LONDON - Labour MPs have urged the UK government to introduce legislation equivalent to the US Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) to prevent goods made with forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China from entering the country. Blair…
AMSTERDAM - India’s textile and apparel industry requires around $6.5 billion in fresh funding if it is to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% by 2030, according to a new report from the Apparel Impact Institute. The report, ‘Landscape and…
NEW MEXICO – Textile finishing specialist Green Theme Technologies (GTT) has secured a $6 million tranche of fresh funding, which it’ll use to scale-up its waterless, textile treatment technology. Branded as Empel, the company’s line of fabric…
OAKLAND - ThredUp, one of the fashion industry’s largest online resale platforms, has announced a drop in revenues, profits, user numbers and orders in its third quarter results for 2024. ThredUp's third quarter revenue of $73 million represented an…
HAMBURG – The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF), which oversees Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) and the Good Cashmere Standard (GCS), has joined the Make the Label Count initiative to challenge the European Union's (EU) proposed Product Environmental…
PLYMOUTH - Bio-based fibres such as viscose could pose a greater threat to the environment than conventional plastics such as polyester, new research suggests. The research from a team at the University of Plymouth in the UK also warns that…
LONDON - Animal welfare campaigners have accused the Australian wool industry of breaking a promise to end mulesing and has urged politicians to step in to ban the controversial process by the end of the decade. The report - jointly produced by Four…
BRUSSELS - Technical textile manufacturer Sioen has teamed up with Belgian textile waste specialist Resortecs to develop workwear that is specially designed for disassembly and recycling at the end of its lifecycle. Under the agreement, Sioen will…
AMSTERDAM - The ZDHC Foundation has published guidelines to address the use and discharge of chemicals in wood-based dissolved pulp manufacturing. The ZDHC Dissolved Pulp Guidelines V1.0 addresses expectations for chemical recovery and discharged…
BRUSSELS - The Textiles Coalition group of environmental and worker rights campaigners have laid out the policy priorities they hope to see from the European Union (EU) to reduce the industry's impacts on sustainability. The coalition says that…
SINGAPORE - Paradise Textiles, the material science hub of the Alpine Group, has partnered with Kintra Fibers to create the first garment made using the latter’s bio-based polyester. The launch follows a successful pilot project in 2023, during…
WASHINGTON DC - The Hong Kong-based Esquel Group, one of the world's biggest textile and apparel manufacturers, has been restricted from exporting to the US under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). The US Department of Homeland Security…
MENTOR - Materials science and digital identification specialist Avery Dennison has launched a new supply chain platform aimed at helping brands and manufacturers drive transparency in their day to day operations. Branded as Optica the new system…
ANTWERP – Belgian researchers funded by the European Union have developed a new online tool designed to calculate the environmental and social costs associated with garments throughout their lifecycle. SCIRT partners (System Circularity & Innovative…
YANGON - The IndustriALL global trade union has warned of the continuing risks facing garment workers in Myanmar. Citing a tracker developed by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, which monitors abuse in Myanmar’s garment industry,…
AMSTERDAM / NORTHAMPTON – Trade bodies Leather Working Group (LWG) and Leather Naturally have announced that the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) has adopted a joint data submission from their respective Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)…
LEICESTER – A group of trade unions, industry campaigners and community groups have called on UK fashion retailers and brands to support garment production in Leicester, one of the UK’s key manufacturing hubs. Writing an open letter, organisations…
PASADENA - Textile Exchange has announced the winners of its 2024 Climate and Nature Impact Awards at the industry body's annual conference in Pasadena. The Ryan Young Climate Leader award, in memory of Textile Exchange’s late COO who spearheaded…
PASADENA - US-based textile-to-textile recycling specialist Circ, Dutch sustainability Fashion for Good and environmental nonprofit Canopy have teamed up for a new project to provide smaller brands with next gen materials at competitive prices.…
SPONSORED CONTENT – It was 10th June last year, at ITMA 2023 , when ERCA TCS, Patagonia® and YKK announced their team up and push toward circularity with the chem-tech innovation REVECOL®. Dialogue between the partners has been intense - and we will…
AMSTERDAM – Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, has introduced a new member engagement and governance model which it says will elevate supplier and manufacturer input into its decision-making.It says the new model aims to promote…
BRUSSELS – The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has urged the European Union (EU) to step up its focus on the recycling and recovery of raw materials, which could be crucial to protect the crisis-hit textile recycling industry. It says…
PARIS - Textile recycling company Reju, which uses technology developed by IBM to recycle post-consumer textiles into virgin quality polyester, is teaming up with non-profit retailer Goodwill to help advance textile recycling in North America. The…
MILAN – European Union (EU) funded initiatives continue to advance the development of sustainable circular textile supply chains in Europe, but face challenges related to performance, end-of-life processing, pricing, market differentiation, and…
MUMBAI - The CottonConnect social enterprise has partnered with the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) on a formal partnership to promote ‘Kasturi Cotton’, India’s branded cotton. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) includes a…
ZURICH / DÜSSELDORF – DNA specialist Haelixa has signed a three year partnership with German fashion retailer C&A to trace its organic cotton from farm to finished product. Haelixa's technology embeds unique DNA markers at fibre level to establish…
PASADENA - The Textile Exchange industry body has unveiled its new unified Materials Matter Standard, replacing its separate material-specific certificates, at its annual conference here in Pasadena. Covering over 85,000 certified sites in 110…
CEDAR CREEK – Polyester textile-to-textile recycling start-up Syre, which was formed through a partnership with investors Vargas and H&M, has teamed up with polymer specialist Selenis to establish a recycling plant in Cedar Creek, North Carolina,…
PARIS - Global luxury group Kering, owner of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, has adopted the first-ever science-based targets for both freshwater and land. Kering is one of just three companies, and the only one in the fashion…
NEW YORK - Accelerating Circularity has published its latest report in which it outlines the latest findings from its polyester-based textile recycling trials in the US and Europe. Bringing together 18 companies to explore circular solutions for the…
PASADENA - The CottonConnect social enterprise has announced at the Textile Exchange annual conference in Pasadena, California, that it is evolving its flagship REEL programme into a certified standard. The move has been driven by legislative…
PASADENA - Textile Exchange's annual conference has got underway here in Pasadena with an opening plenary session emphasising the value of collaboration in addressing the industry's challenges. "Change is not only timely, it's essential," Claire…
WASHINGTON D.C. – A new report claims that cotton is the most pesticide-intensive crop in the US and urges governments and textile supply chains to increase transparency and accelerate a transition to organic practices. The report, from US…
LONDON - The Centre for Sustainable Fashion at the London College of Fashion has partnered with global luxury group Kering, owner of Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, on the launch of a new governance programme for the high-end…
LOS ANGELES – Outdoor brand Arc'teryx has teamed up with the material innovator Ambercycle to use its ‘Cycora’ regenerated polyester as part of its push to lower carbon emissions and meet its targets on circularity. Ambercycle’s technology uses…
COPENHAGEN / BOSTON - Biotech start-up Octarine Bio and cell programming platform Ginkgo Bioworks have outlined the latest progress in their partnership aimed at producing natural dyes for the textile industry. First announced in May 2023, the work…
CLERMONT-FERRAND - Biotech firm Carbios has unveiled its first100% ‘fibre to fibre’, enzymatically recycled, polyester garment. Developed in partnership with its multi-retailer and brand consortium which includes On, Patagonia, Puma, PVH Corp. and…
JYVÄSKYLÄ - Scandinavian textile fibre innovator Spinnova has been granted a €12.7 million loan from Business Finland to help develop its fibre production technology. The loan will run from July 2024 to December 2027 and is divided into two phases.…
MUMBAI - Birla Cellulose and US-based textile-to-textile recycling specialist, Circ have agreed a long-term strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the scaling of recycled fibres within the textiles sector. Under the terms of the deal, Birla, a…
SYDNEY - Woolmark is inviting global fashion and textile brands to join a new initiative to develop and trial an insetting framework aimed at enabling emissions reductions within the textile supply chain. Part funded by a A$4 million ($2.64m) grant…
ARTEIXO - Inditex has officially launched its Zara Pre-Owned second-hand platform in the US. The service, which is available through Zara’s stores, its website and a mobile app, aims to extend the life of customers’ garments, contribute to the…
BERLIN – In mid-2021, the German Supply Chain Act was celebrated as a milestone for mandatory human rights due diligence, however, as the law approaches its two-year anniversary, its future remains uncertain. Senior government ministers have now…
SPONSORED CONTENT – As sustainability challenges increase globally, textile and leather companies are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact and produce responsibly. The international OEKO-TEX® association supports the industry with…
BRANDE – Danish fashion retailer Bestseller has launched a new report to provide greater transparency on the human rights, environmental and safety risks of its sourcing practices. The company's 'Supply Chain Due Diligence Report' covers the…
KELHEIM - German viscose manufacturer Kelheim Fibres, which supplies wood-based fibres described as an ‘environmentally friendly option for sustainable textiles’, has filed for insolvency. Under German law, the company has entered a…
MARCIANISE - Textile recycling specialist Fratelli Esposito is to install an automatic clothing sorting line from optical technology manufacturer, Picvisa Machine Vision Systems. The system will be installed at the Italian firm’s plant in the town…
LONDON - Two-thirds of US shoppers are prepared to pay more for well-made apparel and footwear, according to a YouGov survey of attitudes towards sustainable fashion shopping. The preference was evident across income levels, says YouGov, with 60% of…
ZURICH – Swiss textile innovator HeiQ has announced that it will delist from the London Stock Exchange due to market challenges, with effect from 19th November, and also says that it’s open to offers for some of its business segments. The HeiQ board…
AMSTERDAM - Cascale has unveiled a new cotton LCA methodology for its Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) tool which it claims offers greater accuracy and consistency in assessing the environmental impacts of the fibre. Developed over…
MEMPHIS - The US Cotton Trust Protocol has released its 2023/24 annual report in which it outlines its record grower participation and advancements in environmental stewardship over the last 12 months. The latest figures show that planted acreage…
FUKUI - A research team from the University of Fukui in Japan has developed a decolourisation process in which supercritical carbon dioxide effectively penetrates polyester fabrics to remove dyes. Known as supercritical fluid dyeing, the extracted…
AMSTERDAM – The Dutch-based Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) has launched an updated toolkit to help stakeholders meet the requirements of new human rights due diligence legislation. SLCP, which works to reduce audit fatigue and improve…
AMSTERDAM - Cascale, formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, is linking up with Open Supply Hub (OS Hub) to pool their efforts to accelerate transparency across global textile and garment supply chains. The aim is to combine insights…
LONDON - The Textile Exchange industry nonprofit has published its latest Materials Benchmark which is billed as the largest peer-to-peer comparison initiative in the fashion, textile and apparel industry. It tracks the uptake of fibres and raw…
DHAKA - Fashion brands including H&M, Zara and Next are facing criticism from campaigners and trade unions over their lack of action to protect garment workers in Bangladesh. They are being accused of failing to work with suppliers to have charges…
YAMAGATA - Japanese biotechnology company Spiber has announced the first milestone in its partnership with Italian spinner Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia, which has successfully blended merino wool with Spiber’s Brewed Protein fibres. Spiber's Brewed…
TAIPEI - The US-based Transparentem NGO says it has uncovered serious forced labour risks involving migrants from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines working at nine textile manufacturers in Taiwan. Transparentem has released an interim…
STOCKHOLM – The H&M Foundation is again inviting fashion and textile innovators and entrepreneurs to apply for a share of €1 million (US$1m) in prize money in its annual Global Change Award (GCA). Launched in 2015, the Global Change Award is the…
DUBLIN - Discount retailer Primark and UK waste charity WRAP have announced a new three year partnership aimed at giving clothes a longer life. The partners, who announced a joint project to establish an industry standard for fashion durability 18…
BRUSSELS – Textile waste will have to be incinerated in Europe, rather than reused or recycled, if the European Union (EU) does not act to protect the crisis-hit textile recycling industry, according to two key bodies. The EU has been urged to…
AMSTERDAM - The Lycra Company has unveiled the first garment and fabric samples made with seed quantities of bio-derived EcoMade fibre. Billed as the “world's first large-scale production of renewable elastane”, the first samples, which contain 70%…
STOCKHOLM - Traceability platform TrusTrace has partnered with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and OpenAtlas to create a new product designed to help companies comply with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). TrusTrace says that…
OAKLAND - The Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has launched a new product certification platform targeted at sustainable product design across a range of industries including fashion and textiles. The C2C Certified Circularity…
LONDON - Textile Exchange has expanded its suspension of Intertek Testing Services as an approved certification body for its Organic Content Standard (OCS). The industry body suspended Intertek's Indian office as a certification body for OCS in…
DHAKA - The board of directors of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has been dissolved by the government and an administrator appointed until new elections are held. A notice from the Ministry of Commerce said…
BRUSSELS - The European Manmade Fibres Association (CIRFS) has urged European Union (EU) institutions to accept a series of recent recommendations aimed at securing a sustainable textile industry in Europe amid the drive for net zero. Writing in an…
ROME – Gender plays a key role in determining why people choose to buy sustainable clothing, according to a new academic paper on the complex motivations behind consumer choices in the fashion industry. Published in Scientific Reports, the paper…
SPONSORED CONTENT – Authentico® by Schneider Group, the brand that stands for a complete, transparent, verified, traceable, ethical and high-quality wool supply chain – from farm to garment, based on the Schneider Group global certified…
PARIS - The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has launched a handbook for companies on due diligence for enabling living incomes and living wages in agriculture, garment and footwear supply chains. Building on existing…
MADRID - Spanish pulp manufacturer and biomass specialist, Ence and Swedish start-up ShareTex have claimed success in their first tests to chemically recycle discarded textiles into new fibres. The process involves the conversion of blended or…
LONDON - The Circular Fashion Innovation Network (CFIN), which is tasked with creating a roadmap to promote circularity in the UK fashion and textile industry, has released its first interim report, highlighting the progress and key insights from…
KUALA LUMPUR - Migrant workers employed in Malaysia's garment industry are continuing to experience working conditions consistent with forced labour - despite efforts by brands to engage with their suppliers, according to new report. The US-based…
SAN FRANCISCO - Fashion giant Levi's has signed up to the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry and its Pakistan Accord factory safety programme. It follows years of pressure from worker rights campaigners on…
BERGAMO - Textile manufacturer Beste is to install a new ring spinning system from Swiss textile machinery giant Rieter, part of its project to help return organic cotton processing to Italy. The contract will see the installation of the latest…
GENEVA - A new wage sampling tool is to be piloted across Pakistan’s cotton sector in a bid to capture accurate worker pay and boost wage transparency. The tool will initially be rolled out across a quarter of Pakistan’s cotton farms and scaled…
TETTNANG – German outdoor apparel brand Vaude has partnered with fellow outdoor company Globetrotter to create an expanded repair service in certified workshops. Vaude says its customers are now able to visit nine Globetrotter locations in Germany…
SYDNEY – Nearly all Australian fashion companies are not paying a living wage to workers at any stage of the supply chain, according to a new report. The 2024 Ethical Fashion Report, by Baptist World Aid Australia, also revealed that 52% of…
BRUSSELS – Four members of the technical secretariat developing the European Union's (EU) Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR) for apparel and footwear are calling for a review of the proposed method for measuring durability. The…
PARIS - Cotton grown in India that is both 'fair trade' and organic, or converting to organic, outperforms conventional cotton across a number of environmental outcomes such as greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and avoidance of chemicals, new…
SAN FRANCISCO – Denim giant Levi Strauss & Co has published its inaugural climate transition plan, which provides a roadmap to reaching its near-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target by 2030 and its goal of being a net zero company by…
NEURIED - German biotech company AMSilk has entered into an agreement with industrial fermentation specialist, Ajinomoto Foods Europe to produce industrial quantities of its bio-based spider silk proteins at Ajinomoto’s manufacturing facility in…
SAN JOSE - Online auction site eBay has announced the global expansion of its Circular Fashion Fund (CFF) to help startups scale circular solutions from production to end-of-life. Now in its third year in the UK, the CFF is set to launch in the US…
SINGAPORE - Traceability solutions provider FibreTrace has partnered with Thai Acrylic Fibre on a programme designed to accelerate transparency in acrylic fibre production. Part of the Aditya Birla Group, Thai Acrylic Fibre has integrated the…
AMSTERDAM - The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) initiative has launched a 'Decent Work Strategy' to improve working conditions and protection for organic cotton farmers, farm workers and their communities. Over the next seven years, OCA will work…
MADRID – Zara owner Inditex has launched a new fund that will see €50 million ($54.75 million) invested in sustainable projects predominantly in the textile sector. Inditex has confirmed that the fund will be managed by Spanish venture capital firm…
BRUSSELS - Environmental campaigners are urging the European Commission to take effective action on chemicals including restrictions on the use of PFAS and revising the REACH regulation. It comes after European Union (EU) environment ministers met…
LOS ANGELES – US fashion brand Guess has partnered with textile recycling logistics specialist SuperCircle to launch an online used clothes trade-in programme named ‘Guess Again’. US customers can send secondhand clothes of any brand to Guess by…
MADRID - Ten of Spain’s largest fashion retailers including Zara, Mango, H&M, Decathlon and Primark, have signed up to a voluntary pilot scheme to collect, manage and sort textile and clothing waste. The pilot project, known as Re-Viste, will…
LONDON - The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has entered into a partnership with Open Supply Hub (OSH) and instructed its brand members to post details of their suppliers on the supply chain mapping platform. ETI says it has become the first…
PRATTELN – Speciality chemical supplier Archroma is claiming a breakthrough with the launch of its new 'NTR Printing System' which it says makes bio-based pigment printing commercially possible for the first time. Bio-based pigment printing is…
SHANGHAI – The Functional Textiles Shanghai (FTS) trade fair had a difficult birth, just as the world went into lockdown, but now seems to be finding its feet after its third full speed show last week. Based on, and licensed from, Munich’s…
Physical attacks on Pakistani migrant leather workers in Prato, who were striking for improved workplace conditions, have once again cast a shadow over the ethics associated with the ‘Made in Italy’ label. Earlier this year, Italian courts…
SPONSORED CONTENT – As sustainability challenges increase globally, textile and leather companies are looking for ways to reduce their environmental impact and produce responsibly. The international OEKO-TEX® association supports the industry with…
BRANDE – Danish fashion retailer Bestseller says it is to increase its investment in sustainable raw materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester by 50% in 2025. Reporting a 4% drop in revenue to $5.2 billion (DKK 35.6b) for its full year…
DHAKA - Ambitions to transition Bangladesh's garment industry to renewable energy were among the key focuses of an event held to discuss action to combat the impacts on climate change on the country. The Bangladesh Climate Action Forum was organised…
MINNEAPOLIS – US retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods has partnered with AI platform Inspectorio to integrate a new supply chain monitoring system which it says will enhance its sustainability and quality control operations. After using Inspectorio’s…
ARTEIXO - Zara owner Inditex has renewed and expanded its agreement with the UNI Global Union to protect the rights of more than 160,000 fashion and retail workers worldwide. It comes 15 years after the Spanish retail giant and the service workers’…
YAMAGUCHI – Uniqlo owner and Japanese fashion giant Fast Retailing has announced plans for a pre-owned clothing rollout and reported progress on its circularity initiatives in its fourth quarter financial results announcement. The news comes as the…
LILLE – Sporting goods retailer Decathlon's investment arm, Decathlon Pulse, has formed a partnership with US textile innovator Unspun to use the latter's Vega-branded 3D weaving technology across Europe. Decathlon Pulse is to invest in Unspun's…
LONDON – The fashion sector has been recognised as a leader in environmental goal-setting, ambition and collaboration, in a new report on the consumer goods industry's progress towards circularity. But the wide-ranging study - by accounting and…