One of Europe's biggest fast fashion chains, Primark has decided to introduce sustainable farming methods to an additional 125,000 smallholder cotton farmers in in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh by the end of 2023. As per a Reuters report, the group's sustainable cotton program trains farmers to preserve biodiversity by using fewer chemical pesticides and fertilizers. It also lowers raw material costs besides improving yields and profits for the farmer. Owned by London-listed Associated British Foods (ABFL), Primark aims to increase the number of farmers in the program to over 275,000 by the end of next year.

The brand currently makes 40 per cent clothes from recycled fibers or more sustainably sourced materials. Almost all major brands are being pressurized to adapt sustainable supply chains and address the prevalent waste culture in the industry. Primark hopes to make a difference with its new initiatives.

To counter Nike’s shrinking sales Foot Locker aims to promote Adidas’ products in its retail chains. The retailer plans to triple Adidas’ sales of sneakers and other items at its stores. The two companies will target over $2 billion in retail sales by 2025, enabling Adidas to generate up to €100 million ($105.41 million) more in revenues this year. The collaboration will include product allocation and shared marketing spend. It will focus on key Orginals franchises including NMB, Superstar and Stan Smith.

The retail chain also aims to reduce Nike’s product share in its store from the current 70 per cent to 60 per cent in 2022. With more than 2,500 stores across the world, Foot Locker is a leading global athletic footwear and apparel retailer. Since 1975, the company has become an icon in the global street culture, sneaker scene and athletic lifestyle. Its longstanding collaborations with biggest brands enables it to offer the latest products to consumers.

Vanessa LaFebvre has been appointed new president, Global Activewear Segment, American apparel company HanesBrands. LeFebvre will lead the company’s growth across global brand Champion by focusing on innovation, key markets and new channels. Prior to this, LeFebvre was the senior vice president, commercial, North America at Adidas. She was responsible for the brand’s e-commerce, retail stores and wholesale growth. She was particularly known for delivering significant growth and profits in the North America region.

LeFebre’s extensive experience, leadership and energy will enable Hanesbrands to build on strong momentum for its Champion brand and drive long-term global growth, says Steve Bratspies, CEO, HanesBrands. Prior to joining Adidas in 2019, LeFebvre served as president of Lord and Taylor. She has held several senior leadership positions and merchandising roles in her career with reputed retailers like StitchFix Macy’s, Daffy’s and TJ Maxx.

Around 260 of the world’s best-known retailers and brands collectively sourced 2.5 million tons of Better Cotton in 2021. As per a Textile Today report, this accounted for 10 per cent of global cotton production adding up to 47 per cent increase in 2020 sourcing volumes. A founding member of the Better Cotton program, Ikea was able to meet its sustainable cotton sourcing goals by sourcing through the Better Cotton program. As per Arvind Rewal, Global Cotton Development Manager, IKEA, the retailer was able to deliver its sourcing commitments and currently sources 10 per cent of cotton required in supply chains globally.

Another member, Riachuelo aims to improve social and environmental practices by reducing the environmental impact of cotton farming, as well as improving the safety and well-being of cotton farmers, says Alesca Magalhaes, Executive, Sustainability, Riachuelo – Better Cotton Retailer and Brand Member.

Retailers and brands across the industry are driving sustainability in cotton farming by: supporting cotton farming communities. Since 2010, the Better Cotton organization has also been exploring public-private partnerships to initiate action for achieving more sustainable development in the cotton sector.

Despite first-quarter sales being impacted by lockdowns in Greater China, Adidas maintains its goals for 2025, says Kasper Rorsted, CEO. Rorsted says, sales may drop in double digits in 2022 as markets are unlikely to recover soon. However, it is expected to grow robustly in future. Russia-Ukraine war has not impacted consumers’ buying behavior, adds Rorstted.

A German multinational corporation, Adidas AG is headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. It designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the world, after Nike. It is the holding company for the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, 8.33 per cent of the German football club Bayern München, and Runtastic, an Austrian fitness technology company.

Revenues of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) surged by 144.2 per cent Y-o-Y i to over 5.15 trillion VND ($224.26 million)in Q1FY22. The association recorded a pre-tax profit of 376.7 billion VND ($16.4 million) during the quarter.

The association’s revenues from the textile industry increased by 139 per cent, while revenues from the garment industry rose by 167 per cent over the same period last year.

Cao HuuHieu, General Director, Vinatexattributes the growth to the sound control of COVID-19, enabling businesses to deliver the orders they received from 2021 and accept more orders, along with stable prices of cottons and labour cost, a news agency reported.

This year, Vinatex plans to speed up digital transformation to improve its operating efficiency, he says.

Vinatex has completed 63 per cent of its yearly target in textile production, while its garment has recovered to the same situation as the pre-pandemic period, adds Le Mac Thuan, General Director, Vinatex

Italian manufacturer of knitted fabrics for apparel, underwear and sports, Innova Fabricshas incorporated Roica™ by Asahi Kasei, the Japanese leader of premium stretch fiber, in its new responsible line RF (Residual Free).

Roica ™ V550, part of the Roica Eco-Smart™ family, is the premium, sustainable stretch yarn that degrades without releasing harmful substances into the environment, according to the Hohenstein's environmental certification. Roica V550 also carries the Gold Level Material Health certificate from the Cradle-to-Cradle Product Innovation Institute, which evaluated the yarn's impact on human and environmental health.

The strong relationship established between Innova Fabrics and Roica™ by Asahi Kasei is a long-standing one: from the very beginning, the textile company chose Roica as its main reference for premium stretch, using RoicaColour Perfect™ in most of its articles.

Pakistan’s textile and garment exports grew by 25.43 per cent Y-o-Y in value to $14.242 bilionin the first nine months of fiscal 2021-22, as per the data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

Knitwear exports by the country surged by 34.12 per cent Y-o-Y to $3.729 billion during the nine-month period, while exports of non-knit readymade garments increased by 26.24 per cent to $2.863 billion.

Bedwear exports increased by 19.33 per cent to $2.448 billion during the nine-month period

Pakistan’s cotton yarn exports increased by 25.97 per cent to $908.487 million in July-March 2021-22, as against exports of $721.216 million made during the corresponding period of 2020-21. Exports of cotton fabric also rose by 26.51 per cent and were valued at $1.795 billion during the period under review.

On the other hand, synthetic fibre imports surged by 27.51 per cent year-on-year to $562.281 million, while imports of synthetic and artificial silk yarn rose 30.10 per cent to $650.219 million during July-March 2021-22.

Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has included Upholstery & Trim International Council (UTIC) and its members into the association. The association comprises manufacturers and distributors of fabrics and accessories for applications in the automotive, marine, industrial and contract markets.

According to Brian Joyner, Chairman, UTIC, the council aims to protect and advance the interests of businesses providing aftermarket products and services to all their markets. UTIC educates, informs, serves, and provides networking opportunities for companies that manufacture or distribute interior and exterior fabrics, associated hardware and other specialty products.

UTIC’s annual convention focuses on building relationships between the premier trim wholesalers and exhibitors in the auto industry. This year’s UTIC Convention is scheduled for November at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

Footwear has been excluded from the 1,157 products included in the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), finalized on May 1.

According to FAQs prepared by the Commerce Ministry on the pact, the CEPA is likely to benefit about $26 billion worth of Indian products subjected to 5 per cent import duty by the United Arab Emirates.

The pact has also stringent product-specific rules of origin that reflect the requirement for substantial processing. The certificate of origin, a key document required to avail the duty benefits under the pact, will be issued by the UAE ministry of economy to prevent circumvention of the rules of origin criteria.

The agreement has built-in protection to ensure that no third country product enters Indian market through the UAE and benefit from concessional tariffs without being substantially transformed, the FAQ document added.

The agreement is operationalized and implemented through a joint committee, which would meet biennially to review the agreement to consider additional measures to further enhance the pact.