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Please enjoy this issue of the WRAP Weekly newsletter.
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The WRAP-Up
Last week at WRAP, we: - Certified 39 factories in the following 12 countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt, India, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States and Vietnam.
- Looked at the recent drop in global fiber prices with the help of The Sourcing Journal on the blog.
- Recapped a corporate social responsibility conference at the State Department attended by WRAP CEO Avedis Seferian and Compliance Coordinator Kelli Hoggle.
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Australia
Australia and Malaysia signed a comprehensive bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) on May 22, 2012. The two nations have been negotiating the FTA since 2005 and, after 11 rounds of negotiations, the FTA was finalized on March 30, 2012. More than 90 percent of current Australian goods exported to Malaysia will experience tariff-free entry beginning in the New Year. Malaysia will receive the same tariff free entry into Australia that Singapore experiences. The agreement is expected to diversify the trading relationship and further integrate the Australian economy with the fast growing Malaysian market. (Tax-News)
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Bangladesh
Approximately 30 people were injured on Sunday, May 27, as apparel workers fought violently with police in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganji. Around 10,000 workers from factories demonstrated in the streets, halting traffic and setting shops ablaze, before police responded with truncheons, tear gas and rubber bullets. (The Daily Star)
Bangladeshi textile engineers have requested that the government allot adequate funds for the fiscal 2012-2013 budget for establishing coal-based power plants. The lack of sufficient gas and power is negatively affecting the readymade garment sector. Coal-based electricity plants could fix the shortage in power supply. (Fibre2Fashion)
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Brazil
Cotton industry leaders from Brazil and the United States met to explore avenues of greater cooperation and to solve issues of mutual concern. The delegation discussed risk management, cotton's price sustainability, and international promotion of cotton. It was recognized that collaborative actions between the U.S. and Brazil could result in cotton's sustainability in the retail market more than individual efforts on the parts of the two countries. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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China
The Chinese International Exhibition on Hosiery, Knitting, Dyeing and Finishing Machinery (YIWU H&G) will be held November 27-30, 2012, at Yiwu International Expo Centre. The exhibition will provide a platform for promotion of high-end hosiery and seamless underwear machinery, and will feature sewing and garment machinery concurrently. The YIWU H&G aims to address developmental needs and to provide textile enterprises with the technology to transform and upgrade the industry, face the weak international market, and increase core competitiveness. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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Ethiopia
China and Ethiopia have created a new partnership in shoe manufacturing. The partnership marks a shift in traditional Chinese investments in African countries, straying away from investments in heavy infrastructure development and oil production. It also gives Ethiopia a new alternative to exporting unprocessed raw materials. To continue to attract investors, the Ethiopian government is offering four year tax breaks, cheap land and free electricity to those investing in the industrial zone. ( The China Post)
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India
The Indian government has begun implementing programs to develop tasar silk in the nation via the Central Silk Board and the Centrally Sponsored Scheme Catalytic Development Program. Through these programs, assistance is given to tasar silkworm seed production, systematic plantations, rearing activities, and the marketing of the products produced. In order to make sericulture remunerative, the government has focused on increasing productivity of the cocoon and raw silk. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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Nigeria
Nigerian officials have arrested 45 Chinese illegal textile traders in the city of Kano, Nigeria. The law prevents foreigners from participating in certain trades- including selling clothes-in order to give locals a competitive advantage. Officials plan to deport the perpetrators in an effort to eradicate foreigners from trades reserved for domestic retailers. ( Reuters)
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Pakistan
Pakistan's domestic production of cotton fabric and polyester yarn is suffering due to the continuing energy crisis, causing an increased need to import the products. Currently only 3 of the 20 polyester yarn producers are operational. Pakistan has already imported 63.29 million tons in the first half of the current fiscal year, and is expected to cross 150 million tons by the end of the fiscal year. Cotton fabric imports have reached 120.53 million square meters during the first half of the 2012 fiscal year. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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Peru
Peru is lifting the anti-dumping duties imposed on Chinese rayon-viscose and cotton-fiber fabrics. The lift of the duties was implemented Saturday, May 26, 2012, following a review of the anti-dumping measure as ordered by the Peruvian Anti-Dumping and Subsidies Commission in March 2012. Peru and China entered a free trade agreement in 2010 to promote bilateral trade, prompting the review of the measure. ( China Daily)
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Syria
Several Syrian companies that specialize in children's clothing were in attendance at the Syrian Motex Exhibition for Textile and Fashion 2012 Friday, May 25, 2012. The exhibition serves as a means to promote access for Syrian textile products in foreign markets. More than 5,000 businessmen from Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and Libya were invited to attend the exhibition. (Syrian Arab News Agency)
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Thailand
The Commerce Ministry will hold the 30th Annual Bangkok International Fashion Fair & Bangkok International Fair 2012 at the end of June. More than 500 companies will participate in the showcase, and more than 40,000 Thai and global investors are expected to attend. The fair will promote the potential of Thailand's fashion and leather industries to global investors. (Pattaya Mail)
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United Kingdom
Retail giant Topshop is working with eco-friendly fashion brand Reclaim To Wear to launch a collection made entirely from surplus stock and production cut-offs. The collection will be available in Topshop's Oxford Circus branch as well as to online consumers next month. Topshop's initiative to reduce its carbon footprint and to utilize more sustainable solutions has the potential to revolutionize the fashion industry and push the industry to go green. (Fibre2Fashion)
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United States
Production fell across all regions in April with the Chemical Production Regional Index slipping by 0.3 percent. The United States' manufacturing sector is the leading consumer of chemical products- with a majority of manufactured goods being touched by the chemical industry. The manufacturing sector rose by 0.3 percent in April, 0.2 percent less than the gain in March. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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Vietnam
Cotton fiber may be applicable for trade on the Vietnam Commodity Exchange (VNX). Trading cotton on The Enterprise Partnerships for Development Forum, a project designed to support Vietnamese and Italian small- and medium-sized enterprises, has resulted in a visit to Vietnam by more than 40 Italian firms, who seek to explore investment opportunities in Vietnam's textile and apparel sector. Through the Forum, experienced professionals consulted several Vietnamese textile and garment companies and sought technical assistance from the companies. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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About WRAP
Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A., with regional offices in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Hong Kong, S.A.R., WRAP is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the certification of facilities engaged in lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing throughout the world.
To learn more about WRAP, please visit www.wrapcompliance.org.
Notice: The WRAP Weekly Newsletter is a collection of links to current news articles, relevant to social compliance, from free, publicly available online sources. WRAP is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Tel: 1.703.243.0970 Fax: 1.703.243.8247
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