It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable

Bangladesh

Climate Action / Fashion AI

17 May 2024

3 minutes

The results of the study identify the key elements of an AI-informed framework for climate action and show how this can be used to develop a range of mitigation, adaptation and resilience initiatives in response to climate change.

New Study Shows AI Can Reduce Fast Fashion's Carbon Footprint by Improving Supply Chain Efficiencies

AI-powered climate service innovations enable easier adoption of innovations that reduce environmental impact of business activities while improving energy and material efficiency and managing climate-related risks and opportunities. They also facilitate mitigation by reducing the carbon footprint, says a new study.

Staff Writer

Market Access / Bangladesh

7 March 2024

3 minutes

Having achieved significant progress in poverty reduction and human development indicators, Bangladesh is on track to graduate from LDC status by 2026. This graduation signifies a milestone in its journey towards becoming a full-fledged middle-income developing nation. However, the transition also presents potential challenges, particularly regarding continued competitiveness in the global trade arena.

Duty-Free Market Access: Bangladesh Gets Much-Needed Breather Till 2029

Will Bangladesh be able to capitalise on the three-year breather before it loses duty-free market access under various trade agreements as it seeks to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC) status? An analysis.

Ameet Kaul

Analysis

Textile Processing / Sugarcane Waste

19 February 2024

The waste sugarcane bagasse-derived enzyme can meet the demands of the textiles industry as the enzymes extracted from waste sugarcane bagasse are of natural origin.

Alternative to Chemicals: Researchers Use Sugarcane Waste for Cotton Biopolishing

Researchers at the Bangladesh University of Textiles, Dhaka, have found an alternative and sustainable source of cellulase enzymes from sugarcane bagasse waste to use in textile biopolishing applications.

Staff Writer

World Trade / BGMEA Move

29 January 2024

2 minutes

The readymade garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh though firmly established as the second-largest apparel exporter globally, faces challenges due to global geopolitical tensions, exchange rate fluctuations, the dollar crisis and a surge in cotton price, aggravated by intense competition from low-cost nations.

BGMEA to Launch Virtual Marketplace for RMG Industry to Counter Geopolitical Risks

The apex Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) will develop a virtual marketplace to integrate the local textiles industry into global value chains and capitalise on the shift towards online purchasing.

Staff Writer

World Trade / US Study

19 January 2024

2 minutes

Workers at an Indonesian apparel factory: Workers at an Indonesian apparel factory: The investigation will provide country-specific profiles of the apparel industries in five countries, including information on investment, vertical integration, duty-free access to the US market, wages and labour productivity, and sourcing of inputs, as well as an assessment of the export competitiveness of each country in the US market considering major factors of competitiveness such as trade, industry structure and price.

US Launches Study to Examine Export Competitiveness of Apparel Industry in 5 Asian Countries

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) will submit a report by 30 August 2024 on the export competitiveness of the apparel industries in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Staff Writer

Fashion@COP28 / Decarbonisation

6 December 2023

2 minutes

The ongoing COP28 at Dubai, Tuesday, saw the announcement of the first ever collaborative offshore wind project in Bangladesh by European stakeholders. The collaborators include The Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), Bestseller and the H&M Group.

Going Renewable: GFA, Others to Develop Offshore Wind Energy Project in Bangladesh

Four key stakeholders from the fashion industry in Europe are collaborating to increase availability of renewable energy in Global South's Bangladesh — a critical manufacturing hub.

Staff Writer

Zero Waste / Reet Aus

6 December 2023

5 minutes

The collections of fashion designer Reet Aus are made by implementing the Upmade method in the early stages of the mass production process. This has improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact — each produced item uses an average of 70% less water and 88% less energy compared to a regular product.

No Scrap Left Behind: Estonian Endeavour Boosts Industrial Upcycling

The Reet Aus mission is to minimise the ecological footprint of the fashion industry by applying industrial upcycling — producing clothing from pre-production leftover fabrics. texfash.com talks to the visionary designer to know more.

Subir Ghosh

Interview

Exclusive

Climate Impact / Female Farmers

20 September 2023

3 minutes

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, women form a significant 45% of the agricultural workforce in developing nations, a number climbing to 60% in Africa and Asia.

Climate Change Has Disproportionate Effect on Women Engaged in Cotton Farming

The backbone of agriculture, empowering women in the cotton value chain can have positive effects beyond farm productivity, leading to improved living standards and food security, says a new report by CottonConnect.

Staff Writer

Climate Crisis / Asia Overview

14 September 2023

4 minutes

Extreme flooding and heatwaves are already affecting the four production hubs that were part of the research.

Climate Risks Loom Large over 4 Asian Apparel Hubs; Fashion Brands Treat Disasters as Externalities

Researchers mapping the supply chain footprint across four production hubs in Global South reveal that workers and manufacturers face productivity impacts from extreme heat and flooding, and risk foregoing $65 billion in export earnings by 2030—equivalent to a 22% decline.

Staff Writer

Climate Action / Cotton Farming

7 August 2023

2 minutes

Farmers and cotton stakeholders will use novel cotton mapping data products derived from Sentinel-2 images in a feasibility study run by CottonConnect and Assimila.

CottonConnect Project to Address Health Issues Caused by Climate Change among Smallholder Cotton Growers

Exploiting advances in earth observation and climate data science, a CottonConnect C5 pilot project is exploring how climate advice could help farmer decision-making at key stages in the cotton production cycle.

Staff Writer