The Australian Wool and Sheep Industry Taskforce and international retailers are negotiating a breakthrough agreement to ensure continuing support for Australian Merino wool.The ground-breaking initiative was developed by the Taskforce to meet the needs of retailers which have been subject to a misinformation and harassment campaign by People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) over the husbandry practice of mulesing.Taskforce spokesman and President of WoolProducers, Robert Pietsch, sa

Greenyarn, a Boston firm developing advanced fabrics for consumers seeking eco-friendly alternatives to conventional materials, has developed a deodorizing fabric made from bamboo. The company has scaled up production of this material which it has named ?co-fabric,?and is now supplies it to the Asian and American fabric and garment markets. The active ingredient of Eco-fabric are nano-particles of bamboo charcoal, made from the Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens), the world's m

Over the past two years it has become evident that the textile industry is one of the most vulnerable in the Italian economy not just from competition from the rest of Europe, but increasingly from Asia, notably China.The results of a quarterly production survey conducted by Sistema Moda Italia clearly highlight this trend, showing that textile production activity continued to slow during the first quarter of 2005. An expected recovery in exports did not materialise and order levels for the all

China and United States (US) will talk on textile frictions between the two sides, a China's Ministry of Commerce official said."This round, which still concentrates on the technical level, is expected to pave the way for further talks in the Sino-US Joint Commission for Commerce and Trade to be held next Monday in Beijing," the source said.The last round of Sino-US talks, in the wake of a deal China made with the European Union was held on June 17.Some insiders are wondering whether discussions

At the annual function of All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA), Textile Minister - Mushtaq Ali Cheema announced that national textile policy will be declared by the middle of August.Cheema informed that policy, which is to be announced after national trade policy will cover all the left matters, which were not covered to in the federal budget 2005-06.Responding to APTPMA? appeal for zero-rating of caustic soda imports, Cheema stated Government is seriously mulling to reduce

President Bush stirred up the Group of Eight Summit this week by proposing that the EU drop all agricultural subsidies around $112 billion per year, given to the farmers by wealthy countries, by the year 2010 simultaneously. The pretext for doing this is to benefit African countries by expanding access to developed countries' markets. This comes as WTO negotiators begin intense discussions on agricultural issues that could lead to a tentative agreement by early August. That President Bush would

Three categories of clothing were nearly filled on yesterday night with U.S. port authorities expected to close doors today or tomorrow. Beijing ordered halt in shipments of a further fourth category, in addition. Sino-U.S. trade talks are under way to resolve trade differences and reach a comprehensive agreement. As predicted, three of the seven restricted categories were nearly filled on Wednesday, 6 July. All subsequent shipments of these three products arriving henceforth in U.S. ports wer

According to Ministry of Industry reports, the footwear industry? export turnover was registered only US$1.4 billion in the first six months of the year, just 2.8 per cent higher than the same period last year.The ministry's experts attributed the gloomy picture to intense competition with Chinese products, as China can produce raw materials for local producers while Viet Nam has to import about 70 per cent of total raw material volume used for exports.Some countries in the region, which were hi

China's leather footwear sector may become the second aim of European Union (EU) anti-dumping charges by as early as next month, according to the China Leather Association (CLA). "According to our information, the EU is proposing a new round of anti-dumping investigations against a wide range of leather shoes from China," said Wei Yafei, the association's spokeswoman. This anti-dumping probe, which is predicted to cover nearly 30 classes of shoes, could be a big blow to Chinese manufacturers. "I

More than 10 clothing factories in Lesotho have shut down in recent months.The textile and clothing manufacturing industry is not a sustainable option for Southern Africa in the long term, according to a UN economist. The sector - one of Southern Africa's few export industries - is struggling to compete in a quota-free global market.Manufacturers have been hard-hit by the termination of the Multi-Fibre Agreement (MFA), which came to an end in January this year. The MFA was introduced 30 years ag