ALEXANDRIA, Va. — October 7, 2011 — The textile services industry has reached new heights in
natural resources conservation, according to the latest TRSA Laundry Environmental Stewardship
Program (LaundryESP®) survey. Responses compiled from 500 U.S. TRSA member facilities indicated
that their carbon footprint per pound of laundry is 11 percent smaller than in 2006 driven by a 14
percent per-pound decline in energy use. Water consumption has dropped 6 percent in that time.

These results have emerged on the heels of a study published by a European textile services
coalition that concluded the production technology typically used by TRSA members “is the most
sustainable way of doing laundry, almost without loss of quality and functionality.” Such
large-scale washing, drying and wrinkle removal is up to three times more sustainable than a
domestic laundry process, the European group concluded. They added that TRSA members’ techniques
were also proven up to twice as effective in this respect as “on-premises” laundries (OPLs):
individual washrooms large enough only to serve the businesses in which they are located, usually
hotels or healthcare facilities.

In terms of carbon footprint (carbon dioxide production), the metric most associated with
sustainability, LaundryESP® determined that TRSA member laundries now generate 0.36 pounds of CO2
per pound of laundry washed. That’s a 24 percent decline since 1997, the first year of data
tracking. This prevents emission of 1.49 billion pounds of CO2 per year, the equivalent of:

•    Taking 135,000 typical cars off the road.

•    Planting roughly 30 million trees to achieve a similar reduction.

“LaundryESP® is a testimonial to TRSA members’ commitment to improving their efficiency,
which enhances the environment and the economy,” observed TRSA President Joseph Ricci.
“Sustainability in commerce is not just about expending fewer resources, it means achieving those
gains year after year because it’s profitable to do so.”

He continued, “Businesses that patronize TRSA members deserve much of the credit for our
industry’s greater efficiencies. They understand that sending their uniforms, linens, floor mats,
towels and other textile products to TRSA members is the most economical way to clean these.
LaundryESP® proves to our members’ customers that their patronage of TRSA companies is ‘greening’
their own businesses more than ever and enabling our members to continue to be vital corporate
citizens in cities and towns across the nation.”

TRSA priorities include promoting member companies’ services to facilities now using OPLs as
well as businesses that could substitute durable, reusable cloth products for the non-launderable
or paper equivalents they now buy. Ricci noted that TRSA companies’ laundry and rental service for
work uniforms has long been recognized as the cost-effective, secure and employee-friendly
alternative for businesses who would otherwise buy uniforms, manage their inventory themselves and
require workers to wash these garments personally. The new research provides up-to-date
confirmation that professional uniform service is a pro-environment choice that’s becoming more
sustainable, Ricci noted.

The most recent LaundryESP® findings indicate how TRSA members’ resource requirements have
dwindled:

2.55 gallons of water per laundered pound, down 33 percent since 1997, a 9.9-billion-gallon
annual differential or:

•    Enough to serve the residential purposes of 270,000 people in a year.

•    What might be saved if stringent indoor water conservation measures were
implemented for 1.36 million people.

2,260 BTUs of energy, down 27 percent, due to declines of:

•    26% in natural gas

•    9% in electricity

•    81% in propane

•    75% in fuel oils

•    30% in all hydrocarbon (production) fuels

These combined reductions save energy at the rate of 11 trillion BTU per year or:

•    Enough to power 116,000 typical U.S. households

Recent data comparing the sustainability of large-scale TRSA member laundering techniques to
domestic and OPL processes were generated by TKT, the research arm of the Dutch national
associations for textile services (FTN) and drycleaning (Netex). Cinet, a council of mostly
European national associations, published these studies.

Posted on October 10, 2011

Source: Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA)

SPARTANBURG — October 6, 2011 —  Milliken & Company today announced it has completed the
acquisition of SiVance, LLC, a privately-held provider of specialty silane, silicone and siloxane
intermediates located in Gainesville, Florida.  SiVance, which will become a subsidiary of
Milliken & Company, will complement Milliken’s existing portfolio of specialty performance
chemicals.  In total, approximately 150 associates are joining Milliken following the
acquisition. 

“This acquisition will immediately expand our market space for the chemical division while
also building on Milliken’s commitment to innovation, technology, and sustainability,” said Joe
Salley, President & CEO of Milliken.  “We are excited to have the SiVance team join the
Milliken family.”

“The acquisition of SiVance gives Milliken new technical and innovation capabilities and will
enable us to deliver additional products that bring value to customers,” said John Rekers,
President of Milliken’s chemical division. “These specialized silicone-based technologies will
expand and enhance our current offerings and market applications.”

Posted on October 10, 2011

Source: Milliken

ARLINGTON, Va. — October 5, 2011 — The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) today
unveiled a new brand identity at its semi-annual Board of Directors meeting in Washington, D.C.
AAFA’s new “We Wear” brand identity will allow the Association to clearly communicate who the
industry is, what the industry does, and why the industry’s work is important to the U.S. and
global economy. The name of the association remains unchanged.

“The U.S. apparel and footwear industry has a compelling story to tell, and our new “We Wear”
brand identity will help us tell it in a concise way, and in a way that ties together our entire
organization,” said AAFA President and CEO Kevin M. Burke. “When Americans get dressed each day, we
put on more than clothes and shoes. We wear jobs, our economy, innovation, intellectual property,
global markets, and much more. That is exactly how we have translated our new brand identity.”

“Hardworking American families spent more than $340 billion on new clothes and shoes at
retail last year,” Burke said. “When consumers buy clothes and shoes, they support more than four
million U.S. jobs across our industry’s supply chain. This powerful information will help drive the
conversations we have with government decision makers here in Washington. With our new brand
identity, our elected officials will not easily forget the significant impact that clothes and
shoes play in our lives, and in our economy.”

Over the past year, AAFA has researched and developed a stronger way to define and express
the value proposition AAFA delivers to the industry from Washington, D.C. By doing so, the “We
Wear” brand will improve AAFA’s overall effectiveness in Washington as the leading advocate of the
U.S. apparel and footwear industry.
View the
brand primer.

GOALS OF THE NEW BRAND

At its core, the “We Wear” brand aims to highlight AAFA’s critical mass and achieve successes
in Washington on behalf of the industry. This includes seeking legislation that opens new markets
to increased trade in a way that understands the industry’s 21st century business model,
aggressively protecting U.S. brands’ intellectual property, reducing regulatory burdens that do not
promote competitiveness in the global market, and seeking opportunities to strengthen the Berry
Amendment for domestic manufacturers who outfit U.S. servicemen and women.

What happens in the industry’s showrooms, design studios, distribution centers, factories,
and retail outlets is truly important to the overall health of the industry. But, the many of
decisions the industry makes are the result of some action or decision that was made in Washington,
D.C.

By better communicating AAFA’s critical mass, AAFA will show our elected officials that the
U.S. apparel and footwear industry truly impacts the entire economic health of the United States
and that the industry makes a valuable contribution to the global economy. Through all of this, the
overriding goal is to drive the industry forward by reducing regulatory strangulation, creating
increased opportunity for the industry to participate in the global marketplace, and maintaining
the ability to keep customers and products at the forefront.

CONSUMER DRIVEN MARKET SHARE

When compared to other consumer industries, AAFA represents one of the largest consumer
segments. For instance, each year, American consumers spend nearly $2.5 billion on deodorant and
$15 billion on bottled water. They spend $20 billion on video games, $75 billion on fast food, and
$130 billion on soda. They spend more than $340 billion on clothes and shoes — more than seven
times what it costs to run the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The industry even outpaces the
sales of new cars which account for around $175 billion each year.

WELL-PAYING INDUSTRY JOBS

In terms of employment, the U.S. apparel and footwear industry directly employs
more than four million U.S. workers. These important jobs includes industry executives, textile
mill workers, sourcing managers, wholesalers, retail floor associates, technical designers, and
marketing professionals, just to name a few. The industry also supports countless other U.S.
industries, like the more than 37,000 transportation jobs it requires to move products from the
port to the sales floor and the 235,000 dry cleaning jobs required to maintain and protect the
industry’s quality product.

And these are well-paying jobs. According to an AAFA/24Seven, Inc. survey conducted earlier
this year, the median salary across the entire industry supply chain is $70,000. According the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average hourly earnings for a worker in a U.S. apparel factory is
$11.82 per hour. The average hourly earnings for a worker in a U.S. apparel or footwear brand is
$25.28 per hour and the average hourly earnings for a worker in the retail side of the apparel and
footwear business is $14.38 per hour. Likewise, the average hourly earnings for a worker in
transportation and logistics, a key link in the apparel and footwear supply chain, is $21.74 per
hour.

WHAT TO EXPECT

In early November, AAFA will roll out a new Web site that is fully-integrated to
improve the way the AAFA communicates with the industry and the way the industry communicates with
Washington. Throughout the upcoming year, AAFA will also release new statistics and data points to
reinforce the positive economic impact the industry has on the U.S. and global economy. AAFA is
also planning to produce new tools, resources, and educational programs that will help the industry
compete around the world.

LITTLE KNOWN APPAREL AND FOOTWEAR FACTS

• While the United States accounts for one-quarter of total global apparel and footwear retail
  sales, the United States accounts for just five percent of the world’s population. Global growth is
  a top priority for the industry.
• The U.S. military spends more than $2 billion each year on military apparel and footwear for
  U.S. servicemen and women around the world. It is the domestic apparel and footwear industry that
  produces these products under the Berry Amendment.
• In 2010, U.S. consumers bought 20.5 billion garments and 2.3 billion pairs of shoes. On
  average, every American spent more than $1,100 on 68 new garments and 8 pairs of shoes. 99 percent
  of the footwear and 98 percent of the apparel sold in the U.S. is produced globally.

Posted on October 10, 2011

Source: AAFA

WASHINGTON — October 6, 2011 — U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced today that the United
States has submitted information to the World Trade Organization (WTO) identifying nearly 200
subsidy programs that China has failed to notify as required under WTO rules.  Information was
also submitted on 50 subsidy programs in India not previously notified.  Through these actions
at the WTO, the United States is seeking the prompt provision of detailed information and data from
China and India regarding the operation of these subsidy programs.

“The situation was simply intolerable,” said Ambassador Kirk.  “Every member of the WTO
is required to come clean on its subsidy programs on a regular basis.  China has not notified
its subsidy programs in over five years.  India only recently filed its first notification in
almost ten years, and even then notified only three of the many subsidy programs we know to
exist.  Because China and India have failed to meet their respective obligations, we had to
act — as we are entitled to under the WTO rules — and provide the voluminous information we have
developed regarding subsidy programs in these two countries.”  

Under WTO rules, every Member is obligated to submit information about all of its subsidy
programs on a regular basis. This information is required so that Members may assess the nature and
extent of the subsidy programs of others.  The notification obligation is particularly
significant for Members like China, where inadequate transparency in so many areas places a
tremendous burden on other WTO Members seeking to better understand China’s trade policy
measures.  China has submitted only one subsidies notification since becoming a WTO Member in
December 2001.  That notification took place more than five years ago and was noticeably
incomplete.  In the last ten years, India has submitted only one notification, which was also
noticeably incomplete.  Previously, over the course of numerous meetings of the WTO Subsidies
Committee, the United States has requested that China and India make full notifications of all of
their subsidy programs.

“The lack of transparency severely constrains the ability of WTO Members to ensure that each
government is playing by the rules. The United States would have preferred to avoid today’s filings
but we have done so to hold China and India accountable and to enforce the rules that all WTO
Members must follow.  It is past time for China and India to be transparent about their
subsidy programs, and that includes meeting their notification obligations like other WTO Members.
China and India are among the largest exporters in the WTO, and it is simply not acceptable that
they continue to evade their transparency commitments,” Ambassador Kirk said.

Background

The obligations of WTO Members to notify their subsidies are set forth in Article 25 of the
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM Agreement).  Under Article 25.10 of
the SCM Agreement, if a Member has not notified its subsidy programs in a timely fashion, another
Member can raise the issue with the subsidizing Member.  If the programs are not subsequently
notified, the complaining Member can bring the matter to the attention of the WTO Subsidies
Committee.  An action taken under Article 25.10 is referred to as a “counter
notification.” 

In 2006, China submitted its only notification since becoming a WTO Member in 2001, covering
the years 2001- 2004.  Earlier this year, India submitted its first notification in nearly ten
years, but it covered only three subsidy programs.

USTR worked closely with the U.S. Department of Commerce in investigating China’s and India’s
subsidies practices and in compiling the Article 25.10 counter notifications.  The U.S.
submission on China’s subsidy programs includes measures submitted in the context of an
investigation initiated under section 302(a) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, on 15 October
2010, regarding Chinese policies and practices affecting trade and investment in green
technologies.  It also includes measures uncovered in the course of three prior WTO dispute
settlement proceedings and measures uncovered in the course of countervailing duty investigations
conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce.  The U.S. submission on India’s subsidy programs
includes measures uncovered in the course of U.S. countervailing duty
investigations.   



Posted on October 10, 2011

Source: USTR

FRANKFURT — September 26, 2011 — A service geared to the needs of specialist retailers and interior
decorators: for the next Heimtextil (11 to 14 January 2012) Messe Frankfurt is offering a new
theme-specific exhibitor directory in the shape of the Coupon Business Finder. The Finder lists
exhibitors that offer home and household textiles in small and very small quantities.

The new Coupon Business Finder is deliberately aimed at Heimtextil visitors from the
specialist retail trade and the interior decorating business who want to order quantities tailored
to their varying needs for a flexible product range. “The new Coupon Business Finder provides an
overview of exhibitors whose production facilities enable them to offer even small batch sizes”,
explains Ulrike Wechsung, Director Heimtextil. Thanks to the new publication, the people
responsible for Heimtextil can provide all those interested in coupons with a guide to their trade
fair visit, thus making it easier for them to find new suppliers and business partners. The
exhibitors’ stands listed in the Coupon Business Finder are marked by a logo on the exhibition
stand.



ZVR and BTE praise for new service offer

The new service offer for visitors to Heimtextil is very much appreciated by the Central
Association of Interior Design & Decorating Societies (Zentralverband Raum und Ausstattung
-ZVR): “The new directory is a convenient form of orientation that will be really useful for
visitors from the interior decorating business. This service once again underlines the great
importance that Heimtextil has for interior decorators”, says Henning Cronemeyer, Managing Director
of the Central Association of Interior Design & Decorating Societies. Axel Augustin, General
Manager of the German Association of the Textile Retail Trade (Bundesverband des Deutschen Textileinzelhandels e.V. – BTE) is also pleased: “Small and
medium-sized specialist retailers can only afford to invest the little time they have available at
the fair to visit the stands they want to visit. So they are glad of any assistance that will guide
them precisely to the exhibitors they are looking for.”

Three theme-specific exhibitor directories

The Coupon Business Finder will be issued, for example, to interior decorators in the
Heimtextil Insider Lounge and to bed dealers at the Bed’n Excellence welcome counter. It will also
be on display at many other locations in the exhibition grounds. Messe Frankfurt will thus publish
three theme-specific exhibitor directories for the international trade fair for home and contract
textiles: along with the new Coupon Business Finder, there will once again be a Contract Guide for
Heimtextil 2012 listing all suppliers of home textiles for the contract business. There will also
be an updated edition of the Green Directory for the fair. It provides an overview of companies and
their products that stand out because of their high ecological quality or sustainable manufacturing
methods. Apart from the above, Messe Frankfurt traditionally publishes a catalogue of all
Heimtextil exhibitors with the appropriate labels under the name of each exhibitor. This enables
the visitor to identify exhibitors that have an entry in the three theme-specific directories.
Visitors can also look for specific exhibitors at
www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com or in the
Mobile App.

Posted on October 4, 2011

Source: Messe Frankfurt

By a vote of 79 to 19, the U.S. Senate has voted to invoke cloture on S.1619, the Currency Exchange
Rate Oversight Act of 2011, which addresses foreign currency undervaluation and aims to provide an
equitable marketplace in which U.S. products can compete with foreign goods. Similar in scope to
H.R. 2378, the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act passed overwhelmingly by the House of
Representatives in 2010, the bipartisan bill details U.S. Department of Commerce responsibilities
related to investigation on a case-by-case basis of alleged currency subsidies and their effect on
U.S. exports.

The Fair Currency Coalition and the National Textile Association (NTA) strongly support the
bill and are urging its swift passage. In a letter sent to the Senate prior to the vote, the Fair
Currency Coalition noted that the bill “will create jobs, reduce deficits, and stop countries like
China from weakening our economy by unlawful means like currency manipulation.” The letter included
a petition signed by 129 national and state business, labor and agriculture organizations,
including NTA and several other associations representing the interests of the textile industry;
and 333 individual companies, including a number of textile manufacturers, from 40 states.

In its blog posted on October 3, NTA stated: “The positive impact of S.1619 to America’s
textile industry would be enormous. U.S. exports would rise and more jobs would be created. More
U.S. research and development would be encouraged and new investment in new plant and equipment
would grow. Finally, the U.S. economy would be stimulated without incurring any new public debt or
budgetary expenditures.”

The National Retail Federation (NRF) opposes the bill, warning that a loss of U.S. jobs could
result if the bill passes and that its passage could bring on a trade war with China. “The gains in
jobs that could be seen are minimal at best, and billions of dollars in trade and employment at
American companies that do business with China would be put at risk. It would do nothing to reduce
the trade deficit because trade would simply move to other Asian countries,” said NRF Vice
President and International Trade Counsel Erik Autor.

October 4, 2011