INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
The textile industry in Gujarat is once again experiencing output reductions after suffering losses due to high cotton prices and weak demand last year. Many of the city’s textile processing facilities are operating at 40 per cent of their capacity due to the drop in orders, and many have started implementing two-day output cuts. Similar to this, weaving machines are also working at a reduced capacity. Stocks are accumulating even when spinning mills are operating at about 90 per cent of their capacity. According to experts, spinning mills will soon reduce production for one day each week as well. Jayesh Patel, vice president of Spinners’ Association, Gujarat (SAG) said, “The spinning mills in south India are operating at 60 per cent production capacity and those in the north have also cut down on production. At present, combed yarn costs Rs 260 per kg and the prices are not competitive in the exports market; even the domestic demand is slowing down.” “With a delayed summer, the demand for summer collection is comparatively low. Moreover, retailers have a huge chunk of unsold inventory from the winter collection. Due to this, the dealers are facing cashflow issues as a result of which the volume of fresh orders has declined,” said Rahul Mehta, chief mentor, Clothing Manufacturers’ Association of India (CMAI). Cotton is priced at around Rs. 61,000 per candy, but owing to poor demand from the garments sector, the industry is badly hit.
Source: Apparel Resources
Through the Hub, businesses can book a personalised tour of the faculty’s industry-standard facilities, meet technicians with a wealthy of industry experience and talk to academics at the cutting edge of textiles research. Visitors are also encouraged to book a 1:1 discovery session to help find out which service will suit their business’ innovation needs. A programme of fashion-themed events and workshops for companies has been planned showcasing a mix of students work and industry events with partners such as UK Fashion and Textiles, Curve Theatre and the Worshipful Company of Leathersellers. Associate Professor Gillian Proctor, who is the faculty’s enterprise lead, said: “We have a wealth of industry experience here at DMU which we are keen to share with companies.” “Textiles and apparels companies are facing huge challenges with net zero emissions targets, supply chains, the need to minimise extraction of raw materials and reducing the amount of materials sent to landfill.” “Responsible sourcing, adoptions of new technologies and how to produce fibres from materials that do not damage the planet, greenwashing, new product design – we’re here to help whether through innovation projects, consultancy or working with our students.” DMU has been associated with the textiles industry, crafts, arts and design from its very beginnings as the Leicester School of Art in 1870. We place cookies on your device to help make this website be Today it remains at forefront of work to tackle some of the fashion industry’s biggest challenges around environmental sustainability, textiles production, wearable tech and the circular economy. The fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of humanity’s carbon emissions – more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. It uses huge amounts of water in producing materials, contributing to water scarcity in some regions. Its researchers are currently focusing on the research to develop innovative eco-friendly textile processes and sustainable textile materials. Businesses can also find out how to work more closely with DMU students through setting challenges throughout their studies. DMU has worked with brands such as Gymshark, Lounge and MODA who come to campus to meet students and set live briefs which form part of their assessments.
Source: The dmu.ac.uk
The ninth round of India-UK free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations concluded with detailed discussions across a range of policy areas, the UK government said on Wednesday. A joint outcome statement issued by the Departmentfor Business and Trade (DBT) revealed that Round 9 of the ongoing talks took place between April 24 and 28 in a hybrid format, with some Indian officials travelling to London and others attending virtually. There is no date set for the 10th round of negotiations, which is likely to be hosted by New Delhi, also in a hybrid format. "In continuation of the eighth round of negotiations held during 20-31 March 2023 in New Delhi, the United Kingdom and the Republic of India held the ninth round of talks during 24-28 April for a UK-India FTA," the DBT statement said. "As with previous rounds, these were conducted in a hybrid fashion - a number of officials from India travelled to London and others attended virtually. During the round, detailed discussions took place across a range of policy areas," it said. "The tenth round of negotiations is due to take place in the coming months," it added. India and the UK have been negotiating an FTA since January last year, with a goal towards a comprehensive pact that is expected to significantly enhance the bilateral trading relationship worth an estimated GBP 34 billion in 2022. Recently, Britain's Chief Negotiator for the FTA - Harjinder Kang - was appointed the country's new Trade Commissioner to South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, based in Mumbai. UK Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said he is expected to use the FTA talks experience to build on the UK's "outstanding track record" on trade in South Asia. Kang has been succeeded in the role of the UK's Chief Negotiator for the India-UK FTA by Kate Thornley, previously Deputy Chief Negotiator. According to official UK government statistics, India was the UK's 12th largest trading partner in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022, accounting for 2.1 per cent of total UK trade. The DBT describes the UK-India investment partnership as "thriving", with over GBP 28 billion invested in each other's economies supporting over half a million jobs.
Source: Economic Times
Atal Innovation Mission (AIM),NITI Aayog is proud to announce the theme of its pavilion at National Technology Week 2023 “From School to Startup: Igniting Young Minds to Innovate. The National Technology Week is scheduled to commence from 11 May 2023 to 14 May 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The AIM pavilion is going to present visitors with an exclusive chance to engage with student innovators, explore innovation zones, connect with entrepreneurs, and discover AIM's advanced programs and initiatives, aimed at empowering innovators and entrepreneurs across the country to achieve their goals. The AIM Pavilion will showcase a plethora of innovative projects and provide an opportunity to witness live tinkering sessions, engage in tinkering activities, witness outstanding innovations and products by Startups. With multiple engagement zones such as AR/VR, Defense Tech, Textile, and Life Sciences, the pavilion will be an enriching experience for all. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=1923137 2/4 AIM will showcase an array of student-led innovation projects from Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs), a flagship program of AIM that aims to foster innovation and creativity among students by providing them the opportunity to learn and experiment with technology. ATLs are established in schools across India, where students can gain hands-on experience with tools and equipment such as 3D printers, robotics kits, and electronics, enabling them to develop their problem-solving skills and creativity. Top-40 student innovation projects from ATLs across the country will be showcased, which will provide an interactive platform for visitors to witness the extraordinary innovation and creativity of the students. Additionally, AIM supported start-ups will also be showcased that solve critical challenges across sectors of space, ClimateTech, Health, Mobility, Agriculture and more. AIM’s goal is to inculcate scientific temper in students and develop an ecosystem of innovation around it. At least 35 best innovations from the AIM ecosystem (Atal Incubation Centers, Atal Community Innovation Centers and winners of Atal New India Challenges) that solve challenges of national importance across sectors will be showcased, as will the Top-10 innovations from iCreate, an autonomous institution set up to identify, nurture and mentor the spirit of budding entrepreneurship and innovation. It is a world-class centre for excellence in Entrepreneurship and Technology with top infrastructure facilities.
AIM Pavilion Experience and Engagement Zones The AIM Pavilion at the National Technology Week offers visitors to witness some exclusive interactive zones that span across all four days, where visitors can engage with physical product installations developed by school students, startups and incubators supported by Atal Innovation Mission.
The Zones: ATL Zone The ATL zone at the AIM Pavilion will provide visitors with a unique opportunity to experience tinkering with a mini ATL, complete with state-of-the-art equipment and tools. This hands-on experience will allow visitors to gain insight into the innovation process and encourage them to develop their own ideas. This event presents an incredible chance for technology enthusiasts, innovators, aspiring entrepreneurs, and the general public to witness the forefront of India's cutting-edge technology. Anyone can walk-in from May 11th-14 2023. AR / VR Zone The AR/VR Zone will feature four experience stations, including Virtual ATL Lab + Museum of Innovation, Virtual walkthrough of an Incubator and Indian Monuments which have been supported by Atal Incubation Centre-MUJ. DefenseTech Zone Visitors can learn about startups and incubators working in Defense-Tech,learn from their rich experience, and view displays such as an Unmanned Ground Vehicle, an AR/VR Simulator of MIG Flight, and an indigenized drone which have been supported by Atal Incubation Centre CODISSIA, Coimbatore. Textile Zone In the Textile Zone, visitors can view the displays of sustainable textile technology/products such as salt-less dyeing technology, bio polymers, alternate packaging, and specialty textile for medical and other technical applications which have been supported by Atal Incubation Centre, NIFTTEA. Life Science Zone The Life Science Zone will feature displays of seven major interventions of incubators in life sciences, including diagnostics, AMR, digital health, agriculture, etc., with their economic and societal impact. Visitors can also engage with do-it-yourself devices which have been supported by EIC CCAMP.
Source: PIB
Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Government of India invited the Canadian businesspersons to participate in the journey of growth of the Indian economy which is aimed to bring prosperity for the man and woman at the bottom of the pyramid during the Round Table of Indian and Canadian CEOs in Toronto, Canada yesterday. He said that India is focusing not only on high-quality standards in goods and services but also on high-quality delivery of goods and services. The Minister said that this focus on high quality is attractive for Canadian business persons and their investments. Sh. Goyal said that the growth in Canada will be driven by the use of significant pools of capital, innovation, new technologies, and Research and Development (R&D) in big markets achieving economies of scale and making products affordable. The Minister said that Canadian businesses can prosper in the safe and conducive business environment of the Indian economy. Sh. Goyal praised Hon'ble Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada for her leadership and involvement in taking the Canada-India partnership to the next level. He appreciated the pace of negotiations for the Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), as a transitional step towards the re-launched India-Canada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. The Minister lauded the work being done by negotiating teams of both countries and their focus on big outcomes from the Agreement in the future. The Minister said that there is a huge potential in the Canada-India partnership as they are amongst the fastest growing large economies and will continue to be in the coming years. Sh. Piyush Goyal said that the macroeconomic fundamentals of India is at its peak under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister, Sh. Narendra Modi and India is not an oil based economy, it can prosper despite emerging challenges across the world. Sh. Goyal said that inflation has been under control in India over the last 9 years of the government under the leadership of the Prime Minister. He highlighted the huge foreign exchange reserves of India and the significant rise in overall exports of India from around US$ 500 Billion two years ago to US$ 770 Billion in FY 2022-23. He mentioned the target of achieving the overall exports target of US$ 2 Trillion by 2030 and said that is an ambitious target but is achievable given the rapid growth of the economy.
Source: PIB
Industry body PHDCCI on Wednesday said enhanced competitiveness of the Indian economy will attract more investments and create new employment opportunities for the growing young population in the country. In a study, the chamber said India is constantly growing above the pre-Covid level of GDP growth showing its strong resilience post-pandemic and geopolitical developments. According to the recent IMF data, India recovered significantly from 5.8 per cent GDP contraction in 2020 to 9.1 per cent growth in 2021 and 6.8 per cent in 2022 with projected growth rate of 5.9 per cent in 2023, the chamber said. "The growth rates for 2021 and 2022 (average) are significantly above the growth rate of 3.9 per cent posted in pre-pandemic year 2019," it added. The growth projections for 2023 to 2028 are also at the highest as compared "Going ahead, continued economic reforms in India would further strengthen the economic fundamentals of the country to maintain steady economic growth trajectory in the coming months," said Saket Dalmia, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Strengthening of India's connectivity with Global Value Chains (GVCs) will help improve supply side bottlenecks and reduce costs of doing business, he added. "However, industry needs a great hand-holding in such a difficult environment caused by global economic uncertainties and volatile inflationary conditions," Dalmia added. The chamber also stressed that on the need to focus more on the manufacturing sector as high cost of borrowings, high prices of raw materials have impacted the price- cost margins of the producers. Reduced cost of doing business such as easier compliances and a robust single-window system will enhance ease of doing business in the country, it added
Source: Economic Times
As Madhya Pradesh (MP) has got one park under PM Mega Integrated Textile Region and Apparel (PM MITRA) Park scheme, the state is planning to sign MoU with around 15 companies to invest in this park. The PM MITRA Park will be in Bhainsola village in Dhar district of the state and expected to spread in more than 1,200 acres. As per reports, Rohan Saxena, ED, The Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) said that the state is receiving enthusiastic response from industries willing to invest in the PM MITRA Park. Without disclosing the name of the companies he said that the many garment and textile units have confirmed their presence and to seal the deal. The state government has started chalking out the development plan for the PM MITRA Park in consultation with industry and stakeholders. Having few of the top textile and garment units like Vardhman Textiles, and Pratibha Syntex the state plans to create a whole ecosystem for the textile and garment industry.
Source: Apparel Resources
District and Trade Industries Center (DIC) is contemplating to develop new industrial areas in Khandwa, Neemuch and Burhanpur targeting small and medium industries. Pinning hopes on jump in enquiries from textile and garment units from South and , state departments are mulling options to expand industrial belts and handhold local units to support anchor investments. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) department has identified new locations in respective regions to develop industry areas amid a jump in enquiries from local industries engaged into food, textile and allied industries. DIC in Khandwa is developing a multiproduct industrial area of about 44 hectare, said an official from the department confirming transfer of the land from the district administration. DIC in Neemuch has also sent proposals to develop two clusters - a food processing and a multisectoral for small and micro scale industries in Neemuch district. Amar Singh More, general manager, District and Industries Trade Center, Neemuch said, “We are awaiting approval on the proposals for developing clusters on two land parcels in Kesharpura village and Sagrana village.” The department has identified two land parcels of 5.6 hectare and 9.9 hectare in Kesharpura village and Sagrana village of Neemuch district respectively for developing a food processing and a multisectoral for small and micro scale industries. Madhya Pradesh Industrial Development Corporation (MPIDC) is also expanding industrial areas at many locations to accommodate more local players. The expansion work at Maksi and Jaggakhedi industrial areas are expected to commence in the ongoing financial year. Phase 2 of Maksi will come up on 55 hectare and the development work is expected to start by May-June while phase 2 of jaggakhedi industrial area in Mandsaur district is planned to come up on 70 hectare, according to MPIDC. TNN
Source: Times of India
India and Canada held the sixth Ministerial Dialogue on Trade & Investment (MDTI) in Ottawa on May 8, 2023, co-chaired by Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs and Food, and Public Distribution and Textiles, Government of India and the Hon'ble Mary Ng, Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Government of Canada. The Ministers emphasised the solid foundation of the trade and economic relationship between India and Canada and recognized the significant opportunity to deepen bilateral ties and economic partnership. The Ministers touched on the important discussions taking place at the various meetings of the G-20 being held in India this year under the Indian Presidency. In this context, Minister Ng noted India’s role as a global economy of the future and congratulated the Government of India and the Indian business organizations on the successes enjoyed so far at the G-20 events in India. She expressed her support for India as G20 Chair, and the priorities pursued by India in the G20 Trade and Investment Working Group. Minister Ng indicated that she is looking forward to participating in the upcoming G-20 Trade and Investment Ministerial meeting in India scheduled to take place in August 2023. In recognition of the critical importance of the Indo-Pacific region for Canada’s prosperity, security, and its capacity to address environmental challenges, Minister Ng noted the rolling out of Canada’s IndoPacific Strategy and noted India’s importance in the region. The Ministers noted the resilience of bilateral trade in 2022 following the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine. Canada-India bilateral trade in goods reached nearly C$12 billion in 2022, a substantial 57% increase over the previous year. The Ministers also underlined the contribution of the services sector in furthering the bilateral relationship and noted the significant potential for increasing bilateral services trade which stood at C$8.9 billion in 2022. Ministers recognized the significant growth of two-way investments and their contribution to deepening economic and trade ties, appreciative of the improvements made by both countries to facilitate business growth and attract investment. The Ministers noted that the trade-related strengths of India and Canada are complementary and real potential exists for trade in both goods and services to expand significantly in both traditional and emerging sectors. With that goal in mind, the Ministers called for boosting the commercial ties between the two countries through enhanced cooperation and by forging partnerships to take advantage of the complementarities in such sectors as agricultural goods, chemicals, green technologies, infrastructure, automotive, clean energy, electronics, and minerals and metals. The Ministers further asked their officials to discuss trade remedy issues of bilateral importance on a regular basis. The Ministers emphasized the key institutional role that the MDTI can play to promote bilateral trade and investment ties and to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries. Recognising the need for a comprehensive trade agreement to create vast new opportunities for boosting trade and investment flows between India and Canada, in 2022 the Ministers formally re-launched the IndiaCanada Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) negotiations. In pursuit of that goal, negotiations towards an Early Progress Trade Agreement (EPTA), as a transitional step towards the CEPA, have been underway and several rounds of discussions have already taken place. The EPTA would cover, among others, high level commitments in goods, services, investment, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, and dispute settlement, and may also cover other areas where mutual agreement is reached. The two sides also agreed to explore enhanced cooperation through measures such as coordinated investment promotion, information exchange and mutual support between the two parties in near future. This cooperation between India and Canada will be finalized by way of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) preferably in Fall 2023. The Ministers noted that global supply chains remain under the threat of disruption from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In this context, they discussed the continued importance of working together to promote the international rules-based order and supply chain resiliency in critical sectors. They emphasised enhancing cooperation in sectors such as clean technologies for infrastructure development, critical minerals, electric vehicles and batteries, renewable energy/hydrogen, and AI. Recognising the importance of critical minerals for the future economy and green economy, the Ministers agreed on the importance of government to government coordination to promote critical mineral supply chain resiliency. Ministers also agreed to explore options for business to business engagement on critical minerals between the two countries, and have committed to an annual dialogue between the appropriate points of contact at the officials level on the margins of the Prospectors and Developers Association Conference in Toronto to discuss issues of mutual interest. Both sides discussed the potential for strengthening the cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation in priority areas by building on the ongoing work in the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee (JSTCC) and seeking enhanced collaboration in the areas of start-ups and innovation partnerships. The Ministers agreed that there is significant potential to strengthen such cooperation and to enhance collaboration between their research and business communities in support of a sustainable economic recovery and the prosperity and wellbeing of their citizens. The Ministers recognised the value of further deepening the India-Canada commercial relationship through initiatives such as organized fora for SMEs and women entrepreneurs. Minister Mary Ng appreciated the visit of the Indian business delegation at the sidelines of the 6th MDTI which has enhanced B2B engagement. To continue the momentum of B2B engagement, both Ministers look forward to the relaunch the Canada-India CEO Forum with renewed focus and a new set of priorities. The CEO Forum could be announced at a mutually-agreed early date. Further, Minister Mary Ng announced that she looks forward to leading a Team Canada trade mission to India in October 2023 which was welcomed by Minister Goyal. The Ministers noted the significant movement of professionals and skilled workers, students, and business travelers between the two countries, and its immense contribution to enhancing the bilateral economic partnership and, in this context, noted the desire for enhanced discussions in the area of migration and mobility. Both sides agreed to continue to discuss ways to deepen and strengthen the bilateral innovation ecosystem through an appropriate mechanism to be determined. In addition, in accordance with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, further investments will be made to support industrial research and development partnerships. In line with the announcement made in the National Education Policy 2020 of India for facilitating foreign universities and educational institutions, India also invited top Canadian Universities to set up their campuses in India. The Ministers noted that India and Canada have agreed to an expanded air services agreement in 2022 which enhances people to people ties through enhanced commercial flights by carriers of both the countries. The Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to the rules-based, transparent, non-discriminatory, open, and inclusive multilateral trading system embodied by the World Trade Organization and concurred to work together to further strengthen it The Ministers agreed to remain engaged to provide sustained momentum including having an annual work plan which is reported on a regular basis to build linkages and strengthen cooperation across sectors to harness the full potential of the trade and investment relationship between India and Canada.
Source: PIB
The Centre is keen to support the state of Meghalaya to promote its handloom weavers, artisans and textile sector as a whole. This was informed by the Minister in-charge Textile Paul Lyngdoh on Wednesday. Lyngdoh told reporters that the Minister of State for Railways and Textile Darshana Jardosh has visited the state on Wednesday and interacted with the handloom weavers and artisans besides distributing the Poshan ID cards to them. “I will be meeting her and this will be a courtesy call on the minister and also to highlight some of the issues concerning the weavers and artisans and other members who are linked with the textile industry,” he said. According to him, there is a need to increase the level of awareness among the weavers and artisans on the functioning of the textile department through the public representatives and traditional institutions and their heads so that the government can reach out to them. When asked, the minister said he would be submitting a formal memorandum to the central minister while adding that “she (Darshana) has already expressed keen interest to support the state of Meghalaya.” “For instance, there are various programmes including flagship programmes of the ministry where some of these are totally funded by the ministry and some programmes will have the state share incorporated into it. Those will be points that I will be taking up with the minister,” he added.
Source: Hubnet work
Just outside Delhi, in Pataudi tehsil, lies Luhari. Pataudi was an erstwhile princely state ruled by the nawabs and among the scions of the ruling family was cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan. Now, his actor son Saif Ali Khan is the nawab. Nonetheless, there is little nawabi elegance in the dust bowl that is Luhari. On a sunny afternoon, it is teaming with trucks The Adani Logistics Park (which has a dedicated railway line for sending automobiles straight to the Mundra Port), SafeExpress, DB Schenker, TVS Supply Chain Logistics, and Chetak Logistics have their warehouses in the region. So does IndoSpace, currently India’s largest warehousing developer—its grade ‘A’ facility here is spread across 38 acres and is leased to logistics company Delhivery, Mi Phones, and Adidas. Indian warehouses, even a few years back, were mostly godowns—small, cemented buildings with poor lighting or ventilation. With the introduction of the goods and services tax (GST) in 2017, the sector changed dramatically. From small, regional warehouses, set up for tax efficiency, developers started building larger warehouses in hubs that mattered. For instance, Luhari has easy access to the big consumption markets of Delhi and Gurugram. Its proximity to NH-48, or the Delhi Mumbai highway gives it additional connectivity to the western part of the country.
Source: Live mint
India and Canada are pursuing a mini-trade deal with commitments in both goods and services, a joint statement issued on Wednesday said. New Delhi and Ottawa relaunched trade negotiations in March last year after a gap of nearly 10 years. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal met his Canadian counterpart Mary Ng in Ottawa on Monday. While India is looking for duty-free access for its textile and apparel products along with easier norms for the movement of professionals and easing of technical and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to trade, Canada could look for larger market access for its wine, dairy and agricultural products. “Negotiations towards an Early Progress Trade Agreement, as a transitional step towards the CEPA, have been underway and several rounds of discussions have already taken place, " the ministry of commerce said. With that goal in mind, the ministers called for boosting commercial ties between the two countries through enhanced cooperation and by forging partnerships to take advantage of the complementarities in such sectors as agricultural goods, chemicals, green technologies, infrastructure, automotive, clean energy, electronics, and minerals and metals, the government said. Mint had reported that a proposed investment protection agreement was a contentious issue the last time the countries sat across the negotiating table. Trade ministers discussed global supply chains that “ remain under the threat of disruption from the fallout of the covid pandemic" , as well as the effects of the ongoing war in Ukraine. In this context, they discussed the continued importance of working together to promote the international rules-based order and supply chain resilience in critical sectors. Recognising the importance of critical minerals for the future economy and green economy, the Ministers agreed on the importance of government to government coordination to promote critical mineral supply chain resiliency. Ministers agreed to explore options for business to business engagement on critical minerals between the two countries, and have committed to an annual dialogue between the appropriate points of contact at the ofcials level on the margins of the Prospectors and Developers Association Conference in Toronto to discuss issues of mutual interest. Both sides discussed the potential for strengthening the cooperation in the eld of science, technology and innovation in priority areas by building on the ongoing work in the Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee (JSTCC) and seeking enhanced collaboration in the areas of start-ups and innovation partnerships. The Ministers agreed that there is signicant potential to strengthen such cooperation and to enhance collaboration between their research and business communities in support of a sustainable economic recovery and the prosperity and wellbeing of their citizens. In line with the announcement made in the National Education Policy 2020 of India for facilitating foreign universities and educational institutions, India also invited top Canadian Universities to set up their campuses in India. “The ministers noted that India and Canada have agreed to an expanded air services agreement in 2022 which enhances people to people ties through enhanced commercial ights by carriers of both the countries, " the ministry said. Canada-India bilateral trade in goods reached nearly C$12 billion in 2022, a substantial 57% increase over the previous year.
Source: Live mint
INTERNATIONAL
On its Circular Startup Index, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is releasing a list of textile and fashion enterprises that includes Neiman Marcus, Tapestry, and Chloé alongside seamstresses, tailors, and resale marketplaces like Vestiaire Collective. The foundation’s current searchable circular startup database, created to provide firms with leads to pursue in their own transition to a circular economy, now has 500 names after the addition of new names, making it the full version of the database. Those 500 firms are believed to be the most comprehensive list of active circular business operators in the world, representing a variety of sectors, industries, and locations around the world. Sojo, a London-based app that connects users with seamstresses and tailors to alter pre-owned or vintage clothing, By Rotation, a wardrobe lending platform, and Recurate, a resale-as-a-service platform, are examples of textile startups listed in the database. These companies have agreements for secondhand sales with Tommy Hilfiger, 7 For All Mankind, Michael Kors, and Mara Hoffman. According to the 2022 research from the thredUp resale platform, the value of resale platforms alone would be worth an estimated US $ 42 billion globally by 2027. The research also predicted that US $ 350 billion would be spent worldwide that year on used goods. The majority of the database’s enterprises were already members of the foundation’s community and were chosen for adopting one or more circular economy principles in their business strategies. They include reducing waste and pollution, moving goods and commodities around, and regenerating the environment. The largest obstacle for entrepreneurs looking to build circular enterprises is finance, so the index is created to link innovation with capital.
Source: Apparel Resources
Several EU countries are block ing agreement on a new law to promote sustainable product design in an unfolding dispute over whether to include a ban on destroying unsold textiles. Sweden, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council, removed this ban from the draft text due to be signed off by member states ahead of negotiations with the European Parliament, leading to more ambitious countries blocking the agreement. “What stands out for us is that destroying consumer products should not be possible within the European economy, which strives to be circular,” one EU diplomat told EURACTIV. “This is unacceptable for a large group of countries, who are highly motivated to block a text without this ban,” the diplomat added. According to several diplomatic sources, this group of countries includes Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium, making it big enough to form a blocking minority and prevent agreement on the law until the ban is reinstated. EU country representatives met on Wednesday (10 May) to discuss the draft law but while their discussions touched on reinstating the ban, they were unable to find agreement. The Swedish presidency will now have to continue work on an agreement ahead of the next meeting of EU country representatives on Friday (12 May). The ecodesign proposal was tabled by the European Commission in 2022 as a way to improve the circularity, energy performance and environmental sustainability aspects of certain products. It included the ban on destroying unsold and returned textiles, arguing this would cut down on waste and disincentivise overproduction. The textile industry is the fourth largest user of primary raw materials and water and the fifth biggest producer of greenhouse gas emissions, making it a key sector to tackle as Europe looks to move towards a more sustainable economy. “The destruction of unsold consumer products, such as textiles and footwear, by economic operators is becoming a widespread environmental problem across the Union, in particular due to the rapid growth of online sales,” the European Commission’s proposal said. “It amounts to a loss of valuable economic resources as goods are produced, transported and afterwards destroyed without ever being used for their intended purpose,” it added. Some EU countries have already introduced national-level laws preventing the destruction of unsold consumer products and failing to introduce something similar at the EU level risks distorting the market, the EU executive argued in its proposal. It is hoped that EU country representatives can find an agreement on Friday (12 May) so that ministers can sign off on the law at the competitiveness council on 22 May. They will then meet with the European Parliament to hash out the final law.
Source: The euractiv.com
The Arakanese handloom makers in the Rakhine state of Myanmar want to import raw Indian cotton directly through the newly opened Sittwe port. The industry is of the opinion that if the cargo ships arrive in Sittwe from India, it would be better as same goods brought to Arakan State through Mandalay and Monywa have a higher price, reported Nirin Jara News. Daw Ma Aye, owner of Shwe Tiger handloom industry in Sittwe, argued that if the cargo ships arrive in Sittwe from India, it would be better. Now the Indian cotton is brought through the mainland Myanmar that increases the price. So using Sittwe port will be more convenient for the Rakhine handloom workers, he added. The owners of Rakhine textile mills often use the brands of two hundred (2/100) and two eighty (2/80) type raw Indian cotton, reported the newspaper. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Deputy Prime Minister and Union Minister for Transport & Communications Admiral Tin Aung San, of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on Tuesday jointly inaugurated the Sittwe Port in Rakhine State, Myanmar.
Source:KNN
Wide-reaching economic research conclusively reveals the high return on investing in opportunities for women in Africa. The UN for example reports that women typically reinvest up to 90% of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their family and community. This compares with just 35% of such reinvestment by men and illustrates clearly that investment in women’s businesses helps transform African economies and its societies. SMEs now account for over 80% of employment across Africa, where they have created a flourishing new middle class and fuelled strong demand for new goods and services. According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), women make up 58% of Africa’s self-employed population, contributing around 13% of Africa’s total GDP. Regionally, sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, with approximately 42% of the region’s non-agricultural labour force classified as self-employed or employers. The Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs meanwhile reveals Botswana, South Africa and Ghana have among the highest global proportion of women entrepreneurs. These positive data can only rise as a growing number of government strategies support women entrepreneurs and female-led startups in Africa through targeted policies, including gender-responsive budgeting and through the use of the (AfCFTA). African Continental Free Trade Agreement The UN estimates that some 70% of informal cross-border trade in Africa is now conducted by women traders. Furthermore, the AfCFTA, which was launched in 2021, gave rise to the hopes of many female entrepreneurs that this free trade area, with a market of 1.2bn people, will boost their businesses and reduce endemic poverty. The UN reports that the gender pay gap in sub-Saharan Africa is 30% compared with 24% globally. According to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – which runs an initiative with the European Commission to help boost online commerce opportunities for women in emerging markets – there is a need to close the gap between the earnings of male and female merchants. It predicts this would increase Africa’s market value by at least $14.5bn. Numerous initiatives are now addressing the gender pay gap. UN Women, for example, has pledged to continue efforts to raise awareness and promote policy change to narrow and close the gender pay gap and ensure women and girls have equal rights to their male counterparts. While the between men and women has been steadily declining in recent years, the funding gap for female entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa is still $42bn. gender pay gap The WEF reported that in 2022, 67.8% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s gender gap had closed compared with 63.4% in North Africa. While lower than North America, which showed a closure of the gender gap of 76.9%, both North and sub-Saharan Africa had closed the gap by a greater proportion than South Asia at 62.4%. Encouragingly, according to the WEF Global Gender Gap Index, Rwanda has closed its gap by 81.1% and Namibia by 80.7%. This gap is universally expected to improve as access to finance further liberates women’s entrepreneurial capacity in Africa.
Access to credit The in sub-Saharan Africa is dominated by women, whose small businesses connect a vibrant cotton-textile garment industry that alone produces $31bn annually. fashion industry However, without access to financing, women-owned enterprises and entrepreneurs struggle to tap into higher-value areas of the fashion industry, the number of users of which is expected to amount to nearly 400m by 2027. According to the World Bank, establishing an appropriate legal framework is a critical entry point to overcoming women’s lack of financial inclusion. Laws to eliminate gender discrimination in access to banking services in Africa are pivotal to this movement. In 2021, no fewer than six sub-Saharan countries still had laws forbidding women from opening a bank account without their husband’s consent and amendment of such legislation is actively being encouraged. The IMF identified further opportunities to close the ongoing gender gaps in access to finance, advising African decision-makers to take practical steps to address demand-side factors such as the financial illiteracy of women and girls. Arming women entrepreneurs with the appropriate financial knowledge and skills will inevitably boost their effective engagement in the credit market, opportunities for which are growing as increasingly, women-led SMEs contribute to the social fabric and infrastructure of African nations in a virtuous circle. In its report, the IMF cites Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), which offers capacity building services for women entrepreneurs and advocates for reforms to support women-owned businesses, and reveals that last year, G7 leaders pledged $251m to back the programme, which is aimed at unlocking $3bn in Africa’s private sector funding.
E-commerce growth for women Unsurprisingly, Africa has until recently lagged behind the developed world in digital infrastructure. This is fast changing. The goal of the Africa Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy is for digital inclusion for every African citizen by 2030 – up from just 22% of the population in 2017. This rapid growth in access to the Internet throughout the continent will inevitably unveil vast new opportunities for women startups and for selfemployed women. Further digital investment across the economies of Africa will help enable growth in economic opportunities for women across the continent. For example, Kenya’s M-Pesa is a mobile money service run by Vodafone and Kenyan telecommunications provider Safaricom that provides payment and financial services, even if a customer has no access to a bank account. By 2022, access had steadily risen to 52.4m customers. Revenue in the women’s fashion sector is forecast to grow by 12.5% yearon-year until 2027, reaching $13.3bn. Meanwhile, according to the World Bank, the proportion of women in Africa with access to a bank account has more than doubled in the past 12 years. This is adding traction to the AfDB’s offer of a range of fundraising facilities that form part of its initiative to boost access to finance for women in Africa. These include an individual loan guarantee of up to $2.5m and assistance for partner financial institutions to support them in lending to SMEs and thus help increase their SME portfolio. In the latter case, the AfDB shares the loan cost equally with the bank. In January, AFAWA announced it had reached the $1bn investment milestone in women entrepreneurs in Africa. As well as focusing on raising loan finance, in 2015 the AfDB launched its flagship initiative, , to raise the profile of African fashion and textiles on the international stage, investing in high-growth sectors with the potential to promote women empowerment and create 25m jobs by 2025. Fashionomics Sub-Saharan fashion industries alone are valued at over $30bn. Fashionomics links women designers, buyers and suppliers and connects them to financial services providers and mentors, in the process significantly raising the total value of the sector. A surge in developments since the formation of AFAWA clearly show its investment ambitions to be bang on the money.
Source: The African. Business
On a lab bench in Brooklyn, New York, a string-like fiber glows pink under a black light. In natural light, the strand loses its fluorescence, but keeps its rosy hue. Researchers at Werewool, a startup, aim to one day spin these fibers into yarn for fabric. Think hot pink yoga pants, says the company’s cofounder and chief science officer, Theanne Schiros. This color may be fashion forward, but it’s not new. Indeed, the protein that colors this fiber has long made coral reefs glow. Schiros, an associate professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, and her team build fibers with proteins synthesized to match those in nature’s palette. “Everything we could ever want for our clothing, you can find in nature perfected over 3.8 billion years,” says Schiros, who’s also a materials scientist at Columbia University in New York. With colorful proteins, she has no need for toxic dyes. And once these yoga pants perform their final downward dog, the garment should decompose, rather than pile up in a landfill. Nature-friendly fashion is a pressing need as the industry’s environmental impact grows. In 2021, 54% of fiber generated was polyester, a synthetic typically produced from petroleum (1). With each wash cycle, polyester garments shed microplastics into our water. When discarded, they persist in landfills for decades or longer. And making a single cotton T-shirt requires 2,700 Could the industry reinvent fashion following nature’s lead? Researchers heading up pilot projects want to dress the world’s population in eco-friendly threads. To succeed, they’ll need to reach across disciplines, scale up nascent technologies, and convince a public enamored with fast fashion that polyester has lost its appeal.
Glowing Garments Founded in 2018, Werewool is currently experimenting with colorful proteins often used as markers to make cells glow—like the yoga pants pink from the Discosoma coral (which in pure form glows red) or a green fluorescent protein from a jellyfish. To turn these biomedical workhorses into fiber, they tweak the DNA sequences that encode these proteins to make the resulting protein structures amenable to binding with other molecules. Researchers then engineer bacteria to produce the designer proteins, which the team harvests and mixes with biopolymers—long, repeating chains of small molecules that are naturally produced by living organisms. Today, these biopolymers come from a lab supplier. But the ultimate goal is to build a technology flexible enough to harness whatever useful waste stream is nearby—for example, the biopolymers in leaves leftover from harvesting soy. Added enzymes link the designer proteins and biopolymers together. A jelly-like mixture, pushed out of a syringe and into a chemical bath, quickly solidifies into a fiber. Even as Werewool is still working out the precise formula for making this fiber stronger and finer, they’re also scaling up. Working with collaborators, Werewool is swapping out their scientific literature. The paper wasp uses proteins in its saliva to build waterproof nests, for example. “It’s color without dyes, performance without plastics, potentially waterproofing without PFAS,” says Schiros, referring to the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that taint many waterways. “We are really holistically, strategically addressing those destructive parts of the fashion industry with biomimicry.”
Weaving Together Disciplines To get traction with such efforts, researchers need to break down disciplinary silos, says Veronika Kapsali, a professor of materials technology and design at the University of the Arts London. Most research on bio-inspired materials happens in materials science departments, discussed in a language that many textile designers can’t easily parse, she says. But it can be done. In 2017, Kapsali read a review by materials scientist Steven Naleway, then a PhD candidate in materials science and engineering at the University of California, San Diego (3). In eight simple illustrations, Naleway and colleagues summed up commonly observed structures that give plants and animals mechanical properties, such as flexibility and strength. A cartoon of muscle fiber, for example, represents the structural design element “fibrous”— strengthening by joining many thin strands together. The review aimed to create a common language for materials scientists and engineers. Kapsali saw that the work could help textile designers too. “The very act of him translating the mathematical equations into simple graphic representation opened up the audience,” Kapsali says. In 2022, she brought these images to textile designers through her Bio-Inspired Textiles project. Approximately a dozen professional fashion designers and textile designers from across Europe learned about nature’s design elements in an online workshop. The group then spent weeks attempting to apply the same sort of structures to textiles, looking to make garments more sustainable. Textile design doctoral student Kathryn Walters was inspired by how nature constructs sutures —hinge-like connections between hard materials. The boxfish, for example, is covered in a rigid armor made of scales with serrated edges that link together, forming sutures that allow the hard exterior to bend without breaking when predators attack. Walters, who’s at the Swedish School of Textiles at the University of Borås in Sweden, designed woven seams that function in a similar way, using these hinges to interlock multiple layers of fabric together on a single loom. With snips of her scissors, the fabric can then swing on these hinges and open into a threedimensional box. “Depending on how it is designed, you can go to zero waste,” says Walters, who, working with textile-form design researcher Holly McQuillan of the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, has created garments that unfold from the loom nearly complete, eliminating many cutting and sewing steps that produce scraps (4). The new suture technique could help fabric layers in such garments swing open more freely than the layers in the team’s earlier designs. And, in principle, it could be scaled up easily because the team weaves on a standard Jacquard loom commonly used by textile producers.
Designed to Decay But to truly be sustainable, clothes should ultimately decompose—without littering the earth with microplastics. In 2018, people in the United States tossed out nearly 13 million tons of clothing and footwear, up from 1.36 million in 1960. A fraction of that waste was recycled into reusable fibers or combusted for energy recovery. The vast majority—nearly 70%—was dumped into landfills (5). So could the fashion industry function more like an ecosystem? In principle, yes, according to a 2020 report from the not-for-profit Biomimicry Institute, based in Missoula, Montana (6). The report noted that the fashion industry can and should incorporate the natural process of decomposition into design and manufacture. It added that textiles—even when recyclable— often “leak” into the environment through discarded clothing or the shedding of fibers soaked with toxic dyes. The Biomimicry Institute is now in the midst of a research effort dubbed “Design for Decomposition” that explores how textile transformation technologies could link together and feed other industries. “Let’s think what can we transform polyester to, rather than holding onto the idea that we must transform it back to what it was before,” says biological systems designer Eleanor Banwell, founder of the UK-based design agency Biosysmic Ltd and an author of the 2020 report. Rather than harnessing technologies to decompose clothing into usable parts, some researchers are designing textiles that break down naturally—possibly even in a backyard composter. Through research with Helen Lu, a biomedical engineer at Columbia University and fellow Werewool cofounder, Schiros developed a compostable “bioleather” (7). To make this material, the team adds a bacterial species called Komagataeibacter xylinus to a solution of sugar and other nutrients. The bacteria can work alone or in a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). Either way, the bacteria eat while spinning a fine web of cellulose nanofibers. This matrix is like a protective home, Schiros says. “It just happens to be a high-value material.” Plant-based fibers, such as cotton and linen, common in clothing, are made of cellulose. But generating them requires lots of land and water. “Instead of plant cellulose, we are using bacteria as the producer,” says Romare Antrobus, a biomedical engineering graduate student at Columbia and co-lead author on the work (7). Over time, cellulose strands spun across the surface of the solution self-assemble into a gelatinous layer. After a couple of weeks, the researchers remove the microbes and let the layer dry. Left untreated, this mass would shrink to a brittle, paper-like material. But through a tanning technique, the team uses lecithin—a fatty compound—to lock in flexibility, strength, and water resistance. SCOBY is also a by-product of making kombucha, a fermented tea. So, the team has also made bioleather with excess SCOBY from a local kombucha brewery. The resulting bioleather is nut brown, durable, and soft, much like animal-based leather. Adding natural dyes to the growth medium colors the bioleather any number of hues. Or, the material can be screen-printed. As a proof of concept, the team worked with the New Yorkbased fashion label Public School to form bioleather into high-top sneakers, now on display these products reach the end of their useful lives, they can return to the earth. As a test, Schiros buried small bioleather pieces in a pot of soil from her backyard. After 60 days, the material had lost over 60% of its mass and was starting to crumble.
Durable Change The fashion industry is beginning to take notice of biomimetic designs. Werewool became a company in 2020 with funds from the H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award. And some nature-inspired garments are already on the market. The Los Angeles, California-based brand KENT launched in 2020 with a line of compostable underwear. “It’s the one article you can’t donate or resell,” co-founder Stacy Grace says. KENT garments are made of organic cotton and plant-based elastic. Grace tracked a couple of pairs after placing them in two composting sites in Los Angeles County, California. They disappeared in 3 months, she claims. Grace appeared on the popular TV show Shark Tank in September 2022 with husband and KENT co-founder Jeff Grace. The team secured a deal from “shark” and investor Daymond John, founder of FUBU. Despite signs of progress, greenwashing in fashion is common. “We’ve got brands that approach us that are interested in associating themselves with our research because it would make them look greener,” Kapsali says. She’s developing collaborations with brands that should help her scale up innovations that came out of the Bio-Inspired Textiles project. Finding partners truly committed to sustainability is difficult, she says. “There are not that many out there.” Then there’s the prospect of changing consumer behavior. Fast fashion is easy on the wallet. $24. “The consumer doesn’t want to pay more,” says Karen Leonas, a professor of textile sciences at North Carolina State University. “The consumer still wants to not wear the same thing on social media twice, so it’s going to take time for transformational change to occur.” Still, Schiros thinks that biomimetic fashion can show consumers that sustainability doesn’t have to mean “things you can’t have.” It can mean discovery, innovation, and reconnection with nature, she says—and also, perhaps one day, biodegradable hot pink yoga pants.
Source: The pnas.org
