The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today chaired the 4th meeting of National Startup Advisory Council (NSAC) in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister assured continued government support in developing statrup ecosystem. He appreciated the work done by NSAC members and urged them to focus on tier 2 and tier 3 cities where limited VC funding is available. He also emphasized on the need for capacity building and generating awareness about various initiatives of the government to promote startups in such cities. Members of the council have also been visiting states and interacting with startup entrepreneurs and students in educational institutions to understand and find ways to energize the startup ecosystem. The Council deliberated upon important matters relating to startup ecosystem including protecting ownership of startups with original promoters, incorporating in India, listing in India, developing innovation hubs, etc. The members also shared progress on programs presented in earlier NSAC meetings including National Mentorship Program, Investor-Startup Matchmaking Portal, Incubator Capacity Development Program, etc. The Minister also launched NavIC Grand Challenge which aims at promoting adoption of NavIC as geo-positioning solution, a key proponent for digital Aatmanirbharta. The applications for the grand challenge are open on Startup India’s website (www.startupindia.gov.in) and it aims to identify and handhold solutions of startups which are engaged in developing NavIC enabled drones. Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had constituted the National Startup Advisory Council to advise the Government on measures needed to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation and startups in the country to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities. Besides the ex-officio members, the council has non-official members, representing various stakeholders such as founders of successful startups, veterans who have grown and scaled companies in India, persons capable of representing interests of investors, incubators and accelerators into startups, representatives of associations of stakeholders of startups and representatives of industry associations. It is a one of its kind congregation wherein the policy making process is driven as part of collaboration between all the key stakeholders of the Startup ecosystem. Secretary, Department of Space also highlighted upon the various measures being undertaken by the Government in both strengthening NavIC’s capabilities and in creating a holistic ecosystem of software and hardware around the same. In the meeting, Prasar Bharti showcased trailer of the second edition of Startup Champions 2.0 which will be aired on bouquet of Doordarshan channels in coming months. The meeting was attended by key stakeholders, officials and existing startups in the country. Some of them include Shri Manoj Kohli, Country Head, Softbank India; Shri Deepak Garg, Founder & CEO, Rivigo Service; Shri Abhiraj Bhal, Co-founder, UrbanCompany; Shri Kunal Bahl, Co-founder & CEO, Snapdeal; Shri Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Founder & Executive Vice Chairman, InfoEdge; Ms. Lizzie Chapman, Cofounder & CEO, ZestMoney; Shri Kunal Upadhyay, IIM Ahmedabad; Shri Rajan Anandan, Sequoia Capital; Shri Karthik Reddy, Chairperson, Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association; Shri Prashanth Prakash, Partner, Accel and others. During the course of the meeting, the members also shared many interesting insights and views about the startup ecosystem and gave recommendations as to how the ecosystem can be strengthened further through various initiatives and programmes.
Source: PIB
Earlier in the day, the CBIC had said that a technical glitch has been reported by Infosys in the generation of April GSTR-2B and autopopulation of GSTR-3B on the portal. GSTR3B is filed in a staggered manner between 20th, 22nd and 24th of every month for different categories of taxpayers. As taxpayers face technical glitches on the GST portal, the government on Tuesday extended the due date for April tax payment till May 24 and has directed NSE 1.97 % for early resolution of the problem. “The due date for filing FORM GSTR-3B for the month of April 2022 has been extended till 24th May 2022,” the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) said in a late-night tweet. Earlier in the day, the CBIC had said that a technical glitch has been reported by Infosys in the generation of April GSTR-2B and auto-population of GSTR-3B on the portal. "Infosys has been directed by Govt for early resolution. Technical team is working to provide GSTR-2B & correct autopopulated GSTR-3B at the earliest," the CBIC tweeted. GSTR-2B is an auto-drafted Input Tax credit ( NSE 4.17 % ) statement which is available to every GST registered entity based on the information furnished by their suppliers in their respective sales return form GSTR-1. GSTR-2B statement is usually made available to businesses on the 12th day of the succeeding month, based on which they can claim ITC while paying taxes and filing GSTR-3B. GSTR-3B is filed in a staggered manner between 20th, 22nd and 24th of every month for different categories of taxpayers. "Considering the difficulties faced by taxpayers in filing their GSTR-3B for the month of April 2022, a proposal to extend the due date of filing GSTR-3B for April 2022 is under active consideration," the CBIC tweeted. On Sunday, GST Network, which provides the technology backbone for Goods and Services Tax, had issued an advisory saying that in a few cases, certain records are not reflected in the GSTR-2B statement for the period of April 2022 and asked taxpayers to file GSTR-3B return on a self-assessment basis. The technical team is working to resolve this issue for the impacted taxpayers and generate fresh GSTR-2B at the earliest. In the interim, affected taxpayers interested in filing GSTR-3B are requested to file the return on a selfassessment basis using GSTR-2A," the GSTN had said. GSTR-2A is a system-generated statement of inward supplies. In 2015, Infosys was awarded a Rs 1,380 crore contract to build and maintain the GST system. AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said "technical glitches on the portal would derail the tax filings for millions of taxpayers in the current month. For the benefit of all the businesses, the government must either extend the timelines for tax filings or waive the late fees payable on delayed filings".
Source: Economic Times
The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has initiated several systemic and procedural changes for Enhancing Transparency and Ease of Doing Business, thereby reducing the compliance burden on stakeholders. This has been achieved through an extensive exercise towards simplification of Rules, Processes and Procedures relating to Trade Remedy. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) (earlier known as DGAD) was formed on 17th May 2018 as a single national entity dealing with all kinds of Trade Remedial measures (anti-dumping, countervailing, safeguard). The DGTR provides a level playing field to the domestic industry against the unfair trade practices like dumping, subsidization and surge in imports. DGTR accordingly simplified formats and questionnaires to be filed by Producers/Exporters, Importers, Users and Domestic Industry in Trade Remedy investigations by reducing the number of formats, and introducing self-certification by placing trust on stakeholders. For handholding of Indian Industries especially MSME’s, DGTR introduced procedure of sampling for domestic producers in fragmented industry in Anti-dumping/ Countervailing duty investigation. New avenues have been explored by conducting the Safeguard Quantitative Restrictions investigation, Bilateral Safeguard Investigations, investigations on suo-motu basis. The suo-moto investigations are indeed challenging given the structure of the domestic industry which therefore, deserves a special mention. These investigations ensure an equitable space for various stakeholders. It is important to note that in 2021-22, final findings were issued in three trade remedy investigations which were initiated on suomoto basis after more than 2 decades. Duties have since been imposed in all the three cases. The concept of summary proceedings has been introduced in cases of name change only. The level playing field provided by the Government based on recommendations made by the DGTR enabled a large number of industries in capacity additions, significant direct & indirect employment protection & generation, continued viable operations, significant capital investment. The Directorate recommended imposition of anti-dumping duties under the provisions of material retardation to establishment of domestic industry in a large number of products where there were no past history of production in the Country, and new capacities had come up in the country and existence of which was getting threatened because of dumping practices. DGTR issued revised guidelines for filing Sunset Review applications, and revised checklist for prima facie scrutiny of applications for completeness of documents. DGTR proposed Rules for Anti-Absorption provisions in Anti-Dumping and Countervailing Duty investigations after considering comments of stakeholders on the same. The Rules have been notified by DoR, Ministry of Finance (October, 2021) 56 Final Findings issued since April, 2021 in AD/CVD/SG investigations. • 35 Investigations initiated since April, 2021 • 37 ongoing investigations Trade Defense Wing (TDW) of DGTR has been proactively engaged in defending the interests of Indian Exporters in AD/CVD investigations conducted by other WTO member countries against Indian exports. Consultations with investigating authorities of other countries, particularly USA and EU authorities, are regularly held to explain, reiterate and drive home Indian standpoint. Online portal titled ARTIS (Application for Remedies in Trade for Indian industry and other Stakeholders) was launched to facilitate online filing of applications for trade remedies and was partly operationalized for Original and Sunset Review Application. A Helpdesk and facilitation centre has been operationalized in DGTR to assist the domestic industry, especially MSME sector, in filing applications and creating awareness regarding access to the available trade remedy measures.
Source: PIB
The report has identified nine 'winning sectors' for manufacturing needing special attention from the government. These are automobiles, apparel, basic metals, electronics, electrical machinery and equipment, food processing, gems & jewellery, pharmaceuticals and textiles The report has identified nine 'winning sectors' for manufacturing needing special attention from the government. These are automobiles, apparel, basic metals, electronics, electrical machinery and equipment, food processing, gems & jewellery, pharmaceuticals and textiles. Gujarat needs to focus on nine winning sectors to boost manufacturing and attract top-class tech companies to help India achieve the goal of a USD 5 trillion economy by 2026-27, according to a task force report. Set up by the Gujarat government, the task force chaired by former Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia has suggested that the state has to accelerate its growth rate and achieve a share of 10 per cent in the national GDP, up from 8.36 per cent in 2021. This means Gujarat has to achieve a target of GSDP of USD 500 billion by FY2026-27. "If India has to achieve the target of GDP of USD 5 Trillion by FY 2026-27, Gujarat has to run faster because Gujarat is the growth engine of India," it said. The report has identified nine 'winning sectors' for manufacturing needing special attention from the government. These are automobiles, apparel, basic metals, electronics, electrical machinery and equipment, food processing, gems & jewellery, pharmaceuticals and textiles. The task force also suggested that the state should focus on all services, mainly IT/ITeS, FinTech, and tourism (including medical value travel). "The state needs to invest a lot of money in providing high-quality infrastructure for all these sectors. The government needs to spend money for attracting top-class IT companies and tourism sector promoters," said the Adhia panel report. Stating that international connectivity from four or five major airports is urgently required to attract investment in the services sector, the report said all possible modern amenities, and cruise services, should be made available to develop Gujarat as a major destination for coastal and inland water tourism. The report, which calls for a complete revamping of the growth strategy of Gujarat in the next five years, also suggested that the state has to go in a big way in promoting renewables, microgrids and electric mobility. Promoting green hydrogen and semiconductor manufacturing has to be on its radar. Gujarat has to develop a robust ecosystem for industry-ready human capital, and there is a requirement for quality improvement in higher education and a lot of upskilling of the workforce. Opportunities arising from the gig economy should be exploited, as per the report. It said that in 2021- 22, India became a USD 3.09 trillion economy in nominal terms. The average annual nominal growth for the last 10 years (2012-13 to 2021-22) is nearly 10.5 per cent. Therefore, if the past growth rate is sustained, India would be USD 5 trillion economy by 2026-27 in nominal terms, the report added. The task force was set up in February for suggesting a strategy for the Gujarat government for making India a USD 5 trillion economy as per the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Source: Economic Times
India has done extremely well on the vaccination front and the challenge for the country is to grow 8-9 per cent over the next three decades, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Tuesday. India has done extremely well on the vaccination front and the challenge for the country is to grow 8-9 per cent over the next three decades, Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Tuesday. Addressing an event organised by Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), Kant further said that rise in per capita income of India is critical for removing poverty in the country. "We bounced back post-COVID-19, and have done extremely well on vaccination, next year as well we will grow. "The challenge (for India) is to sustain high growth of 8-9 per cent over the next three decades," he said. According to Kant, the government's role should be in public policy and the policy should create wealth through the private sector. "The government should be in education, health and nutrition," he said. According to Kant, it is important for Indian manufacturers to penetrate global markets and value chains. He said without technological leapfrogging, it will be difficult for India to grow at high rates. The NITI Aayog CEO said India is climatically blessed and it is an opportunity to use renewable energy.
Source: Business Standard
India’s annual rate of inflation, based on monthly wholesale price index (WPI), rose further to a record high of 15.08 per cent (provisional) in April 2022, over April 2021, after increasing to 14.55 per cent in March. The annual rate of inflation was 10.74 per cent in April 2021. The month-on-month change in WPI index for April 2022 stood at 2.08 per cent. “The high rate of inflation in April 2022 was primarily due to rise in prices of mineral oils, basic metals, crude petroleum & natural gas, food articles, non-food articles, food products and chemicals & chemical products, etc as compared to the corresponding month of the previous year,” the Office of the Economic Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), under the ministry of commerce and industry, said. The official WPI for all commodities (Base: 2011-12 = 100) for the month of April 2022 increased to 151.9 from previous month’s 148.8. The index for manufactured products (weight 64.23 per cent) for April 2022 increased to 144.0 from 141.6 for the month of March 2022. The index for ‘Manufacture of Textiles’ sub-group increased to 145.40 from previous month’s 143.50, while the index for ‘Manufacture of Wearing Apparel’ rose slightly to 145.90 from previous month’s 145.20. The index for primary articles (weight 22.62 per cent) also rose to 174.90 in April 2022 from previous month’s 170.30. On the other hand, the index for fuel and power (weight 13.15 per cent) increased to 151.0 from 146.9 in March 2022. Meanwhile, the all-India inflation rate for consumer price index (CPI) on base 2012=100 stood at 7.79 (provisional) in April 2022 compared to 6.95 (final) in March 2022 and 4.23 in April 2021, according to the National Statistics Office, under the ministry of statistics and programme implementation.
Source: Fibre2 Fashion
The Yogi Adityanath government will set up new garment units in the state, which will also export the products and along with it create new employment opportunities. The foundation stone of flatted factory complexes in Agra, Gorakhpur and Kanpur will be laid in the next 100 days. These include the setting up of units of garment production. According to the government spokesman, the state's handloom and readymade garments have always been popular in every nook and corner of the world. Carrying forward this glorious legacy, the Uttar Pradesh government has planned to promote the readymade garment industry in many districts of the state. The spokesman said on Tuesday that in the Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra 2022, five lakh employment or self-employment opportunities will be provided by making Uttar Pradesh a global textile hub in the next five years. A world-class textile park will be developed under the PM Mitra scheme of the Government of India, with a proposed investment target of Rs 10,000 crore. The process of setting up an Apparel Park in Noida will be started in the next 100 days and the foundation stone is likely to be laid in July 2022. About 115 export-oriented textile units will be set up in this sector by June 2022 with an investment of Rs 3000 crore. Also, the process of setting up five new textile and apparel parks on PPP mode is being expedited. Development of handloom and textile clusters is proposed in each block of the state in the next five years. Additional chief secretary MSME and Information, Navneet Sehgal said that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath believes that there are immense possibilities for employment generation in the textile industry sector in the state. In the past five years, under the flagship schemes of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority, Apparel Park on 118 acres (in Sector 29), and 80 units of Flatted Factory Complex and Garment Park have been started in the major schemes of Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority. Last year, the State Government had invited proposals for the development of Textile Park and Apparel Park. Efforts are underway to establish at least 5 Apparel/Garmenting Parks in the periphery of Uttar Pradesh, 50 km from Jewar Airport of District Gautam Buddha Nagar. A proposal is in the pipeline to develop the Purvanchal region of the state, especially as a centre for the readymade garments sector. After terracotta in Gorakhpur district, readymade garments have been included in Gorakhpur's One District One Product Scheme (ODOP). A flat factory complex being developed by Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority Area (GIDA) will be built which will have textile units. In addition, there is a plan to set up an Integrated Textile and Apparel Industrial Park in the Agra district. With the implementation of these ambitious schemes, Uttar Pradesh will get opportunities to play a leading role in industrial production, employment and exports.
Source: Investing
In 2021, EU exports of textile and clothing articles increased by 10.6 per cent, while imports dipped by 7.5 per cent, as per the EURATEX spring report which offers a detailed insight into trade figures for the European textile and apparel industry in 2021. The numbers of 2021 are encouraging, when compared with the dramatic corona-year 2020. As a result, the EU trade deficit improved, even it remains significant (-€48 billion). Furthermore, import prices went slightly down in clothing and dropped in textiles, following a strong decrease of Chinese import prices of face masks and protective medical supplies, as per the report. The boost in exports was mainly due to strong performance on the Swiss, Chinese and US markets. On the other side, EU sales of textile & clothing to the United Kingdom fell sharply (-23 per cent), due to Brexit new requirements, customs’ delays and shortage of truck drivers. Imports from the EU top supplier, China, plunged by -28 per cent, corresponding to €13 billion. Similarly, textile and clothing imports from the United Kingdom recorded a sharp decrease over the period (-48 per cent, equal to -€3 billion). “The 2021 export figures, presented in this Spring report, confirm that EURATEX members have gained momentum; even if energy prices are causing some serious shortterm disruptions, our long-term ambition remains to be a world leader on sustainable textiles,” director general Dirk Vantyghem said. The international trade dimension is indeed critical for the competitiveness of the European textile ecosystem, and needs to be fully embedded in the EU’s strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. The commission insists that “all textile products placed on the EU market, are durable, free of hazardous substances, produced respecting social standards…”. This is an essential condition to create a level playing field between all textile and apparel companies, regardless of their production base. With €100 billion of imports, and over 20 billion of 'foreign' textile items put on the single market, this requires a dramatic upscaling of market surveillance, without however disrupting fluid supply chains. Looking at the impact of war in Ukraine, EURATEX has strongly condemned the Russian aggression, and offered support to the Ukrainian textile industry. Ukraine offers valuable sourcing opportunities for European textile and apparel brands, as part of a broader nearshoring trend, which seems to emerge from the trade figures.
Source: Fibre2 Fashion
EU textile and clothing imports from the UK fell by 48%, with a drop in imports from China valued at €13 billion. Euratex has just released its Spring report, offering a detailed insight into trade figures for the European textile and apparel industry in 2021. The numbers are encouraging – compared with the dramatic corona-year of 2020, EU exports of textile and clothing articles increased by +10.6%, while imports dipped by – 7.5%. As a result, the EU trade deficit improved, even if it remains significant (–€48 billion). Furthermore, import prices were slightly down in clothing and dropped in textiles, following a strong decrease of Chinese import prices for face masks and protective medical supplies. The boost in exports was mainly due to strong performance on the Swiss, Chinese and US markets. By contrast, EU sales of textiles and clothing to the United Kingdom fell sharply by –23% due to new Brexit requirements, customs delays and a shortage of truck drivers. Imports from the EU’s top supplier, China, plunged by –28%, corresponding to €13 billion. Similarly, textile and clothing imports from the UK recorded a sharp decrease over the period by –48%, equal to €3 billion. “The 2021 export figures, presented in this report confirm that Euratex members have gained momentum – even if energy prices are causing some serious short-term disruptions, our long-term ambition remains to be a world leader in sustainable textiles,” said Euratex director general Dirk Vantyghem. “The international trade dimension is indeed critical for the competitiveness of the European textile ecosystem and needs to be fully embedded in the EU’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. “The Europe Commission insists that all textile products placed on the EU market, are durable, free of hazardous substances, produced respecting social standards, and this is an essential condition to create a level playing field between all textile and apparel companies, regardless of their production base.” With €100 billion of imports, and over 20 billion foreign textile items put on the Single Market, this requires a dramatic upscaling of market surveillance, without disrupting fluid supply chains. Looking at the impact of war in Ukraine, Euratex has strongly condemned the Russian aggression, and offered support to the Ukrainian textile industry. Ukraine offers valuable sourcing opportunities for European textile and apparel brands, as part of a broader nearshoring trend, which appears from the trade figures to be emerging.
Source: Innovation in Textiles
Vietnam and South American nations are working to form a supply chain between textile enterprises on both sides. It will prioritise cooperation in areas like raw materials, weaving, fabric dyeing, sustainable development and consistent working conditions and labour standards. The scope is high as nations in the continent have been trying to reshape the supply chain and diversify the supply of imported goods after the pandemic. Le Hoang Tai, deputy director of the trade promotion department under Vietnam’s ministry of industry and trade, said the volume and value of Vietnamese textile and garment exports to the South American market remain limited. “There are many reasons for the limitation such as geographical location, cultural differences, lack of information on capacity and needs between both sides’ enterprises and effective trade promotion activities. Additionally, some South American economies have low openness," Tai was quoted as saying by a Vietnamese newspaper. Truong Van Cam, vice chairman and general secretary of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), said the understanding of Vietnamese firms about national culture, consumers, customs and habits in South American countries is limited and vice versa. In addition, many such countries are large textile and garment producing countries, meaning they are both cooperative and competitive with Vietnamese companies. Trade between Vietnam and South American nations is yet to achieve its full potential, especially in the textile and garment sector, according to industry experts in the former. Despite the continent being a lucrative fashion market with a relatively high per capita income, many businesses and consumers there are not aware of Vietnamese fashion products. Vietnam’s annual textile and garment exports to Brazil stands between $150 million and $200 million, whilst those to Chile are between $70 million and $90 million and to Peru, the figure is between $30 million to $40 million. The country’s textile and garment imports, mainly cotton from Brazil, are worth between $300 million to $500 million. Vietnamese experts feel it is necessary to quickly start negotiations for a free trade agreement with the South American Common Market, called MERCOSUR.
Source: Fibre2 Fashion
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand recently announced the introduction of her Fashioning Accountability and Building Real Institutional Change (FABRIC) Act in the US Senate. The FABRIC Act would protect nearly 100,000 domestic garment workers and help revitalise the sector by improving working conditions and reforming the piece-rate pay scale applicable now. The act proposes to address these issues through five central pillars: restructuring pay rates and providing minimum wage as a floor with productivity incentives on top; establishing new liability measures that compel major retailers to become allies in combating workplace violations; introducing record-keeping and transparency measures; incentivising reshoring; and creating a domestic garment manufacturing grant programme aimed at revitalising the industry. “Garment workers are a cornerstone of the American economy and, for far too long, have faced unsafe working conditions, wage theft and piecework pay, which often prioritises fast fashion over the safety of workers. Supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic have only exacerbated these ongoing issues, which are disproportionately shouldered by women, people of colour and immigrant workers,” Gillibrand said in a press release. Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker are original cosponsors of the act. “It’s time to take bold action at the federal level to change the fabric of the American garment manufacturing industry. The United States was once home to a booming apparel manufacturing industry, and it’s time to reexamine how this industry has evolved over the past 50 years and change how we treat our workers,” said Gillibrand. Women are leaders in the US cut-and-sew apparel manufacturing industry, making up 61 per cent of workers, and witnessed heavy job losses during the pandemic. “From designers to managers to workers, women overwhelmingly play a leading role in this important industry. However, garment workers in the United States are often underpaid, overworked and put in unsafe conditions. Protecting the garment workforce is a sustainability issue and has direct impacts on environmental sustainability, community development, gender equality and economic prosperity,” she said. “This legislation would thread the needle of protecting workers’ rights, putting an end to abusive pay rates, and ensuring equitable compensation for garment workers, while also making historic investments in domestic garment manufacturing so we can not only make American, but buy American,” she added. American garment workers face the second-highest rate of wage theft of any group of workers in the country, according to the press release. At its peak in April of 1973, the US apparel industry employed 1.4 million people. This number has steadily declined since. As of April 2022, only 93,800 Americans were employed in apparel manufacturing. Today, apparel imports from China to the United States are over 10 times higher than 30 years ago, and between 1995 and 2020, China gained an estimated 1.25 million jobs in apparel and apparel-adjacent manufacturing while the United States lost roughly 700,000 jobs. The US garment industry now loses out on approximately $30 billion annually that is instead imported from China.
Source: Fibre2 Fashion
The US-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC), in its second ministerial meeting held recently in Saclay near Paris, resolved long-standing bilateral issues, including tariff disagreements, and leveraged the strength of the partnership to counter non-market, trade distortive practices, and respond swiftly to Russia’s war against Ukraine with ‘unprecedented sanctions’ and export control measures. The meeting was co-chaired by secretary of state Antony J Blinken, secretary of commerce Gina Raimondo and US trade tepresentative Katherine Tai from the US side and European Commission executive vice presidents Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis from the EU side, according to a White House factsheet. The meeting announced key outcomes. There will be deeper information exchange on exports of critical US and EU technology, with an initial focus on Russia and other potential sanctions evaders, coordination of US and EU licensing policies and cooperation with partners beyond the United States and the EU. A joint road map will be developed on evaluation and measurement tools for trustworthy artificial intelligence and risk management, as well as a common project on privacyenhancing technologies. The US-EU Strategic Standardisation Information (SSI) mechanism will be created to enable information sharing on international standards development. Further, a new cooperation framework will be chalked out on issues related to information integrity in crises, particularly on digital platforms, with a focus on ongoing issues related to Russian aggression, including Russia’s actions to manipulate and censor information. A stakeholder-focused trade and labour dialogue will be initiated to discuss policy options to promote internationally recognised labour rights and to help workers and firms make successful digital and green transitions, remain globally competitive and enjoy broad and inclusive prosperity. An early dialogue has been proposed on shared trade concerns regarding third-countries measures or initiatives and an early stage consultation mechanism regarding bilateral barriers that may disadvantage the trans-Atlantic economy. Additionally, a US-EU guide to cybersecurity best practices will be formulated for small and medium enterprises, whose business has been affected disproportionally from cyber threats.
Source: Fibre2 Fashion
Austria-headquartered Lenzing Group has joined hands with Belgium-based UTEXBEL, a vertically integrated textile group and leader in protective wear and workwear fabrics, to provide uniform for security personnel of the Belgian Federal Public Service for Justice (FPS Justice), using Tencel branded fibres with Refibra technology and recycled polyester. The collaboration with Lenzing will enable UTEXBEL to provide 80,000 prison personnel shirts for FPS Justice security guards using fabric with Tencel branded lyocell fibres with Refibra technology. This represents a significant milestone for Lenzing, as it is the first time Tencel Lyocell fibres with Refibra technology have been used to produce garments for the public sector. Lenzing’s pioneering Refibra technology involves upcycling cotton scraps from garment production and combining them with wood pulp to produce new virgin Tencel Lyocell fibres with Refibra technology. The fibres are identifiable in yarns, fabrics and final garments, owing to Lenzing’s innovative fibre identification technology. This technology enables full traceability of the fibre and is designed to confirm fibre origin, adding to the supply chain transparency of the final product, the company said in a press release. “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with UTEXBEL to bring circularity and traceability to public procurement. The EU has been pushing strongly for responsible design and use of raw materials in textiles, so it is exciting to see that this has reached the public sector with FPS Justice. While we rely on private sector consumers to adopt a personal sense of responsibility, the authorities can make a strong impact by mandating sustainability in public tenders,” said Alexandra Steger, business development workwear, Lenzing AG. “By utilising Tencel Lyocell fibers with Refibra technology, UXTEBEL is able to reduce the use of new resources and create Workwear products that are more sustainable yet durable and comfortable at the same time.” “We see sustainability as a key priority and are working on several cooperative projects with our partners in the fields of sustainable development, quality and logistics,” said Henk Vandendriessche, area manager at UTEXBEL. “We are proud to partner with Lenzing on a collaboration which represents a milestone in advocating sustainability in public procurement as we continue to develop, produce and offer the best yarns and fabrics to cater for all needs, respecting the environment and the well-being of both the workers and the end-users.” Implementing sustainability in public procurement is still at an early stage. While tenders in the past focused strongly on performance and price, sustainability and traceability are becoming a priority driven by recent European legislations. Lenzing has always been committed to promoting sustainability and delivering value to its customers through innovative fibere solutions. To play a more prominent role in supporting the development of the workwear industry, Lenzing will continue to collaborate with partners and organisations that support similar goals and care for the environment in the same way.
Source: Fibre2 Fashion
