From the Sector

Seit dem 5. November 2022 hat das Streetwearlabel Live Fast Die Young – kurz LFDY – wieder auf der Ehrenstraße in Köln geöffnet. Die Brand ist in insgesamt fünf deutschen Metropolen vertreten: Düsseldorf, Berlin, München, Hamburg und Köln. Dazu kommt ein internationaler Standort in Amsterdam – weitere sollen folgen.

Auf 100 m² präsentiert LFDY den Besucher:innen Streetwear, die einen förmlich bis in den hinteren Teil des Stores zieht, wo sich die Umkleiden und der in jedem Store erkennbare „Aktenschrank“ für die Kollektions-Pieces befinden. Wie in den anderen Stores setzt die Brand in Köln auf die Zusammenarbeit mit den Architekten von Schwitzke & Partner, die hier ihr bewährtes Showroom-Konzept umgesetzt haben. Im gesamten Store haben Schwitzke & Partner ein monochromes all-beige Gestaltungskonzept realisiert – selbst die teilweise offengelegten Steinwände sind hell getüncht und kontrastieren zu der glatten, hellen Raumhülle, ohne dabei den einheitlichen Look des Stores aufzubrechen. Die Möblierung ist minimalistisch-pur gehalten und definiert sich durch einen Mix aus neuen Warenträgern, einem neu entwickelten Lichtsystem und ausgesuchten Vintage-Möbeln.

• Checkpoint Systems bringt SFERO auf den Markt

Checkpoint Systems – führender Anbieter von Lösungen für den Einzelhandel – hat sein RFID-Portfolio zur Verlustprävention mit der Einführung von SFERO erweitert. SFERO ist eine vollständig anpassbare, modulare RFID-als-EAS-Lösung für Bekleidung mit hoher Erkennungsleistung, um Verluste zu minimieren und Geschäfte auf neue Weise zu schützen.

Durch die neue modulare Sicherheitslösung können Ladenbetreiber intelligente Sockel und Überkopfantennen miteinander kombinieren, um einen Schutzbereich zu schaffen, dessen Schutzniveau je nach Warenschwund und Anforderungen des jeweiligen Ladens vergrößert oder verringert werden kann. So schafft die Technologie die Voraussetzung, um die Artikelsicherung den Veränderungen im Portfolio und den Rahmenbedingungen anzupassen. Mit dieser Anpassungsfähigkeit und einer außerordentlichen Erkennungsleistung, die in vielen Fällen mehr als 95 Prozent beträgt, zeigt SFERO die Fähigkeit von RFID, als leistungsfähiges EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) zu fungieren. Das System ermöglicht es Einzelhändlern, ihre Produkte zu schützen, den Warenschwund erheblich zu reduzieren und ihre Einnahmen zu maximieren.

Die flexible moderne RFID-Lösung wurde so entwickelt, dass sie sich nahtlos in das Visual Merchandising der Kunden integrieren lässt. SFERO stellt sicher, dass Einzelhändler ein hohes Sicherheitsniveau aufrechterhalten können, während sie gleichzeitig einen offenen, sauberen Zugangspunkt mit einer Breite von bis zu 6,3 m und einer Höhe von bis zu 3,5 m bereitstellen, der dank der gut versteckten Antennen optisch kaum auffällt. Das Ergebnis ist ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis zwischen den Anforderungen an den immersiven Einzelhandel, der es den Kunden ermöglicht, Produkte vor dem Kauf zu sehen, zu berühren und auszuprobieren, und der Minimierung von Lagerbestandsverlusten für die Einzelhändler.

For 2023, imm cologne is adapting its concept. The trade fair has been given a new schedule, which will see the international Interior Business Event host a new, one-off spring edition in 2023. The dates have been chosen in close consultation with its market partners.

“Today the imm cologne advisory board gave the concept proposed by Koelnmesse for the imm spring edition in June 2023 the green light unanimously. Our thanks go to the advisory board and in particular to the German industry, the retail sector and the purchasing associations for their support. This concept will ensure that imm cologne can take place again after a two-year break. The industry has given its backing to a strong interior design trade fair in Germany, the biggest market in Europe,” says Gerald Böse, Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse. “I firmly believe in face-to-face exchanges. In my view, they are immensely important for the industry’s development, especially in challenging times. The sector needs an in-person platform in Germany, an event with international appeal and a strong communication reach like imm cologne,” he adds.

imm cologne’s new story will take shape in two steps
The imm cologne team presented its vision for a new concept at the start of June 2022. The new story for imm cologne will unfold in two steps. The first step will be the imm spring edition from 4 to 7 June 2023. “The spring edition is synonymous with a new beginning. imm cologne wants to use it to motivate and to show how it is experimenting with new ideas and leaving well-trodden paths behind,” explains Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “What’s more, the event in June gives our partners planning certainty.”

Four-day with a trade audience focus
The cornerstones of the new concept are clear: The imm spring edition will take place over four days, running from Sunday to Wednesday, and will be geared towards trade visitors. End consumers will be able to visit the trade fair by invitation, giving the spring event a clear business focus. “It’s also our goal to create new participation formats in the market,” says Matthias Pollmann, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse. The kitchen segment will also be included in the imm 2023 spring edition. At the same time, the plan is to incorporate the city more closely into the spring edition as an event location.

Vision 2024+: imm cologne as the forum for future issues facing the industry
The second step will then follow in the summer of 2023. In close consultation with the industry and the associations involved in the event, the future dates for imm cologne and LivingKitchen will be set. The future vision for imm cologne conceives the interior event as more than just a key business platform. As a catalyst for the sector’s development, it addresses both industry and external issues of relevance to the imm cologne community.

Premium Group and JOOR have renewed their partnership to power the SS23 PREMIUM and SEEK trade shows through JOOR’s digital platform, underpinning their belief in the power of a hybrid approach to wholesale.

From 7 - 9 July, buyers visiting the shows in Berlin will be able to learn more about and shop from exhibitors in a new hybrid way. Buyers can discover the full PREMIUM and SEEK portfolio of brands both in-person and online 24/7 by visiting JOOR Passport, JOOR's digital trade show destination.

Premium Group unites its various show locations to one cosmos for SS23 at Messe Berlin. The PREMIUM and SEEK shows will be joined by two further components— The Ground is a D2C creative platform for brands and consumers to meet, connect, and collaborate through one-of-a-kind experiences, engaging content, and innovative products, while FASHIONTECH, features masterclasses and panel discussions from the fashion industry’s most brilliant minds. A calendar of content includes deep dives into strong, successful, and sustainable strategies. As part of the content offer, JOOR will facilitate a masterclass on ‘Digital Wholesale’ and a future-looking roundtable discussion with four leading fashion brands on the FASHIONTECH stage.

Throughout the duration of the show, in-person buyers and visitors will have the ability to shop via the Premium Group mobile app. By simply scanning a brand’s corresponding QR code, visitors will link to the brand’s custom profile on JOOR Passport and be able to shop collections directly on the platform. JOOR Passport will also extend the duration of the shows by up to three months, allowing brands to continue wholesale selling digitally outside the window of the physical show.

JOOR and Premium Group’s flexible hybrid format allows visitors and brands a seamless digital and physical introduction to each other and their collections, the opportunity to connect in an efficient, effective, and longer term way, and the convenience to shop the show 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world.

Brands participating include Drykorn, Closed, Bertoni of Denmark, Veja, Ecoalf, Wrangler and Absolut Cashmere.

With global consumers becoming more conscious about personal hygiene and environmental protection, exhibitors at Cinte Techtexil China will spotlight materials and technologies for products that respond to these trends. The fair will probe into the associated growth opportunities as the country is one of the leading markets for nonwovens and technical textiles. The event will be held from 6 – 8 September at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

The technical textiles and nonwovens industries, the latter notably, are significantly expanding amid the pandemic. A recent forecast[1] predicts that the global polypropylene nonwoven fabric market will continue to rise at a CAGR of 6.7%, reaching USD 39.23 billion by 2028. The anticipated growth is bolstered by demands in end-use industries such as sanitation, medical, automotive and more. In 2020, Asia Pacific was named the largest regional market in the world and is expected to grow significantly over the forecasted period.

The prediction reaffirms the growth prospects of nonwovens. In this regard, industry players expressed much optimism about associated future opportunities during Cinte Techtextil China last year. “The field of nonwovens is poised for a positive growth as the awareness of personal hygiene and pandemic prevention sustains in the domestic market,” commented Mr James Gao, Head of Marketing and Textile Technologies, Uster Technologies (China) Co Ltd. He added: “We decided to join the fair and showcase our new launches as we remain confident in the future development of the industry, especially since China is dominating the global scene.”

Going green is the way forward
Turning to yarns and fibres, the sector is shifting to greener and smarter production that echoes the trend towards sustainability that is gaining considerable traction across the globe. Meanwhile in China, this movement was observed by many exhibitors at the 2021 edition, including Mr Roberto Galante, Plant Manager of FMMG Technical Textiles (Suzhou) Co Ltd, the Chinese subsidiary of the Fil Man Made Group. He mentioned: “The market is paying more attention to environmental protection, and we receive enquiries about special yarns for this every day. We focus on technical yarns for filtration as well as anti-bacterial properties, which are very important for the environment. The potential here in China is incredible and this is a big opportunity for everybody.”

Cinte Techtextil China’s product categories cover 12 application areas, which comprehensively span across a full range of potential uses in modern technical textiles and nonwovens. These categories also cover the entire industry, from upstream technology and raw material providers to finished fabrics, chemicals and other solutions. This scope of product groups and application areas ensures that the fair is an effective business platform for the entire industry.

• Currency-neutral sales down 3% as supply constraints reduce top-line by € 400 million
• Western markets continue to show strong momentum with combined currency-neutral sales growing 13% across North America (+13%), EMEA (+9%) and Latin America (+38%)  
• Gross margin down 1.9pp to 49.9% driven by significantly higher supply chain costs
• Operating margin of 8.2% reflecting additional investments into brand, DTC, and digital
• Net income from continuing operations reaches € 310 million
• FY 2022 outlook for revenue and net income confirmed at the lower end due to the impact from covid-19-related lockdowns in Greater China

“In the first quarter, consumer demand for our brand and products was strong in all Western markets. Our combined sales in North America, EMEA and Latin America grew at a double-digit rate. Backed by an exceptionally strong wholesale order book and relentless focus on driving growth in our own DTC channels, we expect this positive development to continue for the rest of the year,” said adidas CEO Kasper Rorsted. “In the East, we will return to growth in Asia-Pacific in the second quarter, while we expect the challenging market environment in Greater China to continue. With strong double-digit growth in the vast majority of our markets, representing more than 80% of our business, we are well positioned for success in 2022. “

For the full press release, see attached document.

A new interview study from NGO ChemSec shows that there is a gap between supply and demand when it comes to recycled materials, causing confusion and bottlenecks. Among other things, suppliers go out of their way using elaborate trade schemes to reach the coveted ”100% recycled” tag, which – it turns out – is not that important to consumer product brands. Far more crucial aspects, according to several major B2C companies, are:

• Honest communication towards customers
• Comprehensive information from suppliers
• Clear standards for recycled material

These are some of the conclusions from NGO ChemSec’s survey and interview study with 26 highly well-known consumer product brands. All brands responded to a survey concerning their current plastic use, as well as their needs, expectations and challenges regarding using more recycled material, to enable the shift to a circular economy for plastics.

Ten of the brands then participated in in-depth interviews on the same topics:, Essity, H&M, IKEA, Inditex , Lego, Mars,  SC Johnson, Tarkett, Unilever and Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Is non-mechanical recycling the answer?
Only about ten percent of all discarded plastics is recycled today, which is of course not nearly enough to achieve a circular plastics economy. Despite ambitions and initiatives to reduce plastics use – replacing the materials with other, more sustainable ones – the “plastic tap” is not expected to be turned off anytime soon. Quite the opposite, which makes raising the recycling rates more important than ever.

Although commercially viable, traditional (mechanical) recycling is afflicted with severe flaws, such as legacy chemicals, quality and functionality issues, as well as the lack of clean and sorted waste streams. The brands cited quality and functionality issues as the main obstacles for using more recycled material in their products.

This opens up for non-mechanical recycling, sometimes referred to as chemical recycling, where the plastic is either dissolved or broken down into smaller building blocks. Harmful additives and other hazardous chemicals can be removed in the process, and a material comparable to virgin plastic can be achieved – at least in theory.

So far, however, non-mechanical recycling technologies are costly, energy-intensive, and often require the addition of a great deal of virgin plastic to work – the very material that needs to be phased out.

The chain of custody models needs to be detangled
Apart from these production issues, there is a wide range of chain of custody models surrounding non-mechanical recycling, including mass balance and book & claim, which enable trade of credits or certificates for recycled material.

This cuts the physical connection between input and output, making it possible for a supplier to sell a material as “100% recycled”, when the actual recycled content could be zero.

This is a major issue for the brands ChemSec has spoken to, who value honest and correct communication towards customers. It turns out, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that being able to slap a “made from 100% recycled plastic” label on a product is not all that important to brands.

To the brands, a physical connection between input (the discarded plastic waste headed for recycling) and output (the product at least partially made from recycled plastics) is far more important.

A physical connection, along with correct and adequate information from suppliers, as well as clearer standards and guidelines than what is available today, is what brands require to increase the use of recycled material and move us closer to a circular economy for plastics.

Manufy, a marketplace for sustainable fashion production, has launched a new version of their platform. The platform connects conscious brands with sustainable manufacturers in hopes to create a cleaner future for the clothing industry. Now decked out with many more functionalities, Manufy aims to facilitate sustainable business between both parties from start to finish.  

Over the course of the last year the Manufy team has been busy gathering feedback from its growing user base. The platform started out as a place where manufacturers and brands from Europe could connect and chat with each other, but the team found out both parties wanted more. “We constantly reached out to our users to listen to their needs. We’ve compiled all those ideas and implemented them in version two!” says Michiel Dicker, co-founder of Manufy.

Not only a full visual transformation, but many functionalities were added: “Users can now easily start a sampling process, organise projects from start to finish and get sustainability insights” Dicker says. “Manufy is becoming your one-stop-shop for all your sourcing needs!”

The start-up, which launched in december of 2020, has seen a sharp increase in user activity over the last year. With trade shows being canceled due to covid, lots of manufacturers and brands were looking for new ways to do business. Going digital was one of the logical steps.

The production requests being placed on the platform cover a wide range of garments. Hoodies and t-shirts are popular, but the Manufy team also sees lots of shoes, caps, bags, dresses, swimwear and lingerie requests coming in.

Another notable trend in the industry is the ever growing demand for sustainable clothing production. With reports on climate change coming out and more and more consumers asking for sustainable alternatives, brands are making an effort to source their products more responsibly. The fashion industry, being the second largest polluting industry, needs a sort of paradigm shift. “We should focus more on making lower quantity, higher quality products. Making it on demand would be best” says Dicker.

Mainetti, ein globaler Anbieter von Retail Solutions, startet seine globale Nachhaltigkeits- und Verfahrensstrategie Full Circle und präsentiert seine Ziele bis 2025 und darüber hinaus. Die branchenführende Initiative baut auf dem Erfolg des 2012 gestarteten Plan M auf, mit dem sich Mainetti als "Sustainability First"-Unternehmen etabliert hat.

Full Circle von Mainetti bringt seine globalen Teams zusammen, um einen Teil dazu beizutragen, den Klimanotstand anzugehen. Full Circle wird den zukünftigen Kurs des Unternehmens prägen, einschließlich einer Dekarbonisierung der Tätigkeiten, der Förderung einer Kreislaufwirtschaft und der Garantie auf sichere und effiziente Arbeitsprozesse für die gesamte Belegschaft.

Die Dekarbonisierung der Tätigkeiten bedeutet, dass der Geschäftsbetrieb mit so wenig Energie wie möglich aus nicht-erneuerbaren Energiequellen bestritten wird. Mainetti wird kontinuierlich seine Energieeffizienz steigern, wo immer es möglich ist auf erneuerbare Energien umsteigen und den Rest seines CO2-Fußabdrucks entsprechend ausgleichen. Aktuell entfallen 61 % des Energieverbrauchs der Unternehmensgruppe auf erneuerbare Energien. Die Zielsetzung bis 2025 beträgt 80 %, bis zum Jahr 2030 soll 100 % des Energieverbrauchs aus erneuerbaren Energien stammen.

Mit dem Vertrieb der Kreislaufwirtschaft wird Mainetti neue Produktlinien einführen, die aus erneuerbaren Rohstoffen wie Papier, Karton oder kompostierfähigem Material bestehen. Zudem wird die Wiederverwendung von Kleiderbügeln auf mehr Kunden ausgeweitet und die Verwendung von neuen Kunststoffen so weit wie möglich reduziert. All das baut auf dem letztjährigen, erfolgreichen Start des Mainetti Polyloop auf, der weltweit ersten geschlossenen Recyclinginitiative, welche Mainettis Netzwerk von 47 Produktions- und Recyclingstandorten auf der ganzen Welt nutzt. Bislang zählen bereits einige der größten Namen im Retail-Bereich zu den Nutzern des Mainetti Polyloop™, darunter S.Oliver und Superdry, da es eine konstante Versorgung an qualitativ hochwertigen und zuverlässig recycelten Produkten bietet.

• Sustainability and security combined:
• RF security labels from Checkpoint Systems can be fully recycled as part of kerbside paper-based recycling collections

To ensure that its retail customers are not negatively affecting the recyclability of product packaging by attaching security labels,Checkpoint Systems partnered with PTS – an organisation with over 70 years’experience researching the use of fibre-based solutions – to conduct a series oftechnical tests on its range of labels. The technical report concluded that consumers can safely dispose of a Checkpoint security label in a household recycling bin, without having to separate the label from the packaging, knowing that the entire pack will be recycled.

The Germany-based research consultancy PTS tested a range of Checkpoint labels. PTS analysed the labels, which were different sizes and materials, to ensure that following the standard kerbside recycling process, the recycled, fibre-based material would be of acceptable quality. Each label was applied to a piece of cartonboard to simulate a real-world scenario and the results show that all are classified as being recyclable in accordance with current regulations. All labels – including the 410 RF, 2928 RF and 4210 RF labels – achieved an excellent overall recyclability rate of over 94%.

Sustainability is essential

With brands making strong commitments to sustainability – including investing in more environmentally friendly forms of packaging like cartonboard – and consumers increasingly demonstrating their preferences for sustainable packaging it is pivotal that anything applied to an item – at any point along the supply chain or in-store – does not affect the recyclability of its packaging.

Security labels play a vital role in ensuring products remain available to purchase. Retailers have been using a diverse range of labels to protect their merchandise, working with suppliers to ‘tag’ items at source or relying on store associates to apply labels in-store. As one of the largest suppliers of RF-based Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) labels globally, Checkpoint’s labels are applied to millions of products, which are packaged in different materials. Typically, when recycled, packaging labels tend to end up in a combination of different rubbish and recycling streams, depending on the packaging material and the consumer commitment to recycling.

Until today, the recyclability of these labels has been relatively unknown. It means that retailers and consumers could inadvertently be contaminating the paper-based packaging recycling stream with millions of security labels – still attached to packaging which could have otherwise been recycled up to 25 times.

“Security labels play an important role in helping retailers protect their profits, but it is vital they don’t stop packaging from being recycled. We are delighted to have achieved this accreditation from PTS that shows our labels can be recycled through the existing kerbside collections. It means that brands and retailers can be assured they are not negatively affecting a country’s recycling rate, while also knowing their customers can conveniently dispose of the entire pack, packaging material and label, in the same household recycling bin. Our labels passed all of PTS’ stringent tests meaning they have little to no impact on the recyclability of a piece of cartonboard packaging."