NRF: U.S. Ports Remain At Near-Record Volume As Demand Continues And West Coast Contract Deadline Approaches

WASHINGTON — June 8, 2022 — Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports should see near-record volume again this month as retailers work to meet still-strong consumer demand and also protect themselves against potential disruptions at West Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“We’re in for a busy summer at the ports,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Back-to-school supplies are already arriving, and holiday merchandise will be right behind them. And the big wild card is what will happen with West Coast labor negotiations with the current contract set to expire on July 1. We continue to encourage the parties to remain at the table until a deal is done, but some of the surge we’ve seen may be a safeguard against any problems that might arise.”

Imports from China should start to grow again now that the government has relaxed its Covid Zero policy and begun to release the population of Shanghai from a months-long lockdown, Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said.

“The anticipation is that the Chinese manufacturing and transportation sectors will quickly get back to normal,” Hackett said. Nonetheless, “China’s recovery will need the government’s support in order to get the supply chain functioning normally again to provide the input required by the manufacturing sector.”

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.26 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units – one 20-foot container or its equivalent – in April, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was down 3.6 percent from March’s 2.34 million TEU – the record for the number of containers imported in a single month since NRF began tracking imports in 2002 – but up 5.1 percent year over year.

Ports have not yet reported May numbers, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.31 million TEU, down 0.9 percent from 2.33 million TEU in May 2021, the second-busiest month on record. June is also forecast at 2.31 million TEU, up 7.5 percent year over year, which would leave May and June tied for the third-highest volume.

July is forecast at 2.3 million TEU, up 4.8 percent from last year; August at 2.28 million TEU, up 0.2 percent; September at 2.13 million TEU, down 0.4 percent, and October also at 2.13 million TEU, down 3.8 percent.

The first six months of 2022 are expected to total 13.5 million TEU, up 5.3 percent year over year. Imports for all of 2021 totaled 25.8 million TEU, a 17.4 percent increase over 2020’s previous annual record of 22 million TEU.

How to build a stronger and more sustainable supply chain will be addressed as retailers, industry experts and technology innovators meet at the NRF Supply Chain 360 conference in Cleveland June 20-21.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker

Posted: June 8, 2022

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

EFI Advances Growth Strategy In High-Value Digital Imaging With Inèdit Software Acquisition

FREMONT, Calif. — June 8, 2022 — Electronics For Imaging Inc. (EFI™), a Siris portfolio company, today announced that it has acquired Inèdit Software S.L., a developer of raster image processors (RIPs) and related software for digital industrial textile printing. The acquisition extends EFI’s strategy to accelerate digital transformation in industrial print through investments that advance the company’s presence and capabilities in Packaging & Corrugated, Display Graphics, Textile, and Building Materials/Décor applications. Inèdit will be integrated into the Reggiani textile business.

“Digital represents the biggest transformational opportunity we have ever seen in industrial printing,” said EFI CEO and Executive Chairman Jeff Jacobson. “We are committed to driving innovation and expanding our offerings through all economic cycles as we address our customers’ critical need to digitize and automate their workflows.”

Delivering powerful digital print workflows for textile

Based in Barcelona, Inèdit will help build on the market leadership of the EFI Reggiani portfolio of digital inkjet printing products for the industrial textile space.

“We are enthusiastic about the expanded business opportunities this acquisition creates by reinforcing EFI Reggiani’s strategic role as a trusted advisor for our customers,” said EFI Reggiani Senior Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni. “Inèdit’s products and its world-class professional services organization open the door to creating more-complete digital printing workflows that leverage best-in-class digital technologies. Our customers can continue to win new opportunities and grow by establishing higher-volume, higher-quality digital production services in ways that reduce the textile industry’s high carbon footprint.

“Inèdit’s extensive market coverage will be a key point of emphasis to fully leverage the strategic synergies arising from the combination of the EFI Reggiani and Inèdit businesses,” Genoni continued. “It is an acquisition that significantly strengthens our presence in key textile markets.”

Similar to EFI’s Fiery® digital front end and RIP technologies for the digital commercial and industrial printing markets, Inèdit’s neoStampa product is a worldwide leader and recognized benchmark solution for RIPs in digital textile printing. The Inèdit product portfolio features proven, highly advanced workflow solutions for textile profiling, calibration, design integration and much more. Inèdit’s RIP technology is employed across the worldwide textile industry and is a leading RIP used to drive EFI Reggiani digital printers and other digital industrial textile printer brands. As part of EFI Reggiani, Inèdit will continue to support products for a broad range of digital printers.

“Becoming part of the EFI Reggiani business empowers us to develop and deliver an even greater level of end-to-end textile integrated workflow solutions and Industry 4.0-driven automation enhancements that will further drive customers’ productivity, printing performance, profitability and sustainability in textile printing,” said Jose Antonio Caballero, Co-founder and Sales Manager of Inèdit. “Our team is excited to join a company that is a leading innovator in digital textile printing.”

Inèdit’s employees are joining EFI Reggiani but will continue to work from their current offices. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Posted: June 8, 2022

Source: Electronics For Imaging Inc.

Apparel Impact Institute Announces Lead Funders For New $250 Million Fashion Climate Fund, Uniting Brands, Philanthropic Donors, And Industry Stakeholders

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — June 8, 2022 — Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), the nonprofit organization dedicated to operationalizing and accelerating climate action and sustainability solutions in fashion, announced today the lead funders in its new $250 million Fashion Climate Fund: Lululemon, H&M Group, H&M Foundation, and The Schmidt Family Foundation.

Aii and its lead partners have established the Fashion Climate Fund to drive collective action to tackle fashion’s supply chain emissions. By leveraging a first-of-its-kind collaborative funding model for fashion between philanthropy and corporate entities, the Fund could unlock an estimated $2 billion in blended capital across various asset classes, including debt and equity, to help meet the industry’s goal to halve carbon emissions by 2030.

While hundreds of fashion brands and retailers have pledged support to the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) to reduce their supply chain greenhouse gas emissions, large barriers to action remain: According to Aii and World Resources Institute’s recent report, Roadmap to Net Zero: Delivering Science Based Targets in the Apparel Sector, 96 percent of the fashion industry’s emissions come from third-party farms and factories that are shared across the industry and deemed too risky for brands, retailers, or traditional sources of capital to make necessary upgrades and overhauls.

Following the report’s roadmap, and the financial modeling insights set in Aii and Fashion For Good’s report, Unlocking the Trillion-Dollar Fashion Decarbonization Opportunity, the Fashion Climate Fund will provide programmatic funding for supplier interventions across the value chain: transitioning to renewable electricity, accelerating next-generation materials, scaling sustainable materials and practices, eliminating coal in manufacturing, and improving energy efficiency. Aii has created strategic collaborations with Textile Exchange, Fashion For Good, and Solidaridad, among others, to address those focal areas.

Through Aii’s unique model, philanthropic funds will provide the necessary form of capital to accelerate and de-risk pre-seed and pilot innovations, and industry support will advance proven solutions from pilots to scaled impact. This would unlock the estimated $2 billion in blended capital over the next eight years.

The Fashion Climate Fund is a bolder, more urgent, and holistic evolution of Aii’s existing program, Clean by Design. Since 2018, Clean by Design has aggregated and deployed over $12M in philanthropic funding into energy efficiency programs for factories, which has unlocked $175M in financial capital in addition to environmental savings.

To best support management of solutions and apply use of funds, Aii will launch a Climate Solutions Portfolio to serve as an online registry of early, mid- and late-stage initiatives that tackle supply chain greenhouse gas emissions. Fund partners and strategic advisors will use the portfolio as a tool for industry alignment and decisions on programs and grants. Major stakeholders for this tool, which will go into Beta development in 2022, include brands, retailers, suppliers, solution providers, innovators, foundations, government grantmakers, private equity and banks.

Lewis Perkins, president of Aii, said: “By aligning industry leaders and climate-focused philanthropists behind scalable solutions, the Fashion Climate Fund opens a pathway for greater collaboration and cross-pollination of solutions, facilitating greater investment and stronger collective action toward the industry goal of halving emissions by 2030, while also seeking climate justice for the citizens and communities where our fashion is made. We are greatly encouraged by the leadership and decisiveness shown today from these lead partners and honored to play this role as we open up this first phase of the project finance.”

Aii is currently in discussion with additional lead partners, with the goal of each funder committing $10 million over eight years. This is the first step in raising the targeted $250M for the Fund, which will bring larger industry and capital markets commitment to reaching science-based targets. Aii will continue to convene more lead partners into this Fund and grow strategic relationships with investment capital, both commercial lending and private equity, to reach even greater scale.

Posted: June 8, 2022

Source: Apparel Impact Institute (Aii)

ANDRITZ To Present Innovative Nonwovens Production Solutions For Wipe Applications At The World Of Wipes (WOW) 2022

GRAZ, Austria — June 8, 2022 — International technology group ANDRITZ will be presenting its innovative nonwovens production solutions for wipe applications at the international World of Wipes (WOW) 2022 conference in Chicago from June 27 to 29, 2022.

Latest news and trends

Sustainability is a serious responsibility for the entire industry and will continue to be so for the years and decades to come. Andritz’s “We Care” sustainability program combines all ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) initiatives, goals, and achievements under one roof. “We Care” takes a multi-dimensional, comprehensive, and practically oriented approach towards sustainability.

For many years now, Andritz has been offering various nonwoven processes to produce best and cost-effective wipes, for example spunlace, Wetlace and Wetlace CP. Andritz also accompanies nonwovens producers in the move towards sustainability with the aim of reducing or eliminating plastic components while maintaining the high quality of the desired product properties. This applies to all types of sustainable wipes, such as flushable, biodegradable, bio-sourced, carded-pulp or standard carded wipes. Indeed, hydroentanglement has the advantage of being able to bond any kind of fibers without the use of chemical binders or thermal fusion. It is, therefore, the most suitable bonding process for natural fibers, such as pulp, cotton, hemp, linen, flax, bamboo, and more. The latest development in this field is the Andritz neXline wetlace CP line, which integrates the card-pulp (CP) process. This is a fully engineered production line combining the benefits of drylaid and wetlaid technologies to produce a new generation of biodegradable wipes.

To make a meaningful contribution, Andritz has become a member of the board of the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) in the USA. The RFA is an independent, non-profit trade association committed to educating consumers in responsible and smart flushing habits to help reduce damage to the nation’s sewage systems. Andritz is deeply involved in this topic with its technologies for 100-percent dispersible and biodegradable wet wipes and is highly committed to being part of the RFA.

To serve customers even better and offer the best possible R&D and service, Andritz welcomes producers to its spunlace technical center at Andritz Perfojet in Montbonnot, France. It is equipped with the very latest technologies as well as a dedicated team of process engineers. The technical center has been upgraded just recently with an inline pulp formation system and is now the most advanced nonwovens test center for wipes worldwide. The line configuration is similar to an Andritz Wetlace CP line and combines both spunlace and wetlaid technologies. Customers can move forward to greener options while maintaining a high level of product quality, in particular by achieving high CD strength and good linting properties.

Posted: June 8, 2022

Source: ANDRITZ GROUP

Shima Seiki Releases SHIMA Datamall™

WAKAYAMA, Japan — June 7, 2022 — Fashion tech solutions provider Shima Seiki Mfg. Ltd., Japan, announces the release of its new “SHIMA Datamall™” digital content web service.

Shima Datamall is an online service that allows users to search, browse and purchase a variety of useful data for the planning, production and sales of fashion items. With Shima Datamall, users of the SDS®-ONE APEX series 3D design system, APEXFiz™ Design subscription software and Shima Seiki flat knitting machines will be able to streamline their operations and further promote the digital transformation of textile manufacturing, thereby realizing a shift toward sustainable manufacturing.

Digital content available on Shima Datamall, together with yarn data from the yarnbank™ digital yarn sourcing web service, are meant to support knit manufacturing from planning and design to production and sales, by arranging the data on SDS-ONE APEX and APEXFiz.

Membership is not limited to users of Shima Seiki products. Anyone can search and browse from digital data comprising ore than 6,000 items, free of charge. Information gathered on Shima Datamall is useful for product planning and ideas for new collections. Shima Seiki users can furthermore purchase and download data to facilitate communication with suppliers.

Posted June 7, 2022

Source: Shima Seiki

Sustainability Specialist Ullhas Nimkar Is The New President Of The Society Of Dyers And Colourists

Ullhas Nimkar

BRADFORD, England — June 6, 2022 — The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) has announced Ullhas Nimkar CCol FDSC as its new President, heralding a new push to advance sustainability standards for the industry.

The chairman and managing director of NimkarTek Technical Services, based in Mumbai, has been a member of the SDC for 35 years. Taking over from John Hansford, he aims to help the society and the wider sector address ecological and regulatory issues.

NimkarTek provides analytical testing services to stakeholders in the textile and apparel supply chain and is supporting brands in in their ambitious goal of Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC).

Commenting on his exciting new role, announced at the SDC’s AGM in Bradford UK and online, Ullhas said: “I am very honored to be elected president of the Society, a scientific body that has been the key education provider globally, over the years, for our sector.

“During my term, I will endeavour to further the mission of SDC to ensure the Society remains contemporary and relevant.

“The coloration industry faces many challenges when it comes to sustainability, as well as issues in the regulatory landscape. Together, we will need to think out of the box, and innovate, to address these problems — and the SDC has a big role to play.”

Ullhas, who will spend a year in office, was a member of the board of trustees for the SDC between 2014 and 2016, and instrumental in starting the SDC India region, serving as treasurer, secretary, and chairman.

He holds Chartered Colourist and Fellowship of the SDC status, and was a founding Trustee of the SDC Education Charity in India. Ullhas also a fellow of the Textile Association of India.

Chief Executive of the SDC, Dr. Graham Clayton, said: “We are delighted to welcome Ullhas as our new President. Ullhas has always been deeply involved with ecological aspects and chemical restrictions in the textile and leather industries and their regulations.

“This provides him with an ideal background for this pivotal role at a time when sustainability has never been so important to our sector.

“Ullhas leads by example. He has enjoyed success in the industry because of his vision, his passion, his work ethic, and his dedication towards the textile, chemical, and coloration industry.”

Analytical and ecological services provider, Texanlab Laboratories, was Ullhas’ first company. He set it up in 1984 after he was awarded an MSc in Colour Chemistry from the University of Leeds and exited the business in 2010. It is now part of DyStar India.

In addition to his business commitments with NimkarTek, Ullhas lectures extensively on ecological issues in textiles and sustainability. He has been invited to present papers at conferences in the UK, Spain, Germany, USA, China, Turkey, Hong Kong, and Kenya over the years.

Ullhas is also a member of his alma mater Ramnarain Ruia College’s internal quality assurance committee and a former advisory council member for the Frankfurt-based International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Center.

Posted June 7, 2022

Source: SDC

Mannington Commercial Announces 2022 New And Refreshed Products Will Be 105 Percent Carbon Offset

CALHOUN, Ga. – June 6, 2022 – Mannington Commercial announced today that new and refreshed products launched in 2022 across its carpet, luxury vinyl tile (LVT), rubber and resilient sheet lines will be 105 percent carbon offset. This means customers will have the assurance of knowing the products they specify will be carbon negative, or carbon neutral at the least.  From raw material extraction through manufacturing (known as “cradle-to-gate”), the products will not contribute to the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a key driver of greenhouse gas emissions.

Currently, more than a dozen new and refreshed products are being carbon offset. With many more products slated for introduction later in the year, Mannington Commercial estimates its total carbon offsets for 2022 will be the equivalent to removing more than 10,000 gas cars from the road for a year. New 2022 rug products are not currently included, but will be added soon.

The initiative is a critical step to the company’s goal of accelerating decarbonization from its operations and supply chain. It also addresses the most urgent environmental needs facing the floor covering industry: clean energy, waste diversion and greenhouse gas emissions.

“As a family-owned company driven by American manufacturing, we’ve long cared about the people and communities we touch and making sure we try to do the right thing,” said Mannington Commercial Director of Sustainability Shane Totten. “This initiative is at the heart of that philosophy. It’s also a stepping stone to the larger and longer-term environmental, social and health goals we’re setting.  This is one piece of the holistic business approach we’re taking to increase our overall social and sustainable stewardship.”

Starting immediately, and for full transparency, all product specifications will indicate the 105 percent volume of carbon dioxide equivalent that is being offset per yard — Example: 5.7kg CO2e/square yard.  Mannington Commercial already provides an industry leading level of product transparency. This includes ensuring its products have environmentally preferable certifications, such as mindful MATERIALS, Declare labels, Environmental Product Declarations and Health Product Declarations.

Additionally, all Mannington Commercial products may contribute to LEED and Green Globe credits. And, with all of the company’s carpet, resilient sheet, rubber and more than 90 percent of its LVT products made in the U.S., Mannington Commercial products have a lower environmental footprint when specified for American commercial building projects compared to products manufactured or transported internationally.

Mannington Commercial’s carbon offset purchases are being invested in a variety of projects that have been independently verified for reducing or eliminating carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. Aligned with the company’s priorities and relevant to the industry, the carbon offsets are supporting projects in clean energy generation, waste diversion and greenhouse gas capturing/sequestration.

Posted June 7, 2022

Source: Mannington Commercial

BASF Offers Range Of Chemical Intermediates With Product Carbon Footprint Significantly Below Global Market Average

LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany — June 7, 2022 — BASF has calculated the individual product carbon footprints (PCF) of a large part of its portfolio of chemical intermediates.* The results were compared with assessments of market-wide average carbon footprints of the corresponding products of third parties.** The outcome of the analysis shows that due to the production set-up the PCF of a range of BASF’s chemical intermediates is significantly below the global average PCF of the corresponding third-party chemicals, all produced from fossil-based raw materials.

BASF now offers these products as “LowPCF” intermediates:

  • Tert-Butylamine (tBA) LowPCF
  • Formic Acid (FA) LowPCF
  • Propionic Acid (PA) LowPCF
  • 1,6-Hexanediol (HDO®) LowPCF
  • Neopentyl Glycol (NPG) LowPCF

The PCF comprises the total greenhouse gas emissions that occur until the BASF product leaves the factory gate for the customer: from the extraction of resources through manufacturing of precursors to the making of the final chemical product

itself. On its journey to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, BASF is the first large chemical company to make the individual carbon footprints of all its sales products available to its customers.

Various factors contributing to low product carbon footprint

The PCF is determined by various factors. For example, energy generation in BASF’s own gas-fired combined heat and power plants generates significantly less greenhouse gas emissions compared to other conventional energy generation. In addition, production processes of LowPCF intermediates are characterized by high production efficiency in terms of energy and raw material consumption due to BASF’s integrated Verbund system and continuous efforts in operational excellence. Finally, LowPCF intermediates generally use oil, natural gas or Verbund by-products, but not coal, as primary raw materials. Due to its chemical properties, the use of coal generally results in a higher carbon footprint of downstream products compared to natural gas or oil.

“Company CO2 emission reduction targets are playing an increasingly important role in the value chains we serve. With our LowPCF intermediates, we are supporting our customers in achieving their targets: they now have the option to consciously choose a product with a carbon footprint significantly below the global market average,” says Stephan Kothrade, head of BASF’s Intermediates division. “By making CO2 emission data at the individual product level available to our customers, we also offer a level of transparency that is unique in the chemical industry.”

The intermediates tert-Butylamine (tBA), formic acid (FA), propionic acid (PA), 1,6-hexanediol (HDO) and neopentyl glycol (NPG) are versatile chemicals* that are used as ingredients for numerous everyday products. Examples include plastics, car tires, deicing agents, pharmaceuticals, crop protection products, paints and coatings. BASF customers use these products in the textile, automotive, agricultural, pharmaceutical and furniture industries, among others.

1 BASF’s product carbon footprint (PCF) calculations follow the requirements and guidance given by ISO 14067:2018. In a methodology review, TÜV Rheinland has certified that the PCF methodology SCOTT developed and used by BASF SE for calculating the PCFs of BASF products is scientifically-based, is in accordance with ISO 14067:2018, and reflects the state of the art (ID-Nr. 0000080389: BASF SE – Certipedia).

2 BASF has made these assessments of corresponding third-party products using publicly available information and fee-based, proprietary market survey data on production routes and deployed raw materials, to the extent available, as well as BASF’s own market and technology know-how. The data assumptions and allocation factors for third-party PCFs are the same as for the calculation of the PCF of the BASF product, as applicable. BASF’s assessments of the PCFs of the corresponding third-party products have not been subject to an LCA critical review by an independent third party.

Posted June 7, 2022

Source: BASF

Vice President Harris Announces More Than $1.9 Billion In New Private Sector Commitments As Part Of Call To Action For Northern Central America

WASHINGTON — June 7, 2022 — The Vice President, U.S. Department of State, and the Partnership for Central America (PCA), come together to announce private sector commitments now total more than $3.2 billion

Vice President Kamala Harris today announced more than $1.9 billion in new private sector commitments to create economic opportunity in northern Central America, more than doubling the value of initial private sector investments in response to her Call to Action. As part of her role addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, in May 2021, the Vice President launched the Call to Action for businesses and social enterprises to make significant commitments to promote economic opportunity for people in the region. This is in support for the U.S. Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration which the Vice President launched in July 2021. A summary of progress in implementation of the Root Causes Strategy can be found here.

The announcement today builds on the announcement the Vice President made in December 2021 of $1.2 billion in private sector commitments. Aggregate commitments under this initiative now total more than $3.2 billion. Taken together, these investments are creating an ecosystem of opportunity and helping to provide hope for people in the region to build safe and prosperous lives at home.

The Biden-Harris Administration recognizes that long-term development in northern Central America requires more than just the resources of the U.S. Government. For this reason, Vice President Harris called upon the private sector to draw upon its resources and expertise to support inclusive economic growth in northern Central America. Over the course of the past year, the Vice President has convened CEOs and philanthropic leaders to advance this effort, and will do so again on the margins of the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles at events hosted by the Partnership for Central America and Chamber of Commerce.

New Commitments

The following 10 companies and organizations announced major new commitments today, joining 30 companies that have already invested since the launch of the Call to Action in May 2021:

Agroamerica:  Agroamerica, a family-owned sustainable food and ingredients corporation, will invest more than $100 million in six new projects that will generate 1,000 permanent, living-wage jobs in northern Central America over the next 5 years.  Future projects include a food ingredients refinery, a 600-hectares banana plantation, a large avocado plantation and processing plant, and the expansion of a Natural Ingredients Processing Plant.  Agroamerica expects to drastically reduce food waste in the region while presenting an innovative business line for small and independent producers of raw ingredients and tropical fruits produced in Central America.

COATL: COATL, a digital service firm, will invest $35 million in El Salvador to expand rural access to high-speed internet over the next 5 years by expanding and operating a highly reliable rural broadband network over existing high-power electricity lines. This work will allow equal access to a digital ecosystem in rural areas, enabling online education, financial inclusion, and e-services.

Fundación Terra:  Fundación Terra, an independent foundation funded by contributions from Terra Inversiones, which works in the energy, petroleum, retail, and real-estate sectors, will invest $24.5 million in new programs over 5 years.  These programs will support secondary education, digital access, entrepreneurship, and environmental conservation, including scholarships to tutor 40,000 students in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in Math and Spanish, which will promote financial inclusion.

Gap Inc.: Gap Inc. is committed to sourcing in Central America, and their current production in Central America supports an estimated 8,200 manufacturing jobs in the region held primarily by women. Gap Inc. plans to increase its sourcing in Central America by approximately $50 million per year, for a total growth commitment of $150 million by 2025, as part of its strategy to increase supply chain resilience by nearshoring more production to the Western Hemisphere. These increased purchases from the region will support an estimated 5,000 additional jobs in Central America.

Millicom: Millicom, a telecommunications company, will invest $700 million to expand and maintain its mobile and broadband networks in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador over the next two years.  This investment will advance Millicom’s efforts to accelerate economic growth in the region via increased connectivity as penetration rates for broadband in these markets are well below regional averages.  In addition, Millicom’s investments will be made in line with the Race to Zero, the UN-backed campaign aimed at promoting a healthy, resilient, zero-carbon recovery.

Pantaleon: Pantaleon, a conglomerate including investments in agroindustry and real-estate, will invest $9.4 million to fund the initial phase of a 1,200-acre industrial park on Guatemala´s Southern Coast. Once completed, the park is expected to house a mix of manufacturing, logistics, and distribution businesses, among others.

SanMar: SanMar, a U.S.-based apparel wholesaler, will increase its purchases of products manufactured in northern Central America by $500 million by 2025. These purchases will support the supply of products to SanMar’s over 60,000 customers, the overwhelming majority of which are American small businesses engaged in domestic light manufacturing.  The increased capacity required for this growth will lead to the creation of 4,000 additional full-time jobs at Elcatex, a Honduras-based apparel manufacturer owned in part by SanMar.

Unifi: Unifi, a company that produces recycled and synthetic yarns, established its manufacturing and sales operation in El Salvador (Unifi Central America) in 2010 and has been invested in El Salvador and the region since then. Unifi is making significant investments in the footprint capacity and innovation of its El Salvadoran operation and has committed to investing $15 million over the next five years to expand capacity, improve efficiency, and reduce energy use. The investment includes new innovative texturing technology that will increase the company’s polyester yarn production in El Salvador by 40% and support continuous training and job growth in the region.

Visa: Visa will invest more than $270 million over the next five years to expand financial inclusion and digital infrastructure, with the goal of adding 6.5 million people and 1 million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) into the formal financial system in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Visa will focus on helping the local financial sector deploy innovative payment technology, improving citizens’ financial capabilities while driving efficiencies in key areas of the economy including: agriculture, digital disbursement of government subsidies, and remittances, while also expanding financial education for citizens and SMEs, thus increasing acceptance of digital payments and bringing more people into the formal economy.

Yazaki: Yazaki North America, an automotive components producer, will invest an additional $110 million to hire over 14,000 new employees in Guatemala and El Salvador by the end of 2026.  This builds upon a recent announcement to invest $10 million in a new factory in Guatemala, which is scheduled to start production with its first 1,000 employees in January 2023.  Yazaki NA provides electrical wire harnesses for General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, and other global automakers.

Updates on Previously Announced Commitments

Starting with just 12 companies and organizations, the Call to Action now includes 40 companies and organizations that have made commitments to invest in the region, representing financial services, textiles and apparel, agriculture, technology and telecommunications, and nonprofits. In addition, the Call to Action has generated new collaboration across participating companies, further boosting the initiative’s impact.

Highlights of progress to date include:

Microsoft announced in December that they have expanded broadband internet access to nearly 2 million people. The company anticipates reaching 3 million individuals across the region by July 2022. Additionally, Microsoft expanded on its initial commitment and will provide digital skills training for 1 million individuals by 2025.

Nespresso committed in May 2021 to support regional economies with a minimum of $150 million in investment by 2025. To date, Nespresso has signed over $100 million in contracts for coffee procurement, including the first-ever Nespresso coffee shipments from Honduras and El Salvador, which will increase incomes for thousands of farmers.

Accion through its work with partners in northern Central America, has brought over 140,000 people living in Guatemala — including 90,000 women — into the formal financial sector.

Davivienda has brought over 201,000 individuals into the formal financial sector through expansion of digital services, signed a new Loan Portfolio Guarantee Agreement with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and extended over $100 million in low-cost loans for housing and small businesses.

How to Respond to the Call

The Call to Action is facilitated through a public-private partnership between the State Department and the independent organization the Partnership for Central America, in close coordination with USAID. The Call to Action’s six focus areas are intended to support long-term development of the region, including: promoting a reform agenda; digital and financial inclusion; food security and climate-smart agriculture; climate adaptation and clean energy; education and workforce development; and public health access. It serves as one component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s comprehensive Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration, which involves significant commitments of U.S. government resources to support the long-term development of the region — including by fostering economic opportunity, strengthening democratic governance, combatting corruption, and improving security. This approach will leverage commitments and resources from the governments in the region, as well as partnerships with multilateral development banks, international financial institutions, and other partner countries.

The Biden-Harris Administration looks forward to increased collaboration with private companies from around the world to build upon this Call to Action in the months and years to come. The Administration welcomes additional commitments to participate in this initiative and promote economic opportunity in northern Central America. Vice President Harris invites interested parties to visit the State Department’s website at www.state.gov/jointhecall, or contact the State Department at jointhecall@state.gov.

More information can also be found in the initial Fact Sheet announcing the Call to Action on May 27. More information about the Partnership for Central America can be found at www.centampartnership.org. The Partnership can be contacted at support@centampartnership.org.

Posted June 7, 2022

Source: The White House

Unifi Inc. Demonstrates Traceability, Transparency At The Next Level

GREENSBORO, N.C. — June 7, 2022 — Unifi Inc., maker of REPREVE®, is featuring U TRUST® Product Certification, an enhanced supply chain certification, and REPREVE SmartDye™ technology at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show taking place June 9-11, 2022, in Denver. The company will also host visitors at its popular Repreve mobile tour, which will serve as the company’s booth located at 50041-UL.

U TRUST Product Certification is one more way that Unifi builds trust and transparency around sustainability. From any point in the supply chain, and throughout the life of a product or fiber, Unifi can test and verify that Repreve is present at expected content levels.

“Trust and transparency are at the core of everything we do, and we strongly believe that sustainability claims should be independently verifiable,” said Eddie Ingle, CEO of Unifi. “Our U Trust Product Certification gives customers additional assurance that the products they purchase are working for the good of tomorrow.”

Unifi is also featuring its new Repreve SmartDye™ recycled polyester, which is designed to be dyed at lower temperatures. Repreve SmartDye delivers energy savings of up to 30 percent and has a lower carbon footprint than standard polyester dyeing, all without compromising a fabric’s integrity. This product meets performance requirements for an easy drop-in replacement of conventional polyester. Repreve SmartDye is available in both polyester staple fiber and filament fiber.

“Repreve is the global leader in recycled fiber innovation, and we continue to develop new products such as Repreve SmartDye to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals,” said Bev Sylvester, vice president of Marketing and Communications at Unifi.

Posted June 7, 2022

Source: Unifi

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