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Denim doesn't have to be the bad guy – how Levi Strauss is driving sustainable change 1 Mar 2019

Hannah Abdulla

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.

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VF has a vision for circular supply chains – it just needs them to scale up 1 Feb 2019

Beth Wright

More than a year into its new global sustainability and responsibility strategy, apparel giant VF Corp is helping to drive efforts to lead large scale commercialisation of circular business models. But as Anna Maria Rugarli, senior director of sustainability and responsibility for EMEA at VF International, explains, the current supply chain still lacks many of the key links needed to make circularity work.

Top stories this week on just-style... 22 Mar 19

Beth Wright

Top stories on just-style this week were dominated by China, with a look at the impact of an environmental protection tax on the country's textile production, and an Op-Ed from Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), on the consequences of President Trump's "flawed" trade strategy. Meanwhile, the United Nations has officially launched the 'UN Alliance on Sustainable Fashion,' and a new tool is being developed to enable greater traceability in garment supply chains.

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Tintex joins water-saving textile initiative 22 Mar 19

Beth Wright

Portuguese textile manufacturer Tintex is partnering with non-profit organisation Drip by Drip to develop new textile solutions with the lowest possible water footprint.

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Oritain hire to tackle fraud in fashion supply chains 22 Mar 19

Leonie Barrie

Product traceability specialist Oritain has appointed a new managing director for North America in a bid to boost its expertise in cotton and agriculture to tackle fraud in global fashion and textile supply chains.

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New guidance tackles forced labour in cotton sourcing 21 Mar 19

Beth Wright

The Responsible Sourcing Network has published two new documents that help establish an industry-wide approach to identify and address forced labour in cotton sourcing.

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Bangladesh boiler safety pilot finds widespread defects 21 Mar 19

Beth Wright

A pilot programme commissioned by signatories of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh to explore boiler safety at readymade garment (RMG) factories in the country has found defects in all 35 inspected boilers.

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Traceability tool for garment supply chains being developed 20 Mar 19

Hannah Abdulla

A tool to enable greater traceability in garment supply chains is being developed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the European Commission (EC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and private sector partners.

The price of US imports from China continues to fall 19 Mar 19

Leonie Barrie

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 again last year.

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Outlook for UK retailers looks bleak 11 Mar 19

Hannah Abdulla

The outlook for UK retailers continues to look bleak. UK department store John Lewis blamed a "challenging" retail backdrop for a more than 45% drop in full-year profits to GBP160m. It was a similar story for rival Debenhams, which issued a warning on full-year profits based on poor sales performance. In an update, the retailer said for the 18 weeks to 5 January, gross transaction value fell 5.6% and like-for-like sales were down 5.7%.