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Thursday, 11 August 2022Shining a light on human rights abuses in Xinjiang
The Xinjiang Police Files attracted global attention when Adrian Zenz, a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, shared them with 14 major news organisations earlier this year. The result of a hacking attack on police… -
Wednesday, 10 August 2022SAC and Higg leaders respond to critics
June was not a good month for the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Higg Index suite of tools it has developed to monitor the social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry's global supply chain. The SAC found itself obliged to… -
Tuesday, 09 August 2022Finding value in waste
On the return of the Future Fabrics Expo, a programme rich in diverse thinking coincided with the usual fabric displays. It was there that one panel discussion explored the vast potential of waste agriculture. -
Tuesday, 02 August 2022Tracing solution eases sourcing concerns
In a quiet corner of rural North Yorkshire, scientists at Agroisolab UK are working on technology which they believe has the potential to be a game changer in terms of tackling the textiles industry’s traceability problem. Whether or not fibres are… -
Thursday, 21 July 2022Whatever happened to Fairtrade cotton?
Fairtrade cotton promises to address both environmental and social challenges, yet it has often been overshadowed by other cotton standards despite Fairtrade having high consumer recognition by comparison. Now, with organic cotton seemingly in some… -
Wednesday, 20 July 2022Meet the innovators turning CO2 into textiles
With fashion's carbon footprint recently estimated at roughly two per cent of the global total, turning greenhouse gases into textiles sounds like the holy grail in terms of reducing the industry's impact on climate change. However, a small but… -
Tuesday, 28 June 2022New climate rules too hot for some?
Tough new proposals to force companies to disclose their climate-related risks to investors in the US have been described as the Biden administration's most significant action so far on climate change. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),… -
Monday, 27 June 2022International Accord to spread its wings?
When fashion companies and trade unions agreed to set up a new body to hold brands accountable for workplace safety in Bangladesh last year, it was always intended that it would seek to expand to other garment manufacturing countries. Joris… -
Wednesday, 15 June 2022The rise of the ‘guiltwashers’
At the beginning of this century, life in the world of textiles was simple but concerning. Production was growing, consumption was expanding, and globalisation was happening at an alarming pace, with almost all textiles made using conventional… -
Wednesday, 13 April 2022New technology to digitise consumer wardrobes
Jack Ostrowski, the founder of sustainability solutions provider Yellow Octopus, has developed a new consumer-facing app and brand plug-in to spark drastic changes within the fashion sector. His concept, the Loop Digital Wardrobe, strives to… -
Tuesday, 12 April 2022Breaking point for organic cotton integrity
“Everyone is looking for business, not integrity.” So says one of our sources within the organic cotton sector – an industry dominated by large platforms, and a place where some experts are afraid to speak out publicly for fear of losing their… -
Friday, 04 March 2022Textiles sector leads Pakistan's net zero bid
Net Zero Pakistan, the country's drive towards net zero carbon emissions in industry - was intended to be cross-sector but so far 95 per cent of the signatories come from the textiles sector. Saleha Asif, CEO of the Pakistan Textile Council, argues… -
Wednesday, 23 February 2022China’s zero sense COVID-19 policy
Further regional lockdowns in China due to its zero-COVID strategy have caused severe supply chain bottlenecks accompanied by concerns on product quality, supply chain security and environmental safety. By doubling down on a draconian strategy that… -
Wednesday, 16 February 2022Brands explore fashion resales potential
With ecommerce marketplaces proving the scalability of the secondhand fashion space, resale tech specialists are now extending the appeal to brands and retailers. Although many in the industry have watched from the side-lines amidst the rise of the… -
Tuesday, 15 February 2022Big Apple to force fashion industry to up its game
New York is set to be the first US state to implement its own fashion sustainability law. Major brands and retailers would have to reveal what they are doing to reduce their environmental and social impacts, with heavy penalties for those which fall… -
Monday, 14 February 2022The trillion dollar question
Achieving net zero by 2050 could cost the textile industry an estimated US$1 trillion. Here, the president of the Apparel Impact Institute (AII) tells Ecotextile News why - and how - we must foot the bill. Clothing has always represented our… -
Monday, 20 December 2021This marriage could one day revolutionise dyeing
I’m a textile dyer and, with over 30 years’ experience in the industry I’ve seen a few things come and go in terms of the ‘next big thing’ but the fundamentals of how dyes remain intact and attached (or not) to fibres hasn’t changed one bit. Some… -
Monday, 13 December 2021Viscose manufacturers scale 'alternative' fibres
The race to bring next generation materials to market at scale is on.” That was the message from Nicole Rycroft, the executive director of environmental non-profit Canopy after man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) manufacturers Lenzing and Birla… -
Monday, 13 December 2021BGMEA - brands will pay more for sustainability
After going from strength to strength over the last four decades, Bangladesh's garment industry suffered something of a shock last year when it fell behind Vietnam as a sourcing destination. That was largely down to the impact of the COVID-19… -
Wednesday, 08 December 2021VF Corporation sets new sustainability goals
The VF Corporation fashion giant has confirmed it will source all of its cotton from the US, Australia or certified environmental cotton sources by 2025, as it releases new goals on sustainability and transparency. Through its newly-released 'Made… -
Monday, 06 December 2021Brands face legal threat over chemical in socks
More than 60 apparel companies could be sued under California Prop 65 chemical regulations after high levels of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) was found in women’s and children’s branded socks. The first stages of litigation have already… -
Thursday, 21 October 2021One year on: UK's Textile Circularity Centre
At the end of a dismal 2020 came optimism, courtesy of a newly launched research facility to “stimulate innovation and economic growth in UK textile manufacturing”. The Textiles Circularity Centre (TCC) was the focus of £5.4 million in funding last… -
Thursday, 21 October 2021Accelerating Circularity kicks off US trials
More than 22 US companies are now taking part in ongoing trials to collect, sort and recycle waste clothes in a bid to ramp up textile-to-textile circularity to commercial scale. Clothing retailers and brands such as VF Corporation, Gap Inc and… -
Monday, 18 October 2021Reducing energy in textile wet processing
The subject of sustainability in textiles has been around for the last couple of decades and, whilst there have been a few common threads, there is a tendency for priorities to change and for certain topics to be ‘flavour of the month’. Typically,… -
Tuesday, 12 October 2021Eight-point climate plan for EU textiles
As director of the Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Change, I believe the proposed EU Textile Strategy may be the industry’s best and only chance to transform the apparel industry at the pace and scale required to help mitigate climate change.… -
Tuesday, 05 October 2021Update to Textile Standards website
MCL News & Media has updated its textilestandards.com website with the addition of 10 further standards that cover environmental and social issues in the textile industry. Previously included industry tools and standards have also been updated to… -
Monday, 04 October 2021Can cotton cool climate change?
When it comes to considering the carbon footprint of the fashion and textiles industry, most of us tend to focus on coal-powered factories in countries like China and Vietnam and the shipping of garments halfway around the world to western stores.… -
Tuesday, 17 August 2021Addressing denim's water problem...
Evidence on water availability and consumption, published by reliable voices such as the United Nations and the World Bank, suggests the global denim industry needs to take a close look at itself. It needs to ask what it's doing to reduce its water… -
Monday, 16 August 2021C&A confirms anticipated nearshoring trend
Fashion retailer C&A will next year open a new €4 million state-of-the-art denim factory in the Germany city of Mönchengladbach on the former site of textile machinery supplier Monforts. The new ‘Factory for Innovation in Textiles’ (FIT) will be a… -
Friday, 13 August 2021Breakthrough salt-free dyeing process
UK scientists claim to have invented an ultra-low liquor ratio dyeing process for cotton that requires no salt – and has already being proven to work in commercial scale trials. Making large-scale industrial dyeing processes more efficient is what… -
Thursday, 12 August 2021Too many initiatives - too little funding?
It's all Bill Clinton's fault, apparently. Back in the 1990s, the US President reacted to fears that major brands were having their clothes and footwear made in sweatshops by setting up the Apparel Industry Partnership rather than pursuing a… -
Thursday, 29 July 2021Voice technology trialled in cotton fields
KARACHI – The Better Cotton Initiative has announced a pilot trial of ‘Worker Voice Technology’ to understand the challenges people face, especially regarding labour. What are the expected benefits, and are there any risks? Asks Simon Ferrigno. -
Wednesday, 30 June 2021Modular Fashion – the next big thing?
Some might use the term ‘multi-functional’, others prefer ‘convertible’ or 'adaptable’. The semantics may vary but, conceptually speaking, modular fashion translates into a garment, shoe or accessory that changes shape or form for different… -
Wednesday, 09 June 2021Why factory auditors turn up unannounced
Recent issues relating to pay and working conditions in the UK garment manufacturing industry have understandably put the spotlight on factory audits. I must stress from the outset that I am not an expert ‘social’ auditor so, when it comes to… -
Monday, 07 June 2021Can traceability solutions combat greenwashing?
In our last issue, we discussed the widespread problem of ‘greenwashing’ in the textile and fashion industries and how this new, dangerous culture of exaggerating sustainability claims not only blindsides consumers, but threatens to sabotage the… -
Wednesday, 26 May 2021IWTO Congress: Let’s Talk Wool
Regenerative practices, local wool with provenance, and transparency; all were top of the agenda in a wide-ranging discussion that even spun its way into wool as a carbon sink. Not all things wool end up in textiles, increasingly some now end up in… -
Friday, 21 May 2021Greenwashing threatens sustainability legitimacy
As the number of businesses manufacturing and selling more ‘sustainable’ products continues to rise, so too do cases of ‘greenwashing’, representing a moral conundrum for consumers and a threat to the legitimacy of the fashion and textile… -
Thursday, 20 May 2021Regenerative farming - just another buzzword?
As the buzz in the fashion sector around ‘regenerative agriculture’ continues to grow, we take another look at what this actually means, how it’s defined, what practices it includes, what is different from existing production systems and how is it… -
Thursday, 29 April 2021Why legislation is vital to accelerate progress
Even as a very small handful of leading brands and retailers begin to meaningfully reduce the environmental footprint of their business, the overall impacts of the apparel industry, which are shockingly large, are still accruing faster than the… -
Monday, 12 April 2021Are the robots coming for garment workers?
As far back as the early 19th century, the Luddites took to breaking the factory machinery that threatened to replace them in violent protests which ended only after mill and factory owners called in the British Army. Fast forward two centuries and… -
Friday, 09 April 2021Death knell sounded for Chinese cotton?
Brands and retailers are currently under immense pressure from Chinese politicians and consumers to continue using cotton from the country's Xinjiang region despite forced labour concerns. However, import restrictions triggered by human rights… -
Wednesday, 07 April 2021COVID 19: one year on
Fashion brands and retailers immediately identified the economic threat to their businesses as all but essential shops closed to protect the global population from the novel coronavirus in March 2020. But they were not quite so quick to spot the… -
Wednesday, 24 March 2021Feminising the fashion future?
The week-long 23rd International Conference for Sustainable Innovation 2021 attracted around 400 delegates from over 25 countries for an online event that put accelerating sustainability in fashion, clothing, sportswear and accessories centre stage.… -
Tuesday, 23 February 2021Textile chemical regulation continues to evolve
Although life as we know it has been placed on hold for much of the last year or so, the legislative wheels have continued to turn and, for those working at home without access to the usual company or multi-stakeholder meetings, there are a few… -
Tuesday, 16 February 2021Innovation - is there life after hype?
Fruit leathers, agri-tech, AI, blockchain - hardly a week goes by without these buzzwords appearing in the headlines. In recent years, a wave of textile innovators – all trying to disrupt the way the industry has been working for decades - has… -
Monday, 15 February 2021Sustainability made in Hong Kong
The H&M Foundation attracted headlines in the industry press recently when it announced that it was entering into a five-year partnership with the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel (HKRITA). The non-profit, funded by the owners of… -
Friday, 12 February 2021Reinforcing the business case for 3D design
COVID-19 has forced companies and fashion educational institutions to view 3D design software as a vital tool with broader applications ranging from product design to end-consumer marketing. Meanwhile, barriers to adoption are on the decline,… -
Thursday, 11 February 2021Mixed response to forced labour fears in China
Three key export markets for China recently acted in very different ways – all aimed at putting pressure on Beijing - to growing concerns over the alleged use of forced labour involving incarcerated Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region. Most… -
Thursday, 07 January 2021Time to champion cotton transparency
Certification and verification have been the bedrock of sustainable cotton for the past few years, with more standards and schemes appearing. Alongside them have come a proliferation of initiatives on transparency and traceability, some covering the… -
Wednesday, 06 January 2021Screening uncovers key chemical contaminants
The first results of a new screening tool for impurities found in bulk commodity chemicals used during textile wet processing has found heavy metals, phthalates and halogenated solvents are the primary contaminants. The screening tool, developed by…
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