Sympatex Technologies has been certified as a B Corporation company. This German company develops, produces and distributes membranes, laminates, functional textiles and finished products.

The NGO B Corp was founded in 2006. There are over 4,000 certified B Corporations in more than 77 countries today. Some of these are Toms, Too Good To Go and Patagonia. All of them are united by the same goal to reconcile profit maximization with a social mission on their journey towards a responsible, environmentally sustainable and socially fair future for business. They aim at meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency and accountability in order to balance profit with purpose. They operate at the top of their class, excel in creating a positive impact for their stakeholders, including their workers, communities, customers and the environment.

The B Corp certification is based on a company's verified performance in the categories of corporate governance, employees and impact on the environment, customers and society. Every year, participating companies have to answer 200 questions on these categories, and the B Impact Assessment becomes more demanding every year. Sympatex has received the award for the second time. It was already recognized as part of the B Corp list of the best companies in 2019.

Global demand for readymade garments by big fashion houses from Bangladesh has dried up. This is coinciding with the peak season for purchase orders. Around 35 to 40 per cent of annual exports are made during this period. Orders from Western markets for the winter season and Christmas are almost ready for shipment. However, the products will go unsold unless they are delivered soon. As per Syed Nazrul Islam, Senior VP, BGMEA and a garment trader in Chattogram, products are ready for export and factory owners are anxious to dispatch their shipments.

The shutdown orders in Bangladesh have been extended to export-oriented manufacturing units as well. Factories will not reopen until August 5, at least. The situation presents an unusual predicament for the apparel industry, as garment factories were allowed to operate during the first phase of lockdowns in March 2020. Factory owners are reticent about resuming operations before the end of the lockdown in the face of an ever-worsening pandemic. Reopening factories in the face of soaring infections seems a dim possibility. Some exporters are toying with the idea of finishing the work with a small number of workers if the lockdown is prolonged. Before the second wave of the pandemic struck, the garment sector was seeing signs of a turnaround, but this optimism is slowly starting to dissipate. The only solution to the crisis seems a mass vaccination program for workers.

Swedish circular sportswear brand Houdini is committed to digitizing and connecting all its garments to cloud by 2023. The aim is to transition its entire ecosystem to 100 per cent circular by 2030. With this in view Houdini entered into partnerships with Eon and Ykk. Houdini's digitized One Parka is the first product to feature Ykk’s new Touchlink NFC zipper pull and the first parka to be connected end-to- end by the Eon product cloud.

Eon is a product on cloud platform in fashion retail -- powering the industry’s network for connected products. Eon digitizes physical garments to provide brands the digital backbone to connect directly to customers. Ykk, based in Japan, is known for zippers, plastic hardware, hook and loop fasteners, webbing tapes, and snap and buttons. It has integrated production and supply systems in 72 countries and regions around the world.

Connected garments lower the threshold to circular business models such as resale, rental, subscription, and recycling. They also enable brands to digitize and reinforce their relational business model, distancing further from the transactional customer relationships that have long defined retail. Turning the product into a communications channel connected products open a direct and continuous connection between brands and customers.

The ongoing fashion and textile trade shows Colombiamoda and Colombiatex in Colombia will be on till July 27. One of Latin America’s leading fashion industry showcases, this year’s events is being held in physical and digital formats. Exhibition spaces accommodates 400 companies and brands hailing from Colombia, Brazil, the US, Peru and Argentina. Over 4000 national and international buyers are expected to attend.

This is the first in-person edition since the start of the pandemic and the first time both fairs took place together. Colombiatex which usually takes place in January was tweaked to Colombiamoda’s regular July dates. The hope is that bringing together the entire value chain will further enhance the reactivation of fashion and textile sectors in the country. Inexmoda was the organizer.

All sanitary and safety measures were put in place to protect the health of exhibitors and attendees. The fair’s fashion agenda features 27 catwalks shows and digital presentations, including leading national and international industry names. The textile segment of the exhibition includes pavilions for fabrics and textile supplies, machinery, specialized manufacturing services and finished garments in categories such as denim, children’s wear, underwear and sportswear. Designers from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru presented their collections.

Innatex will be held in Germany, July 31 to August 2, 2021. More than 200 labels are set to appear at the international trade fair for sustainable textiles. The pandemic has presented an opportunity to launch new projects for the forthcoming Innatex. They include a special zone which will shine a light on African designers. Labels from Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda will present their ideas for sustainable textiles and fashion products. The aim is to break the notion that Africa is just a cotton-grower and a producer of other raw materials and introduce Africa’s vibrant fashion and textiles industry. The digital/analogue hybrid event is designed, among others, to draw attention to the extraordinary creativity, diversity and innovative spirit across the continents whilst opening up business opportunities along the supply chain.

The IVN (International Association of Natural Textile Industry), which sponsors Innatex, is staging its own pop-up showroom. In doing so, the association is creating its own curated space, showcasing the diversity and special features of its members. The future objective is to expand this space with the organiser to create an area that introduces visitors to different ways of presenting green fashion.

Following a long string of industry gatherings being cancelled due to Covid-19, the summer trade fair is an opportunity for the sector to get together.

Spanish clothing brand Mango expects to exceed 2019 profits this year. During the first six months of 2021, Mango has already achieved 21 per cent more turnover than in 2020, approaching 2019 levels. The company closed the months of May and June with sales above those of two years ago. Commercial margin also improved by 1.8 points compared to 2019, exceeding by 58 per cent. This increase is due to improvements to the collection, the proactive management of stock and fewer sales promotions.

Growth continues to be driven by Mango’s online channel, which remains on an upward trajectory. E-commerce closed this half year 37 per cent above the same period last year and 85 per cent above 2019. The online channel accounts for 46 per cent of total Mango turnover, four points higher than December 31 year end levels.

For its part, the network of physical stores was closed on an average almost 50 days during the first half of this year, especially affecting key markets for the multinational such as Germany, France, UK, Portugal and Turkey. There have also been considerable restrictions on opening and customer capacity in Spain, Mango's principal market in turnover terms.

China’s imports of cotton linter in the first half of 2021 were up 146 per cent year on year. As per a CCF Group report imports in the first and second quarter of 2021 were up 56 per cent and 262 per cent year on year. In the first half of 2021, imports from India, Turkey and the US were up 550 per cent, 548 per cent and 34 per cent.

In the first half of 2021, cotton linter import price fell to a 15-year low. The price of Indian linter is 3.5 per cent lower than the average while that of US linter is 33 per cent higher than the average. The cotton linter import price in June 2021 was up two per cent year on year. The price of Turkish linter is 11 per cent lower than the average while that of Indian and US linter is 12.8 per cent and 27 per cent higher than the average.

China’s consumption of cotton linter for staple-grade CLP has increased substantially this year, so have cotton linter imports from India, Turkey and Brazil in the first half of the year. Adding the US, imports from these four countries account for about 95 per cent of total Chinese imports.

Jordan’s garment industry has been spared the worst effects of the pandemic, proving to be relatively resilient in its adaptability to new market trends. Though Covid-19 has had a major impact on the garment industry throughout the world, Jordan being no exception, the economic downturn in Jordan’s garment industry has only had a 15 per cent reduction in exports and a full rebound is expected by the end of 2021. Thus the sector has fared relatively well in comparison with Jordan’s other sectors.

Jordan’s garment exports in 2020 made up 22 per cent of all Jordan’s exports. With 24 per cent of all exports going to the US, the US continues to be a major export market for Jordan.

However customs fees and taxes imposed on the sector have reached 47 per cent. Other challenges facing the sector include illegal e-commerce and the mail package trade that abuses regulations and allows entry of goods with exemption from customs fees. Anyone with a passport and a national identification number can order up to five packages a month, with exemption from customs. However, people abuse these regulations and use friends’ passports to order goods without having to pay extra customs or taxes and then sell these goods at low prices.

Some of the world’s biggest footwear and garment companies are seeing production pinched. Their factories in Southeast Asia are struggling to keep the lights on amid one of the world’s deadliest COVID-19 resurgences. Manufacturers in countries like Vietnam have suspended operations. Most factories that supply Nike and Adidas in Vietnam have suspended output. Production for the two companies accounts for about 80 per cent of Vietnamese footwear exports and employs at least 5,00,000 workers, or about half of the Vietnamese footwear industry’s workforce.

The temporary shutdowns come as assembly lines gear up for the holiday shopping season in the US and Europe. Delays could mean shoes, suits, sweatshirts and other clothes won’t be on department-store racks by Thanksgiving Day, the traditional kickoff for the holiday shopping season.

An export powerhouse, Vietnam not only survived but even thrived during the US-China trade war and the early phases of the pandemic. Still, its trade outlook was starting to show signs of faltering in the first half of July. Shipments of computers and electronics, as well as telephone equipment, contracted in the first half of this month from the same period a year ago, and footwear and garment producers could follow suit in the second half of the month. There could be some relief if factory operations in southern Vietnam are allowed to resume.

A webinar organized by Lenzing on July 21, 2021, explained how sustainable fashion is an important commitment for all parties involved in the fashion and textile industry in Indonesia.

Lenzing’s business partners act as representatives to reach local brand owners and consumers. One of them is Luckytex Indonesia, an integrated textile manufacturing company that produces various types of yarn, fabric, and printing for fabrics. Luckytex Indonesia provides a wide selection of materials, printing techniques, to various finishing to be able to provide various choices for brands and consumers. It also has initiatives to make production more circular, reduce and recycle wastewater and constantly innovates to provide more choices of sustainable materials. It is also in the process of replacing its energy sources with renewable sources.

Lenzing introduced Tencel fiber as the initial foundation for building an eco-friendly textile industry. Tencel, which is the main ingredient in yarn and fabric, is made from wood pulp from sustainably managed industrial forests. The natural fiber’s manufacturing process has a closed-loop production concept. This process converts pulp into cellulose fibers by optimizing resources and reprocessing waste into energy for re-production. Because it is made from natural basic ingredients, clothing products containing this fiber are able to decompose back into nature, making it safe for the environment and can reduce pollution.