Workers mindsets certainly changed. Previously, the fire drills were not taken so seriously in some cases as the threat perception among the workers, supervisors and managers was low. But it became abundantly clear that safety is not to be taken lightly. There were huge efforts by industry associations, government agencies and international brands to increase the awareness that certainly helped improving the skills of the workers on how to respond to emergencies.

Managers are increasingly aware that the actions of their supply chain partners can have a negative impact on their own firms. As you note, the increase in activists, watchdogs, etc, has probably heightened the importance, as has the ubiquity of 24/7 news and social media. In terms of sourcing strategy, most firms are going to continue to search for the lowest costs while considering the risk of the potential negative impact of social and environmental incidents like the Rana Plaza building collapse.

But beyond blame seeking, it’s important to remember that NGOs have limited resources; they must concentrate their efforts to achieve the greatest impact. It’s much more cost-effective for an NGO to work with a major western retailer (e.g., H&M, Walmart) that buys from thousands of suppliers rather than working directly with thousands of suppliers.

Bangladesh's RMG sector is starting a new chapter. The safety overhaul that the industry has undertaken after Rana Plaza is an important part of that journey. Bangladesh is at present one of the safest garment manufacturing hubs in the world. When buyers now purchase from Bangladesh, the "Made in Bangladesh" stamp provides certain reassurances regarding safety and sustainability. This is a genuine added value.

We cannot let the government off the hook. It needs to enact laws that improves workers’ rights and enforce that legislation. While that is not always possible, a combination of private initiatives, multi-stakeholder initiatives, corporate initiatives, and consumer pressure is ultimately necessary to make a change. One focus or one avenue is not enough. We have not come to the ideal framework in any country. Change in this industry is slow, but we have definitely seen some progress happen over the last several decades.

For decades, many global brands and buyers have been able to use their unequal distribution of bargaining power within these supply chains to require their suppliers to meet the competitive pressures within the industry by producing smaller batches of increasing varieties of products more rapidly and at decreasing prices. This has created a perverse incentive structure which de-incentivises factories to pursue good labour rights and good human rights.

Most of our clients weave on handlooms and it is prohibitively expensive to get the handloom weaver in the certification loop. Hence, we do not go in for certification. We encourage our clients to see the process themselves and self-certify. Most of them hire professional photographers to document our operations and record our story which is presented to their clients.

BioDye can dye most of the Pantone shades and meet the fastness criteria too. Our natural dyed textiles can compete with synthetic dyes in range and performance. By shifting to natural dyeing, the pollution wrought by the use of synthetics dyes can slowly be reduced. BioDye also encourages those around them to cultivate trees and adopt organic farm practices.

The Directive is part of a comprehensive legislative package, so the buck does not stop here—there is more to come. The Directive is an example of the Brussels regulatory power, while it also has a global impact. It demonstrates that the industry, especially in the Global South, is not yet well represented to take an intelligent and informed position.

The Directive is progress in the right direction—companies need to be held accountable for the claims that they are making about their products. One year ago, the work began, and this is the next step to instigate change. It will support further transparency into what is in a garment and force manufacturers and brands to have physical proof of their claims.

This shows the EU is listening to key stakeholders and protecting consumers from greenwashing at a time where sustainability plays a key role in consumer choices. It comes with effective enforcement through the creation of a verification scheme, penalties for non-compliant businesses, and access to justice for affected parties.

Most of the prized possessions of saris that our parents or grandparents own today, have been mostly bought from these home-coming karigars. We want to bring the same experience back. You just have to book an appointment with us on our website, and you can easily shop from the comfort of your home.

We are operating on a very lean business model, which allows us to be agile and respond to consumer demand and feedback as fast as possible. We are able to scale our production as needed to satisfy consumer demand while minimising waste.

The need for protection of workers is as old as the textiles industry. However, more testing machines allow complete analyses of the material performance and could be done at the molecule scale. By the same, standards used to test the material performance are increasingly complex and standardised to better stick to real conditions.

High-performance functional clothing have diverse applications, of which sportswear and protective clothing are two main broad categories. For both segments, we see unprecedented rise in need and demand, due to various reasons.

New technologies on innovative materials will enable deliver more products with multiple functionalities. The international competition in the textile markets make the textile/fashion companies quickly design and manufacture new products. The requirements of consumers are becoming more and more diversified. All these issues drive advances in R&D.

We are looking forward to a trade show with concentrated expertise: around 900 international exhibitors at Munich Fabric Start, Bluezone and Keyhouse, including numerous new exhibitors… Even if times are uncertain—we are setting a framework that shows reliability, gives security, inspires and makes you want to explore Spring-Summer 2024.

We’re on the journey where we are still grasping what should be done, and what should not be done. A major lowdown was that you have to understand and hear your customers and see what they’re actually looking for. Talking to your customers helps you fathom what are the kind of products they are looking for. Their feedback is critical.

We can accommodate a greater demand. It is only a matter of organising our chain. We estimate that at least 6,000 families, that is about 25,000 to 30,000 people depend on the corozo value chain in Ecuador.

Our long-term vision is to move ahead together. We want to work not only in circular fashion but also gradually expand to circular economy.