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

Updates

Sustainable Cotton / Africa

26 May 2022

3 minutes

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) is an internationally recognised seal for sustainably produced cotton from Africa. The CmiA initiative was established by the Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) in 2005. AbTF is working to realise its goals through CmiA, which is one of the world’s leading standards for sustainable cotton.

CmiA Doubles Cotton Output, European Chains Make Beeline for Africa

Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) has once again achieved record levels of supply and demand. New and existing clients are seeking to purchase greater amounts of cotton verified through CmiA and CmiA Organic. A total of 600 million CmiA textiles were brought to market, more than doubling Cotton made in Africa’s volume from the previous year.

Staff Writer

Plastics Crisis / Investigation

26 May 2022

3 minutes

European Supermarkets Guilty of Deception on Plastics Crisis: Investigation

European retail giants are guilty of promoting false solutions to the plastic pollution crisis and perpetuating double standards, a new report has revealed. An analysis of the role European supermarkets play in addressing plastic pollution revealed a near-complete lack of ambition in addressing the plastics crisis.

Staff Writer

SportTech / Research

25 May 2022

2 minutes

Athletes, coaches, and therapists should reconsider compression garments as a means of reducing the harmful effects of physical exercise on muscle strength and seek alternative methods.

Athletes, Coaches — Rethink Use of Compression Garments

Debunked — that the use of compression garments can enhance muscle or strength recovery.

Staff Writer

Munich Fabric Start / The Source

24 May 2022

2 minutes

Munich Fabric Start has created a place for reliable and flexible sourcing solutions and a rethought value chain with 'The Source'.

Munich Fabric Start Unveils One-stop Solution for Holistic Fashion Sourcing

Munich Fabric Start, from 30 August to 1 September in Munich, positions this edition as a place for reliable and flexible sourcing solutions for adjusted quantities and rethought post-pandemic logistics chains.

Staff Writer

Audit Fatigue / Standards

23 May 2022

2 minutes

The IAF and ITMF are collaborating with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to promote transparency and convergence in the conduct of the main standard holders, including brands and retailers and 3rd party standard holders, measuring to what extent they are contributing to the reduction of audit and standard fatigue.

6 Standards Show High Preparedness for Convergence: Study

Plans are on to have third party and brand/ retailer proprietary standards align across four key areas to help combat growing audit fatigue in the textile and footwear sector.

Staff Writer

Circularity / NIST Report

16 May 2022

2 minutes

Textiles are one of the fastest growing categories in the waste stream. But there are a lot of opportunities to reduce waste in this sector that would bring big economic and environmental benefits, said Kelsea Schumacher, an environmental engineer working with NIST, who co-authored the report.

Recovery Practitioners Need to Provide Feedback to Designers, says Report

A new report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), US has recommended strategies to address problems of post-consumer textile waste. The report recommends other improvements that businesses and governments can undertake to increase reuse and recycling of textiles.

Staff Writer

Manufacturing / Scam

16 May 2022

2 minutes

Lions Not Sheep Products, LLC, and its owner Sean Whalen added phoney 'Made in USA' labels to clothing and accessories imported from China and other countries. They heavily marketed it through social media channels, claiming that it would “show people it’s possible to live your life as a LION, Not a sheep.”

US Company Fined for Sticking 'Made in USA' Labels on Clothing Imported from China

Utah-based Lions Not Sheep and its owner Sean Whalen have been fined $211,335 by the US Federal Trade Commission for replacing the original tags with 'Made in USA' labels.

Staff Writer

Nex-Gen Materials / Curtain-Raiser

14 May 2022

2 minutes

‘NextGen materials’ are livestock-free direct replacements for conventional animal-based leather, silk, fur, down, wool, and exotic skins (also referred to as ‘incumbent materials’). NextGen materials use a variety of biomimicry approaches to replicate the aesthetics and performance of their animal-based counterparts.

Mega Summit to Accelerate Adoption of Next-Gen Materials; $2.3 Billion Invested Since 2015

The two-day virtual Material Innovation Conference that gets under way on 18 May looks to inspire, connect, innovate and scale the development and adoption of NextGen materials to make sustainability an easier option for all.

Staff Writer

Leather / LCA Research

14 May 2022

2 minutes

The LWG LCA will provide insights into the key impact categories for bovine leather used across multiple representative sectors, considering chrome and chrome-free tannage, as well as splits.

Biggest Leather LCA Study Gets Under Way

The Leather Working Group (LWG) has launched the biggest lifecycle assessment (LCA) study for the leather industry to investigate the environmental impact of leather made in LWG-certified facilities. The project will be carried out by Milan-based sustainability consultancy Spin360.