Global trims supplier YKK has signed a licensing agreement with sustainable textile innovation company Green Theme Technologies (GTT) to use its water-free and non-toxic Empel water protection technology on zippers for the first time.

As per Sourcing Journal, Empel achieves water repellency by using dry curing which coats each fiber individually to increase durability and performance. The solution is considered to be a game-changing technology for high-performance zippers, and one of the best-performing dry fabric finishes in the world.

YKK’s partnership with GTT reflects the company’s commitments to reducing water and chemical usage through innovative technologies. Last October, the company announced YKK Sustainability Vision 2050 a five-prong strategy that addresses climate change, material resources, water resources, chemical management and human rights as well as 10 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The initiative details the ways in which YKK will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and pass along its sustainable benefits to the thousands of apparel manufacturers that use the company’s fasteners.

A Uzbek delegation led by Bahhtiyor Karimov, Vice Governor, Kitab district signed an agreement with Iranian company Payam Gostar Tejarat Farda for export of textiles from Uzbekistan to Iran for $5 million. The delegation also met the representatives of the North Industrial Marine Coating Co in Mozandaran, Tehran to discuss production of paints and varnishes in Kitab district. The two parties also signed an agreement on the visit of the Iranian delegation to Kashkadarya region in August for implementation of the given joint project.

The Uzbek delegation also participated in the roundtable organized by the Tehran Association of Textile Exporters and Producers with the purpose of further expansion of commercial and economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and Iran.

The Uzbek delegation also visited AMS Industrial Group and held talks on prospects of construction of the plant for crushing stones, sand and gravel production in Kitab district. The talks were also held with Golrooyan Engineering Co. on production of plastic tanks for water.

The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SAIC) has begun the arbitration proceedings between the US-based e-commerce behemoth Amazon and Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group over the latter’s Rs 24,713 crore deal with billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled Reliance Retail.

On July 12, a three-member tribunal comprising Singaporean barrister Michael Hwang, Albert van den Berg and Jan Paulsson heard Future Retail’s petition that the dispute was between one of its promoter entities and Amazon, and that it should not be made a party to it. This proceeding continued on July 13, while during the next two days, the bench will contemplate on the appeal to repeal the stay, people familiar with the development told the business daily.

In August 2020, Reliance Retail Ventures had mentioned that it would acquire the retail and wholesale business, and the logistics and warehousing business of Future Group for Rs 24,713 crore.

The SIAC in October last year issued an emergency order, restraining Future Group and Reliance from proceeding with the deal as the American e-commerce titan Amazon claimed that the deal violated its 2019 investment agreement with Future Coupons that gave Amazon the right of first refusal in case of sale.

The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing & Textile Workers' Union (SACTWU) voiced its deep concern about the serious damage that the recent looting in KwaZulu-Natal and elsewhere has caused to workers and their families.

In Isithebe, a brand new clothing factory (Kingspark Manufacturers) which was set up only in September last year, has been completely destroyed. Machinery and raw materials have been looted. In the process, 600 much-needed jobs supporting 3000 family members in the poorest part of the country are now lost, in this instance alone.

In recent times the management and workers of Kingspark have been successfully participating in an innovative workplace productivity collaboration pilot project - to test and demonstrate the international best practice intervention by the International Labour Organization's Score program. However, the recent incident has negated all their hard work.

The economic turmoil precipitated by the military takeover in February is compelling Myanmar to close roughly 200 textile factories. According to Moe Sandar Myint, Leader, Myanmar’s Federation of General Workers, the move could put the country’s 700,000 textile workers in even more financial difficulties following a year of pandemic-related shutdowns.

As per a Textile Focus report, a number of brands, including Bestseller, C&A, H&M, Primark, and United Colors of Benetton, have already halted production in Myanmar following the military coup. Despite the fact that Bestseller, H&M, and Primark have restarted sourcing, factories are battling to stay open, and some have already shuttered. Economic sanctions, raw-material shortages, and the COVID-19 were cited as reasons for the closure of Heng Mao (Myanmar) Garment Co, a Chinese-owned garment manufacturer in Yangon’s Hlaingthaya Township.

According to the European Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, the coup has posed security, logistical, and banking issues to all firms. According to the organization, one-quarter of workers across all industries have lost their employment, and the situation is expected to worsen dramatically by the end of June.

Although the exhibition surface and number of exhibitors were halved compared to pre-pandemic levels, the number of exhibitors at Milano Unica increased by 27 per cent to 270 from last September’s show as companies believed in a market rebound and remained committed to supporting the sector and the trade show.

As per a Women’s Wear Daily report, the fair drew 3,100 visitors, a 29 percent gain compared to September. Fabio Tamburini, CEO, otonificio Albini, was particularly impressed by the general upbeat mood, which he attributed to the company’s ability to stand by its clients during the pandemic.

The Albini Group unveiled e fruits of its recently inked “strategic alliance” with Beste: A selvedge denim range for its Albiate 1830 brand, whose success at the fair, according to Tamburini, exceeded expectations.

Como-based silk specialist Canepa recently revealed that the Muzinich Group will acquire a majority interest in the company through its investment vehicles Capital Solution ELTIF Azimut and Muzinich & Co. SGR for an undisclosed sum, while Michele Canepa — who returned to the company in 2019, fully acquiring it and subsequently filed a restructuring plan with the Court of Como — will retain a minority interest. The acquisition is expected to mark a turning point for the troubled company, covering existing debts and setting in motion its relaunch, which Canepa has spearheaded in the past two years.

Messe Frankfurt India and MEX Exhibitions have collaborated with the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) for the maiden hybrid edition of Gartex Texprocess India, which has now been rescheduled to December 2022.

The strategic partnership aims to reconnect the textile and apparel value chain for business at the first hybrid edition of Gartex Texprocess India and support the sector as it recovers from the effects of the pandemic by enabling reach to domestic and international buyers through the show’s new multimodal format.

The fair will now be held from December 03 – 05, 2021, instead of its originally planned schedule in August 2021. This move ensures better planning flexibility for exhibitors and will render a stronger B2B engagement experience through its physical and virtual platforms.

Messe Frankfurt India and MEX Exhibitions will host a Digital Symposium series on crucial industry topics until the hybrid edition. The symposium will play a significant role in highlighting emerging trends and keeping business players engaged in the field of textile and garment manufacturing so they can prepare themselves according to the changing dynamics of the industry. Given that the landscape of textile and apparel manufacturing is changing with more focus and demand for “sustainable solutions” and circular economy, a wide set of industry topics will be addressed covering the changing trends across global fibre & yarn business, benefits of recycling in textile and retail segments, denim design, as well as insights depicting the way forward for garment wet processing manufacturers.

The physical show will be divided in major zones - Embroidery Zone, Garmenting and Apparel Machinery, Digitex Show, Denim Show, India Laundry Show and Fabrics & Trims Show. The virtual show on the other hand, will place emphasis on product showcases as well as exhibitor search. Both of these segments will be driven by an “AI matchmaking tool”, enabling visitors to connect with the exhibitors based on their individual product requirements.

To boost textile growth in Tamil Nadu, the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) has proposed five points including facilitating the expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and branding textile and apparel from the state as the most sustainable destination for fashion sourcing and exploring the Japanese market.

The state can also devise a plan to capitalize the opportunity emerging from the central government’s MITRA scheme by creating an integrated and plug-and-play apparel park, it suggested. It can pick up ten to 15 small towns with good workforce availability and create infrastructure for stitching facilities. This will spread the sector and help avoid overcrowding in a few clusters apart from generating employment in small towns.

Cultivating a sustainable brand for textile-apparel from the state will help the sector capture the market share in value-added products as well, it said.

The state government can facilitate a working group with 50 of apparel companies to work exclusively with the Japanese apparel market. It can also conceptualize a scheme for medium and large companies to run technical institutes within the campus with university certifications. This will help the sector in attracting talent, and in the process, a skilled workforce for the sector can be developed,

Family-owned manufacturer of textile labels based in Dortmund, Germany, Dortex is increasing the use of sustainable materials across its portfolio.

As per an Innovation in Texitles report, Dortex cotton laundry labels are made of pure, undyed organic cotton. It employs a printing process to overcome this hurdle for the single (black) labels which are available from just 20 pieces.

High-quality recycled polyester yarns have become an established component in the production of Dortex labels for some time, initially in warp threads in the Flexinera product range, but now also in Dortex Color printed fabric care labels and Satinera satin ribbons, characterised by radiant, bright colours and made of 100% rPET.

These labels are lightfast, abrasion-resistant, washable up to 60°C and very durable. Customers can use as many colours and colour gradients as they like when configuring them.

All Dortex labels are made in Germany to eliminate long delivery and decision-making routes. The cotton care labels, for example, are printed in Dresden, the company’s second production site.

A new brief, published by labor rights groups ahead of Inditex’s shareholder meeting of 13 July, shows that the company urgently needs to sign a new binding agreement on factory safety in Bangladesh before the current program runs out on August 31, 2021.

Inditex—one of the world’s largest fashion retailers and owner of eight brands including Zara—was an early signatory to the Accord in 2013. As a member of the Accord’s Steering Committee, Inditex knows first-hand how effective the Accord has been at making factories safer for more than two million garment workers over the past eight years. Inditex has spent the last few months negotiating with unions, but it has as yet failed to conclude and sign a new binding agreement, and time is running out.

This brief, based on a review of the Accord’s publicly available factory-by-factory data on safety progress, shows that, thanks to the Accord, 92 per cent of identified safety hazards in Inditex supplier factories in Bangladesh have been corrected. At the same time, however, life-threatening safety hazards remain. At the 54 Bangladesh Inditex supplier factories that the witness signatories to the Bangladesh Accord identified, a staggering 40 still have no verified fire alarms, 38 do not have verified fire suppression systems such as sprinklers, and in 35 factories workers could get trapped in case of a fire.

This brief argues that the Accord’s work must be safeguarded and expanded to other countries, and calls for Inditex to take the lead in signing a new, legally binding safety agreement. Shareholders, such as Fundacion Finanzas Etica on behalf of Shareholders for Change, an European network for shareholder engagement representing approximately €30 billion assets under management, have been engaging with Inditex to urge adoption of a new binding safety agreement.