From the Sector

TrusTrace, a global SaaS company with a market-leading platform for product traceability and supply chain compliance in fashion and retail, announced a strategic collaboration with platform engineering firm Xoriant and environmental impact data leader Carbon Trail to deliver a comprehensive solution that supports international brands that want to implement more product marketing accountability.

The new solution is the first-of-its-kind in the industry and leverages Xoriant’s strong data architecture, Carbon Trail’s environmental impact data, and TrusTrace’s supply chain traceability data to provide brands with the information they need to market their products with specific details on how they’re made and where.

This new technological solution coincides with the implementation of the Green Claims Code, which launched in 2021 and was updated in 2023 to factor in product-specific environmental impact and strives to ensure that claims are clear, accurate and not misleading; provide specific and clear information about materials used; use accurate product filters and avoid misleading imagery; and support claims with verifiable strategics and third party accreditation.

On the data side, brands need to measure environmental impact on a product level, not only just related to carbon, but covering 16+ indicators such as water, land use, and microfibre impacts. Once environmental impact and supply chain data is aggregated, information can then be incorporated into a Digital Product Passport, a record that can tell a product's entire value chain via QR code/digital tag that will be required for EU brands between 2026-2030. For example, a buyer can theoretically scan a product’s QR code and be taken to a unique URL link in which the environmental impact for that specific product is available to view. This can be displayed alongside traceability data – like where the product has been manufactured – in addition to other information like recyclability, microplastics, product certifications, all those elements also come into play.

Gerard Fres Ltd (GFL), a sweater manufacturer founded in France and based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has adopted Pivot88, a TradeBeyond company, to optimize its quality inspection processes.

Established in 1997 and known for its focus on sustainability and ethical production, Gerard Fres has been a pioneer in the knitwear industry, specializing in pullovers and exporting around six million pieces annually to various countries including France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.

By incorporating Pivot88's technology, Gerard Fres aims to further its mission of ensuring supply chain efficiency from product design to end-consumer satisfaction, while maintaining quality and ethical and sustainable production principles.

Pivot88, known for its robust compliance, quality testing, and traceability solutions, will provide Gerard Fres with a platform that offers real-time oversight and comprehensive data analytics. This will enable Gerard Fres to conduct more effective and efficient quality inspections.

Bcomp, a company in high-performance, natural fibre composites for the mobility-, recreational-, and mass transportation sectors, has been awarded the 2024 Altair Enlighten Award with BMW M GmbH, a renowned performance car subsidiary of BMW Group, for the BMW M Visionary Materials Seat, alongside other BMW M GmbH partners in the project. Manufactured with Bcomp’s ampliTex™ bio-based materials, the seat won in the Sustainable Process category.

The award-winning seat design re-envisions the manufacture and component materials to introduce a lighter, circular product that meets the demands of large-scale vehicle production. The seatback features a fully bio-based, high-performance natural fibre layup with ampliTex™-PP composite. By combining the structural and aesthetically pleasing visual properties of the material in one manufacturing step, production is both more efficient and dematerialised.

The accent has been on Design for Circularity, meaning that in addition to using natural and recycled materials, the BMW M Visionary Materials Seat’s recyclability has been taken into account right from the start of development. Less complex assemblies and monomaterials that can be separated by type enable the recyclability of the seat at the end of its life. Flax fibre composites are CO₂e-neutral from cradle to gate, and can reduce manufacturing-related emissions of high-performance composite parts by up to 85% compared to carbon fibre, depending on the application. Compared to current large-scale automotive plastic parts, Bcomp’s material solutions can reduce component weights by up to 50%, thanks to their low density and high stiffness.

The seat is a development project designed and engineered by long-time collaborators, BMW M GmbH and Bcomp, along with BMW Designworks, Automotive Management Consulting GmbH, Gradel Lightweight Sàrl and Lasso Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH. BMW M GmbH and Bcomp have already delivered innovations in previous development projects for high-end road cars and series application for race cars, such as interior and bodywork components for the BMW M4 GT4, bodywork for the BMW M4 DTM, and cooling shafts for the BMW iFE.20 in Formula E.

The annual Enlighten Awards are sponsored by Altair, a global leader in computational science and intelligence. They celebrate lightweighting innovations that reduce emissions, materials and energy consumption, while advancing material reuse and recyclability. The winning technologies are of significant interest to automotive engineers, manufacturers, policymakers and consumers.

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), supported by its Insight Partner, Maersk, has released a new report, Reverse Logistics for Circular Fashion Systems. The report expands on how fashion brands, retailers, value chain partners, and logistics providers can leverage reverse logistics to cultivate an effective and holistic circular fashion system.

The publication is the culmination of extensive research, including consultations with and input from eight experts from eight brands and organisations - Maersk, Nike, H&M Group, Target, PUMA Group, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, VF Corporation, and Circle Economy Foundation. It highlights the critical role of logistics in supporting fashion companies to adopt more circular systems by managing the reverse flow of materials and products from end-users, and returning them back into the system for resale, remaking or recycling, extending their lifecycle, maximising value, and minimising waste.

Over 520 global regulations are currently in place, urging companies to rethink their sourcing and design strategies, emphasising regionalisation and circularity. Moreover 45% of brands surveyed by Global Fashion Agenda and the United Nations Environment Programme earlier this year reported that they have set targets to derive at least 10% of their revenue from circular business models by 2040. However, despite the potential, the fashion industry lacks a comprehensive system for circularity, with current fragmented approaches failing to achieve commercial viability. Deeper collaboration with logistics partners can support more streamlined operations, while aiding compliance with tightening regulatory requirements and in demonstrating positive environmental impacts.

To guide stakeholders, the publication outlines essential elements for implementing effective reverse logistics, including:

• Network design: Expanding reverse logistics beyond consumer returns to capture and valorise post-industrial textile waste flows and unsold goods.
• Financial ownership: Establishing clear financial models to define roles, responsibilities, and profit-sharing, enhancing collaboration and investment.
• Boosting collection volumes: Developing infrastructure for efficient collection and processing of textile waste, essential for scaling solutions and reducing recycled fibre costs.

For the second year running, Global Standard is taking consumers #BehindTheSeams this September, highlighting the sustainable and social qualities of GOTS-certified products – from runway fashion to hygiene products and so much more in between. Building on the success of last year, #BehindTheSeams 2024 has expanded to take over the entire month, Sept. 2-30, with more education on the people and practices making sustainable textiles, plus giveaways planned each day.

Throughout September, Global Standard introduces daily giveaways on Instagram, featuring partnerships with GOTS-certified brands such as Frugi, FC St. Pauli, LangerChen, Natracare, Mandala, Dedicated, and more. Additionally, a giveaway will be hosted on behindtheseams.eco, where visitors can learn about sustainability by answering daily questions while earning entries. The grand prize is a sustainable trip to Paris. This includes train travel, a two-night stay at the eco-friendly Eden Lodge Paris and a private fitting for a custom GOTS-certified jacket by John Preston, the only brand offering made-to-measure GOTS-certified fashion.

#BehindTheSeams is also spotlighting "organic in-conversion" farming and urging brands to support farmers during the critical transition period from conventional to organic. In this campaign, GOTS has partnered with the Organic Cotton Accelerator, an organisation dedicated to supporting farmers throughout the cotton supply chain as they make the shift to and sustain organic practices. Together, GOTS and OCA want to send a message that brands can bolster the organic cotton supply by investing in and buying organic in-conversion cotton.

In the presence of CEO Eelco Spoelder, Autoneum opened its new production facility in Pune in Western India on August 28, 2024. The opening of the third plant in the key automotive market of India is in line with the Company’s strategic focus on future profitable growth with a particular emphasis on Asian growth markets. Series production of carpet systems, interior trim, wheelhouse outer liners, e-motor encapsulations and other noise protection components for local and international vehicle manufacturers has already begun.

The plant in Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra is wholly owned by Autoneum and complements the existing production facility in Behror near New Dehli in the north and the joint venture plant in Chennai in the south of India. During the inauguration ceremony in Pune, Autoneum CEO Eelco Spoelder said: “With the opening of our new plant, Autoneum gains access to the third of the four major automobile production centers in India. By expanding our presence in this strategically important region, we can further strengthen our position in Asia, the world’s largest automotive market.”

The building spans an area of 7 500 square meters and includes modern production equipment. The Pune plant will supply both local and international customers with noise-reducing lightweight components for the interior and exterior of vehicles of all drive types. Pune will be the first Autoneum plant in India with the capability to produce Hybrid-Acoustics PET felts for e-motor encapsulation. Components made of Hybrid-Acoustics PET are characterized by their lightweight construction and noise protection that are optimized for electric vehicles. They consist entirely of PET, which is largely obtained from recycled fibers, and thus meet customer demand for environmentally friendly mobility solutions.

As announced in March, Pune is one of two plants that Autoneum is opening this year in the important Asian growth markets of China and India. The new joint venture plant in Changchun in the northern Chinese province of Jilin will ramp up production of inner dashes, interior floor insulators and other NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) components for European, Japanese and Chinese car manufacturers from the end of 2024. Both new plants in Pune and Changchun are strategically located thanks to their proximity to important customers. In India, Autoneum supplies European, American, Indian, Japanese and Korean vehicle manufacturers.

National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement on news of the passing of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ).

Statement by NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas:

"The entire U.S. textile industry is mourning the loss of Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), a true leader and advocate for critical manufacturing policies aimed at bolstering the domestic supply chain and confronting ongoing threats from predatory trade practices.

We commend his significant contributions – not just to the U.S. domestic industry—but for American manufacturers and workers everywhere.

Rep. Pascrell had served as co-chair of the House Textile Caucus with Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) since 2013 and was an ardent fighter for the U.S. textile industry and beyond.

In April, Congressman Pascrell championed a bill titled the Import Security and Fairness Act led by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) that would exclude all Chinese imports from de minimis treatment, as highlighted in our blog post on a House Ways & Means markup.

He also penned an op-ed with Congressman McHenry highlighting the urgent need to drive investment and for onshoring and nearshoring textile and apparel production and to not weaken the critical U.S. and Central America  Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR)..

In addition, he co-sponsored legislation aimed at strengthening the American PPE supply chain which would expand the Berry Amendment to nearly all federal purchases of PPE.

As is evidenced above, Congressman Pascrell took on every policy battle in support of U.S. textiles and manufacturing in general as an unwavering supporter of maintaining and expanding a vital domestic manufacturing chain.  He worked closely with Rep. McHenry on critical textile issues to advance the cause for our domestic industry and its workforce.

He will be missed deeply by the industry and to all who knew him. We extend our gratitude to a manufacturing warrior and express our condolences to the entire Pascrell family and his staff team."