From the Sector

• International trade fair for Green Fashion to take place in February

The Winter edition of INNATEX will not take place as planned in January, but is being postponed by one month. In changing their plans, the organisers MUVEO GmbH have reacted rapidly to the latest forecasts from the virus experts and to the changing situation regarding the spread of the Omicron variant in January, which remains unpredictable. They intend to offer a new date in mid- or late February; they are currently consulting the exhibitors and expect to reach a conclusion in the next few days.

“We are in regular discussions with our exhibitors and partners, and we know that the Green Fashion community needs a platform for winter ordering,” said Alexander Hitzel, INNATEX Project Manager. “In view of the fact that other live events have been cancelled this season, we see it as our duty more than ever to facilitate a gathering where products can be presented, orders can be taken and people can network – even if conditions are more difficult again.”

It had not yet been decided, he said, what adjustments the organisers would ultimately be making to the original concept with its various programme elements, to ensure compliance with the guidelines in force during the event. “We are in constant contact with the authorities but we will have to await developments before we can move on to the configuration of the event,” Hitzel continued.

MUVEO GmbH is one of a very small number of fair organisers that has managed to put on a safe six-monthly ordering platform throughout the entire pandemic, with a comprehensive hygiene policy and practice. Hitzel stresses that the same will be achievable this time.

Microplastic pollution is a global challenge across many industries and sectors – one of critical importance being textiles.

A 2021 study by the California Ocean Science Trust and a group of interdisciplinary scientists acknowledges that microfibres from textiles are among the most common microplastic materials found in the marine environment. Every time synthetic clothes are manufactured, worn, washed, or disposed of, they release microplastics into terrestrial and marine environments, including human food chains. Synthetic fibres represent over two-thirds (69%) of all materials used in textiles, a proportion that is expected to rise to 73% by 2030. The production of synthetic fibres has fuelled a 40-year trend of increased per capita clothing consumption.

Global textile consumption has become:

• more reliant on non-renewable resources,
• less biodegradable, and
• increasingly prone to releasing microplastics.

The increased consumption is also discretionary, driven by consumer desire and remains unchecked. Thus, the long-term trend in the textile industry parallels the intentional addition of microplastics to products such as cosmetics. The contrast is that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has recommended such intentional additions be restricted, whereas the over-consumption of synthetic fibres continues unchecked. One way for the EU to account for and mitigate microplastic pollution is through an EU-backed methodology measuring and reporting microplastic emissions, so that consumers and procurement officers have the information needed to minimise microplastic pollution resulting from their purchasing decisions.

There is a critical opportunity to address microplastic pollution in the fashion textile industry through the EU Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology. To meet the environmental objectives of the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU is proposing that companies substantiate their products’ environmental credentials using this harmonised methodology. However, microplastic pollution is not accounted for in the PEF methodology. This omission has the effect of assigning a zero score to microplastic pollution and would undermine the efforts of the European Green Deal, which aim “to address the unintentional release of microplastics in the environment.”

The incorporation of microplastic pollution as an indicator would increase the legitimacy of the PEF method as well as better inform consumer purchasing decisions, especially as the European Green Deal seeks to “further develop and harmonise methods for measuring unintentionally released microplastics, especially from tyres and textiles, and delivering harmonised data on microplastics concentrations in seawater.”

Whilst we continue to learn about the damage of microplastics and there is new knowledge emerging on the toxic impacts along the food chain, there is sufficient information on the rate of microplastic leakage into the environment to implement a basic, inventory level indicator in the PEF now. This is consistent with the recommendations of a review of microplastic pollution originating from the life cycle of apparel and home textiles. There are precedents in PEF for basic level (e.g., ‘resource use, fossils’) and largely untested (e.g. land occupation and toxicity indicators) indicators, and therefore an opportunity for the EU to promote research and development in the measurement and modelling of microplastic pollution by including such emissions in the PEF methodology. For such an indicator, the long and complex supply chains of the apparel and footwear industry would be a test case with high-impact and a global reach.

Gina Tricot releases its first collection that has been produced with We aRe SpinDye. The collection is part of Gina Tricot's innovation program Gina Lab. and consists of a coat, shirt, trousers and two bags colored with We aRe SpinDye's method.

With the collaboration, Gina Tricot continues to focus on sustainability, now with the coloring process at the center. Of all the resources that arise during the entire lifespan of a garment - from the production of raw materials, to recycling, 80% is used during the production phase itself. To maximize the effects of the sustainability changeover, an increased focus is required on the entire production process and in particular on the most resource-intensive of them all: the dyeing.

One of Gina Tricot's focus is to explore new methods and technologies in sustainability, which makes the collaboration with We aRe Spin Dye feel just right for us. Together we get a product with more durable and circular fibers, in addition with a more sustainable textile production with a focus on minimal water use. We are extremely proud of this collaboration. says Emma Garrote, Global Production & Sustainability Manager at Gina Tricot.

Gina Tricot is a shining example of an agile organization with short decision-making processes. They have managed to enthuse both the design and production department. It has been crucial to reach the launch of this collection that takes place today, says Andreas Andrén, CEO of We aRe SpinDye®.

Gina Tricot
Gina Tricot is a Swedish fashion brand that offers fashion to women in over 30 countries. Today, Gina Tricot has over 160 stores around Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, as well as e-commerce throughout Europe. With around 1,900 employees, 98% of these are girls. For Gina Tricot, it is important to build pride from the inside out, we are a company that chooses to invest in and highlight women.

We aRe Spin Dye
The company is a Swedish cleantech company that provides and offers a process and platform for production and quality control that enables players in the fashion and clothing industry to significantly reduce their environmental impact. The company's business concept is to establish a new, sustainable and transparent standard for dyeing synthetic textiles in the fashion and apparel industry in a simple and user-friendly way.

• Currency-neutral sales up 3%, despite € 600 million drag from external factors*
• Strong top-line momentum in EMEA, North America and Latin America with double-digit
• increase across these regions*
• DTC business growing at double-digit rate in EMEA, North America and Latin America*
• Gross margin at 50.1% as significantly higher full-price sales partly compensate
• negative currency impact and higher supply chain costs*
• Operating margin at 11.7% despite strong double-digit increase in marketing spend*
• Net income from continuing operations reaches € 479 million*
• Inventories down 23% currency-neutral*
• 2021 top- and bottom-line outlook confirmed*

“adidas performed well in an environment characterized by severe challenges on both the supply and demand side,” said adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted. “As a consequence of successful product launches we are experiencing strong top-line momentum in all markets that operate without major disruption. Double-digit growth in our direct-to-consumer businesses in EMEA, North America and Latin America is a testament to the strong consumer demand for our products. At the same time, we are navigating through the current world-wide supply chain constraints. Despite all challenges, we are on track to delivering a successful first year within our new strategic cycle.”
 

*See attached document for more information.

• CHIC Shanghai successfully completed under high safety and hygiene conditions
• The trend hotspot for the Chinese sales market: Lively interest of more than 20,000 trade visitors in the new collections of the 487 brands at the NECC in Shanghai
• Sustainability in great demand in all areas
• CHIC Shenzhen focuses on trading in the strong sales region of South China and the international clusters Hong Kong and Macao: Date postponed from November to December due to current Covid-19 cases in China

The fashion world of China met at the physical event CHIC Shanghai from October 9-11, 2021 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai

487 exhibitors presented themselves in clearly structured segments on 50,000 square meters. Maximum compliance with the security measures determined the course. Against this background the exhibitors welcomed more than 20,000 trade visitors and reported cheerful orders.

The 487 exhibitors were also satisfied with the business activity and reported successful orders.

Perfect presentation platform: the CHIC Matching area
The expanded matchmaking events at CHIC were also enthusiastically received.
In total, over 37 matchmaking events took place in the specially set up matching area consisting of several presentation platforms and private negotiation rooms at the fair. From company presentations by industry giants such as Shein, through trade fair tours to selected one-on-one discussions, CHIC brought exhibitors and visitors together in a targeted manner. More than 600 participants have been matched by this CHIC event. Among them visitors such as Shein, Walmart, Wang Yi Yan Xuan, Tiktok, BAILIAN GROUP, LIQUN etc, parts of the organizer's broad network.

Continuing growth: sustainable productions
Sustainability is one of the most important consumer trends in China. CHIC played the theme in all exhibition areas; from womenswear, kidswear and menswear to accessories, sustainable collections were represented in all segments.

Design talent and traditional styles
In the IMPULSES area, innovative designer brands showed inspiring trends, high-quality collections and fashion variety like Kmusso, MIJA or Yu Jian Tian with its new design collection made by natural materials such as mulberry silk and wool, presenting the unique traditional Chinese style.

CHIC Shanghai presented the entire range of the fashion business in a total of 12 exhibition segments. This year's acclaimed visual concept, created by lava beijing, has been awarded the Bronze Award of the Hiiibrand Awards 2021 in the Identity category.

Digital tools and physical events
In addition to the on-site trade fair offer, CHIC is expanding its reach through the consistent use of digital tools. The CHIC app combines all the functions needed for a successful trade fair participation, from the digital trade fair catalog and matchmaking to direct appointments and live chats for all participants who cannot be on site.

The next CHIC in Shanghai will take place in March 2022.

• ecorepel® Dry Cleaning Resistant – ecological water repellency that is PFC-free and dry cleaning resistant

In recent years, the textile industry has developed significantly in terms of environmentally-friendly water repellency. Many manufacturers have already successfully replaced textile finishes containing fluorocarbons with fluorocarbon-free (PFC-free) finishes.

Nevertheless, many textiles equipped with alternative finishes are reaching their limits in performance. Especially when it comes to materials that are subject to heavy wear or require a special type of care.

The PFC-free, water-repellent ecorepel® technology launched by schoeller® in 2012 has now been further developed to allow for successful application on textiles and apparel that are “dry clean only.”
ecorepel® DCR achieves impressive water-repellency results, even after several home launderings and professional dry cleaning cycles. The resistance to professional dry cleaning refers to the F-cleaning symbol, which stands for a recommended cleaning process for sensitive fabrics using hydrocarbon solvents. In addition, tests show that materials finished with ecorepel® DCR are highly resistant to abrasion and scuffing.

ecorepel® DCR technology is now available for licensing and can be used in a variety of applications, such as outdoor, sport and fashion apparel, as well as upholstery fabrics.

With the organIQ BLEACH system the CHT Group was the first textile chemical supplier, who offered an ecological alternative to potassium permanganate as a bleaching treatment for Denim. Today, CHT's organIQ products reach beyond the limits of the standards and are state of the art in ecological jeans production worldwide.

In recent years, CHT has continued to research and further develop the organIQ system to find enhancements to the organIQ range that further optimise the system from an ecological point of view and at the same time provide even more variable and broader application possibilities.

organIQ EMS Jeans (Ecological Modular System for Jeans treatment) is based on several modules and every module corresponds to a treatment step. These steps can be mixed and matched in various ways and flexible orders to achieve a great deal of looks and effects.

The new EMS Jeans family supports most modern denim finishing processes. By using selected organIQ products together with water saving nebulization technologies, extremely low water consumptions can be achieved.

Due to this technology, all relevant treatments can be realized at room temperature which is a great energy saving opportunity. Moreover, the pollution of wastewater with toxic substances can be drastically reduced in comparison to common, previously applied denim treatments.

• Closing the loop from fiber to fiber in fashion

Lenzing, a leading global supplier of wood-based specialty fibers, and Södra, a producer of pulp, signed a cooperation agreement today, June 02, 2021. The cooperation involves the transfer of knowledge between the two companies, which have been proactively driving the circular economy issue for many years, and a joint process development followed by a capacity expansion for pulp from post-consumer waste. The jointly developed pulp OnceMore® will subsequently also be used as a raw material for the production of Lenzing’s TENCEL™ x REFIBRA™ branded specialty fibers.
The goal is to process 25,000 tons of textile waste per year by 2025.

OnceMore® by Södra is the world’s first process for industrial-scale recycling of textile waste of blended fibers, and it’s the forest who makes that possible. The process combines wood cellulose with textile waste to create a pure, high-quality dissolving pulp which can be used to produce new clothing and other textile products. During 2022, a new investment will ten-fold the production capacity of OnceMore® pulp and reach a higher level of recycled textile content. The goal for 2025 is to process 25,000 tons of textile and offer a OnceMore® pulp based on our wood material and 50 percent recycled textile material.

With the pollen season starting, new independent test results by the German external laboratory BMA-Labor have shown Purissimo’s™ effectiveness against pollen, making it an all-in-one solution for reducing allergens.

Devan’s allergen control technology, known as Purissimo™, has been found effective against allergens from pollen. The technology had already been proven to significantly reduce the amount of allergens from house dust mites and pets (cats & dogs).

“Allergens are small protein molecules, which can cause allergic reactions and asthma. All allergy sufferers are different when it comes to their sensitivity to allergens”, says Sofie Depluverez, PhD researcher at Devan. “However, few people are only allergic to a single allergen – and the effects of multiple allergens can add up. The key to reducing and even eliminating symptoms is to reduce your exposure to the allergens themselves.”

Allergy threshold
When people move into a house or bring in a new dog, the number of allergens starts to rise. In the beginning there are little to none, so the allergy threshold causing symptoms is far from being reached. Nobody is suffering any reaction at this stage.

“As time goes by, the various allergens start to build up inside the house, certainly when ventilation is limited”, Depluverez continues. “As the allergen concentration increases (especially in combination with seasonal allergens such as pollen), the allergy threshold may be reached if no allergen reduction measures are in place.”

Purissimo™
Purissimo™ is a natural allergen control technology that significantly reduces allergens from pet dander, dust mites and pollen in textiles throughout the home. The technology is based on encapsulated probiotics, which are naturally occurring microorganisms similar in kind to those you can find in probiotic yogurt, tempeh, kombucha.

Inactive probiotics (spores) are encapsulated and integrated onto the textiles. Friction opens the microcapsules and releases the spores. The spores absorb humidity and self-activate. They are transformed into probiotic bacteria that start to consume the allergens.

“As the probiotics consume the allergens, exposure is gradually reduced to below threshold levels”, Depluverez adds. “Therefore, individuals with respiratory allergies will be exposed to fewer ‘attacks’ and perceive a better well-being.”

In 2020, the number of GOTS certified facilities grew by 34% globally, to a new high of 10,388 from 7,765 in 2019. 16 GOTS Approved Certification Bodies report that over 3 million people in over 72 countries were working in GOTS certified facilities.

Significant increases are seen in all regions. Top 10 countries for certified facilities are India (2,994), Bangladesh (1,584), Turkey (1,107), China (961), Germany (684), Italy (585), Portugal (449), Pakistan (391), USA (167) and Sri Lanka (126).
GOTS approved chemical inputs now number 25,913, an increase of 13% in 2020. This confirms that these inputs are increasingly used as a risk management tool by wet processors to satisfy legal and commercial residue requirements.

“The exceptional increase in this unprecedented year shows that decision makers value GOTS as an important tool to drive sustainable transformation in a comprehensive way - from field to fashion. Using organic fibres and processing them under strict GOTS criteria definitely provides a credible and strong base for market players to be successful in the future” says GOTS Managing Director Claudia Kersten.

GOTS version 6.0, to be implemented from 1 March 2021, includes stricter social and environmental criteria. Certified Entities will now have to calculate the gap between wages paid to 'Living Wages'  and will be encouraged to work towards closing this gap. Specific references to OECD Due Diligence Guidance and Good Practice Guidance for Social Criteria and Risk Assessment as well as Ethical Business Practises have been explicitly included.