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2024 Special: The Most Popular Writings of the Year

The year that was. The stories that were. The news in the business of textiles-fashion that made headlines. texfash.com looks back at its 2024 archive to bring you what shaped the year.

Best of 2024 : Editor's Picks

State of Recycling / Renewcell Saga

27 February 2024

 6 minutes

Nails in Renewcell Coffin Were Hammered in by a Callous and Lethargic Global Fashion Industry

The Renewcell 1 plant in winter. When a recycling pioneer decides to file for bankruptcy, it distinctly indicates that the stated circularity claims, promises and ambitions of industry are only hot air.

Swedish textile recycling pioneer Renewcell has decided to file for bankruptcy. The reason for the company going bust has nothing to do with either its product or facilities, but a global fashion  industry that is still unwilling to increase its uptake of recycled fibres.

  • Subir Ghosh
 Analysis
Climate Action / Decarbonisation Commentary
The fashion industry, infamous for waking up to realities very late in the day, has suddenly got up from its slumber and feels this dying need to decarbonise. Of course, there is a pressing need to decarbonise, and it should also be asked of them: what were you doing all along!?

New Report on Decarbonisation is Welcome, But Has its Flaws and Drawbacks

  • Subir Ghosh

6 March 2024
Second Chance / State of Sector Report
The second-hand market has done a lot to undermine smart solutions and domestic capacity by using the Global South as a dumping ground for used clothing. The global textiles, fashion and outdoor industry should put the Global South at the heart of their strategies.

Current Trajectory of Second-Hand Clothing a Distraction from More Important Questions

  • Subir Ghosh

11 March 2024
Looking Back / Pittards Report
Established in 1826, Pittards specialised in performance leathers for gloving, footwear and interiors with tanneries in the UK and Ethiopia, together with the facility to manufacture finished products in both locations, including component cutting, leathergoods, footwear and gloves. It closed shop just a year or two before its 200-year anniversary.

Lessons from Another Day. Or Why Pittards Coudn't Save Its Own Hide

  • Richa Bansal

16 February 2024
Traditional Textiles / Cultural Appropriation Interview
Walking Hand-in-Hand, an initiative of CDS Art Foundation, uses the format of fashion shows to showcase the very best of Indian textiles, while also spotlighting all the artisans involved in the creative process — weavers, dyers, printers, painters, embroiderers, designers, tailors. CDS has since enabled innovation, revival and collaboration with 40 crafts, 40 artisans, 40 designers, creating visibility for the artisan and craft as well as creating a market place for other practitioners of the craft.

Manish Malhotra Controversy: Artisans and Weavers Deserve Credit, Not Just Lip Service

  • Richa Bansal

7 August 2024
 
 

Select 2024 : Comment

Elastane-Free / New Launches
Neolast is made from thermoplastic elastoester polymers. A thermoplastic is any plastic polymer material that becomes pliable or mouldable at a certain elevated temperature and solidifies upon cooling.

New Elastane-Free Product Lines of Big Brands Nothing but Smokescreen

  • Special Correspondent
 Commentary

13 May 2024

The recent launches of so-called anti-elastane product lines by big brands do not mean much while they continue to gorge on fossil fuel derivatives. None of the new ranges replace existing product lines. texfash.com probes.

In the past, cattle pasture mostly expanded into the savannahs or grasslands of southern Brazil, with low deforestation rates; however,the spread of cattle grazing northward drove large-scale deforestation. Factors favouring this development include (i) the extensive nature and (ii) low productivity of tropical grazing beef production.
Apple Inc had claimed that its new FineWoven material had significantly lower emissions compared to the more "carbon-intensive leather" but tests have proven otherwise.
With better data, comprehensive studies, and the separation of science and marketing, we can finally get to the truth: leather is a sustainable choice.

Let’s Invest in Celebrating Leather and Play Offensively Online

  • Katie Kutskill
 Commentary

21 October 2024
The main finding of this study is that the growth of SHC imports in the five countries of Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, has had a positive impact on the labour market. The SHC industry is an employment creation engine in Africa, generating millions of jobs throughout the value and supply chain. Over 1.28 million people are employed in the SHC sectors in these countries with each tonne of SHC imported sustaining on average 6.5 jobs.
 
 

Best of 2024 : Spotlight

Misinformation Cotton for Good 2024

Lie Another Day: How Cotton's Image Was Sullied by the Media and Activists Alike

Cotton represents so much more than just a commodity. This natural fabric is a life-changing product worldwide that sustains 32 million growers (almost half of them women) and benefits over 100 million families across 80 countries in five continents.

The cotton misinformation problem needs to be seen in the light of today’s society where fake news thrives and wreaks havoc. It’s not difficult to find out how the cotton myths came into being. It’s also not difficult to find out who have been flinging and slinging these falsehoods. Cotton needs to be more assertive, and possibly a bit aggressive too. texfash tries to join some dots.

Sidelining Leather / State of Leather 2024 / V Analysis
Most animal rights groups may have their hearts in the right place, but have their heads—bereft of ecological understanding and shorn of scientific rigour—buried somewhere else.

Leather Needs to Get Aggressive, Take Battle of Words Right into the Camp of Activists

  • Subir Ghosh

25 October 2024
Deep Focus / Africa Seconds / IV Report
Second-hand clothes displayed at the São Paulo Market, the largest wholesale market in Angola’s capital, Luanda.

All Research on Second-Hand Clothing Needs to Be Transformed into Action, Policy Coherence Needed

  • Richa Bansal

13 June 2024
Numbers Overview / Cotton for Good 2024 / IV Commentary
For 2023–24, ICAC expected the global cotton production numbers to be 24.12 million tonnes, "showing a slight decrease from the previous year." All Big Three — India, China and the United States — are set to produce less this year.

A Cursory Look at Cotton through Numbers

  • Special Correspondent

10 October 2024
Ringside View / Cotton for Good 2024 / I Commentary
By supporting conflict-free cotton, consumers can play a part in pushing the fashion industry toward a more ethical and sustainable future. When brands see a demand for ethically sourced products, they are more likely to invest in the practices and technologies needed to make conflict-free cotton the standard, rather than the exception.

The Hidden Story Behind Your Favourite Fashion: The Conflict-Free Cotton Movement

  • Dan Patterson

7 October 2024
 
 

Top 2024 : Climate

Fracked Fashion / Stand.earth
With less than a decade to prevent global climate change from reaching irreversible levels, the time to push for largescale climate and environmental solutions is now. For the fashion industry that means moving away from petro-fashion.

Stand.earth: Waging a Relentless Battle for Fossil-Free Fashion as Brands Drag Feet on Climate

  • Richa Bansal
 Interview

22 April 2024

It’s been a newsy April for greenwashing. What does an activist think-tank have to say about it all? texfash.com talks to Todd Paglia, Executive Director of the unrelenting and unapologetic nonprofit Stand.earth.

Significant investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency interventions are required to reduce the absolute emissions of the fashion industry by 50% by 2030, the target set forth by the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Change, which is operated under the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat. The fourth largest exporter and one of the biggest consumers of textiles and apparel, India has immense potential to lead decarbonisation interventions in the sector.
Emissions in the fashion sector stem mostly from sourcing raw materials and from material production. Many of these emissions can be addressed by sourcing renewable electricity and electrifying processes such as textile preparation and colouration. For fashion retailers, most emissions are located in the supply chain.
Chamika Jayasri / Unsplash
Transparent reporting on supply chain renewable electricity sourcing remains limited. From the 20 manufacturing companies who report on any kind of renewable electricity sourcing, 13 (65%) reported purchasing RECs. RECs have been shown to have a limited impact on real decarbonisation.
 
 

Select 2024 : Circularity

Textile Recycling / Using Robots

26 August 2024

 2 minutes

Danish Company Develops Fully Automated Sorting System for Post-Consumer Textiles

The recycling enterprise receives, sorts and processes discarded textiles from municipalities, fashion brands, workwear companies, spinning mills and others.

Robots at a Danish company sort textile waste based on material composition and colour identification using near-infrared (NIR) sensors and cameras, a part of which is then converted into recycled fibres and yarns suitable for production of new garments.

  • Staff Writer
Update
Going Circular / New Model
In recent years, the environmental challenges arising from textile waste have escalated to a point of global concern, sparking a crisis with clear and compelling evidence. Mountains of textile waste can be found not only in the aforementioned African countries, but also in Latin America.

Circularity and Waste: New Paper Lays Ground for a Disruptive Solution

  • Staff Writer

3 January 2024
State of Recycling / EU Crisis
Since spring 2024, the prices for sorted second-hand garments no longer cover processing costs, leading to major cash flow problems for sorting operators.

Europe's Recycling Sector Headed for Crisis with Oversupply of Used Textiles and Drop in Demand from Export Markets

  • Staff Writer

23 October 2024
State of Recycling / Europe Crisis Interview
Sorting for recycling is one option, though it’s not a profitable one right now. Textile sorters aren’t making money on non-reusable textiles, and the demand in Europe isn’t high enough to absorb all that surplus.

Second-Hand Clothes Should Be Considered Waste Only after They Have Served Their Second Life

  • Subir Ghosh

2 December 2024
Going Sustainable / SOLSTICE
The Solstice project targets strategic sustainable transformation of the textile value chain by minimising and transforming textile waste into renewable resources for the EU textiles industry, and also boost the value of newly collected textile waste through smart sorting.

New EU Project Launched to Advance Climate-Neutral and Circular Practices in Textiles Sector

  • Staff Writer

29 May 2024
 
 

Best of 2024 : Columns

Cotton Production / Earthsight Report
The work of Earthsight is necessary to continue pressuring fast fashion companies to make real changes; it helps us remember that the road is still long and that we have a lot to do to have the fair, ethical, environmentally responsible production chain that we all want.

Unravelling the Threads: Debates Leave out the Accounts of Cotton Farmers

  • Verónica López Valenzuela
 First Person

16 April 2024

The recent Earthsight report on cotton farming in Brazil generated a lot of heat and dust. But there's more to the issue than meets the eye, and the trials and tribulations of farming communities everywhere remain unnoticed and unacknowledged. A compelling perspective from the ground in Mexico.

Fashion operates at a rate four times beyond the planet's sustainable limits. This includes the extensive use of primary raw materials and significant greenhouse gas emissions. With climate-related disasters on the rise, the fashion industry must implement radical systemic changes and as fast as possible.

Despite Paying Lip Service to Sustainability, the Money’s Not where the Talk is

  • Pedro Patrique Ferreira da Silva
 Report

3 June 2024
The Indian leather gloves market has quietly emerged as a rising star within the nation's broader leather industry. While discussions often centre around the established success of Indian footwear and leather goods, glove exports have witnessed steady but impressive growth over the past two financial years.
The issue with "market-based solutions" including carbon pricing/carbon offsets as those used by fashion brands is that they shift focus to actions that are not solutions but profit plays.

The Road Away from the Sustainability Roadblock

  • Bill D'Arienzo
 Commentary

5 August 2024
Dornbirn continued a very long tradition as a global network platform for an innovative exchange in the industry with over 125 lectures across four parallel sessions. More than 500 participants from 25 countries represented about 250 companies.
 
 

Top 2024 : Waste

SecondHand / Ghana Study

15 May 2024

 4 minutes

Ghana Study Says Media Reports of Waste Grossly Over-Estimated; It’s Only 5% of Total Second-Hand Clothing Imports

In 2022 and 2021 the major sources of Ghana’s used clothing imports were the United Kingdom, China, Canada, Poland, and the Netherlands. The dependence on a diverse set of countries for imports reflects the global nature of the SHC trade.

Media reports on the amount of textile waste being imported into African countries is much lower than the estimated 40% or more with less than 5% of the imports to Ghana could be considered waste.

  • Staff Writer
Update
Footwear Waste / Agra Report Report
Waste is transported to the Kuberpur dumpsite, 14 km from the city centre.

India's Footwear Hub Agra Faces Challenging Task in Handling 45 tonnes of Waste Every Day

  • Subir Ghosh

11 November 2024
State of Textiles / UK Report Commentary
WRAP is urging key partners across brands, retailers, investors and governments to support the UK’s textiles reuse and recycling sector through grants, investment and legislation so our unloved clothes can catalyse a more circular fashion ecosystem.

In UK, Half of Used Textiles Land in Bin, Recycling in Throes of a Crisis

  • Special Correspondent

1 May 2024
Textile Waste / Catalonia Study
Separate collection emits 40% less CO2eq than non-separate collection (directly to landfills and incinerators). The carbon footprint generated by one tonne of textile waste managed by unseparated collection is 353 kg CO2eq, which is much higher than the 207 kg CO2eq generated by one tonne of textile waste collected separately.

90% of Catalonia's Textile Waste Goes to Incinerators/Landfills; Half of Rest Exported to Middle and Low Income Countries

  • Staff Writer

17 January 2024
Waste Crisis / Seconds Commentary
But most significantly, secondhand markets are built to increase consumption, not cut it back. Charity shops, for example, under increasing pressure to be profitable, have to take on more professionalised and “for-profit” merchandising habits.

Second-Hand Markets and Apps Not a Solution to Clothing Waste

  • Triona Fitton
  • Alida Payson

14 March 2024
 
 

Select 2024 : Innovations

Functional Textiles / Nanomaterials
Researchers from Drexel University, the University of Pennsylvania and Accenture Labs have developed a process for using MXene ink to print a textile energy grid that can be charged wirelessly.

Scientists Develop MXene Nanomaterials that Enable Wireless Charging in Textiles

  • Staff Writer
 Update

25 November 2024

You could soon power your garment gizmos without unfashionably toting around a solid bulky battery. In a significant development for wearable technology, a collaborative team of researchers has developed a process to print a textile energy grid that can be charged wirelessly.

Hanna Magnusson / Chalmers University of Technology
The new technique developed at Lund University could soon be a commercial proposition that instead produces viscose from recycled textiles—and therefore saves on valuable forest resources.
The research team has partnered with donation-based thrift store True North Goodwill to install the fibre-shredding machine to break down excess garments.
A team led by Dr Dahua Shou, Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Advanced Textiles Technologies and Associate Professor of the School of Fashion and Textiles of PolyU has developed first-of-its-kind soft robotic clothing that can automatically adapt to changing ambient temperatures, thereby ensuring working safety in hot environments.
 
 

Best of 2024 : Sea Change

Packaging Alternative / TIPA Solutions

29 October 2024

 7 minutes

Withering Heights: Fashion’s 1.8m Polybag Problem and TIPA’s Compostable Solution

TIPA’s patent-protected formulae are made from a blend of fully compostable polymers, and are what give TIPA films and laminates similar properties to conventional plastic. Because of this, the product demonstrates excellent optical, mechanical, and barrier properties such as high transparency, printability, high sealing strength, high impact, and high barrier.

The number of polybags produced annually to store, transport and protect apparel and footwear stands at a staggering 180 billion. Fashion has a packaging problem too, and providing a sustainable solution is TIPA Corp with its compostable alternative. Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Daphna Nissenbaum talks about fashion’s problems and TIPA's innovative solutions.

  • Subir Ghosh
 Interview
NextGen Fibres / Kelsun Launch Interview
The Kelsun fibre was created to supply the textile industry with a more sustainable alternative to conventional materials.

On an Even Keel: Seaweed Fibre Kelsun Starts Much-Awaited Retail Run

  • Subir Ghosh

24 September 2024
Nex-Gen Materials / Hair Fibres Interview
Human Material Loop has knitted its fibres into a Dutch hair jumper and woven them into a tweed-like blazer. It has tested its parka prototype atop the Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, at an altitude of 6961 metres, where it kept the wearer warm in -30 degrees Celsius.

Beyond the Salon: Dutch Fibre Start-Up Shows Fashion Industry How to Let the Hair Down

  • Richa Bansal

17 June 2024
Nex-Gen Materials / Living Ink Feature
Traditional Carbon Black is a harmful powder pigment made from fossil fuels, commonly used to add colour and structural stability for the ink, textiles, plastics and rubber industries.

The Algae Tech that Promises to Drive Petro Pigments off the Market

  • Richa Bansal

26 February 2024
Material Innovation / Revoltech Interview
An acronym that stands for Leather-like, Oil-free, Vegan, and Residue-Based, the process to create LOVR begins with sourcing agricultural hemp residues, which are typically discarded. These residues are dried, refined, and combined with a proprietary natural binder to create the bio-based material. Future applications include furniture, and wearables, in addition to the existing focus on fashion and automotive industries.

Agriculture, Engineering and Material Design Converge in Revoltech's Leather Alternative

  • Richa Bansal

9 December 2024
 
 

Select 2024 : Cotton

Cotton Production / State of Farmers
There is not a lot of reliable information available on living incomes for smallholder cotton farmers, but they are often poor and generally do not earn a living income.

Brands Amass Heaps with White Gold as Cotton Farmers Remain Mired in Poverty

  • Subir Ghosh
 Analysis

27 June 2024

The subject of cotton farmers keeps raising its head time and again, though in the context of broader discussions about cotton, but invariably the disconcerting issues facing them often languish on the periphery. An analysis of a Solidaridad paper that spotlights on the plight of farmers.

Sourcery’s collaborative engagement and facilitation with all value chain actors, helps its identify and mitigate shared material and performance risks and uncover opportunities that accelerate commercial and environmental excellence and benefit everyone from grower to consumer.
The climate impact has been enormous: clearing Cerrado vegetation for agricultural production generates as much carbon per year as the annual emissions of 50 million cars.
Cotton 2040 worked towards aligning key players in the cotton system on the change needed, catalysing collaborative action to adapt to the changing climate, and empowering brands to embrace sustainable cotton.
Materra designs scalable solutions 
to grow and source climate-resilient, transparent and equitable cotton for fashion brands, farmers and the planet.
 
 

Top 2024 : Biomaterials

Kapok Textiles / Flocus

7 February 2024

 10 minutes

Flocus Your Attention: A Novel Initiative is Resurrecting a Forgotten, Regenerative Fibre

Kapok fibre grows on trees, on non-agricultural land. It not only offers a new environment involvement by creating demand for more trees to be planted and halt deforestation, it also positively impacts on the communities where the fibre is grown and processed. Why was it forgotten!?

A start-up straddling two continents is spinning an all-new yarn from a 100% biodegradable and 100% recyclable, regenerative but sadly forgotten tree that since time immemorial has been growing unabashed in the wild.

  • Richa Bansal
 Feature
Biomaterials / Celium Launch Interview
By offering an alternative to PU and PVC leather -a.k.a. plastic leather- Polybion aims to avoid the threat of micro-plastic pollution due to the amount of energy, water, and chemicals used to produce artificial leather materials.

Polybion Tackles Food Waste and Avoids Plastics with Biomaterial Celium

  • Subir Ghosh

18 June 2024
Indigo Dyeing / Bio-Pigments Interview
Synovance's bio-produced pigments are pure molecules (GMO-free) that are identical to the synthetic ones.

Denim Dyeing Set for Disruption by Synovance's Bio-Produced Pigments

  • Subir Ghosh

8 April 2024
Event Report / Pulp & Beyond 2024 Report
Pulp & Beyond gathered 8000 visitors at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. On show at the exhibition was Metsä Spring’s Kuura fibre made from locally sourced softwood pulp at their bioproducts mill in Central Finland.

Out of the Woods: Nordic Countries Take the Lead with a Range of Innovative Fibres

  • Anna Garton

15 April 2024
Biomaterials / Microplastics
Microplastics can take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to break down and, in the meantime, our planet and bodies are becoming more polluted with these materials every day.

Researchers Develop Plant-Based Polymer Alternative to Petroleum-Derived Microplastics

  • Staff Writer

26 April 2024
 
 

Best of 2024 : Research

Going Circular / Carpet Waste
Concrete samples made with carpet fibres at RMIT University.

Australian Researchers Develop Crack-Resistant Concrete with Scrap Carpet Fibres

  • Staff Writer
 Update

14 November 2024

Technical textiles for construction sector can now use waste carpet material and other discarded textiles including clothing fabrics and firefighting uniforms to make concrete stronger. Field trials are on.

Researchers led by Bernd Nowack have investigated the release of nanoparticles during the washing of polyester textiles.
A chalk-based coating attaches to various commercially available textiles, including cotton and synthetic fiber, to create cooling fabrics, such as the treated synthetic material (right) that’s brighter than the untreated fabric (left).
The yarn’s scalable and efficient design makes it ideal for use in fog-prone areas, offering a reliable source of freshwater.
The researchers worked with designers to grow the upper part of a shoe (without the sole) by growing a sheet of bacterial cellulose in a bespoke, shoe-shaped vessel.
 
 

Top 2024 : Investments

6 March 2024

Stockholm-Based Ecomid Secures €2.75 Million Funding to Revolutionise Retail with AI-Powered Returns Reduction Platform

eComID's technology empowers retailers to incentivize informed purchases, minimizing unnecessary returns. The company's model rewards customers toward sustainable practices and fosters conscious shopping habits.

Stockholm, Sweden: eComID announces the successful closure of an oversubscribed €2.75 million pre-seed round, positioning the company at the forefront of empowering retailers to minimize product returns through its cutting-edge AI-powered platform. CapitalT led the funding round backed by a follow-on investment from H&M Group Ventures, and...

ProcMart aims to utilise the funds to actively explore strategic acquisitions to augment its market leadership and enhance client offerings.
The funds will primarily fuel the expansion of GALY’s research and development on its innovative cellular agriculture platform and its flagship product, “GALY Cotton,” which uses 99% less water and 97% less land than traditional cotton while emitting 77% less CO2, as it advances towards pre-industrial quality and scale.
Founded by Aniela Hoitink, NEFFA has attracted a prestigious consortium of investors, each bringing not only essential funding but also a wealth of industry expertise and influential connections, having extensive experience in biotechnology and fashion.
Una Terra’s Pan-European positioning supports the globalization of Another Tomorrow’s commercial and impact goals. The fund sits at the heart of the European sustainability and innovation landscape.
 
 

Best of 2024 : Releases

The store showcases Levi's signature apparel and accessories, offering the latest range of fits for both men and women.

Levi's Makes Landmark Entry into Bangladesh with First Mainline Store

DHAKA, Bangladesh: Iconic denim lifestyle brand, Levi's today announced the opening of its first store in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Situated in the bustling district of Banani Road, the Levi's store boasts an elevated brand and shopping experience as well as a diverse product assortment that is catered to

YKK is particularly steadfast in its commitment to combatting climate change, with a clear aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, in line with the 1.5°C target outlined by the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative.
The Provisional Partnership Programme was initiated to drive stronger demand in the market with Direct-to-Grower Partners downstream into the entire cotton value chain.
With the optimal combination of Kelheim's specialty fibres and Otto's perfectly matched yarn types, the two innovation partners have solved this puzzle. The result is a prototype that outperforms conventional solutions in terms of liquid absorption speed, capacity, and rewet values.
AGI Denim has partnered with Green Story, an innovative sustainability analytics platform, to measure the environmental impact of its products in a credible and easy-to-understand manner, accessed via QR codes.