BANGKOK/DHAKA – Exports to major buying countries by garment supply chain countries in the Asia-Pacific region were down by 70 per cent over the first half of 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new report.The report, by Cornell University in New York and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) focuses on ten ten major garment-producing countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.It shows how orders from brands a

WARSAW – Packaging manufacturer Packhelp has partnered with environmental NGO One Tree Planted to kick-start an initiative that will see the pair plant new trees to offset the operational impact of Packhelp.The company says it’s created a ‘sustainable’ form of packaging that uses FSC-certified materials, natural glues and inks made from soy and vegetable oil to ensure that once a product is shipped using its packaging, it is both biodegradable and compostable in certain environments.“As a start-

Pic: AdidasAdidas has developed a new technology - Strung - the first textile technology that transforms athlete data into dynamic performance material. The company says it wants this to be the most data-informed textile, based on foot anatomy and athlete movement. The first shoe being made using the new technology is expected to be available by late 2021/early 2022.The new textile innovation changes footwear is created. Every thread in Strung is individually selected and data-mapped for a seaml

GENEVA - The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the need to source natural fibres, such as viscose, acetate and lyocell, from sustainably managed forests.The international non-profit, which promotes sustainable forest management through independent third party certification, says it wants to reduce the enviornmental impact of the fashion industry.The campaign, entitled ‘Fashions Change, Forests Stay’, argues that forest

Despite having enormous opportunity in the domestic market, the Bangladesh government has discarded its plan to produce viscose from jute to reduce dependency on imports.Figure 1: Bangladesh government has discarded its plan to produce viscose from jute to reduce dependency on imports.Due to the rising demands of manmade fiber products, the uses of viscose are increasing very fast in the global fashion industry.As the second largest exporters of apparel goods, Bangladeshi spin producers are movi

Turkey’s September export estimates this year have been all-time high – $16.01 billion – revealed recently by the Turkish Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan. She said that exports grew in September by 4.8 percent per year and by 28.5 percent weekly. In the third quarter of this year, Turkey’s exports have risen by 34.5% relative to the previous year. These export statistics indicate that Turkey’s pandemic recovery and normalization continue effectively, underlined Pekcan. In the meantime, imports tota

Cotton and a mixed bag of other fabrics have been in use for decades now. But, with ‘green’ being the buzzword, suddenly the textile industry in India is seeing a shift from traditional fabrics and witnessing a surge of new-age fabrics like bamboo, eucalyptus and the likes. How viable are these fabrics?“The Indian market still has a long way to go for natural fabrics to be accepted by the masses. However, the ongoing climate crisis has got people talking about healthier alternatives to aspects t

Thrift clothing or the concept of buying second-hand clothing truly embraces the idea of sustainability. So, with environmental concerns on a rise, are Indian consumers choosing thrift? What is the trend that a growing number of thrift brands noticing at the moment?22 years oldPranali Borwankarstarted her thrift clothing venture in May 2020 during the pandemic after she saw that her wardrobe was overflowing with clothes that she no longer used. “It was a rough start initially. Many thrift stores

Sri Lanka is a country known for its high-fashion intimate garment manufacturing but pandemic in 2020 has impacted the prices it is getting in shipment done to USA.In August ’20, Sri Lanka upped its exports by 4 per cent in volume terms and shipped 34.90 million SME of garments as compared to 33.56 million SME garments in the same month of 2019.However, the values of shipment fell 3.50 per cent to US $ 143.08 million from August ’19 that indicates the prices are reducing in orders placed by the

As far as India and Bangladesh are concerned, there was a clear and significant surge in their respective cotton apparel exports to USA both value-wise and volume-wise in August ’20 over July ’20, while Bangladesh noted a surge even on Y-o-Y basis. The other major cotton apparel shippers in this period were either down in their export or noted just a marginal surge.The cotton apparel industry has been extensively in news for the last one month since the US has banned its major cotton apparel imp