Talking strategy: Andreas Dorner of Lenzing discusses the fibres which will shape the apparel industry in the future

Faced with soaring raw cotton prices, many textile producers have been switching to man-made fibres or have been using a greater proportion of man-made fibres in blends. In 2011 the volume of US cotton apparel imports fell by 11.8%, but the volume of man-made fibre apparel imports increased by 8.3%. Significantly, cellulosic fibre production rose by a healthy 13.4%. In the future, total fibre demand will grow as the world's population increases and fibre consumption per head expands with rising incomes. However, some experts believe that cotton production could eventually flatten out -- creating a gap in supply which could only be filled by increasing the world's output of cellulosic and synthetic fibres. In "Talking Strategy" this quarter, Andreas Dorner, the global marketing director of the Business Unit Textile Fibers at Lenzing AG -- an Austria-based man-made cellulosic fibre company -- discusses the key issues affecting companies in the global textile fibre industry. Mr Dorner explains why Lenzing has chosen Europe as the location of its next Tencel plant while choosing India for its next viscose facility. Also, he comments on the importance of brand differentiation, and provides invaluable insight into the nature of fibre demand and how this will affect the future for the textile and apparel industry. He also discusses the growing importance of environmental sustainability in the industry, and Lenzing's approach to satisfying the needs of the supply chain, retailers and consumers for environmentally friendly materials.

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