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DuPont Industrial Biosciences has collaborated with bluesign® for bio-based, high-performance polymer Sorona®. The bluesign® system unites the textile supply chain to jointly reduce its impact on people and the environment, ensure responsible use of resources, and guarantee the highest level of consumer safety.
As a bluesign system partner, DuPont Sorona brand joins a list of chemical suppliers, manufacturers and brands committed to applying the system in their business through continuous improvement of environmental performance and a focus on a sustainable future.
To qualify for the bluesign system partnership, DuPont Sorona brand completed a comprehensive company assessment and roadmap meeting — demonstrating its merit for the certification of its products. DuPont™ Sorona is a versatile polymer comprising of 37 per cent renewable plant-based ingredients, using 30 per cent less energy and releasing 63 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions as compared to Nylon 6. In addition to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels, Sorona polymer combines eco-efficiency with function for use in a variety of applications due to its performance attributes. Its exceptional softness, inherent stain resistance and uncompromising durability offer a sustainable, high-performing material option for customers throughout the supply chain.
Cambodia’s exports of garment and footwear products grew 9.3 per cent in the first half of the year. Textile shipments to the EU grew 10.66 per cent while those to the US rose by 10.73 per cent. These two markets jointly account for 72 per cent of Cambodia’s total exports.
Exports to Canada expanded more than nine per cent while shipments to the rest of the world grew by 10.10 per cent. The country’s economic growth for the year is placed at seven per cent, backed by a strong performance of the garment, tourism and construction sectors. From a macroeconomic perspective, the country is strong, with garments being one of the main contributors to national growth.
The EU is Cambodia’s top export destination, accounting for 40 per cent of all its exports. These have risen sharply in recent years, increasing by 227 per cent between 2011 and 2016. Cambodia now is second among all EBA beneficiaries in terms of trade volume.
Growth in export was achieved despite recent warnings from the European Union and the US that they would annul Cambodia’s preferential trade status if the human rights situation in the country fails to improve.
The Bangladesh government, along with many of the country’s employers and worker's organisations has signed on with the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) which will run until 2020.
The programme was introduced by ILO to identify industry challenges and set out corrective actions which industry can then look to work towards. The organisation has so far introduced three such programs in the last 15 years. The latest program will focus on the high unemployement among young people; particularly those with high levels of education, high and stagnating income inequality, inadequate social dialogue, low productivity in some sectors and the slow improvements made to the Occupational Safety and Health situation.
The areas highlighted include skills development and green growth; promotion of safe and clean working environments; social dialogue between government, employers and workers; and social protection for all workers and vulnerable groups including protection against climate change.
Bangladesh’s earnings from exports to Japan this fiscal are 11.73 per cent higher compared to fiscal ’17. Almost 74.8 per cent export earnings from Japan were from the readymade garment sector. Apparel exports to Japan went up 13.73 per cent rise.
Meanwhile, Japan has shown a keen interest in hiring skilled labor from Bangladesh for its textile industry. While attracting FDI from Japan, Bangladesh has offered a special economic zone. Currently, a total of 266 Japanese companies are operating in Bangladesh.
Japan will continue to grant duty free market access for Bangladeshi goods except hand gloves and arms even after Bangladesh graduates to a developing country status. As a least developed country Bangladesh enjoys duty-free and quota-free trade with Japan.
Bangladesh hopes to be a top knitwear supplier to Japan. The sector is growing in Bangladesh and has strong backward linkages and also manufactures quality products. The country hopes to increase its exports by 25 per cent by 2020. Huge orders are expected to come from Japan during the Summer Olympic games, to be held from July 20 to August 9, 2020, for knitwear products like T-shirts, polo shirts and sweaters.
The order intake index for textile machinery compiled by the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) for April-June 2018 period fell 15 per cent compared to the same period for 2017. The index value stood at 103.4 basis points. This drop affected both domestic and foreign markets. In Italy, the index stood at an absolute value of 141.4 basis points, i.e. 13 per cent less than for the period of April-June 2017. For foreign markets, sales fell by 14 per cent and the index stood at an absolute value of 99.6 basis points.
After two years of significant investments, textile manufacturers are now tightening up. However, growth margins still exist in a variety of countries. This fact appears even more relevant for Italy’s domestic market where, although registering a drop with respect to 2017, the order intake index for the second quarter has shown growth compared to the corresponding value for the year’s first quarter.
US specialty printing consumables market is expected to grow at 4.4 per cent CAGR from 2016 to 2024. Increased adoption of 3D printing technology across a number of applications has allowed the most prominent manufacturers of specialty printing consumables in the US to hold sway in the highly competitive market.
Despite shrinking demand from conventional applications that rely more on digitized copies of documents that previously needed printing, companies are expected to benefit from the thriving 3D printing applications.
Leading companies have already increased their focus on the area and are developing new product varieties to tap the rising set of growth opportunities that the trend is offering. The office and professional segment is presently the dominant contributor to the US specialty printing consumables market due to the extensive use of specialty printing in the office and professional space. The construction and introduction of new office spaces in the country is expected to further drive market growth in this sector.
The toner segment, which accounted for the dominant share of the overall market in 2015, is expected to be the largest segment in the US specialty printing consumables market over the forecast period.
"To keep up to the sustainable promise, apparel companies need to invest in finding cotton alternatives. These solutions need to be holistic and intentional, designed to alter the status quo, points out Anita Chester, Head of Sustainable Raw Materials at C&A Foundation. For her, collaboration is the key. Talking about the challenging scenario, she says most fibres in the materials mix of the fashion industry have environmental and social impacts. Viscose is associated with deforestation and chemicals in its processing. Synthetic fibres require less water and land than cellulose fibres, but their production is based on fossil fuels and is energy intensive. In addition, these fibres are non-biodegradable and shed plastic microfibres. A big challenge is waste. Three-quarters of all used material processed along the fashion value chain are lost in landfills. Less than 1 per cent of all materials in clothes are recycled into new garments."
To keep up to the sustainable promise, apparel companies need to invest in finding cotton alternatives. These solutions need to be holistic and intentional, designed to alter the status quo, points out Anita Chester, Head of Sustainable Raw Materials at C&A Foundation. For her, collaboration is the key. Talking about the challenging scenario, she says most fibres in the materials mix of the fashion industry have environmental and social impacts. Viscose is associated with deforestation and chemicals in its processing. Synthetic fibres require less water and land than cellulose fibres, but their production is based on fossil fuels and is energy intensive. In addition, these fibres are non-biodegradable and shed plastic microfibres. A big challenge is waste. Three-quarters of all used material processed along the fashion value chain are lost in landfills. Less than 1 per cent of all materials in clothes are recycled into new garments.
Speaking on cotton expanse, she says cotton represents over 90 per cent of plant-based fibres in the industry and is a widely grown crop in over 80 countries. It is also an input-intensive crop. When grown conventionally, it consumes huge amount of pesticides, herbicides, and water. Although it doesn’t compare with input-intensive chemical farming for yields, organic cotton cultivation does have substantially lower input costs that can largely benefit farmers. But organic cotton accounts for less than 1 per cent of the global cotton production. Its cultivation faces unique, deeply rooted challenges that prevent it from being widely adopted. With a view to enhance cotton production, C&A Foundation is working with over 40,000 farmers in five countries to help them transition to organic practices.
Addressing the challenge
In 2017, C&A brought the first gold level Cradle-to-Cradle Certified products to market in stores across Europe, Brazil, and Mexico. C&A has also
expanded the Cradle-to-Cradle Certified collection from ladies to include men, kids, and teens. Following its successful launch in the Netherlands, C&A rolled out the in-store take-back program to four additional retail markets: Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and a pilot in Brazil. Ikea met their 100 per cent sustainable cotton goals some years back, and their 2030 commitment includes designing all Ikea products with circular principles using only renewable and recycled materials. Adidas and Parley continue to raise awareness about ocean plastic pollution. Their creative footwear solutions utilise Parley Ocean Plastic, a proprietary textile made from recycled plastic retrieved from oceans, proving that footwear companies are able to adopt sustainable manufacturing practices at scale.
Switching to eco materials
Brands have started future-proofing their business with an aim to expand eco horizons. Brands know it for a fact that consumptive behaviour is largely fuelled by affordable fast fashion, and yet leaders have shown that innovative business models like Mud Jeans, where fashion is leased, can also work without depleting finite resources. The North Face Renewed, which just launched in June, is a collection of products sourced from returns or defective items, cleaned and repaired to the quality of a new piece of clothing, and then sold online at a discount. This is a great example of future circular business models where companies continue to earn revenue while keeping material value in the system.
Chester says change is always slow but yes there will be a shift around raw materials that are restorative and regenerative. Growing consumer awareness on issues of pollution and climate change have a major impact. Businesses will have no choice but to speak the language of the millennial shopper and act accordingly going forward.
Woolmark and Adidas have launched the Woolmark Performance Challenge. This is a global competition for 2018-19, offering the chance to uncover and nurture innovative young minds from across the globe. It is a new annual competition for tertiary students aimed at pushing the limits of product innovation. It provides them an opportunity to develop innovative new product applications within the sports and performance market, by applying the science and natural performance benefits of Australian merino wool.
The winner will be awarded a cash prize as and career development and commercial opportunities including a three-month internship with Adidas. Taking advantage of the explosive growth in demand for sportswear and active wear, wool’s position as a technical fiber allows it to meet increasingly demanding consumer needs for comfort and performance. Wool is recognised by leading sportswear brands and manufacturers for its technical benefits including resistance to odor, superb breathability and moisture management capabilities.
The Woolmark Performance Challenge is a new phase of Woolmark’s product development program. It provides an opportunity for young talent to find a place for their exciting innovation on the international stage, while pushing the infinite possibilities of merino wool into unchartered territories.
Adidas is a leading sports brand. Woolmark Performance Challenge was launched in January 2018.
Texhub will be held in Turkey from November 7 to 9, 2018. This is a comprehensive business platform for exhibiting superior garment fabrics and accessories. The exhibition will see Turkish and foreign participants, including well-known companies from the Chinese and the Indian textile industry, and many European participants, especially the UK.
Around 180 companies will exhibit their products. The event will provide significant opportunities for new business connections. Turkey imported 658 circular knitting machines in the first four months of 2018 – almost three times as many as in the first four months of 2017. The 658 circular knitting machines imported so far this year came from eight countries - three European countries and five countries in the Far East.
Turkey is one of the world's leading manufacturers of knitted fabrics. As Turkey’s textile exports grow, the country’s textile manufacturing companies will have to upgrade their machinery, parts and components, as well as the manufacturing processes. Turkish textile companies are also being encouraged to consider technical collaboration with foreign partners.
There is a strong textile market in Turkey and a strong garment manufacturing market. Because of the small distances people choose to do both in the same place to save transport costs, and lots of mills now are also manufacturers.
Textile Export Promotion Council of India (Texprocil) has urged the government to allow accumulated input tax credits on fabrics available with the weavers as on July 31 to be adjusted to GST payment on outward supplies in both domestic and export markets. GST Council has allowed refund of unutilised input tax credit to taxpayers in the textiles sector in the last meeting. Then, in a notification, the Central Bureau of Indirect Taxes and Customs has said the accumulated credit lying unutilised as on July 31 would gap.
Ujwal Lahoti, Chairman, the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council, stated cancellation of unutilised credits will lead to serious problem in the textiles sector and push up the cost of inventory. Further, manmade fibre textiles and yarn attract 18 per cent and 12 per cent GST respectively. Whereas, the GST rate on fabrics is only 5 per cent leading to accumulation of input tax credit due to inverted duty structure. Most of the dyes and chemicals and packing materials used in the textiles sector attract 12 per cent and 18 per cent GST.
As per the Central GST Act, Section 54 allows refund of unutilised input tax credit shall be allowed where the accumulation is due to inverted duty structure. While the intention of the government is to provide refund of accumulated input tax credit due to inverted duty structure and bring down the cost of products, such bifurcation the input credit accumulated before July 31 and after August 1 for the purpose of refunds has led to serious concern.
Fabrics manufacturers have waged GST on all their inward provisions both goods and services and have legitimate input tax credit and therefore it is not proper on government to let it lapse.
