Coats, the world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer and a major player in the America’s textile crafts market, has entered the FTSE4Good UK Index. The company scored especially highly on the metrics around governance, particularly corporate governance and anti-corruption. Coats’ entry to the FTSE4Good Index comes after its entry to the unrelated MSCI Global Small Cap Index in May 2018. Additonally, in June 2018, Coats marked the one year anniversary of its re-entry to the FTSE 250, having been a founding member of the FT 30 index in 1935.

The FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices which are clearly defined and transparently managed. It is used to create financial products which focus on sustainable investment as well as for benchmarking, research and reference.

After years of stockpiling cotton, China is re-emerging as a major consumer of US cotton. This shift together with poor growing conditions in Texas has sent prices surging to a six-year high. The world’s most populous nation has purchased futures contracts covering more than 3,61,000 bales of US cotton for 2019-20. That is enough to make 400 million T-shirts. China has never booked that much cotton that far in advance at this time of the year, in data going back to 1998.

China is the biggest taker of forward sales. China’s return to global cotton markets is likely to mean a period of higher prices for a fiber used in most apparel, textiles and upholstery. It is also a boon to US producers who have long labored under a market whose prices investors perceived to be capped by China’s cotton stores, which for years have accounted for more than half of all global stocks.

The shift has revived interest in markets that were until recently seen as being overshadowed by Chinese policy. Open interest has reached all-time highs for this time of the year. China intends to raise cotton import volumes, a move that could increase Chinese purchases of American fiber.

The International Conference of the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) will be held from June 12-13, 2018 in Cologne, Germany.

Around 350 participants from 40 countries are expected to participate in the event that will discuss the latest developments from all areas of the hemp industry – from seeds to the end product. Around 20 exhibitors will present their latest technologies and products in the event.

A major highlight of the conference will be an innovation award for the Hemp Product of the Year, presented for the first time ever. This award will honor three products – each from the areas of food, cosmetics and biocomposites. Participants will select the winners per category based on a short introduction of the products. The award winners will then be announced during the dinner ceremony.

The event will be organised by the German nova-Institut in close cooperation with the European Industrial Hemp Association. The day before the conference, EIHA will host expert workshops for members, meet representatives from Canada, USA and China.

International Textile Machinery will be held in Turkey, June 2 to 6, 2020, starting on June 2, as additional day, instead of June 3.

This is a textile machinery show. The event displays textile equipments and products, textile related software and solutions and other products and services. It gathers together some of the most important manufacturers of textile machinery from Turkey and around the world.

ITM is a showcase for weaving, printing, digital printing, flat and circular knitting, weft and warp knitting, spinning, winding, twisting, texturing, hosiery, quilting, dyeing and finishing machinery, textile chemicals, lab equipments, compressors and generators. The show held in April 2018 achieved great global success. There were foreign visitors from 94 countries, a high number of domestic visitors, an increase in the number of machines exhibited and a rise in the dimensions of exhibitor booths. Both national and international companies made sales of millions of euros. Hundreds of various business connections were established. Over 1150 textile technology manufacturers and company representatives from 64 countries participated at the exhibition and exhibited their products and technologies.

Most textile machinery manufacturers in Turkey range from small to medium sized companies. The line of textile machinery products manufactured by Turkish companies varies substantially from highly automated equipment to basic models. They have competence in most machinery categories such as atmospheric jet dyeing or blow dyeing.