TOP STORY

Why Bangladesh Loses More Cotton Than Norway's Best Recycling System Can Ever Recover

The EU's mandatory separate textile collection requirement came into force in 2025, backed by recyclability targets for 2030. What the policy framework has not accounted for is that the larger share of fibre loss in a cotton garment occurs before any consumer touches it. A new study traces a single t-shirt across its full global supply chain to quantify where that loss actually goes.

Other Top Stories
 
CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE

Denim, Bio-Materials, and Plastic Circularity Set the Agenda for New Singapore Fashion Programme

A three-year initiative dedicated to sustainable fashion and responsible consumption has launched in Singapore, combining themed exhibitions, experiential workshops, and a curated retail showcase, the Singapore Fashion Council has announced. Funded by the SG Eco Fund and RGE and APR (Asia Pacific Rayon), the programme debuted at Design Orchard on 22 May 2026, with eight local eco-conscious labels taking part.

 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
Material Innovation / Bezos Fund

Breakthrough textile materials have received $34 million in new Bezos Earth Fund grants, backing research into bacterial fibres, spider-silk-inspired biodegradable materials, coloured cotton and cotton seedbank restoration. The funding targets materials that can match rayon, silk and cotton while improving cost, performance and environmental outcomes across fashion and textile supply chains.

Climate Action / Ethiopia Project

Climate resilience, productivity and workplace safety are being advanced across Ethiopia's leather, textile and garment sector through a new ILO-Japan joint initiative. The one-year programme targets 40 factories across five cities, integrating Japanese expertise, digitalised safety tools and a women's leadership development programme to drive sustainable and inclusive industrial growth.

 
 
 
FOCUS: COTTON

Cotton Story: The Crop That Fuelled Empires and Slavery Finally Reveals Where It Started

For decades, scientists knew that upland cotton, the species behind around 90% of the world's natural textile fibre, was domesticated somewhere in the Americas, but could not say exactly where. A new genomic study has now provided the answer, tracing the crop's origins to the coastal scrublands of northwestern Yucatán, where farmers worked thousands of years before the Maya.

 
 
 
SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
 

"Quote Unquote"

Marcelo Paytas
Marcelo Paytas
Director
INTA – Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria
The greater challenge lies in the connection between knowledge generation and practical adoption. Extension systems often operate with limited resources, while many producers face difficult economic conditions and high investment risks. Under climate uncertainty, adopting new technologies is not simply a technical decision—it is an economic one.

"Quote Unquote"

Eileen Mockus
Eileen Mockus
Chief Operating Officer
Accelerating Circularity
A big part is data and transparency: recyclers often lack reliable, standardized material and attachment-data about trims (what they’re made of, coatings, adhesives), so the safest operational choice is removal. The other part is inertia and risk-aversion: sorting and recycling lines are tuned for throughput and predictable inputs; including trims creates contamination risk, downgrades output or causes downtime to handle foreign materials.
 
 
FOCUS: LEATHER

AI Adoption in Footwear Has Tripled Since 2020, Reshaping Design, Production and Retail at Every Level

Artificial intelligence has moved from experimentation to operational use across footwear and leather goods, with adoption among OECD companies tripling between 2020 and 2025. The tenth Innovation Village Retail at Expo Riva Schuh and Gardabags in June 2026 brings together nearly 90 start-ups spanning 3D modelling, fit technology, mass customisation, digital product passports and returns reduction.