PRESS RELEASE / TECHTEXTIL NORTH AMERICA 2010

Techtextil to Showcase Technologies for greener textiles

Technical textile companies from around the world will showcase their latest environmentally friendly products and advanced technologies in textiles, nonwovens and materials during Techtextil North America 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Scheduled for May 18 - 20, 2010, the show represents all aspects of the technical textile industry from research and development, through to raw materials and production processes, to conversion, further treatment and recycling.

PRESS RELEASE / COTTON INCORPORATED

US Cotton Industry Launches Cotton Lifecycle Inventory & Analysis

To position itself for the 21st Century, the U.S. cotton industry is examining itself from field to fabric, according to a press release by Cotton Incorporated. 

US Industry, mobilizing under an initiative called “Vision 21,” are compiling a comprehensive cotton lifecycle inventory (LCI). That inventory’s data will serve as a foundation for global cotton lifecycle evaluations -- ultimately providing a credible foundation for sustainable textile operations.

The LCI/LCA project will use data from the top cotton-producing countries of India, China and the United States. Similarly, a sampling of key cotton textile-producing countries, including India, China, the United States, Turkey and Latin America, will be used for manufacturing benchmarking.

The U.S. cotton industry is confident that a transparent and well-documented cotton lifecycle inventory – one that easily can be integrated into both proprietary and open source LCA software – will benefit the industry. And, along with data set collection and tool creation, the ultimate goal is to make the information globally available.

The effort, expected to take about a year, involves The Cotton Foundation, the National Cotton Council (NCC), Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated. The groups have tapped PE Americas, a recognized leader in the field of LCI collection and lifecycle analysis (LCA) tool development, to head up the project.

According to the release, lifecycle assessment is a recognized method of objectively and scientifically evaluating the resource requirements of a given product and the product’s potential environmental impact during its production, use and disposal.

J. Berrye Worsham, president and CEO of Cotton Incorporated, is quoted as saying, “The goal of the collection of this current, third-party and peer-reviewed data is that it will become a gold standard for manufacturers, brands and retailers interested in bettering their environmental bottom line and serve to further demonstrate the environmental gains the US cotton industry continues to make along every link of the supply chain.”

NEWS REPORTS / MESSE FRANKFURT

Messe Frankfurt acquires Ethical Fashion Show

Messe Frankfurt recently announced the acquisition of Paris-based Ethical Fashion Show, the six-year-old event which is one of the highlights of busy Paris Fashion Week. The absorption of Ethical Fashion Show by the world's third biggest trade fair firm with annual turnover of almost half a billion euros (671 million dollars) demonstrates the interest being generated in sustainable development globally.

While the market for ethical fashion is far more dynamic in Britain, where there is a fiercer emphasis on dressing different, Paris's Ethical Fashion Show is currently the world's largest event spotlighting eco and fair-trade fashion.

The Ethical Fashion Show was launched in 2004 by Isabelle Quéhé and now features more than 100 brands covering couture, accessories, ready-to-wear garments, sportswear and street wear. It focuses exclusively on ecological, socially responsible and environmentally friendly garment production.

Since its inception in 2004, Ethical Fashion Show strives to publicize the ethical fashion which includes economic, human and environmental aspects.

One of the focus areas for ethical fashion show is fashion that respects the environment through standards for raw material including cotton which represents 70% of the world’s textile production, accounting for only 4% of the cultivated land but 25% of the pesticides used.

For The Ethical Fashion Show, being part of Messe Frankfurt's portfolio of trade events will allow it to develop its international presence while for Messe Frankfurt, the acquisition means it now covers the entire value chain in the textile-fair sector.

In the world's fashion capital, the growing success of the Ethical show has acted as a catalyst, spurring a bevy of mainstream trade fairs to host eco and fair-trade corners of their own.

Likewise, Messe Frankfurt's own twice-yearly textile shows in Paris now feature eco-labelling -- giving the tens of thousands of buyers who pour into the city an instant look at who is offering organic cottons, or fabrics certified under fair trade practices. This year's event will take place September 25 to 28 at Paris' new Fashion and Design City at the Docks en Seine.

PRESS RELEASE / ORGANIC EXCHANGE

Organic Exchange Announces 5 year goals

Organic Exchange has announced a series of new initiatives that it hopes will advance the sustainable development of textiles across the global supply chain between now and 2015.

Organic Exchange Proposed Deliverables 2010-2015 include:

• Inform and inspire individuals and their organizations to integrate environmental and social considerations into the global textile business.
• Become the international institution where innovation and information around sustainability in the textile value chain is captured, validated, and disseminated.
• Promote the engagement of farmers, other fiber producers, and supply chain manufacturers within the textile value chain. Provide the tools and resources to advance their efforts to improve sustainability practices in raw materials.
• Help standardize textile product integrity by becoming the recognized authority on integrity within the textile industry.  As a leading authority, play a role as mentor and capacity-builder across the value chain. Research and provide access to information on relevant standards and practices that support organic and sustainable textile claims.
• Develop and implement chain-of-custody standards and systems to support sustainability claims. Create the one stop, sustainable textiles help desk for tracking issues and getting expert feedback quickly.
• Build a compelling regional partner portfolio and a network of sustainable design, development, production, and product experts.
• Create global forums, blogs, and other communications platforms around integrity and innovation in global sustainable textile issues.
• Maintain a database of companies offering innovation, best practices, and authenticity of sustainable textile products and processes.
• Gather, synthesize, and publish data on trends and issues that impact textile sustainability.
• Develop sustainable textile messaging material that brands can customize to influence and educate their employees, stakeholders, and consumers.
• Provide coaching, advising, and direct consulting services for development and validation of company sustainable textile strategy.
• Deliver an assessment tool that companies can use to evaluate the sustainability of textile products and processes and make informed decisions.
• Develop an industry-wide ‘Factory Environmental Performance Standard’ that can be used to evaluate individual factories and/or mills on environmental criteria (water, chemicals, energy, etc.).
• Connect funders and investors with the textile value chain and our accredited implementation partners.