricity.

Far Eastern New Century, is a polyester and textile manufacturer and supplies polyester-related materials to major global sports, outdoor, leisure and fast fashion brands. The solution closes the loop of current PET recycling, diverting what was once destined for landfills to new value-added consumer goods. The company has revealed an all-in-one chemical recycling solution for post-consumer waste textiles, which is expected to support the circular economy movement and help Far Eastern maintain its leadership in smart textile innovation.

Recycled products accounted for 26 per cent of the company’s offering last year. The technology offers further evidence that there is more than one way to close the loop in textiles, with many believing a more pragmatic – and logistically and financially viable – option is to use old textile waste streams to provide feedstock for other industries.

The amendments that Bangladesh has made to the labor law haven’t gone down too well with stakeholders. Labor law was originally framed in 2006 to protect workers’ rights and to increase productivity in the industrial units. The last amendment has brought down the mandatory participation for registration of trade unions to 20 per cent from the previous 30 per cent.

Experts and pro-worker bodies say this is still a standard too high to meet. They say the condition of 20 per cent votes in the biennial general meetings is not possible for trade unions to fulfill for registration under the proposed new act and that their registration would be cancelled ultimately.

Although the law stipulates a four-month maternity leave, the amendment of the law will not safeguard the job of female workers. It is not clear whether the law allows maternity leave as a leave without pay or as termination from the factory. Human rights activists say the clause should be corrected to ensure the rights of female workers. They also want the compensation sum to be paid following death at the workplace to be increased.

Another objection is that the proposed amendment to the labor law does not reflect the set of recommendations proposed by the ILO.

Bangladesh’s export earnings from India rose 142 per cent in the first quarter. Readymade garment exports to India grew 167 per cent. Western and Indian clothing brands have set up a good number of stores in India and raised procurement from Bangladesh.

Earnings from two major export destinations: the US and Germany, also registered sizable growth. Bangladesh’s exports to the US and Germany grew by 14.23 per cent and 14.53 per cent respectively in the quarter while export earnings from most European countries, except the UK, saw a growth of ten per cent.

The ongoing trade war between the US and China created additional demand for Bangladeshi apparel products in the US market contributing to higher growth. US buyers have started considering Bangladesh as an alternative sourcing destination beyond China.

Export earnings from Japan increased due to a surge in apparel exports by 49 per cent in July-September in the current fiscal year compared with that of the same period of the last fiscal year. Overall exports to Japan and China grew by 31.84 per cent and 24.54 per cent respectively. The growth in export earnings from Japan and China turned around in the period after experiencing frustrating performances in the last few months.

Accord will begin handing over responsibility for factory safety monitoring to Bangladesh from October 15. The tenure of the European buyers’ platform will end on November 30. The platform will also submit a time-bound transition plan.

Accord has so far inspected more than 1,600 readymade garment factories. Accord-listed factories have completed more than 89 per cent of remediation work while 172 factories have completed 100 per cent remediation. The tenure of the platform in Bangladesh ended in May this year but it was allowed a six-month transition period.

Following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013 that killed more than 1100 people, mostly garment workers, EU retailers formed the Accord and North American retailers formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, undertaking a five-year plan which set timeframes and accountability for inspections and training and workers’ empowerment programs. Alliance will leave Bangladesh after ending its transition period in November.

Global stakeholders, including buyers, trade unions and investors, have requested Bangladesh to allow the operation of Transition Accord till a national body is ready to take over factory safety responsibility. Accord was an unprecedented, independent, legally binding agreement between trade unions and brands. The Bangladesh readymade garment industry is undoubtedly safer, and lives have been saved.

"In a classic case of political insensitivity backfiring, many reputed brands such as Versace, Coach and Givenchy had to apologise to China for disrespecting the country’s sovereignty recently. These brands had launched a range of T-shirts with designs that suggested that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are independent territories and not an integral part of China."

In a classic case of political insensitivity backfiring, many reputed brands such as Versace, Coach and Givenchy had to apologise to China for disrespecting the country’s sovereignty recently. These brands had launched a range of T-shirts with designs that suggested that Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are independent territories and not an integral part of China.

Hong Kong is currently in the midst of widespread protests as citizens believe that the move by these brands threatens the city’s autonomy. The one time British colony has its own economic and legal systems, as well as greater civil liberties than the mainland. To assuage protests, China has begun to crack down on these protesters.

Men’s innerwear brand Calvin Klein and sports label Asics have issued statements of remorse on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Instagram, for treating these three as independent regions in their drop down menus.

Upsetting China to hamper brands’ growth

Even though brands have made similar mistakes before, the protests have been particularly fierce this time as the Chinese government is working overtime to shape its country’s image overseas as well as domestically. This is further amplified by Chinese celebrities ending their relationships with brands that threaten to tarnish the country’s image. Yang Mi, a superstar actress in China, recently announced her decision to cut her ties with Versace, while model Liu Wen severed her contract with Coach, as did actress Guan Xiaotong. Jackson Yee, a popular singer, also stopped working with Givenchy’s cosmetics line.

There’s a lot at stake for these fashion brands. As a recent joint report by McKinsey & Company and Business of Fashion, notes, Greater China is soon set to overtake the US as the largest fashion market in the world this year. The market is particularly important for upscale brands like Versace, Givenchy and Coach as the Chinese are one of the biggest shoppers of luxury goods in the world. The country is a key component of many brands’ plans for sales growth.

Brands therefore, can’t afford to lose the support of Chinese celebrities who act as a connecting bridge for them with their audiences. They need to take some action before they lose access to one of the most valuable customer bases in the world. This is why brands like Versace, Givenchy, and Coach have displayed a level of remorse one might not expect from them for something as trivial as ill-considered t-shirt designs.