Top stories on just-style in March included an interview with Michael Kobori, vice president of social and environmental sustainability at US jeans giant Levi Strauss & Co; the launch of a new global map of garment factories; the Fair Labor Association (FLA) accrediting Under Armour’s social compliance programme; China’s continuing dominance of US apparel imports; and a new pilot that uses blockchain to trace organic cotton from farm to gin.
1: Denim doesn’t have to be the bad guy – how Levi Strauss is driving sustainable change
The denim and jeans sector is having to work tirelessly to change perceptions over its sustainability, or lack of it. But change is nigh, promises Michael Kobori, vice president of social and environmental sustainability at Levi Strauss & Co. The company recently expanded its Partnership for Cleaner Textiles (PaCT) programme to four countries in Asia, which has so far delivered 20% savings in water and energy consumption for six key vendors. Next on the agenda is a new target to reach 40% savings by 2025.
2: How a business-model revamp can create a sustainable future for fashion
A new paper from the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) supports growing views that business corporate social responsibility programmes are not enough to improve conditions for workers at the very end of the garment supply chain. Suppliers being pressured to deliver faster and at lower prices is resulting in the situation getting worse instead of better. The only fix, it says, is a shakeup of the current business model.
3: Free global map of garment factories launches
A free, open source, global map of garment factories worldwide has officially launched in a move to help brands and retailers better understand their supply chains and collaborate on in-factory improvements.
4: Green factories help Bangladesh get an edge over rivals
The Rana Plaza tragedy pushed Bangladesh’s US$30bn clothing industry into making health and safety improvements to reassure brands they would not be tarnished by similar disasters – and now the industry is going a step further by seeking to establish a reputation for environmental excellence.
5: Aditya Birla’s Grasim acquires Söktas India
Indian textile and viscose staple fibre manufacturer Grasim Industries – part of conglomerate Aditya Birla Group – has acquired the Indian arm of Söktas, a Turkish manufacturer of shirting fabric for Rs.165 crore (US$23.5m).
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By GlobalData6: Under Armour achieves FLA accreditation
The Fair Labor Association (FLA) has accredited US sportswear brand Under Armour’s social compliance programme in a move that confirms the company has strong policies and practices in place to set goals, monitor, and remediate problems to improve conditions for the workers within its global supply chain.
7: Falling prices helped China lead US apparel imports in 2018
Despite concerns about sourcing from China amid an intensifying trade war with the US, newly-published figures show China continues to dominate US apparel imports – with import volume rising and prices continuing to fall in 2018.
8: Blockchain pilot edges closer to full organic cotton traceability
The success of a pilot which uses blockchain to trace organic cotton from farm to gin could pave the way for a new end-to-end traceability solution not only for organic cotton but for other preferred fibres.
9: Gap, The Children’s Place in “defensive” Gymboree brands buy
The decision by US speciality retailers The Children’s Place and Gap Inc to acquire Gymboree’s namesake, Crazy 8, and Janie and Jack brands has been dubbed a “defensive” move by one analyst, as the companies look to prevent another competitor from stepping in and attempting to rebuild the businesses.
10: Store closures and bankruptcies weigh on Li & Fung FY
Sourcing giant Li & Fung says a rapidly changing retail landscape that saw record levels of store closures and customer bankruptcies took a toll on its last financial year, with core operating profit down by 20%
