‘Industry 4.0’ or smart factory market is growing exponentially and apparel manufacturing will soon join this race. Till the time off-the-shelf solutions make their debut, system integrators and custom in-house development will dominate the market. The technology solutions consist of various hardware and software components that are mostly generic in nature. Easy availability and industry-specific customisation possibilities will decide the acceptability of the solutions in the industry. Dr. Prabir Jana, Shahi Chair Professor, ‘Industry 4.0’ discusses the challenges ahead.

Homegrown label Tintory strives to provide a green clothing experience to the consumers of today, by working with 100 per cent natural fibres, and natural dyeing and printing techniques to make the wearer feel close to nature.

Sustainable swimwear market in India is small and holds a miniscule position within the vast swimwear market. However, the opportunity is huge and with environment at stake, the advent of new brands in the category can surely make it worth every bit for the customers.

Leading factory owners across China are struggling to get labour force – forget about hiring skilled workers. The Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security report claims that the number of open positions for occupations on the rankings jumped to 1.418 million in Q4, which is up by about 100,000 from 1.316 million seen in Q3.

Jack Stock is one of the frontrunner that has sensed the reviving Indian apparel manufacturing industry in its early stage post-COVID and has planned to support the factories with its pin-pointed strategies and well-adopted technologies. The leading apparel manufacturing technology group recently organised a webinar for India which is its second largest market after China and explored the possibilities of collaborating with its existing clients to deploy its newest technologies.

“We are sustainable not because we have to, but because we want to” - These words of Eric Dorchies, CEO, CIEL Textile in the beginning of the report give a strong message that true sustainability should not be only buyer-driven or about saving cost in long term, but it should be an organisational commitment that should develop into the DNA of the organisation.

GeoChem-CPS got its first accreditation in September ’17 – six months after officially inaugurating the lab – and the lab hasn’t looked back since then. The company quickly spread its horizons, entering different industries aggressively and confidently - from textiles, apparel, hardline, furniture, electrical, home appliances to now home and beauty.

The buying side has always been accused of not paying ‘extra’ price for these sustainable efforts of factories. And, that’s where the industry seems to be going wrong when they ‘expect’ to be paid for what should be their responsibilities. If there is a legitimate reason given by the factory in terms of cost, most of the big buyers are often taking care of the same and are actually paying the factories, in addition to long-term benefits the factories are getting out of these initiatives, in contrary to the common belief of the factories.

Sustainability is no longer a luxury or marketing tool; it is a reality that cannot be ignored. Various market studies clearly indicate heightened consumer awareness around the concept, which in turn is driving a higher demand for sustainable sourced and manufactured products.