TEXNews

Overview of Pakistan’s Textile Industry in the midst of Corona Pandemic

With the unexpected arrival of the Pandemic that put a pause on everything, Pakistan’s textile industry faced some challenges but quickly recovered and showed sign of growth. However, there is also a fluctuation over the periods as the export sector saw a big shift. According to the statistics given by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) textile exports in 2020 declined to USD 12,782,608 thousand from USD 13,580,585 thousand in 2019. This decline is due to a number of reasons such as fiscal and monetary policy at federal level, order cancellations and shipment delays amid pandemic-led global lockdowns as 84% of the enterprises were not operational during Covid-19.

• The first of the major factors that caused this downfall of low revenue generation was the reduction in export orders followed by disruption in logistics, shift in consumer demand and producer supply along with upstream and downstream chain distribution. • The second factor was the devaluation of maintaining the cashflow which brought in financial challenges. • The third factor was weaker integration and business to business (B2B) connect thus hindering the local value chain.

The industry worked efficiently and adapted quickly with the situation by allowing work from home for the employees during the temporary shut-down as major measures. Moreover, quick on their feet in innovation, factories started manufacturing new products that were need of the hour such as KN95 masks and Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) to the exporting partners. Online business portals were also being utilized to manage the the local demand and supply framework. By taking these quick measures, the companies were able to obtain the key costs for Costs such as rents, salaries, insurances, premiums and wages.

Now that the situation seems to be almost in control, the policies placed by the government that showed effectiveness and contributed in the recovery should be made permanent to reap long term benefits. Secondly, reduction in compliance costs should be stressed upon by the government as these include borrowing from banks, border compliance and tax related compliance. Lastly, Third, government should bring in exemption on import items which are of primary use in manufacturing the product.

The start of the year 2021 is a good one for Pakistan as exports in the first seven months of FY21 increased 5.53% over the previous period's value. According to the recently published summary on trade by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).

According to a World Trade Organisation (WTO) statement titled "World trade volume rallies in the third quarter after Covid-19 shock", the third quarter of 2020 showed a recovery in global trade as the volume of business increased 11.6% compared to the second quarter of 2020. Although the figures were lower than the values reported in December 2020, the year-on-year growth rate of exports was impressive, at 8.11%. On the other hand, imports too continued to increase year-on-year, at 14.85%.

The new textile policy to be finalized soon: Asad Umar

The textile industry is the backbone of Pakistan's GDP. The textile industry has been the focus of every Government. Textile Sector employs about 45% of the total Labor force in the country. The revival of the textile industry in the era of the current Government is exceptional. The stakeholders are curious about the upcoming textile policy, which could have a considerable impact on exports.

Asad Umar, Minister for Planning and Development, said at a briefing of business people and industrialists in Faisalabad that a new textile policy is being formulated, which will be finalized soon. The textile policy will undoubtedly help the country maintain the current tempo, is nearing completion.

Talking about his meeting with Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) officials, he said it centered on issues hampering work in the Allama Iqbal Industrial Estate. He underlined that the Government was focusing on strengthening the manufacturing sector with Chinese cooperation in the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Umar requested FCCI President Hafiz Ihtasham Javed to prepare a comprehensive report on the business community's problems and their solutions to be incorporated into the budget for the next fiscal year. Speaking on occasion, Javed said that if electricity and gas subsidies were withdrawn, the industrialists would lose their competitive edge in the international market.

Pakistan lands an enhanced position on World Bank ease of doing business index

As per World Bank’s latest rankings on ease of doing business for 2020, Pakistan has improved its position by 28 points from 136 to 108 which is an unprecedented improvement, report said. After this integration, SECP’s eServices is offering one window facility for company registration with FBR (NTN registration), EOBI, provincial employees social security institutions (PESSI/SESSI), Labor Department and Excise and Taxation Department of Punjab and Sindh.

This improvement is primarily due to integration of SECP e-Services with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) at the Federal level and with Business Registration portals of Punjab and Sindh at the Provincial level.

As a result of this reform, number of procedures to start a business as recorded in the Doing Business Report 2020 have been reduced from 10 to 5 and Pakistan has been able to ranked at first in South Asia and 6th among the top ten reformers globally.

The administrative powers under the STA relating to operationalization of the STR have been entrusted to the Commission through the Financial Institutions (Secured Transactions) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. The SECP, with financial support from DFID (UK), has launched the STR on April 30, 2020.

Next, Byford & Advance Denim join US Cotton Trust Protocol

Next and Byford are renowned brands of UK. The brands sign up to US Cotton Trust Protocol that will help them to source all cotton from responsible sources by 2025. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol provides fashion brands and retailers with the critical information they need to show the cotton fiber element of their supply chain is responsibly grown. It works by providing member brands with verified data on the sustainability practices used on U.S. cotton farms, with participating growers collecting data in six key areas of sustainability: water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, soil carbon, soil loss, and land use efficiency.

Byford, founded in Leicester, UK with its origins dating back the early 20th century, is dedicated to quality garments, reflecting a commitment to high standards of design and craftsmanship. Today, the brand has more than 1,500 sales points in over 20 markets around the world. Byford said that “By working with them, we are now able to monitor and track sustainability improvements, including greenhouse gas emissions. Our direction as a brand is to use more authentic and ethically sourced fabrics and the Trust Protocol gives us confidence the cotton we purchase is from a more sustainable source.”

Next’s 2025 target to source 100% of its main raw materials through known, responsible or certified routes means that it will only use cotton produced in line with key sustainability performance indicators. The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol underpins and verifies sustainability progress through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification.

Advance Denim, one of the top three Chinese denim manufacturers, became a U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol member – noting that it joined because it wanted to source more sustainable fiber through this sustainability initiative. Advance Denim joins more than 200 other Trust Protocol member mills and manufacturers which play a key role in providing a more secure and transparent supply chain to brands and retailers.

Advance Denim stated that as a Trust Protocol member, Advance Denim now can provide its customers with all-important confidence about the U.S. cotton in their sourcing mix. Recent Google Trends data reveals that online searches for new denim styles have increased exponentially over the last year across the world, with a 1300% increase in ‘denim masks’ and 110% increase in ’denim cargo shorts.’

Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol, said, “The Trust Protocol’s emphasis on measurement and independent verification provides the confidence and trust that a brand is using responsibly grown cotton and producing a product that consumers can believe in. With each member that joins, we have greater resources to help provide tools and knowledge to U.S. cotton farmers to help them continuously improve their sustainability practices.”

Government is planting cannabis crops as a replacement for cotton crops

In an effort to revive cotton production, the government has taken a new route which is cannabis production. Compared to cotton, cannabis can produce crops three times the size of cotton per acre and has a faster growing-time averaging at 90 to 100 days as compared to 150 to 180 days for cotton.

Therefore, cannabis production will work as a replacement for cotton and will ultimately benefit Pakistan’s economy. Cannabis production farms are being set up in Jhelum, Peshawar, Chakwal and Islamabad disclosed Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Federal Minister for Science and Technology.

Hemp can be used in several parts of the industry. Fabrics derived from hemp is proven to be more durable, stronger, and maintain their form in the stretching process whereas when compared with cotton. Aside from that, hemp can also be merged with other types of fibers and is used in construction, paper, oils, paints, adhesives, plastics, and cooking.

Textile industry facing difficulties and need a prompt response from Government: PTEA

Khurram Mukhtar, Patron-in-Chief of Pakistan Textile Export Association (PTEA), raised the general concerns over undue delay in disbursement of exporters' Duty Drawback of Taxes and Income Tax refunds (over Rs. 50 million). He also urged the Government to take immediate measures to ease the financial stress and gear up the export growth.

Textile exporters are facing severe problems in meeting export demands. There is a drop in yarn production, but the textile industry's demands have increased. The gap between supply and demand has put pressure on textile exporters who are already facing a severe financial crisis for non-payment of Rs330 billion in income tax refund and duty drawback taxes.

Mr. Mukhtar said that yarn had a 60 percent drop in its production this year while there was a 25 percent increase in the textile industry demand. This gap has led to a shortage of cotton yarn in the market and resulted in an immense increase in the thread price. cotton imports have spiked cotton yarn, and textile exporters are forced to pay a higher price for raw materials. He appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan for taking severe notice of cotton shortage and allowing the import from Afghanistan and the Central Asian States via the Torkham land route; however, he considered it insufficient to meet the apparel industry's raw material needs as importing yarn from central Asian countries is not only expensive but will take one to two months to reach Pakistan. In order to overcome the scarcity of primary raw material, he demanded a cross-border import of cotton yarn from India to ensure continuity in export growth

Vice-Chairman of PTEA Saqib Majeed believed that undue delay in Textile Policy's approval results in deferral or even backing out of investors from possible investments in the textile chain. Implementation of textile policy would attract domestic and foreign investment in the textile value chain and the development of value-added sectors. He demanded immediate approval and implementation of textile policy to pick-up the textile value chain's growth pace.

EFI Engage workshops featured for various customer solutions, including digital printing

EFI™ Engage conference and workshops were held worldwide from 25 January to 5 February. Among various features of these events, special considerations have been given that featured groundbreaking innovations to accelerate customers' ability to profitably and efficiently transition from analog to digital printing setups. The conference featured a full training track on industrial textile printing, with training and demos on the entire portfolio of EFI Reggiani digital production solutions for apparel and textile manufacturing.

Through more than 200 online conference sessions, EFI Engage highlighted the expanded possibilities print and packaging businesses can achieve with leaner, faster, more efficient, and more integrated print production. The new EFI Fiery Command WorkStation offered the free, market-leading, central interface used to direct hundreds of thousands of Fiery Driven™ digital print devices worldwide to help users manage their digital print operations better, even across multiple printers and locations, and produce a higher quality print with fewer mistakes.

A vital production innovation launched during Engage for cut-sheet digital printing was the integration between EFI Fiery Impose software and Duplo DC-618 Slitter/Cutter/Creaser devices that automates job preparation and finisher setup for higher-value custom jobs. The integration cuts the workflow's initial setup time in half and saves users up to 70% in setup time, preparing printing jobs with seamless, automated, two-way communication.

Furthermore, EFI introduced its fastest roll-to-roll super wide-format printers for new 138 to 198-inch wide EFI VUTEk Q3r, and Q5r UV LED printers that can deliver expanded capabilities for a wide range of challenging, high-volume applications, with premium features such as multi-layer white and high-value in-line finishing, collection, and auto backlit and blocked out options that help users achieve a low total cost of operation.

Hohenstein Institute developed a molecular biological procedure to identify genetically modified cotton

The Hohenstein experts have also developed their own molecular biological detection systems to test genetically modified cotton at all critical points along the entire value chain from raw cotton to yarns, fabrics, and finished end products. Hohenstein is a German family-owned company that has specialized for over 70 years in the testing, certification, and research of all kinds of textile products. The textile testing service provider Hohenstein is currently one of five laboratories in Europe that carry out accredited textiles testing for genetically modified organisms (GMO) by the ISO/IWA 32:2019 protocol.

The new biological screening allows complete traceability throughout the entire textile chain with clear yes/no statements about GMO-free cotton or textiles. As a member institute of the OEKO-TEX® Association, Hohenstein also screens fabrics for genetically modified organisms as part of the STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certification. If the requirements are met, the articles can be advertised here with the claims "organic cotton," "biological cotton," or "GMO not detectable."

Consumers are turning to organic cotton and are happy to accept higher prices for it. This is because the cultivation of organic cotton requires the renunciation of genetically modified seeds as well as chemical pesticides and fertilisers. Nevertheless, genetic modifications are found time and again in textiles that are actually labelled with the relevant organic labe. Consumers can be confident that no genetically modified cotton could be detected in the articles they buy. This is because, up to now, most organic certifications either do not include any obligatory laboratory tests at all or only random sample tests on cotton seeds. The possible causes of organic cotton contamination by genetic modifications are complex and extend along the entire value chain. Therefore, Hohenstein's biological method could be beneficial for ultimate satisfaction and surety regarding the organic content claims.

Efforts for Sustainable Denim Naveena denim Pakistan and UK-based Endrime in highlights

As the supply chain needs continue to change, both brands and consumers look for more sustainable options without sacrificing the look. They feel that consumers love their favorite pair of jeans. In this regard, various brands and companies are putting their efforts. Endrime will launch a collection of exclusive new jeans resulting from the supply chain-wide Bast Recast project. Endrime is a UK-based denim brand. The Endrime denim is based on hemp fibers supplied by Kingdom Hemp from the Heilongjiang region of China, blended with Refibra and Modal lyocell from Austria-headquartered Lenzing.

Similarly, Naveena denim Pakistan has blended the three fibers and spun and woven a range of 8-12oz denim fabrics from the resulting yarns, with Crafil supplying the sewing threads also made from Lenzing’s lyocell, to ensure the jeans are 100% biodegradable. Naveena denim has used REFIBRA yarns. The pioneering REFIBRA™ technology involves upcycling cotton scraps from garment production. REFIBRA™ is a new generation of ecological fabrics made of upcycled cotton scraps from pre & post-consumer cotton waste and Lenzing ™ Lyocell fibers coming from wood pulp. Refibra™ fabrics are naturally soft and gentle on the skin, breathable, and compostable.

Spain’s Jeanologica has also been involved in the project to provide authentic period washes for the denim. All of the scrap from production is retained and repulped into lyocell and hemp paper for the hangtags and labels.

Apparel sector appeals to the Govt to ban Cotton Yarn export

The availability of the cotton yarn in the local market is already very low which poses as a huge challenge for the apparel sector. In these circumstances, a 35.86 recorded increase in the cotton yarn export is making a layer of panic go through the apparel makers. These apparel makers are already seeking a ban on cotton yarn export as this premium raw material should be utilized by Pakistan to manufacture high value added products like garments which will in turn in earning foreign exchange.

The value added products of knitwear, bedwear, towel and readymade garments have witnessed a decline of 26.14, 7.35, 11.36 and 0.42 percent respectively in February 2021 compared to January 2021. The rising volume of export of cotton yarn had deteriorated apparel sector’s growth as the country continued to face energy shortage, said Pakistan Apparel Forum chairman Muhammad Jawed Bilwani.

The government should also abolish the existing five percent customs duty on import of cotton yarn below 40 single count. Cotton yarn prices surged 40 percent, but even at that exorbitant rate it was unavailable on the local market, he added.

The situation has also compelled the exporters not to take new orders and for that reason such export orders meant for Pakistan shall be diverted to other regional countries. The dollar had depreciated against the rupee by seven percent, which was also a matter of concern for the exporters as the situation might lead to a liquidity crunch, Bilwani said.

UNIDO and Nudie jeans recycling second quality or export leftover jeans for environmental benefits

Second-quality jeans are those that don’t quite meet quality standards – the wash may be too dark; the stitching may not be quite right, or the cut may be irregular. Usually they are sold for discount prices or just thrown away. They are also called as export leftovers. In industrial practices, such jeans become an environmental burden as the quality control departments won’t let them clear for shipment. In other words, these are now the unwanted or rejected garments.

According to the United Nations, approximately 10,000 liters of water are required to make one single pair of jeans from the production of the cotton to the delivery of the final product to the store. Water scarcity has long been a challenge in Tunisia but climate change, combined with rapid urbanization, has made the problem even more acute. With demands from industry and agriculture putting immense pressure on Tunisia’s water resources, Nudie Jeans and UNIDO are hoping their project will show a way to do more with less. is looking at ways to make use of second-quality jeans to maintain the highest quality of its products, while reducing the environmental impact of the production process. To develop greener production processes in Tunisia, Nudie Jeans has been working with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as part of the European Union-funded SwitchMed project.

Roberta De Palma, Chief Technical Advisor at UNIDO, said, “The current production system for fashion goods uses high volumes of virgin fibers, which creates a significant pressure on valuable resources, such as water. Exploring ways for recycling post-industrial textile waste could reduce this dependency and support the development of a recycling infrastructure in the production countries.”

Brinkberg, the Swedish company’s environmental manager, said, “Eight thousand pairs of second-choice jeans are being used, together with virgin denim fabric, to create 20,000 meters of new fabric. From this new fabric, 15,000 pairs of new jeans will be created.”

Carrington Textiles International A joint venture of Carrington Textiles and Sapphire Textile Mills

Sapphire textile mills and Carrington textiles have launched a joint venture in Pakistan under Carrington Textiles International's name. The new partnership between the two textile giants has been developed after a stable relationship of more than 20 years. It offers customers the broadest range of woven workwear fabrics, including cotton-rich, polyester/cotton, stretch and new sustainable fabrics, all manufactured to the highest industrially launderable standards.

This venture aims to establish new textile dyeing and finishing operations that will provide up to 20 million metres per year of dyed and white fabric to Carrington's global customers. Carrington Textiles' current product range includes sustainable, workwear, flame retardant, waterproof and defence fabrics, with properties that have anti-viral, antistatic, high visibility, water repellency, and protection against chemical splash, electric arc and ultraviolet radiation. Operating in 81 countries and with a vast international network of sales representatives, customers include NHS, McDonald's, BUPA, TATA Steel, Shell, Coca Cola, Airbus, Jaguar Land Rover, BP, Arcelor Mittal to name a few.

Nabeel Abdullah, Sapphire's COO says, "Carrington Textiles International is an excellent project we are excited to be part of, and we are pleased our longstanding relationship with Carrington Textiles has developed into this joint venture." John Vareldiz, CEO of Carrington Textiles, said, "Following years of working closely with Sapphire as one of our strategic loom state suppliers, we have made the next logical step together and invested in a new state of the art dyeing and finishing factory in Lahore. This not only gives us our own European engineered manufacturing plant in Asia, but it also provides access to a vertical operation, from spinning through to weaving, dyeing and finishing. All of the dyeing and finishing machinery has been specified by our technical experts to meet the exacting standards of the workwear market, and we are confident this integration of our supply chains will help to give our customers the best chance to succeed in a challenging and exciting market."

Celebrating 130 years in 2021, Carrington Textiles is one of Europe’s largest textile suppliers to the workwear market. With bases in the UK, mainland Europe and Asia, Carrington Textiles supports many of the world’s largest employers in sectors including heavy industry, hospitality, defence and health. Formed in Lancashire, United Kingdom, in 1891, the company continues to lead the industry in textiles for personal protective equipment.

Carrington Textiles’ current product range includes sustainable, workwear, flame retardant, waterproof and defence fabrics, with properties that include anti-viral, antistatic, high visibility, water repellency as well as protection against chemical splash, electric arc and ultraviolet radiation.

Cotton ending stocks to be drawn down due to higher consumption and lower production

The drawing stocks will be down by the end of this season as outpace production is expected. The 2020/21 cotton consumption forecast has been revised upward this month from 24.2 million tonnes to 24.5 million tonnes, and while the projected 7% year-over-year increase isn’t nearly enough to offset the losses caused by the pandemic. Stock levels are expected to drop to 21.1 million tonnes by the end of 2020/21, which would represent a 1% decrease from the previous season.

The Secretariat is projecting an increase in global trade. Both China and Pakistan are forecast to increase imports, the former benefitting from the price gap between domestic and foreign cotton and the latter due to a decrease in domestic production. This month, the Secretariat’s price projection for the year-end 2020/21 average of the A Index is 75.7 cents per pound.

According to the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), 192 retailers and brand members sourced 1.7 million tonnes of Better Cotton in 2020. The volume is around 13% more than the cotton sourced during 2019. The BCI engages and brings together the entire cotton sector, from farmers, ginners, and spinners to civil society organizations and significant global retailers and brands, to establish more sustainable cotton as the norm.

Among BCI’s 2,000 members, its Retailer and Brand Members influence the market and drive demand by sourcing more sustainable cotton as their raw material of choice. Better cotton: the cotton grown by licensed BCI Farmers often forms a significant part of a retailer’s portfolio of more sustainable cotton, including organic, Fairtrade, and recycled cotton.

Paula Lum Young-Bautil, Deputy Director, BCI, said, “BCI Members remained focussed on their commitments to sustainability through this challenging year. From civil society members supporting farmers on protective measures for Covid-19 to commercial members continuing to source Better Cotton and investing in cotton farming communities, BCI Members were more active and engaged than ever. Now we look ahead to 2021 and support even more ambitious sourcing plans from our growing membership.”

The increasing trust of Global Retailers in Better Cotton boosted its demand in 2020

Greenwashing Label on websites: In about 42% of cases, the claims were exaggerated or deceptive

According to the European Commission and National Consumer Authorities, about 42% of the claims were exaggerated, false or deceptive and could qualify as unfair commercial practices under EU rules. The data was shared as the results of their annual 'sweep' of websites.

Greenwashing has increased as consumers increasingly seek to buy environmentally sound products. The point where websites take advantage of consumers looking to purchase environmentally sound products. This year, for the first time ever, the sweep focused on "greenwashing", the practice by which companies claim they are doing more for the environment than they actually are. The "sweep" analyzed green online claims from various business sectors such as garments, cosmetics, and household equipment.

The Commission and consumer authorities examined 344 seemingly dubious claims in more detail and found that: • In more than half of the cases, the trader did not provide sufficient information for consumers to judge the claim's accuracy. • In 37% of cases, the claim included vague and general statements such as "conscious", "eco-friendly", "sustainable," which aimed to convey the unsubstantiated impression to consumers that a product had no negative impact on the environment. • Moreover, in 59% of cases, the trader had not provided easily accessible evidence to support its claim.

Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said, "More and more people want to live a green life and I applaud companies that strive to produce eco-friendly products or services. However, there are also unscrupulous traders out there, who pull the wool over consumers' eyes with vague, false or exaggerated claims."

A potential amount to an unfair commercial practice under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) may be charged. National authorities will now contact the companies concerned to point out the issues detected and to ensure that these are rectified where necessary. The sweep findings will also feed into the impact assessment to be prepared for a new legislative proposal to empower consumers for the green transition.

Vietnam's textile and garment industry strives to obtain US$39 billion export revenue in 2021 as orders rise again

Vietnam’s revenue levels are on the path of restoration as orders have increased in number in 2021 after the inauguration of Vietnam’s COVID-19 vaccination programme. In order to promote Vietnamese textile and garment brands globally and to introduce Vietnamese textile and apparel exports into the global retail chain, it is crucial to develop the supply chain of raw materials.

“2021 will certainly be a difficult year, but the company's products are mainly exported to Europe, where the market is improving. In addition, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will certainly create impetus fortextile and garment exports to Europe,” said Alessandro Di Palma, CEO of Dalat Worsted Spinning Company.

The surge in incoming orders have greatly helped in sustaining this export turnover of the textile and garment industry. Statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Trade show that total export turnover of textiles and garments reached US$5.954 billion in the first two months of 2021 while import turnover reached US$3.167 billion. Thus, the industry reported a trade surplus of US$3.299 billionwhile the added value of the industry has been quite high at 55.4%.

The rejuvenation of California's denim manufacturing industry

Los Angeles has long been the USA's denim hub, but change has been slow to come to the established brands and factories in the region. However, the trend has started to change. Earlier, Pakistan's denim manufacturer, Artistic Milliners, announced an investment in a Los Angeles manufacturing plant. Now, Saitex has also announced the opening of a new plant in Los Angeles.

Saitex company has installed the latest laser cutting, semi-automated sewing, robotic spraying, 3D laser detailing, and one-step wash machines connected to a state-of-the-art water recycling system in its new LA plant. It is also initiating an automated supply chain ecosystem using interconnected ordering and costing with shorter lead times. The use of a Cloud-based digital Platform as a Service (PaaS) system will allow a new approach to inventory management and "made to order" capabilities, sustainably and fast.

The current plant in Ho Chi Minh City, Saitex, produces an average of 18,000 pairs of jeans per day. With a $22 million recycling system on-site, water consumption for each pair of jeans has been dramatically reduced from 80 liters to just one. Sanjeev Bahl, CEO of Saitex, said, "Saitex USA is another step in our journey, providing an opportunity to bring sustainable manufacturing and jobs to the United States, a first step in re-evaluating and reinventing global supply chains."

UK fashion and textile sector in crisis due to post Brexit trade arrangements

The new post-Brexit trade agreement has drastically changed the order of business and Tarde in the UK but one such sector that has faced the most difficulty is the Britain’s fashion and textile industry which is worth £35billion. The red tape and travel restrictions are upsetting complex international supply chains of the fashion industry. Over 400 prominent fashion experts have written a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressing the gravity of the situation.

“The deal done with the EU has [left] a gaping hole where promised free movement for goods and services for all creatives, including the fashion and textiles sector. Yet we have been disregarded in this deal and our concerns overlooked. Without urgent attention these issues will jeopardise the immediate and long term future of the sector.” fashion experts say in the letter to Boris Johnson.

“Many firms could be weeks away from going under. We need a radical overhaul of customs arrangements including VAT on all goods shipped into the EU by the end of February, or British brands will die”, said Designer Katharine Hamnett.

The consumers on both sides of the English Channel are refusing purchases because of the unexpected VAT and tariff charges and the smaller companies that also help support the UK’s fashion industry do not have enough funds to maneuver and do business amidst these new rules.

While the UK govt. spokesperson said, “We are working closely with businesses in the fashion industry to ensure they get the support they need to trade effectively with Europe, and seize new opportunities as we strike trade deals with the world’s fastest growing markets.”

The UK Cabinet Office said it was working carefully with businesses in the fashion industry to regulate to the new trading environment and was responsive that some businesses were facing challenges.

Thrifting is the key to zero-to-little waste as New York tries to lessen its annual textile waste

In terms of recycling and trying waste control, Will Textiles ever have their turn? The time might have come as Raskin pointed out, ““the issue of textile waste has not gone away, and yet the awareness has picked up,” pointing to the fact that it is now or never to take a stand.

“The first ReFashion week three years ago was just highlighting the thrift and reuse sector and produced exclusively by DonateNYC,” she said. “Last year, my organization got involved to really make it a cross-sector experience because we realized this isn’t a problem the government or private sector alone can solve.”

To make people aware about how lack of waste management is a big issue, a play for New York City’s waste network was arranged. As in years past, designers Heron Preston and Eileen Fisher, as well as Fashion Revolution are taking part.

“As one of the sustainability stylists I can assure you’re in for a treat,” said Gabriel Garmon. “We worked so hard to showcase how rewarding thrifting truly is and emphasized the importance of zero-to-little waste. The production of this year’s show is also amazing. I love the concept.”