Textiles and apparel sustainability update, May 2023

27 pages, published in Issue 218, May 2023   Report price: Euro 470.00; US$ 615.00

Environmental sustainability is of growing importance within the global fibre, textile and apparel industries, and pressures to improve their sustainability credentials have prompted several companies to adapt their business strategies. This report provides information on the latest business developments in relation to environmental sustainability with a particular focus on: corporate social responsibility (CSR); investments; joint ventures, cooperation, licensing and distribution; recycling; and standards. Furthermore, the report includes information and insight relating to the following innovative brands, companies and other organisations: Artistic Milliners, Blocktexx, bluesign technologies, Canopy, Circularise, Coats, Fairbrics, Fashion for Good, Higg, Hyosung Advanced Materials, IKEA, the International Accord, Lenzing Group (Lenzing), Levi Strauss & Co, Milliken & Company, Modern Meadow, Origin Materials, Renewcell, Singtex, Under Armour, Worn Again Technologies, and the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Foundation.

SUMMARY


BUSINESS NEWS

• Lenzing Group (Lenzing) has joined a consortium whose members are working on the Circular and Sustainable Textiles and Clothing (CISUTAC) project
• Milliken & Company has become the first USA-based textile manufacturer to eliminate all perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from its products

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)

• IKEA has partnered with Canopy as part of its sustainable sourcing strategy and commitment to protecting forests
• Levi Strauss & Co and Artistic Milliners have entered into a joint venture agreement relating to sourcing ethical and organic cotton from Pakistan
• Signatories of the International Accord for Health and Safety in The Textile and Garment Industry (International Accord) have agreed to the establishment of a country-specific safety programme in Pakistan

INVESTMENTS

• Coats has opened a pilot plant in India for spinning and twisting sewing threads made from recycled and renewable materials
• Fairbrics has secured Euro22 mn worth of investment to scale up its production of polyester fabric made using materials derived from carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
• Software provider Circularise has secured Euro11 mn worth of investment in order to help industrial supply chains adopt principles of a circular economy

JOINT VENTURES, COOPERATION, LICENSING AND DISTRIBUTION

• bluesign technologies, Higg and the ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) Foundation have signed a partnership agreement which aims to reduce the use of hazardous chemicals in the textile industry
• Dissolving pulp sourced from textile waste is to be supplied by Renewcell to Lenzing Group for producing cellulosic fibres
• Modern Meadow and Singtex have signed a partnership agreement relating to the development of new and innovative bio-based materials across a range of applications
• Origin Materials and Hyosung Advanced Materials have entered into a joint venture agreement relating to the production of apparel made using carbon negative materials

RECYCLING

• BlockTexx has opened a recycling facility in Queensland, Australia, which is capable of recycling fabrics comprising blends of cotton and polyester
• Fashion for Good has launched the Sorting for Circularity Project in the USA
• Worn Again Technologies has secured £27.6 mn worth of investment to construct a textile recycling facility in Winterthur, Switzerland

STANDARDS

• Under Armour has developed a new test method which is capable of measuring a fabric's propensity to shed fibre fragments

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Reports in Textile Outlook International include:
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