NEWS
Inside the Industry
Walmart has announced a deal to streamline its supply-chain management with software provided by Bamboo Rose. Through the new ESP, Walmart Sourcing associates will more easily collaborate with buyers, product-development teams and suppliers, improving the way the company procures and imports goods for resale. The single-sourcing platform creates greater visibility across teams, enabling Walmart associates to make more-informed purchasing decisions on volume and cost, improving access of goods to other markets, and potentially reducing waste in categories such as perishable goods and other sensitive product lines. “With this technology, we’ll be able to engage with suppliers across multiple growth stages, expand global offerings and make more efficient decisions,” said Daniel Berg, vice president of product global sourcing at Walmart.
Eastman Naia Renew cellulosic fiber has received Global Recycled Standard certification, which verifies its recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions. Textile Exchange, a global nonprofit for sustainable change in the fashion and textile industry, owns the GRS certification process, which is achieved through an audit from the independent third-party certifying body SCS Global Services and applies to the full supply chain. It provides increased traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical content and labeling. “We’re honored to add GRS certification to our list of Naia certifications that support our sustainability goals,” said Claudia de Witte, sustainability leader for Eastman textiles.
The 2023 end-of-year report from JOOR has shown that the Direct-to-Consumer sector is falling out of favor while retailers remain increasingly risk averse and data have proven the importance of creative assets in driving sales. Despite a challenging environment, brands on JOOR are experiencing growth, with 67 percent of reporting sales volumes equal to or greater than last year. Wholesale, in particular, is a thriving channel. In a recent survey of brands, 74 percent reported wholesale driving over half of their sales, and, on average, brands are expecting 27 percent growth in their wholesale business. Furthermore, JOOR foresees accelerated AI impact on the fashion industry, building on the current momentum, which includes enhancing customer support from superior chatbots to automating content creation for sales, marketing, advertising and optimizing inventory distribution.
The ISPO Textrends judges have selected YKK’s DynaPel water-repellent zipper as the best product in the accessories category. The competition, held twice a year in conjunction with the ISPO trade show, recognizes the most innovative performance textiles, components and apparel. Designed to be compatible with garment-recycling systems, the DynaPel zipper uses GTT’s EMPEL technology instead of the standard PU film to achieve its water repellency. The lack of a PU film helps remove one of the barriers to textile-to-textile recycling of performance apparel by eliminating the urethane material, which presents challenges to garment-recycling processes. “Receiving an ISPO Textrends award helps validate the technology and our efforts to develop fasteners for circular systems,” said Terry Tsukumo, vice president, product strategy division, global sales headquarters, YKK.
