Stäubli will showcase a wide range of machinery equipped with state-of-the-art, high-end technologies and software solutions at ITMA ASIA+CTME 2021 that will be held from June 12 to 16 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai.

As per Knitting Industry report, one of the machines Staubli plans to showcase is its D4S toe-closing device at the exhibition. Installed directly on the circular socks knitting machine, it closes one sock whilst the machine is already knitting the next one.

Besides offering many functional benefits, the D4S Solution promises durability especially after replacing of the original parts. Stäubli has worked extensively on this world class automation solution for toe closing on circular sock knitting machines. The company also manufactures the machine controller and all of the mechanical parts for the D4S device.

Sportswear brand Puma along with Calvin Klein and Marks & Spencer has committed to ban mulesed wool by 2025. Mulesing is a controversial breech modification technique through which strips of wool-bearing skin are cut from sheep to prevent parasitic infection.

Animal welfare organisation Four Paws has congratulated Puma on its decision. The organization recently published a list of 38 leading apparel brands that have committed to ban mulesing within their supply chains. The list includes brands like Patagonia, Orvotex, Max Mara and Escada.

Proposals to outlaw mulesing were put forward late last year in the Australian state of New South Wales, though an inquiry heard that it was not the right way forward after advocates of the method fought for its continued use.

Amongst those that have criticized mulesing are animal rights groups such as Four Paws, which argues that more humane methods could be introduced to make the transition from mulesing more manageable.

Global sustainability organization Fashion for Good (FFG) has selected six young designers for its ‘Grow’ talent project, a three-month program to develop ‘sustainable’ garments using biomaterials. As per an Eco Textile report, the selected designers include Frederieke Broekgaarden, Charlotte Bakkenes, Huong Nguyen and Eva Sonneveld; content creator Christan Mpamo and copywriter Zainab Goelaman. These were selected from over 100 applicants whittled down by a jury of creative professionals and Katrin Ley, Managing Director, FFG

A part of FFG’s year-long exhibition Grow, the project focuses on biomaterials in the fashion industry. The ongoing first project will run from June to September. At this project, the selected participants will create products for the second exhibition, Grow 2.0, which will launch in October.

Over the course of the project, the participants will receive guidance and support from the jury, FFG team, as well as selected mentors. Materials will be provided by innovators Flocus, based in the Netherlands with textiles made from Kapok fibre, Finnish innovator Spinnova that supplies its cellulosic based fibre, French-Indian innovator Green Whisper, that creates banana fibre-based textiles, and American innovator Natural Fiber Welding that developed Mirum, a plant-based, plastic-free leather that is entirely recyclable.

An independent life-cycle assessment (LCA) conducted by Spanish private research organization Cartif has confirmed Metsä’s new sustainable wood-based textile fibre, Kuura is more eco-friendly than any commercially-available cellulosic fibre. The LCA indicates Kuura is made with pine and spruce from certified, sustainably-managed Finnish forests which have almost doubled in size since 1970, making them a major carbon sink.

Meanwhile, the company's bioproduct mill in Äänekoski which produces wood pulp for the fibre is the world’s first mill to be fossil-fuel free. The manufacturing concept is based on locally-sourced wood obtained from its own forests, says Niklas von Weyman, CEO. Its Kuura concept is competitive in terms of both environment and social sustainability, he adds.

A horizontal, private and non-profit research institution, Cartif aims to provide innovative solutions to the industry to enhance processes, systems and products.

German textile machine manufacturer Thies GmbH & Co KG plans to exhibit an extensive portfolio of machinery at ITMA Asia+CTME 2021 exhibition. As per Textile World, Thies not only manufactures machines but also develops intelligent software solutions to actual dyeing process. These energy efficient solutions help its customers reduce their water, energy, chemicals and utilities consumption.

Thies’ machines have been installed at all modern dye houses as well as dosing and dispensing systems. The machines enable perfect dissolving and provision of dyes and chemicals that leads to exact dyeing results, maximum reproducibility, significantly increased occupational safety and tremendous time savings.

All Thies machines, including the dispensing systems, the dye kitchen, the beam winding machines and/ or the heat recovery systems can be connected to MES systems and deliver important data which customers can use to improve their performances. The company also offers semi- to fully- automated loading and unloading of its yarn dyeing machines.

Sri Lanka’s human rights campaigners have urged the government to take immediate action and limit a third wave of COVID-19 in the country's garment factories. The Sri Lankan garment sector has recorded thousands of COVID positive cases with a large number of patients dying. Sister Noel Christine Fernando, Head, Sramabimani Kendraya rights group, said, the rapidly spreading virus is endangering the lives of the workers.

One garment factory, in Katuwellegama, was closed after 50 workers were found to be positive in random tests. All workers were subsequently tested and 300 found to be positive. In another garment factory, in Katunayake, 100 workers tested positive.

Four humans rights groups - Sramabimani Kendraya, Dabindu Collective Sri Lanka, Revolutionary Existence for Human Development and Standup Movement Lanka - urged factory owners to reimburse workers for all COVID-related losses. They have urged for full salaries of workers whose factories were closed due to high COVID-19 prevalence. They also requested the government to pay workers currently in quarantine.

A third COVID-19 wave started spreading across Sri Lanka in April. A total of 142,746 cases and 962 deaths have been reported, although some experts claim the true figures are much higher.

Galy has joined The Fashion for Good Museum’s latest hybrid exhibition ‘Grow’ that focuses on biomaterials and cutting-edge brands and innovations that are shaping the sustainable future of fashion.

The exhibition showcases revolutionary biomaterials launched by trailblazing disruptors like Galy. Galy engineers cotton in labs through the multiplication of cells directly into the cotton fibre, removing steps of traditional cotton farming. As a result, they can grow cotton without the use of pesticides or fertilisers, using considerably less water.

Besides seeing the materials up close - either by in-person appointment or virtually - visitors can learn about the fast-growing movement of biomaterials in fashion, which companies from high street retailers to storied luxury houses have been keen to get in on in recent years. This includes information about what exactly biomaterials are, why they’re so important, how sustainable they are, and what makes them different from traditional fibres like cotton. The exhibition runs until October.

Archroma’s Sustainability Report 2020 outlines the company’s progress on its priority sustainability topics, such as human health and environmental safety, resource efficiency, sustainable sourcing and product stewardship, as well as diversity and inclusion, and talent management.

For this report, Archroma conducted a survey with its stakeholders to confirm the relevance of the sustainability topics covered in the report. These include biodiversity, occupational and product safety, and fair labor practices, as well as maybe less expected topics such as compliance, economic performance, and culture.

The report covers these topics and more. In particular, as the world continues to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic, Archroma continues to contribute to fighting the virus in many different ways, with its solid foundation as a leader in sustainable, R&D-enabled chemistry and expertise needed in times like these.

World’s largest online home furnishings retailer, Williams Sonoma has stopped sourcing alpaca fleece across its brands after PETA’s expose about animal killing in Peru farms in 2020. As per Sourcing Journal, brands owned by the home furnishings titan including Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, Mark & Graham and West Elm, as well as its eponymous Williams-Sonoma and Williams-Sonoma Home brands, have stopped sourcing alpaca wool from Peru.

Only Rejuvenation was still selling throws and pillow covers derived from the fibers, which it described as handwoven by fair-wage artisans in Peru and naturally dust-, mildew- and mold-resistant. Pottery Barn listed faux-fur alpaca throws and pillow covers are made from 85 percent acrylic and 15 percent polyester.

PETA’s undercover investigation into Mallkini, the world’s largest privately owned alpaca farm, showed workers slamming the animals onto tables, pinning them to stretching devices, yanking them from the floor by their tails and leaving deep gashes in their skin from careless sharing. Mallkini is owned by Michell Group, Peru’s largest alpaca textile supplier.

With buyers looking to diversify sourcing from China, Uzbekistan is fast emerging as a preferred supplier after a decade-long international boycott over forced labor, says a report by ANI News.

Since the last decade, Uzbekistan has launched several forms to end child land forced labor by privatizing cotton farms and moving up the value chain. It is seeing a sharp increase in interest from large multinational brands and retailers. In addition, Uzbekistan also has the capacity to become the main source for cotton for China. It expects a huge influx of trade and investment in the next 18 to 24 months.

Meanwhile, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden have issued a joint statement expressing grave concern at the human rights situation of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang province.