ShahidullahAzim, Vice President, BGMEA said, world-class workplace safety along with remarkable achievements of the RMG industry in the area of sustainability has made Bangladesh a preferred choice of global buyers for sourcing garments.

Azim was speaking as a special guest at the launching ceremony of the 8th International Fire and Safety and Security Expo 2022 organized by the Electronic Safety and Security Association of Bangladesh (ESSAB) in Dhaka on August 27.

Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defence, attended the program as chief guest, reads a press release.

Azim said the apparel industry in the country has overcome extraordinary challenges that came its way and bounced back even stronger every time.Alongside workplace safety, Bangladesh has the highest number of green garment factories with 167 factories LEED certified by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), he added. Azimemphasized on the production of safety equipment in Bangladesh maintaining international standards.

He said,ESSAB has consistently organized the international Fire Safety and Security Expo as it brings safety equipment suppliers, professionals and users under one roof for fruitful interactions.It plays a significant role in showcasing the latest fire safety equipment and knowledge to the industries, thus raising awareness among the industries, he further said.

The 8th Fire Safety and Security Expo will be held from November 24 to 26 at Bangabandhu International Convention Center (BICC) where world-famous safety equipment brands will participate.

Defying global slowdown, the textile and apparel manufacturing sector has been growing at a steady rate. The sector has emerged as one of the most well-established industries across nations. The top 10 highly prospective apparel exporters in 2022 according to Textile Today were:

China: Despite rising conflicts with the US and other Western countries, China still remains top apparel sourcing destination for the world. In 2020, global imports from China increased 31.6 per cent. Despite garments and accessories’ exports declining 8.6 per cent to $137.4 billion in 2021, China’s national apparel retail market has slowly recovered and reached a positive year-on-year growth. Published data by China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) shows, the combined operating revenue from China’s apparel exports grew 7.7 per cent year-over-year from January-November 2021 to $209.48 billion.

Bangladesh: The second-largest apparel exporting country in the world, exported 30.30 per cent more RMG products during the July-January 2021-22 period, as per Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The country’s RMG exports totaled $23.99 billion during these six months. Knitwear dominated Bangladesh’s RMG exports and grew 32.89 per cent to $13.27 billion during this period. Export of woven items grew 27.23 per cent to $10.71 billion. In January 2021, Bangladesh’s RMG exports reached its highest ever single month growth of 42.71 per cent to $4.08 billion. Both knitwear and woven sectors grew over 40 per cent year-over-year. The results reflect efforts and diligence of Bangladesh’s apparel entrepreneurs and workers. It also reinforces the confidence of the global brands in the country.

Vietnam: Data from the General Statistics Office shows, hit by the pandemic, Vietnam’s apparel export earnings dropped to $32.75 billion in 2021. The country mainly exported RMG and textile products in 2020 as it lessened dependence on agriculture. The country offers cheap labor compared to competitors China and Mexico. On the other hand, Vietnam’s garment exports depend on imports of cotton, fiber, yarn and textiles as it does not have adequate local supply. This threatens the country’s clothing manufacturing industry. Vietnam’s government is emphasizing on the development of raw material supply chain for the textile, garment, leather, and footwear industries.

Turkey: The value of Turkey’s RMG exports grew to $13.36 billion in 2021 from $10.63 billion in 2020, says Turkish Statistical Institute and the country’s Ministry of Trade. Mustafa Gültepe, Head, Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (IHKIB) affirms, the value of Turkey’s RMG exports is likely to surge to $20 billion in 2021 as European countries step up imports. However, with a surge, Turkey’s textile industry is being increasingly pressurized by price, value addition, and quality issues. The country has a wide range of manufacturing skills including those required for producing basic garments.

Mexico: From January-October 2021, Mexico’s exports of apparel and clothing accessories declined to $2.30 billion from $3.32 billion in 2020. The country’s strict rules of origin help limit the use of non-US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) inputs. The agreement not only encourages US investment in Mexico’s garment industry but also allows Mexico tariff-free exports to the US market.

Morocco: Apparel constitutes a major percentage of Morocco’s industrial exports. In 2019, Morocco exported apparel worth $3.6 billion. The Moroccan government has launched expansion plans to boost the sector by 2025. It has also launched a capacity-building program for the fast fashion, knitwear and denim sectors over the next few years,

Egypt: Having boosted marketing services by introducing e-marketing tools for RMG exporters, Egypt has boosted its RMG exports 41 per cent in 2021 to $2.49 billion. The country has a medium-sized textile and garment industry with the EU and the US-listed as its major export markets.

El Salvador: RMG products worth $1.5 billion were exported in the 2019 calendar year. Its RMG exports constituted 30.6 per cent of total exports with main focus on efficiencies in cut, make and trim. Having shifted focus on high-end apparel products such like athleisure El Salvador mainly manufactures synthetic fibers and fabrics The country imports high-tech machinery for the production of both fabrics and cut-and-sewn.

Peru: Known for its strong locally grown quality cotton, Peru has shown rapid advancement in production of textiles and clothing. Peruvian fibers are known for their highest combined production process. Peru also offers tariffs benefit, lead time and its vertical integration to source materials.

Thailand: An expert in fabric, sportswear, casualwear, kidswear and womenswear manufacturing, Thailand exported seven million clothing pieces for boys and men by January 2021. One of the few countries having all features from production, design and sale to home textiles, Thailand also boasts of eco-friendly finishing, dyeing, and printing services that meet global standards. The country faces raw material shortages and other challenges that prevent it from maintaining its competitiveness in the global market.

Accounting for upto 10 per cent of the world’s total, fashion industry emits more carbon dioxide than combined emissions of international flights and the shipping industry, as per the United Nations Environment Program. The industry also accounts for one fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced globally each year. Since 2000, its annual production of garments has doubled, as per the estimates from consulting firm McKinsey and the World Economic Forum. Cheaper replicas of garments are produced by high-end brands at a fraction of the cost. Most of these clothes are made with new and emerging fast fashion brands, says Minh-Ha T Pham, Associate Professor-Media Studies, Pratt Institute, New York.

The industry currently recycles only a 13 per cent of the garments it manufactures while 87 per cent are either incinerated or sent to a landfill. A Bloomsberg report shows, the United States throws away around 70 pairs of trousers and footwear per person each year

Annual polyester production to increase 47 per cent

Ending years of cotton dominance, Polyester has emerged as the main textile fiber of the 21st century. Currently valued at $106 billion, the global market for polyester yarn is projected to grow to $174.7 billion by 2032. The annual production of polyester is projected to increase by 47 per cent in the next 10 years to over 92 million tons. Data collected on 15,000 pieces of apparel sold by Chinese e-retailer Shein between November 1-15, 2021 shows, almost every piece of clothing on the platform is made from polyester. Similar results were seen from the data collected on 10,000 women’s clothing styles from Asos, Missguided, Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing for Bloomberg by UK-based The Royal Society of Arts. The data shows, around 85 per cent of 1,000 women’s new clothing styles launched on Shein every day are made from polyester while 95 per cent of styles are made with at least some plastics-based material, either from polyester, nylon, acrylic or elastane.

Hazards of synthetic materials

The environmental hazards of these synthetic materials in clothing are wide-ranging. Not only do these materials like polyester consume more energy but also shed tiny pieces of plastic with every wash and wear. Known as microplastic fibers, these tiny plastic particles pose greater dangers to human and animal life as they pollute the oceans, freshwater and land. Around 71 per cent of microplastics found in river water originate from fibers, estimates the S Geological Survey. Similarly, around 35 per cent of the microplastics found in oceans come from textiles, shows a study from England.

Shifting to sustainable options

Around 65 per cent of the 10,000 Gen Z and millennial consumers surveyed by the Swiss global investment group Credit Suisse expressed concerns about the environment and 85 per cent said, they plan to buy as many sustainable products as possible. Most of these consumers plan to opt for secondhand clothing to curb waste. In the first quarter of 2018, they bought about $177 million of clothing and accessories from Poshmark, an online marketplace. Their sales increased by 75 per cent to $309 per cent during the same period in 2020. v Incentivizing textile resuse

Companies like Ambercyle are working to develop scalable technologies to convert textile waste into new fibers. The Los Angeles-based six-year old start-up puts old garments through a series of processes to separate the fibers out at a molecular level, and recover them to make new yarn, informs Shay Sethi, Co-founder and CEO. This helps the company incentivize reuse and prevent millions of tons of clothes from being thrown away in the landfills, he adds.

The Istanbul Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters' Association (IHKIB) in cooperation with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce is launching an international fashion platform with a biannual rhythm for Turkish and international manufacturers at the Istanabul Fashion Connection. The event will take place from August 24-26, 2022.

The aim of the event is to develop Istanbul Fashion Connection into one of the most important international fashion and textile platforms and the indispensable meeting place for the international fashion industry and fashion trade.

More than 25,000 visitors from about 100 countries attended the kick-off event of Istanbul Fashion Connection. Over 600 companies presented their collections on more than 35,000 square meters of exhibition space and provided information about their creative collections and production capacities in the areas of womenswear, menswear, kidswear, denim, shoes, leather and fur, lingerie and bridal and evening wear.

Despite the pandemic, Istanbul Fashion Connection registered more than 25,000 visitors from over 100 countries like Russia, Ukraine, UK, France, Germany, Poland, and further EU countries, Middle East and North Africa, USA etc.

The new fashion collections, combined with the ideal near shore capacities, experienced high demand and contributed to excellent business activities. For trade and industry, Istanbul Fashion Connection was a unique opportunity for a face-to face meeting on an international platform. All trade channels were represented at the fair, from large shopping mall and department store groups to wholesales and international retail chains or online platforms.

In its fourth quarter ended January 2, 2022, Gildan Activewear’s sales increased by 14 per cent over prior year to $784 million and 19 per cent above the fourth quarter of 2019. The company delivered another quarter of strong adjusted gross margin and SG&A performance, which together drove adjusted operating margin of 20.4 per cent, up 510 basis points versus last year and 630 basis points above the fourth quarter of 2019. Strong sales and margin performance translated to record earnings for the quarter with GAAP diluted EPS of $0.89, and adjusted diluted EPS of $0.76 which increased by 69 per cent over last year and 85 per cent from the same quarter in 2019. Free cash flow in the quarter totaled $116 million, bringing the total for the year to a record level of $594 million.

Net sales for the fourth quarter ending January 2, 2022 increased by 14 per cent over previous year to $784 million  Activewear sales increased by 17 per cent to $627 million while sales in the hosiery and underwear category increased by 3 per cent to $157 million

Gildan Activewear’s gross profit increased by 48 per cent to $229 million in the fourth quarter while adjusted gross profit increased by 35 per cent to $240 million over the prior year, driven by our growth in sales and strong margin performance. Gross margin increased by 670 basis points to 29.2 per cent in the quarter over 2020. The strong improvement over 2020 was primarily due to higher net selling prices and manufacturing efficiencies stemming from our Back to Basics initiatives, which more than offset inflationary pressures on raw material and other manufacturing costs, as well as unfavourable product-mix compared to the same quarter last year

Class Ecohub in collaboration with Lineapelle and Orietta Pelizzari hosted a new generation, engaging and accessible exhibition from February 22-24, 2022 during the Milan Fashion Week. The exhibiton presented an evolved, contemporary and futuristic idea of sustainability. It showcased a selection of leather, textile materials and technologies from the perspective of responsible innovation. It also featured open-source research tool and a top-notch contemporary collection which focuses on the new values that contemporary consumers are looking for.

  Giusy Bettoni, CEO and Founder , CLASS,  says, for this season this international eco-hub was included in a dedicated space at Filo - the international exhibition of yarns and fibers - to share its knowledge on the subject together with key partners including Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, Circular Systems™, Ghezzi, ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei and Supreme Green Cotton ® by Varvaressos. On Feburay 23,  Giusy Bettoni also organized a talk titled “Responsible innovation for the contemporary consumer.

Together with White & Marco Poli, CLASS. Presented inside WSM "Unveiling The Fashion Backstage, a docu-event that shed light on how essential, intriguing, fascinating and technologically advanced the world of responsible and innovative companies, materials, accessories and processes can be, related to the creation of a valuable and contemporary fashion wardrobe.

At WSM, CLASS Icon 2021 Duarte was under the spotlight, presenting its brand new AW 22/23 collection.

Precipitated by the pandemic in 2020, focus on sustainable textile production will continue in 2022, say textile machinery manufacturers across the world. The industry will revive with the help of numerous international exhibitions organized during the year, they add.

Focus on digitization and optimization

Digitization and optimization will be the main focus areas in 2022, says Erwin Devloo, Marketing Communications Manager, Picanol. Machinery manufacturers will introduce many new and innovative solutions during the year, he adds. Devloo says, manufacturers faced many challenges during the last two years. Supply chain disruptions, fluctuating demand, high raw material costs and market uncertainty led to new business models. Sustainability gained importance as brands allocated more resources in this area.

Companies to introduce new machines

Focus on sustainable production will continue in 2022 as manufacturers will introduce new equipment and solutions, says Devloo. Currency fluctuations will not affect business, he adds. Fritz Legler, Global Head-Marketing, Sales and Service WPS (Weaving Preparation Systems Division), Staubli Textile agrees, in Turkey Lira depreciation will not restrict the company’s activities in the country. The company registered strong demand for weaving machines in 2021. Its SAFIR drawing-in machines were also in high demand while TIEPRO warp tying machines gained market share in this period.

WPS plans to participate in various exhibitions in 2022 to meet players including customers and partners in the weaving and knitting world.

Weaving machinery registered strong demand in 2021, says Nichole Croonenbroek, Marketing Manager, Monforts. The sector emphasizes on sustainable production and savings of energy, water and raw materials. It is seeing an increased demand for latest innovations like Monex starters for heat recovery and energy optimization. During the last 18 months, it witnessed increased demand for machinery for special textiles and expects the pandemic-led obstacles to recede in 2020 and market for Monforts machines to stabilize.

Machinery supplies to improve

Trützschler has been witnessing increased for latest spinning preparation machinery solutions since the last quarter of 2020. The company’s market recovered in 2021, especially in Turkey, says Gerhard Wienands Regional Sales Manager. Though they faced shortages of certain parts in 2021, Wiehands hopes the situation will improve in 2022. He also expects focus on sustainability to continue in 2022 with the company driving its intelligent technologies in textile recycling, especially its card TC 19i for recycling.

Order intake to improve

Baiancalani not only reached its preliminary targets in 2021 but also acquired new customers and market segments during the year. It launched the new AQUARIA® open-width washing range. The pandemic encouraged the company to explore new possibilities and new ways of thinking, affirms Michele Gabarra, Regional Sales Manager. The company aims to adopt a different business model in 2022 besides participating in important international trade shows such as ITM Istanbul, ITMA Asia and Techtextil North America, he adds. Year 2022 will also be one of the best years in terms of order intake, says Sivakumar Narayanan, Executive Vice President-Product Development, Marketing and Business Development. The steep increase in demand post 2020 disruption is helping the industry recover and create new employment opportunities across the world, he adds.

Narayanan expects continuing demand to drive business growth in the first half of 2022. However, the growth may stagger to an extent due to COVID-19 related challenges, he adds.

Global platform for innovation, Fashion for Good has launched a project to expand technologies used for transforming agricultural waste into sustainable textile fibers. ‘Untapped Agricultural Waste Project’ the project has been launched in consortium with Adidas, Bestseller, Vivobarefoot and Birla Cellulose, and six innovators. It will be funded by the Laurdes Foundation and review the technical features of natural fibers created using agricultural wastes such as rice husks, hemp, wheat straw, banana and pineapple.

As per the report titled ‘Unlocking The Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonization Opportunity’ by Fashion for Good, South and Southeast Asia continue to face significant challenges due to rising agricultural waste. India alone is known to burn upto 92 million tons of agricultural waste annually. The country also suffers from greenhouse gas emissions due to extraction and processing of virgin, conventional fibres such as cotton and polyester in the textile supply chain

Displace virgin fibers from unsustainable materials

The 18 month project aims to repurpose agricultural waste into new fiber blends through new technologies. These fiber blends will displace virgin fibers derived from unsustainable materials such as oil. Mapping agricultural waste in eight countries across South and Southeast Asia, the project will highlight the untapped opportunities in agricultural waste streams including rice husks, wheat straw, banana and pineapple production.

It will focus on the development of a new variety of nature fibers and fiber blends by the six fibre innovators: AltMat, Bananatex, Chlorohemp, Agraloop by Circular Systems, HempTex India and 9Fiber. These innovators will trial the highest percentage of agricultural waste to achieve the necessary performance requirements. They will collaborate with Birla Cellulose to develop and prepare new fibers for wider application in the fashion supply chain. The fibers will also be further expanded by participating project brand partners

Building a responsible feedstock

With the first phase concluding in December 2022, the second phase will encourage the production of agri-waste fibers in larger quantities for use in commercial facilities. This phase will facilitate new agreements and financing for the expansion of these fibers. Expansion will drive both agriculture and textile industry towards a net-zero effect, says Katrin Ley, Managing Director, Fashion for Good.

The project will help build a more sustainable and renewable feedstock system by reducing the environmental impact, land and water use, explains Camilla Skjønning Jørgensen, Sustainable Materials & Innovation Manager, Bestseller

Alleviate pressure on virgin resources

The use of unutilized agricultural waste based fibers in apparel applications can reduce pressure on virgin resources and help bring down GHG emissions in the fashion industry supply chain, says Kalyan Ram, COO, Birla Cellulose. The project will address two critical areas. First, it will accelerate the process of launching new materials made from agricultural residue; second, it will call for great commitment to increase the use of these materials, sums up Shikha Shah, Founder and Director, Altmat.

The Italian fashion brand United Colors of Benetton opened its new Corso Vittorio Emanuele flagship store in the metaverse during the upcoming Milan Fashion Week. As per a Spin Off report, the company aims to create the same emotional ecosystem in its virtual store as in physical store. Customers entering the physical store in Milan were able to immerse themselves in a cross between physical reality and digital connection, says Massimo Renon, CEO, Benetton Group.

Visitors to United Colors of Benetton's store in the metaverse participated in gaming experiences to accumulate QR codes to make purchases in the physical store. This enabled the brand to create an additional touchpoint with the consumer in the brand's omnichannel strategy.

Through this ominchannel strategy, the brand aimed to offer a dimensional bridge between the present and future, real and virtual, through an immersive brand experience says Antonio Patrissi, Chief Digital Officer, Benetton Group.

The virtual store offered a mirror experience to visitors as the physical store The Milan flagship store was also reinterpreted and painted entirely in pink during the Milan Fashion Week to emphasize the shades of Benetton’s garments.

The temporary installation was accompanied by the #playchange project. From February 21-23, 2022 February, five talents revealed their personal stories of change with Benetton, telling of those moments in life when they had to change their skin and approach in order to move forward.

The limited production of spandex by downstream buyers before the Spring Festival holiday and the extension purchase of spandex by downstream plants may surge Spandex prices this month. New spandex plants started trial production during the period while the existing plants increased their operating rate to 80 per cent, says a report by the CCF group. Suppliers sold and grabbed the market share with moderate profit.

Spandex prices had dropped after the Spring Festival holiday. Stocks of Spandex plants mounted as more downstream plants shut down for Spring Festival holiday than spandex producers. This led to a 5.4 per cent decline in spandex prices from February 07. However, a few spandex plants that had suspended production due to the Spring Festival holiday or the XXIV Olympic Winter Games resumed operation after holiday. By February 22, the operating rate of spandex plants rose by 9 percentage points to 91 per cent compared with early-Feb. Most plants in Middle China and West China ran at full capacity and plants in East China ran at above 87 per cent of capacity now.

Price of upstream BDO rebounded after holiday. Demand for PTMEG apparently recovered in February and may improve further. Price of PTMEG is expected to have very small downward space in end-Q1 and early-Q2, not ruling out to rise.