From the Sector

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has opened nominations for the Hygienix Innovation Award™. This Award recognizes a new product or technology in the absorbent hygiene, personal, pet, and wound care industries that expands the usage of nonwoven fabrics.

The Award will be presented at Hygienix™ 2024, Nov. 18-21 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. Nominations will be accepted through Mon., Sept. 16th.

Nominees will be selected from a broad range of new products or technologies that have been commercially available at most two years prior to Hygienix 2024. Eligible categories include, but are not limited to: raw materials, roll goods, converting, packaging, active ingredients, binders, additives, and end-use products.

Three finalists will present their innovations to industry leaders at Hygienix Tues., Nov. 19th. The winner will be announced Thurs., Nov. 21st.

Last year’s Hygienix Innovation Award was presented to Sequel for their Sequel Spiral™ Tampon. The Sequel Spiral™ Tampon features a proprietary spiral design that is engineered to be more fluid mechanically efficient, meaning it is designed to absorb more evenly and not leak before it’s full. In August 2023, the Sequel Spiral™ Tampon received clearance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device.

Multiple global regulations set to take effect in the coming years have made traceability an imperative for retailers and brands. These include the Digital Product Passport, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act, to name a few.

While companies are aware of the importance of traceability, research indicates that they are not prepared to comply with upcoming legislation. A recent KPMG survey highlighted that 43% of executives at major enterprises had no visibility or were “largely unclear” about the performance of their Tier 1 suppliers. At the same time, only 28% of companies had clear visibility into Tier 2 suppliers.

TradeBeyond’s recently published Supply Chain Traceability Guide, the latest installment of its Retail Sourcing Report series, highlights the myriad challenges that companies face in implementing effective traceability programs. This report is relevant for all industries, and is especially topical for the apparel and footwear sectors, which are under increasing scrutiny to enhance traceability to ensure sustainability.

The report highlights retail’s slow progress in achieving transparency, as evidenced by the Fashion Transparency Index, which found that the average transparency score across 250 of the world’s largest brands and retailers was just 23%. That suggests that progress on transparent disclosure of social and environmental data is still lagging.
 
The report shows that brands fall short on most key measures of sustainability and traceability, including publishing a responsible code of conduct and providing visibility into their Scope 3 carbon footprint. The United Nations Economics Commission found that only a third of the top one hundred global clothing companies track their own supply chains. One of the obstacles is complexity. More than two-thirds (69%) of fashion companies report that complexity of their global business networks is an obstacle to visibility.

In addition to a lack of visibility, false sustainability claims are also rampant. Greenpeace found that in the apparel and footwear sector, 39% of sustainability claims are false or deceptive. Lack of third-party verification of ESG measures is also rampant.

The highest scoring brands in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index included luxury brands such as Gucci and retailers such Target Australia, Kmart Australia, OVS, and Benetton. These companies back up their commitment with solid action on multiple measures of traceability.

Along with legislative requirements, consumers are a key driving force pushing companies to improve their traceability initiatives. McKinsey research found that 66% of consumers consider transparency to be a key factor when making a purchase decision and 73% of consumers would pay more for products with transparency into production and sourcing.

The report also highlights key challenges to overcome in the journey to traceability, including effective communication between stakeholders, compliance with new regulations, technology barriers, and data complexity.

On the positive side, the industry is responding with sophisticated technology, including software systems that incorporate artificial intelligence and blockchain-enabled traceability, which provide the required visibility and compliance.

Traceable fiber technology, which allows for traceability from the material origin of a product until its end-life, provides the option of a “fiber-forward” rather than a “product backward” approach to achieving traceability.

Aside from the regulatory and consumer drivers, there is a strong business case for implementing traceability, which includes cost savings, operational efficiency, brand protection and reducing supply chain risk. As such, TradeBeyond expects a rapid evolution in traceability programs across industries, especially in those that lag in best-practices.

While there has been considerable progress in recent years toward accurately tracing the complete origins of products, much more needs to be done. Brands and retailers must intensify their efforts to stay compliant with escalating regulations and align with evolving consumer preferences.

Source Fashion, which takes place at Olympia London from 14th - 16th July 2024, continues to grow its presence of international exhibitors from new sourcing regions, including representation from southeast Asia and Africa.

The first Malaysian manufacturer to be represented at the trade fair is Kualesa Apparel. Kualesa started as a small seed of an idea, with a big ambition and an even bigger purpose. The brand has evolved from a simple set of values to a producer of great-looking and comfortable bamboo apparel that’s challenging fast fashion. Kualesa offer flexible MOQ’s ranging from 250 pieces to high production capacity of 50,000 pieces a month.

Fairs and More Inc from the Philippines returns to the show for a third time, bringing a pavilion of Filipino manufacturers and makers.

The show also welcomes its first ever Nigerian manufacturer, Beyond Clothing. Beyond Clothing is a garment factory, that specialises in crafting premium custom clothing, branded uniforms, corporate uniforms, and sublimated t-shirts. The range also includes promotional apparel, workwear, and PPE personal protective apparel for hospitals.

Returning to Source Fashion, Texpro Corp (a branch of Kassab Group) from Tunisia has grown rapidly to become a fully integrated apparel manufacturer certified with GOTS, BSCI, BCI, and OCS covering the complete production cycle focusing on sustainability through the process from fabrics to manufacturing, washing and dying. The company specialises in denim and flat garment manufacturing and the product portfolio includes casual dresses, shirts, jackets, pants and coats for men, women and kids. Texpro Corp are increasingly partnering with customers to ensure high consistent quality on the products and invest in innovation to help improve the environmental impact by consistently delivering responsibly produced products.

Visitors will also discover International Trade Center (ITC), who is returning with a pavilion that includes a debut area for Ghanian producers. With manufacturing in Ethiopia, Shints Co Ltd. is a global producer of high-performance outdoor clothing and camping equipment.

A strong contingency from Europe includes over 25 UK exhibitors, representation from France, Italy and Spain, and a selection of Portuguese exhibitors including Ttantos Textiles, FLM Textil, SMSenra and Lagofra.

Nearly 30 countries, including Peru, Cambodia, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Italy, and Greece will be represented. Large pavilions from China, India and Turkey have also been confirmed, as well as Tanzania, Madagascar and Nepal.

Supported by the European Commission, EURATEX and industriAll Europe have launched Stitch Together: a new Europe-wide two-year project to promote social partnerships in the European textiles and clothing Industry.

Stitch Together recognises the industry's need to adapt to global competition, eco-friendly practices, and technological advancements, while ensuring decent working conditions and quality social dialogue. The project will foster constructive dialogue between employer and trade unions in seven countries: Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Türkiye. Through seminars and capacity-building workshops, the project aims to enhance the capacity of social partners and empower them to engage in national and European-level social dialogues. Furthermore, the project seeks to increase social partner involvement in EU policy-making contributing to the development of sustainable and circular practices in the industry.

Fashion for Good launches the Sorting for Circularity USA report unveiling significant findings from the project. A first of its kind in the US, the report delves into consumer disposal behaviour, textile waste composition, and the potential for fibre-to-fibre recycling within the country. It provides insights for making informed decisions for further investments, infrastructure development and the next steps towards circularity.

The U.S. Textile Waste Landscape
The United States is a global leader in textile consumption and waste generation, positioning itself as one of the largest sources of secondary raw materials for post-consumer textile feedstock. Despite this, only 15% of the textile waste generated in the US is currently recovered, with 85% ending up in landfills or incinerators.

With the impending policies in the European Union and certain American states, alongside commitments from both public and private sectors to promote fibre-to-fibre recycling, there is a growing demand for infrastructure related to post-consumer textile collection, sorting, and recycling.

Addressing Data GPS
In the pursuit of establishing a functional reverse supply chain and the necessary infrastructure, two critical areas lack data  – consumer disposal behaviour, and material characteristics of post-consumer textiles. The Sorting for Circularity USA project addressed these gaps through a comprehensive national consumer survey and waste composition analysis.

The survey revealed that 60% of respondents divert textiles, while 4% discard them, driven primarily by factors such as condition and fit. On the other hand, the waste composition analysis unveiled that over 56% of post-consumer textiles are suitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling, with cotton and polyester being the most prevalent fibre types, indicating a substantial potential for these textiles to be used as feedstock for mechanical and chemical recycling processes.

The project revealed a $1.5 billion opportunity for fibre-to-fibre recycling by redirecting non-rewearable textiles from landfills and incinerators to recycling streams. The report outlines growth strategies for the US textile recycling industry, emphasising enhanced financial value through efficiency improvements, increased commodity valuation, and policy mechanisms like extended producer responsibility schemes. Collaboration among stakeholders is crucial, including brands, government, retailers, consumers, collectors, sorters, recyclers, and financial institutions, to promote circularity, invest in research and development, and advocate for supportive policies and incentives to drive technological innovation. This redirection of textiles towards recycling underscores the substantial economic potential of embracing circularity in the textile industry.
 
There is an opportunity to build on these insights and assess the feasibility of different sorting business models and (semi) automated sorting technologies to create a demo facility suitable for closed-loop textile recycling. Ultimately, evaluating the commercial and technical feasibility of a semi-automated sorting process and identifying investment opportunities to scale solutions nationwide.

Vision and technology are the key ingredients of a ground-breaking school blazer that is showing how businesses can move to a circular textiles economy.  
 
While many brands are grappling with the complexities of inevitable legislation and engrained business models, leading school uniform producer, David Luke, has launched a fully recyclable ‘circular’ school blazer that is designed to be recycled through Project Re:claim, the world’s first commercial-scale polyester recycling plant.
 
Project Re:claim is a joint venture between the UK’s largest charity textile collector, The Salvation Army, and leading circularity specialists Project Plan B. The plant opened in the UK in January 2024, and presents huge opportunities for brands to transition to textile-to-textile manufacturing models.
 
David Luke’s circular blazer has been introduced to the brand’s successful Eco-uniform range which has sold over 1.7 million Eco-blazers in the last decade. Up until 2023, David Luke’s Eco-blazer, like many recycled garments, has been made from recycled plastic bottles. But the company has been working with Tim Cross, CEO of Project Plan B and the Circular Textiles Foundation, to bring the 100% recyclable blazer to market.
 
Tim Cross said: “David Luke has grasped the opportunity to embed 100% recyclable and 100% recycled garments into their range, starting with the school blazer. We now have the technology to enable their blazers to be recycled without any separation of the garment, making it an efficient recycling process. The team at David Luke has worked tirelessly with their manufacturers to create a blazer that does not compromise on design or quality, and yet is much kinder to the environment.”
 
Every detail from the lining, buttons and zips to the inter-linings and adhesives, has been re-thought and re-designed to meet the demands of an everyday school blazer and to recycle the garment once it reaches its end-of-life. Up until now, when the blazers have eventually been handed down to siblings, or given to the local charity shop, there had been no end-of-life solution for polyester garments apart from incineration. Now, Project Re:claim can recycle the blazer to produce polyester pellets, which are then spun into yarn to be used for future David Luke circular blazers.
 
Cross continues: “David Luke has the vision to create a fully circular range, and we have the potential to supply recycled content. The possibilities are infinite in terms of the future of garment design and manufacturing.”
 
Kathryn Shuttleworth, Chief Executive of David Luke, said: “It is a natural next step for us to transition to a textile-to-textile model. We have been producing garments using recycled plastic bottles for 15 years, but we have always had an eye on developments in textile recycling and solutions for end-of-life garments.”
 
In 2020, David Luke was awarded the Queen’s award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development and in January 2023 the David Luke circular blazer achieved Circular Foundation Textile certification.
 
Shuttleworth added: “Our focus will always be on those essential ingredients for parents and children - style, durability and affordability. But we have a responsibility to change our business model to better protect children’s future and the environment. It has become our obsession to make uniforms that meet our customers’ demands. We are really excited about the future as we continue to develop our range.”
 
Majonne Frost, Head of Environment and Sustainability for Salvation Army Trading Company, said: “Our vision is to enable companies to produce uniforms, corporate wear, fashion garments and textile ranges using recycled polyester.  We have the infrastructure to collect donations at scale and we now need companies to step up. This is an opportunity for companies to make a commitment to significantly reduce their environmental impact, and David Luke are showing us how that is possible.”