India

India’s textile industry is under scrutiny as a new report reveals alarming levels of nonylphenol (NP), a toxic and persistent chemical, in garments and river systems near major production hubs. Widely used in textile processing, NP poses serious health and environmental risks. Experts warn that lack of regulation could harm public safety and jeopardise India’s textile exports amid rising global scrutiny.

The Cotton Association of India has joined the nationwide call to boycott Türkiye and urged the cotton trading community “to consider stopping” all trade with Türkiye and explore alternative options to suit “our nation's interest.”

As the fashion industry struggles to firm up a roadmap towards decarbonisation, one of the players that has been pro-active in trying to clean up its supply chain is the H&M Group. Kim Hellström, Senior Sustainability Manager, Climate at the Group speaks at length about the challenges in decarbonising the supply chain.

India’s withdrawal of the trans-shipment facility marks more than a bureaucratic hiccup—it represents a tectonic shift in South Asian trade geopolitics. At the heart of it lies the Bangladeshi apparel industry, now navigating increased costs, longer transit times, and geopolitical uncertainty. The episode underscores how strategic rivalry between India and China is beginning to shape—even weaponise—trade logistics and bilateral relationships.

The Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA) has published the findings of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study highlighting the environmental benefits of organic cotton farming in India, offering detailed, locally relevant data demonstrating organic cotton’s reduced environmental impact compared to conventional farming.

This is not the first time that India has found itself with a heaven-sent opportunity. This time, however, all indicators are that the ground situation is different. Will India be able to upstage China in the global textiles and apparel trade? A ground report.

The lesson of the current US tariffs crisis roiling the trade world is this: you cannot keep relying on one country as your export destination. From now on it has to be ‘US Plus One’.

Perspectives are varied, and it is not an open-and-shut case against US Prez Donald Trump as his political opponents would have us believe. The tariff calculations could be questionable and the unilateral announcement should be decried, but what’s amply clear is this: trade will never be the same again.

Zurich-based Gherzi Organisation, incepted in 1929, is a global textile management consulting and engineering company, that has since emerged as a leader for strategic development and expansion of companies in the textile industry, from production to retail. Its services range from engineering of new factories to strategy consulting as also corporate finance. Leading its global team is Giuseppe Gherzi. Gherzi talks India, what ails its textile sector and what can it do to capture the opportunities that exist.

Nine key trade bodies in India have collaboratively come up with a code of conduct that prohibits and prevents child labour in the textile sector, stressing on ethical sourcing, transparency, and accountability, enhancing brand reputation and contributing to the elimination of exploitative labour practices.