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KAKEN, a government-accredited organization of Japan that specializes in textile laboratory tests, will represent GINETEX in the country adding onto GINETEX’s national members that now amount to 22 in the world. With a strong presence in all of Europe, North Africa and Brazil, GINETEX now welcomes KAKEN as its national member in Japan, in order to promote and support the use of textile care symbols in the land of the rising sun. Today, the Japanese market represents over 300 clothing brands. The signature of this partnership with KAKEN in Japan is a historic moment for GINETEX, which will be represented for the first time in Asia.
Thomas Rasch, President of GINETEX feels the integration of KAKEN translates their common will and desire to standardise all textile care symbols around the world. With the precious support of 22 national members, GINETEX will continue to our work on promotion and use of these symbols, on an international scale.
Kaken is the most trusted and the biggest textile products inspection organisation in Japan. In addition, they are in cooperation with many industries including Japan Textile Evaluation Technology Council (JTETC), a well-known NPO, which has close relations with the government of Japan. A key player in the Japanese textile market and in the industrial market at large, this organization inspects and tests textiles (staples, filaments and yarns, woven and knitted fabrics and finished products), leather, rubber, chemicals, paper products and other industrial supplies, with the objective of obtaining certifications. KAKEN is an ISO 9001: 2000 certified textile testing laboratory.
KAKEN will take advantage of its strong influence and long-proven legitimacy in the Japanese textile Ecosystem (including government institutions, national textile industry organizations, textile and clothing manufacturers as well as consumer associations), to broadly communicate on the change and standardization of textile care symbols – now qualified ISO 3758, a certification backed by GINETEX, the guarantor of textile care labeling codes.
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) will hold its 75th plenary meeting in Pakistan from October 30, 2016. The theme of the meeting would be ‘Emerging Dynamics in Cotton: Enhancing Sustainability in the Cotton Value Chain’. Registration for the six-day event in Islamabad is already underway, ICAC said. The agenda of the meeting features seven open sessions, six breakout sessions, plenary sessions and meetings of ICAC working groups on matters of interest to members and their cotton sectors.
The topics for seven open sessions include: Sustaining Cotton Growth: Incorporating Climate Dynamics, World Cotton Market Report, Reducing the Water Footprint of Cotton, Overcoming Textile Industry Challenges, Technical Seminar: Emerging Pests in Cotton and their Control, The Role of the Public Sector in the Cotton Industry, and Challenges to Cotton: Confronting Inter-fibre Competition.
Breakout sessions will discuss topics such as Reducing Contamination in Picking & Handling, Enhancing Efficiency in the Cotton Value Chain, New Challenges to Cotton: The Perspective of Developing Countries, Best Practices in Cotton Ginning, Modern Practices in Instrument Testing, and Developments in the Transfer of Technology. Plenary meetings of the ICAC provide a forum for discussion of international issues of importance to the world cotton industry, and provide opportunities for industry and government leaders to consult on matters of mutual concern.
The 74th plenary meeting, was organised last year by the Office of the Textiles Commissioner, Mumbai along with Cotton Corporation of India, Cotton Association of India and the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, under the theme ‘From Farm to Fabric: The Many Faces of Cotton’ was attended by 500 delegates from 50 countries across the world.
Owing to the losses suffered by sweater and jacket manufacturers during past three years, many players are now shifting to manufacturing of jeans, trousers and shirts in Ludhiana. Besides, many jeans washing units have been established in the city after seeing the huge production of denim over here. As Ludhiana is known for its hosiery products all over the world now the trend has changed in a drastic manner.
Entrepreneurs, who own a washing units used to wash the jeans at a small level but for past few months they are not able to complete orders in time. The industry has now seen a change in trend in manufacturing of goods. While some businessmen have already shifted to manufacturing trousers and shirts, many others are planning the same. Huge stocks of hosiery goods are lying in godowns of manufacturers even this year.
Industrialist say, there were times when Ludhiana industry used to manufacture only hosiery products like sweater, jackets among others. But now time has changed and people want to expand their business by manufacturing other garments as well. These are just few of many examples to name.
In order to enjoy the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) facility, Nepali exporters will have to register their companies in European Union (EU) countries by the end of 2016 under which they will pay less or no duties on their exports. According to Tej Singh Bista, Deputy Executive Director of Nepal’s Trade and Export Promotion Centre, the EU will provide duty-free access only to companies registered there from January 1, 2017.
He added that registered Nepali companies would not need to get the approval of the customs department to receive the facility. The EU countries will provide their code to the registered companies. Based on the code, the companies can declare their products themselves to receive the GSP facility.
The EU has been providing duty-free access to products imported from the least developed countries (LDCs) including Nepal since 2001. It revised the provision in 2014 and extended 100 per cent duty-free facility to these countries under the ‘Everything but Arms’ scheme. Bista said the scheme had opened the way for almost all the products exported from Nepal. However, exporters have not been able to benefit fully from the facility due to the poor quality of their products and procedural complexities. The GSP reduces the cost of exported goods by 8 to 10 per cent.
"The government has announced a slew of measures for the textile sector, through labour reforms to generate 10 million jobs, boost exports by a cumulative $30 billion and investments by Rs 74,000 crores over three years. Estimated to cost Rs 6,000 crores, the special package approved by the Cabinet is to improve competitiveness, lead to greater production through a string of labour reforms and generate jobs. An estimated 70 per cent of workforce in garments industry are women."
The government has announced a slew of measures for the textile sector, through labour reforms to generate 10 million jobs, boost exports by a cumulative $30 billion and investments by Rs 74,000 crores over three years. Estimated to cost Rs 6,000 crores, the special package approved by the Cabinet is to improve competitiveness, lead to greater production through a string of labour reforms and generate jobs. An estimated 70 per cent of workforce in garments industry are women.
Industry cheers package
Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) has welcomed the package. As Rahul Mehta, President of CMAI says the announcements have unshackled the garment industry and the results will be evident not only by way of additional employment generation but also additional exports. Mehta said the inclusion of State level taxes in the computation of duty drawback will address a long standing demand of the industry, and will provide a major relief to the exporting segment. “The EPF reforms - government bearing the whole PF burden of the industry and making PF optional for employees earning less than Rs 15000 per month - will help the industry as well as the workers,” he added.
R K Dalmia, Chairman of The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) though has welcomed the special package, but has expressed deep concern for ignoring Home Textile sector in the special package, which is equally labour intensive industry at par with Apparel sector. In particular, manufacturing of bed-linen requires more number of workers in making each piece of the product. He emphasized that the process is the same i.e. adding value after cutting the fabric and using trims etc. in the manufacture of finished products. Considering these facts, Dalmia appealed to the government to consider treating all the ‘cut and sew’ products (including Home Textiles and Made-ups) for granting benefits under the special package for employment generation and promotion of export, at par with Apparel products.
Industry as a whole has cheered the decision to extend incentives under the amended Technology Upgradation Fund scheme from 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, FICCI Textiles Committee, said the Indian textiles and garment industry is facing tough competition in the global market, the refund of state levies comes as a breather and would help them to gain more competitiveness in global markets, where we have to compete with duty-free regimes.
Significant among these reforms was the government's decision to fund the full 12 per cent of the employers' contribution to the Employees' Provident Fund Scheme for new employees in the garment industry if the candidate earned less than Rs 15,000 a month. The scheme, which will run for three years, would cost the textiles ministry Rs 1,170 crore.
The Ministry has also taken on textile factory owners by instituting fixed-term employment for garment sector employees. Employees had long demanded they be considered as permanent and their working hours and wages be fixed, as the industry was seasonal. The ministry has also fixed overtime hours for workers, to not exceed eight hours a week, in line with International Labour Organisation norms.
M Senthilkumar, Chairman, The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) has welcomed the package and stated that slew of measures would greatly help exports which attract 16 to 20 per cent duty in all the major international markets. He welcomed the relaxation of labour laws which is a long pending demand of the industry. The bearing 12 per cent of the employer’s contribution of Employee Provident Fund Scheme by the government for the new employees of the garment sector for the first three years would benefit the sector and the employees under the current scenario. Senthilkumar has hailed the announcement of optional EPF for employees earning less than Rs 15,000 would heave a sigh of relief for the garmenting sector where large number of employees work for short term and prefer to take full wages without deduction.
The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has welcomed the initiative for job creation. In a statement CITI has said it hopes this is the first step towards creating employment and more initiatives are expected to follow to strengthen and support the textile value chain and the make in India initiative. "China and India have robust textile value chain, which has been the core strength and source of confidence for international buying houses. It is also a fact that Bangladesh is heavily investing to strengthen the textile value chain to provide comfort to the buying houses and maintain their growth for garment exports. On the back of TPP discussions, Vietnam is investing in substantial capacities for yarn and fabric manufacturing to bolster their value chain to support and enhance their garment exports," CITI said in its statement. However, CITI has said that the package should integrate the apparel export benefit to further strengthen the textile value chain. "
The Union government's announcement of the Rs 6,000 crores special package for the textile and garment sector is set to add glitter to the country's largest man-made fabric (MMF) sector in Surat. The industry is eagerly awaiting the fine print of the textile package.
However, industry leaders feel primary details shared by the Finance Ministry on the special textile package like the five per cent additional duty drawback, refund of the state levies and the increase of subsidy in the amended technology upgradation fund scheme (TUFS) from 15 to 25 per cent will provide a level-playing field for the textile exporters facing tough completion from their counterparts in China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Narain Agarwal, Vice Chairman, The Synthetic & Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council's (SRTEPC) points out the special textile package is a booster dose for the ailing textile sector. It's going to be a win-win situation for the textile exporters and manufacturers. The amended TUFS subsidy hike will allow more and more textile entrepreneuers to invest in newer technology to boost production. The benefits of additional duty drawback and the refund of state levies will help boost the exports of fiber, yarn, fabrics, etc.
Dinesh Zaveri, Secretary, Man-Made Textile Research Association believes the special package will boost textile exports from Surat and other parts of manufacturing centres in the country. At present the duty drawback on spun fabric, nylon and filament fabrics ranges from 3 per cent to 8.6 per cent. If the additional five per cent is added, the filament fabric export alone will get duty drawback benefit of around 14 per cent.
"The annual Industrial Fabrics Association International’s (IFAI’s) Outlook Conference took place in the US recently. They spent two days networking and putting their finger on the pulse of the economic, legislative and business environment while gathering insights into key issues that affect their future paths."
The annual Industrial Fabrics Association International’s (IFAI’s) Outlook Conference took place in the US recently. They spent two days networking and putting their finger on the pulse of the economic, legislative and business environment while gathering insights into key issues that affect their future paths.
Senior economist with Wells Fargo, Tim Quinlan kicked off the conference with an in-depth look at the economy. He foresees continued moderate growth, led by the domestic consumer and housing, and added that the below-trend growth in the GDP will continue. Though trade has been a drag over the last two years, domestic growth has held up well, Quinlan said. The problem is we don’t have a significant boost from trade, he said. On international front, Quinlan pointed out that growth in China has stabilised but his group does not expect it to return to the double-digit growth rates seen in the past.
Impact on synthetic fibers
Alasdair Carmichael of PCI Wood Mackenzie noted that daily West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil prices had increased 23 per cent (to $47.4 per barrel) from April 1 to May 16, reaching its highest since November 2015. He presented an overview of the impact of oil and natural gas on synthetic fibers. He noted that crude markets are poised for a rebound and gas markets will continue to range from $3 to $4 per MMBTU in North America for the next few years. For US fibers, this means when there is no supply demand constraints in petrochemicals, then oil is going to be the leading price driver – but not on a one-for-one basis.
John Macaluso, industry manager ¬¬of Building and Construction, Teknor Apex noted that PVC (thermoplastic polymer) is the third most widely used plastic and can be compounded with various additives to provide a desired performance. It also is recyclable reviewed the flexible PVC supply chain, cost drivers and trends, he added. He pointed out that oil remains the overall cost driver. Natural gas is expected to stay comparable to 2015, on average, he added. Other cost drivers include the export market, polymer demand (ethylene) and North America supply and demand. He concluded by saying that polyester continues to dominate the fiber landscape, and industrial textile growth rates are higher than apparel and household textiles.
Trade and legislative update
Joshua Teitelbaum, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Textiles, Consumer Goods and Materials in the US Dept of Commerce, presented a trade and legislative update, notably the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He said the TPP includes strong rules protecting intellectual property rights and promoting e-commerce, and disciplines are placed on state-owned enterprises. The textile chapter of the agreement provides new commercial opportunities for US brands and retailers and takes into account the interests of US producers. Strong customs enforcement, rules of origin and market access are key elements related to the textile segment, he said.
Strong enforcement and cooperation provisions to prevent fraud are included, as well as a special safeguard mechanism, said Teitelbaum. Rules of origin include a yarn-forward provision that promotes TPP region supply chains and keeps the benefits of the TPP in the US and the TPP region. Additionally, the short supply list permits some flexibility but limited “cut-and-sew” exceptions, he said.
Lloyd Wood of the Lloyd Wood Group and the National Council of Textile Organisations (NCTO) spoke on the Berry Amendment Textile Coalition (BATC). The BATC, an informal organization, aims to protect and grow the Berry Amendment and includes four industry trade associations: the USIFI, the NFI, the NCTO and the American Fiber Manufacturers Association (AFMA). The Berry Amendment requires DoD funds be used to buy items that are only wholly of US origin.
The conference was co-developed by the United States Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) and the Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), divisions of the IFAI. This leadership symposium for the specialty textile industry brought together technical textile executives and decision makers to focus on matters that affect the industry in the near and long term.
"Brand Patagonia had commissioned a study to find out how many synthetic microfibers—the tiny bits of plastic that marine scientists say could be jeopardizing our oceans-are shed from its jackets in the wash. And the results aren't encouraging. It all started on a beach in Southwest England in early 2000. Richard Thompson, then a senior lecturer at Plymouth University (where he now serves as a professor of marine biology), was leading a team of graduate students researching microplastics in marine environments."
Brand Patagonia had commissioned a study to find out how many synthetic microfibers—the tiny bits of plastic that marine scientists say could be jeopardizing our oceans-are shed from its jackets in the wash. And the results aren't encouraging. It all started on a beach in Southwest England in early 2000. Richard Thompson, then a senior lecturer at Plymouth University (where he now serves as a professor of marine biology), was leading a team of graduate students researching microplastics in marine environments. Examining samples of sandy sediment, they expected to find degraded bits of marine plastic from decades-old flotsam or plastic beads that were becoming widely used in cleaners. To their surprise, most of the plastic fragments were fibrous, which meant that they likely came from clothing, rope, or some types of packaging.
The Mark Browne study
Then, in 2011, Mark Browne, one of Thompson’s former graduate students, published a study in which he examined sediment sampled from 15 beaches around the world. He found high concentrations of polyester and acrylic fibers in samples taken near wastewater treatment plants. He then ran a polyester fleece jacket through the wash and filtered 1,900 fibers (fibers that otherwise would have gone to the local wastewater treatment plant) from the wastewater. Browne started reaching out to apparel makers to see if they’d help fund research to study this issue more deeply. Eventually, he hoped, finding tweaks to fabric design or apparel construction that would stop the microfibers from entering wastewater. He received one offer of help from a women’s clothing brand Eileen Fisher, but Patagonia, Columbia, and other big brands declined to comment saying they didn’t know if the fibers were anything they needed to worry about
Fibers catch the eye of the people
Fast-forward four years later the fibers finally caught everyone’s attention. Studies further showed, wastewater treatment plants couldn’t filter out all synthetic fibers and toxins such as DDT and PCBs can bind to them as they make their way into watersheds, it also showed that small aquatic species ingest the fibers and fish and fish dealers sold for human consumption also contain microfibers. Experiments have shown that microplastics can lead to poor health outcomes in some species and research is underway to find out how the plastics affect humans.
Jill Dumain, Director of environmental strategy at Patagonia was one of the many watching all the news interestingly. In early 2015, she and the company’s leadership decided to commission a study to find out if and how her company’s iconic and well-loved fleece and some other synthetic products were contributing to the problem. The results recently came in, and they’re not very good.
To try to get ahead of the problem, Patagonia and other apparel companies have decided to research new yarn and fabric constructions to determine whether microfiber shedding can be addressed through better design, something that’s already happening in Europe.
Silk weavers in Chattisgarh will get skill up-gradation training in silk weavers at four block handloom silk clusters - Baloda, Navagarh, Dabra and Babnidih in Janjgir-Champa district to promote handloom silk industry. The training will be imparted by the Department of Rural Industries, government of Chhattisgarh. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Textiles has sanctioned six handloom clusters for the state.
Tussar silk is produced at Bastar, Surguja, Korba and other parts of the state. Cocoon is grown on sal, saja and arjuna trees. Tribals collect cocoon from these trees and later they sell in local markets. Tussar fabric weavers procure cocoon from local markets. Cocoon is boiled and silk fiber is produced. Raigarh and Janjgir-Champa are two major districts of tussar fabric production. Champa, Baloda, Shakti, Chandrapur, Seoni, Kurda, Amoda, Choriya and Birra in Janjgir-Champa district are dense silk weaver pockets while Raigarh city, Murra, Sarangarh, Loying, Kabirnagar and Tarpali are dense silk weaver pockets in Raigarh district.
Home furnishing, dress materials, dupatta, shawl and other items are major production at Champa while Raigarh town, Chandrapur and Sarangarh are major tussar silk sari production centres. Every year, around 350 metric tonne silk yarn is prepared in Chhattisgarh. Around 60 crores direct or indirect export is done through tussar silk and around 53 lakh meter kosa silk is prepared every year in the state. Thousands of rural people depend on handloom industry.
The Indian textile industry may import more cotton than estimated as domestic production might be less than expected 352 lakh bales and also international cotton prices are lower than Indian prices. In the last few weeks, there has been a steep hike in cotton prices, by about Rs 6,000 a candy which is a matter of concern to the textile industry for which cotton is the main raw material.
Cotton price (Shankar – 6 variety) is now Rs 39,600 a candy compared to Rs 34,300 in April and Rs. 34,000 in January this year, according to data obtained from sources in the trade. Prior to that it has been fairly stable in the Rs 32,000 to Rs 34,000 range between January and In January last year, the price was Rs. 32,000 a candy.
This has hit the acquisition prices for textile mills that do not have stock of the raw material. The mill gate price is more than Rs. 40,000 a candy. This is an abnormal increase, according to C Varatharajan, President of the South India Spinners’ Association.
However, sources in the Ministry of Textiles are not worried as there is sufficient availability of cotton. Both imports and exports are at the expected levels. Prices also depend on market sentiments, said a senior official in the Ministry of Textiles. At its meeting in February, the Cotton Advisory Board estimated imports to be 11 lakh bales and exports to be 70 lakh bales this year.
