From the Sector

All of Sateri’s five viscose mills in China have undergone independent evaluation of their social and labour practices, having completed the Higg Facility Social and Labour Module (FSLM) audit and achieved a consistent high score of above 80%.

A member of the RGE group of companies, Sateri is also one of the world’s first viscose producers to have completed the Higg Facility Environmental Module (FEM) assessment, with the similar verified high score of over 80% for all its viscose mills.

Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, a global, multi-stakeholder non-profit alliance for the fashion industry, the Higg Index is a suite of tools that enables brands, retailers and facilities of all sizes to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance.

The FSLM tool of the Higg Index holistically assesses working conditions of the mills, including fair wages and compensation, health & safety, respectful treatment of employees etc; while the FEM tool focuses more on environmental performance, including energy consumption, greenhouse gas missions, water use, chemical and waste management.

Latest trade data (January-September 2021) show a dramatic drop of imports and exports of textile goods between the EU and UK, with significant losses for companies on both sides. The situation is likely to get worse, as the full customs regime between UK and EU has entered into force on 1 January 2022. EURATEX calls on the European Union and the United Kingdom to effectively cooperate to remove the issues in the EU-UK Trade agreement that prevent smooth trade flows.  

All the sectors have been already suffering a significant loss in the past year and textiles has been no exception. Compared to the same period in 2020, between January and September the EU recorded a dramatic fall in imports (-44%, corresponding to almost € 2 billion) and in exports (-22%, corresponding to € 1.6 billion). The data show that the most impacted EU countries on the export side are Italy, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany while on the import side the most impacted countries are Germany, Ireland and France. Among the T&C sectors, clothing articles are facing the most severe drop in both imports and exports, corresponding to a total trade loss of more than € 3.4 billion over the 9 months period. Despite these alarming figures, the UK continues to be the most important export market for EU textiles and clothing.

Concerning the impact on the UK textiles sector, in May 2021 the UK Fashion and Textile Association’s (UKFT) surveyed 138 businesses, including leading UK fashion brands, UK textile manufacturers, wholesalers, fashion agencies, garment manufacturers and retailers.

The results of the survey showed that:

• 71% currently rely on imports from the EU
• 92% are experiencing increased freight costs  
• 83% are experiencing increased costs and bureaucracy for customs clearance
• 53% are experiencing cancelled orders as a result of how the EU-UK agreement is being implemented
• 41% had been hit by double duties  
• The vast majority of the surveyed companies declared they are looking to pass the increased costs on to consumer in the next  6-12 months

The above situation is expected to get worse. Since 1 January, full customs controls are being implemented. It means that export and import rules have become stricter: products should already have a valid declaration in place and have received customs clearance. Export from Britain to the EU must now have supplier declarations and the commodities codes changed.  

EURATEX calls on the European Union and the United Kingdom to effectively cooperate to address, solve and remove the issues in the EU-UK Trade agreement that currently prevent smooth trade flows between the two sides of the Channel. It is causing considerable losses for textile companies both in the EU as well as in the UK. 

• The Green Revolution: How Microfactories Can Change the Face of Fashion by Mark Sollman, Product Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe

With the all-important COP26 Climate Change Conference having taken centre stage in November, there is no time like the present for the fashion world to rally together in stepping up sustainability efforts and getting carbon emissions under control. Globally, the fashion industry is now estimated to account for around 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 20 percent of wastewater , making the pursuit of greener production methods more pertinent than ever before. Thankfully, we are seeing a new era of production enter the fashion arena, with the increasing emergence of technologically advanced, highly automated microfactories.

Along with reducing unnecessary waste through on-demand production, microfactories have a smaller ecological footprint than traditional garment production and require no water use during the production process, making it not only a faster solution, but a greener one too.

Last year’s FESPA saw Mimaki team up with fashion designer Carolina Guzman to bring her designs to life in real time at the show, setting up its own working microfactory live on-site to take her designs from screen to garment within just a day. Guzman’s designs were created using Mimaki’s TS100-1600 Sublimation Printer, before being transferred to textile, digitally cut and finally pieced together. Devised with a string of ethical and environmental objectives threaded throughout, the microfactory also exclusively utilised eco-friendly Greentex fabric, and any remaining material was donated to Sheltersuit: a wind- and waterproof coat that can be transformed into a sleeping bag, which is provided free of charge to homeless people and refugees.

Through working with a number of strategic partners – including transfer printing expert, Klieverik; paper solutions specialist, Neenah Coldenhove; and digital cutting equipment provider, Summa – Mimaki was able to produce a collection of unique, high-quality garments live on the stand during the tradeshow, demonstrating to visitors from more than 100 countries some of the key reasons that microfactories seem set to change the future of fashion…

Unparalleled speed and versatility
Where traditionally, apparel manufacturing has centred on a production chain model of sourcing materials and producing garments in bulk, microfactories are now enabling on-demand, on-location production, making it possible to create everything from unique, one-off pieces and samples right through to entire product lines – all at unprecedented speeds. This means greater flexibility and customisation, enabling designers to modify or update designs and respond to market trends as they occur.

Simplified supply chains and minimised risk
The microfactory setup brings production in-house and on-demand, minimising the cost of not only storing stock, but also of shipping it and responsibly disposing of unsold items. Where recent geopolitical events have highlighted the fragility of global supply chains, microfactories offer a unique independence from these systems, empowering garment manufacturers to future-proof their businesses, become less reliant on external systems and suppliers, and reduce the risk of disruptions.

A boosted bottom line and a greener future
Facilitating savings in a whole line of resources, from physical storage and production space to time and energy, microfactories ultimately have the potential to significantly increase profitability for garment manufacturers, with the additional benefit of being easily scalable as production increases. Perhaps even more compelling, however, are the environmental considerations. Demonstrated on a small scale through Mimaki’s recent project, the environmental benefits inherent to microfactory production will have an even greater impact as it becomes more prolific and commonplace throughout the fashion world, with the potential to effect meaningful environmental change as adoption increases in the years to come.

In view of the exponential worsening of the pandemic situation worldwide and the accompanying tightened travel and contact regulations, the consumer goods fairs Christmasworld, Paperworld, and Creativeworld are cancelled for January 2022 and Ambiente for mid-February 2022. The regionally-oriented trade fair Nordstil from 15 to 17 January 2022 in Hamburg will take place at the present time.

The easing of the pandemic situation that was still hoped for in December is no longer in sight. Instead, the situation is deteriorating worldwide with an enormous, unforeseeable dynamic. This extreme deterioration due to the spread of the Omicron virus in Europe and Germany currently makes it impossible for Messe Frankfurt, as organiser of the leading international trade fairs Christmasworld, Paperworld, and Creativeworld, as well as Ambiente, to keep their dates in Frankfurt at the end of January and in mid-February 2022.

The four events, consisting of Christmasworld with its focus on seasonal and festive decorations, Paperworld and Creativeworld with their product ranges for paper, office supplies, stationery and hobby, craft and artists' requisites and Ambiente with its cross-sector range of products for the table, kitchen and housewares, furnishing and decorative accessories, home furnishing concepts, gifts and fashion accessories, are the recognised leading trade fairs in their sectors and open the trading year in their respective segments. Even in a reduced numerical form, the four trade fairs would still have been the leading events worldwide for their respective product segments.

However, the exponential increase in the number of infections worldwide in a very short period of time and the accompanying multitude of developments and decisions that are clearly outside the organiser's sphere of influence have led to a significant deterioration in the general conditions and necessary prerequisites for holding the four leading trade fairs as major events of international relevance at the end of January and in mid-February 2022 respectively. These developments include the classification of Germany as a high-risk area and the associated travel warnings and international and intercontinental travel restrictions in countries such as India, Japan and the United States, as well as the corresponding quarantine obligations. Equally important are the steadily rising infection figures and the accompanying urgent appeal, among others by the Robert Koch Institute and the expert council of the German Federal Government, to continue to reduce contacts to a minimum and to cancel all major events. At present, there are even further international fears that the critical infrastructure will not be maintained due to the highly contagious Omicron variant. The majority of exhibiting and visiting companies at Christmasworld, Paperworld, and Creativeworld as well as Ambiente are currently reacting to this overall situation with travel and trade fair attendance bans for reasons of duty of care towards their employees to protect them from health risks. The global willingness to travel is dropping enormously at the moment.

There are no plans to postpone the event. Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, explains: "Since the trend-oriented order cycles of the international consumer goods industry require an annual event at the beginning of the year, a shift to the second half of the year would not meet the needs of the exhibiting companies and visitors."

Nordstil to be held in Hamburg from 15 to 17 January 2022
In the interests of the sectors involved, the planning and implementation of Nordstil from 15 to 17 January 2022 is not affected. This trade fair will take place in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg at this time due to other general conditions for local implementation. However, the extremely volatile situation is continuously reviewed and assessed in close exchange with the relevant local authorities and industry partners.

Messe Frankfurt's digital platforms for business success
Messe Frankfurt has already been actively helping retailers to help themselves since 2019 with Nextrade, the first order and data management platform for the home and living sector, and Conzoom Solutions, an information platform for the global consumer goods sector. "A second year without appropriate ordering, inspiration and networking formats poses considerable and in some cases existentially threatening challenges for retailers worldwide," Braun explains. "With our digital offers, we are specifically supporting our partners in industry and trade in this volatile situation. In addition, we will continue to put all our energy and optimism into safe and promising trade fairs. Because there is no substitute for meeting in real life."

Information on the planning of the Frankfurt consumer goods fairs for 2023 will be announced at the beginning of February 2022.

At Pitti Uomo, Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei celebrates the new year exploring the company’s 90 years anniversary and journey. In Florence, Bemberg™ past and present are linked by style: on display are key historic garments worn by icons such as J.F. Kennedy belonging to historic Roman Sartoria Litrico together with Bemberg ™ new visionary claim “Crafted Elegance“.

On January 11^th, Bemberg™ will be at Pitti Uomo 101 featuring an exclusive collaboration with Luca Litrico, head of the Roman historic Sartoria Litrico, founded by his uncle Angelo Litrico in 1951. He became famous for crafting the highest-quality suits for all the most important men of Dolce Vita era, from Richard Burton to Marcello Mastroianni. Its historic relevance has even been recognized by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, thanks to its archive composed of hundreds of photos and sketches signed by Angelo Litrico himself. For this occasion, Bemberg™ will showcase four historic suits wore by true style arbiters a such as: former US president John F. Kennedy, dolce vita poster-boy Rossano Brazzi, American astronaut James B. Irwin and iconic fashion designer Angelo Litrico. All garments feature stylish linings woven with Bemberg™ fiber disclosing its ductility always in vogue through time. Over the decades, Bemberg™ established heritage in formal lining has expanded into new territories and able to represent also contemporary outerwear styles.
 
“We are so excited to be back in Florence. Pitti Uomo and Italy are the perfect starting point of our journey through style.” says Mr. Koji Hamada, CEO of Asahikasei Fibers Italia, “At our booth visitors can glimpse the link between past and present, our values and chromosomes for the fashion to come.”

Bemberg™ vision is centred around contemporary beauty, and uniqueness – the fibre manufacturing is exclusively taking place in Nobeoka, where its closed-loop circular economy production approach together its transparent and traceable processes are able to guarantee the responsible certified values.
 
Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei will unveil the second chapter of its journey at Première Vision in Paris with an exhibition where visitors will be able to explore the fashion world, from India to Japan, through fabrics and style of today and tomorrow.

Due to the pandemic developments and the decision taken by the Federal Government & the Federal States at yesterday's Conference of Minister Presidents, major events and thus also the fashion fairs and events of PREMIUM, SEEK, FASHIONTECH conference, as well as the preview of the new fashion festival THE GROUND will not be able to take place as planned in Frankfurt am Main in January 2022.

Besides the lack of a regulatory basis, the effects of the ongoing pandemic and the spread of the coronavirus, as well as the worrying developments regarding the new virus variant, Omicron, have further overruled the safe implementation of the events in January. Lockdowns in neighbouring European countries, some of which have already come into force, in addition to travel restrictions, quarantine regulations and the volatile situation as a whole make it impossible to hold the trade fairs and peripheral events in a safe environment.

Iluna Group and Maglificio Ripa announce a strategic collaboration, each maintaining its own identity and independence, based on the complementarity of the proposal and the convergence of intentions for a new and more functional way of partnership.

Iluna Group, a leader in the production of smart lace, and Maglificio Ripa, internationally recognized for the production of premium and responsible jersey, both established in common sectors - from underwear to beachwear and sportswear - formally launched this collaboration during the MarediModa show in Cannes with a joint double stand where visitors could discover the latest collections of the two companies and also imagine new designs and solutions for sustainable fashion.

"We are living in a moment of strong change, from the wave of sustainability that is finally sweeping the fashion world to new market scenarios. And we are convinced that collaboration is the key to face these new challenges. In Maglificio Ripa we saw a complementary and unique partner with whom we can reach partners, customers and suppliers in a more complete way." comments Furio Annovazzi, CEO of Iluna Group. "Ours is not a union between companies but a new model of partnership, a sort of strategic symbiosis aimed at developing together new paths that can lead the both of us both to growth. Our collections, presented in the same context, can nurture the creativity of customers at a time when the stylistic contaminations are increasingly pronounced," adds Luca Bianco, CEO of Maglificio Ripa.
 
Furthermore, Iluna Group and Maglificio Ripa jointly created their new campaign with a photo shoot and video clip as well as jointly developed a trend scenario that allowed both companies to better embrace the evolving market by sharing information, perspectives and ideas.

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.

The Premium Group events will take place in Frankfurt am Main in the third week of January 2022, taking into account the 2G+ regulation (all participants have to be vaccinated, recovered and additionally daily tested).
 
On the basis of the current regulations of the federal government and the Hessian state government, which did not announce any further restrictions for vaccinated people last week, the fashion fairs PREMIUM and SEEK, the FASHIONTECH talks and the showcase of the new format THE GROUND will comply with the official health and hygiene regulations from 18th to January 20, 2022 in Frankfurt am Main.
 
This decision is based on the representative feedback from many protagonists of the industry, expert opinions and a close observation of the situation as well as an assessment of all measures that can be taken in Europe to ensure a safe event.

Four formats - one large exhibition hall
The conceptual novelty is that the PREMIUM, SEEK, THE GROUND and FASHIONTECH events will - for the first time and once - take place all together in a spacious hall, which roughly corresponds to the entire area of Station Berlin, on a total area of approx. 20,000 square meters. The resulting simplified admission management serves the safety of everyone. In this way, visitors can quickly and comfortably experience all the inspiration and concentrated brand power at once.

In addition to the security aspect, the merger of the two flagship events PREMIUM and SEEK in one large exhibition hall will bring new features, above all, in terms of content and atmosphere. Apart from an unprecedentedly strong brand portfolio, completely new synergies and energies will arise, which will make the meeting in January a unique momentum in the history of the industry.

Numerous brands have already signed-up and despite some decisions for smaller pop-up presentations, instead of large stands, the willingness to start again together and to want to send positive signals prevails! In addition to established players, many new brands also want to show their collections now.

THE GROUND - new generation, new platform
THE GROUND will give an outlook on what can be expected in summer with an exclusive press and influencer event. The Fashion Festival ‘for a young and purpose driven generation’ is an innovative platform for brands to get in direct contact with Gen Z with interactive installations, campaigns and storytelling.

At the preview event in January, 15 curated brands and key partners will present their value-based projects and products. In keynotes and panel talks, THE GROUND is dedicated to the topics most relevant to GEN Z: diversity, inclusion & sustainability.

FASHIONTECH - innovation, inspiration, content
FASHIONTECH is the content platform for fashion, technology and lifestyle. This is where decision-makers, industry insiders, communication experts and innovative minds meet to exchange experiences, discuss potential and developments, generate new leads and promote exchange between the various industries.

In addition to the core events, the Premium Group will also organize its popular evening events - due to the conditions, of course, to a slightly different extent than usual.

• RadiciGroup and DKB introduce the first “circular” ski suit
• A garment made of yarn obtained from recycled materials and designed with end-of-life recyclability in mind, without compromising style, design and technical performance.
• RadiciGroup Ski Club athletes will be the first ambassadors of this sustainability project

The first truly sustainable ski suit, featuring Italian style and design and a zero-kilometre supply chain, is finally here. Two Bergamo companies of excellence played the leading roles in the conception and realization of this highly innovative fashion-sport garment: RadiciGroup, a world leading producer of chemical intermediates, polyamide polymers, high-performance engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions, and DKB, a company specializing in technical sportswear with the same brand name.

The ski suit, consisting of jacket and trousers, is fashioned with a fabric made of RENYCLE, a RadiciGroup yarn obtained from mechanically recycled polyamide (nylon), which affords notable savings in energy and water consumption, as well as lower CO2 emissions. In addition, the suit’s padding and numerous accessories, such as zippers, Velcro, buttons and thread, are also made of polyamide.

This achievement was made possible by the great teamwork of RadiciGroup and DKB on the research and development of chemically compatible materials that can be used in special applications requiring high technical performance. The end result is an almost mono-material garment that significantly facilitates end-of-life recycling. It can be more easily converted into polymers for use in the manufacture of ski boot components and bindings, in addition to applications in the automotive and furnishing industries, or in any other sector requiring the characteristics of high performance polyamides.

The ski suit by RadiciGroup is thus an all-round application of ecodesign and circular economy principles to fashion and garment making, which justifies the claim “Una sostenibilità all’altezza delle nostre montagne” [Sustainability worthy of our mountains] written in a logo patch on the inside of the jacket.

“I am particularly proud of this achievement, a synthesis of my passion and effort,” said Angelo Radici, president of RadiciGroup. “I’ve always loved mountaineering and skiing, and, together with my collaborators, I work hard at our company day in and day out to find innovative solutions that improve the sustainability of our industry. This ski suit is concrete proof of the fact that textiles and apparel can be made sustainable without compromising on comfort, design, looks or performance. I will never get tired of repeating that collaboration among the firms along the production chain is crucial to manufacturing goods with an ecodesign approach, considering their end-of-life recyclability and, thus, potentially giving them unlimited durability. Upstream producers, like us, gladly share our know-how in materials chemistry and experience in recycling with our downstream partners, so that, together, we can find sustainable and viable solutions in the various sectors where we operate.”