US’ apparel imports surged by 17.60 per cent Y-o-Y to reach $ 6.98 billion in July’21, as per the latest OTEXA report. However, the volume of top three exporting countries, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia declined as compared to July ’20. As per Apparel Resources., the volume of Vietnam’s and Indonesia’s exports declined by 8 per cent while Cambodia’s exports declined by 29 per cent in volume.

On the other hand, shipments by India, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan grew significantly during the month both in term of value and volumes. The volume of India’s exports surged by 34 per cent while value surged by 1.40 per cent during the month. China’s exports surged 21.6 per cent in volume and 15.40 per cent in value. Bangladesh shipments grew by 35.10 per cent and 35.20 per cent in volume and value respectively. Pakistan’s shipments grew by 49.30 per cent in volume and 86.40 per cent in value.

Exports by Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras grew by double digits during the month both in terms of value and volume.

The Chinese cotton industry plans a new international industry standard-setting platform that would be fairer and more transparent than the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI). This decision was taken after Switzerland-based NGO failed to facilitate the positive and sound development of the global cotton supply chain.

As per a Textile Focus report, BCI has come under fire in China and overseas for making unfounded forced labor accusations against cotton from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in Northwest China. Recently US brand Levi Strauss stepped down from the BCI’s leadership after dispute about the group’s approach to potential human rights violations in Xinjiang’s cotton sector.

The decision by the US company comes after the BCI and H&M caused considerable outrage in China with their false allegations about Xinjiang cotton. The brand’s move was expected, as the BCI’s deception over Xinjiang cotton not only harmed the sector’s reputation, but also created uncertainty in the global textile supply chain.

Brazil’s textile output is expected to increase by 7.4 per cent to reach 2 million tons in 2021. Fernanado Pimental, President, Abit (Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association) says, revenues from the sector will rise by 9.2 per cent over 2020, bringing the total to R$57.5 billion.

Brazil’s textile output increased 36 per cent from January-May 2021 compared to the same period in2020. As per Textile Focus, Brazil was able to maintain production rate during the year by shifting to protective items, such as masks. Though the textile sector has not yet recovered its pre-pandemic numbers, outlook for the future is positive, affirms Pimental. The clothing sector is also showing signs of recovery after being shut down in April 2020. Sales revenues from the sector are anticipated to increase by 121 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year, when they fell by 81 percent, he adds.

Eastman and Milliken & Company have joined Accelerating Circularity, as new members of the US Steering Committee. The new members, who have both made investments in and commitments towards transition to circular, textile-to-textile supply systems, will support a wider range of chemical recycling options and textile manufacturing capabilities as the project moves into the trial phase.

Potential circular system trial feedstocks, fibers, technologies, and finished goods have been identified through extensive consultation with collectors, sorters, preprocessors, recyclers, yarn spinners, fabric mills and brands and retailers. Collection, sorting, and preprocessing of targeted trial feedstocks will begin September 1, 2021.

Accelerating Circularity is a collaborative industry project developed to accelerate the textile industry’s move from linear to circular. It was founded in 2019 with a mission to establish systems that will use the embedded value and resources in existing textiles for new products, reducing the millions of tons of textile waste annually going into landfills and thereby supporting the reduction of the industry’s GHG emissions.

Time and again, American customs officials have detained goods suspected of being made by forced labor. As per an AOL report, the US has been detaining goods suspected of being made by forced labor since 1930. This fiscal year, American Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, detained at least 967 shipments worth more than $367 million. This has forced brands to think about their legal obligations towards laborers employed by overseas suppliers, says Scott Nova, Executive Director, Worker Rights Consortium.

World’s largest disposable glove manufacturer, Top Glove recently announced success in addressing forced labor issues in the company and submitted evidence to the agency. The company reiterated its commitment to ensure workers' wellbeing, health, safety, and happiness in future.

International apparel brands have pledged to stop sourcing cotton from Xinjiang. Brands including Nike and H&M have issued statements boycotting cotton made with Uyghur forced labor. The apparel and footwear industry is committed to protecting its supply chains from forced labor, affirms Steve Lamar, President and CEO, American Apparel and Footwear Association. Companies are using new technologies and methods to monitor their supply chains, he adds.

Infrastructural challenges slacken work pace

However, brands have often criticized the CBP for the slow pace of investigations and lack of transparency. The agency relies on investigations made by nonprofit organizations to derive its conclusions. House Ways and Means Committee members have often pressured CBP to quicken its enforcement. However, the agency blames federal laws governing the disclosure of trade information for the slow pace of work.

CBP also faces infrastructural challenges while working on the forced labor issue. The agency has only four employees and lacks an official budget to tackle the issue. It established a Forced Labor Division in 2018, but it still had only about 12 staff members more than a year later, according to a report last year from the Government Accountability Office, or GAO.

No entry for forced labor imports

Experts believe, the US enforcement alone is not enough to curb forced labor as goods no longer allowed to enter the US can easily find their way to other markets. Countries therefore, need to ensure goods made by forced labor do not find a safe harbor for their goods, says Allison Gill, Forced Labor Director, Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum. Recently some countries including UK and France have implemented transparency laws that direct companies to report how they identify and take action against human rights risks in their supply chains, as well.

Other countries like Australia and Taiwan are also planning to implement US style laws, to curb forced labor practices. The European Parliament plans to adopt new laws banning imports made with forced labor across the EU. US lawmakers also plan to implement new laws to restrict forced labor imports. The Senate passed a new bill in July barring all imports from Xinjiang over concerns about forced labor. Nova believes, all these laws are feasible if brands show real commitment to address forced labor and provide the required resources for it.

Leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, Intertek has been accredited by the ANSI National Accreditation Board as an approved certification body for the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

As per a Textile Focus report, Intertek is accredited for GOTS to certify in three scopes; mechanical textile processing and manufacturing operations and their products; wet processing and finishing operations and their products; and trading operations and related products.

Customers using Intertek for GOTS certifications as well as Textile Exchange certifications (GRS, RCS, OCS), will also have access to Intertek Source Clear.

SourceClear brings visibility and traceability in supply chain relationships together with independent validation of product sustainability claims such as recycled content, organic materials, good environmental and social practices where products are manufactured and accurate labelling of products.

The Cross Industry Agreement (CIA) has revealed the results of a fiber fragmentation trial that has been carried out in advance of establishing a CEN Standard (from the European Committee for Standardization). Once confirmed, the standard will also become an ISO standard under the Vienna Agreement, providing apparel manufacturers and policy makers with a vital tool as part of wider work to reduce microfibre shedding into the environment.

The microfibre shedding test method was developed thanks to the joint efforts and cooperation of experts from 28 European, American and Asian organizations; the result was handed over to CEN in 2020. Since then, representatives from the CIA have been working with CEN to fine tune details in order to meet the requirements for a CEN Standard. To verify the reproducibility of the method, the partners have carried out a round robin trial (RRT) to determine if the method could be replicated in different laboratories and produce similar results. 10 organizations participated in the RRT, which was co-ordinated by the CIA, sending fabric samples to all of the laboratories involved and then collecting and analyzing the data.

The results from the RRT show statistically significant consistency, both within and between participating laboratories, which demonstrates that the method is both repeatable in the same setting and reproducible in other laboratories.

The International Fur Federation (IFF) has unveiled Furmark, a global certification and traceability system that it claims will not only guarantee animal welfare and environmental standards but will also transform” the way fur is processed through its supply chain.

The trade group, which consists of 55 members across 38 countries, developed the program with input from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the French conglomerate that operates marquee brands such as Fendi, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton.

The seal appears to be a direct response to the backlash against fur in recent years, especially in the West. A survey published last month by the Vegan Society found that 61 percent of Britons believe the use of fur is cruel, and 33 percent consider it outdated. Another survey conducted by Humane Society International and YouGov in 2020 found that 93 percent of Britons do not wear any fur, and 72 percent support a complete ban on the import and sale of the material in the United Kingdom.

According to IFF, Furmark is poised to change how fur is perceived, open fur up to a new audience and respond to unfounded accusations of those opposed to its use in coats, jackets and trims. Products that receive the Furmark stamp of approval feature a unique alphanumeric code that pulls up information such as fur type, fur origin and manufacturer name and location. To ensure consistent standards, the seal only includes wild or farm-raised fur from leading animal-welfare programs such as WelFur. Fully certified products must also be processed by accredited dressers and dyers who meet the SafeFur standard, which involves third-party testing and covers sustainability, chemical usage, emissions and product safety.

One of Asia’s most anticipated annual fashion events. Centrestage 2021will be held from September 10 to 12 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 200 fashion brands and designer labels from 24 countries and regions will participate in the three-day fashion showcase, presenting a wide variety of ready-to-wear apparel and accessories.

The spotlight opening gala show on 10 September, Centrestage Elites, will see the global launch of the latest 2022 Spring/Summer collections from local designers Calvin Chan and Joyce Kun’s renowned brand The World Is Your Oyster, as well as acclaimed Korean designer Mooyeol Lee’s brand, Youser, The show will be livestreamed through the CENTRESTAGE website and social media platforms Facebook and Instagram, employing augmented reality (AR) effects to enhance the online viewing experience.

For the first-time, Centrestage is open to the general public throughout the entire show period, giving consumer the opportunity to check out the latest styles and trends. Metakeys: Centrestage 2021

Uttar Pradesh plans to set up 10 more textile units in future. The state has already set up 15 textile mills in the past three years. As per daijiworld.com, the proposed 10 factories will be set up at the cost of Rs 442 crore and provide employment to 2,713 people. The state will also commence production at six more units in next three months. These units have been constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 97 crore. They include Jindal Handtex, Vivacity Homes, UV Garment, DS Exports, Rakesh International Trading Company and Shiva Polyplast. They have invested Rs 55 crore, Rs 4.24 crore, Rs 10 crore, Rs 2.5 crore, Rs 5 crore and Rs 20 crore, respectively, to set up their factories.

The government has also received investment proposals worth Rs 8,715.16 crore from 66 industrialists in the textile sector during the last four years. On completion of these 66 textile factories, around 525,087 people will get employment. The 15 textile units that have already come up in the state at the cost of Rs 756.91 crore have provided jobs to 4,800 people, whereas the six units which are expected to start operations soon will employ 1,500 people.