COPENHAGEN - Denmark has announced plans to ban the sale of clothes, shoes, and waterproofing products that contain PFAS (Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances). The country’s Ministry of the Environment said the proposed ban would take effect from 1st…
NEW YORK - Carbonfact, a supplier of software that helps fashion brands and retailers automate their environmental reporting, has raised $15 million in fresh funding. This latest tranche of investment will be used to expand the platform, adding to…
TASHKENT - The Cotton Campaign coalition is calling on the government of Uzbekistan to investigate the alleged harassment of a leading independent monitor of workers' rights in the country's cotton industry. Umida Niyazova, founder and director of…
AMSTERDAM - The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has released the latest version of its product standard that is widely used in the apparel, textile and footwear industries. Version 4.1 of the Cradle to Cradle Certified Product…
WASHINGTON DC - Textile exports from the Xinjiang region of China increased to record levels last year despite the introduction of US legislation banning imports over forced labour risks in the region which produces a fifth of the world's cotton. It…
LILLE – Sporting goods retailer Decathlon has had its greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The retailer has committed to reducing absolute Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG emissions by 42% by 2030,…
MONTREAL – Loop Industries, which offers technology that can chemically recycle low-grade polyester infinitely, has signed a joint venture agreement with polymer manufacturer Ester Industries to build a new Infinite Loop manufacturing facility in…
SEOUL - A research team in South Korea has developed a method aimed at improving the aesthetic and comfort levels of wearable devices in smart textiles. Described as ‘nano-printing’, the technology involves integrating functional nano-materials…
CLERMONT-FERRAND - Biotech firm Carbios has signed a memorandum of understanding with waste management specialist Hündgen for the latter to supply raw materials to its new PET biorecycling plant. Currently under construction, Carbios is building the…
OSLO – Nordic fashion retailer Varner, which has more than 1,100 stories in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland, is claiming progress in tackling its carbon footprint. The company, which owns brands Cubus, Dressmann, Bik Bok, Carlings, Volt, Urban,…
LONDON - Fifteen major fashion companies were criticised after refusing to give evidence to the UK's influential Environmental Audit Committee (EAC). EAC chairman Philip Dunne MP named the companies concerned after accusing them of “a pretty poor…
SAN FRANCISCO – Cascale, formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, has named Colin Browne as its new chief executive officer. Browne, who served as interim CEO of Under Armour, and who has held senior sourcing roles at VF Corporation, Li…
BOSTON - Environmental non-profit Ceres has launched a new sustainability assessment tool designed to help small to medium-sized companies, including fashion brands and retailers, assess and improve their environmental performance. The Ceres Roadmap…
PARIS - Signatories to the Fashion Pact have made significant progress towards the organisation's aims of mitigating climate change, restoring biodiversity and protecting oceans, according to a new report. Conservation International made the claim…
DHAKA - Garment workers in Bangladesh continue to face a climate of fear and repression as human rights abuses remains unchecked amid a state-sanctioned crackdown on workers’ rights, according to Amnesty International. The human rights NGO marked…
SAN FRANCISCO - US retailer Gap has released its 2023 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report, summarising its actions and progress towards reducing its environmental impact as well as its approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The…
GENEVA – The Better Cotton initiative is supporting efforts by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and world football’s governing body FIFA to boost sustainable cotton production in West and Central Africa. Better Cotton says it will focus on…
LONDON – People in the UK are throwing out almost half (49%) of their unwanted used textiles in the general rubbish bin, according to new research from waste recycling charity WRAP. On average, each person in Britain throws 35 items of unwanted…
STUTTGART - The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification organisation enhanced its reach in 2023 with an 8% increase in certified facilities to 14,676 across 89 countries. The upsurge reported by the non-profit, which aims to offer a…
DENVER – Outdoor brand The North Face has launched its 'North Face Renewed' resale programme online in the UK. North Face Renewed, first launched in North America, aims to give a new life to used North Face garments.
VILNIUS – Secondhand fashion marketplace Vinted has turned a profit for the first time in a sector where it is notoriously difficult to do so. The Lithuanian company reported a 61% year-on-year revenue growth for 2023, with a net profit of €17.8…
OTTAWA - The Canada Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) has closed its investigation of Hugo Boss Canada and its alleged links to Uyghur forced labour. CORE’s final report followed an initial assessment, first published in August 2023,…
SYDNEY - Australian textile technology startup Xefco has raised AU$10.5 million (US$6.9m) to commercialise production of its patented water-free textile dyeing and finishing solution. The company will use the investment to double its team and scale…
WOLLASTON - Footwear specialist Dr Martens has launched a new collection of shoes made from leather offcuts that would otherwise be destined for landfill. The introduction of the recycled leather, branded as Genix Nappa, is part of Dr Martens pledge…
LONDON - Boohoo and H&M are among those set to give evidence to the UK's influential Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) as it revisits its landmark 2019 inquiry into fast fashion. The EAC is to hold an evidence session as it looks again at its…
AMSTERDAM – UK denim start up LaundRE made its debut at this week’s Kingpins event here in the Netherlands where it explained to visitors how it’s taking old, unwanted denim stock and refinishing the garments to give them a second life. “Our…
LONDON – UK fashion retailer River Island has announced that its net-zero emissions targets have been validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) with the goal of reaching net-zero by 2040. The SBTi has backed the brand's target to…
PARIS - French fashion resale startup Paradigme has raised €1.2 million ($1.3m) in its first funding round. Paradigme will use the investment to expand its team, sign up more brands and improve its RaaS (resale as a service) platform.
PARIS - Traceability solutions provider TextileGenesis has teamed up with digitisation specialist EON to help brands and retailers accelerate the use of digital product passports (DPP) throughout their supply chains. The use of DPPs to connect the…
FRANKFURT - The technical textiles industry, which has developed at a relatively leisurely pace over the past century with a focus almost purely on functionality, is currently in the process of attempting to reinvent as many of its products as…
SYDNEY - The Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) insists that its new Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme (AWSS) standard will raise the bar on animal welfare despite the concerns of campaigners. AWSS, which will replace SustainaWOOL from July,…
VIENNA – A research team at the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) in Austria is exploring the use of filters made from cellulosic waste to remove potentially harmful dyes from textile wastewater. The researchers have used waste materials,…
PARIS – Animal welfare organisation PETA has called on French fashion conglomerate Kering to “cut ties” with the reptile-skin industry. It comes after a PETA Asia investigation alleged “appalling cruelty” towards pythons at Kering-owned tannery…
LONDON - The UN’s Global Compact (UNGC) UK initiative has launched a ‘Business Sector Exchange’ programme for the fashion industry. The exchange programme will take the form of training modules, networking events, assistance with sustainability…
JYVÄSKYLÄ – Scandinavian textile fibre innovator Spinnova has announced that fewer jobs have been lost than feared in its recently completed cost-cutting review aimed at putting its finances back on track. Spinnova, which makes textile fibre out…
ESPOO - A European Union (EU) funded project is underway in Finland in a bid to develop new technologies to recycle polyester-cotton blended textile waste into high quality raw materials. Led by the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the…
LONDON - The Earthsight NGO has branded Better Cotton's investigation into allegations linking its licensed farms with illegal deforestation in Brazil as "so flawed to be almost worthless". Earthsight recently released a report focused on two of…
AMSTERDAM – Speaking to Ecotextile News today at the on-going Kingpins denim exhibition in the Netherlands, Lenzing CEO Stephan Sielaff said that last week’s fire at its HQ facility in Austria won’t have a major impact on its output although the…
BRUSSELS - The European Parliament has today given its final approval to legislation that will make larger companies responsible for human rights and environmental issues in their global supply chains. Approval for the European Union's (EU) landmark…
DHAKA - The Bangladesh government is said to be considering a tax exemption for domestically-produced recycled fibre in a bid to promote the sector and reduce the textile industry’s dependence on imports of cotton. Under the current rules, textile…
CALIFORNIA - An academic researcher at the University of California, Riverside, has received a $1.45 million federal grant to advance the production of textiles from plant waste. The process, known as co-solvent enhanced lignocellulosic…
COPENHAGEN - Danish tech start-up Rodinia Generation, which claims to have developed an automated manufacturing method that drastically reduces carbon emissions and water usage in garment production, has raised €3 million ($3.2m) in funding. Aimed…
AMSTERDAM - Two of the leading organisations dedicated to improving the pay and conditions of garment workers in global supply chains are to go their separate ways after a quarter of a century. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has announced that it…
BRUSSELS - The European Parliament has approved rules to ban the sale, import and export of goods made using forced labour from the European Union (EU). The regulation, driven by concerns about human rights in the Xinjiang region of China, would be…
AMSTERDAM – Sourcing technology specialist Sourcery has announced the international expansion of its ‘Provisional Partnership’ programme with the addition of 10 new members from across the denim supply chain. Following a successful roll-out of the…
GREENSBORO – Denim brand Wrangler has announced a number of new partnerships aimed at keeping denim waste out of landfill. Wrangler said the initiatives with non-profit Accelerating Circularity, a Texas-based sports club and vintage clothing…
LONDON - UK fashion retailer New Look has had its latest emissions targets approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi). The retailer has committed to a 42% reduction of its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 by the…
LONDON - The Better Cotton inititative claims an independent audit has revealed that licensed farms in Brazil - owned by companies accused of deforestation in Brazil - were not in breach of its standard. However, the auditors called for better…
HERZOGENAURACH – Following a two-year pilot project, sportswear giant Puma is to make a commercial version of its compostable Re:Suede sneaker available for sale. As part of the experiment, which was successfully concluded in late 2023, Puma…
HONG KONG - Supply chain management platform TradeBeyond has introduced artificial intelligence into its textile and garment traceability system in a bid to help brands and retailers improve visibility and reduce risks in their supply chains. The…
LUDWIGSHAFEN – Global chemicals company BASF's 'Ccycled' recycled synthetic textiles have been certified to the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS). RCS certification of the company's PA6 and PA6.6 Ultramid Ccycled products for textile applications means…
SPONSORED CONTENT - In a ground-breaking collaboration, the LYCRA Company has teamed up with Qore, a joint venture between Cargill, an expert in agricultural fermentation technologies, and HELM, a German chemical company to enable the world’s first…
FRANKFURT – Italian fibre and yarn manufacturer RadiciGroup is to show off the first garment made through its physical and digital nylon traceability project at the Techtextil trade show in Germany. The gilet, made from yarn manufactured in one of…
LONDON - The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has posted another clarification on its controversial plans to extend the use of carbon credits to offset scope 3 carbon emissions. The SBTi was heavily criticised after it revealed earlier this…
PRATTELN – Speciality chemical supplier Archroma has launched a new bio-based, PFAS-free durable water repellent (DWR) finish for the sportswear, fashion and home textiles sectors. Phobotex NTR-50 LIQ has been designed to provide high levels of…
LONDON - The UK government is being urged to ban the destruction of unused clothing and introduce an effective extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme for textiles in a new report from the Green Alliance think tank. Entitled 'Changing fashion:…
AMSTERDAM - The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) initiative is highlighting the "critical importance" of supporting in-conversion cotton farmers in its new impact report for the 2022-2023 season. Entitled 'Organic Cotton’s Time Has Come', the report…
LENZING - An investigation has been launched after a fire broke out today at the Austrian headquarters and production facilities of cellulosic fibre manufacturer Lenzing. "Today, April 19, 2024, at 8:36am, a fire broke out in the area of the…
ST GALLEN - A team from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research (Empa) has developed a water-repellent coating process for textiles which, the team says, can provide an alternative to the use of fluorine-containing PFAS…
BRUSSELS – The EuRIC (European Recycling Industries' Confederation) trade body is warning that textile reuse and recycling is on the brink of collapse across Europe. EuRIC says the industry is in crisis in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK and…
JYVÄSKYLÄ -Troubled textile innovator Spinnova has reiterated its stance that technology sales are the main driver for growth in the immediate future, effectively ruling out any near-term investments in increasing its own fibre production. Writing…
SAN FRANCISCO - Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, has outlined its main areas of policy focus for this year when several major nations face key national elections. Countries including the US, UK, India and Pakistan, as well as the…
LUDWIGSHAFEN – BASF, which supplies chemicals, thermoplastics, and synthetic textile fibres has for the first time demonstrated an electric steam cracking furnace powered by renewable energy that can be used to make pre-cursors to make polyester and…
JYVÄSKYLÄ - Fashion brand Jack & Jones, part of the Bestseller Group, and Spinnova have launched a t-shirt made from the latter’s fibre from textile and agricultural waste without the use of potentially harmful chemicals. The launch will come as a…
ST GALLEN – The Swiss chemical management specialist Bluesign has partnered with Italian chemical firm Soko Chimica, and compatriot denim brand Dondup as it pushes further into the global denim market. Soko, which has a strong focus on chemicals for…
FRANKFURT – Messe Frankfurt has announced the winners of this year’s Techtextil and Texprocess Innovation Awards with several environmentally-friendly technology suppliers named among the recipients. Included in the 15-strong winners list is a vegan…
BOSTON / SHEFFIELD - An open access platform which analyses shipping and customs data, import and export records and supply chain data to assess forced labour risks in the Xinjiang region of China has been launched. The Supply Trace platform - which…
PRATTELN – Speciality chemical supplier Archroma and Cotton Inc. have renewed their eight-year collaboration which includes the production of sulphur dyes produced from textile waste materials. Archroma and the US-based cotton NGO began working…
SAN FRANCISCO – The BHive textile chemical management platform will now incorporate the RSL-listed substances of the textile and footwear industry advisory body the AFIRM Group. The two organisations have signed an agreement that incorporates the…
KINGSPORT — Speciality materials manufacturer Eastman has launched a collaboration with circular solutions provider Debrand to recycle textile waste to create new fibres. Eastman is using its molecular technology to recycle 5,000 pounds of pre- and…
LONDON – A commercial-scale, post-consumer polyester recycling plant, billed as the first of its kind, has begun operations in the UK in a joint venture between textile recycler Project Plan B and the Salvation Army Trading Company (SATCoL). Known…
TRENTON – Recycling specialist TerraCycle has partnered with Asics on the sports footwear and apparel brand’s first closed-loop running shoe. As part of the initiative, consumers who wish to recycle their used and worn-out Nimbus Mirai branded…
WASHINGTON DC - US Senator Marco Rubio is calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to investigate Chinese-owned retail giants Shein and Temu for alleged links to forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. Rubio wrote to DHS Secretary…
TÜBINGEN – Textile chemical specialist CHT has teamed up with Swiss textile manufacturer OceanSafe on the production of a new biodegradable polyester fibre. Branded as naNea, OceanSafe is utilising CHT’s latest dyeing and finishing technologies…
ADELAIDE - A new integrity and sustainability programme has been launched for Australian wool which includes two categories - one for mulesed and one for non-mulesed sheep. The Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme (AWSS) is described as an…
SAN FRANCISCO – The Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) claims to have almost quadrupled the amount of actual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions saved as a result of its programmes last year. The Aii's new impact report for 2023 reveals annual GHG emission…
HELSINKI - A cross-industry research programme in Finland has been exploring the potential opportunities and challenges of the European Union’s planned adoption of digital product passports (DPP). The research involved four pilot projects, including…
AZANGARO - Police have charged five shearers at the world's largest privately owned alpaca farm with animal cruelty following an undercover investigation by the PETA animal welfare organisation. PETA submitted a formal complaint to the Peruvian…
WAKEFIELD – Our host Philip Berman talks to Magnus Dorsch, head of corporate sustainability at German online fashion retailer About You, and Joyce Tsoi, senior director of the decarbonisation programme at Cascale, for our latest podcast on…
LONDON – After it was criticised last week for plans to extend the use of carbon credits to offset scope 3 carbon emissions, the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has performed a hasty volte face, saying there is “no change” to its current…
PRATTELN – Archroma has partnered with ColorDigital to bring the textile chemical specialist’s library of engineered colour standards to the DMIx ‘phygital’ platform, which is designed to connect fashion brands and retailers with a range of…
YAMAGATA - Japanese biotechnology company Spiber has raised JPY 10 billion ($64.8 million) in a funding round to accelerate the mass production and global sales of its 'Brewed Protein' materials. Spiber's Brewed Protein materials are made from…
LAMESA - The Textile Exchange industry body has issued a new report setting the fashion and textiles industry the ambitious challenge of ending the use of virgin fossil-based synthetic textiles by 2030. The report also calls for the end of the use…
WASHINGTON DC – UK waste recycling charity WRAP is expanding its efforts across the Atlantic after opening a new office where it will co-ordinate campaigns on issues, including textile waste, across South, Central and North America. WRAP, the NGO…
WASHINGTON DC – The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) trade body has welcomed moves to extend the trade agreement between the US and eligible Sub-Saharan African countries for another 16 years. AAFA, which represents more than 1,000…
TALLAHASSEE – Scientists have created a new way to make recyclable plastics through the combination of CO2 and lignin into a low-cost renewable replacement for petroleum-based polymers for a range of products including textiles.The new material is…
BRUSSELS - European Union (EU) states France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Austria are calling for textile waste to be covered by the Basel Convention to restrict exports to developing countries. They urged the EU Environment Council to support…
AMSTERDAM – Japanese digital print machinery manufacturer Mimaki has launched a textile pigment transfer printing system that is claimed to make significant savings on wastewater. The system, named “Trapis”, will be available commercially later this…
LONDON - The Better Cotton initiative has today issued a statement after fashion giant Inditex described allegations linking cotton certified by the organisation with deforestation in Brazil as a "serious breach in the trust placed in Better…
OSLO/LONDON - Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems has entered into a partnership with multifaceted recycling tech company Tomra to develop the first automated textiles sorting and pre-processing facility (ATSP) for non-reusable textiles in the UK. The…
LONDON – The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has been criticised by the Carbon Market Watch non-profit after it confirmed plans to extend the use of carbon credits to offset Scope 3 carbon emissions. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Scope 3…
LONDON – UK retail giant Marks & Spencer has announced a tranche of new investments in collaborative projects to help achieve its ‘Net Zero by 2040’ goals. The £1 million ($1.27m) investment, funded through its ‘Plan A Accelerator Fund’, includes a…
MILAN - Italian fashion group Armani has pledged to co-operate with the authorities after one of its subsidiaries was accused of indirectly subcontracting production to companies in Milan which paid workers as little as €2 ($2.17) an hour. It comes…
CAMBRIDGE – Chemical sector innovator Alchemie Technology has announced the opening of its first in-market production and demonstration facility in Nantou, Taiwan. Dedicated to working with woven polyester fabrics, the facility will be used to…
VANCOUVER / CANBERRA – Canadian athleticwear brand Lululemon and Australian recycling company Samsara Eco have introduced what is claimed to be the world’s first commercially available product made from enzymatically recycled polyester. Samsara…
LEEDS – Historic Yorkshire textile mill AW Hainsworth says it has achieved zero to landfill status following its work with waste management consultant Reconomy. The 240-year-old heritage firm, which manufactures woollen fabrics for customers…
WAKEFIELD – Our host Philip Berman sits down with Sean Cady, vice president of global sustainability, responsibility and trade for VF Corporation and also elected board director for Cascale, and Andrew Martin, executive vice president of Cascale for…
GLOBAL – Major corporations – including fashion giants H&M, Zara owner Inditex, Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing, Nike and Adidas – are significantly off track with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting climate change to 1.5°C, according to a new report.…
LONDON - Following a successful launch at its flagship London store, British retailer Selfridges is rolling out its Reselfridges resale platform at its three other UK sites. The platform, which gives customers the opportunity to purchase and sell…
SYDNEY - ESG risk management company Fair Supply has produced a report to help companies stay onside of proposed new Australian legislation which would require companies to disclose their climate change-related financial risks. The Treasury Laws…