Concerned over Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Ludhiana exporters have suspended processing of orders they had received earlier. Vinod Thapar, President Knitwear and Shawl Club says, Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has created panic amongst exporters who have suspended the processing of the recent orders received from Afghanistan. Taliban might change rules and regulations related to international trade and incase civil war breaks out, shops and businesses might be shut down. However, the situation might normalize and trade resume without any problems once the Taliban appoints all ministers and government officials, he adds.

Harish Kairpal, Finance Secretary, Knitwear Club, adds Afghanistan accounts for sizeable exports from Ludhiana’s garment and textile industry. This fiscal, manufacturers have exported jerseys and other allied products of synthetic fibres worth about Rs 125 crore and sweaters and cardigans worth over Rs 33 crore. Advance payments of several crores of Afghanistan traders are lying with the Ludhiana industry. Exporters are under pressure to either process their orders or return their money, he adds.

The new digital traceability platform launched by Aditya Birla Group company- Thai Acrylic Fibre Co (TAF) will trace its flagship fiber brand – Radianza™. Backed by blockchain technology, the digital platform will ensure complete transparency and traceability for brands, retailers and consumers of Radianza™ fibre in the finished garment. The platform has been developed by Canada based company – Licof Inc, reports Textile Focus.

Radianza™ fiber is the first and only acrylic fiber to have Material Sustainability Index (MSI) Scores published by Higg Co based on the Life Cycle Assessment Impact study conducted by Thinkstep (now Sphera). The fiber uses the revolutionary gel-dyeing technology.

Earlier this year, the TAF become the first and only acrylic fiber company to become a bluesign® SYSTEM partner. The traceability platform will further strengthen the company’s leading position in sustainability in textiles. The company will work with its value chain partners to get the platform adopted across the entire value chain.

Bangladesh spinners are not willing to yield to demands of apparel and terry towel exporters, and reduce yarn prices. As per a Daily Star report, spinners may have another round of meeting with exporters to find an amicable solution to this problem. Mohammad Ali Khokon, President, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) informs, spinners have honored a previous commitment made during a meeting with garment exporters last week to maintain the current yarn prices. Currently, most highly in demand was being sold for about $4.25 per kg in local markets, he adds.

Shahadat Hossain Sohel, Chairman, Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers & Exporters Association, has urged spinners to ensure adequate supply of yarn at competitive prices as they have a lot of work orders from international buyers. Mohammad Hatem, First Vice-President, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, hoped that the impasse may soon come to an end through consultation among the leaders of relevant trade bodies.

The rate of polymerization declined 6.3 per cent to 88 per cent in Q4 from 94.3 per cent in Q4. As per a CCF Group report, the rate declined by 6.7 per cent from intra-year high of 94.7 per cent. In August, polyester capacity increased by 5.2 per cent to 65.54 million tonne. The theoretical loss of polyester production amounted to about 7.14 million tonne of this, the proportion of PET bottle chip is highest followed by PSF.

Based on current polymerization rate, the theoretical operating rate of PTA plants stands at 76-77 per cent, while PTA industry rate is near 77.2 per cent. Considering limited cut-offs in polyester products sector, the prices of PTA may decline. But, they are still in destocking path, and may remain stable-to-strong as a whole.

Overall, polyester raw materials are not likely to go volatile, and prices are expected to fluctuate within 6200-6400yuan/mt. According to the recent market situation, it is expected the processing fees of polyester products will moderately improve in the future, and some of the turnaround plants will also resume.

PT Mitra Kreasi Garmen, popular known as MILLS Sport, forayed into the sports shoes market with a new collection titled MLLS Footwear.

As per an Indo Textiles report, the new range includes a single type of shoe; the Treximo Omega, in various colors including white gold, black gold, black neon green, and ocean blue. Priced at Rp. 349,000, these shoes can be found at the MILLS official store or online.

Prior to entering the footwear business, MILLS was known as the official apparel sponsor of the Indonesian national team and also collaborated with several clubs such as Bhayangkara Solo FC, North Sulawesi United FC, PSG Pati, and Dewa United FC. Outside of football, Bali United Basketball Club has also established itself as a partner of Mills.

MILLS has also partnered with an English football club named Tranmere Rovers to produce jerseys and apparel for the team nicknamed 'Super White Army.' In future, it plans to football and futsal shoes.

Denim mill Arvind Limited has partnered with blockchain-enabled digital transparency platform TextileGenesis to ensure better transparency across its supply chain As per Sourcing Journal, the platform enables digitization and traceability of any textile asset such as fiber, yarn, fabric or garment through ‘Fibercoins’ or blockchain-based digital tokens—that any textile company can directly link to an asset.

Arvind recently doubled its transparency initiatives by joining the Ellen MacArthur Jeans Redesign project and supporting a pilot project by Fashion For Good. The company’s partnership with TextileGenesis will enable it to include full trace and track details of some of the most sustainable offerings, such as its single-origin non-conflict cotton Renaissance range of recycled cotton, polyester and other man-made fibers details.

For years, Arvind’s subsidiary Arvind Envisol has worked to expand its Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) wastewater technology beyond India. In 2017, it collaborated with the Ethiopian government to set up plants at Hawassa Industrial Park, and last year, it announced a strategic partnership with Hong Kong’s Epic Group, one of the world’s leading garment manufacturers, to reduce the latter’s environmental footprint across Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Jordan and elsewhere in India.

Laura Husband, Apparel Industry Correspondent, GlobalData says, modern slavery and forced labor are pressing issues for supply chains across multiple sectors and need to be addressed on a cross-sector and global level. As per a Textile Focus report, new research by Universities in Liverpool and Nottingham show no difference between the amount of modern slavery in apparel sector supply chains and other sectors. The report highlights the role job title and seniority rather than sector play in determining the level of priority given to modern slavery above supply chain costs and operational issues.

A recent US hearing of the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee also adds, current efforts to eliminate forced labor in global supply chains are falling short. The US has made a stand by banning all Xinjiang imported goods, including apparel due to forced labor claims. However, a US Department of Labor report highlights forced labour violations in more than 75 countries and more than 150 different everyday products – not just apparel.

To help the apparel, manufacturing and other sectors confront modern slavery issues at every level within the supply chain, Husband advises the industry to go for cross-industry and country collaborations.

The political uncertainty and chaos in Afghanistan is leading to a loss in orders and payments for textile exporters in Surat. As per reports, Surat exporters stand to lose payments worth Rs 400 crore due to the political unrest in Afghanistan. The order comprises Punjabi suits and dupattas made in the city that are in high demand in Pakistan and Afghanistan. More than Rs 100 crore worth of textile products are exported monthly to Afghanistan through multiple routes every month. But it has stopped in the current scenario, says Gurpal Singh, a manufacturer and exporter.

Another manufacturer Ravi Jain adds, many exporters have suffered heavy losses and no one knows when the situation will improve. Narendra Saboo, President, Surat Mercantile Association, opines, the situation might adversely impact the city’s textile business to Afghanistan.

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) launched TM212-2021, a new method to test fiber shedding during home laundering. This is a standardized method to combat aquatic pollution by quantifying the shedding of fiber fragments. These fragments are referred to as ‘microfibers or ‘microplastics.’

AATCC TM212 was developed to provide a means to determine the mass of fiber fragments released in an accelerated laundering setting. This method provides the global industry with a consistent and uniform test method to follow. AATCC TM212 defines standard nomenclature with the terms fiber fragment and microfiber, which address discrepancies that have long been a source of confusion for many who work to tackle pollution.

Originally assumed to be a plastics problem, natural fibers are also appearing in marine life's food cycle. AATCC TM212 is not limited to man-made fibers, as it can be used to determine the fiber shedding potential of natural fibers and blends. The standard is the result of collaboration, not only within AATCC committee RA100 Global Sustainability, but among stakeholders from several organizations including The Microfibre Consortium, headquartered in the UK, and the Cross Industry Agreement of European signatories.

A new report by the Textile Exchange shows, the market share of preferred fibers and materials grew significantly in 2020. As per the report, ‘the Preferred Fiber and Materials Market Report 2021,’ the share of preferred cotton increased from 24 to 30 per cent while that of recycled polyester increased from 13.7 to 14.7 per cent. The share of preferred cashmere increased from 0.8 to 7 per cent while market of responsible Mohair Standard certified fiber expanded from 0 to 27 per cent. FSC and/or PEFC certified MMCFs share increased to approximately 55-60 per cent while the share of recycled MMCFs declined to 0.4 per cent.

Quantitative data on leading organizations

A unique annual publication on global fiber and materials production, availability, and trends, the report includes quantitative data, industry updates, trend analysis of leading companies and organizations. It reflects the increase in brands’ use of preferred fibers and materials in 2020 with 75 per cent increase in number of the certified facilities, out of the total 30.000 facilities.

The standards these facilities certified to included Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Organic Content Standard (OCS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS), Content Claim Standard (CCS), Responsible Down Standard (RDS), and Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) among others.

Miniscule portion of global market

Despite an increase in certifications, preferred fibers still represent less than one-fifth of the global fiber market. In 2020, companies produced 109 million tonne of fibers in 2020, almost double its production of 58 million tonne in 2000. Their production is expected to rise 34 per cent to 146 million tonne in 2030.

However, to achieve this, the industry needs to rebuild its business to the pre-pandemic levels. It needs to adopt more sustainable practices, and reduce the consumption of conventional fibers and materials, opines La Rhea Pepper, Founder and CEO, Textile Exchange.

Shifting to more energy-efficient model

Textile Exchange’s Climate+ strategy urges the industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the pre-spinning phase by 45 percent by 2030. The industry needs to shift to a renewable energy model and adopt more regenerative practices, says Liesl Truscott, Corporate Benchmarking Director, Textile Exchange.

Textile Exchange urges apparel companies to commit the 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenges that encourages companies to source all their required cotton from most sustainable sources by 2025. It also endorses the 2025 Recycled Polyester Challenge that urges brands to increase the use of recycled polyester in their collections from 14 to 45 percent respectively, by 2025.

The non-profit organization encourages brands, retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers to track their progress by participating in both the annual Material Change Index (MCI) survey and the 2021 Textile Sustainability Conference in Dublin, from November 15-19 alongwith the concurrent preferred fiber and materials Round Tables Summit.