TOP STORY

The Sediment Record That Challenges a Century of Green Assumptions on Natural Fibres

The environmental case for natural textiles rests heavily on biodegradability—the idea that cotton and wool, unlike polyester, return cleanly to the environment. A team of UK researchers has tested that premise against physical evidence from lake sediments in Staffordshire, recovering natural fibres from deposits spanning more than a century.

 
CIRCULARITY / RECYCLING / SECONDS / WASTE

End of Green Claims in Sight: Fashion Has Been Telling Stories That Science Can Now Fact-Check

Recycled cotton has become one of fashion's most prominent sustainability credentials—and one of its least verifiable. No independent method has existed to confirm how much mechanically recycled cotton a garment actually contains, or whether it derives from post-consumer waste. Researchers are now proposing a laboratory-based toolbox that could, for the first time, provide that confirmation from the fibres themselves.

 
FLASHPOINT: CLIMATE
China Trends / Growth Story

China’s textile and apparel industry emissions were driven largely by household consumption and exports between 2000 and 2018, according to new modelling research. The study found that integrating renewable energy adoption with expanded clothing recycling could curb long-term emissions growth across interconnected supply chains while supporting continued industrial development.

Climate Action / Decarbonisation Costs

Climate risk is increasingly being modelled not as a reputational concern but as a margin-level financial exposure. New analysis suggests operating profits in apparel could shrink sharply under accelerated net-zero transitions. Kristina Elinder Liljas, Senior Director of Sustainable Finance and Engagement at Apparel Impact Institute, argues that carbon exposure now belongs inside capital allocation models, not sustainability reports.

 
 
 
FOCUS: COTTON

End of Green Claims in Sight: Fashion Has Been Telling Stories That Science Can Now Fact-Check

Recycled cotton has become one of fashion's most prominent sustainability credentials—and one of its least verifiable. No independent method has existed to confirm how much mechanically recycled cotton a garment actually contains, or whether it derives from post-consumer waste. Researchers are now proposing a laboratory-based toolbox that could, for the first time, provide that confirmation from the fibres themselves.

 
 
 
SPOTLIGHT EDITIONS: SELECT 4
 
 

"Quote Unquote"

Kristina Elinder Lilja
Kristina Elinder Lilja
Senior Director, Sustainable Finance and Engagement
Apparel Impact Institute
Carbon pricing would be the most structurally embedded risk and hardest to reverse. Carbon pricing is different as it sits directly on Scope 3, where 96–99% of apparel emissions occur. That means it’s embedded in Tier 2 manufacturing and upstream energy systems. Unless those systems decarbonise, cost exposure compounds year over year.

"Quote Unquote"

Lalit Kumar Gupta
Lalit Kumar Gupta
Chairman-Cum-Managing Director
Cotton Corporation of India
With a pan-India presence over 570 procurement centres across 11 major cotton-growing states, CCI directly procures raw cotton from farmers at APMC yards while closely monitoring market conditions throughout the season. Digital initiatives, such as the Kapas Kisan mobile app, enable Aadhaar- and land record-based self-registration and slot booking, ensuring efficient and transparent procurement. All cotton and cotton seed stocks are sold via an independent e-auction portal, making the sales system market-driven and transparent.
 
FOCUS: LEATHER

IILF 2026 Exposes Gap Between Boardroom Sustainability and Tannery Floor Reality

Chennai's IILF 2026 exposed contradictions shaping India's leather industry: innovative chemical systems alongside organisational failures, Trump tariffs suppressing demand yet prices holding firm, and sustainability frameworks that never reach tannery workers. The 'Leather Carnival' demonstrated both the sector's professionalisation and its struggle to reconcile traditional identity with market realities.