Textile Insight

November / December 2017

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November/December 2017 ~ Textile Insight • 13 textileinsight.com ECO UPDATE (CONT'D) United by Action Catalyzing the Sustainable Development Goals in Textiles. extile Exchange's annual Textile Sustainability Conference brought together more than 500 textile and apparel leaders to discuss the most important sustainability issues facing the industry. Several announcements were made during the meeting held outside Washington, DC in Potomac, MD in October. Highlights include: • The newly released 2017 Preferred Fiber Market Report, the largest ever with 95 reporting companies. Its key finds include that there was significant growth in the usages of preferred fibers rPET and Lyocell (54% and 128%, respectively) among reporting companies and the idea that companies in general are managing a diverse portfolio of fibers rather than focusing on just one. • Textile Exchange confirmed that the language, content and best practices of its Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) will be used by two key Argentina organizations as a basis for the outreach to and training of regional farmers. This represents the first time Textile Exchange and its RWS is being recognized at a national level to facilitate the adoption of improved sustainability practices. • In a pledge organized by the Textile Exchange's Recycled Polyester Working Group, more than 45 leading textile, apparel and retail compa- nies—including major brands such as adidas, Dibella, Eileen Fisher, GAP, H&M, Lindex, Target and Timberland—have committed or are supporting an increase in their use of Recycled Polyester (rPET) by at least 25% by 2020. The organizations that are participating represent the value chain (including brands, retailers, suppliers and associated industry organizations.) "We're excited to increase not only the amount of recycled polyester we source, but also the depth of our engagement within the rPET supply chain," said Zachary Angelini, Timberland's environmental stewardship manager. "We believe rPET can go beyond environmental impact to have social benefits for vulnerable populations. We're especially excited to scale the effort through our partnership with Thread, a B Corporation that transforms trash from the developing world into recycled polyester, strategically creating transparent and dignified supply chains in Haiti, Honduras and Taiwan." In other news, Textile Exchange announced that more than 50 major clothing and textile companies have joined 13 other renowned brands in a pledge to use 100 percent sustainable cotton by the year 2025. The commitment—called the Sustainable Cotton Communiqué—was organized by HRH The Prince of Wales and his International Sustainability Unit (ISU), founded to draw attention to and facilitate consensus on how best to resolve the world's most pressing environmental challenges. Textile Exchange has been appointed to monitor the companies' progress. O "We're excited to increase not only the amount of recycled polyester we source, but also the depth of our engagement within the rPET supply chain." Zachary Angelini, Timberland C O N F I D E N C E I N T E X T I L E S

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