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The digital printing market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.48 per cent between 2017 and 2023. Growing demand for sustainable printing, development of packaging and textile industries worldwide, and reduction in per unit cost of printing with digital printers are expected to drive the growth of the digital printing market worldwide.
The ink market for digital printing is expected to hold the largest share of the digital printing market between 2017 and 2023. The overall digital printing market includes the digital printer market, ink market for digital printing, and print head market. The ink market for digital printing has the largest share of the overall market owing to its extensive benefits in digital printing, since they are waterproof and UV-resistant, and do not have any significant environmental impact.
UV-cured ink is expected to hold the largest share between 2017 and 2023. UV-cured ink for digital printing is the fastest-growing segment, which offers various advantages such as quick drying, environment-friendly, low price, and resistance to UV rays, which are very important for printing on plastics, textiles, and others. As a result, UV-cured ink is increasingly replacing solvent ink despite being more expensive. North America held the largest share of the digital printing market in 2016.
The industry will be coming together from September 20 to 23, 2018 at the Clothing Machinery Fair to be held at Tüyap Fair Convention and Congress Center. The show will attract manufactures of state-of-the-art, efficient and sophisticated machinery from Turkey and worldwide. The fair will permit clothing manufacturers that implement new technologies and care about design development to compare machinery alternatives and guide new investment decisions.
Participating companies will be able to expand their international network and display their brand value to the world. Organised to provide clothing manufacturers a platform, this fair will give visitors the opportunity to see cutting-edge sewing machines that drive the imagination with their compact, easy-to-use features. An integral part of fashion in recent years, embroidery machines used in embroidery work, especially for home textiles, underwear and outerwear, will be showcased. Designers who wish to create high-quality embroidery quickly and easily will have the chance to closely examine machinery that incorporates latest technology.
Businesses that like to minimize downtime through speed and automation will find the opportunity to compare computerised ironing machines that can multitask and deliver all requirement of the clothing industry; specially tricot ironing machines, clothing ironing machines and steam generators will be available under the same roof. An entire selection of computer-aided pattern making software used in the ready-made clothing industry will be brought together. These machines provide savings in printmaking and materials and will help companies in the industry to increase their competitiveness.
Well known for its application oriented textile and engineering education and close ties with the textile industry, DKTE Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji has won prestigious ‘Best Industry-Linked Technical Institute-2017 Award’ in the nation-wide survey jointly conducted by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII). This is the second time that DKTE won this coveted award. The objective of the survey was to assess and reward the institutes with good industry interaction.
Around 9,525 colleges across the country had shown interest in the survey. The entire process was online where institutes were asked to fill in all the data of their curriculum, faculty, infrastructure, placements, governance and research and services for the year 2015-16 and 2016-17. Post generating objective scores for the full survey, screening and shortlisting was done by an eminent jury comprising experts from industry and academia. DKTE emerged as the winner in Chemical and Allied Engineering Institute category in this survey
The jury was impressed by the commendable progress made by the institute in the area of training, placements and MOUs with industries. They were also impressed by the 100 per cent placement record, training in industries of textile graduates for the last 35 years. The research and publications of faculty and students, state of the art equipment worth 50 crores, intensive interaction with industries and alumni, MOUs with national and international industries and universities, seminars, workshops and training programmes organised and 100% placement of students for the last 35 years impressed the jury members. This was mentioned in the survey report published by AICTE-CII.
The faculty members are deeply engaged in carrying out research sponsored by industry as well as in-house research. As a result of this, as many as 650 research papers have been published / presented by the faculty members in reputed national and international journals as well as in important national and international conferences.
The Pakistan Ready - made Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) has asked for a relaxation of duties on import of yarn to encourage value addition, reduce the cost of doing business and bridge the gap between production and consumption. Its demand arises post the government’s decision to withdraw sales tax and customs duty on the import of cotton to help spinning mills.
The association has requested the textile division to submit a summary to the Economic Coordination Com¬mit¬¬tee of the cabinet for duty relaxation on the import of yarn. PRGMEA’s chief coordinator, Ijaz Khokhar said, “The government will have to provide a level playing field to the whole textile chain instead of supporting only yarn manufacturers which have around 350 units against the value-added sector comprising 10,000 units across the country.”
Khokhar said the government is going to facilitate cotton imports despite the fact that around 1.86 million bales of cotton are lying unsold in the country. Thus, it must remove restrictions on yarn imports too, he added. Since the apparel sector has already a very limited production line owing to a lack of latest fabric varieties at the local level, harsh duties are resulting in a significant decline in apparel exports. The apparel industry is already suffering from low productivity due to a shortage of cotton yarn, high energy cost and discriminating import duties on the its raw material. He is of the view high-quality cotton yarn has to be imported for the production of value-added products.
The 22nd AEPC Export Awards 2016-17 were held in Delhi recently. The awards recognises top achievers from the apparel industry across a wide range of KPI’s and rewards the best performers in 18 categories. Extending across diverse product categories and including both experienced and start up representation; the awards are a celebration of the contributions exporters have made to the industry and the national economy.
This year, AEPC Awards included two new categories viz: sustainability and good practices. Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce and Industry said, “The commerce ministry is working on an end to end comprehensive strategy where we are looking to provide Industry new markets through bilateral and multilateral dialogue. To support exports, a plan is underway for creating an umbrella organisation which can address the issues faced by exporters. We are currently working on reducing the time to markets by removing logistics bottlenecks.”
Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aaayog opine, “Niti Aayog accords a great importance to the textile and apparel sector because the industry plays a vital role in delivering economic development. The sector is one of the most promising sectors. In the proposed India–EU FTA, India may compromise for wine and push for textiles. The import tariff on man-made fibre has been a strategically wrong policy. India needs a fibre neutral GST rates and zero tolerance between payment and refund of taxes.” Union Minister of Textiles and Information & Broadcasting Smriti Irani said they are soon going to come out with policy for jute and silk. “Our ministry is also working on a policy for the development of skills of the employees engaged in the sector. The Ministry is also looking at ways to value add Indian brands and designs.”
In his speech chairman AEPC Ashok Rajani said spoke about the contribution of apparel industry to the economy. He said, “AEPC Export Awards are the most prestigious awards in the Indian apparel Industry which amply demonstrates the excellence of Indian apparel industry. The Indian textile industry has inherent linkage with agriculture and with the culture and traditions of the country. The Industry contributes 10 per cent of manufacturing production, 2 per cent of India's GDP and up to 13 per cent of the country's export earnings. With over 45 million employed directly, it is one of the largest sources of employment generation in the country.”
"The organisers of leading student sustainability event, the Youth Fashion Summit, recently partnered with the United Nations Global Compact in the form of a two-year student program, which sets out to challenge the 100 most talented students in the fashion industry to create a framework for the industry on how to reach two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 3 and SDG 5."
The organisers of leading student sustainability event, the Youth Fashion Summit, recently partnered with the United Nations Global Compact in the form of a two-year student program, which sets out to challenge the 100 most talented students in the fashion industry to create a framework for the industry on how to reach two of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 3 and SDG 5.
The two-year sustainability program put together by the UN Global Compact in collaboration with the Global Fashion Agenda and Copenhagen School of Design and Technology will challenge students to specifically dive into SDG 3, ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, and SDG 5, achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The extracurricular program is organised around webinars providing the students with different approaches, tools, as well as practical examples, and all participants will receive reading lists and preliminary assignments.
Lise Kingo, CEO & Executive Director, UN Global Compact, explains, “I am very excited to see what comes out of the student challenge for SDG 3 and SDG 5. The potential of the fashion industry as trendsetters, employers and through their sourcing and manufacturing processes, is tremendous when it comes to promoting health and well-being and empowering women and girls. I really hope the students will challenge us to think in new and bold ways of how fashion can contribute to these interconnected themes.”
Having a global voice
The students’ work will culminate at the Youth Fashion Summit, where they will work for days to write several future scenarios and demands based on the SDGs. Their demands will then be presented for key decision-makers at the world’s leading business event on sustainability in fashion, Copenhagen Fashion Summit, on May 16, 2018. In 2019, the same 100 students will be invited back to transform their demands into corporate action in collaboration with international fashion companies and thereby align the companies' sustainability goals with broader societal aims. Eva Kruse, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda, organiser of the Youth Fashion Summit as well as Copenhagen Fashion Summit, said, “The perspectives, the opinions and the many brilliant ideas we hear from the students who participate in the Youth Fashion Summit are very valuable and highly appreciated. I'm therefore very excited to see the results of the hard work they will dedicate to the two-year program regarding the two SDGs.”
After the US withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, Ministers of 11 TPP members reached an agreement on a new deal called Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Vietnam expects to benefit from the new agreement once it takes effect. Vietnam may not gain much from CPTPP, when compared to the original agreement but analyst say the new deal will open up significant opportunities for the country to cooperate with the world’s leading economies.
It can expand export markets with Canada, Mexico, Peru and Chile — with whom Vietnam has not signed trade agreements. Vietnam’s garments, leather and footwear exports and several other labour-intensive industries are forecast to increase. Nguyen Dinh Cung, Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), is positive, “It’s obvious that without the US there will be fewer advantages. But Vietnam still can penetrate major markets like Japan, its 5th biggest trading partner and 3rd biggest investor and Australia, a potentially strong market for Vietnam’s farm produce.”
Economist Vo Tri Thanh is of the view that the deal will be favourable to a state governed by law with a transparent investment and business environment and a driving force for development. “20 of about 50 clauses of the initial TPP agreement are temporarily frozen. Under the CPTPP agreement, quality must be ensured and attached to the reform of institutions and policies, the most important factors in boosting growth quality and promoting inclusive growth,” He said.
The TPP is estimated to cover 40 per cent of world’s GDP and 30 per cent of global trade, the CPTPP will cover only 14 per cent of world GDP and 17 per cent of global trade. But the challenges Vietnam will face will be the same.
The Dutch brand Braez, which was acquired two years ago by the Turkish Suteks Group, is set to introduce the clothing retailer to Turkey, sats Nur Ger, founder of the textile company. Ger, who belongs to a family long settled in the business, is the owner of Braez, which has 250 stores abroad, together with other Turksh brands.
Suteks produced items for Dutch retailer for 15 years before the acquisition. “A key to our success is sharing revenues with our employees through an income-sharing-system that has been in place for 20 years,” Nur revealed. The company’s key focus is exports to Europe and the US and it managed to stave off any reduction of brand value in-spite of a negative perception of Turkey seen in foreign countries.
Nur disclosed how she went about this task changing perceptons, “We have frequently invited our clients to visit Turkey. In line with our strong communications strategy, we told them our business environment has not changed. Nevertheless, we can see that many investors are waiting on structural changes before committing to long- and mid-term investments,” she said. In 2015, Suteks signed a partnership agreement with U.N. Global Compac to advocate for gender equality. Established in 1986 in Istanbul, Suteks produces and exports high-end fashion.
A new scheme selling cotton to textile enterprises will be launched in Uzbekistan from next year. The presidential decree noted, “Starting with the harvest of raw cotton in 2018, as an experiment, the system of ordering and advancing the production of raw cotton directly from farms and other agricultural producers by domestic textile enterprises will be introduced.”
Through the years, enterprises purchased raw materials from the monopoly supplier Uzpahtasano at export. As per the new order, textile enterprises will finance the basic costs of farming to grow raw cotton by advancing at least 60 per cent of the contract's value. “All delivered raw cotton should be used only for further deep proces sing and production of finished competitive products,” the document noted. The price for raw cotton purchased by enterprises will be established on a contractual basis, based on an analysis of actual costs and profitability of farms. Despite this, it should not be lower than the cost of cotton purchased for state needs. Therefore, the President instructed the government to establish procurement prices for the 'white gold’ harvest of 2018 until January 15, 2018.
Textile enterprises sell cotton seeds to fat-and-oil enterprises and additional products to other consumers through exchange trade. This year Uzbekistan collected over 2.9 million tons of raw cotton. The experience of foreign countries has shown one of the most effective forms of development of the textile industry is the creation of clusters. This model implies the organisation of a single production cycle, which includes the cultivation of raw cotton, primary processing, further processing at cotton ginning enterprises ensures production of final textile products with high added value.
Environmental group Stand.earth’s “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign has demanded Levi Strauss & Co. ramps up its efforts to reduce pollution and increase the use of renewable energy across the entire supply chain. The group draped a banner above Levi’s sign at its downtown San Francisco headquarters, changing the company’s name to “Levi Strauss & CO2.” The group also released an open letter urging Levi’s employees to do more and talk less.
Stand.earth wrote, “We recognize that Levi’s has talked about environmental and climate issues and it has taken some important steps towards sustainability, however, our planet needs much less talk and far more action. Your voice is more important than you think. In the last decade, how employees feel about where they work has been one of the biggest catalysts for new corporate behaviour and policies. You want a workplace that reflects your values — Levi’s can be that kind of company in its walk, not just its talk.”
The “Too Dirty to Wear” campaign wants Levi’s to make a leadership-level climate commitment for the entire supply chain to meet or beat the Paris Climate Agreement, a 30 to 40 per cent reduction in total greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. The campaign requests the company to transition its entire supply chain to renewable energy, with a minimum of 50 per cent of energy sourced through renewables by 2035 and a long-term carbon emission reduction target of 66 per cent by 2050.
Stand.earth is of the view that Levi’s can catalyse demand for renewable energy in China and India and accelerate the shift away from coal and other fossil fuels. It reports coal is the top source of electricity in the company factories. Levi’s works with 170 factories in China, where coal powers 70 per cent of the electrical grid and in 44 factories in India, where coal powers 75 per cent of the electrical grid. Todd Paglia, Stand.earth Executive Director advices, “Levi’s current climate commitments are important steps, but much more is urgently needed. Already, climate change kills more than 300,000 people each year. Levi’s CEO Chip Bergh has the opportunity to help his company fully realize its own core values of empathy and integrity by leading the apparel industry toward ground breaking climate solutions.”
