Demanding, multi-layered and complex material and colour trends for Spring.Summer 2024 as well as questions about efficiency and transparency through digitalisation and sustainability – these were the predominant topics of the international fabric and denim trade shows Munich Fabric Start and Bluezone. 

Brands can now use a new technology to upcycle pre- and post-consumer textile waste into beautiful colours, and create a new collection. This technology which upcycles textile waste into vibrant colours has been brought out by the specialty chemicals Swiss manufacturer Archroma.

The much-awaited Cotton Data Book 2022 just released by the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) incorporates a lot more information than the last edition. 

A comprehensive directory of textile recyclers from 27 countries has been released by nonprofit Accelerating Circularity in a bid to create new supply chains and business models to turn spent textiles into mainstream raw materials.

Researchers have come up with a solution that could to some extent resolve the issue of microplastic fibres that are shed when clothes made of synthetic fabrics are laundered, finally making their way into waterways impacting marine and human life.

The European Union has launched a social media campaign targetted at youngsters and influencers in a bid to weed out fast fashion. The multilingual campaign – ReSet The Trend – is meant to engage Europeans in the battle against fast fashion and raise public awareness about the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. 

A new method to evaluate a dumped piece of clothing’s quality from A to F could help determine  whether it can be resold, recycled or tossed. This new comprehensive assessment delivers more data and insights into waste management and prevention. 

The fast fashion setup incurring mass production of cheap goods that sometimes only last a single season, and the increase in the trend of returning wears is a business model fed by the depletion of natural resources, labour in poor countries and fossil resources. There is an urgent need to regulate product quality so that products last longer and can be repaired, according to a research. 

In a bid to help textile suppliers in Taiwan incorporate digital technology into their sample management processes, material marketplace for designers Swatchbook has announced a strategic partnership with the Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF).

The Effluent Guidelines Program Plan by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a critical next step to tackle pollutants like PFAS and nutrients at the source, before they can harm our health and the environment.