To address the challenge of millions of tons of textile waste generated annually, the EU is driving innovation and upgrading in textile recycling technologies through multiple research projects. It aims to use intelligent methods to complete the full circular chain from sorting to regeneration. In the field of robotic automated sorting, the "FlexCycle" project, coordinated by the Italian Institute of Technology, has received €7.5 million in funding to develop robotic systems capable of ha

Driven by multiple factors including weak price competitiveness, slowing export demand, and the comparative price advantage of competing crops, U.S. cotton planted area is projected to decline for the second consecutive year in 2026 to approximately 9 million acres. This represents a 3.2% year-on-year decrease, marking the lowest level in nearly a decade since 2015. According to the 45th Annual Early-Season Planting Intentions Survey recently released by the National Cotton Council of America

Entering late February 2026, India's cotton yarn market encountered an unexpected "late spring cold snap." Following the Indian government's official reduction this month of export incentives under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Export Products (RoDTEP) scheme for cotton yarn, profit margins were instantly compressed, domestic spot prices fell accordingly, and pessimistic sentiment is spreading throughout the industry chain. The core trigger for this market volatility is the Indian governm

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) announced on February 26 that it will initiate an investigation to assess the potential economic impact on the United States of revoking China's Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status over a six-year period. This move has drawn widespread attention and could lead to further tariff increases on China in the future. According to a statement released by the USITC, the investigation will focus on the trade, production, and price cond

The United States and India have recently reached an interim trade agreement framework, under which the US will lower reciprocal tariff rates on Indian goods to 18%. This move is expected to significantly enhance the competitiveness of Indian labor-intensive products, such as textiles, in the US market. According to the agreement, US tariffs on Indian textiles and apparel have been substantially reduced from the previous 50% to 18%, with silk products even enjoying zero-tariff access to the US m

As of February 28, the international extra-long staple cotton market, represented by American Pima cotton, has maintained overall stable quotations. It has not risen in line with ICE cotton futures, while mills have adopted a cautious attitude toward price adjustments, resulting in a deadlock in market transactions. Currently, the net price of machine-picked American Pima cotton 21-2 50 (strength 40-42 GPT) in bonded areas at Qingdao Port is 172–175 cents per pound. Shipment for January&

The Indian government recently announced a 50% cut in the rebate rates and caps under the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme, effective immediately, triggering a strong backlash from the textile industry. Under the policy adjustment, the rebate rate for cotton yarn exporters will drop from around 3.4% to 1.7%, while that for fabric exporters will fall from roughly 3.5% to 1.75%. The Indian textile industry widely regards the move as “too abrupt” and

In the final week of February 2026, Australia’s wool auction market staged a strong rebound, achieving simultaneous growth in price and volume amid a sharp increase in supply, with the core index hitting a six-month high. Following the restart of wool auctions this week, performance exceeded expectations. The national weekly supply reached 50,701 bales, the highest level since January 2023. The AWEX Wool Index rose steadily during the week, standing at 1,709 cents per kilogram on Februar

Bangladesh Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Moktadir recently met with Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen. The two sides held in-depth discussions on substantially increasing Chinese investment in Bangladesh over the next five years. During the meeting, Minister Moktadir explicitly asked Ambassador Yao Wen to encourage more Chinese enterprises to invest in Bangladesh. He specifically noted that six fertilizer plants in Bangladesh are currently facing production disruptions due to natura

According to data from the Sri Lanka Apparel Joint Association Forum, affected by weak global demand, the country’s garment exports in January 2026 fell slightly by 2.66% year-on-year to US$425.44 million, mainly due to lower shipments to the United States and the European Union. However, the UK market delivered a strong performance: supported by the revised Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), Sri Lanka’s garment exports to the UK remained stable and recorded a modest increas