To help find the ideal garment size for each customer and sell its fashion products, denim leader, Levi Strauss has deployed the MySize ID size-finding widget. Developed by Israeli company My Size, led by Ronen Luzon, the MySize ID widget was first tested by Levi’s in the Turkish Market. The widget helped the company reduce clothing returns by 47 per cent.

Levi's has opted for a simple version of the widget that can be installed on a computer and through a mobile app that, once the customer has indicated their size and weight, advises them on the ideal product. These criteria can be fine-tuned based on individual customers’ requirements, emphasize the founders of the wideget

Levi’s has decided to deploy the solution in Europe. It is currently deployed in France, Spain, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Italy, and will be available as a mobile app on the US market in June. The widget will be promoted online by pictures of people wearing Levi's clothes that match their morphologies.

As study published in the journal ‘Environmental Science and Technology’, says around 60 per cent of children's clothing, including fabrics used in pillows, bedding and furniture, often with green certification, contain toxic PFA substances that remain forever in the environment. Many children’s products, including those labeled as ‘waterproof’ and ‘stain-resistant’ or ‘environment-friendly,’ contain harmful chemicals although not mentioned on their labels.

Recent tests by a team led by Laurel Schaider, Senior Scientist, Silent Spring Institute, on 93 different products often used by children and adolescents detected PFAs in 54 of the 93 products, including 21 with labels such as ‘eco’, ‘green’ or ‘non-toxic.’ The chemicals were most widely used in products labeled ‘water-‘or ‘stain-‘resistant.’

These products should not contain PFAs as they are handled by children everyday and over a long period of time, says Kathryn Rodgers, Co-author and Doctorate Student, Boston University School of Public Health. She recommends Green certifiers to include PFAs in their criteria and conduct a more thorough review of the products they certify.

Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Textiles has called a meeting of all stakeholders to look into possible solutions for rising cotton prices. Upendra Prasad Singh, Textile Secretary believes government intervention is necessary to curb rising cotton prices. However, the intervention should be done in a manner that does not adversely affect any one segment of the value chain, he warns.

Cotton prices have almost doubled from Rs 55,000 since the beginning of the current season seven months ago to about Rs 1 lakh per candy, points out Sanjay Jain, Managing Director, TT Ltd. The extraordinary rise has destroyed demand for cotton-based textiles in India, threatening livelihoods of thousands of MSMEs, he opines. The removal of 11 per cent import duty on cotton in mid-April fuelled cotton prices another Rs 40 per kg across categories earlier this month. This resulted in Tiruppur garments units observing a six-day strike from May 16. The current rise in cotton prices can be attributed to high global prices and additional freight and handling charges for imported cotton, says Singh. Problems such as port congestions and container availability also fuelled prices in India, he adds.

Exporters seek short-term ban

Garment export organizations like the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) are seeking government intervention to curb rising prices. They are demanding a short-term ban on cotton yarn export to stabilize the market. In a recent representation, the AEPC has urged the government for export of value-added products like apparel instead of raw materials like cotton and cotton yarn. Rise in raw material prices has severely impacted Indian apparel value chain, explains Narendra Goenka, Chairman, AEPC. Rising garment prices are making it difficult for exporters to achieve their target of $20 billion in exports for FY23, he adds.

Varying demand from exporters

Meanwhile, Tiruppur Exporters’ Association has urged the government to ban cotton yarn exports till prices stabilize. However, industry demands vary from one another, says Singh. While some demand a ban on raw cotton exports, others are seeking a ban on exports of yarn. A few are also calling for quantitative restrictions on exports while others are urging for an export duty on raw cotton and cotton yarn. Assuring stakeholders, Singh says, the government will either extend import duty ban beyond September 30 or apply the deadline to loading of consignment into the ship instead of when the ship arrives at the port .

Cotton demand that remained dormant during the second pandemic wave is now being released with consumption rising to 360 lakh against normal levels of 290 to 320 lakh bales. The US sanction on cotton imports from Xinjiang province and attractive cotton futures trading are also fuelling cotton prices to record high levels in a short period.

Price rise is also being triggered by a drop in cotton production from 360 to 330 lakh bales, and 11 per cent import duty levied on cotton till April 13, 2022. Benefitting from these, cotton farmers, ginners and traders have started hoarding seed and lint cotton, leading to further rise in prices. Traders are also using the MCX and NCDEX platforms to adopt import parity pricing policy, leading to further 10 per cent rise in cotton prices. Looking at growing demand for cotton, the government abolished import duty on cotton from April 14 to September 30, 2022. Union Minister of Textiles and Secretary, Ministry of Textiles has scheduled May 17, 2022 to review the situation.

Ravi Sam, Chairman, The Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA) has urged all stakeholders to stop demanding a ban on cotton or yarn exports that tarnishes the country’s image as a reliable supplier in global market, and instead resolve the crisis collectively. The Association has already urged spinning sector to shoulder the rise in cotton prices to maximum possible extent.

Cotton prices to soften on new arrivals

Sam said cotton prices in India might start softening once imported cotton as well as the summer cotton from states like Tamil Nadu arrives in the mills. He noted, that 40 lakh bales contracted by Indian spinners after April 14, 2022 is expected to reach the mills only by the end of June, leading to a considerable drop in cotton consumption.

Sam opines, short-sighted policies by the government might damage the capital-intensive spinning sector in India that currently operates with 15-year-old machines. He urged the government to collect the online statistical returns data to provide details of production, consumption, and stock across the value chain, and take appropriate policy decisions. Sam also appealed to all stakeholders to file the Returns to the Office of the Textile Commissioner.

New cotton scheme may benefit 65 lakh farmers

Sam also underlined the need to launch the Technology Mission on Cotton 2.0 on war footing to restrict the drop in cotton productivity levels from 565 kg per hectare to 460 kg per hectare, and a drop in production from 398 lakh bales to 330 lakh bales.

He believes the scheme would help protect the livelihoods of 65 lakh farmers and over three crore people directly employed in the cotton textile value chain. Absence of latest technologies including high-density planting, drought tolerant, weedicide etc, poor agronomy research and practices, and poor handling of cotton is impacting the entire crop value chain including farmers, he adds.

Urging stakeholders to avoid demanding anything that might benefit one segment but affect another, Sam asked them to come together and work collectively in this moment of crisis. He urged the government to launch TMC 2.0 with adequate funds to resolve the raw material crisis permanently. He said, the industry plans to appeal to the government to extend import duty removal beyond September 30, 2022, to tide over the crisis. This would help the industry change market sentiments without affecting cotton farmers.