Global leader in sustainable fiber solutions for the apparel industry, the LYCRA Company, has completed the self-assessment at all six of its fiber manufacturing sites by using the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM). As per Business Wire, the module reviews environmental management systems, energy use, emissions, water usage, wastewater, and waste and chemical management at the facility level. It also helps manufacturing locations establish an environmental baseline to pursue continuous improvement.

The module was introduced at LYCRA Company’s Maydown site, in the North West of Northern Ireland, more than a year ago. Based on initial learnings, the remaining five production facilities completed self-assessments simultaneously. These modules were posted to the Higg portal in December 2020 and can now be shared securely with customers upon request through the Higg platform.

The Higg Index suite of tools was developed by The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). The Higg FEM gives manufacturers, brands and retailers a clear, holistic picture of facility-specific environmental performance and impacts. Assessments help identify and scale opportunities for sustainability improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities and the environment. The LYCRA Company, the only spandex (elastane) producer member of the SAC, plays an active role on several sub-committees of the coalition.

Slovakia-based JEKA Studio has upgraded the single step, digital, direct-to-garment, production on demand technology of its Kornit Storm HD6 system, JEKA Studio produces a variety of production services for agencies, e-commerce businesses, and end consumers, spanning various quantities. In addition to digital DTG production, they offer offset printing, large-format digital printing, screen printing, sublimation, embroidery, and other services.

The studio installed the Kornit Storm HD6 system with scentless fixation and eco-friendly NeoPigment inks to produce garments at a 30 per cent faster rate, while higher-quality impressions have delivered an increase in orders.

It offers the best digital print technology in the market, with its increased color gamut and retail quality helping the company grow its customer base and accelerate future expansion plans.

As per Chris Govier, Managing Director,Kornit Digital, JEKA Studio demonstrates how Kornit’s customers continue to grow and expand their capabilities as the company continuously develops its systems, and continues to meet the demands of today’s web-driven, see-now-buy-now consumer mentality.

An Alabama-based textile manufacturer HomTex, has received FDA Emergency Use Authorization to make level 1 surgical masks, greenlighting its entry into the US government and medical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) markets.

The company manufactures 3-ply disposable masks and reusable cloth masks and plans to soon produce NIOSH N-95 masks in a new plant in Selma, Alabama. HomTex has the largest capacity in the US to produce 100 percent made-in-America masks with facilities in Cullman and Mobile, Alabama; Tennessee; South Carolina; and North Carolina.

While hospitals and governments have been struggling to provide safe PPE for Americans, defective and fraudulent masks, often made in China, have flooded the US market. According to the Associated Press, federal law enforcement has seized 10 million counterfeit N95 masks alone, and the US Customs and Border Patrol announced in June 2020 that it seized 750,000 counterfeit face masks in 86 incidents. Due to emergency procurement rules put in place during the pandemic, China and other bad actors have access to the US market that otherwise would be banned. By selling defective and counterfeit masks at rock-bottom prices, fraudsters are exploiting US buyers with unsafe PPE and undermining US-made manufacturing.

A Parliamentary panel has urged the textile ministry to accelerate formalities to set up the proposed seven mega textile parks within a definite time frame. As per Outlook India, the project is currently awaiting cabinet approval.

The government had announced the MITRA (Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel Parks) scheme in this year’s budget to attract an investment of Rs 10,000 crore and generate 150,000 jobs in the sector.

Expressing concern that during 2020-21, only Rs 24 crore could be disbursed as MUDRA loan to 4,278 sanctioned loans, the panel urged the ministry to take up the matter at appropriate levels so that appreciable disbursements are made under the scheme for the benefit of handloom weavers.

The Standing Committee on Labor also urged the textiles ministry to make the census process of handloom weavers more robust and foolproof to ensure genuine identification of weavers and actual dissemination of resources to them. It also urged the ministry to enhance cotton exports and reduce imports.

It also said the ministry should earmark a part of the Budget allocated under ATUFS (Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme) for research development on upgradation/modernization of the textile industry so that the import of high quality machinery can be decreased gradually.

Further, it urged the ministry to abolish anti-dumping duty, differential tariff rates, high labor and power costs, and improve logistic arrangements.

According to the data released by the General Administration of Customs of China, the country’s apparel and textile exports grew by over 40 per cent in the first two months of this year, due to the low base effect caused by the pandemic.

As per a China Textile report, the total value of China’s imports and exports in the first two months of 2021 increased by 32.2 per cent to 5.44 trillion yuan. Of this, exports increased by 50.1 per cent to 3.05 trillion yuan while imports increased by 14.5 per cent to 2.38 trillion yuan.

In the first two months of 2021, the total value of imports and exports in goods trade reached USD 834.49 billion, up 41.2 percent over the same period last year, of which exports reached USD 468.87 billion, up 60.6 percent, and imports reached USD 365.62 billion, up 22.2 percent.

In dollar terms, the accumulative exports of textile and apparel during the first two months of 2021 increased by 55 per cent to reach $46.18 billion. Of this, textile exports increased by 60.8 per cent to $22.13 billion while apparel exports increased by 50 per cent to $24.05 billion.

Renowned for its pioneering seamless crinkle stretch Maxxam® fabric, innovative textile producer Maxxam Textiles , is launching Eco-Maxxamfeaturing Q-Nova, a state-of-the-art recycled nylon from Italy which aims to reduce CO2 emissions, consume less water and use renewable energy.

For making this yarn, Q-Nova utilizes an environmentally sustainable recycled polyamide 6 yarn made from industrial waste and carries the Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Global Recycled Standard (GRS) Certification.

In the last seven years, Maxxam Textiles has acted as its own converter working with partner factories based in the UK to produce the finished fabric. With a huge revival in popularity from swimwear brands including Bond Eye, YOU Swim and many other brands, the new Eco-Maxxam option now offers an even more sustainable choice for swimwear, activewear, leisure and loungewear, womenswear, and kidswear.

The US Cotton Trust Protocol has added Advance Denim as its new member. The brand’s membership marks a significant step in their ambitious sustainability program which employs advanced technology and innovation to minimize the manufacturer’s environmental impact. It aims to ensure transparent supply chain for its customers by sourcing for more sustainable fibers.

The Trust Protocol is a new initiative that provides fashion brands and retailers with the critical assurances they need to show the cotton fiber element of their supply chain is more responsibly grown. It works by providing member brands such as Gap Inc and Next access to the Trust Protocol credit system to validate consumption of cotton and associated credit; and to aggregate year-over-year data in six sustainability areas: water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, soil carbon, soil loss, and land use efficiency.

Mills and manufacturer members of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol play a key role in providing this more secure and transparent supply chain to brands and retailers. As a member, Advance Denim can now provide its customers with all-important confidence about the U.S. cotton in their sourcing mix. Advance Denim joins over 200 other mills and manufacturers as members of the US Cotton Trust Protocol.

Pakistan textile and apparel exports grew by 11 per cent year-on-year in January ‘21.

As per a report by the Textile Network, the country’s dependence on fiber imports is threatening its domestic processing industry at the time when prices of all types of fibers are soaring across the globe. Its previous year’s polyester fiber supply was heavily impacted by the more than two months outage while cotton crop failure lifted polyester and viscose demand for cotton replacement.

This caused its textile imports to soar by 50 percent in January with raw cotton imports expanding 15 percent to 113,074 tonne. In light of improved fiber demand, the Pakistani textile sector continued to invest in capacity expansions along the chain.

Picanol Group has acquired a minority stake in Rieter Holding AG, amounting to a total of 467,236 shares for a price of €45.4 million.

With this stake in Rieter Holding AG, Picanol Group aims to further diversify its activitiesin the textile industry and secure a stable shareholding for Rieter Holding AG in the long term.

Rieter is the world’s leading supplier of systems for short-staple fiber spinning. Based in Winterthur (Switzerland), the company develops and manufactures machinery, systems and components used to convert natural and man-made fibers and their blends into yarns. Rieter is the only supplier worldwide to cover spinning preparation processes as well as all 4 end spinning processes currently established on the market. Furthermore, Rieter is a leader in the field of precision winding machines. With 15 manufacturing locations in 10 countries, the company employs a global workforce of some 4,420 people.

Picanol Group is a diversified industrial group active worldwide in the fields of mechanical engineering, agriculture, food, energy, water management, the efficient (re)use of natural resources and other industrial markets. The group's products are used in a variety of applications, industrial and consumer markets. The group has approximately 7,000 employees worldwide and it is listed on Euronext Brussels (PIC) via Picanolnv.

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The first round of seminars will be held in March during the International Sourcing Show and will include sessions such as ‘International Sourcing Outlook’ and ‘Survive and Thrive: Leveraging End-to-end E-commerce Solutions.’

Furthermore, the show will continue to feature Click2Match, an AI-powered online business matching platform. Buyers and suppliers can use the tool to enjoy functions such as a meeting planner, video meetings, live chat and e-business card exchange, helping them to overcome barriers under the pandemic and build business connections around the world.