Pakistan is about to sign the second phase free trade agreement with China. China has agreed to allow Pakistan to export 313 items duty-free. Pakistan and China will also sign several MoUs and agreements to enhance bilateral cooperation in diverse areas. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is one of the largest projects under the Belt and Road Initiative and nearly 50 per cent of the project has been completed since 2014. China is helping Pakistan's spinning mills become more cost efficient and competitive. China also wants to relocate its textile units to Pakistan to benefit from Pakistan’s low paid and well-experienced textile labor.

Pakistan’s major exports to China are cotton yarn, chemical material, crude vegetable material, rice, raw hides and skins, fish and fish preparations. Major imports are machinery and spare parts, manufactured fertilizer, yarn and thread of synthetic fiber, iron and steel, chemical materials and products, vegetable and synthetic textile fiber, road vehicles and their parts, non-ferrous metals, tires and tubes of rubber etc.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s economy is going through a difficult period, with the country’s foreign exchange reserves falling. Economic growth is expected to slump to 3.9 per cent in fiscal 2019 down from 5.2 per cent in 2018.

Apart from consumer education about issues like waste, transparency and toxins in the fashion industry, technology also plays an important role in solving problems related to sustainability.

Block chain has a role in sustainable fashion. When collecting textile waste from consumers, block chain sits right in between because it gives trust and transparency without being owned by any specific brands or organizations. This tech can be used to promote good production processes. Tracing the supply chain through block chain will support traceability and accountability. Ultimately, it will lead to a supply chain that embraces good practices.

Circular economy is a legitimate economic concept. Because this has gained ground, the job of a designer in the fashion world also needs to evolve. The role of the designer is changing. They are no longer just selecting the fabric and making designs but need to know every step of production, including disposal. Smart innovation speaks to the new generation of consumers and enables the circular economy because millennial shoppers are willing to pay more for a sustainable product.

In its current form the fashion industry is a toxic industry. There are toxins in the clothes that we wear. There is a relationship between the increased use of synthetics in fabrics and a rise in serious illnesses such as breast cancer.

Shri Ravinder Kumar Passi, Vice-Chairman-EPCH has been elevated as new Chairman of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) during 164th meeting of Committee of Administration (COA) held on today informed Shri Rakesh Kumar, Director General – EPCH. Shri Passi has taken charge from Shri O.P. Prahladka. All members of Committee of Administration were present during the meeting.

Shri Kumar further said that Shri Ravinder Kumar Passi, representing M/S R.K. Arts, New Delhi is a leading handicrafts exporter from Northern region since last 26 years. He is associated with Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH) since its inception and has served EPCH as its Chairman during 2001 and 2002.

He is very actively involved in various trade bodies. Shri Passi has also been the Co-Chairman of National Centre for Design and Product Development [NCDPD] for many years.

Shri Passi expressed his gratitude to members of Committee of Administration of EPCH after taking over as Chairman of Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts, an apex organization for promotion of Exports of Handicrafts from the Country.

The exports of Handicrafts have shown an increase from Rs. 23029.36 crores (2017-18) to Rs. 26590.25 crores during the year 2018-19 [prov.] Showing an increase of 15.46% % over previous year. Shri Passi further said that in order to sustain this growth, the international marketing initiatives, cluster development projects, design and product development, new policy initiatives are needed to be pursued more vigorously.

Shri Rakesh Kumar, Director General – EPCH informed that the dates of Spring edition of IHGF-Delhi Fair have been shifted from February to 15 – 19 April, 2020.

Shri Kumar stated the reasons behind shifting of dates of Spring edition of IHGF-Delhi Fair by elaborating that after conclusion of IHGF-Delhi Fair Spring 2019, the Council carried out a survey amongst exhibitors and buyers so as to take their feedback to consider shifting the show dates from February to April i.e. before China and Hong Kong fairs and found that 90% of the participants of this edition of the show expressed that dates should be shifted to April. Another reason for shifting dates cited was to give proper time to manufactures to prepare and develop new products lines to encourage buyers to visit the show in April enroute their way to the shows in China and Hong Kong. Shri Kumar informed that EPCH availed the opportunity of availability of buyers from more than 50 countries who are in India to source their requirement from Home Expo India being held at India Expo Centre & Mart and exhibitors as well to share and popularize the new dates of IHGF-Delhi Fair Spring to be held from 15 – 19 April, 2020.

As EPCH is an apex organisation of handicrafts exporters, the feedback received from the members was to be welcomed so accordingly Members of the Committee of Administration have took the decision to shift the dates of Spring edition of IHGF-Delhi Fair from February to 15 – 19 April, 2020.

Shri Kumar elaborated that EPCH had been organising Spring edition of Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair 1994. The first edition of this fair was held in January, 1994 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi with 313 exhibitors in an area of 5500 sq. mtrs. at Pragati Maidan with visit of 515 buyers. From 2006 onwards the fair is being held at state-of-the art exhibition centre i.e. India Expo Cenre & Mart, Greater Noida. The Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair was revamped and renamed as IHGF-Delhi fair with bigger, bolder and for five days during in 2014.

Spring edition of the show have registered fast growth in terms of exhibitors, display area, visit of buyers and generation of business enquiries. The fair which was started with display area of 5500 sq. mtrs. in 1994 has acquired 1,90,000 sq. mtrs in February, 2019 with 3189 exhibitors with visit of 6737 buyers and business enquiries of Rs. 2900 crores.

Shri Kumar hoped that with new dates of the show from 15 – 19 April, 2020 more buyers would be able to visit the show before going to attend fairs in China and Hong thereby enhancing business enquiries and earning of foreign exchange for the Country.

Vietnam’s apparel shipments to the US rose seven per cent in February 2019 compared to February 2018. China continues to lose its footing as the major supplier of apparel to the US, and Mexico’s standing is on shaky ground, too.

Apparel goods coming from China to the US fell 2.9 per cent in February. Shipments reaching US ports from Bangladesh increased 13.6 per cent. Imports from India were up 6.3 per cent, from Pakistan it went up 14.8 per cent. US imports from Philippines rose six per cent; Sri Lanka 4.7 per cent. However, Indonesia’s shipments fell 1.2 per cent and from Mexico dropped 23.2 per cent in February. Imports from Honduras increased 14.12 per cent in value. Imports from the Dominican Republic rose 3.4 per cent. But they fell 6.69 per cent from El Salvador and 4.74 per cent from Guatemala. Apparel imports from Jordan jumped 21.61 per cent year over year in February, and shipments arriving from Egypt rose 13.2 per cent.

These developments came in a slow month for US apparel imports. Global shipments to the US fell 0.4 per cent in volume. For the year to date, imports were up 5.12 per cent in value compared to the same period in 2018, thanks to a surge in January.

Tirupur knitwear exports have grown 8.3 per cent this fiscal compared to the previous fiscal. Domestic sales were Rs 24,000 crores, taking its total business during the fiscal to Rs 50,000 crores. Exports picked up in the last six months of fiscal 2019 after a sluggish growth in the first half. The annual average export growth in the last fiscal was seven per cent. In the last six months, the average export growth was 31.15 per cent.

Factors like changing design patterns across the globe, changing lifestyles both in India and abroad, availability of cotton, skilled workforce, a fashion-oriented world, more per capita spending on garments and China’s non-aggressive push are among the host of things that have benefited Tirupur exporters. For the past two years, the industry was struggling due to various reasons, including demonetisation, implementation of GST and the overall volatile global economy.

Children’s and women’s garments continue to drive Tirupur exports. Together, this segment garners 70 per cent of the total business while the rest comes from men’s wear. Traditional markets such as the US, Europe, Africa and Latin America continue to be the major export destinations for the cluster. The Tirupur cluster’s target is Rs 1,00,000 crores (both exports and domestic sales) by fiscal 2022.

Speaking at the University of South Florida, as a part of a series of Fashion Revolution Week events in Tampa, Taryn Hipwell, Founder of the educational/advocacy group Beyond the Label and author of How to Shop for Shift noted that around 60 per cent of clothing made around the world ends up destroyed or in landfills within a year of production.

Hipwell discussed the importance of clothing labels being more transparent about their products and practices, including the large amount of waste created by the industry. She noted that the high-fashion landscape thrives on constant change with the internet is making runway cycles shorter than ever.

Brands such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton burn unsold merchandise worth billions of dollars. Labels often destroy products to avoid sales that devalue their brand. With new products constantly being released and consumer interest fading, there are few other options for companies. Fast fashion stores like Forever 21 also produce cheap clothing to match consumers’ obsession with staying on-trend.

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, such habits contribute to the fashion industry being one of the biggest polluters in the world. The clothing production is responsible for 20 per cent of the globe’s industrial water pollution, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. To deal with these issues Hipwell advises consumers to opt for online shopping. She also thinks consumers should consider shopping secondhand at thrift and vintage stores.

Automation can help Sri Lankan firms stay competitive with regional peers such as Bangladesh, who are relying on cheap and abundant labor as their competitive edge.

With automation, they can do precision cutting, manufacture high quality, which means they can get higher prices. With a small number of people, it’s possible to produce higher quality apparels. Automation would help fast track the export targets of Sri Lanka’s apparel industry. As of now it’s mostly the top apparel manufacturing firms in the country that have been utilising automation. Lower end firms can rely on automation for high value addition while bringing down their costs affiliated to labor-intensive manufacturing.

Automation solutions have revolutionised the fashion industry, enabling firms to develop their fashion ideas into products within a few days, compared to traditional value chains, which take 42 weeks on an average. Automation has also enabled firms to develop new ideas into products at a considerable lower cost allowing these firms to supply new designs to the changing fashion industry at a faster pace.

Sri Lanka’s apparel industry has an export target of $8 billion by 2025. The country’s apparel exporters are exploring developed markets such as Japan and Australia to diversify their markets.

Redress Design Award has chosen 30 semi finalists. These 30 designers are from across six continents and are applying circular thinking, presenting innovative ways to minimise textile waste. This is the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competition. For the first time in the competition’s nine-year history men’s wear designers were included alongside unisex and women’s wear designers, expanding the scope of Redress’ global search for talent.

Ambitious young designers are working to tackle the environmental challenges of fashion industry. As the world wakes up to the enormity of fashion’s negative footprint, from carbon emissions, water pollution and chemical use to spiraling over-consumption and waste, the Redress Design Award showcases the critical role designers can play in finding solutions.

Redress is a NGO working to cut waste out of fashion. It is an environmental charity with a mission to prevent and transform textile waste to catalyse a circular economy and reduce fashion’s water, chemical and carbon footprints. Their programs work to change mindsets and practices to stop the creation of textile waste now and in the future, as well as creating systems and partnerships that generate and showcase value in existing waste. Working directly with designers, manufacturers, brands, educational bodies, government and consumers, Redress aims at creating lasting environmental change in fashion.

Bangladeshi garments accessories and packaging makers have made massive investments of around Tk. 1,000 crore to push up export and meet the demands of the apparel sector. This investment is driven by the accessibility of the workforce at reasonable wages, duty-free market access in major export destination and preferential location in the heart of the Asia-Pacific region.

Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of apparel products in the world after China, and offers a huge investment opportunity. The sector, last year, attracted investments worth Tk. 1,200-1,500 crore with more projects waiting in the pipeline. The government’s decision to reduce corporate tax rate from 15 per cent to 12 per cent in the RMG sector has also spurred investments in the sector.

Since demand for accessories is growing at a faster rate in Bangladesh, around 100 new factories started operations this year. Presently, around 1,200 factories produce accessories in the country. The accessories produced include woven labels, leather badges, stone and metal motifs, rubber patches, gum tapes, satin and cotton ribbon hangers, price tags, buttons and zippers.

These accessories contribute to $7.10 billion worth of exports in the country. Of this, $1.42 billion are directly exported to the Middle-East, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Europe, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.