2021.06.18
INDUSTRY NEWS - 2021.06.18
1、緬甸CMP成衣出口現曙光 5個月內達14億美元
緬甸《全球新光報》報導根據商務部的統計，2020至2021會計年度的前5個月（2020年10月至2021年2月），緬甸的成衣出口逾14億美元，雖然工廠面臨訂單取消及產量下降的問題，但新訂單也已陸續出現。瑞典時尚零售商H&M雖然在2021年3月暫停緬甸的訂單，但已逐漸重新向緬甸下單；更多的國際時尚零售商，如Primark及Bestseller，也已開始恢復新的訂單。成衣業是推動緬甸出口的重點行業之一。貿易商強調，隨著西方國家的優惠貿易政策，CMP（來料加工）成衣業成為具發展前景的行業；但在政治不穩定及新冠病毒肺炎疫情影響下，由於物流及供應鏈可能中斷，以及其他嚴重影響，目前不指望能恢復正常。
資料來源：www.trademag.org.tw (2021年6月16日)
2、內地經濟三頭馬車不及預期 5月工產僅增8.8% 零售升12.4%
中國昨天公布多項5月份經濟數據，包括工業增加值、零售及固定資產投資增速均遜預期，且連續第二個月較市場預期為差。
國家統計局公布，5月份全國規模以上工業增加值按年增長8.8%，遜於市場預期上升9.2%；今年首5月，工業增加值按年漲17.8%。至於社會消費品零售總額3.59萬億元（人民幣．下同），按年高12.4%，遜於市場預期增長14%；今年首5月，社會消費品零售總額17.43萬億元，按年多25.7%。
固定資產投資方面，首5月全國固定資產投資19.39萬億元，按年增長15.4%，遜於市場預期上揚17%。首5月基礎設施投資上升11.8%；製造業投資擴大20.4%；房地產開發投資則漲18.3%。
城鎮失業率略降至5%
不過，失業情況有所改善，5月份全國城鎮調查失業率為5%，比4月份下降0.1個百分點，較去年同期跌0.9個百分點。31個大城市城鎮調查失業率為5.2%，與4月份持平。首5月全國城鎮新增就業574萬人。
統計局發言人付凌暉在發布會上指出，受去年基數升高的影響，5月份經濟指標增速放緩，但按月表現保持基本穩定，而從兩年平均增速看，多數生產需求指標有所加快，消費的恢復依然有很好的支撐，就業擴大、居民收入增長、疫苗接種提高等都屬有利因素。
雖然失業率下降，但付凌暉直言，就業仍然有壓力，在結構上大學生就業難，與企業招工難同時並存，下階段要保持對經濟恢復必要的支持，促進就業崗位的增加，同時落實好就業優先政策，支持重點群體就業的擴大，推動就業形勢總體穩定。
景順：人行幣策難收緊
景順亞太區（日本除外）全球市場策略師趙耀庭認為，數據反映內地經濟繼續經歷增長不均衡的情況，或反映強勁的V形經濟增長可能已經過去，意味人民銀行在短期內難以進一步收緊貨幣政策。
經濟數據遜預期，趙耀庭解釋，工業生產增長放緩不足為奇，主要反映全球消費者開始花費在體驗享受和服務上，從而減少了對中國產品出口的需求，大宗商品價格上漲，以至半導體和集裝箱短缺，將在未來數月繼續壓抑中國的製造業和出口。
他續稱，投資和零售額增長（按兩年平均數和疫情基數效應調整後）持續加快，代表中國從經濟周期的早期階段，進入中期階段的趨勢已經愈來愈明顯。
展望前景，趙耀庭預期，失業率下降，疫苗接種工作加快，疫情的不確定性正在消退，家庭消費或會在今年後期回升，政府亦可能會在稍後時間放寬國際旅行限制，並取消社交距離措施，有助釋放大量早前被壓抑的出遊消費支出，人行為刺激經濟穩步復甦，料不會大幅度收緊貨幣政策。
資料來源：信報財經 (2021年6月17日)
3、BUD專項基金 下月分階段改良
【本報訊】政府於2012年6月推出「發展品牌、升級轉型及拓展內銷市場的專項基金」（「BUD專項基金」），助中小企拓展市場。推出至今，政府數次加碼注資，加上去年疫情嚴重，當局亦改良BUD專項基金內容，最新一輪改良措施將於7月起分階段推出；每間企業的累計資助上限將增至600萬元。
商務及經濟發展局局長邱騰華的以書面回覆立法會會議上張華峰議員的提問，透露「BUD專項基金」由推出以來至今年5月底，共接獲10,254宗申請。然而，當中有3,333宗申請由企業主動撤回，或因缺乏所需資料而未能處理，佔總申請個案32.5%。
17%個案不獲批 主因不符資格
另外，亦有逾17%的個案申請不獲批，主要原因包括企業不符合申請資格、未能顯示具備推行項目的能力或未能提供理據清晰說明項目可如何協助企業在目標市場發展業務，以及建議的項目欠缺細節等。
申請BUD專項基金的主要行業包括批發及零售、進出口貿易，以及紡織及製衣。不獲批申請的比例依次為30%、31%，以及28%。
邱騰華又再回覆中指出，「BUD專項基金」已由去年6月起提供網上申請服務，方便企業遞交申請。政府亦透過在網頁提供圖像化的流程介紹、所需文件清單，以及參考案例和追蹤申請進度等工具，相關功能將在本月內推出。
資料來源：香港經濟日報 (2021年6月17日)
4、Bangladesh garment sector awarded for sustainability work
Bangladesh's garment industry has been recognised for its sustainability work and its contribution to the creation of healthier, equitable and resilient buildings, cities and communities.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has received the United States Green Building Council (USGBC)’s Leadership Award for its commitment to sustainability initiatives.
The accolade recognises the BGMEA’s investments in sustainable construction and production practices. As the source of much of the world’s textile supply and one of the largest trade associations in the country, the USGBC says the BGMEA is leading the way to reduce the environmental costs of production in the apparel industry by ensuring 629 participating LEED projects spanning around 130m sq ft from Bangladesh.
The Awards recognise the exemplary leadership of individuals and organisations contributing to the creation of sustainable, healthier, equitable and resilient buildings, cities and communities.
“This year’s USGBC Leadership Award recipients are examples of leadership and innovation of the green building industry,” says Mahesh Ramanujam, CEO and president of USGBC. “Each of our awardees remained committed to their sustainability goals during what has been a challenging year for communities around the world. This year’s Leadership Award recipients are an inspiration and demonstrate how sustainability, resilience, health and wellness and equity all play an important role in keeping communities safe and healthy.”
The USGBC Leadership Awards were spotlighted at USGBC Live to recognise notable green building projects, companies and individuals over the last year and recognise the hard work put forth to create healthy, sustainable spaces. The awards were awarded by region, with six US regions and five international regions.
“At USGBC, we believe that healthy people in healthy places equals a healthy economy and it is only because of the leadership of organizations and individuals like our award recipients that this vision can become a global reality,” adds Gopalakrishnan Padmanabhan, managing director, Southeast Asia and the Middle East for GBCI India. “In what has been a very challenging year for everyone around the world, the green building industry has continued to carry on. In India and Southeast Asia, organizations, governments and private industry are continuing to think about innovative ways to create green projects that lower carbon emissions and contribute to a healthier society. USGBC is proud to partner with them to advance our collective mission of a sustainable future for all.”
GBCI was founded in 2008 to drive implementation of the LEED green building programme. Together, USGBC and GBCI have created an organisational ecosystem that provides real-time adaptability and a future-proofing LEED development and implementation process.
The BGMEA recently partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to launch a garment sector sustainability report that aims to consolidate the industry’s approach to sustainability reporting.
It will measure the RMG industry’s impact on SDGs to communicate with key stakeholders, such as the Government, buyers, trade partners, and communities so that together the industry can take action to support the country.
Source: www.just-style.com (15 Jun 2021)
5、Fabscrap Redistributed 66% of Textile Waste Last Year
Fabscrap, which has diverted 655,710 pounds of fabric from landfills since its launch in 2016, was not profitable for the first time in 2020 due to the pandemic’s economic impact and disruption of business, the company said in its annual report.
Income in 2020 was $677,960, while expenses totaled $742,599. Fabscap said its fee-for-service model holds businesses responsible for their textile waste and helps fund the infrastructure needed to recycle and redistribute it.
While fabric sales made up the same share of income as in 2019, there was a “significant change in source,” the company said. Income from service fees fell 12 percent to $163,611.
“We weren’t quite able to make up the difference with the federally provided PPP and EIDL loans we received,” Brooklyn-based Fabscrap said. “Critical to our survival were generous grants from Ashoka, Walmart, CFDA/Vogue, and Ana and Alex Bogusky.”
In the previous year, its online store sold 13 percent of its fabric, while in 2020, in the shift to digital, it was responsible for 45 percent of sales to $326,677. The company reached 89 percent of its fundraising goal of $50,000.
The report noted that even with reduced hours in 2020, personnel was the largest expense, as the team doubled to 10 from five staff members. Facilities and equipment made up the same share of expenses as in 2019, “as we continued to make on-time rent payments throughout the pandemic,” the company said.
“The pause in operations reduced our processing and transportation costs,” Fabscrap said. “We reduced our administrative and marketing budgets to preserve cash flow.”
Fabscrap has grown to provide service to 503 businesses in the fashion, interior and entertainment industries. It collects and recycles textile waste, including small sewing scraps, headers, larger cuttings and full rolls of fabric. Recycling partners signed up for service receive a set of Fabscrap bags. The service allows partners the option of communicating whether their textile waste is proprietary or non-proprietary, using Fabscrap’s black or brown bags.
In 2020, the company moved into a second, private warehouse and hired sorters in response to a growing stream of proprietary material. It now provides Certificates of Destruction, verifying the material has been received and shredded. With this investment in the proprietary part of its service, Fabscrap was able to double the amount of Black Bag material sorted over previous years.
In 2020, Fabscrap redistributed 44,037 pounds of fabric to sewers, crafters, and makers across the United States, representing 66 percent of all textile waste received.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (14 Jun 2021)
6、Training boost for female Mongolian cashmere herders
The Sustainable Fibre Alliance and clothing brand J.Crew are supporting nomadic female herders with workshops designed to lift their economic and social standing.
Despite having the potential to bring tremendous value to the cashmere supply chain, the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) says women herders in Mongolia are hugely underrepresented within decision-making roles in their communities.
The new ‘Women Empowerment Programme in Mongolia‘ involves a series of training workshops that target various issues within the industry – from better codes of practice when harvesting and sorting cashmere, to the importance of cooperation between supply chain stakeholders.
By gaining an understanding of what the cashmere sector is looking for, the herders can add value to their cashmere and strengthen relations with buyers, thereby securing their future income.
The aim of the workshops is to ensure that women herders have the knowledge and skills that will help improve their social and economic participation within the cashmere sector and enable them to contribute to decision-making in their community.
Virtual and in-person meetings have already achieved high attendance and positive feedback from both instructors and participants.
Fifteen instructors have carried out workshops for nearly 700 women from 31 herder cooperatives across Mongolia, with participants set to receive a certificate from vocational body the Technical Vocational Education.
“We know that investing in women leads to benefits for their families and communities,” says Lisa Greenwald, chief merchandising officer of SFA partner J.Crew.
“This programme will give over 1000 women herders access to programmes to help grow their individual businesses and take important leadership positions in their communities.”
Batkhishig Baival, country director of SFA Mongolia, adds: “I am very confident that it is possible to improve the quality of cashmere harvesting and post-harvest management in a shorter period of time through educating and empowering rural women.
“Mongolian women herders play key roles in their communities, so we are expecting positive changes in herder life and hope that they will be able to share and demonstrate what they have learned during this training with others.
“To develop the competence-based training curriculum, we are collaborating with the government vocational education institute and national training professionals to make this programme targeted and regionally-appropriate.”
Source: www.just-style.com (11 Jun 2021)
7、New tool assesses impact of apparel and footwear
Brands and manufacturers can use the Higg Product Module (PM) to develop apparel, footwear, and other consumer goods products with lower sustainability impacts.
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), along with its technology partner Higg, has announced the completion of a new tool that evaluates the comprehensive environmental impact of products.
In addition to developing greener products, companies can also use the new tool to credibly communicate their performance, demonstrate progress towards sustainability and circularity goals, and address anticipated regulation.
The Higg PM is one of five tools in the Higg Index suite of tools developed by the SAC for the standardised measurement of value chain sustainability. There are two product-specific tools in the suite: the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI) and the Higg PM. While the Higg MSI assesses cradle to gate, the Higg PM will expand to measure cradle to grave impacts, including end-of-life, providing designers, developers, and sustainability experts directional guidance on how to improve the environmental footprint of a product they’re designing.
“We are moving beyond a ‘materials-only’ view of product impact. Now that the Higg Product Module is complete, the tool will consider design, manufacturing, packaging, logistics, excess production, product durability, care, and end of use, delivering a full view of a product’s comprehensive environmental impacts,” explains Jeremy Lardeau, vice president of Higg Index for the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.
More than 150 companies have already used the Higg PM to assess over 1,000 products. With this launch, the full Higg Index suite of tools is complete, which is central to the SAC’s mission to transform businesses for exponential impact. As companies commit to science-based corporate sustainability goals, the Higg PM will help them understand their holistic sustainability performance and enable progress towards circularity goals.
As corporate sustainability goals evolve, consumers and regulatory bodies expect the consumer goods industry to become more transparent. Brands need credible data that paints a full picture of their impact from the products they design to how those products are made, the SAC explains, adding the product tool was developed with these expectations in mind and can help companies prepare for anticipated legislation.
For organisations with an EU presence, the Higg product tool is designed to evolve and aims to align with future EU PEF Apparel & Footwear Methodology.
“The Product Module is a game-changer for member companies and the industry at large. It gives the industry a credible tool to assess cradle-to-grave impacts of products, supporting ambitious sustainability goals and preparing users to fulfill future regulatory requirements. It also marks an important milestone for the SAC, completion of the Higg Index, and opens a new chapter in our sustainability journey towards collective action and industry transformation,” says Amina Razvi, executive director of the SAC.
In response to increasing expectations, companies continue to step up climate change commitments and initiatives and need tools to accurately and credibly report on their progress. Many focus on reducing carbon emissions as a starting point, in line with global efforts such as the Paris Agreement or the Science Based Targets Initiative. Brands can use the new Higg PM to assess their supply chain Scope 3 category emissions from purchased goods and services as well as the impacts from the use of sold products and the end-of-life treatment of sold products, for a comprehensive carbon footprint assessment that can be scaled across its products.
With the new tool, consumer goods industries can move beyond simply measuring disparate environmental impacts of products, an important step towards meaningful consumer-facing sustainability claims, another area the SAC is focused on in partnership with Higg, as revealed by the rollout of Sustainability Profiles scorecards last month.
“We are seeing a dramatic rise in conscious consumerism and ESG investing, paired with expanding supply chain regulation. The SAC launched the first phase of our transparency programme in May 2021 to help provide shoppers with unprecedented visibility into a product’s impact on the planet and its people. With the Product Module complete, we are one step closer to transforming the industry by helping companies develop more sustainable products, prepare for future regulations, and communicate their performance credibly to consumers to help them make more informed decisions,” says Razvi.
The SAC said in February its goals for the next decade are to provide the building blocks necessary to help the industry make smarter and more informed decisions about the products it makes.
Source: www.just-style.com (16 Jun 2021)
8、Gucci to open source new animal-free alternative to leather
Luxury fashion brand Gucci plans to make its Demetra animal-free leather alternative available to the industry as a new material source.
Announced today (17 June), Demetra contains upwards to 77% plant-based raw materials and is made of viscose and wood pulp compound, both from sustainably managed forest sources, and bio-based polyurethane, from renewable sources.
Other compounds that are needed to guarantee quality and aesthetics have been kept at a bare minimum, with Gucci noting continuous research is underway to replace them with more sustainable elements.
The new material is the culmination of two years of research and development by Gucci’s own technicians and artisans. Produced entirely in Italy in Gucci’s factory, Demetra is created using the same expertise and processes for tanning.
As a versatile, more sustainable offering, Demetra is suitable for a wide range of product categories, with Gucci introducing three sneaker models to mark the label’s first products made with the new material.
The brand will make Demetra available to the fashion industry as a new material source that can be customised to offer exclusive finishing, further facilitating application and differentiation. The material will first be offered to brands under Gucci’s parent company Kering before being offered to the wider fashion sector from the beginning of 2022.
One of the benefits of Demetra is the ability to customise the material with exclusive finishings, so as to meet the requirements of brand differentiation and design codes.
The material is also said to have no impediments to scalability or limitations on volume, with one of its main benefits being that it combines existing and widely available raw materials, in addition to a tanning process that has already been used by the industry. This means it can be available quickly and in large volumes, helping to address challenges regarding timing rollouts and supply chain tests.
In addition, as a next step to support a circular economy, Demetra scraps during manufacturing will be upcycled and reused by Gucci through an extension of its Gucci-Up programme.
“In our hundredth anniversary year, Demetra is a new category of material that encapsulates Gucci’s quality and aesthetic standards with our desire to innovate, leveraging our traditional skills and know-how to create for an evolving future,” says Marco Bizzarri, president and CEO of Gucci. “Demetra offers our industry an easily scalable, alternative choice and a more sustainable material that also answers the needs of animal-free solutions.”
The Gucci Basket, Gucci New Ace, and Gucci Rhyton sneakers are the first Gucci products made with Demetra, including the majority of the upper and part of the linings. They are animal-free and other components contain organic cotton, recycled steel, and recycled polyester.
The Gucci New Ace and Gucci Rhyton models are available in Gucci stores and online now, and the Gucci Basket from 18 June.
Source: www.just-style.com (17 Jun 2021)
9、How The Mills Fabrica Nurtures TechStyle Partnership and Innovation
As fashion tilts toward technology and sustainability at every level along the supply chain, the industry needs talent to develop innovations, and investments to scale them up. Discovering and nurturing both ends of the equation is easier said than done, but fashion tech—aka techstyle—is where The Mills Fabrica shines.
Innovation incubator The Mills Fabrica, headquartered in Hong Kong with a new outpost in London, drives collaboration with an open platform that accelerates innovations for sustainability, particularly for textiles/apparel and ag/food industries. Fabrica is the innovation arm of The Mills, a three-pillared revitalization project by Nan Fung, transforming its final textiles factory in Hong Kong into a new heritage, retail and innovation hub. CHAT (Center for Heritage Arts, Textiles) is the museum and community arm, while Shopfloor is the experiential retail arm.
Fashion tech was already on an upward trajectory before Covid-19, but the pandemic pushed the fashion world to a digital model almost overnight, urgently driving the need for new innovations. From upstream tech innovations to B2B digital 3D sampling to consumer-facing on-demand manufacturing models, fashion tech innovations are cropping up at record speed. Fabrica’s mission is to spot the diamonds in the rough, then polish them to perfection.
Co-director Alexander Chan explained how The Mills Fabrica differs from the competition, and why great innovations must be paired with solid business strategy to ensure success.
Acting as a “bridge and connector within the industry,” Fabrica has worked with about 25 fashion tech companies since it launched in 2018, offering deep levels of help to scale them up. Textile startups that make the cut, for example, receive a 12-month incubation program with customized support, business connections and advice; an investment fund from seed stage to Series B; a 15,000-square-foot co-working space and lab for prototype with state-of-the-art tools; and a fabric and experiential concept store, allowing companies to showcase technologies, launch new concepts and interact with customers.
“While there has been a growth of incubators over the past few years, many only focus on brands. We are open to working with anyone along the supply chain, and our expertise is Asian supply chains,” Chan said. “At this stage, a lot of the deep tech and mature innovations come from the U.S. and Europe, but for them to scale they would need an understanding of how supply chains work in China, Hong Kong, across Asia. A lot of what we do is make connections to the right partners.”
Every startup won’t hit the jackpot, of course, but The Mills Fabrica stacks the deck by seeking those with broader applications. “We tend to like companies that are platform-based technology,” Chan said. “Or something that can be used on multiple types of fabric, or to produce different types of fibers. The breadth would be quite important in terms of scaling.”
Meanwhile, launch expectations don’t always match reality. If there’s one common denominator in what companies get wrong when it comes to rolling out new innovations, Chan said, it’s the amount of time required to get up and running.
“Whether it’s a brand or a manufacturer, the desire is often, ‘Here’s an innovation, can we launch it in 12 months?’ Most of the time the answer is no,” he said. “The innovations that come out of the lab have to be tested in the product, then scaled up in the factory, then launched in the market, and that can take anywhere from three to six years, depending on the maturity.”
While time-to-market is decreasing as supporting investments increase, things still take time to scale, and faster doesn’t necessarily mean better. “[Companies] need to have some degree of patience and be willing to do pilots,” Chan said, and every idea is different. “A company that can cause a massive industry disruption might take longer to bring to market, while technologies that are more incremental, like cutting water used in a production process by a certain percentage instead of completely, will implement quicker. It’s a balance.”
The key is prioritizing and delivering the right milestones for the company to grow in the long term. Three parts need to work together, Chan said. “One, the company needs time to develop and scale up the technology; two, it has to gain traction with brands and retailers so they’ll do pilots with them, and three, it’s about funding.”
A global scope
“From the investment side, we look at companies from all over the world—the mandate is global,” said Chan. “On the incubation side we run that in both Hong Kong and London.” The Mills Fabrica recently added a second operation based in Kings Cross, London, with a soft launch in July and an equal mission of bridging and connecting its British startups.
While most investments and incubation programs are for companies that already exist, The Mills Fabrica also wants to reward great ideas. “Every year, we run a global competition with universities and give innovation prizes to students working on interesting research projects or technologies,” says Chan, who adds The Mills Fabrica also provides residency for a period of three months in Hong Kong or London once students finish school.
The Mills Fabrica is also eyeing the agriculture and food space for future initiatives. And while this might seem like a stretch for a fashion incubator, it isn’t. “We realized there are a lot of similarities in sustainability in consumer preferences and tie ins to fashion as well,” said Chan. “Regarding cotton and agriculture, it’s encouraging to see some of the large brands shifting to think more about agriculture. Look at what Patagonia and H&M are doing thinking about regenerative agriculture. There’s a reason for that and we see that intersection as something that would be an interesting trend to look at going forward.”
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (15 Jun 2021)