Global apparel industry moving towards sustainability: Brands, experts

The global apparel industry is moving towards sustainability to make it more environmentally friendly through traceability and circularity, which is also guided by a number of legislative initiatives, said brand representatives and experts at a programme today.

They, however, said there are some challenges to increasing awareness among consumers and expanding circularity initiatives – passing costs to customers, understanding and capabilities of implementing a circular model, and the price of recycled textile materials.

Most brands and importer countries have also set targets to make their supply chains traceable, the speakers said at the discussion organised by the Cotton Council International (CCI) at the International Convention City Bashundhara in Dhaka.

Addressing the discussion, Amit Gautam, chief executive officer and founder of Textile Genesis, said the fashion industry is undergoing a structural shift from unregulated to more than 30 regulations across the value chain, from sourcing to retail.

He mentioned three factors driving the move towards a sustainable and traceable fashion industry: increasing regulatory compliance, responsible sourcing targets, and authenticating product claims to mitigate supply chain and reputational risks.

He further stated that there are over 30 emerging legislations in the EU and the US focused on supply chain due diligence, consumer claims, and transparency, requiring brands to invest in traceability.

Gautam said responsible sourcing targets to achieve 80-100% sustainable materials by 2025, and the ability to authenticate product claims at scale, as well as identifying and mitigating supply chain risks (company or country) across the full value chain and addressing any reputational risks.

Melissa Bastos, director of Corporate Strategy and Insights at Cotton Incorporated, said Sourcing Journal and Cotton Incorporated's 2023 Industry Circularity Survey found that 1 in 3 US consumers have heard the term circularity.

The survey also found that 69% of consumers are informed about the carbon-neutral term and 78% are informed about the zero-waste term. However, 62% of industry professionals say circularity describes company sustainability.

She also mentioned that the Cotton Incorporated survey found some challenges to expanding circularity initiatives – passing costs to customers, understanding and capabilities of implementing a circular model, and the price of recycled textile materials.

Ali Arsalan, CCI representative for Bangladesh, delivered the welcome remarks, while Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, director of European Brands and Retailers at Cotton Council International, and Arif Razzaque, Country Leader at Kiabi International Supply Services Ltd, Bangladesh, spoke among others.