The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal has said the India-Australia trade pact will raise bilateral trade from the present $26-27 billion to $100 billion by 2030, much faster than initial expectation of rising to $50 billion in five years. The excitement generated by the agreement has increased business optimism on both sides, he said while addressing the University of Melbourne along with Mr. Dan Tehan, Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment in Melbourne today. “Together this marriage can truly have far reaching dimensions for both our economies and, if I dare say, for the rest of the world also where we can collectively engage and have an outreach to other parts of the world,” he said. The minister invited Australian businesses to invest in India. “We offer you transparency. We offer you our trust, rule of law. We are two democratic nations, two people who love sports, both are members of the Commonwealth,” he said. The minister also addressed members of the business community from both countries at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Shri Goyal said India and Australia have complementarities that can benefit both countries, - India’s huge market and Australia’s investible surplus. He said the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (IndAus ECTA) will unlock the huge market of almost 1.4 billion consumers in India to Australian industries. “We are now One, that’s what the Unity Agreement is all about. And at this watershed moment in our relations, I think it’s only appropriate that we break every barrier between the two countries whether it’s movement of goods, services, people, technology, education, science, medical knowledge, we break all these barriers, see how we can work together as true brothers,” said Shri Goyal. Shri Goyal said there is huge potential in areas like textiles, pharma, hospitality, gems and jewellery, IT, Startups etc. and Accountancy in Services, that will create huge employment in both countries. “Let’s see some more Tasmania lobsters in New Delhi possibly, or wine from South Australia coming down into Indian shelves, we’ll probably have a lot more Bangaloreans coming down to Melbourne to serve you in your IT space, we’ll have a lot more jewellers from Prime Minister’s home state of Gujarat, from Surat coming down to sell their wares in the stores in Australia, lots to do together, lot of potential in different areas. I hope this partnership will grow and we will all grow along with this partnership,” he added. Shri Goyal said there is huge scope for trade in Services. While Australia is a preferred destination for Higher Education for most Indians, the IndAus ECTA paved the way for resolution of a big obstacle for India’s IT sector to grow in Australia. “I am delighted that we have been able to resolve a long pending issue about taxation of the IT industry that was kind of holding back greater business with Australia. That being behind us, there’s huge potential,” he said. Shri Goyal observed that many thousand years ago, Australia and India were part of same supercontinent and then the brothers were separated due to continental break-up. Today, our governments are trying to bring them together with increasing partnership on political, economic, security and sporting front. Our relations are as strong and resilient as the mighty Pacific Ocean, he said. “Well, as they say, there’s a saying in Hindi, ‘dair aaye, durrast aaye’, - Even though you may be late, but it’s good that you are there. And I think that’s the sentiment that the Indus-Ekta Agreement has for all of us,” he said. Later, delivering the keynote address at Lunch with Business Leaders, organised by the Australia India Chamber of Commerce (AICC) in Melbourne, Shri Goyal termed the IndAus ECTA as an important milestone that will contribute to widespread development of multi-sectoral economic value chains. Shri Goyal said it will have a positive economic multiplier effect in both economies. “I believe that here is a partnership between two countries which don’t compete with each other at all, they actually complement each other,” said Shri Goyal. “The focus that we are putting on Make in India dovetails so beautifully into the strengths of Australia, the natural bounty that you are all endowed with,” he said. Shri Goyal said that India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several bold initiatives since 2014 towards Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business to ensure a better quality of life for all. “We believe when the people of India have a better quality of basic necessities, they will be able to contribute much more to the Indian economy, to the society, be better citizens of the country. And the next stage, obviously, as the demand, as the expectations of our people increase, we will be needing to provide economic growth, we will be needing to provide jobs. There will be millions, hundreds of millions who will own their first automobile, there will be hundreds of millions who want to buy a dishwasher, a washing machine, there will be hundreds of millions who will be looking for better nutrition, better quality of healthcare, better quality of education,” said Shri Goyal. “And that’s where the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement can actually make a significant impact on the lives of the people of India and similarly provide huge opportunities for the people of Australia, working together, to meet the needs and aspirations of this billion plus people,” he added. Complimenting the leadership of Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Scott Morrison, Shri Goyal said the role of the former Australian Prime Minister and Australian PM’s Special Envoy on Trade, Mr. Tony Abbott and Australia’s Trade Minister, Mr. Dan Tehan were instrumental in capping the long pending trade pact between the two nations. “The world is going through tumultuous times, we’ve been grappling with Covid and other situations which are a cause of serious concern for all of us, but within those boundaries of problems, I think, (the fact that) India and Australia have demonstrated a unity of mind, a unity of purpose and a shared commitment to come together, expand our people to people relations, expand our business to business relations, strengthen the political partnership of our two leaders and two governments,” he said. Earlier, paying his tributes to the veteran cricketer, late Shane Warne who hailed from Melbourne, the Minister said that he had his admirers in India as well and that millions of cricket fans mourned over the sudden demise of the ‘King of Spin’. “He was unique in more ways than one,” said Shri Goyal, conveying his deepest condolences to the cricketer’s family and friends.
Source: PIB
North Indian markets continued to witness poor demand from downstream industry for polyester-cotton (PC) yarn and acrylic yarn on Wednesday. PSF prices also remained stable. Buyers have sufficient stocks of raw material to run their units with partial capacity. Steady trend in domestic cotton prices was also a reason for bearish tone in yarn market. Ludhiana, India’s most prominent man-made yarn market, noted steady trend in PC and acrylic yarn prices. 30 count PC combed yarn (48/52) was sold at ₹295-310 per kg (GST extra). 30 count PC carded yarn (65/35) was priced at ₹260-270 per kg. 20 count PC (recycled-O/E) PSF yarn (40/60) was traded at ₹190-195 per kg, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro. Acrylic NM (2/48) was priced at ₹315-320 per kg, while acrylic NM (2/32) was at ₹280-290 per kg. PSF also remained unmoved at ₹123 per kg. Meanwhile, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) kept raw material prices as: PTA ₹91.10, MEG ₹62.30 and MELT ₹99.52 per kg. Global oil benchmark Brent crude futures was at $106.64 per barrel, as per TexPro. The raw material of PSF is sourced from crude oil. ICE Cotton Futures closed with mixed session on Tuesday, with old crop contracts lower compared to new crop contracts. Both May and July cotton were down as the US dollar strengthened, and last week's export sales were non-supportive. However, December cotton was higher. In fact, traders are questioning the 2022 data on acres on which cotton is being cultivated, given the high input costs and the Texas drought. Cotton contract for May 2022 closed at 137.53 cents, down 41 points; July 2022 closed at 133.97 cents, down 31 points; December 2022 closed at 114.82 cents, up 106 points. Cotton became more expensive for overseas purchasers due to a 0.3 per cent increase in the dollar index. In north India, cotton prices remained stable on Wednesday amid limited demand from mills at higher prices, while daily arrivals were stagnant. In Punjab, cotton was quoted at ₹90,000-91,200 per candy of 356 kg. In Haryana, cotton was sold at ₹88,200-90,200 per candy. In Upper Rajasthan, cotton was ruling at ₹90,800-91,400 per candy. In Lower Rajasthan, cotton was priced at ₹85,500-87,500 per candy.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
Department of Commerce has bilateral institutional mechanism with several countries including its neighboring countries, except with Pakistan, under which discussions on trade, investment and economic issues are held at mutual convenience. Various such bilateral meetings have been held in last four years, in which the trade, investment and economic issues of mutual interest such as strengthening of border trade infrastructure, technical barriers to trade (TBT), sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, cooperation in customs, facilitation of trade through railways, land and sea ports, harmonization of standards, etc have been discussed from time to time. Resolution of these issues and implementation of various projects and programs of mutual interests has yielded positive outcomes which is reflected in India’s increasing total trade with these countries i.e from USD 112.15 billion in the year 2017-18 to USD 135.77 billion in April 2021- Feb 2022(Provisional). This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Source: PIB
Global brands such as Zara, Mango and H&M place orders with Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam. The textile hub of Tirupur in Tamil Nadu and tea estates of southern India and Assam are witnessing a surge in overseas orders as the export demand has diverted to India from Sri Lanka owing to the economic and political crisis in the island nation. Garments and tea are the major exports from Sri Lanka. "It has crippled the manufacturing sector in Sri Lanka, especially apparels," said Raja M Shanmugam, president, Tirupur Exporters' Association. "The Sri Lankan apparel industry even imports buttons. Due to the ongoing crisis, global brands have started diverting some of the orders from Sri Lanka to India's Tirupur textile hub. These orders are being placed for the upcoming fall season." Global brands such as Zara, Mango and H&M place orders with Asian countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam. "Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia have huge orders in their hands. The only option left in this scenario is India. However, high cotton and yarn prices are a major concern for the Indian textile trade," said Shanmugam. Sri Lanka exports $5.42 billion worth of garments to the global markets annually. While export orders for apparel are being diverted to India, the tea industry in the country, too, has started getting export enquiries from the markets where Sri Lanka used to sell teas. "Almost all tea processing units in Sri Lanka are witnessing power cuts for almost 12-13 hours a day and have not enough fuel to run their generators. This is leading to production disruption and thereby impacting the quality of black tea leaves," said Dipak Shah, chairman, South India Tea Exporters Association, who was in Colombo a few days ago. Sri Lanka produces orthodox teas that are exported to countries such as Iraq, Iran, the UAE, Libya, Russia and Turkey. India, too, produces orthodox tea, which mostly goes to Iran and Russia. "Some of the orders from the orthodox tea consuming nations are being diverted to India," said Shah. He said even packet tea players in Sri Lanka are facing problems as they cannot import packaging materials due to the economic crisis.
Source: Economic Times
The recent signing of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) is expected to increase India’s textile exports to Australia by three-fold in three years. The agreement is likely to especially benefit the hosiery textile hub of Tiruppur and home furnishing hub of Panipat. India will also be able to import high quality long staple cotton duty free. India’s textile industry has very high expectations from ECTA. Industry experts said the agreement may also give some relief to exporters from costlier cotton, as it has a provision of duty-free import of high quality long staple cotton from Australia. To help the agreement gather steam, India’s minister of textiles, commerce and industry Piyush Goyal is currently in Australia holding meetings with Australian business organisations. The minister is accompanied by representatives of several EPCs (export promotion councils), including the Apparel Export Promotion Council. As per ECTA, India would be able to duty-free import 3 lakh bales of 170 kg each of cotton annually from Australia. This will increase the accessibility of high quality long staple cotton and provide some respite to the industry when cotton prices are on a continuous rise. Ravi Sam, chairman, Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) said in a statement, “It will give impetus to the Indian textile industry. Duty free export of high-quality cotton from Australia will provide relief to exporters. Thousands of jobs will be created as we will be able to export textile products with 7 to 10 times value addition.” On the other hand, India’s total textile exports, mainly garments and home textiles, to Australia are expected to increase from the current $392 million annually to $1.1 billion within three years, due to the deal. Tiruppur, the largest hosiery garment production hub in South India, is likely to benefit the most from the agreement, according to sources. Firstly, the transportation cost of cotton imports from Australia to South India and exports from there will be lesser. Apart from this, Tiruppur has capability to produce high quality knitted hosiery garments at lower cost. N Jeyasekaran, director of Tiruppur-based firm Wiseman Exports told Fibre2Fashion, “Tiruppur would particularly benefit from the agreement because Tiruppur has a special position in production of high quality hosiery garments at lower cost.” Panipat, which is known for good quality carpets and floorings, is also likely to benefit from ECTA. Deepak Durga, from an export firm HM Overseas, said that home furnishings, including carpets and floorings, are already being exported to Australia, and the agreement will further boost the exports from Panipat. According to Durga, logistic cost from north India to seaports will not be a big issue as it will not increase the total cost by more than 0.15-0.20 per cent.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
IPICOL is responsible for devising the investment promotion, facilitation and aftercare strategy for Odisha Kolkata The Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) has identified nine sectors for attracting investments into the state during the current year. According to Bhupendra Singh Poonia, Managing Director, IPICOL, the sectors include technical textiles, aerospace and defence, green energy, electronics, electric vehicle and battery components manufacturing, textiles and apparels and pharmaceuticals. “There are nine priority sectors which we have identified. We are one of the biggest primary metal producers like pig iron, steel and aluminium. Now, we are promoting downstream ancillary industry. Some of our focus areas are auto components, white goods, electronics, textiles and apparels, green energy. We have also identified new age sectors like technical textiles, aerospace and defence, pharmaceuticals, white goods, telecommunication equipment,” Poonia told BusinessLine. IPICOL is responsible for devising the investment promotion, facilitation and aftercare strategy for Odisha. The Odisha government is aligning its policies to the various PLI schemes available to attract new age industries. The State has already received one investment interest in defence sector and it is in “advanced stage” of implementation, he said. Bullish on investment growth In 2021, though there was some impact on investment in Odisha due to Covid-induced lockdown and slowdown in economy, the State has managed to garner investment interest of ₹4.38 lakh crore. “There are some natural advantages that our state enjoys, including one-third of the country’s iron ore and coal, nearly half of the aluminium bauxite, land, and 11 per cent of water resource. Apart from these, we are investing heavily on skill development All these are big attraction for industry. Now, with economic activities picking up, new projects as well as expansion activities are happening and we are getting good interest. We are optimistic on sustaining the growth momentum in terms of investment interest going forward,” he said. Apart from the traditional metals and mineral sectors, the State has been witnessing good traction of interest in tourism, plastic and chemicals, and textile and apparels. The availability of skilled manpower and the relatively lower cost of doing business are the key advantages, he pointed out. “The present quantum of investment will increase as we have very good policy for new age sector apart from natural advantages. We are well connected to rail, road and sea routes and we are the gateway to South East Asian countries,” he said. In MSME segment, there is a considerable interest in food processing and agri business sectors. The state government has set up district investment promotion agencies to help ground investments and projects.
Source: The Hindu Business Line
Surat-based Goldi Solar, a key solar panel manufacturer and EPC services provider has solarized Surat’s First Textile Market for Avadh Group. Avadh is a real estate company focused on residential as well as commercial development. The market is located in the heart of Umarwada, Surat district. The project will be completed in three phases, of which the first 100 KW has been commissioned. Goldi Solar’s high-efficiency modules will generate 497,400 KWh power annually and offset 47.1 tons of CO2. Avadh Textile Market is expected to save Rs 37.5 lakhs every year on electricity charges. After emerging as the leading manufacturing hub of diamond and textile industry, Surat is poised to grow into a solar hub. More than 10,000 textile markets could benefit from going solar. For Goldi Solar, the project continues a record of working closely with the textile sector to enable renewable energy access. Commenting on the project, Ishver Dholakiya, Founder & Managing Director, Goldi Solar said, “It feels good to be at the center of change and make a difference. We believe that this project will propel the overall development of solar as a mainstream source of energy in Surat. We are proud to support Avadh Group in their solarization journey, and urge others to adopt solar to make Surat a clean and green city.” Lavjibhai Dungarbhai Daliya, Director and President, Avadh Group said, “We hope Avadh has set the precedent for other organizations to shift to solar energy for their power requirements and transition to a carbon-neutral company.” Gujarat in particular is in the middle of a massive solar push, with the state leading in residential rooftop, and more recently, adding on massive utility scale projects as well as commercial initiatives such as those by the Avadh Group. The state is also the clear manufacturing leader, in existing as well as upcoming solar manufacturing capacity, with Goldi Solar itself planning to expand its 1 GW capacity all the way to 2.5 GW in time.
Source: saurenergy
Non-profit H&M Foundation has named the winners of its 2022 Global Change Award which was launched in 2015 to transform fashion and make it planet positive, in order for the industry to fulfil the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. That means finding and supporting disruptive innovations that address one or several of the earth’s global commons – land, water, oceans, climate and biodiversity. As the aim is to find innovations that allow major change for the entire industry the winners are free to collaborate with any actor they want. “The winners of the Global Change Award hold the key to the complex challenges we are facing and prove that it’s possible to reinvent fashion. Their game-changing innovations are really inspiring and can help transform the fashion industry into a planet positive one,” says Karl-Johan Persson, board member of H&M Foundation and chairman of H&M Group. In addition to the financial grant, all five winners also get access to the one-year GCA Impact Accelerator programme provided by H&M Foundation in partnership with Accenture, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and The Mills, offering the winners coaching and support. The GCA Impact Accelerator aims to help the winning ideas scale at speed through business, technology, investor and innovation readiness, and industry access. It also offers winners a mix of digital sessions and meetups at key locations. • BioPuff by saltyco (UK) – A planet positive alternative to goose down, crafted from plants that heal damaged land. • Biorestore (Sweden) – A laundry solution that restores old and worn garments to mint condition. • CottonAce by Wadhwani AI (India) – An AI solution that reduces pesticide use, increases yield and raises incomes for smallholder cotton farmers. • Re:lastane (China) – The first mild process making elastane and polyester blend fabrics recyclable. • Rubi (US) – Planet positive viscose and lyocell made from carbon emissions. Toward the end of last year, H&M Foundation launched a project in partnership with photography museum Fotografiska to raise awareness of the impact sustainable fashion innovation can achieve if given the opportunity to scale. The two-year collaboration begins with Fotografiska Stockholms exhibition The Changing Room by visual artist and multimedia pioneer Tobias Gremmler. In a scenographic media exhibition, the artist takes Fotografiska’s visitors on a journey to picture a world where garments can grow directly on human skin through an array of imaginative notions.
Source: Just-style
The bloc's third-largest export destination and the largest import partner, increased significantly in 2021, according to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU). Imports from China were highest in 2021 (€472 billion) and lowest in 2013 (€239 billion). The average year-on-year growth rate for imports was 6 per cent during this period. Between 2011 and 2021, EU exports to China were highest in 2021 (€223 billion) and lowest in 2011 (€127 billion), registering an average year-on-year growth rate of 7 per cent. EU also continuously recorded a trade deficit with China, increasing from €129 billion in 2011 to a peak value of €249 billion in 2021. The COVID-19 crisis caused both exports and imports between the EU and China to slow down in the first months of 2020, but both recovered over the following months. In 2021, China was the third-largest partner for EU exports of goods (10 per cent of extraEU exports), trading mainly machinery and vehicles (52 per cent of exports to China), other manufactured goods (20 per cent) and chemicals (15 per cent). China was also the largest partner for EU imports of goods (22 per cent of extra-EU imports) in the same product groups that are machinery and vehicles (56 per cent of imports from China), other manufactured goods (35 per cent) and chemicals (7 per cent) in 2021.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
The Commission has finalised its scoping assessment to identify the priority list of waste streams for the development of further EU-wide end-of-waste criteria, as announced in the Circular Economy Action plan.* Over the past year and a half, the Commission has carried out a scoping exercise that included a study published in 2020.** This was followed up by a stakeholder consultation and an on-line stakeholder workshop on 14-15 September 2021 where the Commission presented the ongoing end-of-waste scoping project, information gathered and preliminary findings.*** As part of this work, the Joint Research Centre/European Commission published the report Scoping possible further EU-wide end-of-waste and by-product criteria (europa.eu). This report identifies the most suitable candidate streams for which further EU-wide end-of-waste criteria could be developed based on a methodology developed to ensure a real added EU value. The assessment builds on data and information provided by stakeholders during the stakeholder consultation period. The top two candidate streams to be prioritised are the following: 1. Plastics: • polyethylene terephthalate recovered/recycled from plastic waste; • low- and high-density polyethylene recovered/recycled from plastic waste; • mixed plastics waste recovered/recycled from plastic waste; • polystyrene and expanded polystyrene recovered/recycled from plastic waste; and • polypropylene plastic recovered/recycled from plastic waste. 2. Textiles: • separately collected clothes and other textiles prepared for re-use; • cellulosic fibres recovered/recycled from textile waste; and • mixed fibres recovered/recycled from textile waste The Commission and its Joint Research Centre will commence the work on the development of end-of-waste criteria for plastic waste in Q2 2022 with the finalisation of the technical assessment expected by Q1 2024.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
Tailored support to help companies move innovations to commercial scale. Fashion for Good has selected seven companies to participate in its 2022 Asia Innovation Programme. Chosen by Fashion for Good brand and manufacturing partners during a hybrid digital/in-person event in Mumbai from a group of global innovators, the nine-month programme will provide the participants with tailored support to help them scale by matching them with relevant industry partners to drive piloting, implementation, and investing activities. The selected companies joining the programme are: -An Herbals of India, which has patented circular herbal dye extraction, herbal dyeing and bioprocessing technology. It converts waste from the forest, food and ayurvedic medicine industries into dyes that are non-toxic with self-binding, antiviral, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti odour, UV resistant and mosquito repellent properties for up to 50 washes in all textiles. -Fermentech Labs, also of India, is addressing the disposal of agricultural and forest residues, such as straw, peels and pine needles, through a patented biotechnology using microorganisms. It converts organic waste, otherwise destined for incineration, into industrial enzymes that are used for textile bio-polishing, desizing and bio-scouring. -Gaiacel of the USA, which is developing a technology to make the industrial rope and slasher dyeing processes sustainable and cost-effective. A patented nanocellulose hydrogel along with dye particles sticks to textile surfaces and eliminates the need for multiple dipping, indigo reduction and additional chemicals. The process is less water and energy intensive compared to conventional indigo dyeing. -Picvisa, of Spain, which is developing solutions based on robotics, artificial intelligence and vision that can classify textiles by composition and colour. -India’s Sodhani Biotech, which produces non-toxic chemical free natural dyes and colours from plants, plant waste and microorganisms. The company produces 16 natural dye extracts using optimised extraction processes that have resulted in better yields, a wider range of shades, better water solubility and good colour fastness for printing and dyeing applications. -UKHI Hemp Foundation, an Indian farm-to-market company, producing more than five hundred products from hemp, including textiles, papers, bioplastics, composites, food products and medicines. The aim is to improve farmer and artisan livelihoods by training them to cultivate hemp and produce fabrics with higher hemp content using improvised fibre extraction processes. -Vaayu, of Germany, which has developed the world’s first automated carbon-tracking software for retailers, enabling businesses to reduce their footprint by providing accessible, real-time data to drive carbon-reduction at scale. “We are extremely excited to kick off our third year in Asia and continue to generate tangible impact in the region with the addition of these seven new innovations,” said Priyanka Khanna, head of Asia expansion at Fashion for Good. “ By providing them with a platform to learn and grow, and connecting them with leading industry players, the programme offers an opportunity to drive the implementation of solutions in the supply chain at scale.” As with previous selections, these companies receive bespoke support based on the immediate requirement of each, as well as exposure to corporate partners and industry ecosystem players vital to continued growth and development.
Source: Fibre2Fashion
A US fashion academic has led development of RECLEM, a patented process designed to help manufacturers create new apparel from recycled fabric. Mary Ruppert-Stroescu provides a road map for how designers and manufacturers can deconstruct and reuse discarded textile products, and add further value by reassembling—or upcycling—them into something fresh and new. Cotton fabric is natural, renewable, biodegradable and—at least theoretically— sustainable. But producing that fabric requires significant energy and resources. Seeds are planted, cultivated and harvested. Cotton bales are shipped to factories, spun into yarns, and woven or knit into bolts of fabric. Cloth is coloured, cut and sewn to create finished garments. According to Ruppert-Stroescu, associate professor and fashion design area coordinator at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, roughly 15 per cent of cloth intended for apparel winds up as scrap on the cutting room floor. And though an estimated 95 per cent of retail clothing is recyclable, the vast majority ends up in landfills. With RECLEM, she has offered a road map for how designers and manufacturers can deconstruct and reuse discarded textile products, and add further value by reassembling—or ‘upcycling—them into something fresh and new. “The first step is to collect fabric and slice it into strips, squares or other small pieces,” Ruppert-Stroescu explained. Though synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, can be melted down and spun into new thread, re-spinning cotton or other natural fabrics is difficult and results in shorter fibers. “Our goal is to maintain as much structural integrity as possible.” Once cut, the fabric pieces are laid—either by hand or via digital plotter—into a surface design within the garment pattern shape on thin, biodegradable film. This holds the design in place while pieces are stitched together. When the fabric is washed, the film dissolves and the sections are ready to assemble, a press release from the university said. As the process involves shaping fabric, rather than cutting it, grain can be customised and patterns can easily be scaled up or down. In addition, the RECLEM system largely maps onto existing commercial machinery and could be seamlessly integrated into large-scale production, Ruppert-Stroescu said. Compared to creating new cloth, RECLEM dramatically lowers material costs while resulting in no loss of tensile strength, wrinkle recovery, water repellency or abrasion resistance. The core challenge, she added, is essentially cultural.
Source: Queensland Country Life
