The fashion industry continues to make false claims without taking into account the varied conditions for cotton farming, says a report by Transformers Foundation. Titled, ‘Cotton: A Case Study in Misinformation, the report lays out a roadmap for accurate data research and industry-wide transparency. The ‘de-bunking’ section of the report highlights the portrayal of cotton as a “water-hungry” crop. It notes cotton consumes lesser irrigated water per hectare than rice, wheat, maize, soybeans and many vegetables. Unsubstantiated claims in the report are highlighted using a traffic light system.

Creating an actionable change

An European Commission report also highlights the deceptive sustainability claims made by several brands and companies. Debunking these false claims can help foster trust within the community and create an actionable change, says the report by Transformers Foundation. Highlighting rising pressure on farmers, the report focuses on the culture of distrust created due to a lack of education of cotton farming practices. It does not include aspects like the evaporation of water into the atmosphere during the growth cycle. Marc Lewkowitz, President and CEO, Supima says, brands tap into certifications to prove sustainability claims. However, they do not take the required efforts to monitor supply chains.

A blueprint for future research

There are a few instance of this in the report, in terms of pesticides use, says Elizabeth L Cline, author of the report. Pesticide sales figures indicated in the report are misinformed and do not correspond to pesticide use in farms. This data gap fuels a lot of mistrust about pesticides. Therefore, this report can be used as a blueprint for better research into specific areas that don’t have as much data, she adds.

Brands need to take small steps to take control of their supply chains, says Lewkowitz. They can achieve true sustainability through accurate data and metrics.

Milanese fashion trade show the Milanese White will be held in from, February 24 to February 27, 2022. The fashion trade show renamed ‘White - Sign of The Times’ will take place during the same days as Milan Women’s Fashion Week and will also enlarge its space. As part of an overall new strategy it aims to focus on conveying a more structured vision of the project.

The show aims at expanding and attracting a larger number of international exhibitors and buyers. The usual appointment WSM-White Sustainable Milano, the project dedicated to sustainability and technological innovation usually happens in January and June. This time it will take place within the two show editions corresponding to February and September and will occupy a new location. The overall evolution of the project is the result of a joint collaboration between the show’s founder Massimiliano Bizzi and Beppe Angiolini, White’s creative director and founder of the store Sugar in Arezzo.

White is the main trade show for women’s collections and the leader for international brands scouting. It represents the launching pad for the success of brands and companies, as well as a reference point for most of the key multi-brand and department stores in the world. Featuring the participation of over 550 brands and over 27,000 visitors, White is the marketplace where new trends for the fall/winter season are introduced to buyers from all over the world.

Welspun India has been selected as one of the world’s leading companies for sustainability by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. It has featured in the index due to strong environmental performance as well as significant improvement in its social and governance impact parameters.

Welspun India’s ESG Score stands at 48, which is over 62 per cent higher than the average industry score. Additionally, with a score of 45, the its environmental dimension scores are 75 per cent higher than the industry average, while the social dimension score, at 50, is 54 per cent higher than the industry average. A sharp focus on product innovation, customer centricity, inclusive growth and resource efficiency led to Welspun India’s entry into the prestigious sustainability indices.

Welspun aims at being carbon and water neutral by 2030 and united in its efforts in safeguarding the environment and communities at large. The company’s strategic efforts are to integrate ESG drivers and adopt a circular approach in all aspects of its operations.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index represents ten per cent of the world’s most sustainable companies of an industry that lead the scoreboard based on their performance across a variety of criteria, including economic performance, environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance.

Sangam India will set up multiple manufacturing units focusing on spinning, weaving, garments, knitting and processing over 100 acres of land in Rajasthan. This would generate direct/indirect employment for over 10,000 people. This investment will be funded through a combination of internal accruals, raising fresh equity and debts via financial institutions.

The expansion is expected to increase the company's revenue by 15 per cent from 2022-23. The expansion program will result in the installation of 32,832 spindles and six knitting machines for the manufacturing of cotton yarn and knitted fabric. The plan is to achieve an increase of 15 per cent in the overall business. The textile sector of India needs a major impetus, especially after the turbulent times faced by the industry during the Covid pandemic.

Sangam India produces PV dyed yarn and seamless apparel and plans to increase the existing capacity of its cotton yarn business by 47 per cent and knitted fabric business by 28 per cent. Sangam India’s revenue has doubled in the second quarter of this fiscal year compared to the second quarter of the last fiscal. Sangam is aiming at strategically leveraging the D2C (director) market and the digitised textile space to further elevate its reach and supply in India and overseas.

Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports grew 28 per cent from July 2021 to November 2021. This was mainly on the back of a massive depreciation in the currency’s value and a steady rise in global demand. The year-on-year growth in November 2021 was 35 per cent, reveals Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

Readymade garment exports jumped 23.4 per cent in value and 23.6 per cent in quantity during July to November, while exports of knitwear edged up 36.6 per cent in value but dipped 14 per cent in quantity. Bedwear exports grew 23.6 per cent in value and 23.9 per cent in quantity. Towel exports were up by 18 per cent in value and 9.4 per cent in quantity, whereas those of cotton cloth rose by 22.3 per cent in value and 16.2 per cent in quantity.

Among primary commodities, cotton yarn exports surged 65.5 per cent and those of yarn made from material other than cotton by 118.8 per cent. Exports of made-up articles — excluding towels — rose by 15 per cent while those of tents, canvas and tarpaulin dipped by an equal percentage during the period. Imports of textile machinery jumped 97.9 per cent from July to November, reflecting expansion or modernisation in the textile industry.

Netherlands and the International Labor Organization (ILO) will work on a project to address future skills needs in the garment sector of Vietnam. As a part of the two-year project, the ILO will support the government, employers’ and workers’ organizations in Vietnam to understand what skills the industry and its workers will need now and in future.

The project will focus on those at highest risk of losing their jobs as a result of the Covid crisis and increased automation and digitalization in industries. The project will apply lessons learn from similar ILO garment sector skills anticipation projects in the garment sector in Brazil, Ethiopia, Jordan and Peru and it will build on the achievements of past ILO skills development programs in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s textile and garment industry is key to the country’s growth and development. It employs about 2.7 million people, of which a vast majority, are women. However, the Covid crisis has hit the industry hard. In addition to factory closures and lost incomes, the pandemic has accelerated the drivers and megatrends that are changing textile and garment production. These include automation and digitalization as well as the introduction of greener and cleaner production to mitigate climate change.

Apparel exporters in Delhi-NCR are facing a labor shortage. There are hundreds of garment manufacturing units in the region. Owing to the scarcity of workers, factories are being forced to work overtime, and in night shifts, to complete orders on time. There are various factors responsible for the shortage of labor. A lot of workers have returned to their villages for marriages as well as for agriculture-related activities.

The shortage is despite a lot of effort to enhance skill development in the apparel manufacturing industry. Gurugram is facing a similar situation. Exporters have plenty of orders but the workers are mostly migrants. So many companies of Delhi-NCR have started their factories to states where labor availability is not an issue. So Matrix Clothing of Gurugram has an unit in Jharkhand.

Labor shortage has always been an annual concern for the industry during this season, but this time the struggle is a bit more ,as a chunk of workers, post-Covid, have not come back or have moved to other industries or businesses. However factories are not offering any lucrative wages to attract workers since the price pressure is already very high. Raw material costs have increased. Some apparel exporters of Noida work with prestigious retailers like Carrefour.

Asia-Pacific is likely to hold a significant market share from 2021 to 2026 owing to growth in the infant population especially in developing countries like India and China, reveals a research report by Research and Markets. Robust economic growth and rising household incomes are expected to increase consumer spending on children’s apparel and footwear products in the Asia-Pacific region. The growth in the number of high net worth individuals and urbanisation in Middle East countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, is creating huge opportunities for luxury children’s apparel brands to enter the apparel market of these countries. The growing operational expansion of key players in Asian countries is likely to boost the market growth in African region.

New product developments, in compliance with consumer trends, are expected to help in better positioning of products. Therefore, brands and retailers are focusing on expanding their product offerings by launching new apparel designs, in order to cater to the demographic segment of consumers.

Brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Stella McCartney and Gucci are offering luxury children’s apparel in the Middle East and North American region. Among the others are Carter’s, Adidas, Benetton, Gap, Nike, Disney, American Apparel and Dolce & Gabbana.

Orissa may get two new garment factories in coming months. Chennai-based Ambattur Fashions is all set to set up an apparel manufacturing unit with an investment of Rs 51 crores. The facility will produce men’s and women’s wear. Wild Lotus Fashions will also put up a factory with an investment of Rs 52 crores. This factory is expected to generate employment opportunities for over 560 persons.

The state’s primary focus has been on the employment-intensive sectors like apparel manufacturing which employs a large number of workers in a single unit. It will also help the state to arrange jobs for locals within the state. Currently, thousands of people from Orissa are working in the garment factories of other states. Orissa is offering a special incentive package for mega investments in textile and apparel including the technical textile sector. The aim is to make the state the textile hub of eastern India.

Mega-investments are being sought from major textile and apparel players. They have more than 1.5 lakh acres of land at their disposal. With multiple dedicated locations identified for setting up apparel parks, competitive land rates and ready to occupy industrial sheds, Orissa offers a compelling value proposition for units in the apparel sector.

UK-based SupplyCompass will onboard 5,000 fashion brands and their supply chains in India to drive sustainable practices. The aim is to expand in South Asia with India as its strategic hub. Over the coming year, StyleCompass plans to link up with brands and their supply chains as part of its work to enable fashion brands to work with their manufacturers on making their practices more sustainable.

The business also plans to hire an additional 200 employees within the 18 months. For SupplyCompass India is of high strategic importance. Make in India and Atmanibhar Bharat are expected to give momentum to India’s fashion and textile landscape making India a very important market for SupplyCompass. The business launched its supply chain software in January 2020 and it is now in use by businesses in Europe, America, and Asia.

SupplyCompass is a sustainable product development and delivery software built for brands. SupplyCompass is backed by some of Europe’s leading venture capital firms and businesses and is on an ambitious growth path to set a new gold standard.

India is already emerging as one of the fastest-growing fashion markets in the world as more global brands gear up for India’s launch. This is likely to create a ripple effect on the manufacturing side of the business too.