28th October - 1st November 2024
Ecotextile News
The purpose-led multimedia news platform for sustainability in the global fashion and textile industry.
We’re back with another Weekly Briefing, the one-stop-shop for getting you caught up with the week's top news stories in just a few minutes. You can find all of our stories over at https://www.ecotextile.com/news/ but for now, let us guide you through the most important????
Monday
??We started the week off with the news that The Woolmark Company is inviting global fashion and textile brands to join a new initiative to develop and trial an insetting framework aimed at enabling emissions reductions within the textile supply chain.
Part funded by a A$4 million ($2.64m) grant from the Australian Government, the? Woolmark+ Insetting programme, will create a mechanism that connects global fashion and textile brands with Australian woolgrowers to reduce on-farm greenhouse emissions, helping lower scope 3 emissions across the value chain.
??We also reported that Birla Cellulose and US-based textile-to-textile recycling specialist, Circ? have agreed a long-term strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the scaling of recycled fibres within the textiles sector.
Under the terms of the deal, Birla, a business unit of Grasim Industries, a division of multinational Indian conglomerate Aditya Birla Group , will purchase up to 5,000 tonnes of Circ's pulp per year for a period of five years from Circ’s first commercial-scale facility.
Tuesday
??On Tuesday, we delivered the news that biotech start-up Octarine Bio and cell programming platform Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. outlined the latest progress in their partnership aimed at producing natural dyes for the textile industry.
First announced in May 2023, the work has so far focused on engineering a strain for producing violacein, a naturally-occurring deep purple pigment, and its derivatives - green, blue and purple pigments.
??We also welcomed the news that outdoor brand Arc'teryx Equipment has teamed up with the material innovator Ambercycle to use its ‘Cycora’ regenerated polyester as part of its push to lower carbon emissions and meet its targets on circularity.
Ambercycle’s technology uses enzymes to separate polyester-blended textile waste and chemically recycles this to yield what it says is virgin-grade product.
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Wednesday?
??On Wednesday, we covered a new report which claims that cotton is the most pesticide-intensive crop in the US and urges governments and textile supply chains to increase transparency and accelerate a transition to organic practices.
The report, from US non-profit research organisation The Organic Center , says that an ‘extensive’ use of pesticides and fertilisers in cotton production is posing serious health and environmental risks.
??We also revealed that polyester textile-to-textile recycling start-up Syre , which was formed through a partnership with investors Vargas and H&M , has teamed up with polymer specialist Selenis Specialty Polyester Solutions to establish a recycling plant in Cedar Creek, North Carolina, USA.
This first ‘blueprint plant’ is scheduled to be operational in mid-2025 and is eventually expected to deliver up to 10,000 metric tons of ‘circular polyester’ annually.
Thursday?
??On Thursday, the Textile Exchange industry body has unveiled its new unified Materials Matter Standard, replacing its separate material-specific certificates, at its annual conference here in Pasadena.
Covering over 85,000 certified sites in 110 countries, the standard aims to protect raw material value and ensure traceability, while incorporating Textile Exchange's Climate+ strategy to reduce by 45% GHG emissions from raw material production by 2030.
??We also reported that the European Economic and Social Committee has urged the European Union to step up its focus on the recycling and recovery of raw materials, which could be crucial to protect the crisis-hit textile recycling industry.
It says that recycling plays a critical role in achieving a circular economy, and a better system in Europe would mean the EU would be less dependent on imported raw materials.
Friday
?? Our Weekly Briefing team are travelling back from having an incredible time at Textile Exchange event in Pasadena today, so keep an eye out for our news as it breaks over at ecotextile.com!?
??Catch you next week for another Weekly Briefing! Don’t forget to join the thousands who are subscribed if you enjoyed it, so that you never miss a week??