In the early 1990s a British PhD student became curious about the presence of unidentified marine litter in his coastal experiments.
This researcher, Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, who now serves as director of the Marine Institute at the University of Plymouth, talks Ecotextile News through the journey from identifying unknown beach fragments appearing on beach cleans to the point, three decades on, where the term microplastics has become globally ubiquitous.
The award-winning scientist also explains how microfibres shed from textiles differ from the plastic particulates synonymous with marine plastic pollution.
As the new 2024/25 tax year begins in the UK, so too do new reporting rules applicable to second-hand apparel resale platforms including Vinted, Depop and eBay.
While frenzied media headlines earlier in the year characterised this as a ‘Side Hustle Tax’ that would hit individuals selling on these sites, Liverpool Hope University's tax expert Richard Tyler explains how this was never the case.
Vinted, which has just reported its first ever annual profit, also shares its take on how this misreporting failed to convey the true nature of the HMRC announcement.
Supply Trace, a pilot established jointly by Sheffield Hallam University and Northeastern University, is using machine learning to develop a free-to-access, searchable online platform that enables anyone to explore tens of millions of shipping records - with the goal of democratising supply chain data and exposing forced labour risk.
The initial phase is focused on apparel exports from the Xinjiang region of China – and the associated risk of forced labour – to the United States.
Scaling up Supply Trace’s remit is already under way, with geographical expansion twinned with adding new industries to the database.
In this video, Dr Shawn Bhimani talks to Ecotextile Views to share the project’s goals as well as his personal vision of a new dawn for supply chain transparency and accountability.
Austrian fibre producing specialist Lenzing Group has published its latest sustainability report today, detailing its progress in relation to key environmental targets during 2023 – and setting fresh goals for the months and years ahead.
Dr Krishna Manda, Lenzing's Vice President for Corporate Sustainability, provides a behind-the-scenes perspective on how a report of this kind comes together, and explains some of the most significant facts and figures in the latest Lenzing update.
Three years since a military coup overthrew Myanmar's civilian government, fashion brands and retailers still source from the southeast Asian nation despite persistent evidence of flagrant worker rights violations.
Despite many public statements regarding commitments to withdraw or implement heightened due diligence, 2022 saw Myanmar apparel exports to the European Union, United States and Japan hit record levels.
Within a perpetually volatile climate, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) continues to monitor abuses of garment workers in the nation via its dedicated allegations tracker.
In this video, Natalie Swan, BHRRC's Labour Rights Programme Manager, discusses the past, present and future issues facing the country's apparel sector in attempting to protect some of the worst paid and most downtrodden workforces on the planet.
Union leader urges Adidas to act on unpaid workers
Fashion sector assembles for global summit
Regenerative agriculture project in Pakistan
Cotton 'degrades faster than toilet paper'
Kering partners on environmental measurement tool
FSC green-light for Woodspin
Forced labour concerns remain in Turkmenistan
S.Oliver launches garment traceability tool
Dye recycler welcomes funding boost
Indorama welcomes upgraded MSCI rating
Sponsored Content
SPONSORED CONTENT - The global discourse surrounding chemical restrictions within supply chains has become a focal point of political discussion. Insights from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA, 2023) reveal that 70% of the export volumes of hazardous substances pertain to industrial chemicals. These chemicals are utilized by companies across diverse sectors, often without full awareness. Fostering effective communication between downstream users and suppliers helps to facilitate the seamless flow of information. As concerns escalate regarding harmful chemicals prevalent in the textile and leather industry, coupled with growing criticism of lax regulatory measures, the industry is gearing up for a positive transformation.
The international OEKO-TEX® association supports textile and leather brands and manufacturers by facing these challenges with their modular certification system. The ECO PASSPORT certification for chemicals, colourants and auxiliaries analyses whether each ingredient in the chemical product meets the legal requirements and that it is not harmful to human health. The label proves which chemicals meet responsible textile and leather manufacture. The 24% increase in OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT certifications in the past fiscal year reflects the interest in solutions to its chemical management.
Companies working with OEKO-TEX® can benefit from a global network of certified suppliers to facilitate the sourcing of chemicals, materials, and business partners. Additionally, OEKO-TEX® is focusing on partnerships with multi-stakeholder initiatives to include as many different perspectives as possible and allow all parties to benefit from the cooperation. In this framework, OEKO-TEX® has strengthened its collaboration with ZDHC in 2023 to enhance the industry’s environmental performance. „Although we have been collaborating with ZDHC for over five years, this formal agreement will augment the benefits of both organisations to brands and their suppliers, “says OEKO-TEX® „Our goal is to share learning and experience, driving sustainability by eliminating harmful chemicals throughout the supply chain and lowering the apparel, footwear, and textile industry’s impact.
ZDHC and OEKO-TEX® are establishing data-sharing processes that will stand to benefit customers, e.g., in the ECO PASSPORT process and through listing on the ZDHC Gateway. This will strengthen data quality, making performance and impact evaluation more credible.
OEKO-TEX® ECO PASSPORT is an integral part of the association‘s modular certification system, as it is integrated into both the OEKO-TEX® STeP production facility certification and the traceable product label OEKO-TEX® MADE IN GREEN. While companies have been benefiting from the internal modular approach for years, from 2024 OEKO-TEX® STeP-certified companies will additionally receive discounts for the ZDHC Supplier to Zero Program, which simplifies the certification process. For example, wastewater tests for OEKO-TEX® STeP are implemented directly into a ZDHC ClearStream, thus simplifying customer requirements. Additionally, STeP customers already benefit from the OEKO-TEX® x The BHive® partnership. It enables customers to digitalise their chemical inventories. Through The BHive® customers can conduct ZDHC Performance InCheck and conformance checks against the ZDHC Gateway, the largest database of chemical products certified against the ZDHC MRSL.
SPONSORED CONTENT - TESTEX is a globally operating and independent Swiss testing and certification institute. Our expertise lies in testing, analysing and certifying textiles and leather, and we are one of the official OEKO-TEX® representatives. From the raw material to the finished product – we set standards and support brands, retailers and manufacturers in achieving their environmental, social responsibility and quality goals.
OEKO-TEX® certification enables consumers and companies to protect our planet by making responsible decisions. With its modular system, OEKO-TEX® offers independent certifications and services to have products tested for harmful substances, to protect the environment and to ensure fair working conditions for people working in the textile and leather supply chain.
OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS: a step ahead of regulatory requirements
OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS is a management tool to meet due diligence requirements in the textile and leather industry. It certifies the management system of a company with a step-by-step approach to integrating human rights and environmental criteria into their management processes, allowing them to fulfil their due diligence obligations along their supply chains and identify risks at an early stage.
The RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS certification fulfils the requirements of the new German Supply Chain Act (Lieferkettengesetz), which aims to protect the rights of people who produce goods for the German market, including garments and other textiles. The bill also covers environmental protection. To guarantee better human rights protection, companies must ensure human rights along their entire supply chain and set up grievance mechanisms and report on their activities.
Find out everything you need to know in our OEKO-TEX® RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS Q&A and video:
SPONSORED CONTENT - The LYCRA Company and Qore® join forces to create next generation bio-derived LYCRA® fibre with QIRA®
The global apparel industry is responsible for 8% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and the industry is mostly reliant on hard coal and natural gas to generate electricity and heat. Without significant changes, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the industry are expected to rise by almost 50% by 2030.*
However, recent data from the Rodale Institute shows that if farmers can improve soil health, through regenerative agricultural practices, then more than 100% of the global annual CO2 emissions could be sequestered into the soil. That’s roughly 52 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year!
The purpose of Regenerative Agriculture is that farmers promote healthy soil practices and biodiversity including low or no tilling, planting cover crops, managing fertilizer use, and improving nutrient management. All of these practices are designed to increase soil organic matter and reduce GHG emissions by sequestering more atmospheric carbon into the soil. This in turn helps promote biodiversity - as well as improving water quality and reducing soil erosion.
In a ground-breaking collaboration, The LYCRA Company has joined forces with Qore®, a joint venture between Cargill, an expert in agricultural fermentation technologies, and HELM, a German chemical company. Next year, Qore® will be producing QIRA® - an ingredient derived from Iowa field corn. QIRA® will be the key component in renewable LYCRA® fibre, bringing the same comfort and fit as from traditional LYCRA® fibre, now with a reduced environmental impact.
When Cargill receives the harvested corn from the farms, part of the process involves separation of the kernel into discrete parts, ensuring each gets used where it can deliver the most value. For example, while the protein typically gets used to create animal feed, the starch portion can be found in a myriad of applications - including ethanol for gasoline, food uses such as corn syrup, and now, fibres for clothing. Steve Stewart, Chief Brand & Innovation Officer of The LYCRA Company, says “By adopting QIRA®, we’re making a significant commitment to reduce our reliance on fossil-based resources and to enable our customers to reduce their carbon footprints.”
Steve Kuiper (pictured left), whose family has been farming in Iowa for more than a century, speaks to its benefits. “Iowa has some of the most productive farming ground in the nation, excellent infrastructure for transporting goods, and the support of organizations like Iowa Corn Growers Association and Iowa Corn Promotion.”
Iowa is also home to Cargill’s biotechnology campus and corn refining operation in Eddyville, Iowa. The Qore® facility for manufacturing QIRA® is also located here, tapping into Cargill’s expertise, R&D and network of farmers. The Qore® facility will run mainly on wind power, reducing energy GHG emissions, and will source field corn from within a 100 mile radius - reducing transportation emissions and providing local farmers, like Kuiper, with a reliable market for their crops.
To learn more, visit: lycra.com/qira
*United Nations, UN launches drive to highlight environmental cost of staying fashionable, 25 March 2019
Features
As a new Textile Exchange report calls for an end to the use of both virgin synthetic textiles and polyester recycled from plastic bottles by the end of the decade, we spoke to three textile-to-textile recycling pioneers about their ambitions.
All three are focused on ...
