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Forced labour ‘continuing’ in 2012 Uzbek cotton harvest

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:25:29 +0000

Governments should take action to help end forced and child labour in the Uzbek cotton fields, according to a new report by the Uzbek-German Forum for Human Rights and the Cotton Campaign.

The Review of the 2012 Cotton Harvest in Uzbekistan explains that implementation of the forced labour system was carried out with a demographic shift to older children and more adults, accompanied with an unprecedented scale of corruption.

For the full story, see the February 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Russian sportswear producer to expand in China

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 10:23:02 +0000

Sportmaster, one of Russia’s largest producers of sportswear, is considering expanding in China through the opening of its stores and the launch of production under its own brand O’Stin. The volume of investments at the initial stage may reach US$100m.

The company has already started a search for a chief executive officer for its office in Beijing, who will develop the Chinese strategic development.

According to Sergei Sanakoyev, executive secretary of the Russian-Chinese Chamber of Commerce for the trade of machinery-technical and innovative products, Sportmaster could become the first Russian retailer to enter the Chinese market.

For the full story, see the February 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Latvian knitted fabric maker acquire Elastic Textile Europe

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:55:39 +0000

One of Eastern Europe’s largest manufacturers of knitted fabrics, lace and narrow fabrics is to acquire Germany’s Elastic Textile Europe.

Latvia-based fabric producer Lauma Fabrics, which already supplies fabrics for around 10% of intimate apparel output in Russia and other CIS countries, is seeking to acquire 100% of Elastic Textile Europe as well as a 51% stake in its dye house Elastic & Weskott.

For the full story, see the February 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

H&M urged to stop buying Uzbek cotton

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:40:50 +0000

Fashion retailer H&M has come under increasing pressure to break ties with clothing suppliers that buy cotton from Uzbekistan, where large quantities of the fibre are produced using forced and child labour, it is alleged.

UK human rights campaigners have launched a campaign calling on the Swedish retail giant to take concrete action to stop using cotton harvested by forced labour in Uzbekistan.

H&M, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, is one of more than 100 companies that have signed a global pledge over the past year promising “not knowingly” to use Uzbek cotton in their clothing, but campaigners say they want it to do more.

For the full story, see the January 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Lithuanian knitwear producers highlight lack of innovative capacity

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:35:21 +0000

Lithuanian apparel and underwear manufacturer Utenos Trikotazas (UT) introduced the new About underwear brand at the end of 2012. The brand, which is being targeted at the mid-price segment in European markets, uses materials enriched with antibacterial, skin caring, nourishing and moisturising finishing and silver ions, while the special fabric structure makes the underwear breathable, soft and comfortable.

Technologies created by the company’s technologists were used in two of the six About lines. One innovation consists of a special weaving technology and functional fibre to enable sports underwear to maintain an optimal temperature, while the wool line uses a special technology to make underwear machine washable, while remaining soft and retaining its size. The other four lines were developed in co-operation with German technology suppliers.

“Lithuania is more a consumer or an adaptor of innovative technologies than a creator now,” added UT technologist Inga Prieveliene, who said the country shows a lack of co-operation between scientists and manufacturers.

For the full story, see the January 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Russian government to increase support for textile and light industry

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 16:27:12 +0000

The Russian government is to increase support for the domestic textile and light industry this year, according to Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. He said this will help to increase the share of domestic producers to up to 50% of the local market.

As part of the plans, the government aims to provide RUB1.14bn (US$36.9m) for the development of the textile and light industry in 2013, which will be significantly higher than the RUB600m (US$19.4m) announced earlier.

It is planned that most of funds will be invested in subsidising interest rates on loans, of which RUB640m (US$20.7m) will be provided for the purchase of raw materials and RUB225m (US$7.3m) to pay off loans for the purchase of equipment.

For the full story, see the January 2013 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Kyrgyz government to attract textile industry investment

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:32:17 +0000

The government of Kyrgyzstan is considering active development of the country's textile industry over the next few years with the aim of creating conditions for its recovery.

As part of these plans, a new textile cluster is expected to be established in the Chui region. According to Deputy Minister of Energy and Industry Sapar Asanov, annual production at the new cluster will be equivalent to KGS2.2bn (US$14.6m) and it will comprise more than 30 enterprises.

The implementation of the project, which is scheduled for 2013-15, will allow Kyrgyz textile production to be significantly increased and exports to start. The new project will create 10,000 jobs.

Local analysts believe the establishment of the cluster will help improve situation in the industry, which currently remains complex.

For the full story, see the December 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Russian government to boost cotton production

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:30:12 +0000

The Russian government is considering creating conditions for the recovery of cotton production to reduce the country’s dependence on imports.

According to state plans, most cotton will be produced in the Astrakhan region, which has the best climatic conditions for cotton growing and where the latest harvest has exceeded all the records over the past 30 years, with yield reaching 13 kg/ha, twice the figure planned.

For the full story, see the December 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Poland's home furnishings market shrinks in 2012

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 18:25:20 +0000

The financial market crisis has exerted a major impact on the Polish home furnishings market, which declined by 5% on average over the last two years. Consequently, its value stood at PLN12.6bn (US$4.0bn) at the end of 2011.

The market saw an upturn in the first six months of 2012, although the economic slump of the year’s second half will have an adverse effect on the sector.

According to projections presented in PMR’s latest report*, the value of the market is poised to shrink by 1%. As the correction is to continue throughout the next year, the sector will revert to positive growth in 2014.

For the full story, see the December 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Clothing maker AHA Mura formed through merger

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:50:56 +0000

Matjaz Hudopisk has been appointed head of Slovenian clothing maker AHA Mura, which was formed on 1 October through the merger of AHA Moda and Mura in partnerji. AHA Mura will employ around 3,000 workers, of which around 1,300 will be located in Serbia.

Hudopisk has spent 12 years at car seat cover maker Prevent Global and the last two years with the AHA group in Germany.

According to Mojca Lukancic, one of the owners of the AHA group, former Mura in partnerji chief executive officer Milan Mörec had been asked to act as an advisor to the new company, but had yet to respond to the offer.

AHA Mura is now sewing clothes in Serbia, where it bought the machines and three sewing halls from bankrupt Serbian apparel producer Prvi Maj for €2.1m (US$2.7m) in September.

For the full story, see the November 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Latvian textile exports reach US$322m in H1

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:45:29 +0000

Exports of Latvian light and textile products for the first half of the current year reached LVL175m (US$322m) in value terms, most of which came from the Valmiera fibreglass plant, one of Latvia’s largest textile enterprises, according to Guntis Strazds, president of the Association of Textile and Clothing Industry of Latvia.

He said the textile and light industry, which employs more than 12,000 people, currently supplies 105 countries, with Estonia being the largest market accounting for 20% of exports.

Of the total export volume, exports of women’s and men’s underwear reached more than LVL65m (US$120m), exports of technical textiles LVL61m (US$113m), followed by the professional workwear LVL15m (US$28m), coats and jackets LVL12.6m (US$23m), and socks and stockings LVL10.8m (US$20m).

For the full story, see the November 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Sparta starts exports to New Zealand

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:06:50 +0000

After a year of negotiations, Sparta, one of Lithuania’s largest sock and hosiery manufacturers, has started exports of sports socks to New Zealand. The company already exports to Russia under its own brand and also aims to enter the German and US markets.

“There is a price gap in Russia,” noted managing director Zenonas Janavicius. “There are top Italian brands, which are of a good quality but very expensive, and cheap, low-quality Chinese and Turkish socks. We are offering high quality for much lower prices. There is a high demand for medium-range products in Russia and I see very good prospects.”

For the full story, see the November 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Russia's worsted fabric sector on the verge of collapse

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:33:36 +0100

The Russian worsted fabric sector is on the verge of collapse amid the ever growing volumes of imports from abroad and the lack of state support, according to the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs of Textile and Light Industry

The concerns of producers are shared by analysts from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who point out that the domestic production of worsted fabrics has significantly declined in recent years. Over the past 20 years since the collapse of the USSR, the production has fallen 20-fold.

Of the 20 worsted mills that produced worsted fabric during the Soviet period, only two or three have continued operating. Owing to financial problems, several worsted mills recently closed, including Ivanovsky Krasnokholmsky and Krasnodarsky. Currently, the industry employs 2,000-3,000 workers compared with 50,000 during Soviet times.

For the full story, see the October 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Wendre buys factory in China

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 18:18:49 +0100

Estonian home textile producer Wendre has become the sole owner of a sewing factory in Wuxi, China, that has been closed for a year and was producing pillow cases for the company.

The factory previously belonged to Wendre’s holding company Trading House Scandinavia and its local partners. The facility employs 50 people although its volumes are small compared with Wendre’s other production units in Estonia and Poland.

For the full story, see the October 2012 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe. Not a subscriber? Subscribe HERE

Ukraine and EU agree to zero duties on textiles and garments

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:06:21 +0000

Ukraine and the EU have agreed to set a zero duty on textile and ready-made garments from the moment an agreement on free trade zone between the sides takes effect, without any transition periods, according to Ukrainian government’s commissioner for European integration, Valeriy Piatnytsky (pictured).

He said that many goods imported with duties have transition periods to allow a gradual reduction of duties – from three to five years (maximum seven).

For the full story, see the December 2011 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe

Protective measures considered prior to Russia's WTO accession

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 18:49:40 +0000

Prior to Russia’s long-awaited accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the country’s government is considering developing mechanisms to protect the national textile and light industries from foreign supplies of counterfeit products, in particular from China, said Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (pictured) during a recent meeting in the Russian Chamber of Commerce.

“The Russian light and textile industries operate in a very competitive environment, amid ever growing imports of counterfeit products, and therefore there is a need to protect it from further dumping, through the implementation of certain measures of state support,” Putin said.

For the full story, see the December 2011 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe

Russian investors acquire French swimwear producer

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:30:00 +0100

Parisian LLC, one of Russia’s largest lingerie distributors and retailers, has acquired French lingerie producer Wilgal Diff Bip Bip, which owns a factory for the production of premium swimwear in Juan-les-Pins, between Nice and Cannes, France.

Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed. The Russian company has also obtained the rights for development under the Bip Bip brand name in the EU and Russia.

Slovenian fibre maker launches recycling project

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:25:00 +0100

Slovenian synthetic fibre maker Julon has launched a high-tech investment project worth EUR17m (US$24.2m), of which EUR3.6m (US$5.1m) was contributed by the government. Economy Minister Darja Radic said the project will bring technological development and high-quality jobs.

Conceived by Julon’s owner, Aquafil of Italy, the Econyl project involves recycling waste into caprolactam, the basis for the manufacture of polyamide 6. It is expected to create 45 skilled jobs.

Polish apparel makers eye foreign markets

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:20:00 +0100

Polish producers of clothing and footwear are looking to expand into foreign markets. For example, Tatuum already operates two stores in Shanghai, China, and other clothing companies, such as LPP, owner of the Reserved brand, Cropp, House and Coccodrillo, are getting ready to mark their presence there, reports Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

Many Polish companies are also considering expanding into the Middle East, as well as such neighbouring countries Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Belarus. For example, LPP, which already operates 360 stores abroad, plans to open an additional 30 locations in Ukraine and Russia in forthcoming years, while Redan, owner of such brands as Troll and Top Secret, wants to focus on Ukraine alone and open 17 new stores there.

Ukraine’s light industry asks for government support

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:17:14 +0100

Light industry enterprises in Ukraine have decided to ask the government and the national parliament for protection and support. According to the resolution of the congress ofenterprises that are part of the Ukrlegprom association, the industry is facing many problems, particularly reduced production.

The country’s light industry is suffering from “imperfect” economic policy that has led to discrimination against national manufacture with domestic production being forced out of the local market. Since Ukraine’s independence, the manufacture of leather, textiles, clothing fur and footwear has reduced by ten-fold.