In a meeting with the newly constituted Textile Advisory Group, Piyush Goyal, Minister for Textiles and Commerce & Industry directed concerned authorities to finalize the decision to extend import duty waiver on cotton till December 31.Je also addressed issues relating to augmenting present supplies of cotton and strengthening productivity. He called for importing from destinations where stocks are available.

Suresh Kotak, Chairman, Textile Advisory Group emphasized on the need to ensure seed availability for sowing especially new early maturing varieties and revamp the seed system to enhance productivity of Indian cotton from present stagnation. As per estimates of Committee on Cotton Production and Consumption, current carry over/closing stock is 41.27 lakh bales, which is about 12.66 per cent stock to use ratio and equivalent to stock for 45 days consumption. The cotton-based textile industry is facing a shortage of cotton leading to rise in prices from Rs 44,500 per candy in February 2021 to Rs 90,000 per candy in March 2022.

The steep increase in cotton prices is severely impacting the potential growth of the cotton textile value chain. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had notified the exemption from Customs duty and Agriculture Infrastructure development Cess for import of cotton.

Valued at $3,579.1 million, the global custom T-shirt printing market is estimated to grow to $9,009.3 million by 2032, says a Future Market Insights study. They estimate, the market will contribute over 2 to 3 per cent to the global apparel market. From 2022 to 2032, the custom T-shirt printing market is expected to surge by over 9.7 per cent CAGR. Most of this growth will be driven by increasing demand for customized modern T-shirts and their use as a modern branding strategy. Rising disposable income coupled with a growing preference for personalized clothing is encouraging customers to spend on customized clothing.

Boosting brand visibility and luring customers

Demand for customized T-shirts with slogans and logos moving north. The global custom T-shirt printing market is expected to surpass 508,487 units by the end of 2032. Major companies across the world including start-ups use custom T-shirts to boost brand visibility and lure potential customers. These T-shirts also act as an effective branding tool for companies. The high-quality materials used to make these T-shirts helps brands extend their shelf-life and visibility for longer period.

US contributes 78.9% to global sales

One of the most lucrative markets for custom T-shirts is the US contributing 78.9 per cent to global sales in 2021. Demand was driven by leading football clubs and teams who custom-designed their T-shirts and jerseys with personal logos and designs. The market is expected to continue growing with government spending on sports-related activities increasing in coming years.

One of the fastest growing markets, Germany accounted for 26.9 per cent of the European custom T-shirt printing market. The market is expected to continue growing on account of rapid development and investment in printing technologies.

T-shirts with movie slogans, logs rise in popularity

Presence of market leaders such as Spreadshirt among others is also expected to boost growth. Custom T-shirts with movie slogans and logos are gaining immense popularity resulting in increased collaborations between key players and leaders of the entertainment industry.

Offering high print quality, the screen printing segment revenue share increased to over 52.1 per cent in 2021. Cost-effective printing techniques enables mass printing on synthetic fabrics like viscose, polyester, silk, and other similar materials.

Graphic design segment to dominate market

The largest share is being held by the graphic design segment with a market share of over 56.9 per cent in 2021. Growth in this segment is being aided by the growing popularity of custom T-shirts with pre-printed graphics. Increasing demand for graphic T-shirts is expected to boost the global men’s custom T-shirt printing market through 2021. On the other hand, growing gender fluidity and acceptance of different sexualities will help the global unisex custom T-shirt printing market to grow at 12.5 per cent CAGR from 2022 to 2032.

Discounts, easy access will help online segment

Emerging as the fastest growing segment, the online segment will grow at 13.1 per cent CAGR from 2022 to 2032. Growth will be driven by higher internet use, large discounts and ease of access.

Leading players in the custom T-shirt printing market are launching new products and expanding their business. For instance, Printful launched commercial and merchandize use graphic printing techniques in collaboration with Vexels in 2021. Similarly, in January 2019, Printful opened its second fulfillment center in Europe for better customer service and meet faster shipping demands.

China’s cotton yarn exports declined to 10.3kt/yr in April 2022, compared to 15.7kt in April 2021, 7.9kt in Apr 2020 and 26.8kt in Apr 2019. As per a CCF Group report, exports were dominated by cotton yarn of combed 30.4-46.6S and combed 54.8-66S varieties. In April 2022, the exports of uncombed 8.2-25S increased a lot.

The export volume of uncombed 8.2-25S increased by 18 per cent while that of , combed 8.2-25S increased by 27 per cent and uncombed 25-30.4S surged by 48 per cent. Export volumes of combed 35-30.4S declined by 43 per cent while those of combed 54.8-66S declined by 42 per cent.

Vietnam emerged top importer with 25 per cent global share; followed by Bangladesh and Pakistan. Export volumes to Italy, Cambodia and Thailand increased but still remained small.

South Asia’s largest apparel and textile manufacturer, MAS Holdings has signed up for Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to reduce its absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 25.2 per cent by 2025 from 2019 levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has launched a new report to emphasise on the need to address the climate crisis issue in the fashion industry on an urgent basis.

As per a McKinsey & Company report, the fashion industry is responsible for 4 per cent of global carbon emissions. .The industry has taken several steps to address this issue including supporting the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to promote and adopt science-based climate targets. However, to address the concerns of increasingly environment-conscious consumers, brands need to collaborate with manufacturers sharing their vision of a sustainable fashion industry.

PT MAS Arya Indonesia (MAS Arya), with two production facilities located in Central Java, Indonesia, has become the first manufacturing unit of MAS to be powered entirely through renewable electricity. The facilities entered into long-term agreements with PT PLN (Persero), the state-owned electricity supply and distribution entity in Indonesia, to purchase renewable electricity. Having signed up with PLN for a 15-year commitment, MAS Arya is the first firm in Indonesia’s Semarang Region to join the program.