Underwear imports by the US surged by 15.16 per cent to $359.63 million in January ’22, as per the statistics released by OTEXA,

China yet again started a year being on top of tally, US imports of underwear from China valued $78.47 million in January ’22, noting 11 per cent Y-o-Y growth.

Bangladesh and Vietnam followed close behind while and India remained just marginally decent in its exports to the US.

Vietnam reported a 23.15 per cent surge in under wear exports to $73.76 million during the month. Bangladesh noted a 45.15 per cent yearly growth in January ’22 to clock $ 49.73 million from its underwear exports to the US, while India’s yearly growth remained marginalat 9.52 per cent to $27.48 million

Scheduled from June 14-18, 2022 at the Istanbul Tuyap Fair and Congress Center, ITM 2022 will be the first and largest international textile machinery exhibition to be held after a three year break. As per a Textile Excellence report, the fair will launch latest machines of all leading textile technology brands. A leading sector in Turkey, the textile industry saw 40 per cent increase in exports during the pandemic. Turkey also broke records in export of medical textile, technical textile, and indoor textiles.

Sales of many European machinery manufacturers based in Turkey reported robust sales during 2020 and 2021. Turkish textile companies continue to make new investments and modernizations in sector to meet burgeoning demands.

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims to ensure by 2030 textile products sold in the EU market are sustainable , recyclable, made with recycled fibers and produced in compliance with social rights and the environment. Adam Mansell, CEO, UKFT says, EU textiles sustainability strategy aims to tackle issues such as destruction of unsold products and over reliance on shipping of used textiles to Africa. The federation is lobbying with the government to ensure it develops the technology and infrastructure to capture the value in discarded clothing, he adds.

The EU Commission believes, the strategy will benefit consumers by providing high quality textiles. They will also have access to re-use and repair services. Specific measures include: ecodesign requirements for textiles, clearer information, a Digital Product Passport and a mandatory EU extended producer responsibility scheme. It will also introduce new measures to tackle the unintentional release of microplastics from textiles, ensure the accuracy of green claims, and boost circular business models, including reuse and repair services.

The Strategy also aims to support and accompany the textiles ecosystem throughout its transformative journey. To achieve this, it has launched a collaborative tool called transition pathway for the textiles ecosystem. The tool will help the ecosystem to recover from negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic that have been affecting companies in their daily operations for the last two years. It will also strengthen their capacities to withstand both a fierce global competition and future shocks for their long-term survival.

Influenced by growing emphasis on health and wealth, the global market for functional apparels is forecast to grow at 7.3 per cent CAGR to reach $519.04 billion by 2027 says a new report by Reports and Data. In North America, the professional athletic apparel segment is anticipated to grow from $46.81 billion in 2019 to $80.37 billion by 2027. Sportswear manufacturers have initiated efficient commercial campaigns to raise awareness among target customers about their products. Under Armour has launched aggressive promotional activities after witnessing a surge in demand for sportswear products in 2017.

Sportswear companies are concentrating on technical advancement, use of updated equipment, and processes, cost reduction and enhanced efficiency in the sector. They are implementing compression technology to manufacture training clothing, shoes, and socks. The sportswear market is currently dominated by key players like: Nike Inc, Adidas AG, Asics Corporation, Hanes Brand Inc., Reebok, Jockey International Inc, Russell Brands LLC, Puma SE, Hugo Boss AG, and Columbia Sportwear Company, etc. The market is increasingly emphasizing eco-friendly products, generating new opportunities for industry growth.

Fashion brand Pangaia has signed a multi-year agreement with Infinited Fiber to scale the Infinna material technology that turns post-consumer waste into textiles. As per a Glossy report, regenerated textile fiber, Infinna has been the focus of Infinited Fiber’s research into material regeneration. The fiber is soft, with a natural look and feel of cotton. It complements cellulose fiber contained in most cotton-rich garments.

Elaborating on the process, Kirsi Terho, Key Account Director, Infinited Fiber says, the company first sorts all discarded textiles and removes the hard parts like zippers and buttons. The remaining fabric is shredded and then pre-treated to remove polyester, dyes and textile treatment chemicals, while also capturing the cellulose in the cotton for further processing. The next stage, called carbamation, turns cellulose into a dissolvable powder, which is then turned into a honey-like liquid and wet-spun into brand-new fibers. Finally, the fibers are cut, dried and baled, and can be turned into yarn.

The first product to be developed under the Infinited Fiber partnership will be a capsule collection of long- and short-sleeve T-shirts made from 100 per cent Infinna. They are available through Pangaia Lab . Through Pangaia Science, Pangaia will also promote the integration of Infinna into its existing products. Infinited Fiber will initially supply Pangaia with regenerated textile fiber from its pilot operation. Later, the fiber will come from its commercial-scale factory, which is set to become operational in 2024.

In the first half of 2022, Bestseller plans to access potential investment targets through OCA and CmiA. The company also aims to increase sustainable sourcing through its membership in Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). The recently published 2021 Sustainability Report by the Danish company highlights its focus on sustainability in denim through a strategy called Fashion FWD.

To achieve its ambitious goals, the company needs to increase investments in innovations and curb resource consumption, says Anders Holch Povlsen, CEO and Owner. It needs to take collective action in all areas from raw materials to end consumer and beyond. In 2021, Bestseller added several new fibers to its portfolio. Their brand Selected brought denim styles made with cotton from Africa’s new organic standard, CmiA-Organic. Similarly, Jack & Jones introduced a line of jeans made with Lenzing’s Carbon-zero Tencel fiber

Bestseller’s long-standing supplier Artistic Milliners launched fully traceable organic cotton called Milliner Cotton Organic in March 2021. Only developed new denim initiative called ‘Wiser Wash Jeans’ that eliminates pumice stones and toxic chemicals involved in traditional washing indigo denim. The first jean styles made with Wiser Wash are part of Only’s “NOOS” program of in-stock items and more will launch this year.

In 2021, Bestseller also completed a pilot of Higg Index Transparency Program with its Selected brand. The program enables brands to disclose the environmental impacts of fabrics across four areas: greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel consumption, water use and water pollution—in a consumer-friendly way. Jack & Jones, Vero Moda and Only have started trials. The company also conducted lifecycle assessments for two denim styles by Selected.

Leading global manufacturer of dry finishing machines, Mario Crosta hopes to consolidate its market position and registering significant growth by 2025. The company has redesigned some of its machines to enhance their productivity and performance. As per an Indian Textile Magazine report, the company has introduced new software that would help application of its machines easier. It has also launched new simplified solutions for drives and motors, reducing the time of maintenance.

In 2021, Maria Crosta recorded significant growth in Pakistan, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Turkey, South America and India markets. It was able to secure prestigious orders from a few Indian corporate companies.

Established in 1926, the Mario Crosta Group aims to meet customers’ demand in textile finishing with competence, timeliness and professionalism, through a highly motivated and involved team and a constant attention to research and development. The group offers innovative high value-added solutions to meet the growing technological needs of global textile companies.

A delegation comprising leaders from the Tiruppur Exporters’ Association, CITI, TEXPROCIL, AEPC and SIMA have urged Textile Minister Piyush Goyal to introduce ECLGS-like scheme for MSMEs to help units in knitwear sector overcome liquidity crisis. The delegation has also requested the government to remove 11 per cent import duty on cotton. It called for an immediate intervention by the government to protect the textile industry and also save jobs.

The delegation said the game being played by cotton traders is disturbing the entire textile industry, accessories, dyes and chemical suppliers, exports and employment including banks. Garment exporters are being forced to complete orders for the same price as buyers are not willing to raise prices. Compared to the corresponding period last year, knitwear exporters are also receiving lower quantity orders owning to the impact of Russia-Ukraine war.

Dystar’s new technical services laboratory in Bangladesh will offer comprehensive solutions from dyeing printing to finishing solutions. The laboratory adds to the three facilities of DyStar located in South Asia to support global brand and retailers’ needs.

The new facility is an extension of DyStar’s existing technical development services, to support the increasing demand from the global supply chain. The facility strategic location will also offer local and regional customers quality solutions with a shorter turnaround time.

A provider of products and services for the textile, leather, paper, plastic and other chemical industries, DyStar combines the textile dye businesses of the former dye producers Bayer, Hoechst, BASF, ICI/Zeneca, Mitsubishi and Mitsui with the auxiliary activities of Boehme and Rotta.

China-owned company Xihe Textile Technology Bangladesh plans to invest $12.89 million to set up a garments manufacturing factory in Mongla EPZ. As per a Business Standard report, the project will be developed by Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) in collaboration with Xihe Textile Technology Bangladesh. The factory will provide employment to 2,892 Bangladeshi nationals. This fully foreign-owned company will produce 5 million pieces of woven garments and 2.3 million pieces of knit garments annually.

The company has another RMG factory s Garments Manufacture JINLITE Bangladesh in Mongla EPZ. Mongla Export Processing Zone or Mongla EPZ is one of the eight export processing zones under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority. It is located in Mongla and is adjacent to the Port of Mongla. The zone received investment from 29 companies till 2015, of which 16 have gone into production and rest are under construction.