Business publication Quartz has released a report publishing the results of its investigations into the environmental claims made by H&M. The report exposed the discrepancies in the ratings given by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition using its Higg Sustainability Index. The ratings enabled customers to compare their purchases in relation to its environmental impact.

However, H&M proved the results on the index to be contrary to actual impact of the garment on environment. These discrepancies are a result of retailer ignoring negative signs in Higgs Index score, says Quartz. Using an example from the H&M website, Quartz displayed how the figures did not match the data provided on the Higgs website.

While most products on H&M website did not include the ratings, those that did were featured in a special page about their environmental record. Quartz stated words such as ‘less’, and ‘reduction’ were hard coded into H&M's website to portray that their environmental scorecards offer a green picture of their clothing.

The Higg Index has faced rampant criticism ever since H&M and other clothing retailers launched the effort. George Harding-Rolls, Campaign Manager, Changing Markets Foundation, and a long-time critic of the Higg Index, said the initiative was designed to mislead people.

Despite capturing the market for value-seeking Gen-Z shoppers by offering them huge varieties of cheap apparels, Chinese apparel giant Shein faces multiple complaints of copyright theft from big brands and boutique designers. As per a Market Watch report, its current value exceeding $100 billion and the support of its big-ticket investors like Sequoia Capital China and General Atlantic enables Shein to offer cut-rate prices to consumers besides helping it form new collaborations with online influencers and offer upto 6,000 new items a day.

Many contemporaries have alleged the company’s designs are influenced by others. Around 50 federal lawsuits have been filed against Shein or its Hong Kong-based parent company, Zoetop Business in the US alleging trademark or copyright infringement, according to public records. Complainants include both small-time designers and big retail giants including a unit of Ralph Lauren and sunglasses maker Oakley Inc, Independent designers too have complained against theft of products stories or designs on social media.

The pre-tax profit of British fashion retailer Mulberry rose by 363 per cent to £21.3 million in the year that ended 2 April 2022 from £4.6 million in the year-ago period. As per a Apparel Resources report, the retailer’s revenue increased 32 per cent to £152.4 million during the period. The strategic decisions by the company enabled it to increase its financial results, says Thierry Andretta, CEO, Mulberry. Reducing its promotional activities, the retailer focused more on its full-price channels during the year.

The brand has fully integrated its brick-and-mortar and digital sales channels. Its digital penetration continues to increase despite 16 per cent fall in online sales, adds Andretta. In future, the brand aims to closing stores and opening in better locations. Founded in 1971, Mulberry is known for luxury leather goods and fashion accessories.

To make the European Union carbon neutral by 2050, European Commission is adopting a Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles.

As per a Lexology report, this strategy focuses on sustainability and circularity issues in the textiles industry. It adopts a holistic approach to make textiles more durable, and tackle the issues of textile waste. The core aims are:

• Making all textile products in the EU market durable, repairable and recyclable. Making them with recycled fibres and ensuring they are free of hazardous substances, and produced with respect to social rights and the environment.

• Making re-use and repair services widely available.

• Make textile producers responsible of their products along the value chain with sufficient capacities for recycling and minimal incineration and landfilling, so that circular clothes become the norm.

The Commission also aims to introduce several mandatory product design requirements to enhance the quality, durability and environmental performance of textiles. It further aims to address the presence of hazardous substances used in textile products under REACH. It will consider revisions in laws to achieve zero pollution ambition besides addressing the issue of microplastic pollution. For this, it will review the manufacturing processes, pre-washing at industrial manufacturing plants, labeling and the promotion of innovative materials.

Encouraging on-demand manufacturing

Under the draft Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Commission proposes to make large companies responsible for publicly reporting the number of products they discard and destroy, including their approach to reusing, recycling, incinerating and land-filling. It also plans to introduce a ban on the destruction of unsold products, including appropriate unsold or returned textiles.

Additionally, the Commission aims to reduce returns of online purchases by encouraging on-demand manufacturing through digital precision technologies. It plans to introduce Digital Product Passports for textiles. These passports would enable provision of more information about a product to consumers and other entities in the supply chain.

Amend unfair laws

The Commission proposes to amend the Consumer Rights Directive to oblige traders to provide consumers with information on the durability and reparability of products. It aims to amend the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and practices to include excessively broad unverified environmental claims and products that limit their durability.

Introduce EPR scheme

Another proposal is to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for managing textiles waste. This will require member states to establish separate collections for textile waste by January 01, 2025. The Commission proposes to eco-modulate fees in the forthcoming revision of the Waste Framework Directive. Eco-modulation enables textile producers to pay EPR based on the environmental performance of their products. This helps incentivize the design and production of more environmentally-friendly products.

Initiatives by the UK government

From March 2021, the UK government has been encouraging the development of durable textiles products that are easy to reuse, repair and recycle. It aims to introduce an EPR scheme for textiles that will introduce new measures for development of betters for consumers.

The CMA is currently reviewing compliance to environmental laws in the fashion retail sector. The results of these reviews to further encourage people to buy recycled garments that are more durable and sustainable.

Global cotton market is witnessing a deep price fluctuation of late. As Seshadri Ramkumar, Professor, Texas Tech University writes in Textile Value Chain, prices shot up above $1.30/Ibs at the beginning of this season. However, they have been falling since then. Analysts expect prices to decline further due to a large availability of discretionary wealth fuelling demand for products and commodities.

Price fluctuations to increase market volatility

Such steep rise and fall is expected to make the cotton market extremely volatile in case of supply disruptions due to climatic conditions, production hindrances and demand slowing due to inflation. Hence, India needs to stockpile cotton as a reserve as does China.

Stockpiling to stabilize market prices

India’s stockpiling initiative can be led by the state-owned Cotton Corporation of India [CCI}, opines Gnanesekhar Thiagarajan, Director, Commtrendz Research, Mumbai. The government can alter CCI’s mandate to control price fluctuations. This will boost confidence across the textile value chain with farmers and end-user being well-protected.

The initiative will assure farmers about predictable buyer, and mills will be assured minimum cotton stock. For this, however, the farm infrastructure including warehousing facility and quality evaluation needs to be improved. India also needs to discuss the requirement of reserves and efficient disbursement of cotton with stakeholders, Thiagarajan opines.

Use scientific methods of manage data

Thiagarajan urges all stakeholders to come together for this initiative and manage cotton production and demand related data. They need to implement a robust and scientific estimation methods, The initiative can be led by the Central government on a national level and by United States’ Department of Agriculture at the global level. He advises the data to be relayed to end-users in a timely manner at fixed intervals during the cotton season. This will ease market pressure, making the market more confident.

Pakistan’s leading denim manufacturer AGI Denim has become the first B Corp certified company in the country on account of its focus on reinventing business with a purpose. As per The Spin Off report, AGI Denim has been certified by B Lab, the not-for-profit organization behind B Corp movement for meeting rigorous social and environmental standards. The certification covers the five impact areas: governance, workers, community, environment and customers.

To achieve this certification, B Corp applicants need to reach benchmark score of over 80 besides validating their socially and environmentally responsible practices related to energy supplies, waste and water use, worker compensation, diversity, and corporate transparency. AGI Denim achieved a score of 91.4 in the B Lab assessment with a clear focus on doing business with purpose.

The B Corp community represents a broad cross-section of industries, including well-known brands such as Aesop, Allbirds, Athleta, Eileen Fisher, and Patagonia. Recent attention on the denim industry makes AGI Denim’s B Corp certification mark a notable step and signals a shift towards greater accountability and transparency in the sector.

A new study from MediaVision shows, online fast fashion giants are facing challenges with interest in online fast fashion declining as shoppers return to high street and shop for secondhand alternatives. The study uses Digital Demand Tracker Tool to analyze data from AdWords and Google Trends. The analysis show, volume of brand searches for secondhand clothing retailer Preworn has jumped 344 per cent, while search for resale marketplace Vinted surged 62 per cent in the past six months. Searches for Vestiaire Collective have increased 17 per cent.

During this period online searches for ASOS-owned Topshop declined 60 per cent with searches for MissPap declining 45 per cent, says MediaVision. The search volumes for Missguided have fallen 21 per cent since the start of the year. At the same time, consumers have been looking for indie brands with search for partywear label Lavish Alice increasing 182 per cent. Search for never fully dressed increased 72 per cent and for Revolve by 71 per cent. Searches surged by 28 per cent for Coach and 23 per cent for Net-A-Porter, while searches for Agent Provcateur fell 22 per cent and for Brand Alley 36 per cent.

The analysis also found a significant increase in search for high street presence. For instance, searches for Moss Bros increased 127 per cent while search for Dune increased 100 per cent and for Phase Eight by 81 per cent.

A report by GlobalData Plc says, the US sportswear market is expected to grow at over at 6 per cent CAGR during the forecast period of 2020-25. Titled, ‘The United States of America (USA) Sportswear Market Size and Analytics’ by category (apparel, footwear accessories), segments (gender, positioning, activity, retail channel and key brands 2020-25), the report estimates, the US sportswear market reached $126.1 billion in 2020 with sports clothing accounting for the largest share in the growth. Clothing, footwear and accessories specialists were the leading distribution channel in the US sportswear market in 2020, followed by other online retailers and online specialists. Nike led overall sportswear market in 2020 followed by adidas and Under Armour,

During the forecast period, offline purchases are expected to dominate US’s sportswear market. Women’s sports clothing segment will grow over 6 per cent by 2025. Men’s footwear sales will be dominated by trainers but shoes and boots will emerge as the fastest growing category.

Data from Bridge Market Research suggests, polyester market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.7 per cent from 2022-29. Global polyester use opens up great opportunities for local Indonesian market to participate in the development and use of the material. As per an Indo Textiles report, the Indonesian textile industry currently uses polyester for various finished products such as printed futsal jersey that is made by combining polyester with nylon and spandex.

As polyester is hydrophobic and dries quickly, it is highly resistant to molding and wrinkling. Compared to other textile materials like cotton, polyester is also more resistant to AUS (Abrasion Resistant Steel). Additionally, polyester retains its shape even in bad weather and can be used as hollow fibers. This enables it to be used in the manufacturing of convection uniforms.

The Italian denim and streetwear manufacturer C&S is foraying into the luxury segment. The 40-year-old company has acquired Italian luxury denim and outerwear manufacturer Texo SRL As per a Textile Today report, C&S is increasingly establishing itself as a partner for jackets, shirts, outerwear and denim for brands like Haikure, Jeckerson and Purple. It has a state-of-the-art laboratory that provides prototyping and sampling services to designers besides giving them an access to a consultancy team for product development, trade and marketing strategies.

Texo’s addition strengthens C&S’ research and production solution division called Style Services Luxe. It also strengthen’s C&S’ relationship with domestic brands. Further, it helps the company establish itself as a special partner for the most important luxury brands.