Clothes sold by fast-fashion giant Shein contain hazardous chemicals. So says Greenpeace.

Shein is the largest online-only retailer in the world, producing between 35,000 and 1,00,000 new garments a day.But these cheap clothes were found to contain chemicals at levels that breach EU regulatory limits.These chemicals threaten the health of consumers and ecosystems.

Chemicals released into air and wastewater throughout the supply chain pose a threat to human and ecosystem health. They also prevent clothes from being properly recycled - contributing to the vast global fashion waste problem. So a new top or jumper may not cost much but the environmental costs are huge.

This ultra-cheap model not only contributes to planetary warming but harms workers down the supply chain.At its core, the linear business model of fast fashion is totally incompatible with a climate-friendly future – but the emergence of ultra fast fashion is further accelerating the climate and environmental catastrophe. The fashion industry is responsible for more than ten per cent of carbon emissions and consumes approximately 100 million tons of oil a year. Every second, a truckload of textiles ends up in landfill or is incinerated.But despite the urgent need to decarbonise, demand for cheap items isn’t slowing.

The average consumer throws away 60 per cent of new clothes in the same year they were bought.

India’s cotton exports this year may fall short of estimates. Export enquiries are poor as Indian cotton is more expensive compared with world cotton prices.

The season started with very poor opening stock. Arrivals are not picking up as expected and domestic mills are gradually increasing capacity utilization. Cotton arrivals in November usually surpass 1.5 lakh bales a day. At present, it is at 1.3 lakh bales a day. In several areas, sowing and harvesting have been delayed. Further, farmers are waiting for prices to improve. Prices are down 35 per cent already. So farmers are not selling cotton. But there are no signs that prices would improve either.

Exports this season are expected to be about 30 lakh bales. Since October only 50,000 bales were exported compared to seven lakh bales last year. Another major reason for tepid demand for cotton is the slowdown across the textile supply chain globally. Almost 50 per cent of Indian cotton exports are to Bangladesh. But there is no demand from Bangladesh. A spinner in Bangladesh is able to get west African or US cotton at a relatively lower price. At this rate, Indian exports of raw cotton will probably only touch 25 lakh bales this season. It all depends on the global market for textiles.

To build a sustainable textile industry, India needs to invest in new products, build scale of operations, and improve competitiveness.

So say FICCI-Wazir Advisors in the annual conference TAG. The industry should also align with global buyer needs, value chain traceability and provide end to end services. Other measures include a focus on automation and digitalization to improve processes and efficiency levels, a focus on people and skill development, leveraging free trade agreements to tap new markets, developing capabilities and building capacities in synthetic textiles and technical textiles and adopting global best practices for manufacturing excellence.

Already the textile industry in India is shifting gears from linear to circular operations. Manufacturers are making concerted efforts to introduce sustainability by using innovative materials, safe dyes, reducing water and energy consumption, treating waste material and ensuring a greater focus on reducing, reusing and recycling, ensuring that both pre-consumer and post-consumer waste are controlled.

Zero Liquid Discharge, for instance, is a wastewater treatment process that removes all liquid discharge from a system. Apart from prioritising organic fabrics, the focus of the sector is all about conserving the natural environment. Other projects, like processing PET bottles to make recycled polyester fibers, are also underway. This has triggered the movement towards slow fashion that works on a‘fit-to-demand’ model, reducing surplus and investing in garments that have a long life.

A textile city is coming up in Chennai. Spread over 100 acres, it will house leading international brands from the textile industry.

Tamil Nadu tops third in the country in attracting foreign investments and exports in the textile sector and contributes 12 per cent of the total textile exports from India. Hubs will be established in Karur, Tirupur and Kancheepuram to promote textile exports. A textile park coming up in Virudhunagar district will be spread over 1,500 acres. Tamil Nadu wants to be a leader in technical textiles.

The state has withdrawn the market committee cess on cotton and has created a separate commissionerate for textiles. Incentives will be given for those who invest in the state in technical textiles. Annual cotton production in the state has increased to nine lakh bales and a scheme has been announced to increase the area under cotton. Several policy initiatives are being undertaken to address the needs of the textile industry. Tamil Nadu is attracting investment worth Rs 8024 crores, including a Rs 595 crore subsidy, under the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme. Further, the Centre has extended Rs 6 crores to Karur under the textile venture scheme. Under the Production Linked Scheme (PLI), six units are coming up in the state.

Carlos Crespo is leaving Inditex. He was CEO between July 2019 and November 2021 and was chief operating officer and head of sustainable and digital transformation at Inditex.

At the same time, the company announced the end of Pablo Isla's 17-year tenure as chairman, during which he also held the position of CEO. In April 2022 Marta Ortega was named as the company's new chairwoman. Since Marta's arrival at the helm of the company, Inditex has accelerated its progressive transformation in order to affirm its steps forward in terms of sustainability as well as to elevate its positioning and improve brand perception. The organization of high-profile exhibitions has been accompanied by the launch of more premium collections as well as collaborations with leading names in fashion.

In terms of management, one of its first changes involved the communications team. In April, Jesús Echevarría was replaced as head of the department by Raúl Estradera, one of the Ortega family's most trusted advisors. Echevarría had held the position as chief communications officer since Isla's arrival in 2005.

In the first half of the current financial year, the Spanish group increased its profits by 41 per cent. In addition, turnover grew by 25 per cent.

The value of imports for fur clothing, accessories and other items in the European Union has dropped more than 60 per cent over the past decade. So says animal welfare organisation Four Paws.

More than two billion animals end up in fashion supply chains every year. Many of them endure pain, fear and stress due to cruel mutilation practices and inadequate living conditions for the sake of clothing.

In a push to appeal to younger shoppers, increasingly sensitive to ethical and environmental issues, fashion labels have committed to banning animal fur. From 2011 to 2021, the trade value of imports in the EU slumped to $138.3 million from around $363.6 million. Fur also poses health risks, as evidenced by Covid outbreaks in mink farms that led to the mass culling of infected animals in 2020 in Denmark and the Netherlands. Brands are moving away from using wool from mulesed sheep.

By July 2023, 100 per cent of wool used by the retailer Target for clothing and bedding will be either from farms certified under the Responsible Wool Standard or equivalent standard, from farms fully traceable and verified as non-mulesed, or from recycled wool materials. However fur trim is still a huge part of the current fashion trend. French luxury giant LVMH still sells fur and is partnering with Imperial College London and Central Saint Martins to develop lab-grown fur fibers.

China’s total cotton production in 2022 is expected to increase by five per cent year on year. Northwest China’s Gansu province and Xinjiang are set to see cotton production increase by 22 per cent and seven per cent year on year, respectively, the report added.

Xinjiang is expected to continue to account for over 91 percent of the country’s total production due to higher temperatures than in previous years coupled with further increases in the planted area.Last year, Xinjiang produced almost 20 per cent of the world’s cotton, but this year’s deliveries have slowed due to labour shortages caused by strict coronavirus controls and lower-than-expected cotton prices affecting farmers’ confidence in selling.

The average Chinese cotton delivery price is down by 44 per cent year on year with cotton stocks up one per cent year on year. Cotton stocks in China are likely to experience further pressure, with demand weakening in October due to a slowing global economy, a sluggish textile industry and global inflation.Lower yarn imports and domestic cotton consumption are driven in part by domestic Covid lockdowns, foreign trade policies barring imports of China’s cotton products, and slowing global demand for apparel.

The United States has effectively blocked imports of all products wholly or partially sourced from Xinjiang, where China has been accused of committing rights abuses such as forced labour against minorities.

Australia’s wool industry looks to India with greater interest.

This follows the ratification of the new India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement, which is expected to grow India’s current market share of raw Australian wool. The lowering of the tariffs on processed wool into India and the removal of tariffs on greasy wool are seen as assisting in exports and allowing for a greater flow of value added products that come into India in raw form but leave semi processed or as finished products. In addition India’s progress in technologies such as natural and waterless dyeing, as well as its long history in artisan processes are of growing interest to the global audience.

The key focus is on expanding the wool trade between the two countries. Australian exporters, businesses, workers and consumers hope to reap the opportunities and benefits of more open trade with India. India has always been among the top three importers of Australian wool, taking between four per cent to 12 percent of the clip or around 8per cent on an average annually. Discussions are on between Wool Industries Australia and the Indian Ministry of Textiles about a wool joint working group. Woolmark launched its Grown in Australia, made in India campaign in 2017-18.

Vietnam’s garment and textile exports to Australia have increased 27 percent so far this year. Leather and footwear exports surged 41 per cent yearonyear. As of October 2022, Vietnam’s exports to Australia were up 33 per cent year on year.

At International Sourcing Expo which was held in Australia, November 15 to 17, 2022, Vietnam exhibited high quality garment and textile products. Such events are expected to create more opportunities for Vietnamese businesses to access the Australian market.

Australia’s garment imports from Vietnam grew 35 per cent in 2021 compared to 2020. Imports of T-shirts and innerwear grew 70 per cent year on year last year. Trousers and shorts, shirts and jerseys were also among the top five products but witnessed a lower growth. Imports of T-shirts were ten per cent of total apparel imports. Imports of innerwear were eight per cent of total apparel imports. Imports of innerwear grew by 87 per cent in 2021 over the preceding year. Imports of T-shirts also noted an impressive growth of 74 per cent over imports in 2020. Imports of trousers and shorts were 22 per cent of total garment imports and up 27 per cent from 2020. Shirt imports were 13 per cent during 2021, which increased by 43 per cent over the preceding year.

The EU’s strategy for sustainable and circular textiles is going to have a far reaching impact on the global industry including India’s. So says Wazir Advisors.

Once implemented, the sustainability strategy will actively target the issue of overconsumption through consumer awareness campaigns. The current trend of closets flooded with clothes will see a makeover. Producers as well as consumers are likely to become more conscious of the products’ suitability, durability and ability to be reused and recycled.

In March 2022, the EU issued this strategy that outlines its 2030 vision for textiles. By 2030, textile products placed in the EU market will be long-lived and recyclable, to a great extent made of recycled fibers, free of hazardous substances and produced in respect of social rights and the environment.

Other aims are to ensure consumers benefit longer from high quality affordable textiles, fast fashion goes out of fashion, and economically profitable reuse and repair services are widely available.

In such a scenario Indian apparel exporters have to undertake product development based on the use of recycled and alternate fibers, digitisation of all business processes, adoption of ESG guidelines and adoption of material traceability solutions.

In 2021-2022, India’s apparel exports to the EU were around 26 per cent of India’s total apparel exports.