The gas price hike in Bangladesh should be withdrawn. So says the Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA).

BGAPMEA is a platform of around 2,000 small and medium accessories makers. It maintains the hike in gas price would squeeze the competitiveness of the industry, which is already faced with multiple challenges, while adding such an unusual hike would make the current situation even more complex for accessory makers.

BGAPMEA further says that the decision should be reviewed and the previous rate should be reinstated. Bangladesh’s export-oriented apparel sector has been hit by a power crisis.Production in many readymade garment factories has dropped by at least 40 per cent after the gas and electricity supply situation deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. Exporters are facing trouble producing the existing orders due to the shortage of electricity. They fear that if Bangladesh cannot produce and deliver the current orders on time, the confidence of international buyers will also decline amid a falling demand for textile products in the global market.

Bangladesh’s garment exports fell seven per cent in September 2022 for the first time in 13 months. In the midst of the slide in foreign currency reserves, both export earnings and remittance inflows decreased significantly in September 2022.

Bangladesh wants the United States to grant duty-free facilities for US cotton coming into Bangladesh.

The US is a major cotton producer. Now the country wants the US to grant duty-free trade facilities for the import of cotton for use in Bangladesh’s readymade garment factories.

Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of readymade garments in the world. Bangladesh needs nine million bales of cotton to export garments to the world market. Out of this, only 1,50,000 belts of cotton are produced in the country and the production is about 1.6 per cent of the total demand.

So Bangladesh has to import the remaining huge amounts of cotton though the country is making efforts to increase cotton production. For now if Bangladesh wants to export readymade garments worth $100 billion in the next two years, a huge amount of cotton will be required.

In marketing year 2021-22 Bangladesh's domestic raw cotton consumption was estimated at 8.8 million bales. The textile industry is composed of yarn, fabric, and dyeing-printing-finishing mills and they have about 15 million bales of cotton consumption capacity. Raw cotton is the second most imported product in Bangladesh. The country imports raw cotton primarily from India, the United States, Benin, Brazil and Spain.

ColorJet retains platinum partner status with ITMA and will demonstrate a range of textile printing solutions.

ColorJet, founded in 1995, is a manufacturer of digital textile printers from India. It is one of the top global exporters of wide format printers and provides world class and complete fabric printing solutions.ColorJet’s digital textile machines are revolutionizing the world of textile printing with their robust performance, lower downtime, high value addition and quick ROI. ColorJet markets its products in around 30 countries worldwide and has installed over 5,000 of its printing solutions and products across 450 cities around the world.

ColorJet is known for clean, efficient, profitable manufacturing has a technologically advanced and innovative product line and offers solutions to those looking for more environment-friendly textile printing processes. The company has a 70 percent share of textile printing products sold in India, has machines catering to the apparel industry and the home textile industry.

Itma will be held in Italy, June 8 to 14, 2023. It is the world’s largest textile and garment technology exhibition and showcases technologies and products for the entire textile making value chain. Itma 2023 is set to make a strong presentation with over 1,570 exhibitors from 42 countries.

Cellulose Fiber Conference will be held in Germany, March 8 to 9, 2023.

The recycling of cellulose has some hurdles. How can technology overcome these obstacles? How can markets achieve a circularity of the material? How can the cellulose fiber industry contribute to the sustainability and circularity of the textile sector?

Globally, around 300 billion period products are discarded every year, resulting in millions of tons of non-biodegradable waste. Since most conventional sanitary pads contain up to 90 per cent plastics, they do not biodegrade for around 600 years.

These and other questions represent the lead topics of the conference. With a compound annual growth rate between five per cent and ten per cent, cellulose fibers have been a success story within the textile market over the past decade. Similar growth rates are expected in the following years. This makes cellulosic fibers the fastest growing fiber group in the textile industry and therefore the largest investment sector in the global circular bio-economy.

Cellulose fibers show a steadily expanding range of applications. At the same time, markets are driven by technological developments and political framework conditions, especially bans and restrictions on plastics and increasing sustainability requirements for textiles.

The European Commission has made the thorough transition towards sustainability and circularity for different industries and especially the textile sector a main focus.

Zegna has launched a line of sustainable cashmere knitted fabrics.

The line is free of frills and decors and is characterised by essential silhouettes, wide trousers, cropped and boxy or slim tops made with exclusive fabrics.

Volumes are new and translated into cropped bomber jackets, elongated coats, anoraks, blousons, polo shirts, cardigans and blazers without lapels, collars and visible buttons.The collection also features granite-effect materials crafted from #UseTheExisting sources by reusing alpaca, cotton-blend corduroy and tactile wool twill.The hues of the collection have also a natural origin. All the colors are of natural origins. They are the colors of earth, like the yellows, or the red of berries. Zegna molds the fiber. Yarns are not bought for what evidently the market offers.

Zegna proceeds by looking for fiber blends even within the same fineness, though of different lengths, that are then molded and mixed to create unique yarns that then become knitted fabrics. Then they are treated the way Zegna once treated woven fabrics. The final result is achieved by using a series of different highly artisanal treatments that transform these knitted fabrics into polar fleeces, needle-punch finished fabrics with leather, padded fabrics, double-faced jacquard Meltons, coated and uncoated bouclè, frisé and 3D jacquards and felts.

Chris Lucas is chairman of the United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA).

He currently serves as a senior directorat American Eagle Outfitters, supporting AEO’s business and strategy from the regulatory, compliance, and governance perspective. He has a doctorate from the George Washington University Law School and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. He will utilize his experience in the retail apparel industry, and his success navigating global supply chain, transportation, trade, and manufacturing challenges, to meaningfully advance USFIA's advocacy and leadership.

Chris Lucas takes over as chairman from Anna Walker. She was in that position since July 2020 and under her leadership over the past two and a half years, USFIA confronted the uncertainty of Covid and global disruption. Her leadership and experience in public policy focused USFIA’s advocacy and activities to offer members -- and the fashion industry -- the information needed to successfully navigate the new normal of the past few years.

USFIA provides members with the intelligence, resources, and solutions needed to address the business and challenges of the fashion industry. It is committed to providing global brands and retailers with reliable, business-forward guidance on how to achieve strategic solutions to trade and compliance challenges.

USFIA represents textile and apparel brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States.

Pakistan’s textile exports declined 16 per cent in December 2022. Coupled with the decline in value terms, volumetric sales abroad were also reduced.

Textile is Pakistan’s top foreign exchange earner and occupies over a three-fifth share in the country’s total exports.This has been the third month in a row that the country’s textile exports have declined. In October 2022, textile exports declined 15 percent and in November 2022 18 percent. Exports of all categories of textiles including cotton cloth, cotton yarn, knitwear, bedwear, and towels have shrunk sizably. In December 2022, cotton cloth exports dipped by 14 percent compared to December 2021, while over the previous month’s exports they increased by five percent.

Likewise, over the corresponding month of last year, exports of knitwear in December 2022 declined by 19 percent, bedwear fell by 17 percent, towels by 14 percent, readymade garments by seven percent and cotton yarn by 50 percent. In the first half of this fiscal year total textile exports were down by seven percent over the same period of last year’s exports. In December 2022, the economy imported 57 percent less machinery as against December 2021.

Syria aims at exporting high-quality textile products to foreign markets.

One way of doing this is through textile fairs where businessmen of different Arab nationalities are invited. The fair pavilions are spread over several thousand square meters where clothes for men, children, and women are exhibited.

The main objective is to recover the nation’s exports affected by the war since 2011.The Syrian Textile and Garment Exporters Association was established in 2005 by prime industrialists and exporters. This represents more than 180 major Syrian companies involved in textile and garment production.

The aim is to upgrade Syrian exports and explore new markets, assist manufacturers to improve their marketing competency, facilitate links between international importers and association members, build cooperation with similar regional and international associations, tailor production to suit the requirements of international and regional markets and develop the capability to compete locally, regionally and internationally.

Syria has experienced and skilled workmanship and has a strategic geographical location in the heart of the Middle East. Syria has entered into a new phase of trade and investment cooperation with countries. Syria has export potential in a significant number of agricultural and industrial sectors.

The Syrian textile industry has witnessed a recovery during the last few years.

Terrot is developing a new needle selection technology. This company makes electronic and mechanic-controlled circular knitting machines.

Terrot’s computer controlled circular knitting machine was developed for knitting electronic-jacquard transfer relief for fashion textiles with three-way technology. This allows various pattern styles on both sides of the fabric, making the machine extremely flexible with regard to different fashion applications and bonds. Usual knitting structures, either one or more colors, are possible. The high-grade knitting structures as double face, jacquard and relief represent the real strength of the machine. Through special transfer technology demanding hole and structure patterns can be realized quickly and without any major effort.

Innovations have a long tradition at Terrot. The company’s goal is to seize current market trends and to realize them as innovative products. Quality, a maximum degree of efficiency and a high cost-performanceratio are always in the foreground at the development and the engineering of its machines. Terrot’s advantage through experience, technical knowhow, expertise and commitment is shown in its everyday performance. Terrot presents high quality, extremely long lasting and user-friendly solutions to the market. So customers are assured of an increase in productivity, development of new markets and thus a guarantee of their own business success.

Pakistan will boost garment exports through setting up 1000 stitching units.

These will utilize surplus yarn and fabric in production of garments and other value added textile products. Each of the units is expected to give employment to 700 workers. All in all these 1000 units will have the potential to provide total employment to around a million people and make for additional exports of $ 210 billion.

Pakistan expects total textile exports to reach $50 billion in the next five years. Pakistan is also enhancing cooperation with Bangladesh in garment manufacturing. Both sides have proposed an exchange of delegations, especially young entrepreneurs, who can learn from each other about modern techniques. Both the sides have agreed to continue with more interactive sessions ahead in the larger interest of the value added garment sectors of the two countries.

Pakistan feels there is a lot to be learnt from Bangladesh in terms of supporting garment manufacturers and exporters by providing facilities like bonded warehouses, duty free imports of raw materials, setting up of dedicated industrial police units to ensure continuity of operations in total peace and tranquility and running multiple training programs for the benefit of workers and employers alike.