The 2025 Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index, the first since Cascale acquired Better Buying, reveals both caution and progress. Despite tariff shocks and geopolitical volatility, long-term subscribers outperformed industry benchmarks. The report underlines that responsible purchasing practices build supplier resilience and that planning and forecasting remain critical weak spots needing renewed buyer attention.

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2026 will be held from 11 to 13 March at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC), Shanghai, spotlighting sustainability, performance and AI-driven innovation. The event features a 60 per cent larger Econogy Hub and an enhanced Innovation & Digital Solutions Zone, with forums and labs focused on smart materials, digitalisation and circular economy applications in textiles.

Locally produced circular sportswear could have a smaller environmental footprint than a conventional polyester garment reference, a new lifecycle and microfibre assessment has modelled. Renewable-energy use, shorter transport routes, and circular design choices together could reduce climate impacts and microplastic emissions, the researchers have contended.

From runway collections to performance gear, merino wool is experiencing a broad-based revival. Australia’s benchmark EMI has jumped, reflecting tight inventories and real consumer demand. Surveys place wool among the most desirable fabrics, while brands across fashion and sport showcase its natural performance, durability and circularity, reinforcing momentum across global markets.

Cascale has unveiled version 3.11 of its Higg MS), introducing fresh cotton datasets and new home furnishing material categories. The update advances data accuracy, improves comparability and supports evidence-driven choices across the consumer goods sector.

Climate action NGO WRAP has unveiled a new UK Textiles Pact Roadmap to fast-track circularity and environmental progress across the industry. Despite per-tonne cuts in carbon and water use, soaring production volumes and linear business models threaten to erase those gains. The Roadmap strengthens collaboration, targets upstream emissions, and supports policy reforms for a resilient circular future.

A new citizen science study by researchers at the Desert Research Institute and Keep Tahoe Blue has found that household clothes dryers release significant amounts of microfibres into the air. The findings highlight dryers as a previously under-recognised source of microplastic pollution and suggest that simple household changes could help limit fibre emissions into the environment.

A Cornell University study on human-centred design has shown that algorithm-fuelled generative art heightens consumers’ sense of exclusivity and aesthetic pleasure inside metaverse-based fashion stores. The experiments revealed that AI-driven art installations enhance engagement for both mass-market and luxury brands, with dynamic displays especially effective in stimulating online word-of-mouth responses and retail appeal.

NexttGen material innovator MycoWorks has announced plans to shut its Union, South Carolina factory — the flagship site once hailed as a breakthrough for Fine Mycelium production. The company said it would now source and process mycelium through partner tanneries worldwide using its Rei-Tan technology, a change that redefines both its business model and the emerging bio-materials landscape.

A new University of Sydney–led study shows that low-cost, sustainable cooling strategies could safeguard millions of garment workers facing extreme heat. Simulations of Bangladeshi factories revealed that reflective roofs, fans, and access to drinking water reduce core temperature and maintain productivity, offering scalable protection for an industry employing over four million people.