18th- 22nd March
Ecotextile News
The purpose-led multimedia news platform for sustainability in the global fashion and textile industry.
Its been another busy week in the world of Ecotextile News! You can find all of our stories from this week here at https://www.ecotextile.com/news/ , but for now sit back, relax and let us catch you up in just a few minutes with our most important news of the week????
Monday
??On Monday we announced that Stretch yarn manufacturer 旭化成 and cellulosic fibre specialist Lenzing Group have created a new partnership to develop a portfolio of #sustainable and #circular-driven #textiles.
The fabrics under development will be blends of Asahi’s Roica fibre and Lenzing’s Tencel and Modal fibres.
??We also saw H&M Foundation link up with the Global Fashion Agenda initiative to accelerate and scale the #recycling of post-industrial textile waste in fashion sourcing countries.
Their three-year partnership aims to help expand 'National Circular Fashion Partnership' programmes which are active in Bangladesh, in development in Cambodia and Vietnam, and set to expand to Turkey and Indonesia.
Tuesday
??On Tuesday, we broke shocking news that according to a new study from the International Labour Organization , annual profits from forced labour rose to $236 billion globally in 2021 - a 37% increase since 2014.
??In more positive news, we are excited to announce the new edition of our Ecotextile News magazine is due out next week! Within the magazine, we consider some of the challenges of scaling innovations in the textiles industry following the demise of Swedish recycling pioneer Circulose .
Our editor John Mowbray argues that the collapse of Renewcell - which was declared bankrupt at the end of last month - was the result of a combination of failure by brands, investors and the company’s own business plan.
Wednesday
??On Wednesday we revealed that Intertek has been approved as a third-party verifier to perform audits in compliance with the Better Cotton’s Chain of Custody (CoC) standard.
Launched in October 2023, the CoC standard is described as a comprehensive approach focused on capturing a detailed range of route to market data, allowing brands to trace their cotton products from the country of origin right through to the clothing rail.
??Also, the Accelerating Circularity initiative officially launched its database of commercially available textile-to-textile recycled polyester.
The launch of the rPolyester Database took place this morning as part of the Reality Zone workshop series at the Performance Days event in Munich.
Thursday
??On Thursday we unfortunately reported that Chinese-owned ultra fast fashion giant #Shein is reportedly planning to make its controversial sourcing model available to other brands.
The Wall Street Journal newspaper says it has seen a letter from Shein’s executive chairman Donald Tang announcing the initiative - dubbed 'supply chain as a service' - to investors.
??We also disclosed that European online fashion retailer Zalando has admitted mixed success in meeting its environmental targets in its newly published 2023 Sustainability Progress Report.
Key findings include a 78% reduction in its Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions since 2017 and the development of new self-assessment questionnaires for “high-risk suppliers”.
Friday
??Today, we broke the news that materials science brand PANGAIA has been awarded 'leader' status for its concern for workers in its supply chain in its first ever performance check by the Fair Wear Foundation non-profit.
Fair Wear acknowledged Pangaia's commitment to ethical practices and highlighted the company's significant impact on improving working conditions in the apparel industry.
??Our most exciting news of the week (or so we think!), our new Magazine has gone to press! Catch all of our updates on our site and socials, and find our subscription options here????
And that’s a wrap on this week's briefing! As always, please pop any questions you may have below???? and subscribe- it's free!