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The Northumbria University and LUMS has partnered with UP-SIGN, to work with Pakistan and the UK’s top scientists to bring the country’s textile sector into a circular economy business model with zero waste.
At a recent texonomy workshop, funded by the British Council, Mike Nithavrianakis, Deputy High Commissioner, Great Britain and Trade for Pakistan emphasized on the need for a combined approach to address climate change which is affecting textile and associated communities.He appreciated the funding from British Council and partners leading this collaborative opportunity.
Shafiq Ahmed, Head-Trade and Investment, Pakistan High Commission London said, Pakistan needs innovative and sustainable solutions to protect supply chain of cotton through conserving soil and water, and promoting varieties that need less water, and are pest and disease resistant.”
Currently, Pakistan’s textile industry provides employment to almost 40% of the country’s total labour force.
The country is extremely vulnerable to climate change, making it even more crucial for the country’s textile industry, as well as in India, Bangladesh and other parts of Southeast Asia, to tackle global climate challenges.
Dr. NaveedArshad, Associate Professor and Chairman, Computer Science Department, LUMS, and Director, Centre for Big Data and Cloud Computing, said that the textile industry needs to diversify its textile outputs.
Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA, opines. Bangladesh can boost its export earnings by $ 2 billion annually by grabbing the growing global market of man-made fibre (MMF) textiles.
The chief of the country’s apparel sector’s apex body reiterated its request to the government to provide a 10 per cent cash incentive for non-cotton based garment exports for a certain period so that Bangladesh remains competitive in the global market.
Faruque said such efforts will help create employment and boost investment in the sector contributing to the overall economy of the country.
He said the demand for man-made fiber (MMF) textiles all over the world is on the rise with annual growth of 3 to 4 per cent as a substitute for cotton amid changes in global fashion trends.
Currently, MMF dominates global textile fiber consumption with around 75 per cent non-cotton fibre (64 per cent MMF) while the cotton share is only 25 per cent.
The share of MMF has been steadily increasing due to the inherent limitations of growth of cotton and other natural items.
The BGMEA President said they did not ask for a reduction of any tax this time but only wanted continuation of those facilities that are already in place.
He said MMF-based textile trade volume stood $ 150 billion in 2017 while Bangladesh’s share was only 5 against Bangladesh’s competitor Vietnam’s share of 10 per cent.
The BGMEA President said though there was investment in the non-cotton or MMF sector in the past, it was mainly capital investment and technology-based investment.
He said it will encourage investment and exports in the non-cotton sector if 10 per cent incentive is given on export of non-cotton products.
On the occasion of releasing its 2021 Spring Report, Euratex has urged the European Institutions to implement a new industrial strategy to effectively support the European textiles industry. Euratex said, the organization needs to take effective measures to support these sectors, and take into consideration the global dimension.
Figures in the Economic data for 2020 in Euratex Spring Report reflect a dramatic contraction in demand and production: EU turnover contracted by -9.3 per cent in textiles (which is in line with the general manufacturing average) and by -17.7 per cent in clothing, compared with 2019. Furthermore, supply chain disruptions and substantial price increases of some raw materials are putting significant pressure on the T&C industries across Europe. The trade deficit for European textiles and clothing jumped from € -47 billion in 2019 to € -62 billion in 2020, an increase of more than 30 per cent, which is almost entirely due to the import of Chinese face masks and related products. Fortunately, more recent figures from the first quarter of 2021 indicate some signs of recovery.
Many European companies have made considerable efforts to adapt their production to the pandemic, but clearly this was not enough. Whether the production cost in Europe is too high or the EU should adapt its procurement rules, the industry needs have a coherent long-term plan to become more competitive and conquer new markets.
Euratex General Assembly highlighted the critical role of the new EU Industrial Strategy. The inclusion of textiles and clothing in the fourteen ecosystems is a step in the right direction to consolidate the industrial base but we should look also at the global challenges. European companies should continue investing in innovation, design and quality, in combination with a structural move towards more sustainable textiles. At the same time, the EU should create an environment - both inside the Single Market and globally - where everybody plays by the same rules.
Ready-made garment (RMG) accessories and packaging manufacturers in Bangladesh believe that the proposed FY2021-22 budget does not meet their expectations.
Md Abdul Kader Khan, President, Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA), says, the budget does not provide the accessories and packaging sector equal opportunities provided for direct and indirect exporters, like the textile and other industrial sectors.
As per a Dhaka Tribune Khanhad demanded that the government should reduce the corporate tax rate, halve the tax at the source of export, and withdraw the existing income tax on the purchase of raw materials for export from the local market.
Md Abdul Kader Khan had also proposed to fix the corporate tax at 10-12 per cent like other RMG-related and exporting sectors. But in the proposed budget, it has been reduced from 32.5 per cent to 30 per cent. To overcome the current financial crisis, BGAPMEAhas applied for a revised circular to fix the corporate tax at 12 per cent for green factories and 15 per cent for other factories.
BGAPMEA had also requested an exemption of VAT on products and services collected from the local market by the export-oriented industries and also requested for exemption from section 19 to encourage exports.
But the proposed budget did not reflect that which would discourage the packaging industry. However, this industry meets about 95 per cent of the packaging demand for the export-oriented RMG industries of the country, says Khan.
In response to the budget, BGAPMEA has called for a minimum 1 per cent export incentive in proportion to the hidden exports in the interest of keeping the garment accessories and packaging industry competitive.
The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has announced two winners of the ICAC Cotton Researcher of the Year Award in 2021: Professors Bruce Tabashnik and Jonathan F. Wendel.
The ICAC honours a leading cotton researcher each year by awarding a certificate of recognition, a shield and an honorarium of $1,000. The winners will be presented with the award during the 79th Plenary Meeting, December 06-09. 2021. The winners were selected by an independent panel of six eminent experts from six different countries.
The first winner Prof Bruce Tabashnik is the Head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona, USA. He has been leading the Department of Entomology at University of Arizona for the last 24 years. Tabashnik's research has provided fundamental knowledge about insects for enhancing agricultural sustainability and reducing the use of harmful insecticides. His current work focuses on evolution of resistance to insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Web of Science/Clarivate Analytics recognized his work as highly cited in 2018 and 2019.
Jonathan F Wendel is a distinguished professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology at Iowa State University, US. Hisresearch focuses on mechanisms underlying plant genomic and phenotypic diversify, with a special focus on the phenomenon of whole genome doubling, or polyploidy. Most of his ~300 publications focus on the cotton genus (Gossypium), in which two diploid and two polyploid species were each independently domesticated thousands of years ago. Hiscontributions have been recognized in all three major domains of professorial life: Master Teacher, 2005, for his role as graduate mentor and educator, Distinguished Professor, 2012, for national research prominence, and Outstanding Achievement in Departmental Leadership, 2009, for leadership excellence during his 15 years as department chair.
The Indonesian Ministry of Industry continues to support Small and Medium Industry (IKM) players including the textile and apparel sector in order to be able to rise from the pressure of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per Indo Textiles, the ministry has carried out various initiatives to increase production and sales through online marketing support. Supported by a workforce of 139 people and using 104 units of weaving machines, PT SantosaKurnia Jaya managed to market its products to the local market in the form of headscarves with the Rabbani, Elzata, and Nibras brands. As for exports, the textile SMEs supplied products to two Japanese manufacturers, namely Hattori Takeshi and Toyoshima.
The Minister of Industry said that exports of textiles and textile products needed to be re-optimized after being hit by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is in line with optimism from production growth and manufacturing demand which shows positive numbers.
The Ministry of Industry continues to actively support the recovery of the productivity of textile and apparel SMEs. It is currently drafting implementing regulations from Government Regulation Number 28 of 2021 regarding the central provider of raw materials and/or auxiliary materials for IKM. Especially for SMEs who cannot carry out their own imports, so that they can increase the productivity and competitiveness of SMEs.
Referring to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the contribution of the textile and apparel industry reached 6.11 percent of the total GDP of the non-oil and gas processing industry in the first quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, apparel exports from January to March 2021 reached 1.94 billion US dollars.
Exports were dominated by convection garments with a value of $1.64 billion The remainder is exports of knitted garments, textile apparel, knitted socks, and leather garments and accessories.
In the same period, textile industry exports were recorded at $1.06 billion. Exports were dominated by the spun yarn group with a value of $0.42 billion and was followed by exports of man-made staple fiber valued at $0.21 billion, and other textile goods at $0.14 billion, as well as several other commodity groups.
Supported by the Walmart Foundation, Accelerating Circularity, Inc has launched the circular textile-to-textile supply system trials.
Built on the models presented in its March 2021 Modeling and Linking Report, the trials will move spent textiles through the entire circular system, from collection, sorting, feedstock pre-processing, fiber production, yarn spinning, and fabric production through product design, manufacture, marketing, and retail. The trials will leverage new systems and technology for digital identification of products and materials - enabling the identification, transparency, and circular product passports in the circular economy.
Based on research and intensive consultation with industry stakeholders, the trials will target the following key systems:
● Spent textile feedstocks: post-industrial, pre-consumer, and post-consumer
● Feedstock fibers: Cotton, polyester, and cotton-poly blends
● Recycling technologies: mechanical cotton, chemical cotton, mechanical polyester, chemical polyester
● Finished goods: t-shirts, denim, towels
Through its collaborative and consultative approach, the organization has already identified key collection strategies, including brand and retail take-back, plus potential system trial partners. Confirmed partners include members of the organization’s Steering Committee, comprised of leading brands and textile recyclers. “Connected product” innovator EON is also confirmed to participate in the trials to advise Accelerating Circularity on building robust, scalable traceability and transparency infrastructure for this emerging circular system.
The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of US textiles from fiber through finished products, has welcomed the passage of the bipartisan US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). As part of the bill’s effort to address overall manufacturing and technology competitiveness issues from the perspective of the U.S.-China relationship, the legislation will help reconstitute a domestic supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE).
NCTO led an industry and labor coalition effort supporting the inclusion of the Make PPE in America Act in the USICA. The USICA contains the key provisions of the Portman-Peters bill that ensures all PPE purchased by the Departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services and Veterans Affairs are Berry Amendment-compliant and guarantees long-term contracts for these critical items to incentivize domestic production.
KlimGlas, President and CEO, NCTO said, the act will help onshore critical production of medical personal protective equipment (PPE) by guaranteeing long-term contracts for American-made PPE and establishing a much-need domestic procurement requirement for federal purchases of these essential products. It will ensure that US taxpayer’smoney is utilized to construct and secure a domestic production chain for the manufacture of lifesaving PPE and other essential medical supplies.
Munich Fabric Start has cancelled the upcoming edition of the trade show View Premium Selection. As per Textile Network, the event was scheduled to be held from July 13 – 14, 2021 have been very good.
The organizers had decided early on to move the View Premium Selection to the spacious MOC Munich as part of the Covid-19 compliant implementation of a trade event. With a detailed satellite concept for the different areas and outdoor catering areas, the organizers were well prepared for the current requirements.
Now, in accordance with this decree from the Bavarian Ministry of State, the organizers plan to focus on upcoming Munich Fabric Start fromAugust 31- September 02, 2021 as well as Bluezone from August 31 to September, 01, 2021.
The organizers' aim is to once again present the established international premium portfolio at the MOC for the following segments at Munich Fabric Start: Fabrics, Additionals, Bluezone, Keyhouse, Design Studios, Sourcing, ReSource and Sustainable Innovations. At Bluezone, trade visitors can also expect the proven spectrum of international denim weavers and manufacturers at the Zenith Area together with a newly staged innovation hub with Keyhouse.
Archroma a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions,has launched its new Color Atlas by Archorma Polyester Library with 1’440 colors for sportswear, athleisure, swimwear, children's clothing, shoes, fashion and home textiles.
The new Color Atlas by Archroma® Polyester Library brings together colors in line with current trends, from the most neutral tones to the most vivid hues to fluorescent colors.
Composed of two volumes, the Color Atlas by Archroma® Polyester Library allows professionals to quickly compose the palettes they need. The colorful book covers indicate the shades that lie within each book, making it easy to select your palettes
Each volume‘s accordion-fold book design yields quick, intuitive browsing of all colors allowing for fast creation of mood boards and palettes.
Also available online, the Color Atlas by Archroma® Polyester Library makes it possible to search for the exact color of an object or garment using a photo, thanks to its ‘color on the go' search tool.
A simple click on each color also lets the user know additional information including eco-labels for the dyes used. In 2016, Archroma launched the Color Atlas by Archroma®, a unique tool dedicated to providing fashion designers and stylists with off-the-shelf color inspiration for cotton that can be implemented in production with just a few clicks. This original Color Atlas Cotton Library today contains 4’320 colors, almost double compared to similar tools available to textile and fashion specialists, with options for purer ingredients and lighter resource usage for brands exploring more sustainable collections.
