YKK has a roadmap for achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

Sustainable materials (such as recycled or plant-derived materials) used in zipper textiles has increased to 13 per cent (up seven points yearonyear). Eleven plants are worldwide operating on 100 per cent renewable energy. Sustainable packaging use has increased to 3.3 percent. Landfill waste has been reduced by 272 tons year on year. Waste resource conversion rate has increased to 87 per cent (up 3.7 points yearonyear). There has been a 7.5 per cent reduction in total water intake by all manufacturing sites.

The company has implemented wastewater management using voluntary control standards stricter than government regulations and has developed paints with reduced toluene and xylene for use on main products. The expanded lineup of products produced with YKK’s new eco-friendly AcroPlating technology eliminates 100 per cent of cyanide, chromium, selenium, and other harmful substances. The volume of products made with this technology increased 75 per cent for zippers and 48 per cent for snaps and buttons. YKK, based in Japan, has continuously set industry standards for quality, innovation, and sustainability in the production of zippers, plastic hardware, hook and loop fasteners, webbing tapes, and snap and buttons.

Yamuna Machine Works will launch three knitting machines at the trade fair India Itme, Noida, December 8 to 13, 2022.

These are the Open Width Knit Compactor, the Open Width Knit Singeing Machine and the Alea-Yamuna Multilayer Stenter. Textile machinery manufacturer Yamuna caters to the demands of Indian textile processors by offering state-of-the-art machines.Yamuna has a strong market position in India as well as in the US, Europe, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and other countries.

The manufacturer has also been the recipient of several export awards for the past three years.Yamuna Machine Works flagged off operations in 1990 and entered the Indian textile industry by introducing the stenter machine for the benefit of domestic companies. Yamuna designs, develops and delivers hot air stenters, hydraulic jiggers, coating lines, singeing machines, polymerisers, thermo bonding lines, dye pedders, drying ranges, shrinking ranges, rope scouring, washing ranges and dipping lines, all manufactured to global standards of excellence.

The company currently operates with an annual production capacity of 130 machines for its complete range, about 50 per cent of which make up the stenter business. Apart from the finishing machines, the company has also ventured into wet processing machines and this segment has also been growing considerably in recent times.

Indian textile major Trident has joined ITMF as corporate member. Joining ITMF (International Textile Manufacturers Federation) will offer Trident a network of international companies covering the entire textile value chain that will help to better understand and navigate the changing business environment.

Joining an international industry platform like ITMF enables access to the various statistics, reports, webinars and meetings that help explain the short- and long-term dynamics of the global textile industry. Having the opportunity to attend the exclusive ITMF annual conferences is another important aspect. In today’s world meeting industry colleagues on a personal level in an atmosphere of trust and respect is invaluable.

ITMF will also benefit since Trident is one of the leading producers of home textiles in the world, supplying retailers and brands around the world, and can therefore provide an important international perspective on many issues ranging from sustainable production to social compliance.

Trident began by making high-quality yarn and in due course has become the largest manufacturer of terry towels and one of the largest integrated home textile manufacturers in the world. In the meantime, Trident has also diversified beyond home textile products by successfully diversifying into paper, chemicals, energy, and more.

Founded in 1904, the ITMF is the international forum of the global textile value chain for producers of fiber to finished products. Its members are from textile and apparel-producing countries representing approximately 90 per cent of global production.

Supima is transitioning its licensing program to the digital and forensically verified SupimaAqre platform beginning January 2023.

The licensing program has been the cornerstone of the Supima organisation for over 40 years and has been essential in highlighting and identifying the products its brand partners produce using American-grown Pima cotton.

At the start of next year, Supima implements the robust SupimaAqre licensing platform that will further enhance the credibility and value of the brand. It will be a standard-setting industry benchmark for combining digital traceability and transparency with physical authentication, providing an unrivalled level of confidence in both the content and provenance of Supima products. Going forward, all Supima branded products will be digitally tracked and forensically verified across the supply chain. In partnership with Textile Genesis, Supima will bring digital data connectivity to its licensees through a robust blockchain approach. This platform will provide live, transaction-level transparency for products moving throughout the supply chain.Unlike any other platform, Supima products will undergo physical authentication.

Supima’s partner Oritain will conduct forensic testing to verify the origin of products across the licensing platform.Whether for consumer messaging or origin verification requirements, the forensic validation will provide robust proof of provenance and material origin.

Technotex will be held in Mumbai, February 22 to 24, 2023. This is the largest event of the technical textile industry in India and it offers an exceptional opportunity for India to contribute to the global agenda on insistent matters of global importance.

The event offers a good opportunity for startup entrepreneurs who represent the fastest growing category worldwide. For the high potential of startups in the textile arena, the event will focus on discussions to empower startup ventures, promote knowledge exchange on best practices and develop capacities of entrepreneurial ecosystem for startups. India is making all out efforts to promote technical textiles and has undertaken various initiatives in this direction. These initiatives include the PLI scheme, HSN codes, and the National Technical Textile Mission.

The end use of technical textile products covers a wide array of industries, there by presenting a plethora of opportunities as a high value sector in India. Since the global textile market is robust and expected to grow rapidly, the event aims at building a strong connect with the global industry, attracting domestic and global investments as well as projecting India’s strengths, initiatives and facilities.

The event is being organized by the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce Industry under the National Technical Textiles Mission.

Sri Lanka’s earnings from merchandise exports declined by 11 percent in October 2022 compared to a year ago.

The last time Sri Lanka saw a decline in the year on year export was in March 2022. Cumulative export earnings in the first ten months of 2022, however, increased by eight percent over the same period in the last year. A looming recession in Sri Lanka’s main export markets has threatened the island nation’s top export garment sector as orders have slowed down significantly.

The main export markets, the United States and the European Union, gripped by inflationary pressures, are plunging into a recession stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These global headwinds are expected to impact Sri Lanka’s apparel exports in the coming six months.In addition, the removal of the dual corporate tax rate structure, which is set to increase corporate income taxes on exports to 30 percent up from the earlier 14 percent, also threatens the competitiveness of the country’s exports, in particular when competing with countries such as Bangladesh and Vietnam.

The proposed changes to the personal income tax structure could also fuel brain drain from the country, further impacting the industry.

Japan’s imports of textile and apparel in October 2022 increased by eight per cent year on year and four per cent month on month.

Among Japan’s imports of textile and apparel in October 2022 the volume from China rose two per cent year on year and six per cent month on month. From January 2022 to October 2022, Japan’s total textile and apparel imports were up four per cent yearonyear while down 0.7 per cent from the same period in 2019. In October 2022 the textile import value grew by 42 per cent and the apparel import value grew by 41 per cent. Imports of clothing and accessories by Japan increased by 40 per cent yearonyear in October 2022.They were three per cent of Japan’s total imports during the period.

The country’s imports of textile yarn and fabrics in October 2022 were 45 per cent higher than the same period of last year. Yarn and fabric imports were one per cent of the total imports by Japan. The country’s exports of textile yarn and fabrics during October 2022 increased by 17 per cent year on year. The country’s exports of textile machinery were 38 per cent higher than exports in October 2021.

Lenzing will partner with Renewcell in accelerating the transition of the textile industry from a linear to a circular business model.

Lenzingis the world’s leading supplier of sustainably produced specialty fibers. Renewcell is a Swedish textile-to-textile recycling pioneer. The agreement contains the sale of 80,000 to 100,000 tons of Renewcell’s 100 per cent recycled textile dissolving pulp Circulose to Lenzing over a five-year period for use in the production of cellulosic fibers for fashion and other textile applications.

It is an essential part of Lenzing’s corporate strategy to become a true champion of circularity. To reach this goal Lenzing has partnered with a recycling pioneer like Renewcell. Circulose originates 100 per cent from textile waste, like old jeans and production scraps, and turns into dissolving pulp. It transforms textile waste and production scrap into new high-quality textile products. The partnership between Renewcell and Lenzing aims at bringing low-carbon Next Gen solutions to market at scale.

The new partnership fits perfectly into Renewcell’s strategy to accelerate the scaleup of circular materials by collaborating with fashion’s most important players. Accelerating the transition to low-impact, circular production is the challenge of the decade for the fashion industry. Moving towards a circular economy is vital to address the enormous textile waste challenges of the industry.

Shopping in the US from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday was up four per cent year on year.

This has boosted retailers’ confidence despite inflationary pressures and economic concerns. Across each major event, the proportion of sales with a markdown increased, reaching a peak on Cyber Monday at 61 per cent. Inflationary pressures led to an increase in selling prices each day, culminating in a seven per cent uptick compared to last year’s sales.

Average order values were boosted three percent year on year while units per order fell below 2021 results and heavy markdowns resulted in profitability declining ten percent year on year. Cyber Monday sales enticed the highest rate of new shoppers at 44 per cent. More VIP customers shopped compared to last year, with Thanksgiving the most appealing day for this cohort as retailers rewarded loyalty with access to Black Friday pre-sales and exclusive offers.

Average discount per cent increases over previous year

While retailers were able to be more reactive with fulfilling orders on Thanksgiving, shaving off half a day versus 2021, the demand from competitive discounts made it harder to keep up, causing average shipping times to reach two and a quarter days by Cyber Monday.Nearly half of US retailers’ assortments were advertised as marked down on Black Friday, with an average reduction of 49 per cent, higher than the previous two years. The deepest discounts were saved for Cyber Monday, where the average climbed to 50 per cent, a four-year high for the event.The most popular discount brackets retailers participated in on this day were also more aggressive than in previous years – between 70 per cent to 80 per cent off.

Combined with inflation, increased inventory levels from misjudged consumer demand and cautious holiday spending appeared to influence these competitive markdowns as retailers held seven per cent and ten per cent more styles stocked online vs. Black Friday in 2021 and 2020.The 40 per cent to 50 per cent bracket was the most common among retailers. However, the overall market opted for lower discount bands to protect margins on newly marked-down styles amid growing supply chain costs, with only 22 per cent of products experiencing a first reduction of over 50 per cent.

As the cost of living crisis will continue into 2023, discounting strategies next year will have to offer heavy reductions to entice consumers, so brands will need to forward plan assortments to build discounts into margins.Across Black Friday deals, tops accounted for the highest proportion of products marked down.

Retailers went steepest on bottoms, underwear and hosiery across the four days. Aéropostale drove heavy markdowns on bottoms, putting all of its jeans on sale for an average discount of 60 per cent off. Underwear and hosiery allow enticing discount depths without significantly damaging margins and offer low-priced add-on sales to meet price thresholds.

Blanket discounts and sale-on-sale dominate

However, the most significant proportion of discounted ranges happened in January. This indicates retailers marked down a broader range of goods at a subtler discount to move stock at the start of the year without impacting margins as harshly and saved more targeted price cuts for buzzier, clearance-specific events. Blanket discounts and sale-on-sale communications were abundant, with retailers trying to move through stock, like jewelry, denim, loungewear and partywear. Other major themes across Black Friday e-mails included buy one, get one and buy more, save more deals, exclusive membership offers and last chance steals.

Latest report published by Data Bridge Market Research titled ‘Global Knitwear Market’ indicates this segment of the clothing was valued at $644.29 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach $1,606.67 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 12.10 per cent. Changing perception of knitwear has helped the segment grow in popularity as knitwear moved from innerwear to outerwear and from local labels to designer collections.

A new perspective towards fabric

The key driver has been the surge in physical, sporting and outdoor activities and the versatility of knitwear is perfectly poised to cater to such requirements and across price segments. The pandemic-induced lockdown that began the WFH culture also contributed to the boom as more people opted for comfortable yet stylish clothing whilst they lived lives within limited physical perimeters. The lockdown also raised the collective consumer consciousness -- wasteful consumption patterns were under the spotlight, shifting focus onto consciously crafted clothes.

Knitwear complies with fashion’s accelerated sustainability efforts – not only does it involve designing a garment but also demands technical know-how about crafting the fabric. Designers and brands are exploring responsible materials and processes to weave their knits, highlighting transparency and quality. Another key driver for knitwear is its availability and accessibility as disposable incomes rise. Premium brands have played an important role in promoting knitwear as their sporty and outdoorsy interpretations have resonated well with the emerging new lifestyle that is health-centric.

Some challenges to overcome

The high cost of producing knitwear in developed countries is posing to be an inhibitor for the sector’s overall growth, more so with stringent sustainability and circularity laws being imposed in regions like the EU. Market share creation for established global brands is perhaps the greatest challenge in this sector as lower-end consumers for inexpensive local labels that not only suit their budgets but also cater to their tastes. With this factor in play, market growth for international and premium labels can be restrictive. In the forecast period of 2022-2029, North America will see a huge growth due to the region’s increasing awareness of healthy lifestyle, changing trends in the fashion industry and increase demand for seasonal outfits, such as sweaters and hoodies. Currently, Asia-Pacific dominates the knitwear market because of the strong presence of major manufacturers especially among various economies such as India China, South Korea within the region.

The Indian scenario

Recently Union minister for Commerce and Industry, Textiles, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Piyush Goyal paid a glowing tribute to Tiruppur, the undisputed hub of knitwear manufacturing in India. The hub recorded 22.87 per cent CAGR, which is unheard of anywhere else in the world of knitwear manufacturing. In 2022, Tiruppur’s domestic and export of knitwear touched a whopping $4.2 billion, with exports taking the lion’s share. The case is different in Ludhiana which is more focused on supplying for domestic consumption which is on the rise. In 2022, Ludhiana’s export figures stand at $0.18 billion and domestic sales at $1.6 billion.

Both, Ludhiana and Tiruppur have concerns with rise of circular and flat knitwear in Bangladesh but as the latter prefers to manufacture basic products, the Indian knitwear sector is slowly carving itself a position in the global and domestic fashion world with different fabrics, designs, construction and cuts. Ludhiana has chosen to focus more on winter clothing whilst Tiruppur on fashion apparel.

Meanwhile, manufacturers in Ludhiana known for its hosiery and woolen products worldwide are worried. They wait for the winter season for orders but this year, they are facing low buyer sentiment in addition to tough competition at the hands of the cut-and-sew industry coming up in UP and Bihar. In a cut-and sew industry, the labor gets the cloth, cuts and sews it for the market on cost-to-cost basis. As Darshan Dawar, Chairman, Ludhiana Woolen Manufacturers’ Association says, “We are facing tough competition from the cut-and-sew industry in UP and Bihar. The industry gets the cloth, makes jackets, sweatshirts, etc, and sells the products on minimal margins.” As per some manufacturers, production has come down from six lakh pieces per month to 3.5 lakh per month. Agrees Sudershan Jain, Managing Director, Oner, brand who says the season is low by about 20 per cent due to low buyer sentiments. However, he is hopeful at by January and February, sales will pick up owing to the wedding season and peak winters.