9th- 13th September 2024
Ecotextile News
The purpose-led multimedia news platform for sustainability in the global fashion and textile industry.
It’s been yet another busy week over here at Ecotextile News, we’ve covered all of the most important news in the sustainability and textile sector, from the Cascale event to the ongoing issues in Bangladesh and much more. You can visit ecotextile.com for all of our stories, but for now let us guide you through the most important of the week👇🏼
Monday
📍We started off the week with the news that Patagonia has signed up to Pack4Good, the sustainable packaging initiative from environmental non-profit, Canopy.
With an estimated three billion trees cut down each year for paper packaging, the Pack4Good initiative works to encourage fashion and textile industry stakeholders to adopt next-generation alternative solutions, such as those which utilise alternative fibres made from renewable materials or waste products.
📍We also reported that a two-year review by the Global Labour Institute at Cornell University reveals significant progress in tackling gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) under a historic agreement signed in India, but also highlights concerns over its sustainability due to declining orders and resultant layoffs.
Despite clear evidence that the 'Dindigul Agreement to Eliminate Gender-based Violence and Harassment' is effectively preventing GBVH, worker numbers at Natchi Apparel Factory and Spinning Mills in India have declined by 34% as orders dwindle, following the sexual assault and murder of 20-year-old Dalit Jeyasre Kathiravel by a supervisor in January 2021.
Tuesday
📍On Tuesday we disclosed that Cascale 's new CEO has today urged more than 600 leaders of the textile, apparel and consumer goods industry to target "industry hotspots" for carbon emissions.
Colin Browne told the nonprofit's on-going annual meeting in Munich that 1,500 manufacturing facilities in nine countries accounted for 80% of the industry’s carbon emissions. It was also revealed in a joint statement on stage from the Apparel Impact Institute , Cascale and RESET Carbon Ltd. 锐思碳管理 , that CO2 benchmarks for facilities will also be developed.
📍We also reported that eighteen global brands, including adidas , Gap , Levis’Store , PVH Corp. and VF Corporation , have signed a joint statement calling on the Cambodian government to cancel an investigation into an NGO which criticised a garment factory watchdog.
The Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL) NGO has been under investigation by the country's National Audit Authority and a criminal complaint lodged against its leader.
Wednesday
📍On Wednesday we revealed that Uzbekistan told the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) Annual Conference and IAF: International Apparel Federation World Fashion Convention - held this week in the country - that it was ready to take a place at heart of the global textile industry.
A global boycott of cotton from Uzbekistan – the world’s sixth largest cotton producer – was lifted in 2022 after the Cotton Campaign coalition concluded that government-imposed forced labour had been eradicated.
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📍We also broke the news that Cascale , formerly known as the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), have signed a new supply chain collaboration.
The memorandum of understanding is aimed at advancing sustainability and promoting environmental and socially responsible practices within the country’s textile and apparel sector.
Thursday
📍On Thursday we revealed that technology company Worldly is launching a new tool which it says will enable apparel companies to calculate product-based Scope 3 emissions in minutes.
The 'Product Impact Calculator' is claimed to be the first tool to seamlessly integrate primary supply chain data with product impact models to deliver Scope 3 insights.
📍We also disclosed that the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) has announced the latest round of grants from its Climate Solutions Portfolio which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the textile industry.
Aii says the recipients - Pozzi, Grant Thornton and AMPHICO - were selected based on their solutions’ commercial viability, scalability and measurable GHG reductions.
Friday
📍Today, we report that Inditex is to launch its secondhand platform Zara Pre-Owned in the US next month, after it was launched in the UK in 2022 and across Europe last year.
The service, which is available through Zara's stores, its website and a mobile app, aims to extend the life of customers' garments, contribute to the reduction of waste and the consumption of new raw materials.
📍We finished off the week with the news that a new Greenpeace report claims that nearly half of the discarded fast fashion garments being exported to Ghana is unsellable and ends up being dumped or burned, damaging the environment and public health.
It contrasts with recent research by both the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association (GUCDA) and the German development agency GIZ which said only a small fraction of imported used clothing could be classed as waste.
🌟That’s a wrap on this week's briefing! Don’t forget to subscribe- it’s totally free and makes sure you don’t miss a week🌟