FW
Several years back, the environmental group Greenpeace International had launched a major investigation into pollution in the textile industry, which helped publicise the widespread use of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) in dyeing and treating apparel prior to sale. Greenpeace went beyond just publishing its findings; the group called on the European Commission to act.
The 2015 EU ban on NPEs falls into a broader EU scheme regulating chemicals, known as Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Previous REACH rules already barred NPE use in manufacturing within EU boundaries, but failed to restrict the chemicals’ presence in imported goods. After the Greenpeace report emphasized this gap, Sweden used the REACH framework in 2013 to propose expanding the NPE ban to cover imported textiles. The approval process took another two years. After evaluation and endorsement by two committees, a public consolation period, market surveys, and the unanimous vote by EU member states that Greenpeace celebrated in the summer, the broader NPE ban was formalized earlier this year.
Under the revised REACH regulations that recently took effect, companies that sell textiles in the European Union have five years to eradicate NPEs from their products and supply chains. After the grace period expires in 2021, the regulations will prohibit the sale of clothing, accessories, or home textiles containing more than trace amounts of NPEs (.01 per cent by weight). The rule exempts second-hand textiles and those manufactured using recycled materials.
Economic indicators in the German clothing sector are negative, but the textile segment has developed sustainably. Exports to Russia declined in the first quarter of 2016. While the textile sector showed an increase of 4.2 per cent in the first three months of 2016, clothing dropped 6.3 per cent and in March the sector declined 9.3 per cent.
While the number of employees in the textile industry increased in March by 1.9 per cent, the number in the clothing industry decreased by 2.5 per cent.
Working hours increased in the textile sector in the first three months by 2.4 per cent but declined in clothing by 1.7 per cent. Order logs in the clothing sector inched up eight per cent in March against the same month in 2015 and in the textile sector by 8.1 per cent.
Imports of the two segments fell by 0.6 per cent and the trade surplus of both segments decreased by 0.7 per cent in March on a year-to-year basis. Raw material imports declined by 4.9 per cent against 2015.
only the sentiment index and orders on log are nurturing hopes for a change in the clothing sector.
Textile exports fell in the first quarter of 2016 by 0.9 per cent and clothing exports by 1.2 per cent.
Federal Trade Fair for Apparel & Textile, Moscow is scheduled from September 20th – 23, 2016.
The fair has established itself as an important Textile Fair in Russia, which attracts a large number of buyers of textile products from Russia including entire CIS region and other major textile importing countries across the world. The Fair is regularly visited by textile/clothing manufacturers, large scale retailers, wholesalers, chain stores, departmental stores, buying houses, leading agents including Fashion Designers.
The exhibition will be visited by leading Russian and other CIS countries textile buyers/importers/agents. Participation in this Exhibition will provide member-companies an excellent opportunity to establish trade-contacts with prospective Russian customers, and enhance their Exports to this market and entire CIS region.
Organised at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (V.V.C) Moscow, the fair will cover all types of yarn, fabrics, made-ups, home textiles, and garments.
In recent years, trends have been slowly shifting from disposable fashion to sustainable clothing. Organizations have been working to increase awareness about the environmental impacts of apparel development, including energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, waste production as well as labor issues.
Using recycled products contributes greatly to creating sustainable clothing. For example, recycled polyester can be created from used drinking bottles and fabrics can be made from recycled yarn. Companies are using these recycling techniques. Other companies use fabric waste generated from the production process to create their collections, calling this process up cycling rather than recycling.
In the late 1990s, the fast fashion trend boomed. Globalization allowed for production to be sent to developing nations where labor and production were cheap and abundant, but the sustainability of the clothing decreased. Brands began putting out up to 18 lines a year as opposed to the traditional two and the rate at which people were purchasing clothing dramatically increased as well as the amount of clothes that end up in landfills.
Fast fashion is a lot like fast food: the garments are cheap, quickly produced, and may be fulfilling for a short amount of time, but eventually take their toll on the environment around us, the way fast food takes a toll on the body.
Toray Chemical has succeeded in developing micro-scale hollow fibers that can replace fillers such as goose feather for winter jackets. Toray is a South Korea-based textiles maker. The micro-scale hollow fiber is made by combining two types of polyester polymers and has a spiral shaped fiber structure, or three-dimensional crimp, making it possible to enclose more air to retain heat better.
The company has developed a new product by maximising the advantages of natural fabrics and fixing the weakness through high-level textile processing technology.
The special fiber is soft and light in weight. It can be widely used to make fillers for various products from winter outdoor sports jackets to beddings such as comforters and pillows. Also, the micro-scale hollow fiber has a tendency to restore its original shape that increases its ability to maintain heat.
The fiber is expected to replace the goose and duck feathers commonly used as fillers for beddings and winter jackets. This is in deference to growing voices on protecting animals. Also it is considered eco-friendly as it is possible to recycle the products made of the special fiber back as raw materials. Fabrics with micro-scale hollow fiber withstand wear and tear better and entangle less when machine-washed.
For the first time in more than a decade, the China Brand Show will be exhibiting at the semiannual gift and home show LAMKT, United States, July 22 to 25, 2016.
The China Brand Show features more than 100 of China's top brands in a number of sectors ranging from textiles and clothing to electronics and other consumer products. Spanning more than 3,500 square feet, China Brand joins LAMKT's comprehensive selection of American-made and global styles, artisan designs and top lines showcased in the show’s Gifts, Boardwalk, World Style, Makers’ Market, Personal Style, Vintage, Jewelry, Cash & Carry and new LA Value sections.
The China Brand selection takes LAMKT’s offerings to yet another level and gives buyers the opportunity to meet face-to-face with senior representatives from many of China's top brands and discover even more new and different product resources.
This year represents the 14th consecutive year the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China has held the China Brand show in the United States. The exhibition is designed to promote Chinese brands and products and enhance Sino-US trade and economic relations.
LAMKT’s selection has always been known for its global flavor, right from its popular World Style category to the Kentia Collective.
The Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) group is launching an online portal that will assess whether a chemical formulation complies with its manufacturing restricted substances list (MRSL). The ZDHC chemical registry will include a list of chemical products and an MRSL conformity assessment for each chemical formulation.
It will also provide textile manufacturers with documentation showing the extent to which a chemical product conforms with the ZDHC MRSL and other chemical accreditations.
It is due to be launched in August.
The open, flexible data portal will help brands, suppliers and chemical companies assess a chemical’s compliance. Without this type of portal, each textile manufacturer would need to assess every product from each of their chemical suppliers against the ZDHC MRSL to ensure conformity.
The first step sees a chemical company register as a producer, manufacturer, or supplier of chemical formulations. The user can then register its formulations. To be listed and visible on the registry, a formulation must have a safety data sheet (SDS).
Once listed, the chemical company can apply for the formulation to be assessed for conformity with ZDHC’s MRSL.
The assessment, which includes the use of criteria from accreditation companies such as bluesign technologies, will attribute the formulation with a confidence level.
ZDHC will be working with chemical companies worldwide to include their product lists in the chemical registry.
Cambodia will host the World Economic Forum on Asean, June 1 to 2, 2017. Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies in Asia. The country’s gross domestic product has been growing steadily by more than seven per cent since 2013 and is expected to keep up that growth pace right through next year.
The country has embraced the factory Asia model of economic growth, deploying low-cost labor to manufacture products for export. As the price of labor has increased in China, and other Asian countries, Cambodia has been able to attract many of these investors. Cambodia’s large supply of inexpensive, low-skilled labor has attracted substantial foreign direct investment into the production of garments and footwear for export.
Industry will grow next year by 9.5 per cent, supported by diversification in garments and footwear toward products with higher value add. Services, the second biggest contributor to growth, grew by an estimated 7.1 per cent while the finance, transport and communications sectors all grew by about eight per cent and tourist arrivals rose by 6.1 per cent, in 2015.
Cambodia’s bid to host the World Economic Forum on Asean next year comes in the midst of recessions in many markets and the attendant slump in global trade.
Bangladesh plans to cut taxes for the garment industry. The targeted growth rate is more than seven per cent for the second year running. Gross Domestic Product growth is expected to edge up to 7.05 per cent this fiscal year on the back of increased spending in infrastructure and the energy sector and a hike in private investment.
Although a quarter of its 160 million people still live below the poverty level, Bangladesh has registered an annual growth of around six per cent nearly every year since the turn of the millennium. But it needs at least eight per cent growth to provide work for the two million people who enter the job market every year.
And the garment industry -- which has continued to thrive despite recent deadly disasters and political strife -- is crucial to the prospects of keeping growth ticking along and generating employment. Bangladesh’s exports of garments and clothing in 2015 rose by around 10 per cent.
Acknowledging this, Bangladesh is providing substantial tax benefits to this sector. The tax rate of the readymade garment sector will be reduced from 35 per cent to 20 per cent.
Budgetary spending for the financial year beginning in July would be 30 per cent higher on the previous 12 months.
After three years of creation of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, its current status and future challenges were discussed at a side event at the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva recently. Despite some unacceptable delays in remediation progress, the Accord is making significant headway according to representatives from both workers and brands.
With the collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24, 2013, killing 1,134 and injuring thousands more, came an end to the tolerance of voluntary, non-transparent, non-enforceable factory inspections in Bangladesh.
Said Industrial general secretary, Jyrki Raina at the sidelines of the ILC that they will not accept anything less than a legally binding agreement to make Bangladesh’s garment industry safe and sustainable.
Scott Nova, executive director of US-based Workers Rights Consortium, said that the challenges in Bangladesh’s garment industry were not new and not unknown for brands and retailers. Both the Rana Plaza and Tazreen factories had been subjected to numerous voluntary inspections prior to the deadly disasters.
The difference lies in the enforceability of the Accord, which to date, has been signed by 217 brands. Swedish retailer H&M was one of the first brands to sign, and H&M senior advisor KG Fagerlin said that collaboration has been a key factor behind the changes the Accord has brought to the workers in Bangladesh
