VICTORIA – Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), an industry organisation, has published its Wool 2030 strategy which will inform stakeholders as they look to adopt sustainable best practices. The strategy is underpinned by five pillars, which address…
CLERMONT-FERRAND – Bioplastics firm Carbios has strengthened its patent portfolio after successfully using its recycling technology to produce virgin-grade plastic bottles from textile waste. Carbios’ enzymatic polyester depolymerisation process can…
LONDON - Oxfam has published a report on Marks and Spencer (M&S) after being asked by the brand to act as a 'critical friend' and conduct a gap analysis of its supply chain. The charity's research identified a number of issues including in-work…
GREENSBORO – US manufacturer Cone Denim has completed its first verification of origin audit through traceability solutions specialist Oritain, and says all samples examined posed zero risk or affiliation with restricted zones around the world, such…
DENVER – Fashion giant VF Corporation, which owns Vans, The North Face and Timberland, is disclosing information on its suppliers - from Tier 1 through to Tier 4 - in what it describes as unprecedented industry transparency. The company has…
MUNICH – German manufacturer Kelheim Fibres has partnered with textile innovator Hologenix to create a viscose fibre that integrates the former’s Celliant infrared responsive technology, proven to capture and convert body heat into infrared that…
DENVER - The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) federation of non-profit public advocacy groups has launched a campaign for action to stop fashion companies from destroying unsold clothing. US PIRG says much of the clothing and textiles sent…
MANCHESTER - Retired judge Sir Brian Leveson has published his first report on Boohoo's response to allegations that many of the UK garment workers who make its clothes worked in dangerous conditions for illegally low wages. Sir Brian was appointed…
MEMPHIS – The US Cotton Trust Protocol has enrolled its first batch of 28 Latin American suppliers, as it accelerates its ambitions of creating a data-rich platform representative of the entire industry. Launched to verify sustainability progress…
PEORIA - Sustainable startup Natural Fiber Welding (NFW) has announced it is doubling manufacturing capacity at its Illinois base for the production of its 'Mirum' plant-based leather. The company says it has added 110,000 sq ft of space for…
GLOBAL - More than 300 industry stakeholders, including brands, manufacturers, government representatives, trade unions and international organisations, have come together for a new bid to create a fairer fashion sector post pandemic. The Industry…
LEICESTER - A £300,000 training academy for the fashion sector is to be set up in the heart of Leicester’s troubled garment industry. The city council is to establish the Leicester Fashion Technology Academy (LFTA) in the Spinney Hills district…
TOKYO - Japanese tech and fibre firm Teijin has announced it has introduced an internal carbon pricing (ICP) system for the group's capital investment plans. The ICP mechanism creates economic incentives to reduce CO2 emissions by quantifying CO2…
TEXAS – Apparel brand JC Penney has partnered with the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) to improve the sustainability performance of its energy, water and chemical usage. Joining the likes of Target, Gap and Levi’s, JC Penney will enroll in the Aii’s…
WASHINGTON DC - The US has banned imports of all cotton products from China’s Xinjiang region - which provides more than a fifth of global supplies - over forced labour concerns. The move comes days after the UK government announced steps to block…
MUNICH – Functional textile manufacturer Sympatex has followed in the footsteps of European outdoor brand Vaude by announcing a partnership with the eBay Upcycling Store. Launched back in March of last year, the store affords companies the chance to…
CALIFORNIA – Pakistani denim manufacturer Artistic Milliners has acquired a factory in Los Angeles, California, which it holds ambitions of turning into a state-of-the-art garment manufacturing site equipped with the latest digital solutions. “This…
GERETSRIED – German chemicals company Rudolf Group has developed two new durable water repellent (DWR) textile treatments manufactured entirely from natural ingredients. Ruco-Dry Bio CGR and Ruco-Dry Bio NPE have been created to meet growing…
AMSTERDAM – The ZDHC Foundation has published a report detailing its plans to broaden the scope of its work to address the management of air emissions within the textile, apparel, leather and footwear industry. The ZDHC Air Emissions Position Paper…
ARCTIC – A research team has found evidence that microplastic fibres from synthetic textiles are “pervasively” polluting the Arctic Ocean, with contaminants found in 96 of 97 samples taken throughout the polar region. “We’re looking at a dominance…
LONDON - Electronics company Ricoh Europe has agreed a deal to market sustainable printing and dye manufacturer Farbenpunkt's innovative new textile ink, PeractoJet, which aims to reduce the industry's environmental impact. The partnership means…
BRUSSELS - The European Commission is inviting feedback after publishing a roadmap on its plans to boost the textiles industry post-COVID and to transform textile waste collection, sorting and recycling across member states. The European Green Deal,…
WILMINGTON – US manufacturer the Lycra Company has announced that 25 of its fibre products have been awarded material health certificates at the gold level by the Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Products Innovation Institute. “The products with material…
LONDON - Britain is to seek to block the import of goods suspected of being made using forced labour in China’s Xinjiang province where up to two million Uyghur Muslims are being held in so-called 're-education camps'. It is the latest international…
KELHEIM – German firm Kelheim Fibres has become the first viscose manufacturer globally to attain EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) certification. Developed by the European Union, EMAS encompasses the ISO 14001 standard on environmental…
LONDON – One Planet Capital, an investment house established last year to champion sustainable innovation, has launched a new Sustainable Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), through which companies across industries such as fashion, agriculture and…
DHAKA - Bangladesh's garment industry could face a new threat to its huge export market after a senior European Union official said the country would have to meet EU demands on human rights to continue to enjoy duty-free market access to the bloc.…
HONG KONG – Eurofins Softlines and Leather has received approval from ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme for four of its laboratories in India, Spain, Italy and Turkey to conduct ZDHC Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL) tests for Level 1, 2…
BERLIN – Germany's Grüner Knopf (Green Button) government-run sustainability scheme has been accused of failing to meet its promises to deliver clothes and textiles made in line with social and environmental standards. Two NGOs, the Swiss…
PERTH – Australian textile innovator Nanollose and Birla Cellulose, of the cellulosic fibre manufacturing conglomerate Aditya Birla, have filed a joint patent application for the production of high tenacity lyocell made using microbial cellulose.…
AMSTERDAM – The ZDHC Foundation has welcomed new recruits to its Roadmap to Zero programme, including ‘sustainable’ fibre manufacturers Spinnova and Eastman Naia. The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), which supports the Better Cotton Initiative…
MARSEILLE - French fashion brand American vintage has committed to a ban on the use of wool from angora rabbits in all future collections following long-standing pressure from animal welfare campaigners. The PETA animal rights group, which has been…
MILAN - Luxury skiwear brand Moncler has launched a new range of jackets which it says are made entirely from more sustainable materials as part of the company's Born to Protect strategy to reduce its environmental impact. Moncler says the jackets,…
DHAKA - Bangladesh has reportedly dropped its plea to the US to sign a free trade agreement (FTA) deal - because it is not ready to meet demands on areas including workers' rights. The Bangladeshi government was seeking an FTA to ease the burden on…
DHAKA - Garment manufacturers in Bangladesh warn that their industry could collapse unless the government agrees to extend a scheme to lend them money to pay workers' wages because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers…
LONDON – A consumer survey commissioned by Fashion Revolution has assessed the attitudes and habits of 5,000 shoppers aged between 16-75 across the UK, France, Spain, Germany and Italy. Findings, which cover brand and manufacturing expectations and…
HERZOGENAURACH – Sportswear giant Adidas is developing a new vegan 'leather' shoe made from fungi as part of its pledge to drive up its use of sustainable materials. The new 'purely biological' Stan Smith trainers will be made from mycelium, the…
LONDON – British fashion and interiors brand House of Hackney has become a certified B Corporation, an accolade which recognises the firm’s ongoing efforts to demonstrate best practices on the social and environmental front. B Corporations, of which…
GELEEN – Material sciences firm Royal DSM has partnered with clean-tech company Clariter to undertake tests which will examine whether its Dyneema brand of fibre – said to be 15 times stronger than steel on a weight for weight basis – can be…
DHAKA - The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has released its first sustainability report in which it outlines the country’s apparel sector's commitment to become more environmentally conscious and socially…
LONDON – Marks & Spencer has today officially pledged to avoid sourcing cotton and textiles from the Xinjiang region of China and says it remains ‘committed’ to offering clothing made from 100 per cent ‘sustainably sourced’ materials. The UK…
LONDON – British menswear brand Farah says its core clothing lines will use 100 per cent organic cotton, which will first be demonstrated in the firm’s upcoming spring/summer collection. Farah brand director, Mark McCann, commented: “Like many…
DHAKA - A huge drop in the shipment of readymade garments due to declining orders in the face of the coronavirus pandemic was the biggest factor behind a 14.57 per cent fall in exports from Bangladesh last year. New figures from the Export Promotion…
AMSTERDAM – The ZDHC Foundation has tweaked the latest version of its manufacturing restricted substance list (MRSL) to align with bluesign, updated its MRSL candidate list and phased out the self-declared conformance level 0 on its ZDHC chemical…
BARCELONA - Sustainable fashion provider T2T Solutions has selected Centric Software's SMB product lifecycle management (PLM) solution to digitally transform its work to source more ethical garments for fashion brands and retailers. T2T Solutions,…
SHANXI – Textile industry insiders told delegates at the recent China Textile Conference that they can expect the coal industry to play an increasingly important part in the province’s manufacture of synthetic textile fibres. It’s reported that Wang…
WASHINGTON DC - The second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has hit the “poorest and most vulnerable” hardest in Myanmar, according to a new report from the World Bank. In the latest issue of its twice yearly Myanmar Economic Monitor (MEM), the…
LIVERPOOL – Academics at the University of Liverpool have completed two case studies which assessed conversations on Twitter around sustainability issues in fashion and the subsequent brand engagement, and concluded that the approaches of fashion…
ZURICH – As part of the regular annual updates to its testing criteria and limit values, Oeko-Tex has included an approach to integrate recycled materials as part of its Standard by 100 along with the systemic integration of the carbon and water…
KARNATAKA – The author of a case study which has highlighted the unfair dismissal of more than 1,000 workers at a garment factory in Karnataka says the Indian state’s government failed to protect site staff, many of whom will now go without adequate…
HERZOGENAURACH – Sportswear giant Adidas says this year it will use more than 60 per cent recycled polyester across its product range. The German outfit’s ambition is to only use recycled polyester by 2024 – a target it looks on course to meet after…
GLOBAL – A statement issued by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) says the coronavirus pandemic has created “a new level of despair among workers” and warns that “if brands don’t step up to help stanch the human…
CHARLOTTESVILLE – A new collaboration between chemistry software provider Scivera, and textile equipment maker, Jeanologia, aims to give apparel brands a deeper insight into the environmental impact of chemical formulations used during textile wet…
DHAKA - Union leaders in Bangladesh are urging the government to reject a plea by garment manufacturers to suspend a planned five per cent hike in the minimum wage for garment workers because of the pandemic. The Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers…
WAKEFIELD – As we close down for the Christmas period we’d like to extend ‘Season’s Greetings’ to all of our readers and wish everyone all the very best for 2021 after what has been a troubling year for everyone. The unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic has…
WASHINGTON DC - The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has released a cotton vision for the next decade as forecast by a dozen leading research experts. The industry body asked 12 former winners of the ICAC Researcher of the Year award…
SAN FRANCISCO – Workers’ rights NGO Remake - which spent much of this year calling on fashion brands to #PayUp their suppliers for cancelled orders - has launched a new campaign to help vulnerable garment workers. Called #ShareYourProfits, it urges…
NEW YORK - Fashion brand Karl Lagerfield has banned the use of exotic skins such as those of snakes and crocodiles from all products in due to fears of diseases, such as COVID-19, passing from wildlife to humans. Animal rights organisation PETA…
WASHINGTON DC – Fashion brands including Nike, Levi Strauss (LS&Co), Gap, Target and the VF Corp-owned Timberland, Vans and North Face are amongst more than 1,000 signatories of a statement to the incoming Biden administration, reaffirming their…
BRUSSELS – The European Commission has updated test methods for azo dyes that may be found in textiles as part of its harmonisation efforts on REACH chemical regulations with respect to restricted carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicant…
GENEVA - The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has revealed it is aiming to develop a new system that will offer full physical traceability of its 'better cotton' by 2022. Ecotextile News revealed at the beginning of this month that the BCI hoped to…
DUBAI — Middle East online fashion retailer Namshi has become the region's first to join the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and has also announced a series of sustainable and social responsibility initiatives. Namshi chairman Hadi Badri said…
GENEVA - The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has recognised Greek cotton that is grown to the country's AGRO-2 Integrated Management Standards certification as equivalent to its 'Better Cotton'. The decision is a boost to the sustainability…
MACAU - Leather manufacturer ISA TanTec has launched its own sourcing programme as part of its LITE (Low Impact To the Environment) concept. The company says its LITE programme goes beyond the sourcing requirements of the Leather Working Group (LWG)…
DENVER – Apparel giant VF Corp, which owns the likes of The North Face, Timberland and Vans, has announced its commitment to the UN’s Global Compact (UNGC) and its Women’s Empowerment Principles. Signatories of the UNGC pledge to champion corporate…
PHILADELPHIA – Animal rights organisation PETA says it’s “pointing the finger” at fashion retailer URBN – owner of Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People – after footage from a PETA Asia investigation showed violence against sheep in…
DHAKA – New data collected by the team behind BRAC University’s Mapped in Bangladesh (MiB) platform shows that the proportion of women in the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector is diminishing, reportedly due to a rise in automation, wage…
LOS ANGELES - Materials science company Recover is aiming to increase its production of recycled cotton to 200,000 metric tons per year by 2025 following "significant" backing by the STORY3 Capital investment firm. Both companies have declined to…
BRISTOL – The Microfibre Consortium (TMC) has told Ecotextile News that despite the obvious difficulties posed by COVID-19 this year, its work has remained on the front foot which it credits to the adaptability of its research partners worldwide.…
AMSTERDAM - Signatories to the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile (AGT) have again significantly increased their sourcing of more sustainable raw materials. The proportion of sustainable raw materials sourced by AGT members, who are…
LONDON – Homeware retailer Dunelm has partnered with the British Heart Foundation (BHF) charity and furniture clearance company Clearabee in a bid to promote circularity. Through this new scheme, Dunelm will encourage its customers to re-direct what…
MILAN – Luxury fashion group Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP) is piloting Digital IDs for garments, which in theory would encompass product-specific QR codes linked to online data of their contents. For now, the concept is being tested on select items from…
LEEDS - The Future Fashion Factory research and development programme has secured £2 million (US$2.7m) in funding for new projects including sustainable alternatives to traditional materials and design processes. The funding, achieved in three…
COPENHAGEN – Danish fashion brand Bestseller has launched a new circularity project in Bangladesh as it looks to find value in the estimated 400,000 tonnes of production waste generated in the Southeast Asian nation’s garment industry each year. For…
BERLIN – European fashion platform Zalando is now sharing comparable sustainability data from more than 250 partner brands collected through its partnership with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Higg Co. Zalando became the first…
CHICAGO - A new report on the circularity performance of the largest 100 fashion brands operating in Europe says that just three - Patagonia, The North Face and Levi’s - are achieving 'acceptable' results. Global management consultants Kearney…
LONDON - Boohoo Group executive chairman Mahmud Kamani has told MPs that he really was "shocked and appalled" by allegations of illegally low pay and poor conditions in the company's Leicester supply factories - despite having sourced from the city…
TETTNANG – Outdoor apparel brand Vaude has revealed that it has succeeded in removing seven of 11 chemicals of concern - including controversial fluorocarbons (PFCs) - from its manufacturing processes by a deadline of the end of this year. And the…
LONDON – British retailer Marks and Spencer (M&S) has announced that it is to relaunch its Plan A sustainability strategy in the new year and will “reinvigorate” the programme to put it “back at the centre of our customer story”. The relaunched Plan…
WASHINGTON DC - Campaigners against the use of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China - the country's cotton hub - have written to leading brands demanding they reveal their stance on a US bill aimed at banning imports from the region. The…
NEW YORK – Traceability solutions provider Eon has launched what it says is the fashion industry’s first global partner network in a bid to streamline supply chain circularity. In collaboration with the likes of the Renewal Workshop, Trove, Save…
WAKEFIELD – In the latest Big Closets, Small Planet podcast, founder of the environmental NGO Canopy, Nicole Rycroft, and chief commercial officer of Austrian fibre producer Lenzing, Robert van de Kerkhof, join host Michael Schragger to discuss the…
SAN FRANCISCO - Technology company Higg Co has announced a partnership with responsible sourcing organisation Sedex that will make Higg's facility environmental assessments available to Sedex members. The companies will also begin exploring new ways…
XINJIANG - More than half a million Uyghur Muslim prisoners are reportedly being used as forced labour to pick the huge cotton harvests of the Xinjiang region of China. Dr Adrian Zenz, a leading expert on China's treatment of Uyghurs and other…
COPENHAGEN – Business consultancy BSR, which is behind the women’s empowerment initiative HERproject, has surveyed more than 1,000 garment workers across Bangladesh, China, India, Vietnam and Egypt to determine the extent to which COVID-19 has…
GLOBAL - US sportswear company Brooks Running and German producer of mountain sportswear Vaude are among 13 new signatories to the Climate Pledge commitment to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early. Some 31 companies have now joined…
MUNICH - The TÜV SÜD technical testing organisation in Germany has launched a vegan product certification for producers of apparel, footwear and home textiles wanting to show off their animal welfare credentials. The certification ensures that the…
LONDON - Wet processing - which includes bleaching, dyeing and printing – is the weak link in efforts to reduce the environmental impact of textile supply chains, according to a new report. The study, by the Planet Tracker financial think tank, says…
MEMPHIS - The US Cotton Trust Protocol initiative has announced that it has welcomed its first 10 cotton textile manufacturers as members. Buhler Quality Yarns, Cap Yarns, CCW, Contempora Fabrics, Cotswold Industries, Frontier Yarns, Hamrick Mills,…
WAALWIJK – Dutch chemicals specialist Stahl has partnered with blockchain provider Finboot and will leverage its Marco traceability solution to verify the sustainability credentials of its products to customer brands and manufacturers. Nish Kotecha,…
DHAKA - The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has launched a new programme - ‘Go Human, Go Green’ - in which its members promise to respect their workers and the environment. The campaign involves seven specific…
STUTTGART – Global Standard, the organisation which created the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), has partnered with the UK’s Organic Trade Board (OTB) to promote the benefits of certified products via new campaigns. GOTS certification is a…
HANOI - Vietnam's rapidly growing industrial economy could make steps towards reducing its damaging impact by adopting China's model of environmental transparency, according to a new report. Entitled 'A Green Industrial Future - Vietnam's Path to…
KOBE – Sportswear brand Asics has become the first Japanese company to join the Fashion Pact, a global environmental initiative which challenges signatories to help mitigate climate change, restore biodiversity and protect the oceans. Asics joins…
STOCKHOLM – Sweden is to introduce 'extended producer responsibility' (EPR) legislation for clothing and textiles from 1st January 2022, following a government inquiry launched a year ago. The new EPR will be phased in over several years with…
KUALA LUMPUR – Blockchain provider Verofax Asia has partnered with Malaysian brand Auri to launch a new asset digitalisation and traceability app for the apparel industry. Suppliers of Auri will leverage the solution to serialise product-specific…
DENVER – The North Face has defended itself from accusations of ‘virtue signalling’ after being criticised by a Texan oil boss who was refused permission to put his firm’s logo on the outdoor clothing manufacturer’s jackets as the apparel brand…
ATLANTA – Supply chain solutions firms Logility and New Generation Computing (NGC) have joined forced to introduce a new traceability technology, which they feel US brands and manufacturers should look to leverage if they’re to be sure their supply…
PARIS — Fashion and luxury group LVMH has launched a new environmental performance roadmap - LIFE 360 - in which it outlines its sustainability goals over the next three, six and 10 years. It aims to build on the LIFE 2020 (LVMH Initiatives for the…
LONDON – Selfridges has partnered with vintage fashion retailer Beyond Retro as part of its ‘Resellfridges’ in-store scheme, which was introduced earlier this year to promote circular business models. Selfridges launched its Project Earth initiative…