SAN FRANCISCO/AMSTERDAM - The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the International Apparel Federation (IAF) to develop a shared vision for equitable and sustainable global supply chains for the…
SAN FRANCISCO - Denim giant Levi's is claiming significant progress in its progress on reducing its environmental impacts in its newly published '2022 Sustainability Goals & Progress Update' report. The company said it was more than halfway to…
ASHGABAT - As calls for the Turkmenistan government to intensify its efforts to eliminate state-imposed forced labour in the cotton industry are ramped up, news has emerged that public sector professionals such as teachers and doctors in three…
SPONSORED CONTENT - The global textile industry is taking significant strides towards sustainability, with a growing number of manufacturers embracing eco-friendly practices to reduce their environmental footprint. As a part of this global movement,…
PENNSYLVANIA - Researchers from the Penn State Smeal College of Business have found that the adoption of mass-customisation business models could help clothing companies sell fewer items but still remain profitable, whilst also reducing the amount…
MILAN - Italian luxury fashion brand Gucci has been honoured with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Award for Circular Economy. Naming the fashion house at last week's Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana Sustainable Fashion Awards, judges highlighted…
GUATEMALA CITY - With the United States second hand apparel market expected to grow nine times faster than the regular clothing sector to hit $70 billion by 2027, a Guatemala-based company is set to expand from its traditional Central American base…
DHAKA – The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has called on brands and retailers to pay more for future orders in a bid to offset the rising living costs of workers across the country's garment and textile…
MILAN - The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has joined the Deforestation-Free Call to Action for Leather initiative which was launched by Textile Exchange and the Leather Working Group to promote sustainable practices in the leather industry. WWF will…
LONDON – The Better Cotton sustainability initiative and its partners in the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coalition are demanding a global phase-out of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) across agricultural supply chains. As Better Cotton notes,…
OTTAWA - Canada's corporate watchdog has launched an investigation into allegations that denim giant Levi's has supply chain links to forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. Sheri Meyerhoffer, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible…
BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) is working on new rules to ban greenwashing and improve consumer information on product durability, a move that could have a significant impact on the textile and clothing sector's labelling and marketing…
UNION – Biotechnology company MycoWorks has commenced production at the world’s first commercial scale fine mycelium plant to provide the fashion industry with its leather alternative material. The 136,000 square feet facility will use it…
PURWAKARTA –Lenzing has received accreditation to the EU Ecolabel standard for the production of cellulosic fibres at its manufacturing facility in Purwakarta, Indonesia. The site, which recently underwent a series of technical upgrades, will now…
PHNOM PENH - Global sportswear brands including Nike and Adidas are leaving Cambodian garment workers beneath the poverty line, according to a new report from ActionAid and the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL). Their report,…
NEWARK - The Responsible Contracting Project (RCP) has linked up with the German development agency GIZ to publish proposed supplier model contracts for the apparel and textiles industry. The RCP says its 'Supplier Model Contract Clauses 1.0' (SMCs)…
AMSTERDAM - Digital fashion outlet Otrium has launched a garment refurbishment and repair programme for damaged returns following a successful pilot scheme run in collaboration with Bleckmann's Renewal Workshop. While most of the returns that Otrium…
LONDON - The Frasers Group, which owns House of Fraser, Flannels, Sports Direct, Jack Wills and Missguided, has reportedly confirmed that it has banned angora wool from products. The PETA animal rights group, a shareholder in House of Fraser, issued…
NEW YORK - Accelerating Circularity Project (ACP) has issued an update on its two-year trial programme to collect, sort and recycle waste clothes in a bid to ramp up textile-to-textile circularity to commercial scale. Clothing retailers and brands…
NEW YORK - Circ and Colorifix, two companies working to tackle waste in the fashion and textile industry, have been selected as finalists for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize. Both companies have been nominated within the 'Build a Waste-Free World'…
SYDNEY – The Cotton Australia industry body has launched its key planning document for the next five years with a pledge that sustainable farming practices will be at the heart of the sector's future. Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay said sustainable…
AMSTERDAM - The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has announced plans for a new strategy focused on three pillars - combating climate change, ensuring decent work for all, and shaping a nature-positive future. The SAC also says it plans to "move…
MUNICH – The organising body of Munich’s Performance Days exhibition has outlined a series of new features designed to improve visitor access to the latest sustainable textile trends and developments. Taking place at the Messe München exhibition…
GEELONG - Australia's Deakin University has set up a pilot manufacturing facility in partnership with Xefco to research the textile technology firm's new plasma-based method of applying dyes and coatings to textiles. With funding through Deakin’s…
HONG KONG / SINGAPORE - Environmental consultancy Reset Carbon has announced a partnership with the DBS Bank in Singapore to scale decarbonisation efforts in Asia’s apparel manufacturing supply chain. They signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)…
LUBBOCK - Textile Exchange has launched a new version of its Preferred Fiber and Materials Matrix (PFMM) tool which aims to assess the performance of different sustainability standards within various material categories. The new version of the PFMM,…
SAN FRANCISCO - The non-profit Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) has revealed the first five beneficiaries of grants from its Fashion Climate Fund - supported by Target, Lululemon, H&M and the Schmidt Family Foundation - to help meet the industry's…
LONDON - Social enterprise CottonConnect has published a new report that highlights the impact of climate change on women cotton farmers in South Asia and actions being taken to help them adapt. The report, "Women in Cotton: Addressing the Impact of…
MIAMI - Amazon, Patagonia, Ikea and Levi Strauss are amongst a number of fashion brands and retailers calling for freight companies to fast-track the commercial deployment of zero-emissions shipping services. The call from the Zero Emission Maritime…
ZURICH – Luxury fashion house Hugo Boss has launched its first capsule collection made using HeiQ’s AeoniQ yarn. Hugo Boss entered into a long-term strategic partnership with HeiQ in 2022, in a bid to usher in a more sustainable approach to fashion…
PITTSBURGH - American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) claims to have reduced the amount of water used to manufacture its jeans by 38% last year, surpassing its initial water reduction goal one year early. The achievement is included in AEO's newly published…
WASHINGTON DC – A new attempt is being made to introduce US legislation which would outlaw piece-rate pay for garment workers and encourage the country's fashion industry to reshore its supply chain. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman…
BRUSSELS - A coalition of 16 NGOs has released a joint statement outlining what it wants to see in the European Commission's proposals to ban products made with forced labour from the single market. Signatories include Anti-slavery International,…
LONDON - Human Rights Watch says the social audits and certifications that brands and retailers rely on to monitor threats to workers trying to organise independent trade unions are "totally inadequate". It follows an analysis of standard social…
SYDNEY - Australia's cotton farmers are confused by mixed messages about biodiversity and have concluded it should best be managed on a regional level, according to new research. The findings are part of the Australian cotton industry's shift…
MARRAKESH - The apparel industry has been offering support to disaster relief efforts in Morocco where more than 2,900 people are now known to have died in an earthquake in the High Atlas Mountains. Zara owner Inditex, the H&M Foundation and…
MUMBAI – Viscose manufacturer Birla Cellulose has published its latest sustainability report in which it outlines its recent work on developing fibres from various waste inputs, reducing its environmental impact, and its ongoing transition towards a…
NEW YORK - Iconic department store group, Macy’s Inc. has become a member of the US Cotton Trust Protocol in a bid to provide greater transparency across its sustainability progress. Membership of the protocol will be used to bolster the group,…
DHAKA - Leading brands and retailers, including H&M, Inditex and Primark, have joined calls for a substantial increase in the minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh. Members of the Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT) initiative have…
BERLIN - Online fashion retailer Zalando has launched a private label collection which, created by its own Zign Studio, focuses predominantly on renewable and recyclable materials. The Zign Studio range was produced using an 'atelier' approach to…
LENZING - Austrian fibre manufacturer Lenzing has linked up with supply chain solutions company Project44 to launch a real-time ocean shipment tracker in a bid to improve transparency of carbon emissions. The tracker is designed to provide Lenzing's…
HULL - MYGroup is to invest £500,000 in a new sustainable textile factory at its existing site in Hull, a project that the waste management and recycling firm is describing as a 'UK-first'. The two-storey, 1,300 square metre factory space, being…
JYVÄSKYLÄ / STOCKHOLM – Finnish cellulosic fibre manufacturer Spinnova and Swedish textile recycler Renewcell are working together in a bid to commercialise and scale textile waste-based fibre. The collaboration combines the patented technologies of…
SEATTLE - WL Gore & Associates has entered into a joint development agreement with Arzeda that will see the latter's protein design technology used in the development of sustainable textiles. Arzeda combines a physics-based, protein design approach…
WAKEFIELD – The latest instalment of the Ecotextile Talks podcast series explores the motivations behind a campaign calling on the fashion industry to move away from conventional care and content labels in favour of digital alternatives. Steve…
PRATTELN – Textil Santanderina, has launched its new ‘Advanced Black’ denim collection based on resource-saving sulphur dyes in collaboration with specialty chemicals provider Archroma. The Spanish textile firm based in Calabria claims its new denim…
ITHACA - Extreme heat and flooding sparked by climate change will devastate the garment manufacturing industry putting a million new jobs at risk in supply countries this decade, according to a new study. Analysis from Cornell University's Global…
EUGENE - Nike is being pressured by a group of investors who are urging the sportswear giant to pay compensation to supply chain workers who lost their jobs in Cambodia and Thailand. They want the company to pay $2.2 million to make up for unpaid…
SINGAPORE - Traceability solutions provider FibreTrace has partnered with apparel manufacturer Alpine Group on a programme designed to accelerate transparency in the fashion supply chain. The FibreTrace system is designed to provide visibility into…
LONDON - The Better Cotton initiative is claiming significant progress in reducing pesticide and water use in India, as well as improvements in yields and farmer livelihoods, in a new report. The organisation's 2023 India Impact Report charts the…
DELAWARE - The Better Buying industry initiative has launched its first annual commercial compliance tracker report, which measures how much brands and retailers comply with the minimum levels of performance set by manufacturers and the terms of…
SPONSORED CONTENT – The fashion industry is experiencing a paradigm shift as sustainability takes centre stage, according to the Taiwan Textile Federation. "The textile sector, a crucial component of fashion, is undergoing a transformation towards a…
GENEVA – Scientists at the CERN research institute in Switzerland have approved funding for a project that looks at how particle acceleration can be used to accurately separate wool, cotton, and polyester blended textiles. It’s thought that by…
MELBOURNE - Australia's state of Victoria has announced a tranche of financial support for Ethical Clothing Australia in a bid to propel the region's sustainable clothing manufacturing sector. Ethical Clothing Australia provides accreditation to…
WAKEFIELD – MCL News & Media, the publisher of leading B2B titles including Ecotextile News, has today launched a new multimedia platform to share the latest sustainability news and analysis from the apparel and textiles industry. This online video…
KARACHI - The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has marked the 11th anniversary of a fire in a Pakistan garment factory to urge brands to sign up to the Pakistan Accord. More than 250 workers were killed in a fire at the Ali Enterprises garment factory…
WASHINGTON DC - Representatives from the US fashion industry attended a congressional briefing last week to alert policy makers to some of the critical issues facing the fashion sector and to call for policy initiatives that promote ethical and…
BERLIN - A formal complaint has been lodged against the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) over loans to one of Uzbekistan’s largest cotton producers which has been accused of human rights violations and land grabs. The Uzbek…
AMSTERDAM - The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) initiative's work to expand organic cotton farming practices in South Asia took a major step forward in August with the coming together of key industry stakeholders to discuss the opportunities and…
WASHINGTON DC - Customs officials in the US have reportedly confirmed that isotopic testing found that more than a quarter of the garment and footwear imports which they checked were linked to China’s Xinjiang region. US Customs and Border…
TIGRAY - The IndustriALL global trade union is calling for the restoration of Ethiopia's trading privileges which were lost as a result of human rights issues during the civil war which ended last year. It claims former garment workers and their…
ARTEIXO - Following a successful launch in the UK in 2022, Inditex's second-hand platform, Zara Pre-Owned is available in France from today (Sept 7). As previously announced, there are also plans to make the service available in other key European…
MUNICH - Organisers of the Performance Days trade show - to be held at the Messe Munich exhbition centre on 4th and 5th October - are pledging the event will highlight progress on fabric sustainability. They have unveiled their plans for the…
LONDON - A new project to create a roadmap to promote circularity in the UK fashion and textile industry has been launched by the UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT), the British Fashion Council (BFC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). The…
DANVILLE - US textile recycling company Circ has launched a partnership with UK footwear brand Vivobarefoot to develop footwear uppers made entirely of polyester that can be chemically recycled and reused in the production of new footwear. The hope…
NEW YORK - Global nonprofit The We Mean Business Coalition has launched the Supplier Cascade programme to assist business across a range of industries, including apparel and textiles, accelerate the pace at which they reduce their Scope 3 emissions.…
BRUSSELS - Textile waste prevention measures imposed by the European Union "have not yet yielded any tangible results”, according to a new report from the Zero Waste Europe (ZWE) network. ZWE's study, entitled A Zero Waste Vision for Fashion, calls…
ZURICH - Swiss sportswear brand On has published its 2022 Impact Report, which includes updates on progress against the company's sustainability targets. Building on goals set in 2019 as part of its inaugural Impact Progress Report, the update…
STOCKHOLM — Traceability platform TrusTrace has announced it is to lead work on developing a pilot for a digital product passport (DPP) for textiles. The pilot aims to align with the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles which calls for…
LONDON - UK fashion retailer Toast has launched a new resale service for customers. Part of the brand's continuing efforts to expand its sustainability message, the service will allow customers to either bring pre-worn items into stores or mail them…
SPONSORED CONTENT - What if you could help reduce textile waste sent to landfills? What if colors can be created from fashion waste? In early 2023, Archroma launched FiberColors®, an innovative range of dyes that is based on a revolutionary…
SAN DIEGO - Luxury apparel and accessory reseller Fashionphile has been awarded B Corp status in recognition of the company's ongoing efforts in social and environmental sustainability, transparency, and ethical business practices. The US-based,…
AMSTERDAM - An event staged in the Netherlands to promote the Bangladesh garment manufacturing industry has been disrupted by activists calling for justice for murdered trade unionist Shahidul Islam. Members of the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and…
PROVIDENCE – Microplastics infiltrate all systems of mammals' bodies - including the brain - causing behavioural changes, according to a new study by scientists at the University of Rhode Island. The research, published in the peer-reviewed…
WAKEFIELD – Philip Berman sits down with Caroline Ledl, head of product and application management at the Lenzing Group to hear about the company’s plans to ramp up its production of its spun-dyed viscose in Indonesia. Lenzing launched its ‘EcoVero’…
MULTAN - Pakistan has the capacity to achieve a significant growth in organic cotton production, a conference has heard. The recent 2nd Annual Sawie Conference on Organic Cotton Pakistan also heard that it was essential for the country to develop…
TOKYO - Toray Industries has increased its stake in its Thailand-based joint venture as it looks to ramp up the commercialisation of key nylon 6,6 polymer intermediates derived from inedible biomass. Toray set up Cellulosic Biomass Technology (CBT)…
BOSTON – Fashion industry speakers at the upcoming Global Fashion Summit (GFS) include author Maxine Bédat, Samina Virk, the CEO of Vestaire Collection, Sarah Coulter from Accelerating Circularity and Worldly chief technology officer John Armstrong.…
NEW YORK — WSP, the US-based environment, engineering and professional services consultancy, has joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Textile Exchange. WSP, which counts a number of apparel retailers and brands amongst its clients, said…
LONDON - Researchers from London’s Brunel University are working on a project to explore whether bacteria found in polystyrene waste could be used to break down polyester fibres. The work is another example of how scientists are finding that…
DHAKA – Hundreds of export-oriented ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh are still “not under the purview of any inspection mechanism at present”, according to the Bangladesh Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). During a press briefing for…
JYVÄSKYLÄ – Scandinavian textile fibre innovator Spinnova will review opportunities to expand the licensing of its wood-based fibre technology to new customers as part of a review of its medium-to-long-term business plan as operational losses…
PURWAKARTA – Cellulosic fibre specialist Lenzing has completed a further raft of technical upgrades at its manufacturing facility in Purwakarta, Indonesia. Lenzing has invested more than €100 million in the site since 2021 including transitioning…
KAMPALA - A decision to ban the import of second hand clothing in Uganda has been met with a mixed response from both the East African country's trade bodies and global industry organisations. As with most African countries, Uganda has traditionally…
SHANGHAI - Yibin Grace, a CanopyStyle ‘Green Shirt’ ranked viscose staple fibre and filament yarn supplier based in China, has announced the successful testing of its highest recycled content man-made cellulosic fibres (MMCF) fibre produced to date.…
DHAKA - A coalition of five NGOs is calling for an increase in the minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh which they say is currently well below the cost of living. The Ethical Trading Institute (ETI), Amfori, Fair Labor Association (FLA),…
LONDON - Animal welfare organisation Four Paws is calling for a European Union (EU) ban on fur farming after new photographs highlighted what it described as “deeply disturbing and distressing” conditions on farms in Finland. The photographs, taken…
ROTHERHAM - Laundering technology company Xeros Technology is to launch a new external filter which claims to capture more than 99% of microplastics and 80% of polycotton microfibres released during a washing cycle. The XF3 is an external version of…
NEW YORK - Promotional goods supplier Gemline has partnered with textile traceability specialist Aware in a bid to meet the growing demand for sustainable practices in the promotional products sector. Aware describes its digital product passport as…
MELBOURNE - A new research hub has been launched in Australia in a bid to drive new innovations in textile development and support the sustainable manufacturing of fibres. The Australian Research Council (ARC) has established the ARC Research Hub…
SHANGHAI – Chinese viscose fibre supplier Tangshan Sanyou, has said it will further scale up its production of recycled fibre as part of its on-going relationship with Swedish cellulose pulp specialist Renewcell. At the on-going Shanghai Yarn Expo,…
LENZING – Austrian fibre manufacturer Lenzing is expanding its Refibra technology, which incorporates recycled textile waste into the production of new fibres, into its Ecovero branded viscose. Refibra technology, which so far features up to 20% of…
WALTHAM - US sportswear brand Saucony has set itself a target of ensuring that that 90% of its products will contain organic, recycled or renewable materials by 2025, with this figure reaching 100% by 2030. The new targets are linked to the footwear…
AMSTERDAM - H&M brand COS is extending its partnership with supply chain logistics business Bleckmann Supply to deliver the fashion brand's garment restoration programme, an initiative that works to ensure its products can be worn for longer,…
OTTAWA - Fashion brands Hugo Boss and Diesel, as well as retail giant Walmart, are the latest companies to find themselves under invesigation in Canada for alleged supply chain links to forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. Sheri…
BONN – The United Nations' Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action has produced two new reports to help the fashion industry reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from raw material extraction, production and processing. One of reports offers…
LONDON - UK retailer Marks & Spencer has come together with lingerie brand Wuka to urge the government to remove the 20% VAT that applies to the reusable, textile period pants, a move that the manufacturer estimates could provide significant carbon…
LONDON - The Fairtrade Foundation has partnered with global nonprofit B Lab on a new guide to support small companies in their human rights and environmental due diligence. The guide, ‘People and planet in business – A simple guide to how small and…
SACRAMENTO - Four major fashion industry groups have come out in support of proposals to introduce legislation in the US state of California to force major companies to publicly disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions each year. The American…
YANGON - Workers rights campaigners are urging fashion companies Next and Superdry to honour $500,000 said to be owed to Cambodian garment workers after their factory closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labour Behind the Label initiative says…