Textile waste has increased by a massive 811 per cent from 1960 to 2015, says Retail Dive. The majority of this waste, approximately 66 per cent, is being dumped in landfills. Plastics show the largest increase in waste since 1960, a colossal 8,746 per cent. Rubber and leather, common materials used in footwear and clothing, have also shown a significant increase at 361 per cent.

The mounting problem of textile waste is beginning to be quantified in scientific research. Across the globe consumers now purchase more than 80 billion pieces of new clothing each year, with an increasing amount ending up in landfills.

Last year, Burberry came under fire after it was unveiled that the company had burnt millions of dollars worth of unsold stock. It has since announced that it will put an end to this process, in addition to no longer using real fur and committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2022. Nike has launched its circular design guide in order to promote sustainability in the industry and address the growing impact of climate change. Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing has decided to cut down on single use plastic by 85 per cent by 2020. Zara plans to use 100 per cent sustainable fabrics by 2025.

Apparel brands often fail to disclose the chemicals they use in their manufacturing. They have no publicly-available policies about their use of toxic chemicals.

Toxic chemicals in textile manufacturing are bad for the planet and workers. And sometimes they remain in the fabric when sold, so they could be harming the end consumer as well. If not properly managed, these chemicals can end up in rivers and the oceans, harming marine ecosystems and migrating to drinking water. About 20 per cent of overall industrial water pollution can be attributed to textile manufacturing. Synthetic indigo is often used to dye denim jeans blue, but the chemical cocktail used often includes formaldehyde, which is toxic to the environment and people. In China an estimated 70 per cent of rivers and lakes are contaminated by billions of gallons of wastewater from the textile and dye industry.

Apparel manufacturing is a dirty business. More than 8,000 chemicals are used throughout the textile-making process, from pesticides in growing cotton and other fibers, to bleaching and dying yarns, to washing fabrics, to printing patterns. This amounts to an estimated 43 million tons of chemicals every year. Heavy metals used in dyeing can be carcinogenic and damaging to the nervous system. Azo dyes, the most frequently used dyes, can release carcinogenic chemicals into the air during the dyeing process.

Milliken has joined the Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW®), an association created to strengthen the influence of clothing industry through collaborative leadership and strategic advocacy. Milliken boasts of a diverse textiles portfolio, including a range of apparel fabrics that serve various industries like workwear, protective, military and outdoor markets.

The 2020 PCIAW Summit and Awards, to be held in London, will be in partnership with Milliken & Company. The event brings together industry professionals from around the world in corporate wear, workwear and personal protective equipment (PPE) to address emerging industry topics and current affairs. With the U.S. serving as the host country, Milliken will help to preside over one of the largest gatherings of global apparel executives and influencers, and further industry collaboration.

Driven by award-winning research and design capabilities, Milliken’s global textile portfolio includes leading brands like the respected Westex by Milliken flame resistant fabrics and the recently acquired Polartec business, among other superior fabrics for protective, workwear, fire service, military, retail and outdoor apparel.

Milliken’s R&D capabilities uniquely positions them to collaborate with customers to solve their complex textile needs, and more than 154 years of textile knowledge underpins its reputation as one of the most cutting-edge fabric manufacturers. In addition, Milliken textiles incorporate intentional sustainability measures, including responsible resource management and landfill diversion, to create responsible textiles that help create a positive impact on the world.

Milan Fashion Week has added five new houses to its official calendar. The next season, scheduled from September 17 to 23, 2019 will include Milan runway debuts for German powerhouse Boss; UK label Peter Pilotto; Simona Marziali's MRZ, the 2018 winner of Who Is On Next; DROMe by Marianna Rosati; and Shuting Qiu, a Chinese-born designer and graduate of Antwerp Royal Academy.

In all, there will be 58 major catwalks shows or proper presentations in Milan this season, debuting with the opening of the Milano Moda Donna Fashion Hub. The calendar, which was released by the Camera della Moda, Italian fashion’s governing body, also underlines the continually growing importance of co-ed shows. There are seven on this autumn’s schedule including Atsushi Nakashima, Boss, Bottega Veneta, Fila, GCDS, Gucci and Missoni.

Indian apparel exporters are exploring opportunities in Iran. They see Iran as a good market for knitwear exports, especially polyester garments. India is one of four countries allowed to trade with Iran.

Meanwhile Indian exporters have expressed their concern over the plan to withdraw the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme. This is an incentive scheme to promote exports, and provides duty credit scrip to compensate the duty paid by the exporters, but has been challenged by countries like the US at the World Trade Organization. Exporters hope an alternative scheme is devised. The country faces competition from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka which have competitive manufacturing costs and enjoy duty free access to major markets like the EU. So some garment units have set up units in Ethiopia due to zero duty access for Ethiopian exports in the US and the EU and due to incentives being offered for investments there.

India’s apparel exports fell by 1.2 per cent in fiscal year ’19 from fiscal ’18, which in turn was four per cent lower than the previous year. The share of apparel exports in the country’s total textile exports fell from 51 per cent in fiscal ’17 to 45 per cent in fiscal ’19.

India is formulating schemes for the development of silk industry. Seed production units will be strengthened to bring in quality standards in production network, besides increasing production capacity to cater to the increased silk production targets. Indian silk will be promoted through quality certification by Silk Mark not only in the domestic market but also in the export market. Emphasis will be given for use of silkworm by-products for poultry feed, cosmetic applications and value addition through product diversification into non-woven fabrics, silk denim, silk knits etc. Reeling and processing technologies in silk will be upgraded.

Living standards and economic conditions of the downtrodden, poor, backward and tribal families can be improved by encouraging them to take up various sericulture activities. Sericulture is an agro-based cottage industry having a huge employment and income generating potential in rural and semi-urban areas. It is estimated that the sericulture industry provides employment to 90 lakh persons. Of these, a sizeable number of workers belong to the economically weaker sections of society. Women constitute over 60 per cent of those employed in downstream activities of sericulture like mulberry garden management, leaf harvesting and silkworm rearing etc. Even the silk reeling industry including weaving is largely supported by them.

Speaking at the recent second edition of the National Textile Conclave, the Indian Texpreneurs Federation noted the trade war between the US and China has provided a good opportunity to India in the textile sector. With global export of textiles pegged at $260-billion, export from China to US has declined by three to four per cent in the last five months, which needs to be encashed by the Indian textile manufacturers.

Organised by the Quality Circle Forum Of India (QCFI), the conclave aimed at creating awareness and spreading the principle of Japanese '5S system' which stands for: order, cleanliness, purity and commitment, and quality circle principles. It noted that in order to reduce the cost in basic commodity apparels, manufacturers need to shift their focus to value-added products in apparel segment and large-scale apparel manufacturing.

Indian artisans may soon be able to sell their products through e-commerce platforms and cater to a larger market. A list of 200 products that will be sold on e-commerce platforms has been drawn out. Some handicrafts and handloom products, such as Madhubani paintings from Bihar, tribal paintings from Jharkhand, terracotta items from Rajasthan and tussar silk wear from Bhagalpur, made by rural artisans, mainly women entrepreneurs, are already being sold online. The initiative is now being expanded to products such as folders, pen holders and gift items. Coming on to the e-commerce platform is expected to help artisans get larger volumes and better prices for their products even after parting with at least 40 per cent of the revenue to these sites as seller charges.

A dedicated value chain development center, with about five regional offices, will be set up to provide complete value chain solutions to rural artisans. This will provide artisans technical assistance as well as help in designing and packaging of products to enhance their global appeal.

Producer companies will be set up in select clusters. At present, rural artisans sell their products through central and state exhibitions or directly through traders, besides catering to local demand restricted to their own districts.

Vietnam's newly signed free trade deal with the European Union (EVFTA) presents both a huge opportunity and a logistical headache. Garments, worth around 10 per cent of Vietnam's exports and currently subject to EU tariffs of around nine per cent, will be by far the biggest beneficiary of the FTA. The tariff-slashing free trade agreement promises to bring an influx of orders and pave the way for Vietnamese garments to dominate the European market. The FTA will reduce duties on nearly half of all garment products to zero.

However, staff shortages have already started to manifest in Vietnam's garment industry, where the vast majority of manufacturers are focused on labor-intensive sewing and cutting processes. Factories’ demand for workers has increased by seven per cent since 2018. The industry lacks human resources especially high-level employees who have specialised skills. Finding people to operate dyeing or weaving machines is one thing. These are workers and can be trained. But finding experienced chemical engineers with a thorough knowledge of chemistry and dyeing is another. Also, European garment manufacturers feel the agreement will pave the way for cheap Chinese textiles to enter the European market after being transformed into garments in Vietnam. The EU is Vietnam’s second largest garment market after the United States, accounting for 15 per cent of the country’s total garment exports.

BPD Expo was held in New York City, July 24, 2019. Comfort and sustainability were woven into every detail, from the seed paper marketing materials to the in-house CBD installation. Exhibitors showcased their top selling denim, most of which featured eco-friendly, ultra soft fabric that felt less like a pair of jeans and more like a pair of sweatpants.

Indigo Textile was just one denim manufacturer offering new possibilities with its Beyond collection, a line crafted for all body types. The enhanced fabrics provide extreme stretch and shape retention that hugs—and never restricts—curves. Indigo Textile touted its Retro Rebooted collection, which featured ’90s styles with more give than the original versions. Indigo Textile’s Blu collection incorporated orbit dyeing, which can achieve shades typical of conventional rope dyeing with less indigo and chemicals. Azgard-9 also softened up its old-school looks and showcased a number of high stretch jeans, including a high waisted acid wash skinny made from organic and recycled cotton.

Green techniques also took center stage with most manufacturers. Rajby, from Pakistan, prominently displayed its denim reborn signage, pointing to the manufacturer’s latest upcycling initiatives. Tuong Long uses non-toxic material in all of its fabric. The company featured aniline-free denim, which offers customers a traditional indigo blue without the toxicity.