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India is look at Trump’s announcement of dumping TPP in a positive light. Since India was not a part of TPP, it could have suffered some diversion of trade with the US and other member countries as TPP countries alone contribute to nearly half of world’s total trade share. The US being India’s second biggest trade partner and the single biggest export destination accounts for over 15 per cent of India’s exports (in value terms) with pearls and gemstones, textiles and apparel and pharmaceutical products being the top items of export. India exported goods worth Rs 2.6 lakh crore to the US in 2015-16. TPP could have been a serious cause for India’s fall in trade with the US.
The TPP is a trade and investment agreement between the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru. India is not part of the TPP. These 12 countries together cover 40% of the world's economy. Said to be the mother of all trade agreements, the TPP was criticised and opposed by civil society groups for over seven years now. The agreement was also opposed because of the secrecy surrounding its negotiations that would have impacted the health, environment and labour of the countries involved.
The European Bioplastics Conference will be held in Germany, November 28 and 30, 2016. This is an international conference dedicated to bio plastics. Stakeholders in bio plastics segment will get acquainted with the latest global bio plastics market developments, regulatory changes, and material and product innovations, and network with hundreds of like-minded peers.
The event attracts more than 350 senior bio plastics decision makers from across the bio plastics value chain, policy bodies, NGOs, and brand owners. Bio-based alternative products manufactured from renewable resources can have advanced technical properties and functionality compared to their petroleum-based counterparts.
European Bioplastics is the association representing the interests of the bio plastics industry along the entire value chain in Europe. Its members produce, refine, and distribute bio plastics, such as plastics that are either bio based, biodegradable, or both.
Bio plastics are a major driver in the evolution of plastics and they contribute significantly to a more sustainable society. Bio plastics, including bio-based polyurethanes, are highly complex and sophisticated materials that can help make plastic products more sustainable and continue to develop the many benefits of plastics further.
Due to a growing awareness and demand for sustainable products and their impact on the environment, bio plastics materials are becoming the material of choice for a rapidly growing number of brands and customers around the world.
The most comprehensive show on advanced machineries and commercial solutions for laundry and dry-cleaning industry in Asia ‘Texcare Asia’ will be held in China from September 27 to 29, 2017.
This event is a highly specialised trade fair for modern textile care, catering to manufacturers and suppliers in laundry and dry-cleaning in the textile, fabrics and yarns industry. It features manufacturers of machines, tools and devices for laundry, ironing, dry cleaning and dyeing, owners of laundry chain store and franchises, manufacturers of machines used in cleaning of carpets, floor coverings, upholstery and buildings and plant construction companies as exhibitors.
Texcare will serve as an effective networking and trade platform to assist industry players in capturing new opportunities created for service-related industries, including businesses relying on the use of professional textile care services.
Buyers will be able to explore an array of integrated solutions and the foremost technologies for smarter textile management and energy control presented by leading suppliers in the field. With growing awareness about the significance of energy conservation and environment protection, intelligent and resources-saving concepts are gaining more attention within the industry across Asia.
In 2015, the show attracted 153 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions and set a new record with 10,267 visitors from 54 countries and regions, a 20 per cent increase from the 2013 event.
Taiwan-based Chain Yarn, is a one-stop shop for processes from design, development, polymerization to post-processing. Founded in 1988, Chain Yarn manufactures nylon chips, nylon fibers, nylon yarns and nylon air texturing yarns and offers an extensive range of yarns for textile and general industrial use.
The main focus is on innovative and professional value-added products. The company hopes to associate itself with professional fabric makers and brands around the world to become their strategic partner. The company has the technical experience, knowledge and cutting-edge facilities to supply best quality products to its customer with on-time delivery.
Chain Yarn’s key advantages are in its polymer material research, nano technology research, original process research, development of functional master batch and fiber, eco-friendly fiber research and development of industrial yarn.
The R&D center was set up in 2008 to enhance Chain Yarn’s competitiveness and make products which can conform to the principles of environmental protection and contribute to the industry, economy and society. Based on an excellent management team, professional and advanced technology, talented R&D team, superior facilities, vertical integration process, the best quality of world level, worldwide sales network and perfect tailor-made services, the company has set near, mid and long-term goals to design and innovate continuously, so that it can meet its customers’ varied requirements.
The ministry of commerce and ministry of labour in Cambodia has signed a MoU with the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC) and International Labour Organisation’s Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) for a programme to improve working conditions and boost competitiveness in the country’s garment industry.
The MoU has been signed to extend the partnership for three years, from January 2017 to December 2019, during which the partners will collaborate to build institutional sustainability of the programme. With the MoU in force, Cambodia has agreed to contribute approximately 25 per cent to the BFC’s budget over the next three years while international garment buyers sourcing from Cambodia who use the ILO BFC programme assessment reports and factories that participate in BFC training courses will contribute to programme operation based on fees for services rendered.
The BFC program will continue to assess working conditions in garment factories based on Cambodian labour law and internationally recognised core labour standards and to report on its findings publicly by detailing compliance and non-compliance of individual factories. BFC will also work with the Ministry of Labour to implement a joint strategy and action plan with the objective to support government’s capacity and ownership to uphold compliance with labour law and make necessary changes in the garment sector.
BFC is part of the Better Work Program, a collaboration between the ILO and the IFC which operates across three continents to catalyse change along global supply chains in the garment industry, the work of BFC will be an integral part, in the recently signed, Cambodia Decent Work Country Programme. In all, the MoU has been renewed five times by the parties since the ILO BFC programme began in 2001.
Within two weeks ago of 13 workers being killed in a fire at a factory manufacturing leather jackets on the outskirts of New Delhi world’s attention is being drawn by the horrendous working conditions endured by millions of garment workers in various RMG units. Now, in Bengaluru, garment workers are beginning to take a stand.
In a striking example of this growing self-advocacy, work in Bengaluru came to a halt on April this year as a massive protest by thousands of women working in the city’s garment sector blocked arterial roads.
Over 1,200 factories where 90 per cent of the 500,000 workers are women, function on the outskirts of the city. For decades, women have worked in exploitative conditions, earning a minimum monthly wage as low as Rs 4,000. But in a city full of migrant IT workers, their plight was largely ignored until news about an amendment in government rules concerning PF brought them out onto the streets. Not only did the government roll back proposed changes, the strike also brought stories of these women into the mainstream.
A study on occupational health and safety in the garment industry by Cividep, a Bangalore-based NGO on worker’s rights and corporate accountability, has come to the conclusion that the city’s garment workers often suffer from respiratory illnesses, tuberculosis, ergonomic issues like back pain, mental health problems such as depression and anxiety and reproductive health issues such as white discharge, irregular periods and excessive bleeding. Occupational health problems are common amongst workers in the garment industry in other parts of the world as well. Women in the garment sector also have to fight off sexual harassment from male colleagues.
With increase in cotton arrivals in market amidst sagging demand from spinning mills, prices that shot up last week in the wake of government’s bold move at demonetization, have started falling. Daily market arrivals improved to around 1.2 lakh bales (of 170 kg each) from around 80,000 bales last week.
After touching a high of Rs. 41,000 per candy (355 kg), prices have now come down to between Rs 39,000-39,500. Similarly, prices of raw cotton (kapas) have fallen down to between Rs. 4,900-5,000 from Rs. 5,200-5,300 that prevailed last week. Also, cotton seed prices have come down by Rs. 100-150 per quintal to around Rs. 2,200-2,250, trade sources said.
"Handloom export promotion council' booth is been an integral part of this year show as always. Just to put it in context, Handloom has purely an Indian lineage. A product which is an absolutely eco and skin friendly. A fabric which happens to be uniquely intriguing both to rich and poor and is quite versatile & vibrant. Also admittedly is well been introduced to this part of the world by this fair."
'Handloom export promotion council' booth is been an integral part of this year show as always. Just to put it in context, Handloom has purely an Indian lineage. A product which is an absolutely eco and skin friendly. A fabric which happens to be uniquely intriguing both to rich and poor and is quite versatile & vibrant. Also admittedly is well been introduced to this part of the world by this fair.
In fact it is already a priority of the existing government to popularise Indian handloom and 'Ministry of Textile'(MOT) is mandated to make Indian handloom popular globally.
Aiming to achieve the goal post, in the year 2015 under Ministry of Textile(MOT) "India Handloom Brand" was fondly launched. Referring to ISEA M.C.Gupta, Addl. Devolpment Commissioner (HANDLOOMS) states that this year we have brought 10 exporters of handloom products to ISEA & who all are engaged in handloom production.Among these 10 we have brought representatives from one cluster which has been developed with the support of 'Government of India' namely "Fulia Handloom Cluster".
Mr Gupta further explains very passionately "Apart from that we have brought loom which is demonstrating live weaving ". This amazing feature has already made us a big draw & therefore visitors are attracted like anything.This at large has generated lot of interest to go for adopting handloom products and resultant boost to handloom products both back home and necessary introduction to this market in particular and our global initiative in general.
Since India is into promoting handloom to global level so MOT is supporting fairs all over the world and this year we have planned 22 exhibitions in various countries in year 2016/17.
ISEA participation is a regular feature on our global fair agenda and this is fifth running year of participation and been very productive every single time.
Italian fabric maker Vitale Barberis Canonico has asked the country’s trade minister to address concerns about animal welfare and a wool market that seems to be struggling. So much so, Davide Fontaneto, a raw wool buyer from Vitale Barberis Canonico has urged action on animal welfare.
Fontaneto’s call follows European wool buyer Laurence Modiano’s letter calling for compulsory pain relief for lambs at the time of mule sing. Opined Fontaneto in an interview that at the beginning of this year the Australian Ambassador had visited Biella in northern Italy and so did the Trade Minister. Then, a letter highlighting the problem in the wool market was handed over to the minister and he was also informed about animal welfare and the problem of mule sing.
Canonico, which has been making textiles in the northern region of Biella since 1663, brings out eight million metres of fabric a year with a turnover of €116 million. Australian wool producers grow the world’s finest wool, but the global financial crisis seven years ago nearly killed the industry. Along with, a growing hunger for sheep meat combined with a concerted campaign by animal activists put further pressure on the industry with the national flock now half of what it was at its peak.
As demonetisation enters a fortnight, there is news that its after-effects seems to have taken a toll of the country's largest man-made fabric (MMF) sector. According to the Synthetic and Rayon Textile Export Promotion Council (SRTEPC), trade has lost steam with weavers, textile processors and traders facing severe liquidity crunch amid falling demand of fabrics and cloth from the key consumer market in the country.
Delegates from SRTEPC and around 17 other export promotion councils across the country (two members each from the councils) attended a meeting convened by the Central government on the impact of demonetisation on the trade and commerce in New Delhi.
The vice-chairman of SRTEPC, in his presentation on the impact of demonetisation on textile sector pointed out that the man-made fabric (MMF) sector is facing dire situation and is on the verge of collapse. Only 30 per cent of the units are operational whereas the rest have shut down due to the impact of demonetisation. SRTEPC's vice-chairman Narain Agarwal, barring spinning units, majority of yarn preparatory, texturizing, sizing, twisting, warping, weaving, processing and embroidery units have been paying wages in cash to the workers. They maintain accounts and it reflects in their balance sheets. After demonetisation, workers’ wages has become a big question. He SRTEPC has demanded unit owners should get cash in new currency. Meanwhile, workers would be encouraged to open bank accounts, he said.
Agarwal said from manufacturers to wholesale to retail and consumer, there was no demand in the market. Liquidity of cash has almost been squeezed. This has led to the closure of 80 per cent textile processing units and weavers are forced to operate eight hours a day and almost 90 per cent embroidery and knitting units closed.
