INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
India's government is likely to announce fiscal incentives for the ailing textile and apparel industry by the end of this year, partly to stave of the impact of a fall in overseas orders, a trade body said on Wednesday.The incentives could come under the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme that promises billions of dollars to boost manufacturing ranging from electronic products to pharmaceuticals."The government could make an announcement by December," said T. Rajkumar, chairman of the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI), referring to industry representatives' meetings with textile and finance ministry officials earlier this month.Earlier this month, government officials reviewed the PLI scheme, launched in 2020, under which government proposed to offer around $24 billion in cash incentives to 14 sectors.The $150 billion textile and apparel industry, which employs over 45 million, is facing declining exports as European and U.S. consumers cut back on spending amid an inflationary squeeze.India's textile and apparel exports fell nearly 14% to $11.25 billion in April-July, the first four months of the current fiscal year to March 31, 2024.In a submission to the government, the industry has asked for fiscal incentives for smaller manufacturers under the PLI scheme and urged the government to withdraw 11% import duty on certain varieties of cotton, imported from Egypt and the United States, to meet specific orders, Rajkumar said. Rakesh Mehra, president of Indian Spinners Association, said the industry needed government support and signing of proposed free trade agreements with the EU and Britain to boost exports.Nearly one-third of spinning units have cut production leading to fears of job losses, Mehra said. "In the election year, the government will surely support the sector that offers jobs to millions to workers," he said.
Source: Economic Times
Thanks to an expected recovery in demand conditions and restocking by big retailers from the US market to realign their inventory levels, Icra, the rating agency, expects its sample of 4 leading home furnishing companies to report a 7 to 8 per cent Y-o-Y increase in revenues to Rs. 215 billion for FY 2024. The operating margins also are set to improve by 250 to 350 bps in FY 2024 with expected improvement in revenues from Q2 FY 2024 onwards with the festive season. The four listed home textile companies Welspun, Trident, Himatsingka, and Indo Count, account for about 35 to 40 per cent of India’s home textile. “We expect home textile exporters to be on a road to recovery, as restocking by big retailers from the US markets has started since Q1 FY 2024. Further, as our channel checks indicated, with the festive orders coming in from Q2 FY 2024, the order book position is estimated to have improved for home textile exporters,” said Kaushik Das, VP and Co-group Head, Corporate Sector Ratings said. India’s home textile exports reported a double-digit decline of 18 per cent and 12 per cent in FY 2023 and 4M FY 2024, respectively, amid high raw material expenses and energy inflation, coupled with a muted demand scenario in the US and the EU markets. The US remains the largest market for Indian home textile exports, with a 56 per cent share in FY 2023 and a 58 per cent share in 4M FY 2024.
Source: Apparel Resources
Steps such as curbs on inbound shipments of certain goods, production linked incentive scheme and mandatory quality norms are helping the country reduce imports of non-essential products such as TV, tyres, wallpaper and AC gas compressors. These steps, among others like imposing antidumping and countervailing duties, have been taken to analyse and control non-essential imports and to augment domestic production capacity in import intensive sectors, an official said. According to an analysis of the commerce and industry ministry, import restrictions imposed on tyres helped cut the inbound shipments by 74 per cent to USD 74 million in 2022-23 from USD 276 million in 2019-20. Calendar year wise, these imports declined to USD 36 million till July this year as against USD 353 million in 2018. The government in June 2020 imposed import curbs on certain new pneumatic tyres used in motor cars, buses, lorries and motorcycles to promote domestic manufacturing and contain imports from countries like China. Imports of wallpapers reduced by 77 per cent to USD 10 million during April-August this year from USD 44 million in the same month last year due to the launch of paper import monitoring system (PIMS). The ministry in October last year made import registration under PIMS mandatory for inbound shipments of 201 types of paper and paper boards such as wallpaper, glazed newsprint, handmade paper and tissue paper. Under this, an importer has to provide advance information online about import of these papers and obtain a registration number. The government has a similar system for coal and steel imports.Similarly, implementing quality control order (QCO) for footwear has helped in reducing the imports by 54 per cent to USD 75 million during July-August this year from USD 163 million in the same period last year. The order came into effect from July this year. It is aimed at containing imports of sub-standard goods and boosting local manufacturing. According to an industry expert, imports of goods like sports footwear, sandals, and components like soles are coming down from countries like China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Bangladesh. Imports of AC gas compressors declined by 10 per cent to USD 177 million during April-August 2023 as against USD 197 million in the corresponding period last year. The production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for white goods (AC components and LED lights) was approved with an outlay of Rs 6,238 crore. The official said that an inter-ministerial committee meets regularly to discuss ways to cut imports of non-essential goods. “The commerce and industry ministry is sensitising other ministries to see areas where we have competitiveness and where we can increase our manufacturing and cut import of those goods,” the official added. The sensitisation initiative is yielding positive results as information flow among different ministries and departments has started. “The information flow is helping in analysing data and framing specific policy interventions like PLI,” the official said. To cut imports, the government has increased customs duty on gold, imposed curbs on inbound shipments of television, levied minimum import price on some goods, introduced National Food Security Mission (Oilseeds and Oil Palm) Scheme, and blending of ethanol in oil. The exercise is aimed at promoting domestic manufacturing of those goods where there is sufficient capacity within the country but are still being imported. TV imports declined to USD 10 million during April-July this fiscal as against USD one billion in 2018-19. Crude oil imports (USD 209.42 billion) accounted for over 29 per cent of India’s total imports in 2022-23, when it was USD 716 billion. Containing these imports would help reduce the trade deficit, which has declined to USD 116 billion during April-September this fiscal as against USD 140.83 billion in the same period last year. Imports during the first half of this financial year dipped by 12.23 per cent to USD 327 billion. The country’s top import commodities include crude oil, gold, electronic goods, pulses, fertilisers, machine tools, and pharmaceutical products. The top ten merchandise import sources for India include China, the US, the UAE, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Iraq and Germany. High import bill pushes the trade deficit which in turn impacts the current account deficit. High imports also affect the country’s foreign currency exchange rates. Import curbs have been recently imposed on certain IT hardware goods like laptops and computers, and QCOs have been issued on a number of goods like helmets for police force, water dispensers, door fittings, ceiling fans, and aluminum and copper goods.
Source: Financial Express
G. Arulmozhi, president of the open-end spinning mills’ association, told presspersons in Coimbatore on Saturday November 4, 2023, that open-end spinning mills, numbering almost 600 in Tamil Nadu, produce yarn worth ₹60 crores a day. “For the past six months, the mills are operating at just 50% of their capacity. Since we are incurring losses if we run the mills, we have decided to stop production,” he said. According to Mr. Arulmozhi, the main raw material for the mills is cotton waste that comes from regular textile mills. “The price of cotton is ₹160 a kg and the price of waste cotton should have been ₹97 a kg. But it is ₹115 a kg now. Waste cotton prices should decline by ₹20 a kg. Yarn is sold at ₹140 to ₹150 a kg, which was the price prevailing five years ago. In the past five years, costs of power, labour, and raw materials have increased multi-fold,” he said. Open-end spinning mills in Panipat, Haryana, he pointed out, are able to sell yarn at 30% lower prices compared to those in Tamil Nadu. The power costs in Tamil Nadu will force the closure of the textile industry if the government does not reduce the rates, he added. The Central government should control or stop the export of waste cotton, remove the import duty on cotton and relax quality control norms for synthetic fibres. The State government should remove peak hour charges for LT CT electricity consumers and revise the fixed charges. It should support the textile industry with a special status to revive textile activities in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Arulmozhi said.
Source: The Hindu
The Central Government has appointed a consultant to prepare a report on the requirements and measures taken by apparel and textile units in Tamil Nadu on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG). A Tirupur Exporters Association delegation met with Joint Secretary Prajakta L Verma in New Delhi on Friday to discuss the measures the Tirupur sector has done. This includes planting saplings, investing in renewable energy, operating common effluent plants for zero liquid discharge, and moving towards carbon neutrality.The industry said that rival nations like China and Bangladesh were adopting various actions in response to the European Union’s announcement that 50% of textile imports by 2030 should adhere to ESG standards. In addition to announcing a separate HS code for clothing that complies with ESG standards, the Indian government ought to host meetings in major US and EU cities to outline the initiatives undertaken by the Tirupur cluster and offer financial incentives to businesses that invest in ESG initiatives in order to make them competitive in the global market. The association stated that the Joint Secretary had promised to investigate the requests. The Tamil Nadu Government was working on a textile policy and was thinking of ways to make sure textile units were complying with ESG. Only once the policy is established will a clear image become available, according to a Tamil Nadu Ministry of Handlooms and Textiles official.
Source: Apparel Resources
India and the UK are discussing possible options to address investors’ disputes in a time-bound manner through a domestic judicial mechanism in the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), a move that crucial for the conclusion of the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the next few weeks, a senior official told FE. India and the UK want to sign the FTA and BIT together as both complement each other for a comprehensive economic partnership between New Delhi and London. The discussions turned out to be sticky with regard to India’s position that foreign investors have to exhaust domestic legal remedies before going for international arbitration. The UK’s concern was that Indian courts often take years to decide on cases, which could adversely impact investors. The other sticky issue is over the Rules of Origin given the fears in India that Chinese goods could be routed through the UK as Chinese companies were gradually increasing their presence in the UK industry. The ongoing discussion, sources said, is about having a time limit on resolving disputes in India before these could proceed for international arbitration. However, there were fears whether the independent Indian judiciary would abide by any time frame specified in BIT. Deliberations are on to find a solution, the official added. Recently, EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis suggested the establishment of special courts to resolve disputes involving violation of investment protection agreements to provide comfort to investors putting their money in India. India is also in talks for an FTA with the EU. In the services sector, the differences have been broadly agreed upon on the lines of the UK’s FTA with Australia which came into force from May 2023, another official said. India would benefit significantly from the mobility of professionals in the proposed FTA with the UK,” the second official said. In the services sector, the UK demanded national treatment for its services businesses and greater freedom for its professionals to operate in India. National treatment means treating foreigners and locals equally with regard to rules and regulations. In FTA with the UK, Australia has secured ambitious commitments on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and providing greater certainty for skilled professionals entering the UK labour market. There has been no break or let up in negotiations on the India-UK free trade agreement and the 13th round of talks that began in September still continues. There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments and intellectual property rights.
Source: Financial Express
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday appreciated the State Bank of India (SBI) for becoming the first foreign bank in Sri Lanka to successfully launch a pathbreaking direct Sri Lankan Rupee-Indian Rupee trade. Sitharaman, who is on a three-day official visit to the crisis-hit island nation, along with P.S.M. Charles, the Governor of Northern Province, inaugurated the second SBI branch in Jaffna.SBI Chairman Dinesh Khara and Gopal Baglay, India's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, were also present during the event."The Union Finance Minister appreciated that SBI became the first foreign Bank in Sri Lanka to successfully launch pathbreaking direct LKR-INR trade," the ministry said on X."This initiative has gained momentum and found currency among local corporates, besides giving vital support to the Sri Lankan economy by giving an option to importers of Sri Lanka without dependency on the US Dollar," the ministry said.Sitharaman noted that the branch at Jaffna would cater to emerging business potential in the Northern Provinces of Sri Lanka.The finance minister had inaugurated another SBI branch in Trincomalee on Thursday. During her visit to Sri Lanka, Sitharaman met President Ranil Wickremesinghe and also called on the powerful Buddhist clergy in the central town of Kandy.Sri Lanka is a predominantly Buddhist nation. She also met Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and leaders of the Indian-origin plantation community.The finance minister also visited Jaffna Cultural Centre and Jaffna Public Library during the last day of her official visit to Sri Lanka on Friday, the Ministry of Finance said on X. The foundation stone of the Jaffna Cultural Centre building was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2015, during the first such visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Jaffna.The Jaffna Cultural Centre, a state-of-the-art facility to foster arts and promote cultural pursuits in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka, is built with Indian grant assistance of USD 12.6 million. During the visit to the India corner at the Jaffna Public Library, Sitharaman paid her respects to the former President of India, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, the ministry said. Sitharaman was in the island nation to participate as the Guest of Honour in 'NAAM 200', organised by the Government of Sri Lanka on Thursday, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Indian-origin Tamils to the island nation.
Source: The Economic Times
Agreeing that quality standards are a passport for trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said India is making policy efforts to ensure consumers get out of the good-old day's mindset of two standards -- local and export quality -- of products. Goyal, while addressing the G-20 Standards Dialogue here, recalled that in the good old days, every product had a mark for 'export quality' and consumers who could afford used to pick up export quality goods. "Our effort is to move out of that mindset. Our effort is that every product that is made in India will be a high-quality product. When a consumer picks up a product will be reassured of high quality and will not have to look at other products for 'x' quality. Policymaking in India is moving in that direction," he said. He also said that standards are like patents and he cannot but agree with what the chief of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Pramod Kumar Tiwari looks at standards as a passport to trade. Those who control standards and have the ability to maintain high standards are the ones who will control the markets, prices and processes and become manufacturers and innovators of tomorrow, he added. The minister mentioned that India is making rapid strides to encourage more consumers to become demanding consumers, asking for high-quality goods and services. At the same time, a reasonable time is being given for producers to adopt the new quality standards and ensure India is recognised as a provider of good quality products. "We in government only desire to act as a facilitator, not as a disruptor of your process. We don't want to be a cause of any pain or agony, but we want to handhold and support your efforts. We want India to compete with the rest of the world on equal terms," he noted. Further, the minister said that quality is not something that comes out of pressure or from quality control order. "It should come out of the personal conviction of each and every stakeholder," he said. Stating that 8 billion consumers in the world have the right and desire to have a better quality of goods/services, the minister called for balancing local needs while moving towards the global standards which are acceptable around the world so that India gets out of the mindset of two standards of everything that it produces. He also stressed on the need to progress towards world-class standards, particularly in less developed and developing countries in a calibrated manner but certainly with a collective commitment to maintaining high standards in goods and services for the people of the world. He suggested that the G20 Standards Dialogue should be a regular engagement and help those countries which do not have a robust system.
Source: BQ Prime.com
CII and Primus Partners launched a report titled Decadal Outlook for Textile Industry: Threads of Transformation for Textile Industry at TEXFUTURE 2023 Conference on November 1, 2023, organised by CII and Government of Maharashtra. The report highlights the contribution of the textile industry to the GDP will more than double from 2.3% to about 5% by the end of this decade. Additionally, the Gross Value Added (GVA) is anticipated to display a consistent annual growth rate of 9% from 2021 to 2028. Chandrakant Patil, Textile Minister Maharashtra, at the unveiling of the report, said “The launch of Textiles Policy 2023-28 signifies a pivotal step in Maharashtra’s journey towards progress. With an ambitious goal of attracting investments worth Rs 25,000 crore and creating job opportunities for 5 lakh individuals, this policy exemplifies our commitment to the industry’s growth and sustainability. It also places critical emphasis on the promising field of Technical Textiles. Furthermore, our policy is firmly rooted in the vision outlined by our Honorable Prime Minister, aligning with the collective goal of propelling India towards developed nation status by 2047.” Dr Praveer Sinha, Chairman, CII Western Region and CEO & MD, Tata Power Company said, “India, the fifth largest economy globally has a share of just about 5% of the international trade in textiles and apparel. Clearly, the Indian textile industry has a vast potential waiting to be explored, which demands an integrated approach simultaneously focusing on greater value addition, enhanced competitiveness and sustainable industry practices. This will not only boost employment generation but also add to national output. CII is committed to support the textile industry in furthering this journey towards growth and excellence”. Sharing his insights on the report titled “Decadal Outlook for Textile Industry”,Devroop Dhar, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Primus Partners, said “The textile industry is playing a pivotal role in global trade, employing millions of individuals worldwide. The government has introduced various schemes and incentives aimed at promoting the textile sector, such as the Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (ATUFS), Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for man-made fibers and technical textiles, National Technical Textile Mission, PM MITRA scheme. These initiatives have not only provided financial assistance but also encouraged investments in modern technology and infrastructure, thereby improving the sector’s overall competitiveness.”
Industry outlook India’s textile industry is poised for remarkable growth, remaining a steadfast source of employment, with over 100 million individuals engaged in textile and allied sectors. As we look to the future, the Indian textile industry is committed to contributing significantly to the nation’s growth, targeting a substantial $ 250 billion milestone by 2030. Additionally, India stands proudly among the top five global exporters in numerous categories, including natural fibers, MMF, spun yarn, filament yarn, woven fabric, and home textiles, with textile and apparel exports expected to surge to an impressive $ 65 billion by FY 2026.
Trends driving textile industry In the ever-evolving landscape of the textile industry, trends are surfacing in response to dynamic consumer preferences, technological strides, and a resolute commitment to sustainability. Both central and state governments have embarked on a journey of progressive initiatives with schemes like PM MITRA, PLI, and SAMARTH. Remarkably, the textile Industry is poised to remain a significant generator of employment, underpinned by the proactive measures of states like Maharashtra, whose ‘Integrated and Sustainable Textile Policy 2023-28’ targets the creation of half a million jobs. The commitment to fostering employment is further underscored by various Government of India policies, such as PLI Scheme (7.5 lakh) and PM MITRA (3 lakh), collectively aimed at enriching job opportunities.
Challenges While government initiatives have been pivotal in driving the textile sector’s growth, certain challenges demand immediate attention. The industry’s supply chain, largely comprising MSMEs, is highly fragmented, resulting in suboptimal coordination and resource utilization. Quality training programs are essential as only 5% of the sector is organized, leaving the unorganized sector reliant on traditional methods due to financial constraints and lack of formal education. The overreliance on labor-intensive technologies hinders progress, especially in the unorganized weaving sector, where over 90% of operations occur. Embracing modern technologies is vital to unlock the industry’s export potential. Sunrise sectors like technical textiles require greater awareness and research and development investments to realize their potential. Lastly, quality testing throughout the value chain needs stronger emphasis to enhance the ‘Brand Image’ of Indian textiles.
Way forward Looking ahead, the industry is poised to embark on a transformative journey toward sustainability and circularity, shifting from a ‘good to have’ to a ‘must-have’ imperative. Moreover, women-led enterprises are emerging as a driving force in the industry. Globally, women are significant contributors to apparel expenditure, with women accounting for 85% of graduates from leading fashion schools. While only 14% of the top 50 major fashion brands are led by women, the Indian textile industry is fostering a wave of change. Over 27 million women are employed in this industry, with a significant presence in unorganized sectors like handlooms, handicrafts, and sericulture. Emerging sectors like technical textiles and government initiatives, such as the Production Linked Incentive Scheme, are poised to create additional employment opportunities for women. Technical textiles are set to lead sector growth with a projected CAGR of 15%. Embracing digital technologies, regular upgrades, and blockchain-based supply chain traceability are encouraged. Collaborations with e-commerce platforms, including ONDC, will drive these industry goals and secure a promising future.
Source: Indian Textile Journal
India and the UK are discussing possible options to address investors’ disputes in a time-bound manner through a domestic judicial mechanism in the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT), a move that crucial for the conclusion of the much-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in the next few weeks, a senior official told FE. India and the UK want to sign the FTA and BIT together as both complement each other for a comprehensive economic partnership between New Delhi and London.The discussions turned out to be sticky with regard to India’s position that foreign investors have to exhaust domestic legal remedies before going for international arbitration. The UK’s concern was that Indian courts often take years to decide on cases, which could adversely impact investors. The other sticky issue is over the Rules of Origin given the fears in India that Chinese goods could be routed through the UK as Chinese companies were gradually increasing their presence in the UK industry. The ongoing discussion, sources said, is about having a time limit on resolving disputes in India before these could proceed for international arbitration. However, there were fears whether the independent Indian judiciary would abide by any time frame specified in BIT. Deliberations are on to find a solution, the official added. Recently, EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis suggested the establishment of special courts to resolve disputes involving violation of investment protection agreements to provide comfort to investors putting their money in India. India is also in talks for an FTA with the EU. In the services sector, the differences have been broadly agreed upon on the lines of the UK’s FTA with Australia which came into force from May 2023, another official said. India would benefit significantly from the mobility of professionals in the proposed FTA with the UK,” the second official said. In the services sector, the UK demanded national treatment for its services businesses and greater freedom for its professionals to operate in India. National treatment means treating foreigners and locals equally with regard to rules and regulations. In FTA with the UK, Australia has secured ambitious commitments on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications and providing greater certainty for skilled professionals entering the UK labour market. There has been no break or let up in negotiations on the India-UK free trade agreement and the 13th round of talks that began in September still continues. There are 26 chapters in the agreement, which include goods, services, investments and intellectual property rights.
Source: Financial express
INTERNATIONAL
Regional integrated policies like of the European Union can greatly attract foreign direct investment (FDI) for South Asian nations and boost their combined share in global value chain, thinkers said Sunday at a Dhaka meet. The speakers in a session of the ongoing South Asia Economic Summit Sunday stressed inclusive, sustainable and coordinated policies at the regional level to that effect. They urged governments to standardize and synchronize the rules that may intensify trade cooperation and enhance the value chain. In regional cooperation every country in the region would gain some in integrated growth, they opined in the current context of global economy Chairing the event, Vice-chancellor Dr B.R. Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE) University, India, Dr N. R. Bhanumurthy called for reframing the value chain in the region by initiating proper policies and regulation, reducing costs, He pointed out that trade cost in the region is more than the saving of cost from labour advantages. Bhanumurthy thinks enhanced cooperation in the value chain could reduce regional trade costs significantly. Associate Professor of Research and Information Centre for Developing Countries (RIS) of India Dr Priyadarshi Dash said reducing the cost of trading is significant variable in the region. FDI and GVC participation could help and reinforce each other. He said service GVC could be the most promising in the region and that should be promoted. He also said labour-saving automation should be avoided at the best as key of GVC and FDI is job creation. Former President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Honorary Consul, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Shams Mahmud said the growth that so far happened in the region was largely led by local investors. He said FDI didn't come in the region much due to policies. "Everything is there in place, lack of connectivity is the key constraint," he said. He finds no effective industry-academia cooperation in the region. He said SMEs are the key growth drivers in the region and they need to be protected and helped to get well-integrated in value chain. Senior Vice President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry Abdul Jabbar Memon said SAARC should act like the EU for better regional integrated trade and value chain. He terms South Asia a powerful economic unit, so, instead of looking to government for cooperation, private sectors should create effective connectivity and business climate in the region. Executive Director of the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), Nepal, Dr Biswash Gauchan said countries like Nepal which are landlocked and over-dependent on import cannot easily integrate in the region on equal terms.
Source: The Financial Express
A news with a headline “১২ দেশে বাংলাদেশের পোশাক প্রত্যাহার”, published in Ajker Potrika on 5 November 2023, has come to the attention of BGMEA. We feel the urge to share this clarification so that misrepresentation of the fact is not repeated. While the news mentions about technical glitches such as choking and ingestion hazard found it specific product item for babies sourced and retailed by specific brand in specific country. Therefore, any attempt to generalize this incident on the industry and the country at large is unacceptable. As the news report mentions about 12 countries withdrawing or recalling apparel made in Bangladesh, there is no reference to such claim, and we could not trace any evidence in support of this claim. I would like to also clarify the reference to OECD which was mentioned in the news report. OECD maintains a “Global portal on product recalls” and the OECD members’ product recall notices are listed in this portal. Product recall for any valid reason is a standard practice and there are hundreds of such recalls listed in the OECD website as of today. Furthermore, the OECD website mentions “Health Canada recalled more than 200,000 George Brand Sleepers on Wednesday for posing a risk of choking and ingestion. The recall of the product, sold at Wal-Mart, is for sizes 0-5T and affects two styles for boys and two for girls. Zipper pulls and foot grips of the sleepers may eventually separate after frequent washing, leading to choking and ingestion hazards, the agency said, adding it has not received any reports of injury in Canada.” Therefore, the products were recalled due to certain risk of hazard, which is not the mistake of Bangladeshi manufacturer. Every product made in Bangladesh must pass through a stringent quality control process and laboratory tests including those of consumer health and safety. All exportable products must meet the standards of the buyers and relevant legal requirement of the export markets. Any product failing to comply these health and safety requirement are usually rejected by buyers or denied entrance at the destination port. So any misinterpretation like ‘apparel made in Bangladesh is banned in the mentioned countries’ is false. The alleged products were shipped from Bangladesh in early 2022 and were retailed in Canada from November 2022 to June 2023. The product recall notice of Health Canada also mentions that “As of September 21, 2023, the company has not received any reports of incidents or injuries in Canada”. I hope this statement of clarification will help all to clear any confusion on this matter and not to be misguided.
Source: Textile today
The DeRUCCI Group https://www.derucci.com, a public company and sleep technology brand, launched today the DeRUCCI T11 Pro Smart Mattress, an Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) intelligent sleep solution. Based on extensive sleep/health research conducted by DeRUCCI with international universities and institutions, the DeRUCCI T11 Pro Smart Mattress is the first smart mattress that instantly adjusts to the individual’s health for optimal sleep; actually warning the user about potential health issues before they are aware of them.
Connects to IoT Home Appliances for a Smart Bedroom Designed by human-machine engineering, the T11 Pro Smart Mattress features patented AI technologies with 23 flexible sleep/health AI sensors that automatically track subtle changes in position, body temperature, heart rate, and health; with 18 flexible support airbags that instantly respond and support the user’s position and body movements. The DeRUCCI smart mattress employs big data based on 1.08 billion pieces of sleep data, AI software algorithms, smart software/hardware adjustments, and sleep monitoring; and connects to other AIoT home appliances to control the bedroom’s smart thermostat, air conditioner, aromatherapy, air purifier, sleep-enhancing lighting, meditation products, sleep aids, and other IoT devices.
Patented AI Algorithm Provides Real-Time Adjustments Independently on Both Sides of Mattress for Couples A first of its kind, the DeRUCCI patented Tidal algorithm simultaneously adapts and customizes to each user’s various individual sleeping positions and makes real-time adjustments to perfectly match height, shape, and body areas, such as shoulders, back, waist, hips, and legs. Leveraging the company’s research in ergonomics, AI, and big data; and analyzing factors, such as BMI, sleeping positions, pressure distribution, height, and firmness, DeRUCCI’s AI algorithm enables the mattress to adapt to pressure curves during sleep for a more than 40% improvement in spinal health. DeRUCCI’s AI technology analyzes and makes real-time adjustments independently on both sides of the mattress for couples without interfering with the other person, allowing the bed to adapt to an individual’s needs and care.
Tracks Physiological Indicators The T11 Pro Smart Mattress tracks and records physiological indicators, such as heart rate and respiration with accuracy levels matching medical equipment standards, reaching a testing rate of 95%. It also calculates sleep stages with an accuracy rate of 93.4% when compared to PSG (Polysomnography) sleep studies. The smart mattress scientifically evaluates sleep quality and sleep health effectiveness, reducing tossing and turning for a deep sleep that can enhance immunity, providing quantifiable sleep data for consumers. The mattress also offers far-infrared graphene thermal warmth for warm feet ensuring a more comfortable sleep during the cold winter months.
Source: Textile World
