Arlington, VA – The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) applauded President Barack Obama for signing into law the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) Act of 2010.The HELP Act was introduced on April 28, 2010 in the House by Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin (D-MI), Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI), and Congressman Charles Rangel (D-NY), and in the Senate by Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-IA).

“By signing the HELP Act,President Obama has opened the door for Haiti’s recoveryfrom the devastating earthquake that ravaged the nation just four months ago,” said AAFAPresident and CEO Kevin M. Burke.“Because the apparel industry will be important to Haiti’s overall recovery, renewing and expanding preferences for Haiti’s apparel industry will bring needed certainty and predictability in recovery efforts. We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to further support recovery efforts for the people of Haiti.

”The HELP Act of 2010 renews the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA) and the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Engagement Acts of 2006 (HOPE Act) and 2008 (HOPE II) through 2020. The CBTPA was set to expire September 30, 2010, while key provisions of the HOPE legislation were set to expire at the end of next year.The signed legislation increases current tariff preference levels for certain knit and woven apparel products.While aiding Haiti through recovery, this law works to create a predictable and certain environment for the U.S. apparel and textile industry.

Background:
Haiti is the seventeenth largest supplier of apparel to the United States. In 2009, Haiti exported more than $513 million worth of apparel to the United States, up 24.5% from 2008.

Haiti-AAFA Recovery and Reconstruction Team:

Following the earthquake, AAFA assembled industry stakeholders and launched the Haiti-AAFA Recovery and Reconstruction Team (HARRT), a member-driven task force that has provided key apparel, footwear, and textile industry insight as relief operations continue and reconstruction planning begins in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

HARRT’s mission is to ensure that the apparel and footwear industry plays a responsible and proactive role in Haiti’s overall recovery. HARRT continues seeking out apparel and footwear producers who are active in Haiti and learning more about their specific and evolving needs.Through core objectives, HARRT will assist the Haitian apparel and footwear industry in addressing infrastructure issues, factory capacity levels, workforce training,responsible production, and sourcing patterns, among many other important concerns. Task force members will also educate U.S. government officials about industry needs as it works to assist Haiti through reconstruction.

Source: http://www.apparelandfootwear.org/UserFiles/File/PressReleases/2010/052510AAFAApplaudsRenewalofHaitiPreferencePrograms.pdf

Vietnam: The southeast Asian nation of Vietnam — one of the world’s major apparel producers — has posted huge gains in 2010 in enhancing trade for exporters and importers, a global business study says. It climbed 18 places to 71st out of 125 nations measured in The Enabling Trade Index rankings,according to the Global Enabling Trade Report 2010 published by the World Economic Forum.

But the study also concludes Vietnam still suffers from low airport density, poor roads, and insufficient port facilities, which indicate that the country’s booming economy “is straining the country’s infrastructure.” The index, which also draws on the results of an executive opinion survey, measures institutions, policies and services facilitating the flow of goods over borders and to destination.

It breaks the enablers into four key areas: market access, border administration including efficiency of customs clearance, transport and communications infrastructure and business environment. Overall, Singapore and Hong Kong continue to occupy the top two positions in the index, says the report, while the world’s biggest textiles and apparel exporting nation China moved one slot to 48th.

India ,the world’s second biggest emerging economy, dropped 8 rankings to 84th says the report and points out that trade is impeded by customs procedures “which remain largely inefficient.”

Concerning the performance of other major textiles and apparel exporting nations, the report notes Turkey was positioned 62nd, down from 48th in 2009, Pakistan 112th (100) and Bangladesh 113th (111). Among the advanced industrial economies, Germany was ranked 13th (12), the United States 19th (16), France 20th (17), Japan 25th (23) and Italy 51st (45).

Source: http://www.aepcindia.com/international.asp?id=281&yr=2010

Greer, South Carolina: A high-technology textile maker says it will create 200 jobs in South Carolina over the next five years.

Multiple media outlets reported that Alexium International Group said Wednesday it will spend $8 million for a plant in Greer.

Alexium director Stefan Susta says the Australian company will have a research and development lab in operation by the end of July. The facility will include limited production capabilities.

Alexium will develop its reactive surface technology developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to improve the performance of surfaces, such as glass, plastic, paint, leather and fabrics.

Products range from aircraft paint applications to create slick surfaces that can withstand chemical attacks to military uniforms that protect against water and oil.

Source: http://english.ctei.gov.cn/News/Companies/237353.htm

The Korea Federation of Textile Industries (KOFOTI; Chairman Ro Hee-chan) held the 7th Annual Korea-Taiwan Textile Industry Conference.The conference was attended by around 40 officials from the two countries.
KOFOTI and the Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF) held in-depth discussions on the tasks that need to be tackled by the textile industry in the two nations as a result of the current global economic crisis and rapid changes in the global business environment, the development status of environment-friendly textile, and the FTA status between the two countries.
Textile trade between the two countries is declining owing to the continued downturn of the global economy, a result of the financial crisis. Against this backdrop, KOFOTI and TTF reached a consensus on the need to identify various ways of cooperation in order to overcome such difficulties, such as the promotion of investments and trade, in addition to technological, personnel, and information exchange.
The two organizations also discussed ways to engage in mutual cooperation in the environment-friendly textile sector. They compared and discussed the two countries’ environment-friendly textile policies and development status, considering that environment-friendly products have recently been garnering attention as a growth driver.
Korea is working on signing an FTA with China. Conference attendees exchanged opinions on matters related to a Taiwan-China FTA such as the origin criteria and tariff concession. An agreement was reached to engage in mutual cooperation to give practical help to the textile industry of the two nations.

Source:http://www.kofoti.org/bbs/viewbody.php?code=press&page=&id=10&number=10&keyfield=&keyword=&category=&BoardType=&admin=

A new survey has confirmed it: Contract and agency labour employment is on the rise and is condemning workers to sub-standard conditions including low wages, unpaid overtime, the denial of maternity leave and holidays and limited access to health and pension coverage, as well as denying workers job security and the right to organise.

The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) has conducted a survey of how contract labour is affecting workers and unions, and what steps are being taken to deal with the issue. Forty-eight ITGLWF affiliates completed the online survey, which was conducted with the assistance of the ICEM’s Contract and Agency Labour project.

The results of the survey overwhelmingly indicate that precarious employment is an increasing problem in the textile, garment and leather sectors, with 69% of affiliates who responded saying that the share of short-term contracts in their sector and their country had increased over the past year. 37% reported an increase of 16% or more, while 26% reported a decrease.

In parallel with affiliates of sister GUFs ICEM and IMF, who conducted similar surveys earlier in the year, ITGLWF affiliates indicated that workers on temporary contracts receive significantly lower wages than permanent, directly-employed workers. Over 66% of those who replied said that wages paid to short-term workers are less than those paid to permanent workers, with 21% reporting that wages are less than half those of regular workers. 41% of those who responded indicated that the wages and benefits gap between permanent, directly-employed workers and contract workers had increased as a direct result of the global economic crisis.

The survey results make clear that employers evade their obligations to contact workers in various ways with the non-payment of overtime, denial of maternity and family leave, and denial of vacation and holiday leave being the most common forms of abuse. 18% of respondees said that temporary workers are denied access to social security and pensions, and 15% said that the biggest way employers evade their obligations is with regard to occupational health and safety.

There is a substantial difference in the number of contract workers ITGLWF affiliates represent, with 52% of affiliates indicating that contract workers make up between 0 and 5% of their membership, and 19% saying they made up more that 31% of their members. Almost one quarter of affiliates said that they had organised more contract workers in the last year, while 17% said they had lost such members. The survey asked affiliates what were the obstacles to organising more contract workers, and the results clearly demonstrate that the biggest obstacle is fear of dismissal or discrimination. 23% of affiliates said that government legislation was a barrier to organising temporary workers in their country. ITGLWF affiliates are including contract labour issues in their collective bargaining agendas, with the main focus being on guaranteeing equal pay for similar work, ensuring non discrimination and realisation of trade union rights, and converting precarious jobs into permanent jobs. In response to the fact that there is an increasing trend towards indirect and insecure forms of employment, 43% of affiliates indicated that they are currently taking action to ensure that new jobs created in the sector are filled by permanent workers with direct employment relationships.

Source: http://www.itglwf.org/lang/en/CALSurvey.html

Bangladesh: Commerce Minister Lt Col (Retd) Muhammad Faruk Khan underscored the need for increasing export of readymade garments by imparting training to the garment workers.He was inaugurating a training session for garment workers and officials at Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Bhaban in the city.

A total of 40,000 garment workers would be imparted training under the programme, which will be conducted by the BGMEA.A total of 120 garment workers will be given the skill development training in each batch under the programme.

BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy chaired the session while Director General of Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Amir Hossain and President of Bangladesh Institute of Fashion and Training (BIFT) Muzaffar Uddin Siddique were present, among others.Faruk Khan said Bangladesh suffered a lot from the global financial recession, which hurt the RMG owners and workers equally. He urged the RMG owners to consider salary increase for workers in view of the price hike of essential commodities.About the ongoing cotton crisis in the country, Faruk Khan said the government has taken a step to import cotton from Africa to bring down the price of cotton to facilitate the country’s weavers and knitwear exporters.

Source: http://www.bgmea.com.bd/home/pages/BGMEA_starts_imparting_training_to_40000_RMG_workers

New York : Young, stylish women may be considered the “shopping experts,” but it turns out that men are increasingly savvy and sophisticated when it comes to their wardrobes. With summer’s hot and sticky weather almost here, new khakis and cotton suiting have hit the shelves, sure to “suit” a wide range of tastes.

American men own, on average, about 5 pairs of casual slacks, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorTM survey, and now is the perfect time to stock up on lightweight cotton options.

Linda DeFranco, Director, Product Trend Analysis, says cotton is ideal for summer because of its versatility. “With more men taking an interest in fashion, it’s no surprise that they’re becoming more conscious of choosing breathable, natural fibers like cotton for their summer wardrobes – and the market has responded, by offering quite a range of possibilities.”

The Relaxed Fit Chino from Lands’ End’s new Canvas line, for example, is soft, durable – and affordable, as is L.L. Bean’s Canvas Cloth pant, which is part of their new Signature line, designed by 2009 GQ/CFDA “Best New Menswear Designer” finalist Alex Carlton. Gap, on the other hand, takes a slightly rougher stance with its rip-and-repair cadet style pants, which are longer and leaner for a more modern cut. The denim detail in the repair at the knee adds a subtle, unexpected edge.

“Khakis and chinos, though, aren’t the only option for men this summer,” says DeFranco. “Cotton suiting, including formalwear, is lightweight and breathable, and comes in a range of styles and price points to suit every man’s taste.”

DeFranco points to Frankie Morello’s cotton blend tuxedo, which shows off cotton’s refined side, as well as Express’s office-appropriate look, a classic 2-button cotton sateen suit. Or lighten up with a pale blue cotton suit from Charles Tyrwhitt, for a preppier option that’s still timeless.

“Men are very concerned about comfort, especially in the summer, and these cotton options show that you can be both comfortable and fashionable,” DeFranco notes.

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The Program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton.

Source: http://www.cottoninc.com/PressReleases/?articleID=537

Mumbai :The AEPC has signed an agreement with the Confederation of Indian Apparel Exporters (CIAE) to increase the level of participation in various overseas export promotion events.

Mr Ashok Rajani, chairman of AEPC’s export promotion committee, said the council has decided to take on board leading garment associations in generation of participation at these events.

Under the scheme, the association will be eligible for participation promotion expense at the rate of Rs 7,500 plus service tax per standard booth on the generation of new participant for export promotion events. The agreement initially will be from April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 and may be extended.

“I am confident that the CIAE will be able to accelerate AEPC’s efforts in enhancing our participation and also increasing the image of India,” said Mr Rajani in a letter to confederation’s president Amit Goyal.

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/news.asp?id=279&yr=2010

Pakistan : The Pakistan government has imposed a 15 per cent regulatory duty on exports of all types of yarn after strikes broke out over a yarn shortage in the country’s local markets. The duty will be effective immediately for a provisional period of 60 days while quota restrictions on yarn exports will be withdrawn.

The move comes after strikes and widespread protest rallies by the value-added textile sector that continued in Faisalabad and Karachi against the shortage of cotton yarns in the domestic market.

Chairman of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Khurram Mukhtar said that due to scarcity and non-availability of cotton yarn in domestic markets, millions of dollars worth of value-added textile products may not be made.

But Mr Gohar Ejaz, chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), said the duty is against the free market mechanism and would disturb production and trade across the textile industry’s entire value chain.

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/international.asp?id=276&yr=2010

India has put up a proposal with the World Trade Organization (WTO) suggesting that a benchmark is necessary when countries impose anti-dumping duties on goods originating from countries which heavily subsidize their exporters.

As such these anti-dumping duties are not so common, but worry stems from the fact that the Indian government which provided incentives to exporters of textiles, apparel and leather goods to help them meet the economic crisis could attract penal duties from importing countries.

This is the main reason why India is asking for a standard benchmark which does not attract excessive and arbitrary duties.

Mr Rahul Mehta, president of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), said: “I would support the government’s view that ambiguities should be removed. But my experience is that the government is extremely particular that any measure of export promotion announced is within the norms of WTO. As long as this is maintained, I do not see any harm in laying down an objective benchmark as suggested by the government.”

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/national.asp?id=277&yr=2010