‘Sustainable’ cotton...You really couldn’t make this stuff up. as Fairtrade and Better Cotton,...

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S U S TA I N A B L E FA S H I O N F I N A N C I A L I N S I G H T

Issue May 20197

lsquoSustainablersquocottonTime for a rethink

wwwapparelinsidercom 3

Edi

tori

alBrett Mathews

e had fun producing this issue of Apparel Insider Itrsquos always

interesting when a piece of research or information comes along which changes your thinking about a subject and such was the case when the writer of our cover story got in touch several months ago asking some questions around the issue of cotton Veronica Bates Kassatly is co-founder of Commun des Mortels Limited a boutique sustainable fashion brand We got chatting over email about the whole issue of sustainability in cotton and claims made by brands that they are going to be sourcing increasing percentages of their cotton from lsquosustainablersquo sources How do we know these sources are more sustainable was her central question To which my own answer was that on balance I understand organic to be the lsquogold standardrsquo in terms of sustainability while other cotton standards such

Brett Mathews Editor Email brettapparelinsidercom

W sustainable than another What gives them the confidence to use phrases such as lsquomore sustainable cottonrsquo in their marketingWe didnrsquot get very far here Some brands sent us links on their website which told us well not very much really I was also fobbed off onto heads of PR and there seemed to be a general bafflement that I was asking a question which ndash we believe ndash is actually rather importantWe wonrsquot mention names but one major UK brand which gains huge marketing mileage from its sustainability claims gave us the run-around for weeks on the issue before essentially saying they were too short staffed to answer the question Too short staffed to tell us what proof they had that the sustainability claims they were making about organic cotton and Better Cotton were actually correct You really couldnrsquot make this stuff up

as Fairtrade and Better Cotton also scored well on a range of criteria which I wonrsquot go over hereAll of that said I have never really looked closely at lifecycle analysis data which compares different cotton production methods and much of my understanding comes from secondary sources I donrsquot claim to be an expertVeronica decided to dig deeper She looked at the available data on cotton production including data which compares organic with conventional and BCI Her findings I have to say are somewhat troubling I wonrsquot go into detail here as I urge readers to read her feature from start to finish Itrsquos a fascinating piece which deserves to kick-start a much-needed debate on this issuePerhaps most worrying of all in this was that we approached a few of brands and asked them how they decide that one cotton production method is more

If solid consistent data was available which showed that cotton standards such as organic cotton Better Cotton and the like were a better long-term sustainability bet we would be the first to publish it But wersquore really not sure we are at that point right now ndash perhaps we never will be - which means that brands gaining positive PR mileage about their lsquosustainablersquo cotton sourcing is rather misleading and unhelpfulThis also takes eyes off the far bigger and more important issue of the over-production of poor quality badly made clothing which quickly finds its way to landfill If a garment is only worn two or three times before being disregarded it doesnrsquot really matter what kind of cotton it is made from

ldquoWhat gives them the confidence to use phrases such as lsquomore sustainable cottonrsquo in their marketing ldquo

contents

Copyright copy 2019 Apparel Insider

All rights reserved This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations

EditorBrett Mathewsbrettapparelinsidercom

Consulting editorMark Lane markapparelinsidercom

Features writer Victoria Gallagher victoriaapparelinsidercom

Advertising sales enquiriesLorna Quarmbylornaapparelinsidercom

Website wwwapparelinsidercom

Twitter apparelinsider

DesignDusan ArsenijevicEmail duda_arsenijevicyahoocomSkype dudinka0601

23Fibre focus misplacedTwo major studies have for the first time compiled all current publicly available data on the environmental impact of textile fibre production They conclude that fibre selection is not a crucial factor in the total environmental impact of a garment By VICTORIA GALLAGHER

13-21Cover story a cotton specialIn this edition of Apparel Insider we take an in-depth look at the issue of cotton with a particular focus on claims around lsquosustainable cottonrsquo Are some cotton production systems more sustainable than others on criteria such as water use and biodiversity While it is often assumed that this is the case our investigation found that there is a distinct lack of data around this issue and what data does exist doesnrsquot provide a clear cut case either way As well as some brilliant in-depth analysis from former World Bank analyst Veronica Bates Kassatly the feature also includes contributions and reaction from Textile Exchange the CampA Foundation and Cotton Inc

22High time for hempAfter looking at Levirsquos exciting new breakthrough with cottonised hemp in our last issue we find out more about the challenges of using hemp in apparel collections including interviews with Patagonia and Levirsquos

6-9UpfrontComment insight and analysis on current trends and issues in the global apparel and textile industries

4 Apparelinsider


41-53In briefA round up of the latest news and research in the global apparel and textile industries

54Dealmakers

35Timberland helps bring cotton back to HaitiFor the first time in 30 years smallholder farmers came together recently in Haiti to harvest cotton as part of a project supported by US outdoor brand Timberland MARK LANE reports

32lsquoPaying bus ticket expecting to flyrsquoMany brands demand their suppliers maintain rights-respecting workplaces but then incentivise them to do the opposite claims a new Human Rights Watch report By MARK LANE

31Aus firm commercialises recycling techAn Australian tech business which uses a chemical sep-aration process to recover cotton and polyester from used clothing will launch its first commercial facil-ity at the end of this year BRETT MATHEWS reports

27Usual suspects lead on transparencyFashion Revolutionrsquos third Transparency Index shows more and more apparel brands are sharing supplier information with the likes of adidas HampM and Esprit leading the way By VICTORIA GALLAGHER

29-30Is Bangladesh going backwardsIt might be the worldrsquos second largest garment exporter but Bangladesh continues to shoot itself in the foot in the issue of labour rights with many civil society organisations claiming the situation for workers is currently worse than ever Apparel Insider caught up with Christie Miedema campaign and outreach coordinator with the Clean Clothes Campaign to find out more

25Birdrsquos eye viewA new tool which is attempting to map every garment factory in the world has gone live following a soft Beta launch last year VICTORIA GALLAGHER talks to the developers of the Open Apparel Registry

38Whatrsquos next for mohairAfter a Peta expose on goat farms in South Africa last year the mohair industry looked in great peril But was talk of the sectorrsquos demise exaggerated By BRETT MATHEWS

33 Forced labour concerns in ChinaWith concerns about modern slavery in supply chains rising up the agenda in the apparel sector a new report advises brands about the risk of North Korean forced labour in Chinese apparel factories

6 Apparelinsider

VIEWPOINTA N A LY S I S A N D I N S I G H T

A key factor for any global business consid-ering where to source its operations is cost ndash of course it is And a major cost for most businesses is labour It is broadly accepted in industry that businesses will - all other things being equal - choose a geographic location with cheap labour over one with expensive labour Itrsquos a no-brainer and there is certainly no law against adopting such a strategyHere in the UK to offer an example one of the regionrsquos poorest regions ndash the North East of England ndash has done much to boost its economic growth over the years by wooing manufacturing inward investors with grants and the lure of abundant cheap labour Why would such manufacturers locate to the south in London when wage rates are so much higher thereKeep these thoughts in mind when consid-ering the entry by the likes of PVH Corp and HampM into Ethiopia It is well known that Ethio-pia has the lowest wages for garment factory workers in the world Wages are kept low by the fact that there is no national minimum wage organised labour is frowned upon by factory owners trade unionists are targeted hellip and all manner of other reasons If HampM and PVH want to source clothing from Ethiopia thatrsquos their choice as far as this publi-cation is concerned Why shouldnrsquot theyWhat frustrates however is the continued disingenuousness of both businesses when

Economics over altruismThe claim that brands enter low cost sourcing countries to drive improvements in wage rates and labour standards is misleading and bears little resemblance to the facts claims MARK LANE

outlining their reasons for entering the country ndash and both have been at it again of late Recently the Worker Rights Consortium issued an op-ed which claimed that expan-sion by brands into Ethiopia was part of a lsquorace to the bottomrsquo When one considers that wage rates are according to credible reports as low as US$012 cents an hour in Ethiopia for garment workers and that workers in Bangladesh ndash the next lowest ranked country for wages ndash the minimum wage is US$046 cents per hour this seems like a reasonable claim by the WRCAlso factor in that both Bangladesh and Viet-nam ndash with wage rates only marginally higher than Bangladesh have been the main ben-eficiaries of brands slowly shifting sourcing away from China And why have brands been moving sourcing from China Most commen-tators agree rising incomes in the countryrsquos textile industry are a major factorAnd yet neither company will accept they are chasing lower wage costs HampM said it had no intention to move production capacity from other markets to Ethiopia in a lsquorace to the bottom and that it was working with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to strengthen industrial relations in the textile industry in EthiopiaPVH said it had a goal of paying all workers no less than a living wage It had better get a move on in Ethiopia if thatrsquos the case The Wage Indicator Foundation puts a living wage in Ethiopia at US$14390 per month while wages as low as US$20 per month have been reported among garment workersThe justification for brands entering the likes of Ethiopia and Bangladesh and other sourcing destinations before it was that they help raise labour standards and leverage international pressure to improve working conditions and wages

Yet the evidence that this is the case is sketchy to say the least Brands have been sourcing from the likes of Bangladesh and Cambodia for years yet year in year out we hear the same old stories about union bash-ing a lack of adherence to basic ILO standards and excessive working hoursUndoubtedly many sustainability teams within brands have the best of intentions on this front but they face a near unwin-nable battle to buck local market trends regarding wage rates while the ineffective self-serving social audit industry does little to help mattersAs far as Ethiopia goes HampM also said its presence in there was contributing to the countryrsquos economic growth and had helped to create around 18000 jobs since 2013 Now that and the suggestion that PVH has also brought jobs and much-needed investment to the country we are happy to celebrate This is what brands and retailers can do when they enter such markets ndash provide jobs and investment which is why governments will always welcome them with open armsRaising wages and local labour standards however is another thing entirely and in any case was never the reason HampM or PVH entered Ethiopia in the first placeThe expansion of apparel sourcing into Africa is about economics not altruism

GUJARAT ndash There is concerning news from India where cotton yields have hit all-time lows for the 2018-19 season amid an ongo-ing drought which is affecting 40 per cent of the country and which some claim to be linked to climate changeLatest figures from US department of agriculture (USDA) suggest that India is still expected to be the largest global producer of cotton in 2018-19 with the crop projected at 285 million bales un-changed from the previous year However drought is hitting yields according to the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) which says that drought in many cotton growing regions of Gujarat a few regions of Maharashtra and a few areas in other cotton growing states has affected cotton yield

To offer some perspective here India is the worldrsquos largest producer of cotton ahead of China and the USA The region of Gujarat is the countryrsquos key cotton and textiles hub Estimates suggest that if the region was a country it would be the fourth largest cotton producing country in the worldIn actual fact about 42 per cent of Indiarsquos land area is facing drought with 6 per cent exceptionally dry according to data from the Drought Early Warning System a real-time drought monitoring platformMore worrying too is that the claim that climatic conditions that led to drought and famine in the 1870s could make a similar drought worse if the current state of glob-al warming is taken into consideration Deepti Singh assistant professor at the School of the Environment at Washington

State University United States makes this claim in a research paper Climate and the Global Famine of 1876-78 which looks at the Great Drought of IndiaSinghrsquos paper suggests that we live in a much warmer world than that period hence any droughts are more extreme Singh says the 1876-rsquo78 and 2015-rsquo16 droughts were triggered by extremely strong and long-lasting El Ninos yet the droughts have continued to persist in India post-2016 despite a change from El Nino conditions which she argues is an indica-tion of the impact of global warmingWith India being such a major cotton pro-ducing country a continuation of drought conditions and low yields could have seri-ous implications for global supply chains Wersquoll update on this one in our next issue

for different reasons Many we have con-tacted on the issue claim that sometimes stock has to be destroyed as it cannot be passed onto the market if for instance it is contaminated with mould or has an excess of chemical contentThere is however another factor to con-sider here which relates to the import and export of clothing There are actually pos-sible tax rebates available when clothing is incinerated in accordance with US Cus-toms and Border Protection programme whereby if imported merchandise is unused and exported or destroyed under customs supervision 99 per cent of the duties taxes or fees paid on the merchan-dise can be recovered as drawback Thus proposed laws in France on such issues could in theory impact luxury French brands exporting to the US market ndash but thatrsquos no bad thing France is ahead of the rest of Europe on these issues

France eyes clothing incineration banPARIS - A French politician is drafting a law to make it illegal for companies to destroy unsold clothing Brune Poirson French Secretary of State to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition has an-nounced the plans as part of broader goals in France aimed to moving towards the principles of a circular economy A bill and regulatory measures are expected to be enacted by the end of 2019 and proposed legislation relating to the destruction of clothing is part of thatThe new law could have significant im-plications for luxury brands which if we are to believe rumours routinely destroy unsold stock to preserve the strength of the brand Burberry last year became a lightening rod for the issue yet it is almost certain that many other luxury brands incinerate stockFast fashion brands are also said to engage in the practice of stock destruction albeit



On page 48 we report that the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters As-sociation has appointed its first ever leader Rubana Huq Great news for equality but also potentially positive news for manu-facturers Why Because Huq has pledged to help Bangladesh set a base price for garment items to ensure proper rates from international brands and to ldquobring an end to unhealthy competition locallyrdquoA concern about such a stance has always been that brands would withdraw from the country but Huq seems to have that base cov-ered ldquoIf all of us remain united buyers cannot go to other markets overnightrdquo she saidSounds like she means business

Are suppliers set to fight back

Indian cotton farmers feel the heat

8 Apparelinsider


Rana Plaza claims another victim

Debenhams limps onwards with more closuresWersquove reported regularly about the ongoing saga of Debenhams the UK high street retailer which appears to have been caught in no manrsquos land in recent years as far as apparel offering goes Sales have

slumped various proposed takeovers have fallen through and most recently has come news that its first tranche of 22 stores are going to close 50 are set to close in totalThe company has now passed through a lsquopre-packrsquo administration process which allows a company to sell itself or its assets as a going concern without affecting operational issuesThus Debenhamsrsquo lenders now take control of the business with a view to selling it on Meanwhile shareholders lose their invest-ments which means that the 30 per cent that Sports Direct owner Mike Ashleys had in the company which cost about pound150m to build up has been wiped outDebenhams also rejected a pound150m rescue

offer from Sports Direct because Ashley wanted to be chief executive We under-stand that Debenhamsrsquo owners were wary of Ashleyrsquos intentions although it is hard to believe he wouldnrsquot have done a better job of preserving this fine institution than the consortium of banks and hedge funds who are now running the showMore and more retailers are actually using Compulsory Voluntary Arrangements such as is the case here to scale back their high street presence and reduce rent bills They might sound a good idea but often see chains limping on long past their sell-by date towards an undignified end What happened to companies just going bust

DHAKA ndash April 2019 marked the sixth anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy While the Western world has moved on from the tragedy it is easy to forget that the shock-waves of it still reverberate for those who were involved in the aftermath A recent study for instance showed that half of all survivors of the incident had never worked againThen take the story of 27-year old Nowshad Hasan Himu a Bangladeshi activist who res-cued dozens of people when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed He was said to be involved in rescue work for 17 consecutive

days after the accident and helped to recover dozens of bodies and rescue survivors He also spent much time in hospital with survivorsAll of this took its toll in the years after He told friends he could still smell decomposing bodies and would see the ghosts of the dead walking around him He lived alone with his two dogsHe took his own life at the 6th anniversary of the accident by pouring kerosene onto his body and setting himself on fire 1138 died in the actual Rana Plaza accident but one won-ders how many more victims there are

Greenpeace trials new T-shirt standardAMSTERDAM - Greenpeace started its De-tox campaign in 2011 aiming to bring about the removal of 11 potentially hazardous chemicals from the clothing production pro-cess A year later the company announced it was suspending sales of all its own textile products including merchandising such as T-shirts ldquoAs an organisation we want to supply our supporters with T-shirts that change the worldrdquo Greenpeace it said at the time in a statement ldquoBut we will only be able to sell textiles again when the industry can produce toxic-free fashionrdquoThere was actually a bit more to it than that ndash some of the chemicals it was campaign-ing to abolish had been found in its own productsHowever the NGO says that as from April it will be trialling a new standard to start mak-

ing t-shirts bags and other merchandise It claims that the standard reflects the best overall practice in the market for detecting and eliminating the use and discharge of hazardous chemicals resulting from the Detox campaign

Said a statement from Greenpeace ldquoIt uses the best third-party tools and standards that are now available for textiles manufacturing facilities to address hazardous chemicals and ensures full supply chain transparency ldquoWhile our 2012 suspension on the mer-chandising and gifting of textiles will remain broadly in place Greenpeace offices are going to begin using selected suppliers who meet the new trial standards for merchan-disingrdquoSo which standards is Greenpeace using as a benchmark ldquoThis standard specifies the use of tools and certifications provided by Oeko-Tex GOTs and Fairtrade which (to our best knowledge) represent the best practice tools available as of the date of this policyrdquo said a Greenpeace noteYou canrsquot buy marketing like that



around World Earth day thousands of students and activists recently took to the streets of more than 50 British towns and cities demanding urgent action on climate change for the third time in as many months ldquoThis is my future not yours thats why I carerdquo was one of the more printable quotes from those presentAge is no coincidence here By the time all of these children reach middle age large parts of planet earth could be inhabitable if we continue along the same trajectory Why wouldnrsquot they be angry Why wouldnrsquot they want to do something about it when the consequences of continuing along the same climate path are so direThe worry in all of this is that the people steering the ship are anything but young Nowhere is this more in evidence than on the boards of big business ndash and the apparel industry is no exceptionA cursory glance of the boards of the worldrsquos

leading apparel brands makes for a predict-able and familiar story Mainly white Check Predominantly male Check Young Most definitely not We did some research on this issue and the findings confirmed our worst suspicions To offer a few examplesbull Nike has 14 board members three of them female with an average age of 60bull Levirsquos has 11 board members three of them female with an average of 64bull VF Corp has 11 board members three of them female with an average age of 58bull Gap Inc has 14 board members four of them female with an average age of 57bull HampM has 10 board members with a 50-50 male to female split Average age is 54bull Adidas has an executive board made up of six with one female and an average age of 54bull Fast Retailing which owns Uniqlo has nine board members with an average age of 61 and no femalesbull Associated British Foods which owns Primark has eight board members with two women and an average age of 60bull Asos has seven board members with two women and an average age of 56There are a few things to note from these fig-ures Firstly consider that within these there are many board members in their 40s which helps bring the average age down The fact is there are a great many board members in the apparel industry in their 60s Is this necessarily a bad thing In isolation surely not With age comes experience and wisdom Age need not be a barrier to doing a great job ndash and nor should it beThe problem of course is the lack of diversi-ty We hear plenty of calls for board diversity in terms of sex and ethnicity which wersquod wholeheartedly go along withWhere climate is concerned however age is the real issue Would an apparel industry board member in their early 60s for instance be as motivated as somebody 30 years younger to take business actions which could ultimately help the planet another quarter of a century down the line Can people who probably wonrsquot be here in 30-40 years be trusted to make decisions in the best interests of the long-term future of the planet Or will short-term gain and the pressure to deliver shareholder lsquovaluersquo win-outThe likes of Greta Thunberg might domi-nate the news agenda on climate issues But the real influence lies on the boards of big business predominantly with white middle aged men The question is are such people listening

Why climate is a young personrsquos game

Whatrsquos the most important quality if you want to become a well-known and influ-ential climate activist We would suggest youth Consider for instance 16-Year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg who has recently been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize Thunberg has emerged as an inspira-tion to students while also delivering blister-ing critiques of climate inaction at interna-tional climate talks last year and a meeting of the worldrsquos elite in Davos this year She initially made her name by skipping school every Friday to protest about climate change in front of the Swedish parliamentOthers have followed in her wake In the US Levi Draheim is the youngest of 21 plaintiffs in a legal action launched in 2015 by two associations Our Childrenrsquos Trust and Earth Guardians against the US government - a case now stalled in the courts for years to no great surpriseThe UK has its own such protestors Indeed

The people with greatest sense of urgency about climate disruption are those with most to lose - the young So can the white middle aged men steering the ship on the boards of leading enterprises be trusted to do the right thing By BRETT MATHEWS

Want to know the most trusted media or-ganisation in the UK We reckon itrsquos the good old BBC Thatrsquos why we were delighted to see it step into the sustainable fashion debate recently when BBC Earth and Teemill joined forces to disrupt the fashion industry and propose a solution go the issue of landfill The SustainableMe zero waste t-shirt re-covers and reuses discarded organic cotton garments mixed with 100 per cent GOTS-cer-tified cotton Printing on the T-shirts takes place in the UK seconds after an order has

been placed to create a high-quality t-shirt with a minimal environmental footprint Best of all it is claimed the T-shirt can be recycled over and over and need never enter landfill To enable this it has created a unique recov-ery system where a customer can scan their worn out product with a mobile phone and activate a freepost code plus receiving pound5 off a new item to make recycling an old T-shirt practical Surely major brands could learn something from this streamlining of the recycling

processldquoSlowing the fashion down doesnrsquot fix it It makes much more sense to recover and reuse material than throw it away so we built tech to power the reverse logistics of fashionrdquo explained Mart Drake-Knight from TeemillJulia Kenyon global brand director for BBC Earth added ldquoBBC Earth launched the SustainableMe movement in the hope of inspiring change and this marks a giant step forwardrdquo

pick cotton sleeping in disused trainsAs we have pointed out recently the ILO seems in an awful hurry to sing the praises of Uzbekistanrsquos reform process It was at it again in early April using a press release citing ldquohistoric progress on child labour and forced labour in Uzbek cotton fieldsrdquoTeachers and nurses being forced to pick cotton really is nothing to shout aboutA more realistic stance comes from Alisher Ilkhamov a well-known Uzbek expert sociologist and research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London Commenting on the issue of the boycott of Uzbek cotton and whether brands such as Marks amp Spencer and HampM should continue their boycott

ILO keeps head in sand on UzbekistanGENEVA - The use of forced labour remains a ldquosystemic problemrdquo in the cotton fields of Uzbekistan claims the latest field dispatch from Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights The NGOrsquos research into the 2018 cotton harvest found that employees from most government enterprises and agen-cies as well as factories utility companies banks and law enforcement agencies require their employees to pick cotton during the harvest or pay for replacement pickers From the end of October it is claimed teachers and nurses were also forced into the cotton fields Video footage from the Uzbek-German forum for human rights shows people who have been forced to



UK gives a clue on reshoring

BBC joins sustainable fashion debate

he told Apparel Insider ldquohellip the government has made some concessions in terms of reducing the scale of forced labour in order to remove barriers to the export of Uzbek textiles Progress in this area has certainly been achieved but it is not at a level that we can speak of the complete elimination of the system of forced labourldquoIt would therefore be premature to cancel the boycott of Uzbek cotton and textiles as it would mean a high risk of a return to the old system of coercion In essence the system has basically remained in place despite some concessions made by the government such as excluding the re-cruitment of university students and some categories of employees to pick cottonrdquo

manufacturers to develop a new National Apprenticeship for Garment MakersThe initiative is aimed at the development of various roles including trainee couturiers sample makers tailors dressmakers costumi-ers and sample machinists Once approved this apprenticeship and the relevant funding will be available to all em-ployers so we want to make sure the content is right fit for purpose and appropriate for our industry UKFT told Apparel InsiderThe UK apparel industry consists of main-ly micro small and medium enterprises producing premium garments for various markets including womenswear menswear and children-swear

How serious is the UK about reshoring its textile industry A key stumbling block here has always been that many of the skills associated with textile production have been lost since much so much of the industry was outsourced to AsiaPerhaps things could be changing The UK Kingdom Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) recently said it is working with a group of tailoring couture and high-end garment


We need to talk about cotton

Cotton

Identity cotton standards such as organic cotton BCI cotton and Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) are better from an environmental and social perspective right Actually because the data on these issues is limited and sketchy we simply do not know whether that is the case ndash and this raises a huge issue for apparel brands and retailers argues former World Bank analyst and founder of concept brand Commun des Mortels VERONICA BATES KASSATLY

hat is the most pressing sustainability challenge

facing the global fashion industry today Two words underpaying and overconsumption Wersquore producing too much clothing and paying too little for it

This ever cheapening of apparel production is reflected in the end cost of clothing Figures from the European Environment Agency for instance show that the relative price of clothing in the EU is about 64 per cent of what we paid in 1996 in the UK and Ireland its nearer 33 per cent

We get what we pay for and a whole generation of consumers have come to expect that where fashion is concerned they shouldnrsquot have to pay very much It is taken as given that the burden of cost-cutting should be shouldered by unseen farmers factory and garment workers a world away

As far as sustainability goes this is surely the number one issue the global fashion industry needs to address And yet if one examines the websites of major brands and the environmental initiatives in the fashion industry the sustainability debate is heading along a completely different path Discussions around

sustainability are focused on fibres - and farmed fibres in particular

The switch to lsquomore sustainablersquo fibres particularly lsquosustainable cottonrsquo is what dominates the sustainability conversation at the present time At the annual Copenhagen Fashion summit the lsquoPulse of the Fashion Industryrsquo (Pulse ) is measured with the score based in large part on whether the brands concerned are moving to lsquomore sustainable fibresrsquo But who decides what makes a fibre more sustainable This question is vital for if the sustainability of fibres is the yardstick by which large swathes of the fashion industry are measuring progress the information and data on which fibres are actually labelled lsquosustainablersquo needs to be absolutely bullet-proof

I want to focus attention here on cotton to illustrate how where questions around lsquosustainablersquo fibres are concerned nothing is ever quite as it seems

A quick look at the corporate responsibility pages of brands

generally cited as those at the forefront of environmental concern from Marks and Spencer (MampS) ASOS and HampM to Stella McCartney reveals an array of claims that their cotton is more sustainable - primarily because they use Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) organic cotton or Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) cotton One recommendation by last years House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EACOM) report on lsquoFixing fashion clothing consumption and sustainabilityrsquo was that the UK Government should reform taxation to reward fashion companies that move from conventional to organic cotton

In February this year with the support of the Princes Trust and MampS Textile Exchange (TE) launched the 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge (SCC 2025) aimed at promoting a move by fashion brands away from conventional cotton towards lsquomore sustainablersquo cultivation methods - once again

that primarily means CmiA organic or BCI cotton

Concomitantly in terms of fibre lsquoscoringrsquo the Higg MSI used by the

Pulse sets the impact of conventional cotton fibre at

606 per kilo switch to CmiA and that drops to 140 a move

to organic cotton lowers it to 112 That is a drop in harmful

impact of between 77 per cent and 82 per cent

Higg is a widely used industry tool and has huge credibility in the apparel and

textile space And the use of these kinds

of numbers is surely an important factor in the improved sustainability ratings that HampM and others regularly report and receive awards for

The message from this tool then ndash as well as from the websites of brands and retailers - is clear conventional cotton is bad and a switch to a lsquosustainablersquo alternative such as organic is a smart move for the environment and for farmers

W

14 Apparelinsider

Cotton

Is organic cotton more sustainable than conventional cotton And if so where is the data which proves this

Actually much of the published information on organic cotton sustainability ndash including that on brand websites ndash circles back to Textile Exchange as the origin For example TErsquos organic cotton Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was the sole source for the EACOM recommendation

Does this LCA show that organic cotton is more sustainable than conventional production No In fact in terms of the global debate it doesnrsquot really prove anything And why is that Because as the organic LCA itself points out on page 57 to assess comparative sustainability

for comparative assertions

disclosed to the public

Of course ISO is voluntary

and whilst the LCAs adhere to its

standards the textile and clothing industry in general appears not to The anti-competitive nature of unsubstantiated sustainability assertions does not seem to be considered

So neither of these LCAs can tell us whether on environmental grounds alone (that is even ignoring the crucial social and economic aspects) either CmiA cotton or organic cotton is more sustainable than conventional cotton

Do they at least give us an indication that in terms of water consumption or emissions CmiA andor organic cotton are more sustainable than conventional cotton No SCC2025 states For CmiA cotton lsquoWater Consumption 1 m3 1000 kg fiber (~100 reduction - LCA)rsquo

For organic cotton lsquoWater Consumption182 m3 1000 kg fiber (91 reduction - LCA)rsquo

But the LCAs concerned show no such thing

The CmiA study actually only considered Cotton produced in Zambia and the Ivory Coast Zambian agriculture is almost entirely rain fed so conventional cotton from Zambia will consume approximately the same amount of blue water as CmiA cotton - virtually none The same applies to Ivory Coast cotton

As for the organic cotton LCA this considered data from India Turkey China and the USA and of the nine regions considered 45 were effectively completely rain fed So conventional cotton produced in those regions will have consumed approximately the same amount of irrigation water - none Another three regions averaged 50-150 m3 of irrigation water per year Again conventional cotton from those regions probably used much the same amount of irrigation water as

you need more than just an LCA To quote ldquoLife Cycle Assessment is a powerful standardised tool for quantitative evaluation of potential environmental impacts on product basis however given the social and socio-economic dimensions of sustainability further aspects than those investigated in this study need to be considered for a holistic assessment of sustainability of a production systems or a comparison with another production systemrdquo

In other words to see if a method of agricultural production is really sustainable you first and most importantly need to look at how it impacts the farmers In study speak you need not just an LCA but also a social and economic impact analysis (SEIA)

Does Textile Exchange (TE) list an SEIA for the cottons that it recommends as more sustainable No The SCC 2025 lists no SEIAs at all Arguably then we can make no comparative assertions about the general sustainability of the different cotton production methods at this time

Can we at least make some restricted assertions such as ldquoconsumes less waterrdquo or ldquoreduces emissionsrdquo For this we need to look at LCAs Does TE list LCAs for the cotton production systems that it represents as more sustainable For BCI there does not appear to be so much as an LCA - certainly none are listed in the SCC2025 With no LCA and no SEIA can we make any

comparative assertions about the relative sustainability of BCI versus conventional cotton on a global scale No we canrsquot

The 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge cites two cotton production LCAs One for CmiA and the TE organic cotton study mentioned previously Both of these LCAs clearly state they cannot be used to make comparative assertions between different cotton production systems ndash basically because in agriculture you can only compare production methods if you are looking at crops grown (or livestock raised) in the same place at the same time under the same conditions And because the ISO has strict standards on what sort of information needs to be provided

ldquoI want to focus attention here on cotton to illustrate how where questions around lsquosustainablersquo fibres are concerned nothing is ever quite as it seems

ldquo

the organic cotton - very little

So how did TE arrive at the massive ldquoWater consumptionrdquo figures shown a) By only looking at blue or irrigation water rather than water as a whole

The organic LCA actually puts total water consumption at 15000 m3 per tonne of fibre rather than 182 The CmiA study claims the total freshwater used to produce 1000 kg of CmiA lint cotton was around 3400m3 not 1m3 And b) By comparing the CmiA and organic irrigation water consumption with that of a now outdated LCA of conventional cotton (Cotton Inc 2012) which studied primarily irrigated cultivation

In this context the CmiA LCA states ldquo101 CmiA is rain fed ie no water is used for irrigation In contrast all the regions under investigation in COTTON INC 2012 were at least partially irrigated It therefore comes as no surprise that blue water consumption which is of environmental relevance here was orders of magnitude smaller for CmiA (1msup31000 kg lint cotton) compared to the global averagerdquo

And the organic LCA states ldquo524 In the regions under study organically cultivated cotton receives relatively little irrigation in addition to naturally occurring rainfall The irrigation water requirement of a crop is obviously mainly determined by climatic conditions although the actual usage is also influenced by irrigation techniques This is why low irrigation rates cannot be attributed exclusively to the organic cultivation schemerdquo

In short the two LCAs themselves state that the comparative assertions on irrigated water consumption that TE is making are neither valid nor

CampA Foundation published an LCA and an associated SEIA comparing cotton production by BCI conventional and organic cotton farmers in Madhya Pradesh India These studies were not included in the SCC2025 document which is a shame because they are the most up to date research we have in this area and would be very useful reading for brands considering whether or not to sign up to this initiative

So what do they tell us The LCA found that organic cotton consumed more blue water than conventional cotton Moreover in terms of water consumption farmer income and farmer debt the clear winner in the CampAF studies was actually conventional cotton

In December 2018 the CampA Foundation issued a statement which said Organic cotton cultivation consumes 60 per cent less blue water when compared to conventional cotton cultivationrdquo along with some other favourable statistics for organic cotton about eutrophication climate change and so on

For emissions etc these were certainly understated because a) possibly as a result of a mix-up or due to social desirability bias the amount of chemical fertilisers and pesticides used by organic farmers was set to zero despite the fact that the associated SEIA had found

33-35 percent of organic farmers were using them and b)

once again manure was assumed to be burden free - despite the fact that a 2013 study found that for farmers in Maharashtra

India Manure ranked second in a list of reasons to keep

livestock after milk to sell Indeed 7 per cent of the farmers surveyed

ranked manure as the main reason to keep animals

As for blue water (all freshwater inputs excluding rainwater so primarily irrigation water in this context) the LCA definitely does not show that organic cotton consumes 60 per cent less Indeed it probably consumes 15 per cent more than

permissible

How about emissions then does either study indicate that at least on that basis CmiA andor organic cotton are more sustainable than conventional Not really

Both of these studies take livestock inputs to be burden free This is actually a major issue for organic cotton due to the importance of cattle manure and urine as fertilisers and pesticides (manure is also a common input in Zambian and Ivory Coast agriculture) Manure like leather is a by-product of the beef and dairy industries It is standard in the sustainability industry to assign a significant portion of the livestock burden to leather but ndash interestingly - none at all to manure

The TE organic cotton LCA (page 44) actually considered the implications of abandoning this anomaly and found that if as little as ten per cent of the livestock burden is assigned to cotton the environmental impact of organic production roughly doubles

I pointed all of this out to TE in a series of emails throughout March 2018 They were unable to help

In summary my own research into this issue suggests there is no clear and unambiguous evidence that either CmiA or organic cotton consume less water when grown

under the same conditions as conventional

cotton Nor is there any

conclusive evidence that

emissions are lower The data

simply is not there to make such a claim at the current time

Is there any more information out there which rigorously compares the environmental credentials of cotton grown to different standards Actually there is Last year the


ldquoThe message from this tool then ndash as well as from the websites of brands and retailers - is clear conventional cotton is bad and a switch to a lsquosustainablersquo alternative such as organic is a smart move for the environment and for farmers

ldquo

conventional cotton in the study

The raw data on irrigation and yield per hectare included in the report shows that in irrigation alone blue water consumption was 350 tonnes per tonne of organic seed cotton In a telephone discussion on March 12 2019 CAampF confirmed this figure but were unable to explain where the figure of 140 tonnes that they were using came from Nor

were they able to tell me what

the upstream blue water consumption was for organic

cotton

We can however conclude that if as stated

rainwater was estimated at 79 per cent then of the 1880 tonnes of blue water used by organic

farmers rainwater provided 1485 tonnes In that case bluewater

excluding rainwater equalled 395 tonnes per tonne of organic seed

cotton That is 15 per cent more than the 344 tonnes

of bluewater used to grow one tonne

of conventional cotton

What conclusions can we draw from

all of this The CampA studies were in one area

measured over one period of time so to draw broader conclusions from them would be misleading But this is the point basing comparative assertions on the CampA Foundationrsquos LCA has the same limitations as using the LCAs

related to organic and CmiA cotton referred to above

None of these LCAs in isolation should be

used to influence cotton sourcing on a grand scale as

appears to be the case at the present

time

So is the Higg overstating the negative impact of conventional cotton - probably Is it understating the relative impact of CmiA and organic cotton - almost certainly

Cotton

16 Apparelinsider

So are brands such as HampM and Kering overestimating their progress to sustainability as a result - yes by definition And what about what I will loosely refer to as lsquofactory fibresrsquo that the Higg prefers Clearly we should start looking at those closely on a case by case basis One obvious issue is that most LCAs assume best practice But much of the damage caused by the textile industry is precisely because in order to cut costs best practice is not followed Effluent is dumped into lakes and rivers untreated harmful emissions are leakedhellip but the environmental impact of fibres is calculated as if everyone was purchasing their inputs from the pristine shores of Lake Como But that conversation is for another time For now letrsquos stick with cotton

So where to from here All of this is by no means intended to criticise apparel brands or retailers for shifting towards BCI-accredited or organic cotton Instead it is hoped that it can help kick-start a much-needed debate around issues of cotton sourcing and particularly claims around sustainable sourcing Is the move towards cotton standards such as BCI organic and CmiA actually more sustainable Based on my own investigations into the issue we simply do not know

Do we need more data comparing the different ways in which cotton is grown Of course we do If brands are switching in their droves to various cotton standards we need to be absolutely sure they are doing it for the correct reasons and based on top quality research and data

Above all we need to be sure we are doing the right thing by cotton farmers - many of whom are extremely poor Switching from conventional to identity cottons comes at a cost to farmers and the conversion can be challenging particularly with organic cotton This is not a switch to be undertaken lightly and should not be made without comprehensive data to demonstrate that this is the right step for farmers ndash as well as for the environment

Further Reading

Please find below links to all research material referenced in this article If any reader has any questions about this article please feel free to email the editor Brett Mathews brettapparelinsidercom or the author Veronica Bates Kassatly veronicacommundesmortels

Declining clothing prices European Environment Agency bitly2VTlbprTextile Exchange Organic Cotton LCA bitly2Uo5zs8UK Government fashion enquiry report bitly2DQEBDnHigg cotton scoring bitly2GfDGO1Contribution of Livestock to Livelihood of Farmers bitly2GTgqaaTextile Exchange organic cotton classification guide 2017 bitly2XhUFpWCmiA LCA bitly2IAr8U5CampAF LCA bitly2v8MmkdCampAF SEIA bitly2GZvuVEISO 14040 (first edition) httpswebstanfordeduclasscee214ReadingsISOLCApdf

ISO standards for Environmental Declarations bitly2IAGybeCotton in Zambia bitly2IFJeEa

ldquoBut much of the damage caused by the textile industry is precisely because in order to cut costs best practice is not followed Effluent is dumped into lakes and rivers untreated harmful emissions are leakedhellip

ldquo


La Rhea Pepper a US organic cotton farmer and managing director of Textile Exchange responds to our cover story

In defence of organic cotton

he challenges of the textile industry are complex and

demand multi-faceted solutions For consumers the first message is to invest in fewer yet higher quality and value-oriented products For natural fibres ndash which are renewable and bio-degradable ndash purchase regenerative organic responsible and more sustainable fibers For synthetic ndash go for recycled

For Brands - substituting fibres that minimise or lower the negative impacts and increase the positive impacts is a primary strategy Creating a business model that pays fair prices to farmers and factory workers presents one of the biggest challenges So ndash where do we start and where do we focus our energies There are a number of groups and organisations that are working to address the ongoing challenges within the textile industry The focus of Textile Exchange is on fibres and materials ndash to drive the adoption of more sustainable preferred and organic fibres and materials

As pointed out in the adjoining article [cover story] ndash Life Cycle Analysisrsquo (LCAs) donrsquot give the complete picture ndash they donrsquot measure bio-diversity microbial activity in the soil and they arenrsquot capturing the toxicity of the waterhellip or the economics What LCAs can do is provide indicators and measurements in a few specific areas More research needs to occur to promote best practices for soil for water and most importantly for the people caring for the land The organic cotton LCA (commissioned by Textile Exchange) provides a snapshot of impacts providing a base line of information

However you donrsquot need LCAs to know that organic production

methods are better for land and for farmers I can speak for thousands of organic farmers around the world as well as from my own experience as a west Texas organic cotton farmer Organic farms in our communities are in many cases more productive than our neighbours we provide more jobs and economic diversity as well with investments in strong rotation crop programmes like vineyards peanuts

I have also had the privilege of visiting many organic farming projects around the world For example in Tanzania you know that the village is organic before you get there There are no children and women on the roads carrying used pesticide containers with water to the village Because the farmers are getting a fair price ndash they have drilled their own well and the children are in school

Successful organic production is accomplished by design ndash with farmers trained on soil health and insect management with crop rotation increased bio-diversity and water management At the present time we still have farm programmes lsquoby defaultrsquo ndash which may address the chemical use but leave the farmers without the tools and knowledge to fully benefit in a holistic approach

We do know that cotton farmers as a whole are some of the most impoverished Maintaining the status quo isnrsquot changing things for the better The good news is that there are islands of good that are growing where farmers are getting a fair price and training to improve yields utilising crop rotation Organic cotton is now grown in 20+ countries with over 100 programmes and projects Programmes that have strong market partners are having strong steady

growth and more brands are investing in farmer training

Conventional cotton production systems are shifting away from chemically intensive systems that were the norm just 10-15 years ago Around the world farmers are utilising more effective irrigation systems adopting integrated pest management practices as well as green manure and crop rotation systems in order to reduce pesticide use

Another thing to remember is that organic is not a purity claim ndash it is a production claim ndash it is about how I grow my cotton We live in a polluted world the river which many farmers irrigate from has pollution My neighbours spray poison on their crops Even though I have a buffer zone around my field I have had chemical drifts on the edges of my field which have resulted in either the death of my cotton or areas where I have had to destroy the crop when the pesticides residues are too high

What makes a fiber more sustainable Where do you cross the threshold from doing less harm to doing good What are the real choices here Do nothing Maintain the status quo

Organic production systems donrsquot just reduce toxic and persistent pesticides ndash they eliminate them Which water well do you want to drink from Which field do you want to work in

We welcome the debate ndash we want to promote best practices and solutions across all fibres and materials

There will also be a special workshop on lsquowhat LCAs are and are notrsquo during our annual conference in Vancouver the week of October 15 They may not be a perfect tool but understanding what they tell us will help us make informed decisions

ldquoProgrammes that have strong market partners are having strong steady growth and more brands are investing in farmer training

ldquoT

Cotton

18 Apparelinsider


In an op-ed in response to our cover story the CampA Foundation agrees on the need for better data on cotton impacts By Anita Chester head of sustainable raw materials at CampA Foundation

lsquoWe canrsquot turn a deaf ear to farmersrsquo

easuring the impact and sustainability of fibres is

extremely complicated And as Apparel Insider rightly points out current data and methodologies to gather that data are flawed Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are limited and donrsquot readily allow for comparison It is important to understand these limitations nevertheless LCAs are a valuable tool available to us

While we continue to encourage the collection of primary data and while the sector continues to develop more robust tools we need to use and improve what we do have And that includes LCAs and their associated Social and Economic Impact Analysis (SEIA) studies

At CampA Foundation we commissioned an LCA and SEIA to understand the baseline conditions in the cotton producing region of Madhya Pradesh India This study is meant to inform our work and to start a conversation We do not ask brands to source cotton based on the data in LCAs and our partners in the field do not use them to convince farmers to make choices

We agree with Veronica Kassatlyrsquos analysis that LCAs should not be used in isolation or become the sole source of information to influence cotton sourcing decisions Rather they should be used to piece together a complex puzzle - limited as they may be - while we continue to develop better more comprehensive tools

Many of CampA Foundationrsquos partners have been gathering primary data

For example since its inception in 2016 our partner the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) has been focused on the collection of primary farm-level data to assess the impact of organic cotton on farmers and their families OCA reports data through a harmonised monitoring and evaluation protocol that includes third-party validation

As the sector works to make tools and methodologies more technologically sophisticated precise and scalable OCA is bringing stakeholders together to address pressing issues collectively Its intention is to work with sustainable cotton standards as well as the conventional sector to adopt a coordinated global framework and index for collecting measuring and reporting on primary impact data at scale

While we look for solutions to our data issues here is what we do know Under poor management practices and depending on where and how itrsquos grown cotton can contribute to over-consumption of water and chemicals potentially causing great environmental harm From years of work in the field with grassroots organisations in India we also know that smallholder cotton farmers face tremendous distress After decades of conventional cultivation many farmers live in a perpetual cycle of debt that traps them in poverty they face extreme health issues and they are seeing a diminishing productivity and biodiversity of their fields caused by deteriorating soil health

The decision of what cotton farming practises to use very much depends

on the context Growing cotton on large mechanised farms in highly regulated economies is completely different from growing cotton on small household farms in developing countries and economies

In the context of smallholder farmers our work on the ground tells us that ldquomore sustainablerdquo standards often work better for them We have spoken to thousands of smallholder farmers and dozens of organisations that represent them We know directly from them what issues farmers face and we have seen thousands of cases where low-input and low-cost systems help them reach financial stability and where low or no-chemical methodologies help improve farmer health and the health of their soil

CampA Foundation works with deeply committed organisations who are intensely engaged with farming communities They use this understanding of local context to build the capacities of farmers help connect them to premium markets and improve their livelihoods These organisations are not partial to one form of cotton production or one particular standard Their main interest is to do right by farmers and the environment they depend upon And it is the combination of this is grassroots knowledge and data from studies that informs our own strategy

While we work to improve the quality of data and work with the industry to tackle market barriers and help ensure farmers are receiving fair premiums for their produce we cannot turn a deaf ear to farmers experiences and we cannot continue to let them fend for themselves All we can do is help find solutions and create opportunities for farmers to choose the ones that work best for them

Let us continue the necessary debate on numbers and calculations on methodologies and comparisons and continue to bring the sector together to harmonise and collate data so that we can in fact compare across standards and regions

M

Cotton

ldquoIn the context of smallholder farmers our work on the ground tells us that ldquomore sustainablerdquo standards often work better for them

ldquoImage by Ben LangdoMile 91 for CampA Foundation

Cotton production a US perspective

ldquoThese non-comparative LCAs are not designed to compare to other standalone LCAs as differing assumptions and datasets make comparing separate studies scientifically invalid

ldquoUS cotton

We reached out to Cotton Incorporated to get some insight from the conventional US cotton sector about the debate around cotton sustainability including the findings of our cover story

key message of our cover story relates to how

LCAs have been used to forward sustainability claims

To gain some further insight on this issue we reached out to Cotton Incorporated a non-profit organisation funded by cotton growers in the United States

Dr Jesse Daystar Cotton Incorporated chief sustainability officer was instrumental in compiling the 2015 Life Cycle Analysis of Cotton Fiber and Fabric for the company His background in LCA however goes far beyond cotton with more than 20 peer reviewed journal publications on LCA and sustainability surrounding biofuels bioproducts and LCA methodology

Daystar told Apparel Insider ldquoLCAs can be a valuable tool when properly applied Essentially non-comparative LCAs are benchmarking tools that examine a distinct set of parameters as snapshots in time to determine the major drivers of environmental impacts and potential levers for improving sustainability

ldquoThese non-comparative LCAs are not designed to compare

to other standalone LCAs as differing assumptions and datasets make comparing separate studies scientifically invalid Only an ISO-conforming comparative LCA with consistent assumptions and data should ever be used in a comparative way Unfortunately many in industry fail to follow the standards and best practices surrounding proper use of LCAs and enforcement of this is a major challenge for the apparel industry and LCA as a sciencerdquo

As indicated there are implications here for apparel and textiles and particularly how some fibre types ndash or cotton production standards ndash are lsquoscoredrsquo by to tools such as for example the Higg Index The Sustainable Apparel Coalitionrsquos Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) is a tool which attempts to help the apparel footwear and textile industry to assess the environmental impact of materials used in global manufacturing

Michele Wallace Cotton Incorporated director product integrity told us ldquoIn the case of the Higg MSI creating single scores from the life cycle data of different technologies times geographies

A


Our main feature suggested that conventional cotton production in countries such as the US has improved its sustainability performance in recent years The most recent example of how the sustainability agenda is increasingly being pushed for conventional US cotton growers could be found at the Cotton Sourcing USA Summit which took place in the US on Scottsdale Arizona in late 2018 At the event Cotton Council International president Ted Schneider updated the more than 400 attendees on how the US cotton industry intends to meet its 2025 sustainability goalsThe US cotton national sustainability goals aim for the following by 2025 13 per cent increase in productivity - reduced land use per pound of fibre 18 per cent increase in irrigation efficiency 39 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions 15 per cent reduction in energy expenditures 50 per cent reduction in soil loss 30 per cent increase in soil carbonIn terms of historical figures which offer an indication of long-term trends about US cotton and sustainability Cotton Inc pointed us to the 2015 Field to Market National Indicators report The report shows that over the study period (1980ndash2015) US cotton production increased by 35 per cent with yield increases of 42 per centResults show that irrigation water use has improved consistently over the study period illustrating improvements driven by irrigation technology Volume of water applied per incremental pound of lint produced as a result of irrigation was reduced from over 009 acre-inches to 002 acre-inches between 1980 and 2015 (see table)Also over the study period the greenhouse gas emissions indicator improved (decreased) from approximately 21 pounds CO2e per pound lint in 1980 to 13 pounds CO2e per pound lint in 2015 Improvements in greenhouse gas efficiency per pound are driven in part by improvements in irrigation water efficiency resulting in decreased pumping energy and associated emissionsHowever the land use and soil conservation indicators show slightly higher values for the 2011-2015 than for the 2001ndash2005 time period

etc blurs the complexity of the data itself The challenge of using single scores to make comparisons is that it oversimplifies and masks the existing trade-offs when evaluating a productrsquos environmental sustainability

ldquoThe current version of the Higg MSI contains no information about how much error exists in each component of the score or the overall range that a single score covers Using LCIA data to create single scores introduces subjectivity and possibly biases into a scientific assessment of impacts ndash something not allowed in the ISO standardrdquo

Hemp

After reporting on Levirsquos development of lsquocottonised hemprsquo last issue we spoke to Levirsquos and Patagonia to find out more about the economics of hemp use and sourcing challenges By BRETT MATHEWS

Hemp use challenges and economics

n our last issue we brought news that Levirsquos has launched

a collection which uses a new form of lsquocottonised hemprsquo denim ndash hemp thatrsquos been altered using a proprietary process to feel just like cotton After that feature we received a number of questions about which other brands are using hemp and whether or not it is actually an economical fibre

To address the latter of these questions we went back to Levirsquos The message from their head of production Paul Dillinger was that as more brands look to scale up their use of hemp its use will become more economical He said ldquoThere is an abundant supply to be had if companies are willing to embrace use of hemp and the supply can be abundant precisely because of the advantages in terms of water and land use of growing hemp over conventionally grown cottonrdquo

We also asked about sourcing Our assumption was that Levirsquos was sourcing hemp from the US given the more favourable regulatory environment around hemp growing there However Dillinger said hemp for the Levirsquos collection was actually sourced from Europe ldquowhere a reliable and credible substantiation framework allowed us to track amp trace our rain-fed hemp back to its field of origin That means that our hemp is 100 per cent rainfed grown in Europe and we have traceability to the field This is not true for all hemp but is true for the hemp in our productrdquo

Dillinger also said something else which caught our attention He told us ldquoWe can say wersquove been working on this for a few years and that we see this first commercialised use of the cottonised hemp as a very big breakthrough Wersquore not abandoning cotton we have programmes and targets in place that will continue

to make our cotton sourcing more sustainable But as we drive toward ever greater sustainability as we design with a future state of circularity in mind it is incumbent upon us to investigate other fibre strategiesrdquo

Levirsquos is the worldrsquos best-known denim brand and its core denim products have ndash historically ndash been made almost entirely of cotton give or take some elastane For it to be talking about investigating other fibre strategies is a seriously big deal and offers some perspective on where we are right now in terms of the sustainability debate

We also caught up with US outdoor brand Patagonia another business which is looking to use more and more hemp in its collections

Patagonia told us it has been using hemp on its own or in blends for its products for many years A spokesperson told us ldquoHemp is a natural fibre thats cultivated with low impact on the environment A hardy drought resistant plant hemp needs no irrigation and requires less fertiliser than other crops Grown without pesticides or herbicides itrsquos also one of the most durable natural fibres on the planet Hemp can be used as a rotational crop improves soil health and requires less water and inputs than other crops ndash good news for our planet

Given its low impact on the environment plus itrsquos wonderful hand and durability it is a perfect fit for many of our products and we will certainly look to include it moving forwardrdquo

Asked how difficult a fibre hemp is to work with and the challenges from a technical viewpoint Patagoniarsquos spokesperson said ldquoAlthough the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalised hemp in the

United States it is still illegal to grow in most parts of the world because government agencies continue to associate it with marijuana Even in the US the infrastructure is still being built as the demand increasesrdquo

Patagonia also told us there are many issues to consider around hemp including which hemp varietals to grow best for the best fibre and which planting parameters optimise fibre quality (ie how densely are they planted once the plant is harvested how long it needs to ret in the field before the degumming process what degumming process cleans the fibre so it can actually be spun into yarn at scale)

They added ldquoThere are many people working on these problems and once they are solved there are mill partners to move hemp through to textiles It should also be noted you can get a high yield of hemp per growing acre and as most hemp for textiles is blended we need to be thoughtful in how hemp is grown industrially and for what end userdquo

22 Apparelinsider

I ldquoHemp is a natural fibre thats cultivated with low impact on the environment A hardy drought resistant plant hemp needs no irrigation and requires less fertiliser than other crops

ldquo

wwwapparelinsidercom 23wwwapparelinsidercom 23

Fibre data

A new Swedish study claims the focus on fibre selection is unhelpful and missed the broader sustainability picture VICTORIA GALLAGHER reports

Data on fibre impacts lsquosorely missingrsquo

ONDON - Two major studies have for the first time

ever compiled all current publicly available data on the environmental impact of textile fibre production They conclude that fibre selection is not a crucial factor in the total environmental impact of a garment while a t-shirt made of organic cotton or recycled material is not always more sustainable

The studies undertaken by Mistra Future Fashion also suggest there is at present a glaring lack of data on the environmental impact of fibres such as organic and BCI cotton and that for several fibres just a few studies were found The lack of data for BCI cotton is flagged as a particular concern

For new fibres associated with sustainability initiatives there is often no data available to support such claims This is a particularly interesting bone of contention given that there are all manner of new fibres currently entering the market and increasingly being introduced into collections by brands

The report says ldquoThere is a glaring lack of data of more or less all new and potentially more sustainable fibres synthetic fibres made by bio-based or recycled feedstock artificial protein fibres regenerated fibres made via new production routes or from new bio-based or recycled feedstock plant fibre still only grown in small amounts etc These data gaps encompass talked-about fibrebrand names like Sorona Econyl Recyclon Orange Fiber Qmilk Evrnu Ioncell-F and Infinited fibre to name a few These are fibres which are associated with claims of greater sustainability ndash and

there are strong reasons to believe several of them indeed can be environmentally preferable ndash but without publicly available (and transparent) data backing up such claims their environmental claims can be questionedrdquo

Above all the authors argue that full and proper LCA data is required for all fibres new and old

Dr Gustav Sandin at RISE says that this lack of data is a disadvantage when investing in future sustainable textile fibres Says Sandin ldquoWithout such data there is a risk that investments in new fibre technologies are not made where there are greatest potential gains There is also a risk that new and better fibres are in decision-making undervalued and unappreciated in relation to established fibres for which data on environmental performance and technical properties are availablerdquo

The research makes the eminently sensible point that the separation of fibres into good and bad based on the generic classifications of fibre types is too simplified The report cites the example of organic cotton suggesting that while in general it might use less blue water than conventional cotton variations between regions and sites are larger than variations between the averages for conventional and organic cotton (see cover story)

It also suggests that while grey water use in several studies was found to be much higher for conventional than organic cotton the differences between sites are enormous and some conventional farms have lower grey water footprints than some organic farms

It is argued that where and how fibres are processed is far more important than the fibres themselves For instance using the example of viscose the researchers claim that viscose produced with nearly closed chemical loops and renewable energy can be among the best fibre alternatives while viscose produced with irresponsible chemical management and coal power can be among the worst

The report also points out that much of the data on these issues is outdated and does not factor in improvements in conventional cotton production methods

Dr Sandra Roos one the reportrsquos authors said the life cycle perspective should be considered when measuring sustainability ldquoWhen calculating the total environmental impact of a garment one can not only consider the material used in the garment itself but also what resources have been used to produce the garment

ldquoEven though the garment could be made from recycled fibres the factory may have used fossil fuels for electricity supply thereby increasing the garmentrsquos total environmental impactrdquo

The report points out that fibre production relies on energy and materials other than the fibre feedstock for production of heat electricity fertilizers pesticides feed dissolution chemicals catalysts and more ndash and that these secondary flows are often larger on a mass basis than the raw materials used as fibre feedstock

Adds the report ldquoThere are no lsquosustainablersquo or lsquounsustainablersquo fibre types it is the suppliers that differ The span within each fibre type (different suppliers) is often too large in relation to differences between fibre types to draw strong conclusions about differences between fibre typesrdquo

ldquoEven though the garment could be made from recycled fibres the factory may have used fossil fuels for electricity supply thereby increasing the garmentrsquos total environmental impact

ldquo

L

Further Reading bitly2UhrtgN


Supply chain mapping tool goes live

Supply chain mapping

A new tool which is attempting to map every garment factory in the world has gone live following a soft Beta launch last year VICTORIA GALLAGHER reports

MSTERDAM ndash The Open Apparel Registry (OAR)

aims to become the go-to source for identifying all global apparel facilities and their affiliations by collating disparate supplier lists from industry stakeholders into a source map and database It is part of a broader transparency drive in the global apparel industry and could ndash one would hope - place pressure on those brands which are still refusing to release their supplier lists

The collated database of facility names addresses and affiliated parties on the OAR is powered by an advanced name and address-matching algorithm and will be available for use by any organisation free of charge Organisations will be able to update and standardise facility names and addresses against the database and find potential new suppliers listed with their affiliations

The tool compiles data from multiple sources including large datasets from multi-stakeholder initiatives brand and retailer supplier lists facilities and factory groups service providers government databases and more

Several industry MSIs including Amfori Fair Factories Clearinghouse SAC SEDEX and ZDHC have formed an OAR working group to explore API integration

After the launch we caught up with Natalie Grillons the OAR project director We asked her first of all why there is a need for a database like this especially with many brands now listing their supply chains online themselves

She told Apparel Insider ldquoItrsquos important to note that the OAR is not just a database of brand supplier lists rather it is an open public database of global apparel facilities uploaded by all types of apparel industry stakeholders It allows anyone to identify an apparel facility and understand its affiliations

ldquoWhile itrsquos positive that so much public data exists including brand supplier lists all this data currently sits in silos with no scope for interoperability or efficient exchange of information The data is often locked away in PDFs tables or other non-machine-readable formats which means that the scope to make practical use of the data is limited

ldquoAgain this problem isnrsquot limited to brand supplier lists alone - itrsquos a challenge for a wide range of organisations across the apparel sector By having the OAR as a lsquosource of truthrsquo for name and address information with each facility allocated a unique OAR ID these blockages are removed enabling

efficient data exchange

ldquoThe OAR also improves the quality of this supply chain data through the cleaning and matching process the algorithm runs on all information uploaded to the tool That results in any organisation using the tool ending up with stronger datasetsrdquo

We also asked how much of the global apparel supply chain OAR was realistically expecting to uncover Grillon told us that at the time of writing there are 11000 facilities on the database and that facilities would be mapped all the way through the supply chain except for raw materials such as cotton farms

She suggested total facilities numbered in the tens of thousands which seems about right The country where most information in this area is available at present is Bangladesh and we understand there are around 4000 facilities there

Grillon said ldquoWersquore aware that this is an enormous undertaking and not something wersquoll achieve overnight Wersquove started initially with public data - the low hanging fruit As we continue to add contributors the pace of facilities being added to the database may slow but the focus isnrsquot on numbers - it should be on accuracy and improving address data for each facilityrdquo

Finally we asked about the issue of brands which still keep their supply chains confidential and whether the OAR could act as a catalyst for broader change across the sector On this issue Grillon emphasised the neutral basis of OAR but did acknowledge that there is ldquoa marked increase in publicly available supplier name and address datardquo

She added ldquoThatrsquos due in part to the work of organisations such as Fashion Revolution and the Transparency Pledge but wersquore also seeing groups such as the Fair Wear Foundation and the Fair Labor Association requiring their members to disclose details of their supply chain

ldquoThe OAR can be a mechanism to not only help brands fulfil these reporting requirements but also reap the benefits mentioned above of better quality information sharing data and collaborating with other organisations across the industryrdquo

A

ldquoThe OAR can be a mechanism to not only help brands fulfil these reporting requirements but also reap the benefits mentioned above of better quality information sharing data and collaborating with other organisations across the industry

ldquo

Transparency

Brand transparency edges upwards


Fashion Revolutionrsquos third Transparency Index shows more and more apparel brands are sharing supplier information VICTORIA GALLAGHER reports

ONDON - 70 out of the 200 major fashion brands

contacted are now publicly listing their first-tier manufacturers where clothes are cut sewn and finished according to the latest Transparency Index by Fashion Revolution This figure is up significantly on the 32 which were found to be disclosing supplier lists in 2017 when the index was launched While it illustrates a steady shift towards transparency in global apparel supply chains it needs to be borne in mind that more than half of brands contacted declined to contribute to the study while many that did fill in questionnaires are still failing to publicly list any supplier information

The Transparency Index essentially offers an indication of how much information they disclose publicly about their human rights and environmental policies practices and impacts

Top scoring retailers in the index for 2019 are Adidas Reebock Patagonia Esprit and HampM all of whom score more than 60 per cent according to Fashion Revolutionrsquos criteria which ranks brands in areas such as traceability governance and policycommitments Among brands scoring in the lowest category (0-10 per cent) are River Island Michael Kors Li-Ning Forever 21 and Sports Direct

The report shows that 38 brands are now also going beyond tier one suppliers and disclosing their processing facilities where ginning and spinning wet processing embroidering printing dyeing and laundering typically takes place And 10 brands are disclosing some of the facilities or farms supplying their fibres such as viscose cotton and wool

2019 is the first year since the Fashion Transparency Indexrsquos inception that brands will score over

60 per cent However no brands score above the 70 per cent range

It should also be noted that by far the highest number of brands score in the 0-10 per cent category (72) The next largest category is the 11-20 per cent in which 47 brands score

This score is based on performance in five key areas policy and commitments governance traceability supplier assessment and remediation and spotlight issues which this year focus on the Sustainable Development Goals

Sarah Ditty policy director and report author told Apparel Insider ldquoThe progress we are seeing this year coupled with the feedback Fashion Revolution has received from brands suggests that inclusion in the Fashion Transparency Index has motivated major fashion brands to be more transparent We are seeing many brands publishing their supplier lists and improving their scores year on yearrdquo

Amongst the 98 brands reviewed in 2017 2018 and again in 2019 there has been an 89 per cent increase in

the average score since they were first included in the Index 11 brands have increased their scores by over 10 per cent this year

Other report findings include

bull Brands are disclosing very little about their efforts to empower women and girls and achieve gender equality despite the fact that women make up the majority of the workforce in the fashion industry

bull Little is published about how brands are addressing gender-based labour violations in garment factories

bull 55 per cent out of the 200 brands are publishing the annual carbon footprint in the companys own sites although only 195 per cent disclose carbon emissions in the supply chain

bull Only 9 per cent of brands disclose a formal process for gathering supplier feedback on the companys purchasing practices and just 65 per cent of brands publish a policy of paying their suppliers within 60 days

ldquoThere is still a lot of work to be donerdquo Sarah Ditty acknowledges ldquoDetailed information about the outcomes and impacts of their efforts is still lacking The average score amongst the biggest fashion brands and retailers is just 21 per cent showing that there are still far too many big brands lagging behind Major brands are disclosing very little information and data about their purchasing practices which means that we still donrsquot have visibility into what brands are doing to be responsible business partners to their suppliersrdquo

What can we take from all this One point of interest for us was that HampM ndash a leader according to this scoring ndash came in for criticism on social media after the report was published with claims that it might be doing work on transparency but still wasnrsquot doing enough on living wages

If this is what you get for sticking your head above the parapet and engaging with worthy initiatives like this HampM could be forgiven for not bothering next year Indeed it might instead choose to follow the example of laggards such as Abercrombie amp Fitch Diesel LVMH Guess and Boohoo which failed to even respond to Fashion Revolutionrsquos questionnaire

We hope not

L

ldquoIf this is what you get for sticking your head above the parapet and engaging with worthy initiatives like this HampM could be forgiven for not bothering next year

ldquo


Bangladesh has now become firmly established as the worldrsquos second largest apparel export nation yet concerns around labour rights refuse to go away ndash and if anything are worse than ever Apparel Insider gets the lowdown from Christie Miedema campaign and outreach coordinator with the Clean Clothes Campaign

Is Bangladesh going backwards on labour rights

his month we are six years on from Rana Plaza How much

progress has Bangladeshrsquos ready-made garment industry made in that time

There has been much improvement in the field of fire and building safety yet much work remains It is important to note that the vast majority of these factory improvements happened under the purview of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety

Beyond building safety the situation looks rather bleak compared to the promises that the government of Bangladesh and apparel companies were making six years ago

In 2013 the government of Bangladesh pledged sweeping changes in the field of freedom of association and labour law reform under the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact Yet after

a brief peak in union registration in 2014 registering a union once again became exceedingly difficult with extensive and unprecedented repression against unionists after strikes for higher wages in 2016-2017 and again 2018-2019 Similarly while promising to significantly beef up its regulatory capacity recent fires made painfully clear that little to no progress has been made on the side of the government on fire and building safety

Which areas are cause for celebration and which are cause for concern

The main cause for celebration has now turned into a major cause of concern The Accord was the only sustainable initiative that came out of the collapse Through robust and transparent inspection and monitoring worker training a

well-functioning worker complaint mechanism and mechanisms to sanction factories or brands who did not live up to their commitments the Accord has made the factories under its purview considerably safer This is really a ground-breaking model because of the cooperation of brands and unions its legally binding character and transparent nature and should serve as an example to target other issues in Bangladesh or other countries

However the most expensive and extensive renovations are often still outstanding and these are at risk now that factory owners and the government have voiced that they want to Accord to leave the country

What about the current wage situation in Bangladesh

Wages in Bangladesh remain at poverty levels even after minimum wage increases in 2013 and 2018 against the backdrop of sizeable inflation After extensive worker protests the government of Bangladesh refused to review the minimum wage before the legal maximum of five years and when it did it gave no consideration to worker voices ndash setting the minimum wage at 8000 taka being only half the unified workersrsquo demand and only a quarter of what experts say would represent a living wage

When workers responded with protests after they found out how little this increase really amounted to on their paychecks the government and factory owners responded with an unprecedented worker repression dismissing over 10000 workers blacklisting thousands of workers and pressing legal charges against 65 individuals and many more ldquounnamedrdquo persons Freedom of association a fundamental right vital for workers to stand up for their own safety working conditions and wages is clearly another area of deep concern

It is clear that agencies inside Bangladesh want the Bangladesh Accord to leave the country Why do you feel this is the wrong move

The Bangladesh government is

T

Bangladesh

ldquoFreedom of association a fundamental right vital for workers to stand up for their own safety working conditions and wages is clearly another area of deep concern ldquo

Bangladesh

demanding that the Accord hands over its responsibilities to their national government bodies While this was always the plan when the Accord went into effect these bodies do not yet have the capacity to fulfill the Accordrsquos responsibilities Several recent fires in garment factories and other buildings - that should have been addressed by the national inspection bodies - show that too often glaring safety defects are not addressed for years Both were lacking fire exits in the FR tower and the fact that the promise to remove chemical storages from residential areas was not followed up after the 2010 Nimtoli fire enabling a new deadly fire this year does not bode well for the ability and willingness of the national inspection agencies to inspect and enforce

Safety and building specialists in Bangladesh are now pointing at the Accord as an example to learn from but the government and factory ownersrsquo association ndash the BGMEA ndash ignore these expert opinions

What do you say the argument that as outsiders we have to respect the self-autonomy of Bangladesh on issues regarding the future of the Bangladesh Accord

It is not surprising that the government and factory owners speak about autonomy and self-monitoring but we should not forget the one voice that is not heard in this call for Bangladeshi autonomy that of the workers and the unions representing them The unions in Bangladesh were closely involved in setting up the Accord and workers again and again are publicly showing their support for the Accord explaining how it makes them feel safe at work and how the complaint mechanism empowers them

Workers will carry the burden of the wish of the government and factory owners to curtail the Accord in favour of self-monitoring They would have to risk their lives at work again They would lose easy access to a highly functional complaint mechanism that has saved lives by intervening in dangerous situations

The Rana Plaza collapse shows the importance of workers being aware of safety hazards and being

able to organize and speak up If the workers outside the Rana Plaza building who knew their factory was unsafe could have collectively refused to enter the factory or call an external agency to intervene it would have prevented this disaster

What about the broader labour rights issue in Bangladesh Are things improving ndash or are they getting worse

The situation regarding Freedom of Association is deteriorating in a situation of shrinking civic space in the country In December 2018 unrest started over the new minimum wage which remains too low to cover the basic monthly needs The authorities engaged in direct threats to union leaders about their alleged involvement 65 union leaders face charges and there have been many reports of physical violence by police against workers This comes on top of the still partly unresolved 2016-2017 wage protest repression which still has outstanding charges against union leaders meaning they are at constant risk of arrest

After Rana Plaza the government of Bangladesh promised to improve the situation on freedom of association in the country Labour law amendments since 2013 have however failed to meaningfully address the situation Under the most recent change for example the minimum number of workers to establish a union at a factory was reduced from 30 per cent to 20 per cent of the workforce Both violate core international labour standards and are unacceptably high thresholds in a country in which unionising happens in an atmosphere of fear and registration itself is subject to arbitrary decisions Over the last 8 years roughly 45 per cent of all union registration applications have been denied

Apparel brands entering new sourcing countries always claim they will raise wages and labour rights standards Yet the picture is very mixed on this front in Bangladeshhellip

What is clear is that the government and factory owners are protecting Bangladeshrsquos status as a low wage country and preferred destination in

the brandsrsquo race to the bottom with repression and violence because they donrsquot believe brandsrsquo fine words that they care about more than that Indeed despite fine words and promises economic motives still reign in the industry and the current move of brands into Ethiopia shows that low wages and lax labour regulations still attract business Brandsrsquo purchasing practices with demands of flexibility short lead times and low prices perpetuate labour violations such as excessive overtime and poverty wages Clearly the Rana Plaza collapse has not brought lasting change to the industry

Can brands really make a difference and have influence within sourcing countries Or are they being disingenuous when they say this

Brands can make a difference if they want to The ground-breaking progress of the Accord is just one clear example We believe that such enforceable brand agreements are a model that could be applied to many other labour issues and countries Brands have a lot of leverage and influence especially in a country like Bangladesh that depends on the garment industry for 80 per cent of its exports But brands would have to be willing to actually make a change possible not only in words but also in deeds and financially instead of pledging change but squeezing prices at the same time

Despite all of the above Bangladesh as a sourcing destination continues to grow and economically is very successful So wherersquos the incentive to change from within

It is clear that the government and factory owners want to keep international business in the country They are catering to what the global garment industry wants and is willing to accept in exchange for low prices Consumers are at the same time increasingly demanding clothes that are made under fair conditions If brands are collectively getting serious in meeting this demand the countries they source from will probably similarly do their best to keep business by improving labour conditions

30 Apparelinsider

ldquoBrandsrsquo purchasing practices with demands of flexibility short lead times and low prices perpetuate labour violations such as excessive overtime and poverty wages

ldquo

Australian business scales textile recycling

ldquoThe real challenge we have is deciding which location in Australia is the best as there is great interest from governments and local councils to locate this world first facility within their electorate

ldquoTextile recycling

An Australian tech business which uses a chemical separation process to recover cotton and polyester from used clothing has told Apparel Insider it will launch its first commercial facility at the end of this year BRETT MATHEWS reports

YDNEY - BlockTexx will use as feedstock some of the

three million tonnes of textile waste currently sent to landfill in Australia each year recovering the building blocks for polyester and cotton for use in a range of industries The business is also utilising blockchain technology to validate and track the materials it produces in theory meaning an everyday plastic item could be traced back to its origins as a long-sleeve t-shirt

ldquoWe already have agreements in place that will get us close to a full yearrsquos operating capacity before we even open the doorsrdquo BlockTexx co-founder Graham Ross told us ldquoWe have received terrific support from across the industry and importantly we will also be supporting the charity sector to help deal with their excess products and generate new revenue streams that will help provide much needed social impactrdquo

BlockTexxs chemical separation process is focussed on polyestercotton blends the most popular textile blend globally The business has devised a patented process called soft SOFT (separation of fabric technology) a chemical separation process which it is claimed uses low energy and has a closed loop system for liquids with minimal waste

The business is on schedule to launch its first facility in Australia by Q4 2019 ldquoTurning on the lights and processing our first volumes cant come soon enough for us Until then we have a pilot facility for use in conjunction with the university where we developed our SOFT processrdquo Ross added ldquoThe real challenge we

have is deciding which location in Australia is the best as there is great interest from governments and local councils to locate this world first facility within their electoraterdquo

Ross said BlockTexx has been self-funded to date but now has investors on board ldquoBlockTexx will raise a series A round this year to finalise our facility buildrdquo Ross said ldquoWe already have solid interest from private and public sources and welcome further interest from Australia or overseasrdquo

The initial concept for BlockTexx was developed in late 2017 Ross and his business partner Adrian Jones both have textile industry backgrounds Adrian has spent his entire career in fashion most recently as CEO of major retail brands in Australia

Ross says ldquoWe could see there was a significant problem with textile waste all over the world and whilst the problem was acknowledged there seemed to be little action to do something about it After extensive research of the fashion industry current recycling methods and second hand clothing markets we decided the most impactful business model needed to do two things - divert from landfill and recover resourcesrdquo

Using a bed sheet as an example Ross suggests it can be put through his companyrsquos process which will unlock the cotton from the fabric recovering both the polyester and the cotton for reuse as new products for other industries

In terms of finances BlockTexx will raise a series A round this year to finalise its facility build Ross says the business already has solid interest from private and public sources

although further interest is clearly welcomed

A key issue for any business working with post-consumer textiles is feedstock and particularly the varying quality of feedstock On this front Ross points to the dire statistic of almost three million tonnes of textiles sent to landfill in Australia each year and suggests that on this front ldquofeedstock is not an issuerdquo

We also asked about the issue of scalability Pilots in this area are one thing ndash there are several others currently taking place globally that of London tech business Worn Again being one of the most-high profile Making the concept work on a commercial scale is a different challenge Ross says he is confident his companyrsquos process is scalable and that in many ways the timing is right There is no doubting that investors seem to be falling over themselves to get involved in this kind of work We would add here that the business also benefits from the fact that it is taking a pragmatic approach by looking to create feedstocks from clothing waste for other industries rather than completely looking to create new clothing from old clothing (in many ways a greater technical challenge)

This is certainly one to keep an eye on and BlockTexx seems to be further along the road than many other competitors doing similar things in the recycling area We wish it well

S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider

Many brands demand their suppliers maintain rights-respecting workplaces but then incentivise them to do the opposite claims a new Human Rights Watch report By MARK LANE

lsquoPaying bus ticket expecting to flyrsquo

ONDON ndash Clothing and footwear brands are ldquopaying

the bus ticket and expecting to flyrdquo according to one garment factory owner interviewed for a major new report into apparel sourcing practices by Human Rights Watch The civil society NGO interviewed workers in Bangladesh Cambodia India Myanmar and Pakistan as well as garment suppliers from South and Southeast Asia and other industry stakeholders and found the same old story of how aggressive cost cutting negatively impacts workers

The report claims there is relentless price and time-constraint pressure on suppliers and that suppliers respond to those pressures with abusive cost-cutting methods that harm workers

Price pressure and short lead times leads to illicit subcontracting with facilities with rampant workplace abuses The other abuses cited in the report include wage violations requiring workers to work faster and without adequate breaks and dangerous or unhealthy work conditions The issues highlighted are also consistent across the board in all countries cited in the report

The report claims that brands often struggle to effectively monitor workplace conditions across their sprawling global supply chains and that many exacerbate that problem by refusing to map and disclose their supplier factories A lack of transparency says the report makes it much harder for monitoring groups to identify abuses that brandsrsquo own efforts fail to detect

This is a telling point as we reported recently the worldrsquos second largest apparel company HampM is now listing all its suppliers as well as telling end consumers the names of the factory

where each item of clothing they purchase is made If HampM can do this there really is no hiding place for brands ndash many of them US based it has to be said ndash which are still fudging this issue

The report also highlights how brands seek to transfer the costs of their own mistakes entirely to factories

Our own research among Bangladeshi suppliers supports such a view many of whom we spoke to having had orders cancelled at the last minute and not been compensated for investment in materials

Late payment is another issue highlighted The report claims companies that do not pay their suppliers on time risk delays for workers in receiving their wages and benefits and hamper factoriesrsquo abilities to take loans to finance fire and building safety measures claims the report

The report identifies key steps apparel brands should take to correct poor purchasing practices and mitigate the risks of supply chain abuses It suggests they should adopt and publish policies on responsible sourcing and integrate them across all departments

They should also it is argued publish lists of their factories in accordance with the Transparency Pledge a minimum standard developed in 2016 by a coalition of labour and human rights organisations

The report also says brands should participate in surveys like Better Buying which allow suppliers to rank brandsrsquo purchasing practices and report where they stand in the results use sophisticated labour costing tools that account for the costs of labour and social

compliance like those developed by the Fair Wear Foundation and participate in initiatives that combine collective brand reform on purchasing practices with sectoral collective bargaining agreements like the ACT (Action Collaboration Transformation) initiative

The authors also argue that governments should introduce laws making human rights due diligence in companiesrsquo global supply chains mandatory and these laws should also include measures to monitor and rectify their business practices

LldquoThere is no price negotiation There are just too many options [other suppliers] for them hellip Itrsquos like buying eggs for them [brands]rdquoSupplier from Pakistan who requested anonymity

ldquoItrsquos cheaper for me to get workers to do overtime work and try and meet the delivery date for shipment than be delayed and pay for flight costsrdquoOfficer who requested anonymity group that operates garment factories across Asia supplying 17-20 international apparel brands

ldquoOne of the agents sets a flat 10 rupees (US$014) per piece It doesnrsquot matter whether the entire garment costs 50 rupees ($072) or 500 rupees ($720)rdquoSupplier from India who requested anonymity and was speaking of the ldquocommissionsrdquo that agents charge suppliers September 2018

ldquoIf a brand says [to a factory] they are going to order 150000 pieces and then at the time of actually placing the order turn around and ask for 250000 pieces then you are going to have OT [overtime] or subcontractingrdquoSourcing expert with more than 30 years of industry experience who requested anonymity

Further Reading bitly2UDnJWY


With concerns about modern slavery in supply chains are rising up the agenda in the apparel sector a new report advises brands about the risk of North Korean forced labour in Chinese apparel factories

Forced labour found in Chinese apparel factories

ASHINGTON - The Fair Labour Association has

issued guidance to members after independent research claimed North Korean forced labour is being used in Chinese apparel factories The Leiden Asia Centre in independent research centre affiliated with Leiden University in The Netherlands has released a report which presents evidence that apparel and textiles valued at hundreds of millions of dollars has ldquotraversed the border between North Korea and China usually raw materials from China to North Korea and finished products (back) to China from North Koreardquo over the past few years

The US is enforcing a ban on the import of goods made with North Korean labour regardless of where the goods are produced while importers are expected to know if North Koreans are working in their supply chain since any use of North Korean labour in China or elsewhere is presumed by US law to be forced labour with the burden on the importer to disprove that presumption In addition US law prohibits the import of goods produced with forced or prison labour and brands should be aware that importing goods made in certain regions in China including in the northeast provinces may run the risk of violating this prohibition

Says the FLA guidance ldquoThe allegations [of forced labour in apparel supply chains] are not new as there have been numerous press reports on this subject but the report does a thorough job of substantiating the allegations through the use of trade data and other research Both allegationsmdashthe use of North Korean workers in Chinese factories and the use of potential sub-contracting in North Korea or raw materials from North Koreamdashare problematic

ldquoThe first allegation because the use of DPRK workers presents a risk of forced labor the second because North Korea is subject to UN sanctions (including sanctions specific to the export of textiles and apparel goods from the DPRK and a ban on work permits for DPRK citizens) European Union prohibitions on the import of certain goods from North Korea and additional US sanctions that go beyond UN sanctionsrdquo

Experts estimate that as many as 50000 North Koreans are working outside of North Korea in many different industry sectors around the world In most cases the workers are not working of their own free will and a large percentage of their pay is presumably confiscated by the North Korean government Media reports have cited sub-contracting by Chinese apparel factories to factories in North Korea and the use of North Korean workers in Chinese factories

One article detailed how the Chinese factories sent fabric and raw material to North Korean factories and then once the garment was completed the item would be sent to a Chinese port for export and would be labelled ldquomade in Chinardquo

The Leiden Centre report authors cite a process called lsquoChina plus onersquo whereby an international company outsources their garment manufacturing to a Chinese company which in turn outsources processes to an even cheaper country benefitting both the international and the Chinese company They claim that this form of export processing has become more and more popular over the years as labour costs in China have increasedrdquo

Adds the FLA guidance ldquoChinarsquos northeast provinces of Liaoning Jilin

and the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture are particularly vulnerable to the potential of subcontracting to North Korea or to the use of North Korean labour in China due to the geographic proximity with North Korea There is an undetermined number of North Korean refugees working in China many of them living and working in the shadows of the economyrdquo

The FLA advices apparel brands to exercise additional due diligence if sourcing from a factory in the northeast parts of China that are proximate to the Chinese border with North Korea such as Liaoning Province Jilin Province and the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture

It also encourages collaboration between sourcing quality and social compliance teams so there is a careful review of the production capacity and capabilities of authorized suppliers and subcontractors

In addition the FLA suggests brands and retailers pay attention to red flags that might indicate workers have been hired or are employed through a contract that is associated with North Korean labour brokers or the Government of North Korea Indicators of workers hired through a North Korean labour broker it suggests could include a workers are confined to the workplace and the dormitory b workers are restricted from using certain communication technologies c workers donrsquot have travel documents and d workers donrsquot speak Chinese (if in China)

W

Modern Slavery

ldquoThe US is enforcing a ban on the import of goods made with North Korean labour regardless of where the goods are produced

ldquo


Haiti Cotton

For the first time in 30 years smallholder farmers came together recently in a field in Gonaives Haiti to harvest cotton as part of a project supported by US outdoor brand Timberland MARK LANE reports

efore the 1980s cotton was the fourth largest crop in

Haiti However due to politics and sinking cotton prices cotton harvests were gradually decreasing for years before finally stopping altogether in 1987 Now thanks to the work of the Smallholder Farmers Alliance (SFA) and the support of Timberland it seems that the Haitian cotton industry may be making an unlikely comeback

In 2016 Timberland sponsored a feasibility study that indicated Haitirsquosrsquo climate would accommodate cottonrsquos return and for the past two years has seen further development of the project

Timberlandrsquos first cotton crop with the SFA was planted in August 2018 The harvest of this first test crop is the companyrsquos first step in selecting what variety of cotton can be grown on a large scale Next up is test crop analysis The results will come back in August and a winner will be chosen The goal for Timberland is to purchase one third of all its cotton from the SFA

ldquoThis is a great day for Haitirdquo smallholder farmer Nerlande Dautarn said as she harvested cotton from the test fields ldquoMy parents and grandparents grew cotton not too far from here and now I can tell my children cotton is back after a long time awayrdquo

Timberland says it has also begun working with the SFA to involve other potential buyers in the apparel industry including other companies

under Timberlandrsquos parent company the VF Corporation The footwear company Vans another brand under the VF Corporation also participated in funding the project to bring the cotton industry back to Haiti

Timberland sent a team of people to Haiti to help with the first commercial cotton harvest Among them was Allison Spahr director of materials development for Timberland Discussing Timberlandrsquos work in Haiti she said ldquoWe first partnered with the SFA in 2010 to fulfil our commitment to plant 5 million trees in five years in Haiti By 2015 the SFA had not only planted the trees but also created significant positive change in farmer communities We were thrilled with the outcomes and wanted to transition from being a donor to a customer As we considered what the farmers could possibly grow for us cotton seemed like an obvious choice since we use so much of it in our products

ldquoAt Timberland we place a priority on materials that have both a positive environmental and social impact and Haitian-grown cotton will have many powerful positive impacts It will also help us achieve our goal to have 100 per cent of the cotton we use be sustainably grown by 2020

ldquoAfter picking cotton in the field we followed the farmers to the makeshift processing centre where they removed rocks and debris from the seed cotton and then weighed and sold their harvest to the SFA

B

THE SMALLHOLDER FARMERS ALLIANCESmallholder Farmers Alliance is a Haitian-based organisation that is devoted to developing a model of farming that benefits small farmers and the environment It aims to do this by creating farming cooperatives that train farmers and implement techniques that sustainably increase yields while protecting small farmers and the environment The goal is to create a sustainable self-financing programme that can be replicated all over the worldIts pilot programme began in February 2010 in the rural Artibonite region of Haiti near the city of Gonaiumlves The 2000 farmers who are members of the Alyans Ti Plantegrave-Gonaiumlves pilot operation of the Smallholder Farmers Alliance are now growing and transplanting one million trees a year The trees are grown in eight nurseries each based near a small farming community in the area

Timberland helps bring cotton back to Haiti

ldquoThe SFA will store the cotton until their new gin and baler arrive which is currently en route to Haiti Ginned bales of cotton lint will then make their way to a fabric mill which will weave sample fabrics for us to use as we design future footwear apparel and accessories I envision a really unique rugged and durable canvas and I canrsquot wait to see itrdquo


Tim Williams CEO of global customisation company YR gives his insight into the needs of tomorrowrsquos fashion buyer

Meeting the needs of tomorrowrsquos consumers

e are witnessing a huge shift in consumer expectations

when it comes to purchasing apparel According to the UK ONS 2019 retail statistics almost 20 per cent of all retail sales are done online and the importance of a strong online presence is becoming more and more apparent Brands that fail to grasp the needs of their consumers and stay on top of current purchasing trends are likely to fall into irrelevancy This year we have already seen the high street giant Debenhams fall into administration as they did not adapt their business to meet the needs of digital age customers

It is evident that online shopping is the future of fashion retailing and while there will always be the demand for shops having a seamless integration between online and in-store sales has become the standard for many businesses

Some businesses such as Primark have managed to remain relevant without much digital presence however these are very few and far between Primark in particular has been successful largely due to the low price of their essential products and creating a great brand Not all businesses can ride solely on their reputation and as mentioned Debenhams has proven that a big name and strong reputation does not equal longevity if you do not keep up with whatrsquos on trend and maintain innovation

In addition some brands such as Topshop have faced a battle to grow online as they are heavy in that they have old style distribution models and an abundance of stores This makes the shift to online success much more difficult as running costs are considerably higher than an online business

Fashion and style preferences are very personal yet the same designs

are printed and distributed across the world to a generation of consumers that are becoming increasingly demanding and diverse Retailers are just starting to take advantage of tech developments which are allowing on-demand customisation and production

Customisation dates back hundreds of years and the most common and traditional example of this is monogramming However with advancements in design and printing tech consumers are now able to create garments that are truly personalised beyond their name in-store within minutes

The speed of direct-to-garment (DTG) printing means the time taken to complete an on-demand or customised product customer order is decreased making fast fashion faster

Pure play online stores such as ASOS are focused on experience and service with for example a try before you buy and next day delivery service This in turn means physical retail stores need to work harder to attract footfall brands and retailers need to create a need for people to visit physical retail stores

This can be achieved by creating exciting dynamic and appealing customer experiences in store The challenge for retailers is to create experiences that are relevant and unique for visitors to their physical stores Nike and MampMrsquoS have led the way with experience driven retail ndash the spaces in major city locations werenrsquot even called stores Nike Town and MampMrsquoS World already communicate to the consumer that this is something beyond a place to make purhcases

Levirsquos created its Tailor Shop programme for flagship stores and has invested in making them more exciting and digital This not only

draws consumers to the store but also rewards them with a unique experience At the latest Tailor Shop in the Levirsquos Times Square New York flagship it is possible to digitally create unique designs for t-shirts sweatshirts and denim Everything is designed live in store ndash creating theatre and shareable moments for visitors

Sustainability is becoming more important to consumers in every part of their lives As technology develops it has become easier for businesses to efficiently manufacture products to meet the demands of their consumers rather than bulk buy in anticipation of the demand Similarly fashion retailers need to take recycling seriously when disposing of stock meaning products could be turned into an entirely new garment rather than being destroyed

Technology processes and exciting new materials are enabling a more sustainable supply chain and brands need to constantly innovate and be open to evolving their product to ensure they do not get left behind

When considering how you can meet the needs of current and future consumers you must first ask how you can enrich the customer journey and make the shopping experience easier and more sustainable Naturally these demands and processes will evolve over time and having a culture of innovation and welcoming change will ensure brands stay relevant and keep customers loyal

W

Retail trends

ldquoNot all businesses can ride solely on their reputation and as mentioned Debenhams has proven that a big name and strong reputation does not equal longevity if you do not keep up with whatrsquos on trend and maintain innovation

ldquo

Further Reading thisisyrcom

38 Apparelinsider

What next for mohairAfter a Peta report on goat farms in South Africa last year the mohair industry looked in great peril But was talk of the sectorrsquos demise exaggerated By BRETT MATHEWS

Mohair

ast year following a Peta investigation on goat farms

in South Africa the future did not look promising for the global mohair sector and South African goat farmers in particular Estimates suggest South Africa supplies around 60 per cent of the worldrsquos mohair however with brands ditching mohair from their collections in their droves there was talk that 30000 jobs were at risk while 800000 goats faced being culled in South Africa

But was talk of the mohair sectorrsquos downfall exaggerated Wersquore canrsquot quite get to the bottom of this The brands we spoke to last year this issue privately acknowledged that mohair represented a tiny amount of their collections and so ditching it from collections was not a big issue If they get some positive PR on the back of that all the better

Interestingly in recent months Textile Exchange has announced that a draft standard for mohair production has been developed ldquoto requests from stakeholdersrdquo The draft Responsible Mohair Standard is based on the existing Responsible Wool Standard which was released in 2016 It is structured around the Textile Exchange Animal Welfare Framework

which sets out the principles and expectations that guide and connect the Textile Exchange Animal Welfare Standards

Textile Exchange told us the development of the standard will be done through an International Working Group representing the full spectrum of interested parties including animal welfare groups brands farmers supply chain members industry associations as well as brands and retailers

As part of the process of developing a standard Mohair South Africa also invited Textile Exchange and brand representatives from Filippa K and member brands Acne and John Lewis on a field trip to learn about the mohair supply chain The trip explored each stage of the mohair value chain

But why have a standard for a fibre that brands are pulling out of Textile Exchange didnrsquot want to get too drawn into this question but reading between the lines we wonder whether a few major brands have been waiting for the dust to settle on this issue before doing a u-turn on mohair They could quite easily frame such a decision along the lines that they wanted to be sure the right animal

welfare systems were in place before resuming sourcing

Just how many brands have pulled out of mohair When we asked Peta they told us that figure now stands at 349 ndash which seems like an awful lot Among these are Zara HampM Gap Asos and Topshop

How is the mohair industry in South Africa coping Are supply chains still in place We contacted Mohair South Africa about this and they pointed us to the latest auction figures for mohair These showed that there had been no change in mohair production sales or prices over the past 12 months This could reflect that brands are slowly phasing out mohair and we might well see a slump in output next year ndash or perhaps not

The key here one would guess is that brands need to make their minds up as if these supply chains do disappear they wonrsquot be easily put back in place

We also asked Mohair South Africa whether they felt a new standard was justified with so many brands shifting away from the fibre They told us ldquoThe new standard is just a further commitment to sustainable mohair production on a global scale Our existing guidelines were already of an international standard and well ahead of what many other industries have in place Now with the assistance of Textile Exchange we are just bringing our guidelines in-line with the Responsible Wool Standard and making it available to the international mohair industryrdquo

A pretty woolly answer - if yoursquoll pardon the pun - but we can understand their reticence about giving too much away to a journalist given the trials and tribulations of the industry of late

They also told us that many recognised international brands - members of Textile Exchange - will be involved in working groups to assist the development of the Responsible Mohair Standard

We hope this Standard works and we hope that brands see sense and return to mohair Peta does some great work at times but on this issue it got things badly wrong tarnishing an industry which provides jobs to thousand of family businesses for the sake of a couple of bad apples in the supply chain

L

ldquoNow with the assistance of Textile Exchange we are just bringing our guidelines in-line with the Responsible Wool Standard and making it available to the international mohair industry

ldquo

40 Apparelinsider


Gap brands Banana Republic and Old Navy have announced plans to shift sourcing towards use of recycled materials increase use of Better Cotton and introcude production techniques which cut water use

Banana Republic brand aims to source 100 per cent of its cotton primarily through the Better Cotton Initiative by 2022 as well as recycled and organic sources Banana Republic also said it aims to produce 50 per cent of all products with techniques that save at least 20 per cent water in comparison to conventional methods at mills and at laundries This will include Banana Republic using the smart denim wash programme called Washwell which was launched by Gap brand in 2016 and reduces water usage by 20 per cent or more in the productrsquos garment wash stage for denim products

The brand will also focus on using cleaner chemistry in the supply chain leveraging Gap Incrsquos Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) commitment and ongoing efforts to select more preferred

Gap brands make Better Cotton commitments

INDUSTRY NEWS AND RESEARCH

STOCKHOLM - HampMrsquos CEO has expressed surprise that the fast fashion giant is not perceived by the public as one of the most ethical companies around Karl-Johan Persson was interviewed by FashionUnited which was invited by the HampM Group to travel to Stockholm to attend the Global Change Awards (Editorrsquos Note where was our invite)

He told the interviewer ldquoOnce again wersquore far from perfect but if you look at objective studies made by experts I actually find it quite surprising that wersquore not perceived as one of the most ethical fashion companies out there In many countries including our native Sweden wersquore not seen that way and we have to work on changing peoplersquos perception of us

ldquoThatrsquos ok We are who we are and we want to improve the position we occupy allows us to improve So yes it is frustrating to be criticised when the critique is not based on facts as it may lead consumers to get the wrong idea about usrdquo

He also said public scrutiny of the fashion sector is a positive He added ldquoThanks to peoplersquos critique wersquove been able to discover points of improvement I do feel however that media reports can sometimes be too sensationalist HampM finds it crucial to base every single decision on facts so that we can best inform our customersrdquo

HampM chief frustrated by criticism

chemistry options in Banana Republicrsquos products

In addition Banana Republic will also use more sustainable dye methods such as foam dye eco-friendly finishes such as bio-softeners and laser technology and trims made out of recycled materials to make its denim eco-friendly

Old Navy says will also increase its sourcing of Better Cotton and enhance efforts to use water-saving techniques The brand sells 27000 Rockstar jeans each day alone making the scale of its goals around denim and cotton significant

By 2022 Old Navy says it aims to source 100 per cent of its cotton primarily through the Better Cotton Initiative as well as through verified responsibly-grown cotton and recycled cotton Additionally all Old Navyrsquos denim product aims to be made using techniques that save water including proven wash processes In Spring 2019 60 per cent of Old Navyrsquos denim was already made using Washwell techniques

NEW YORK ndash US luxury brand Ralph Lauren has launched a Polo shirt made from recycled plastic bottles and dyed with a waterless process The move is part of a broader sustainability drive in which it has committed to removing 170 million plastic bottles from landfills and oceans by 2025 as well as switching entirely to the use of recycled polyester

The Each Earth Polo is made from an average of 12 plastic bottles ldquoPlastic waste is a major issue threatening the environmentmdashwe want to be part of the solution and utilize an innovative approach to create something valuablerdquo said David Lauren chief innovation officer at the business

Ralph Lauren launches recycled plastic polo

The Earth Polo was produced in partnership with First Mile an organisation focused on sustainability and positive social impact First Mile works with entrepreneurs in low-income communities to collect recyclable plastic bottles which are then processed through a unique manufacturing programme and turned into high-quality yarn and ultimately fabric

ldquoWhen Ralph founded our company more than 50 years ago he did so with the idea that whatever we create is meant to be worn loved and passed on for generations Itrsquos with this spirit of timelessness that we approach sustainabilityrdquo added Halide Alagoz executive vice president chief supply chain and sustainability officer

42 Apparelinsider

During the 2019 China InterDye exhibition the China Dyestuff Industry Association (CDIA) the Asia Dyestuff Industry Federation (ADIF) and ZDHC organised a joint event which included the announcement of ADIF joining ZDHC as contributor The collaboration is aimed at significantly accelerating sustainable textile management uptake across the Asia region

The new partnership between ADIF and ZDHC will centre around a standardised way to manage input chemistry in the textile and leather sectors and reinforce the importance of harmonised tools and implementation approaches on sustainable chemical management across the supply chains Other key aspects of the collaboration will include awareness raising and knowledge exchange as well as innovation and best practice showcases from the dyestuff producers in Asia

ADIF is the representation of dyestuff associations and manufacturers in the Asia region which accounts for 80 per cent of the dyestuff production capacity worldwide

ZDHC announces Chinese collaboration


MANCHESTER ndash UK fast fashion brand PrettyLittleThing has unveiled its first clothing range made from recycled materials The collection is made from materials including recycled cotton fabric off-cuts and plastic bottles The business has also recently announced a partnership with recycling app Regain to help remove unwanted clothing from landfills

Called Recycled by PrettyLittleThing the new recycled line will include 151 items across

dresses tops bodysuits skirts joggers and shorts The line is available on the brands website and costs in between pound10 and pound30 per item

Our aim is to rework unwanted worn out materials and give them a second chance turning them into the new you want to be wearing right nowrdquo

Editorrsquos note PrettyLittleThing joins the recycling party about a decade late But better late then never we suppose

LONDON ndash The Ethical Trade Initiative in the UK has said it will not be following the example of the Fair Labor Association which recently voted in favour of associate businesses requiring full factory list transparency The FLArsquos move the first of its kind for such an organisation has been welcomed by stakeholders in the global apparel industry

In a statement the ETI said that many of its members now publish lists of suppliers However it added ldquoWhere we differ from the FLA is that we are not a social compliance-based organisation Neither do we carry out spot checks

ldquoWe expect a commitment to continuous improvement as measured against our internationally recognised Base Code of labour standards We also expect active pre-competitive collaboration within country and sector-specific working groupsrdquo

ETI suggested that members are ldquoat different

stages in their approach to ethical traderdquo

It added ldquoWhen companies join us for example we give them two years to get up to speed with our requirements during the foundation stage of their membership

ldquoWe therefore accept that companies face challenges ndash particularly when disclosure moves beyond the first tier of supply chainsrdquo

ldquoNonetheless we are still clear Expectations from customers and governments are without doubt moving in this direction

ldquoItrsquos why we will continue our work to make the case for transparency ndash and most importantly the best way to evidence thisrdquo

Editiorrsquos note The above quotes are from a longer blog ETI published on this issue which said a lot without really saying anything

ETI wonrsquot require supplier transparency

PrettyLittleThing launches recycled collection

The European Commission has withdrawn the organic certification licence for five countries from the international certification body Control Union claiming its poor performance facilitated organic fraud

The commission explained its decision in EU regulation 2019446 by stating ldquoThe Commission carried out investigations on suspected irregularities in relation to several lots of products from Kazakhstan Moldova Russia Turkey and the United

Arab Emirates that had been certified as being organic by lsquoControl Union Certificationsrsquo lsquoControl Union Certificationsrsquo did not provide timely and conclusive answers to the various requests for information made by the Commission In addition lsquoControl Union Certificationsrsquo failed to demonstrate the traceability and organic status of those products Moreover lsquoControl Union Certificationsrsquo issued a certificate of inspection for products that had previously

been downgraded to conventional by the competent authorities of a Member State due to pesticide residuesrdquo

Control Union has lost its license to certify to organic standards in Russia Turkey Moldova Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) As well as organic cotton standards Control Union oversees various other textile standards including wool down recycled materials and supply chain traceability

EC withdraws Control Union organic licenses

Further Reading bitly2DFLIzn



Sustainable focus at Techtextil and Texprocess

labels such as currently Bluesign Cradle-to-Cradle EU Eco Label ISO 14001 GOTS GRS as well as SteP by Oeko-Tex

Overall 47 firms were selected including 44 exhibitors at Techtextil and three at Texprocess

Taking lsquoTowards sustainabilityrsquo as its motto the Techtextil Forum on 14 May between 11 am and 3 pm will be providing a series of contributions devoted exclusively to sustainable textile innovations Chaired by Braz Costa managing director of the Portuguese technology centre CITEVE among the topics on the programme will be textile recycling (TWD Fibres Velener Textil) sustainable construction with wool (Minet SA Romania) sustainable textile coatings (Centexbel) biopolymers (RWTH Aachen University) traceability of GMO-free cotton (Hohenstein Institute) and low-cost bio-

Sustainability will be a key focus topic at this yearrsquos Techtextil and Texprocess trade fairs taking place in Frankfurt from 13-17 May Among contributors at the event will be the likes of Kering Lenzing and Zalando

Sustainable developments on display will include fibres made of recycled polyester bio-based high-tech textiles water-conserving dyeing and finishing processes and functional and work clothing which uses little or no solvents and adhesives

In the run-up to Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitors at both fairs were able to submit their approaches and evidence of their work on aspects sustainability to the fairs organisers An independent international jury of experts on sustainability assessed these submissions in accordance with the relevance and validity of current national and international product-sustainability

based carbon fibres (Jules Verne Research Institute France)

For the first time the Techtextil Innovation Award will be presented to two firms in the category of sustainability The winners will be announced and the awards presented on the first day of the fair during the opening ceremony During the whole time of the fair visitors will also be able to find out about the prize-winners and their award-winning projects at the Techtextil Innovation Award Exhibition Area in Hall 42

In 2017 Techtextil and Texprocess welcomed a total of 1789 exhibitors from 66 countries and over 47500 visitors from 114 countries

Apparel Insider will have a booth at this yearrsquos Techtextil Please come and visit us and pick up a complimentary magazine at Hall 42 Booth B92

continue to smell fresh after repeated wears but due to woolrsquos ldquohuman factorsrdquo

ldquoThe longer we stay in spacerdquo she said ldquothe more important the human factors of comfort odour static and preference becomerdquo

Meanwhile IWTO President Peter Ackroyd warned that ldquothe very genuine message of environmental excellence that wool carries is in danger of being swamped by spuriously well-funded messages from the inherently unsustainablerdquo

He added ldquoIt is entirely ethically possible for anyone who wishes to abstain from meat fish

and diary to use wool for the well-being of the planet The revival of ethics in lifestyle and fashion mean choices that last and stand the test of time without in any way contributing to a global eco imbalance

ldquoAs one of the leading supporters of the Campaign for Wool Vivienne Westwood so aptly said lsquobuy less buy well buy woolrsquo

ldquoThe words lsquoretrorsquo and lsquovintagersquo have now entered the fashion worldrsquos vocabulary and no longer is it seen as un-trendy to wear onersquos fatherrsquos coat Quite the contrary things are here to stayrdquo

The third day of the Congress was hosted by iconic Italian brand Benetton at its headquarters in Treviso while a visit to The Marzotto Group a global leader in the production of high quality fabrics for menrsquos and womenrsquos clothing provided insight into one of the biggest users of fine wool

The programme highlighted developments in wool traceability transparency in the supply chain and research on woolrsquos contributions to health and wellness

The 89th annual IWTO Congress will be held in Tongxiang China 18-20 May 2020

lsquoWoolrsquos time is nowrsquoVENICE - When it comes to fibre choice wool is our best bet for the planet ndash this was the standout message from the 88th congress of the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) which took place in Venice Italy in April Livia Firth co-founder and creative director of Eco-Age was among speakers at the event where she told delegates ldquothe time for wool is nowrdquo while highlighting the negative environmental impact of plastic and synthetic fibres More than 320 delegates representing all stages of the global wool textile pipeline attended the annual three-day event

Among the more leftfield speakers at the event was Evelyne Orndorff senior textiles engineer at the NASA Johnson Space Center She told delegates ldquoIn space nothing is disposablerdquo adding that baselayers won out in NASArsquos independent investigations not only for their ease of care and ability to


Fashion for Good has welcomed new innovators to its Scaling Programme All were prior participants in the Fashion for Good Plug and Play Accelerator Programme meaning they continue to scale and develop their technologies Joining the Scaling Programme gives them the opportunity to run pilots with Fashion for Goodrsquos corporate partners and expand their operations

The four start-ups are Mango Materials Algalife Nature Coatings and Sonovia (previously Nano Textile) 18 businesses have

Four more start-ups join Fashion for Good


Polartec collaborates on spider silk fabricsANDOVER - Polartec a premium provider of sustainable textile solutions and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories the biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialisation of spider silk have announced plans to make the first fabrics made from spider silk Initially developed for specialised military applications these first-of-their-kind materials made from recombinant spider silk will eventually service the global market for high performance textiles and apparel

Spider silk fibres are among the strongest fibres produced in nature Kraig possesses the exclusive right to use patented spider

silk gene sequences in silkworms which ndash it claims - is the first way to mass produce these fibres cost effectively and responsibly

ldquoTeaming with an industry leader such as Polartec is a real endorsement of our proprietary approach to unlocking the potential of commercially-produced spider silkrdquo said Kim Thompson Kraig Laboratories founder and CEO ldquoKraig believes that spider silk with its superior mechanical characteristics has the potential to surpass the current generation of high-performance fibresrdquo

The fully renewable biodegradable and biocompatible lsquosuper fibresrsquo are thin

lightweight flexible resilient extraordinarily strong and display strength-to-weight ratios more comparable to aramid fibres than other current performance fibres In apparel applications the possibilities of recombinant spider silks are particularly exciting realising unprecedented combinations of physical properties such as luxurious feel and breathable comfort with top durability

Polartec also recently announced its Polartec Eco-Engineering commitment to using 100 per cent biodegradable and recycled materials across its entire product line through another partnership with Unifi and CiCLO

now participated in the programme

Mango Materials produces biodegradable bio-polyester that can be used as a sustainable alternative to polyester presently utilised in the fashion industry Microfibres produced from the bio-polyester can biodegrade in many environments including landfills wastewater treatment plants and the oceans helping to prevent microfibre pollution and contributing to a closed-loop bio economy for the fashion industry

Sonovia offers a sustainable alternative to binder chemicals normally used to attach finishes onto a fabric Its technology embeds fabric finishes directly into fabric using a process called Cavitation and can apply to a range of products such as antibacterial amp anti-odour finishes or water repellence The elimination of binders reduces the amount of chemicals used in the finishing process

Nature Coatings transforms agricultural waste into high performing black pigments for printing coatings paint ink and dope dyeing The pigments are a bio-based

replacement for the millions of tons of petroleum-based carbon black pigment produced globally each year and therefore have the potential to prevent millions of tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere

Finally Algalife creates dyes and fibres from micro algae These bio-based dyes and fibres have a better environmental footprint than traditional manufacturing and dyeing processes not to mention the textiles release anti-oxidants vitamins and minerals that can nourish and protect our body and skin

SHEFFIELD - UK business Xeros Technology Group which develops water saving technologies with multiple commercial applications has signed an exclusive agreement to develop and license its domestic and commercial washing machine technologies to IFB Industries the leading domestic appliance and commercial laundry equipment supplier in South Asia

The deal has a ten year duration and covers the incorporation and commercialisation of Xerosrsquo water saving XOrb and XDrum technologies

Xeros secures major Indian deal

into selected ranges of IFBrsquos domestic and commercial sized washing machines

Xeros will immediately be given a one-off exclusivity fee and during the development phase will receive further payments when various milestones are reached IFB will have access to Xerosrsquo technology and has been granted rights to the Indian market on an exclusive basis and for other South Asian

territories on a non-exclusive basis

Sales of commercial washing machines and domestic washing machines incorporating Xerosrsquo technologies are planned to commence in India in 2020 and 2021 respectively

Mark Nichols Chief Executive of Xeros said ldquoThis licensing agreement with the leading Indian OEM for both the domestic appliance and commercial laundry markets is another major milestone in the commercialisation of our cleaning technologies

ldquoWith this agreement IFB rsquos customers will be able to reduce water detergent and energy consumption while simultaneously benefitting from improved cleaning performance and garment life extensionrdquo

Sports company PUMA has sharply increased its targets for sourcing cotton and polyester from Better Cotton Initiative and bluesign accredited sources respectively The German sportswear brand says that at the end of 2018 50 per cent of all cotton used in its apparel came from BCI sources while 66 per cent of all polyester was bluesign certified The latter is a production standard which eliminates harmful chemicals from the production process and promotes resource efficiency

These targets have been ahead of schedule for the business so Puma has now set itself a target of 90 per cent of its cotton being from BCI sources by 2020 and similarly aims to have 90 per cent of its polyester bluesign certified

Said Stefan Seidel head of corporate sustainability at Puma ldquoWe are proud that we have reached our targets for more sustainable materials two years earlier than planned We still have room for improvement which is why we have taken steps with our suppliers to sharply increase the amount of more sustainable materials in our products going forwardrdquo

Puma ups BCI cotton targets


STOCKHOLM ndash Swedish fast fashion retailer HampM has said it is to start sharing detailed information with end consumers about the factories that make it clothes From this week clothing items sold across all its 47 online markets will include details such as production country supplier names factory names and addresses and the number of workers in the factories The initiative will also be accessible to customers in physical stores which can use the HampM app to scan the price tag on products to see details

In addition customers will be able to find out more about the materials used to make a specific garment with the aim being to ldquomake it easier for customers to make more informed choices when shoppingrdquo Such details had previously been trialled in the companyrsquos Conscious Collections

Isak Roth head of sustainability at HampM ldquoldquoWe are so proud to be the first global fashion retailer of our size and scale to launch this level of product transparency We want to

STOCKHOLM ndash Sweden and France are proposing an EU ban on more than a thousand allergenic substances used in items such as clothing and shoes According to the proposal legislation should be introduced so that textile and leather items sold to consumers cannot contain these substances at levels above certain content thresholds ldquoWe want to protect all consumers from being affected by skin allergies These days it is difficult to avoid exposure to allergenic substances that may be present in textiles and leather Once you have developed a skin allergy it is a life-long problemrdquo says Helena Dorfh a risk manager with the Swedish Chemicals Agency

The Swedish Chemicals Agency and the French agency ANSES have jointly drawn up the proposal for an EU ban The proposal was recently submitted to the European Chemicals Agency ECHA Nearly 100 of the more than 1000 substances covered by the proposal can currently be present in commercially-available

textile and leather goods

ldquoThe proposal includes many more allergenic substances than those that can currently be present in textiles and leather and in this way will prevent the use of other allergenic substances in textile and leather in the futurerdquo added Helena Dorfh

The Swedish Chemicals Agency and ANSES estimate that four to five million EU citizens have allergies to chemicals that are present in textiles and leather and it is estimated that between 45000 and 180000 people in the EU develop an allergy to these chemicals every year

The European Chemicals Agency ECHA will now consider the Swedish-French proposal and give companies organisations and the public an opportunity to express their views as part of a public consultation This will be followed by a decision process that may result in a decision by the EU Commission on a ban within just over two years

46 Apparelinsider

Sweden France want allergenic substances ban

HampM lists full supplier details on garments

show the world that this is possible By being open and transparent about where our products are made we hope to set the bar for our industry and encourage customers to make more sustainable choices

ldquoWith transparency comes responsibility making transparency such an important factor to help create a more sustainable fashion industryrdquo

In 2013 HampM was the first global fashion retailer to publish its supplier list online

Editorrsquos Note This is a welcome move by HampM which few people saw coming The business is often criticised for representing much of what is wrong with fast fashion However credit needs to be given where itrsquos due and with this move it has set the benchmark for transparency which other brands will now surely be under pressure to follow Perhaps most importantly this move brings into play a group which are so often left out of the sustainability debate ndash consumers


Adidas unveils 100 recyclable trainer

The Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textiles (AGT) has been criticised by Clean Clothes Campaign (SKC) and the Research Foundation for Multinational Enterprises (SOMO) for failing to have any ldquopositive impactrdquo in production countries such as Bangladesh China India Pakistan and Turkey The civil society organisations also claim the AGTrsquos annual report over-eggs progress made pointing out that just 8 per cent of participants in the initiative are fully compliant with the its goals

The AGT initiative sees members commit to tackling challenges such as child and forced labour in supply chains as well as other social and environmental issues In its annual report the AGT secretariat claims participants in the initiative are ldquowell on the way to meeting the AGT targetsrdquo

The annual report of the AGT highlights growing cooperation with other global

initiatives including the work of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles

The report points out that by the end of 2018 92 garment and textile brands had signed up representing around 48 per cent of turnover in the Dutch market This is slightly shy of the 50 per cent target set by the initiative

Transparency is a key theme of the initiative The partnership now lists 4268 supply chain production sites of members globally and the report highlights a number of cases at sites where companies and other parties were together able to tackle problems concerning trade union freedom child labour and working conditions

Responding to the report SOMO and Clean Clothes Campaign claimed it lacks transparency suggesting it is not made

clear progress is being measured

In a statement they added ldquoApart from confusing percentages the annual report unfortunately provides hardly substantive substantiation The AGT secretariat assesses the action plans of participating companies on the basis of an assessment framework However this framework has serious shortcomings First it is unclear how a company can achieve the maximum number of points Secondly most of the sub-questions are poorly or unclearly formulated

ldquoAccording to the agreement in the covenant companies must achieve a 20 per cent score in the first year (of their participation in the AGT) a 40 per cent score in the second year and a 60 per cent score in the third year The tables in the annual report do not make it possible to determine exactly whether these objectives have been achieved because all companies - signatories from the first hour and companies that have recently joined - are lumped togetherrdquo

The Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile was signed on 4 July 2016 and runs for five years

Dutch sustainable textile agreement criticised

HERZOGENAURACH - Adidas has unveiled its first 100 per cent recyclable running shoe Its lsquoFuturecraftlooprsquo shoe has been designed using just one material and no glue with each component made from 100 per cent reusable materials Once the shoes come to the end of their first life and are returned to adidas they are washed ground to pellets and melted into material for components for a new pair of shoes Adidas has announced a first-generation beta release of the trainer ahead of a wider commercial release targeted for Spring Summer 2021

Adidas says the Futurecraftlooprsquo project is aimed at tackling the problem of plastic waste enabling a circular manufacturing model where the raw materials can be repurposed again and again

Sports footwear typically includes complex material mixes and component gluing - resulting in a shoe which can only be

downcycled After close to a decade of research and development alongside leading material development manufacturing and recycling partners across Asia Europe and North America adidas now claims it has found a way to change the process

Tanyaradzwa Sahanga manager technology innovation at adidas said ldquoWe set out to create a new type of product that we can take back grind up and reapply into new adidas product We knew this was a far-reaching vision in every way technically and even behaviourally There were times when it didnrsquot seem like we could get over some of the technical hurdles - now wersquove made the first leap the playing field has changed We cannot create a circular future on our own we are going to need each other Wersquore excited to see this first step come to life as part of the beta launchrdquo

ldquoFuturecraft is our design and innovation ethosrdquo said Paul Gaudio SVP creative direction amp future at adidas ldquoIt is about the intersection of art science technology humanity engineering and craft Itrsquos applying creativity to reimagine the world we wish to seerdquo

Adidas says that in 2019 it will produce 11 million pairs of shoes containing recycled ocean plastic through intercepting plastic waste on beaches remote islands and in coastal communities

48 Apparelinsider

PORT ELIZABETH - China the worlds largest importer of wool has confirmed that the suspension of all wool imports from South Africa will remain in place for the foreseeable future due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the country The ongoing suspension could likely see price increases of Australian wool as global supply is squeezed Indeed output of Australian wool was already down last season due to one of the most serious droughts in recent decades

A delegation from China met with representatives from the South African wool industry at the recent IWTO Congress which this year took place in Venice The purpose of the meeting was to gain an update on the current suspension as well as other possible trade barriers between the two countries on the trade of wool

Chinas customs department suspended all greasy wool imports from South Africa as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak earlier in the year South Africa produces 30 million kilograms of wool a year compared to around 320 million produced by Australia

The Chinese delegation told their South African counterparts in Venice that the repeated outbreak of FMD in South Africa is ldquoa great cause of concern for Chinardquo and that to undertake further bilateral trade visits between the two countries will not ldquocurrently yield positive resultsrdquo

Said a statement from Cape Wool South Africa ldquoAfter these discussions it seems evident there could still be a substantial delay before the suspension is lifted from Chinardquo

Chinarsquos South African wool ban continues


HELSINKI - A Finnish tech business which produces a cotton-like fibre from recycled fibres and cellulose has announced it has raised euro37m in funding from investors HampM Group Fortum and Virala Infinited Fiber Company (IFC) currently runs a 50-tonne pilot plant in Finland and plans to ramp up annual production to 500-tonnes in order to meet growing demand

Infinited Fiber was born in VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland one of the leading research and technology organisations in Europe The business has developed a patented process that can turn textile and paper waste into new fibres for the textile industry The process is also claimed to be flexible enough to be integrated into existing pulp dissolving pulp and viscose fibre plants while the quality of Infinited Fiber is claimed to be on par with viscose and cotton

The business model of IFC is to license the Infinited Fiber technology for global fibre producers in textile and non-woven industries End use applications include fashion disposable personal care products

DHAKA ndash The first ever female leader of Bangladeshrsquos powerful Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association has vowed to boost female leadership in the countrys ready-made garment (RMG) industry Rubana Huq is managing director of Mohammadi Group which owns factories that supply to many

(eg wipes diapers pads) and technical products (eg automotive filters dairy construction applications)

In addition to cotton rich textile waste the Infinited Fiber manufacturing process can use most material containing cellulose eg recycled paper cardboard and agricultural waste such as straw

Erik Karlsson investment manager for sustainable fashion at HampM grouprsquos investment arm COLAB said ldquoWersquore excited about the partnership with Infinited Fiber Company Their innovation aligns perfectly with the HampM grouprsquos sustainability goals and our vision to become fully circular Infinited Fiber has proven significant potential to accelerate the journey from a linear to a circular fashion industry We look forward to being part of developing and scaling this technology in the coming yearsrdquo

The sale of the first licensed commercial plant with a capacity of 25000 tons is scheduled for 2020-2021 The pilot plant started up production in March 2018 and is selling solutions to several leading global brands

leading brands including HampM and Primark Women make up a sizeable majority of factory floor workers in Bangladeshrsquos RMG industry - which employs four million workers - but just a small percentage of leadership roles

Huq said ldquoI believe that in an industry where more than 80 percent of the workers are women they should be given a greater chance to voice their interests Today the workforce is largely women but people in the managerial levels are mostly men That needs to change

ldquohellip being a woman I believe my attitude towards the challenges faced by women workers will be different and more empathetic

Infinited looks beyond pilot

New BGMEA head vows to boost female leadership


HAMBURG - German textiles apparel and homeware retailer the Otto Group will become the first company in its industry to issue sustainability bonds The business says it will initially use the proceeds from the bonds issue expected in the next couple of months to purchase cotton via the Cotton Made in Africa (CmiA) initiative as part of its sustainability strategy However further bond financing will go towards projects in its new broader Sustainable Investment Portfolio

At present more than 90 per cent of cotton procured by Otto Group comes via the CmiA initiative Otto Group chairman Prof Dr Michael Otto was instrumental in the establishment of the CmiA in 2005 which is managed by the Aid by Trade Initiative By issuing the bonds the business says it hopes institutional and private investors will be able to contribute to its sustainability strategy in the future

A green bond is a bond specifically earmarked to be used for climate and environmental projects These bonds are typically asset-linked and backed by the issuers balance sheet and are also referred to as climate bonds

YANGON ndash Garment manufacturers in Myanmar are switching to renewable energy to boost sustainability With a number of factories already having installed rice husk pellet boilers to replace coal power as well as moving to solar power options industry stakeholders recently gathered for a conference and exhibition on renewable energy solutions for the garment and textile industry The aim was to explore the potential that energy savings and the use of renewable energies in the supply chain have for both competitiveness and market access as well as contributing to reduced Co2 emissions

The event was led by Deutsche Gesellschaft fuumlr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) the EU funded SMART Myanmar project and Swedish retailer HampM Group one of the first brands to re-enter Myanmar after sanctions were lifted several years ago

Apart from sharing good practice in the sector 180 participants from factories regional producer associations solar companies and development partners discussed success factors and challenges on the way towards greater sustainability

in the supply chain and learned about technological solutions and funding options

Daw Khine Khine Nwe general secretary Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) said ldquoMGMA members are beginning to better appreciate the business value in saving energy Yes its better for the planet to reduce energy consumption but it is also necessary to stay competitive as a company A factory with a steam recycling system for instance will reduce monthly operation cost and can invest that money for an even more sustainable future of the businessrdquo

sustainable materials to get hands-on involved in developing the innovations ready before there is an exact roadmap to commercial production A common value foundation has helped this collaboration take off quickly and open-mindedlyrdquo

Added TouchPointrsquos CEO Outi Luukko ldquoWersquore excited and proud to collaborate with Spinnova Spinnova has boldly turned the global challenge with textile fibres into an opportunity and managed to create a unique innovation We both want to develop Finnish sustainable textile expertise for the international marketsrdquo

Spinnova has developed a disruptive cellulose fibre innovation that includes no dissolving or other complex chemical processes

Spinnova says its patented product development has now reached a phase where the fibre and its production method are ready to be developed on an industrial scale The company says it will scale the technology for fibre production via joint ventures andor licensing

Spinnova to create lsquoworlds most sustainable workwearrsquo

Myanmar garment sector in renewables shift

Otto Group issues sustainability bonds

JYVAumlSKYLAuml - A Finish workwear business is set to become the first company to use the ground-breaking textiles fibres of Spinnova a pioneering business which converts wood pulp directly into textiles without using harmful chemicals TouchPoint will become a brand pilot of Spinnova which will provide it with what is being dubbed the worldrsquos most sustainable workwear Produced using Spinnovarsquos patented production process the workwear will be made from wood pulp which has been converted directly into textile fibre without harmful chemicals in a process based on mechanical treatment only fibre suspension flows and rheology

At year-end last year Spinnova completed its industrial scale pilot line in Jyvaumlskylauml Finland and is now focused on joint product development with brand partners developing prototypes of commercial products where part or all of current materials will be replaced with Spinnovarsquos cellulose-based fibre

Spinnovarsquos CEO Janne Poranen ldquoTouchPoint is a great example of what the textile industry should do to help commercialise

50 Apparelinsider

to facilitate workersrsquo access to their rights at workrdquo says the report

The report claims the exposure and vulnerability of workers to exploitation are worsened by a culture of fear intimidation and control engendered by management over their workforce

The researchers argue that the EU has a critical role to play in reducing the risk of goods tainted with human rights violations such as those stemming from Vietnamrsquos garment industry from entering its supply chains

ldquoAt this moment there is an absence of European legislation setting out clear human rights obligations of EU companiesrdquo it says ldquoAs a consequence the European Commission must step in and ensure that forced labour does not find its way into the supply chains of many products we use every dayrdquo

Recently the Business Conduct Working Group (RBC Group) of the European Parliament presented the Shadow EU Action Plan on Business and Human Rights This plan aims to implement the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights which form the basis for safeguarding human rights from corporate abuses globally


BRUSSELS - A leading environmental impact tool for apparel needs updating to include the use and end of life phase in the lifecycle of clothing claims a new study Research funded by Australian Wool Innovation claims the Sustainable Apparel Coalitionrsquos Material Sustainability Index (MSI) a product-focused tool that compares the sustainability of different textile materials also needs better data inputs and improved transparency to account for microfibre pollution and to consider the full lifecycle of products ldquoUnless these key issues are addressed the guidance provided could lead to unsustainable choices compromising the very thing environmental rating tools like the MSI set

LONDON - New research claims to have found a significant risk of forced labour child labour and child slavery in tier 1 textile mills in Vietnam which are exporting to western apparel brands The findings call on the European Union to ldquoset higher standards for those who it chooses to trade withrdquo and for it to use its current trading negotiations with Vietnam to press the government on labour rights issues in the country Vietnam is one of the top three textile exporters in the world which along with Bangladesh has grown its garment and textile sectors significantly in recent years as China has moved into higher added value products

Anti-Slaveryrsquos report lsquoSitting on pins and needlesrsquo assesses labour conditions in Vietnamrsquos garment sector Carrying out interviews with workers across three tier 1 factories first and second-hand accounts reveal indicators such as long hours of work forced extension of work hours denial of sick leave and threats of employer retribution directed against workers who attempt to speak out

The interviews also claim to have revealed a lack of institutional protection of workersrsquo rights in this sector ldquoNational laws are not properly enforced and as a result do little

Study wants better lsquoscoringrsquo for fibres

out to dordquo claim the researchers

Researchers Dr Stephen Wiedemann and Dr Kalinda Watson performed a comprehensive analysis of the Sustainable Apparel Coalitionrsquos MSI in a bid to provide a ldquoconstructive contributionrdquo to increasing the reliability and quality of information in the rating system which is an increasingly important reference tool used by many international apparel brands and retailers

Among key recommendations are that the tool is improved to adhere to global standards and guidelines for best practice in LCA A key issue the researchers have is that the tool in its current guise excludes the product use phase and end of life ldquoThe period of use ndash of active wear and care of a garment ndash is generally the highest impact stagerdquo suggests the study How different types and kinds of clothing are cared for and the length of time they are used is known to vary significantly depending on purpose and fibre content

ldquoWithout assessing these factors it is impossible to correctly understand the impacts from different clothing It is also

impossible to combat the problem of fast fashion if the amount of time a garment is used for is not taken into accountrdquo

The research also argues for microplastic pollution to be included in the MSI although in fairness to the SAC there is not ndash as yet ndash a universally agreed upon means of measuring microfibre impact and the SAC has already told us that as soon as one is available it will be incorporated

The researchers also claim that the quality of data in the MSI is in many instances poor They point out that it is common practice in LCA ndash and other fields of science ndash to report the scientific confidence in the results indicating whether the differences are meaningful or just noise

ldquoBut this has not been done in the MSIrdquo suggests the study

ldquoIt is essential that the textile industry continue to improve its sustainabilityrdquo said Dr Wiedemann ldquoWe need robust accurate and reliable methods to generate meaningful ratings that can be trusted by all parts of the supply chain including consumersrdquo

Vietnam garment exporters accused of child and forced labour


BRUSSELS ndash Policy instruments including tax breaks and subsidies should be used to drive improved textile and apparel recycling in Europe claims a new report Produced by Ecopreneureu the European Sustainable Business Federation the report calls for ldquodecisive policy measures to create an enabling frameworkrdquo The report cites painfully low clothing recycling rates ndash which stand at just one per cent despite all the closing the loop rhetoric ndash and suggests there is an urgent need for a strategic shift towards a more circular model

ldquoIn current lsquolinearrsquo model large amounts of non-renewable resources are extracted to produce clothes that are often used for only a short time after which they are discardedrdquo says the report ldquoIt is time to

move fashion towards a lsquocircularrsquo model where clothes textiles and fibres are kept at their highest value during use so that they can re-enter the economy and avoid becoming wasterdquo

The report Circular Fashion Advocacy calls for a set of policy instruments to accelerate and mainstream a European circular fashion economy Proposals include

Research programmes with subsidies investment tax deduction and support for technological development innovation and small and medium-sized enterprises

Economic incentives including procurement extended producer responsibility VAT and a tax shift to drive market demand for circular products and services

Establishing and enforcing a common regulatory framework for transparency and traceability circular design and improved end-of-waste status across the EU

Facilitating export of semi-finished products and sorted reusable textile waste to producing countries and avoiding

Calls for tax breaks to aid circular shift

negative social impacts in producing countries

Douwe Jan Joustra head of circular transformation with the CampA Foundation which funded the research told Apparel Insider ldquoGovernmental policies create the rules by which companies and economies operate Without an enabling policy framework circular economy will never become mainstream The intention of this report is to offer other organisations and the industry a baseline of policies from which to build on

Added Manfred Muumlhlberger president of Ecopreneur ldquoEcopreneur recommends to further develop the optimal policy mix into a detailed strategy for the sectorrsquos advocacy and communicate the messages and actions listed in this report in a concerted action We therefore call on the fashion industry to jointly work on this circular fashion advocacy agendardquo

Further Reading bitly2KsyoEo

STOCKHOLM - A new collection from HampM will use fibres produced from oranges pineapples and algae biomass The retailers latest lsquoConscious Collectionrsquo is its most leftfield yet and could potentially help mainstream a number of niche natural fibres which have huge promise due to their environmental credentials The collection will include the use of Pintildeatex a natural leather alternative made from cellulose fibres extracted from pineapple leaves Bloom Foam a plant-based flexible foam using algae biomass and Orange Fiber sustainable silk-like fabrics made from citrus juice by-products

Orange Fiber is a patented material made from citrus juice by-products and seeds The

fibre is made at a plant in Sicily where citrus juice by-product is processed to extract the citrus cellulose This is then sent to Spain to be spun into yarn and then the yarn returns to a fabric plant in Italy This process has the potential to transform the 700000 tonnes of pastazzo produced annually by the Italian citrus processing industry into high quality fabrics Citrus cellulose yarn feels soft silky and lightweight and can also be blended with other materials

Pintildeatex is a natural leather alternative made from cellulose fibres extracted from pineapple leaves PLA (polylactic acid) and petroleum-based resin Pintildeatex was developed by Dr Carmen Hijosa and first presented at the PhD graduate exhibition

at the Royal College of Art London Pintildeatex works with pineapple farmers in the Philippines who harvest and strip the fibres which are finished into Pintildeatex leather in Spain It requires 460 leaves to create one square metre of Pintildeatex however it is believed the waste from the top 10 producer countries could theoretically replace over 50 per cent of global leather output

Bloom (algae) foam is a flexible foam that is made from harvested algae the fastest growing plant on Earth The company Bloom turns the algae into biofoam combined with an EVA compound Biomass from algae is high in protein and has natural thermoplastic qualities The foam has many advantages over other kinds of foam By harvesting the algae Bloom helps keep the ecology of the waterways in balance use less non-renewable oil and use GMO and pesticide-free feedstock

ldquoFor this collection we explored the beauty in nature which shows in the prints as well as the flowy silhouettes the striking colour palette and the attention to detail Wersquore thrilled to introduce new plant-based sustainable materials to create high-performing beautiful and fashionable pieces that are statement-making yet so easy to wearrdquo said Ann-Sofie Johansson creative advisor at HampM

HampM gets fruity with new collection

52 Apparelinsider

LONDON - Nike has for the second year running failed to engage with an initiative whereby global investment groups probe listed companies on how they manage risks in their workforce and supply chains Adidas Burberry Kering and Louis Vuitton all participated in the Workforce Disclosure Initiative (WDI) which was launched in 2017 in the wake of investor concerns that public reporting by companies on workforce issues does not provide the sort of meaningful and comparable information that they seek

Coordinated by responsible investment group ShareAction the initiative is backed by a coalition of more than 120 investors managing over US$13 trillion including the likes of Amundi AXA IM Legal and General Investment Management and UBS Asset Management

Latest figures show that in 2018 90 companies ndash including representatives from 38 industries and 21 of the 100 largest companies in the world ndash responded to the investor-led request for data The number of disclosing companies more than doubled compared to last year The WDI quizzes companies on topics including diversity wages health and safety contracts worker voice and procurement practices

The WDI report reveals that in general disclosures lacked detail on risk management processes with 51 per cent providing no detail on who is involved in the workforce risk management process how frequently it is carried out or what areas of the business are covered ndash potentially a major concern for investors particularly when identified risks relate to core human rights

Matt Christensen head of responsible investment at AXA Investment Managers said ldquoAs long-term responsible investors with several social-related funds the data collected against the WDI are used to provide in-depth and complementary information to our social performance and impact assessment It constitutes as well a solid basis for our engagement with companies around social considerations and helps us make processes evolve in the right direction ndash both at operational and supply-chain levelsrdquo

Nike snubs Workforce Disclosure Initiative

HAWASSA ndash Thousands of workers at Ethiopiarsquos biggest industrial park have been striking demanding that unions be allowed access to the park to help press for better wages and other worker rights It is claimed unions are still not being allowed access to the Hawassa industrial park two years after it commenced business with many

YANCHENG - A huge chemical plant explosion in China recently killed at least 70 people and injured hundreds of others 640 people were hospitalised following the explosion at the Chenjiagang Industrial Park in the city of Yancheng in the Jiangsu province on Chinarsquos east coast The blast took place at Tianjiayi Chemical Co a fine chemical company which produces more than 30 organic chemical compounds and which we understand specialises in producing m- and p-phenylenediamine

Both compounds are precursors for polymers resins and textile dyes and as such what is one of Chinas worst industrial accidents in years could also have major

ramifications for the price of intermediaries for textile dyes and chemicals

South China Morning Post has reported that the blast will directly impact the supply of m-phenylenediamine which would likely lead to significant price increases in supply chains The price of textile chemical intermediaries has already been on an upward trend in recent years due to supply chain challenges in China where a huge proportion of the worldrsquos textile chemical production takes place Government authorities have clamped down on unsafe and polluting businesses in the industry in recent years closing some operators and forcing many to invest in infrastructure improvements in order to remain legally compliant This has raised end-prices for intermediaries

Tianjiayi Chemical Co has claim local reports already received six government penalties in the past over waste management and air pollution

Unions denied access to flagship Ethiopia textile park

70 killed at textile chem-ical factory


With no unions representing workers low wages and bad working conditions are prevalent

ldquoWe have tried to organise the workers for more than two years without a clear permission from the government so far We continue our efforts and ask our international partners and the global

brands and retailers sourcing from the park for support in putting pressure on the government to allow organisingrdquo

Credible claims suggest wages in Ethiopias garment industry are as low as 750 Ethiopian Birr (US$27) To improve wages the IFTLGWTU is working with different partners including the Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions (CETU) and FNV Mondiaal According to a recent wage survey 65 per cent earn less than US$70 while 35 per cent are paid less than US$35

international brands including HampM and PVC Corp sourcing from there

Hawassa is Ethiopiarsquos flagship garment producing industrial park and once fully operational will have the potential to employ over 60000 workers

IndustriALL affiliate the Industrial Federation of Textile Leather and Garment Workers Union has supported the strikes Teklu Shewarega IFTLGWTUrsquos organising and industrial relations department head says ldquoThe recent strike is not a surprise




LONDON ndash Leading global online fashion retailer ASOS is asking third-party brands to pledge to tackle modern slavery The UK business has confirmed that brands including Dr Martens New Look and River Island have all now signed a pledge which includes mapping and assessing modern slavery risks working with others to develop tools and resources to raise awareness of risks and training relevant employees about modern slavery risks within their businesses and supply chains All will be asked to demonstrate their progress annually

ASOS recently returned to the House of Lords to co-host its Modern Slavery forum with Baroness Lola Young Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion A year on from the inaugural session which addressed shared modern slavery risks in the apparel sector the forum reviewed progress made

Nick Beighton CEO ASOS said ldquoWith a growing legislative focus on modern slavery therersquos never been a better time to act together to drive systemic change in the industry Thatrsquos why wersquore calling on those present to join us in signing our pledge to tackle modern slavery and move

Ben Lewis CEO River Island commented We are serious about tackling modern slavery so the pledge we have signed continues the work that we have already started with ASOS in this area We encourage other brands to join us in eradicating human rights abuses in our supply chains

ASOS gets serious on slavery

LEEDS ndash George the fashion and homewares arm of the supermarket Asda has pledged to use only recycled polyester in its collections by 2025 The brand which is the second largest clothing retailer in the UK has also announced plans to further increase transparency around its supply chain by publishing a list of its second-tier apparel factories ndash those typically dyeing printing and finishing garments ndash on its website joining its existing list of first tier factories where clothes are cut sewn and trimmed

George has said it will also extend its work looking at microfibre shedding with a full microfibre strategy to be published later this year Asda was the first big supermarket to sign up to the Microfibre Consortium

through which it is currently performing tests to understand the extent of shedding from different fabrics

In an interesting move the retailer also

George commits to recycled polyester

Top award for separation technologyESSEN ndash Ground-breaking technology which recycles post-consumer garments into clean and wearable clothes has been honoured with one of the worldrsquos leading design awards The Red Dot Award for product design has been won by the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) for its Garment-to-Garment recycle system (G2G) The technology is a mini production line that recycles post-consumer garments into new clothes It is located (pictured) at The Mills an art and cultural complex in Hong Kong

The complete garment-to-garment process takes place in a standard 40-foot container With anti-vibration noise- and dust-controlled design the production line minimises noise and disturbance to nearby

businesses and so can be operated within community spaces such as shopping malls

The G2G was designed in collaboration with the Nan Fung design team so that it can be transported to other places around the world

The container which houses the whole production line is made of glass Visitors can look inside and view the components that run the system turning old clothes into renewable clothes They can also recycle their own used clothes

ldquoWe want to demystify the whole recycling process We want the public to understand the intrinsic value of the clothes that they have and how much more we can do with themrdquo said Mr Edwin Keh chief executive officer of HKRITA

G2G is a joint collaboration among HKRITA the HampM Foundation and Novetex Textiles with the support of The Mills

The Red Dot Award Product Design is one of the worldrsquos largest design competitions In 2019 designers and manufacturers from 55 countries entered more than 5500 products in the competition

says it will also help its customers to understand more about the sustainability of their garments and how to reduce the environmental impact with increased visibility of garment care and awareness of how they can repurpose reuse or recycle old clothing

Launching the new pledges senior vice president for commercial Nick Jones said ldquoAs the second largest clothing retailer in the country we have a responsibility to do the right thing by our customers not only on the price and quality of our goods but also on the impact we have on the world around usrdquo

The products launching in the retailerrsquos springsummer 19 range include blouses and dresses made with fabric from recycled polyester clothing

54 Apparelinsider

One of Vietnams leading apparel manufacturing and exporting operations MXP JSC (Manufacturing Sportswear Joint Stock Co) has announced that it is investing US$16m in a seventh factory which it says will be equipped with advanced production technology to increase scale and output

Austrian cellulosic fibre producer Lenzing Group has said it is on track with its sustainability targets and reaffirmed its pledge to invest more than EUR100m (US$1115m) in sustainable production technology by 2022

Chinese textile and retail investment company Shandong Ruyi has said it will list an IPO for its recently acquired The Lycra Co in the hopes of raising around US$500 million The group is currently exploring a listing in the US as it works with Goldman Sachs Progress has been slow for Shandong Ruyi since regulatory delays held up its US$2bn purchase of Lycra for more than a year The deal was completed in January

US retailer Walmart has entered the world of subscription apparel in a partnership with Kidbox which will offer customers an exclusive curated stylebox for children from more than 120 premium kids brands The new Walmart Kidbox stylebox will offer Walmartcom customers personalised style from premium kidsrsquo brands including BCBG Butter Super Soft CampC California and Puma The stylebox will include four to five fashion items for US$48 ndash which is approximately 50 per cent off the suggested retail price for the group of bundled items

Swedish fast fashion retailer HampM and Berlin-based start-up ZyseMe have partnered up to test an offering for tailor-made clothing online The new JustPerfect project which has been trialled in Germany since January allows

DEAL-MAKERSA ROUND-UP OF BUSINESS DEALS MERGERS ACQUISITIONS

AND EXPANSIONS IN THE GLOBAL APPAREL AND TEXTILE INDUSTRIES

customers to receive menrsquos fitted white shirts without having to leave their own home

Embattled US retailer J Crew has announced it is exploring a potential initial public offering for its fastest growing brand Madewell The IPO for the fashion retailer could happen as early as ldquothe second half of 2019rdquo J Crew says the move is a part of its initiative to ldquomaximise value position both the JCrew and Madewell brands for long-term growth and deleverage and strengthen the Companyrsquos balance sheetrdquo

UK fast fashion retailer New Look has confirmed it is to stop selling menswear in its stores in the UK and Ireland and will instead make the range solely available on third-party online platforms such as Asos and Zalando

UK clothing brand Pretty Green has been bought by JD Sports mdash but nearly 100 jobs will be lost The sale includes the brand online and wholesale business and the flagship store in Manchester saving 67 jobs The brand has been losing millions and took a pound500000 hit from the collapse of House of Fraser

Authentic Brands Group (ABG) mdash owner of brands including Camuto Group Juicy Couture Aeropostale and Nautica mdash is to acquire US skate swim and snowboarding lifestyle brand Volcom from French luxury group Kering

Bankrupt US fashion retailer Charlotte Russe Holdings has sold its Peek Kids brand and related intellectual property to Mamiye Brothers Inc a leading designer manufacturer and marketer of apparel for women and children

US apparel business VF Corp is preparing for the official spin-off of its jeanswear business as an independent publicly traded company called Kontoor Brands Inc having announced the public filing of a

Form 10 Registration Statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission The new company will include the Wrangler Lee and Rock amp Republic brands and the VF Outlet business

Animal rights group PETA has purchased shares in online fashion retailer Boohoo and jeans business Levi Strauss amp Co as part of a bid to influence the companies sourcing decisions

PVH Corp has entered into a definitive agreement to reacquire from Dickson Concepts Ltd the license for the Tommy Hilfiger brand in Hong Kong Macau Taiwan Singapore and Malaysia along with certain related leases and retail assets The transaction is expected to close in Q2 of 2019 and is aligned with PVHrsquos strategy of gaining more direct control over its brands

UK retailer Debenhams has named 22 of the 50 stores it plans to close The business says the store closures will start next year and 1200 staff will be affected by the first phase Once the 50 store closures are complete Debenhams will have around 116 stores in the UK

US fast fashion brand Forever 21 has announced that it will close its online stores on Chinese ecommerce sites Tmall and JDcom The closure occurred at the end of April

The private equity firm which owns Kurt Geiger is said to be considering a sale of the footwear and accessories retailer to some of Americarsquos fashion giants for around pound450m Potential buyers including Steve Madden Michael Kors and Coach The business was purchased four years ago from Sycamore Partners for pound345m

54 Apparelinsider


Edi

tori

alBrett Mathews

e had fun producing this issue of Apparel Insider Itrsquos always

interesting when a piece of research or information comes along which changes your thinking about a subject and such was the case when the writer of our cover story got in touch several months ago asking some questions around the issue of cotton Veronica Bates Kassatly is co-founder of Commun des Mortels Limited a boutique sustainable fashion brand We got chatting over email about the whole issue of sustainability in cotton and claims made by brands that they are going to be sourcing increasing percentages of their cotton from lsquosustainablersquo sources How do we know these sources are more sustainable was her central question To which my own answer was that on balance I understand organic to be the lsquogold standardrsquo in terms of sustainability while other cotton standards such

Brett Mathews Editor Email brettapparelinsidercom

W sustainable than another What gives them the confidence to use phrases such as lsquomore sustainable cottonrsquo in their marketingWe didnrsquot get very far here Some brands sent us links on their website which told us well not very much really I was also fobbed off onto heads of PR and there seemed to be a general bafflement that I was asking a question which ndash we believe ndash is actually rather importantWe wonrsquot mention names but one major UK brand which gains huge marketing mileage from its sustainability claims gave us the run-around for weeks on the issue before essentially saying they were too short staffed to answer the question Too short staffed to tell us what proof they had that the sustainability claims they were making about organic cotton and Better Cotton were actually correct You really couldnrsquot make this stuff up

as Fairtrade and Better Cotton also scored well on a range of criteria which I wonrsquot go over hereAll of that said I have never really looked closely at lifecycle analysis data which compares different cotton production methods and much of my understanding comes from secondary sources I donrsquot claim to be an expertVeronica decided to dig deeper She looked at the available data on cotton production including data which compares organic with conventional and BCI Her findings I have to say are somewhat troubling I wonrsquot go into detail here as I urge readers to read her feature from start to finish Itrsquos a fascinating piece which deserves to kick-start a much-needed debate on this issuePerhaps most worrying of all in this was that we approached a few of brands and asked them how they decide that one cotton production method is more

If solid consistent data was available which showed that cotton standards such as organic cotton Better Cotton and the like were a better long-term sustainability bet we would be the first to publish it But wersquore really not sure we are at that point right now ndash perhaps we never will be - which means that brands gaining positive PR mileage about their lsquosustainablersquo cotton sourcing is rather misleading and unhelpfulThis also takes eyes off the far bigger and more important issue of the over-production of poor quality badly made clothing which quickly finds its way to landfill If a garment is only worn two or three times before being disregarded it doesnrsquot really matter what kind of cotton it is made from

ldquoWhat gives them the confidence to use phrases such as lsquomore sustainable cottonrsquo in their marketing ldquo

contents














4 Apparelinsider



54Dealmakers









6 Apparelinsider
















8 Apparelinsider
































Cotton























W

14 Apparelinsider

Cotton






















ldquo

















permissible














ldquo





cotton















time


Cotton

16 Apparelinsider





Further Reading





ldquo





















ldquoT

Cotton

18 Apparelinsider



















M

Cotton





ldquoUS cotton











A





Hemp

















22 Apparelinsider


ldquo


Fibre data




















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L























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L


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Bangladesh


Bangladesh


















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Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































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Modern Slavery


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B























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Retail trends


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4 Apparelinsider



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cotton















time


Cotton

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ldquo





















ldquoT

Cotton

18 Apparelinsider



















M

Cotton





ldquoUS cotton











A





Hemp

















22 Apparelinsider


ldquo


Fibre data




















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L























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Transparency
























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L


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Bangladesh


Bangladesh


















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ldquo




















S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































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Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


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ldquo

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54 Apparelinsider



54Dealmakers









6 Apparelinsider
















8 Apparelinsider
































Cotton























W

14 Apparelinsider

Cotton






















ldquo

















permissible














ldquo





cotton















time


Cotton

16 Apparelinsider





Further Reading





ldquo





















ldquoT

Cotton

18 Apparelinsider



















M

Cotton





ldquoUS cotton











A





Hemp

















22 Apparelinsider


ldquo


Fibre data




















ldquo

L























A


ldquo

Transparency
























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L


ldquo



















T

Bangladesh


Bangladesh


















30 Apparelinsider


ldquo




















S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































W

Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























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50 Apparelinsider












































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54 Apparelinsider

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8 Apparelinsider
































Cotton























W

14 Apparelinsider

Cotton






















ldquo

















permissible














ldquo





cotton















time


Cotton

16 Apparelinsider





Further Reading





ldquo





















ldquoT

Cotton

18 Apparelinsider



















M

Cotton





ldquoUS cotton











A





Hemp

















22 Apparelinsider


ldquo


Fibre data




















ldquo

L























A


ldquo

Transparency
























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L


ldquo



















T

Bangladesh


Bangladesh


















30 Apparelinsider


ldquo




















S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































W

Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider











8 Apparelinsider
































Cotton























W

14 Apparelinsider

Cotton






















ldquo

















permissible














ldquo





cotton















time


Cotton

16 Apparelinsider





Further Reading





ldquo





















ldquoT

Cotton

18 Apparelinsider



















M

Cotton





ldquoUS cotton











A





Hemp

















22 Apparelinsider


ldquo


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L


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32 Apparelinsider







































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B























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L


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40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider






















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14 Apparelinsider

Cotton






















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permissible














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cotton















time


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16 Apparelinsider





Further Reading





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L


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40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

14 Apparelinsider

Cotton






















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cotton















time


Cotton

16 Apparelinsider





Further Reading





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42 Apparelinsider
































































































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50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































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54 Apparelinsider

















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cotton















time


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Further Reading





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42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































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52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















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time


Cotton

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Further Reading





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42 Apparelinsider
































































































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38 Apparelinsider


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42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















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Cotton





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B























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38 Apparelinsider


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L


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40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































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38 Apparelinsider


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40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































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Fibre data




















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W

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38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































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42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider






















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Transparency
























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L


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Bangladesh


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B























W

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38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

Transparency
























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L


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Bangladesh


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30 Apparelinsider


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S


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32 Apparelinsider







































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B























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Retail trends


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38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider



















T

Bangladesh


Bangladesh


















30 Apparelinsider


ldquo




















S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































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Modern Slavery


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B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

Bangladesh


















30 Apparelinsider


ldquo




















S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































W

Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider




















S


Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































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Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

Worker Rights

32 Apparelinsider







































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Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

















W

Modern Slavery


ldquo


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider


Haiti Cotton












B























W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider




















W

Retail trends


ldquo


38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















L


ldquo

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

38 Apparelinsider


Mohair

















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40 Apparelinsider





















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46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

40 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































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54 Apparelinsider





















42 Apparelinsider
































































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider



































































46 Apparelinsider




























48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider






















48 Apparelinsider








































50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider




















50 Apparelinsider












































52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider























52 Apparelinsider















































54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider























54 Apparelinsider





















54 Apparelinsider

‘Sustainable’ cotton...You really couldn’t make this stuff up. as Fairtrade and Better Cotton,...

Documents

Transcript of ‘Sustainable’ cotton...You really couldn’t make this stuff up. as Fairtrade and Better Cotton,...