Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine November Issue 2018 | Page 54

SUSTAINABLE BD THE LATEST NEWS HAVE YOUR SAY For the latest news on apparel and textile, make sure that you visit https://apparelresources.com/top-news/ Write to Apparel Resources, B-32, South Extension-1, New Delhi (110049), India or email: [email protected] Women Workers get a ‘PACE' in their lives with GAP and Orient Craft Hundreds of women workers across various states of India have been able to improve their lifestyles with the help of international apparel retailer GAP and its suppliers like Orient Craft (OC). PACE (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement), an initiative by GAP, which focuses on various professional and personal skills like proper communication, financial management, technical skill enhancement, and stress management, of the women workforce of apparel suppliers. Hence, the programme is benefiting women workers as they are now more punctual, skilled and managing their personal and professional lives more systematically. through such an initiative, the male-dominated mindset of Indian society will change. Orient Craft, one of India’s top apparel exporters with a turnover of more than US $ 230 million, organised the closing ceremony of the first batch of PACE trained and certified women workers recently. A skit presented by female workers of the factory beautifully displayed how out of 200 such female workers of a Gurgaon’s factory, three further cleared the test and got promoted in their department. The export house has plans to train nearly its 15,000 female workers in long run. Prashant Das, Manager, PACE Global Initiatives, Gap Inc. shared that the programme was running in many factories across the world but Orient Craft is one of the best organisations as far as implementation of the PACE is concerned. GAP is targeting to train one million women across the globe under this programme. Happy with the overall improvement of female workers, Sudhir Dhingra, CMD of the company is of the opinion that Archana Tomar Mann, VP, Compliance, CSR, Training & Development told Apparel Online, “Initially there was hesitation in women but now they are more than happy with the training. Every day these women contribute their one and a half hour for the training.” Albini Group collaborates with Oritain for 100% traceable cotton production Italian textile maker Albini Group has recently announced its strategic partnership with scientific traceability company Oritain so as to produce the first 100 per cent traceable Supima organic cotton. The cotton will be used in collections from global luxury group Kering, the owner of brands including Gucci, YSL, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. The co-operative effort, brought together by Kering, hopes to combat fragmented supply chains and build a real consumer understanding of traceability. Cecilia Takayama, Director of the Materials Innovation Lab, Kering said, “Traceability in fashion’s fragmented and global supply chains is imperative to create a real change. At Kering, we are focused on sustainable raw material sourcing and this innovative technology for our organic cotton supply chain will enable our Materials Innovation Lab greater visibility to verify farming best practices and fibre quality, as well as ensure integrity within the supply chain and guarantee alignment with our Kering Standards.” Oritain will analyse the naturally occurring chemical properties of the actual fibre by creating a unique chemical fingerprint for the product that links it back to the field which cannot be altered, copied, or adulterated. Cotton products can be tested at every stage of the supply chain in order to check that fabric is consistent with the original fingerprint with only an exact match confirming its authenticity. sustainable, responsible practices in their cotton supply chains.” Organically grown Supima cotton is subsequently woven and dyed by Albini. The collaboration will offer end consumers the ability to buy with confidence those products which can be completely traced back to the origin of the fibre. It is worth mentioning here that Rupert Hodges, Executive Director, Oritain (UK), mentioned, “Traceability has been a buzzword in fashion for some time, but there are still challenges in the industry. Now, through this partnership, we can support Kering, Supima, and Albini Group to further enable Moreover, earlier this year, Oritain Global announced a deal with Supima, the cotton association which represents more than 500 American Pima cotton growers, to offer its members the use of Oritain’s trademarked cotton verification technology. 54 Apparel Online Bangladesh | November 2018 | www.apparelresources.com He added that, “The commitment by these industry leaders to work with Oritain shows the value scientific traceability provide to these companies with complex supply chains. We are very excited to expand on this initial project with our partners and help establish a new industry standard for traceability within the apparel sector.”