Specialty Fabrics Review April 2020 - 20

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INDUSTRY NEWS

IFAI partners with Alliance Funding Group
Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) has partnered with Alliance Funding
Group to provide IFAI members with fast financing at competitive rates. "IFAI is
enthusiastic about offering members access to one more resource when considering
financing equipment or looking for working capital," says Andrew Aho, IFAI's vice
president, new business development. "Alliance Funding Group has been providing
companies and associations with their services for over two decades." Program details
include benefits such as transactions starting at $10,000 and up, 24- to 84-month terms
and consideration for funding for all types of equipment. For more information, visit
https://apply.alliancefunding.com/ifai.

Industry 4.0 and the clothing sector

GOTS certification U.S. recipients

According to GlobalData, the clothing
sector must embrace Industry 4.0 to boost
productivity and harness creativity. Industry
4.0 combines new technologies such as
artificial intelligence, machine learning, the
Internet of Things and robotics with real-time
data that can transform factories into fully
automated entities. Leonie Barrie, apparel
analyst at GlobalData, says, "For the laborintensive clothing industry with its long and
complex global supply chains, Industry 4.0 has
the potential to improve efficiency, speed up
the whole planning and production process,
reduce lead times and allow brands to interact
with supply chain partners in real time."

In 2019, 39 companies received certification to
the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS),
making a total of 113 individual companies
certified to GOTS in the U.S. The standard
covers the processing, manufacturing,
packaging, labeling, trading and distribution
of all textiles made from at least 70 percent
certified organic natural fibers. Products may
only be sold with a GOTS label if the entire
supply chain is certified and the necessary
scope and transaction certificates have been
obtained to prove certification.

Cotton Inc. sponsors
AATCC competition
Cotton Inc.'s CottonWorks™ program
is sponsoring the 2020 AATCC Concept
2 Consumer Student Merchandising
Competition. CottonWorks is a leading
textile resource for professionals and emerging
professionals in the apparel and textile
industry. This year's competition theme is
"Everlasting Style." Students will develop
a business model, determine a marketing
strategy and create merchandising tools and
products for an integrated apparel line for
office/work attire that is timeless in terms
of sustainability, quality and style.

SEAMS continues Reshoring Award
SEAMS and The Reshoring Initiative
have announced that the Sewn Products
Reshoring Award will be awarded annually.
The organizations cited the success of the
award in 2019 as spurring the yearly activity.
The award is open to all companies that have
successfully reshored to the U.S. the sewing
of any product. Eligibility for the award must
include production reshoring from offshore
back to the U.S. or represent new production
that has taken market share from imports
between Jan. 1, 2014, and June 30, 2020.
Awards will be presented in three industry
categories: cut and sew manufacturers;
brands/OEMS/vertical retailers; and textile
providers (products produced in the U.S.).

Portable fabric canopies market outlook
The portable fabric canopies market is expected
to grow by $57.01 million during 2020-2024,
according to the latest market research report
by Technavio. Pubs and outdoor restaurants
that cater to consumer preferences have
experienced significant growth over the last
few years. Food service vendors are coming
up with innovative infrastructure involving
different themes, fostering the demand for
portable fabric canopies. The rising number
of outdoor restaurants is expected to drive the
growth of the portable fabric canopies market
during the forecast period.

Unifi announces award recipients
Unifi Inc. has announced recipients of the
third annual Champions of Sustainability
awards, continuing to recognize companies
driving sustainability for the good of
tomorrow. This year, 79 companies have
achieved key milestones through their use
of REPREVE® recycled performance fiber.
Highlights include H&M, which has recycled
more than a half billion bottles, and Walmart
and Quiksilver reaching the quarter billion
bottle milestone. For a list of award recipients,
visit www.unifi.com/champions.

Diverse workforces offer benefits
Small businesses with a diverse workforce are
more innovative and financially successful,
according to data gathered by SCORE, the
largest U.S. network of volunteer, expert
business mentors. Data indicates that
businesses with more diverse management
have 19 percent higher revenue and are more
likely to outperform non-diverse businesses.
According to the data, 67 percent of job seekers
said a diverse workforce is an important factor
when evaluating job offers, and 72 percent
would consider leaving an organization for
one they think is more inclusive. For more
information, visit www.score.org.

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https://apply.alliancefunding.com/ifai http://www.unifi.com/champions http://www.score.org
Specialty Fabrics Review April 2020

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