Strong foreign demand, higher input costs for farmers and prolonged drought in Texas is leading to surge in cotton plantings by the US. This surge was a result of cotton futures in New York touching a decade high of 44 per cent during January-end over the last year. The growth on stock exchange was driven by projections for a second global deficit.

In this season beginning August 1, cotton planting by US farmers are projected to rise by 7.3 per cent to 12 million acre from the previous year, according to the National Cotton Council’s planting-intentions survey released Sunday.

Increase in cotton planting is also being driven by tighter cotton supplies and high demand for textiles in the global markets including China, India and Mexico. Global cotton consumption is also projected to surge by 2.8 per cent this year, as shown by data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Australia is expected to export cotton worth $3.5 billion this year, says Michael Murray, General Manager, Cotton Australia. In all the country will produce 5 million cotton bales this season. As per a Textile Focus report, the surge in Australia’s cotton exports this year will be a result of excellent seasonal circumstances returning to several drought-affected producing areas, as well as robust worldwide pricing of around $840 per bale. Australian cotton exports shifted shipments to other markets when the sector was involved in the fight of Chinese trade concerns in 2020, and exports to the important market virtually ended, according to Pete Jonhson, Cotton Analyst. Cotton prices were also pushed to the second levels worldwide due to COVID-related supply chain delays. Local producers benefited from the high prices by bagging new supply contracts, adds Stuart Armitage, Cotton Grower, Cecil Plains.

The Union government has extended the application date for the PLI Scheme for the Textile Sector to February 28, 2022. The earlier deadline for submission of the application form was February 14, 2022. The extension in application date is due to some issues related to the HSN code for technical textiles that need to be resolved. Until now, around 80 companies have registered for the scheme while 46 have submitted draft application forms.

The PLI scheme for textiles sector was approved by the government with an outlay of Rs 10,683 crore. It will promote production of MMF apparel, MMF fabrics and other products of technical textiles over a period of five years. The scheme was launched by the government on January 01, 2022. It aims to expand India’s MMFs and technical textiles’ value chain and help India gain a dominant status in the global textile trade.

In 2021, Bangladesh emerged the largest exporter of denim garments to the US for the second consecutive year, as per the latest OTEXA report. The value of Bangladesh’s denim garments exports to the country surged 42.25 per cent y-o-y to $798.42 million from $561.29 million in 2020.

Latest OTEXA data estimates, the US’ imports from Bangladesh increased by 31.36 per cent to $3.68 billion in 2021. Imports from other countries like Mexico grew by 39.60 per cent in value to $654.57 million while that from Vietnam grew to $402.29 million in 2021.

Pakistan’s exports of denim garments surged by 54.60 per cent to $389.76 million compared to the previous year. China’s exports of denim apparels grew to $387.91 million during the year.

High export shipments from the US, limited improvement in Indian cotton arrivals and an increase in Pakistan’s cotton production fuelled international cotton prices to a new high during the Spring Festival holiday. However, the celebrations didn’t last long as the Zhengzhou cotton futures market rose limitedly on the first trading day with domestic cotton market weaker than foreign market.

US cotton exports rise 18.3 per cent

As per CCF Group analysis by January 27, 2022, inspection volumes of the US upland cotton grew by 18.3 per cent year-on-year to 3.5771 million ton, show USDA stats. The inspection volumes of upland cotton and Pima increased by 16.7 per cent year-on-year to 3.6466 million tonne, about 95.1 per cent of the forecast production. The proportion of the upland cotton tenderable against ICE futures amounted increased by 8.1 percentage point year-on-year to 83.5 per cent for the marketing year.

Since January, the promotion of upload tenderable against ICE futures has remained high. Weekly exports have also rose due to sustained production and quality. By the week ending January 27, upland cotton exports for 2021-22 declined 15.1 per cent from previous week while they increased 10 per cent from prior four-week average. Cumulative exports declined 6.1 per cent year-on-year to 2.7195 million tons. Weekly exports increased by 52.7 per cent to 68.5000 tons from previous week and by 80.8 per cent from prior 4-week average. Total export shipments declined 41.9 per cent year-on-year to 885.2000 tons. Exports of upland cotton and Prima surged by 86 per cent to 2.809 tons during 2020/21 while total cotton exports surged by 33 per cent to 926,000 tons. The rise in weekly exports was mainly attributed to the stimulus from China, Pakistan and Vietnam. Exports from India also increased in January 2021.

India’s cotton production to reach 5.67 million tons

According to AGM, by February 5, weekly Indian cotton exports increased by 93,000 tons to 200,000 tons from the same period of last year and by 26,000 tons from the prior 3-year average. Total cotton exports increased by 780,000 tons to 3.27 million tons, up 780,000 tons from the same period of last year.

Currently, about 66-72 per cent of Indian cotton is expected to arrive in the market, though arrivals are expected to slow down later. India’s cotton production is expected to reach around 5.67 million tons this season.

End in arrivals from Pakistan boost spot cotton prices

Statistics from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners' Association (PCGA) show, new cotton arrivals increased 33.2 per cent year-on-year to reach 1.15 million tons on February 1, 2022. Textile Mills’ purchase increased 43.3 per cent year-on-year to 1.121. Currently, arrivals have ended and production has settled. This has led to an exponential rise in spot cotton prices while the prices of seed cotton show limited growth.

Cotton planting in Brazil improves

By the week ending January 29, the sowing progress of cotton crops in Brazil increased by 22 per cent from the same period of last year to reach 78.8 per cent. The current sowing progress is equal to that in 2019/20 season.

Overall, a surge in cotton exports from the US, improved arrivals of Indian cotton in the market and a minor rise in Pakistan’s cotton production led to international cotton prices hitting a new high during the Spring Festival holiday. Nevertheless, on the first trading day returning from the holiday, Global cotton production shows signs of growth in 2022/21. However, high cotton prices may drag down the consumption.

The ‘green dream’ of Bangladesh garment entrepreneurs seems to be going down the drain as they are not getting the expected benefits from retailers and brands. As per a Daily Star report, garment entrepreneurs in Bangladesh have invested hundreds of crores of taka to set up green factories across the country. Though these units are helping buyers source products from eco-friendly factories besides improving the image of the entire supply chain, they are not fetching premium prices from brands and retailers, said Md Fazlul Hoque, Managing Director, Plummy Fashions at the launch of an initiative of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and the embassy of Sweden in Bangladesh at the Brac Centre Inn in Dhaka.

Hoque added, green garment factories get only a 2 per cent rebate on final settlement of income tax. Bangladesh currently has 157 green factories, the highest in the world. Nearly 500 more garment factories in the country are awaiting their LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certifications, he informed

Industry leaders demand duty waivers

Nazma Akter, Founder and Executive Director, Awaj Foundation, a labor rights organization, urged buyers to pay fair prices for garment items produced at green factories as their production involves huge investments. Green factories should also attend to the welfare of the workers, especially female employees, she added. Consumers have been paying fair prices for goods produced in green garment factories. Yet, exporters fail to get their due, alleged Mohammad Hatem, Executive President, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA). To resolve this, the government needs to waive duties on imported chemicals used in green factories and reduce source tax, he opined.

Policy makers urge for new marketing initiatives

Christine Johansson, Deputy Head-Mission, Embassy of Sweden, urged manufacturers to introduce new marketing drives to get better prices. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry, also called for measures to increase apparel prices to solve current issues.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director, CPD sums up, manufacturers should fashion their green initiatives according to workers’ needs. Meanwhile, the garment industry will soon set new environmental standards.

The European Environment Agency (EEA) has published two briefings that highlight measures to reduce the industry’s impact on the environment. As per Recyling Magazine report, the measures include curbing resource use, greenhouse gas emissions and microplastic pollution. The first of this briefing is titled ‘Textiles and the environment’ It provides updated estimates of textiles life-cycle impact on the environment and climate.

The briefing shows, textiles caused the third highest pressures on water and land use, and the fifth highest use of raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. The industry required 9 cubic meters of water, 400 sq. mt. of land, 391 kg of raw materials, and caused a carbon footprint of about 270 kg per person during the year.

The briefing also looks at the ways circular business models and design can reduce the negative impacts from textile production and consumption by retaining the value of textiles, extending their life cycles and increasing the usage of recycled materials. It says, optimizing resource use and reducing emissions at production stage would also mitigate negative impacts as would better collection, reuse and recycling of discarded textiles.

The second EEA briefing ‘Microplastics from textiles: towards a circular economy for textiles in Europe’ looks at this specific type of pollution, highlighting three key prevention measures: sustainable design and production, controlling emissions during use and improved end-of-life processing.

The EEA briefing states, pollution can be reduced by using alternative production processes and pre-washing of garments at manufacturing sites with proper filtering of wastewater. The industry can also adopt other measures integrating filters into household washing machines, developing milder detergents, and generally taking better care of garment, to curb pollution, it says. Environment and climate impacts of textiles

The A/W22 edition of contemporary womenswear show Scoop x Pure ended on a highly successful note at London’s Turman Brewery. The fair held from February 8 to 10 offered an exclusive edit of over 172 contemporary and premium womenswear and accessory designer collections expertly curated by Creative Director of Scoop x Pure, Karen Radley.

The show celebrated an impressive line-up of new designers including premium collections from: Gee Gee, Lam, Freedom Moses, Blanca Pukara, Mou, Norr Copenhagen, Young Poets Society, Smith and Goat, Neon Denim Brand, Esmé Studios, and Thinking Mu. Returning favourites included: Primrose Park, Humility, Odd Molly, Mercy Delta, Conditions Apply, Christian Lacroix, Coccinelle, A. K jaerbede, D.A.T.E, Stardust, each showcasing their AW22 edits.

Buyers from across the country including buying teams from Anthropologie, Fenwick, John Lewis, and ASOS as well as a host of independent boutiques including The Place London, The Snooty Fox in Ireland, Velvet and Rose in Petersfield , Willow and Wolf in Marlborough among others attended the show. The next edition of Scoop will take place from July 12-14, 2022 at Old Billingsgate, London.

Expanding their partnership Fila and Krost have launched Krost x Fila, a collection of elevated apparel, footwear and accessories featuring premium fabrics and materials. The 22-piece collection features an assortment of men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, and the latest iterations of the unisex Krost x Fila Renno. The apparel range includes nylon tracksuits, tees, leggings, crewnecks, and biker shorts, as well as baseball caps, socks, and a duffle bag. It features terms like ‘Friends’ and Krost’s moniker ‘Support Your Friends,’ throughout the capsule, and is combined with the Fila F-box logo. All pieces are available in sizes XS - XL.

To complement the apparel collection, the two new colors have been created in neutral and navy hues. The first sneaker is designed in a white color with navy accents, while the second silhouette debuts in navy and white tones. The collection is crafted in recycled leather, mixed with materials including nylon, suede, and ripstop mesh.

Portuguese textile and clothing exports increased by 16.5 per cent to €5.419 billion in 2021 compared to 2020 and 3.9 per cent above the 2019 figure, according to the Textile and Clothing Association of Portugal (ATP). Export of knitted garments increased 9 per cent compared to 2019 to €2.336 billion. Home textiles exports increased 17 per cent to €763 million compared to the 2019 figure.

On the other hand, woven garments exports declined 19 per cent to €796 million, compared to the 2019 figure. France saw the largest increase in absolute terms, with a 18 per cent rise in imports. The French market now accounts for 15 per cent of total textiles and clothing imports, according to a report in a Macau-based news portal.

The non-European Union market was dominated by the US with a 31.5 per cent rise in imports to represent 8 per cent of the sector’s total exports. Spain suffered the biggest drop of €220 million. In 2019, the Spanish market represented 31 per cent of the total imports, while in 2021 its share fell to 25 per cent.