NRF: Retail Imports Remain High, But Could Be Higher Without Port Congestion

WASHINGTON — October 6, 2021 — Imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports should remain at near-record levels this month but could see a slight dip from last year’s unusually high numbers as congestion slows the movement of backed-up cargo, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“The cargo is there for larger gains at several ports but congestion issues are impacting fluid operations,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “Ships will eventually get unloaded but the pressure is on for everyone to work together to get the containers out as quickly as possible. Retailers are doing whatever it takes to make sure shelves are well-stocked for the holidays, from bringing in merchandise earlier to chartering their own ships. Consumers should be able to find what they need, but it’s always safer to shop early than wait until the last minute.”

“Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse with the logistics supply chain, we’ve been proven wrong,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “From power outages and port shutdowns in Asia to backed-up ships and shortages of truck drivers in the United States, there are few positive signs that the movement of consumer goods or the supply of inputs needed for industrial production is getting better.”

Hackett said COVID-19 infections in Asia have slowed the loading of U.S.-bound ships, while shortages of equipment, labor and outbound truck and rail capacity have continued to build congestion at U.S. ports. Close to 75 ships were waiting at anchor to enter the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach recently, up from around 25 a month earlier, and backups are spreading to East Coast ports as well.

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.27 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in August, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was up 3.5 percent from July and up 7.8 percent from a year earlier and tied March as the second-busiest month since NRF began tracking imports in 2002. May remains the busiest month on record at 2.33 million TEU. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent.

Ports have not reported September numbers yet, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.25 million TEU, which would be up 6.7 percent year-over-year.

October is forecast at 2.21 million TEU. That would be down 0.3 percent from the same time last year, when imports surged dramatically as the economy reopened after the first wave of COVID-19 and retailers rushed to meet pent-up consumer demand, but still the sixth-busiest month on record as imports remain high. The year-over-year decline would be the first since July 2020.

The congestion and disruption come in the middle of the “peak season” for shipping when retailers stock up on holiday merchandise each year, but many retailers began bringing in holiday goods this summer to be sure sufficient inventory will be available.

November is forecast at 2.16 million TEU, which would be up 2.9 percent year-over-year, and December is forecast at 2.1 million TEU, down 0.2 percent. January 2022 is forecast at 2.17 million TEU, up 5.7 percent from January 2021, and February 2022 is forecast at 1.9 million TEU, up 1.4 percent year-over-year.

The first half of 2021 totaled 12.8 million TEU, up 35.6 percent from the same period last year. For the full year, 2021 is on track to total 26 million TEU, up 18.1 percent over 2020 and a new annual record topping last year’s 22 million TEU. Cargo imports during 2020 were up 1.9 percent over 2019 despite the pandemic.

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 October 7, 2021

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

Dimension-Polyant Achieves Climate Neutrality Goals And Furthers Sustainability Initiatives 

PUTNAM, Conn. — October 6, 2021 — With climate change, landfills, and ocean pollution concerns dominating headlines, consumers are doing their part by purchasing sustainably-made products from companies they feel good about. As a result, brands and retailers are looking to suppliers for sustainable solutions in the development of earth-friendly products.

This heightened awareness led Dimension-Polyant — a sailcloth producer and manufacturer of X-Pac® lightweight, durable and 100-percent waterproof laminates developed for packs and bags — to develop a multi-tiered sustainability initiative. With the goal of minimizing negative impact on the environment Dimension-Polyant’s sustainability program is built around climate-neutrality, sustainably sourced materials, longevity of its products, and recycling methods for its used materials.

Gate-to-Gate 100-Percent Climate-Neutral

Since 2021, Dimension Polyant’s Kempen, Germany and Putnam, CT production facilities have been 100-percent climate-neutral. Carbon emissions have been recorded within the DIN ISO 50001 framework and significantly reduced through the use of green electricity, green gas and other measures. All remaining emissions are being reduced by our carbon offset program in corporation with ClimatePartner and its Plastic Free Oceans climate protection project.

“The COVID pandemic gave us time to reflect, review and take action on our sustainability goals, beginning first with making our production facilities as green as possible,” said Uwe Stein, CEO, Dimension-Polyant. “We are proud our commitment in 2020 directed us to being 100-percent gate-to-gate carbon neutral in 2021. We are also pleased to have teamed with ClimatePartner in its marine protection program that ensures less plastic gets into the sea and used instead for recycled material — an initiative near and dear to our hearts.”

To help consumers identify its eco-friendly materials, Dimension-Polyant developed its cleenTEC® seal, a name derived from the words clean and green. Materials carrying the cleenTEC seal are guaranteed to have been manufactured in climate-neutral production facilities and include one or more environmentally-friendly innovations.

cleenTEC® Cradle-to-Gate Carbon Neutral + Responsible Materials

Understanding the use of recycled materials furthers the reduction of carbon emissions by saving valuable resources being removed from the earth, Dimension-Polyant is expanding its X-Pac® range of environmentally friendly materials to complement its popular VX line of laminates. Its new RX Line is made of 100-percent recycled polyester made from USA-sourced PET bottles.

Circularity – Durability is the new green

One of the eco-friendliest things we can do is keep our products longer.  According to the company, Dimension- Polyant and X-Pac durable materials are built for the long haul, not the landfill. That said, Dimension-Polyant is also searching end-of-life solutions for products made with its used materials together with the Saxon Textile Research Institute (STFI).

“Sustainability is a journey, and we’ll continue along our path to lower our carbon footprint and work with our brand partners to develop products their customers can feel good about purchasing, and using over and over again,” said Stein.

Posted October 6, 2021

Source: Dimension-Polyant

Primaloft® P.U.R.E.™ Saves Up To 70 Percent Carbon Emissions

LATHAM, N.Y. — October 5, 2021 — PrimaLoft Inc., a supplier of advanced material technology, today launched a new version of its PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™ manufacturing technology. Using a proprietary technique, P.U.R.E. now reduces carbon emissions by up to 70 percent. The first products using the updated version of PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. will be in store from Autumn/Winter 2022 season.

Originally launched in 2019, P.U.R.E. stands for “Produced Using Reduced Emissions.” The innovative manufacturing technique has been a key focus for the expert development team at PrimaLoft, as part of the company’s ongoing Relentlessly Responsible™ mission to be as sustainable as possible, without any compromise on its high-performance products.

To achieve the latest version of PrimaLoft P.U.R.E., the specialist team looked carefully at materials, product design and the production process itself, innovating at each step to drastically reduce the carbon emissions produced during manufacturing. PrimaLoft has now transformed the manufacturing of synthetic insulation, which for decades has relied on fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. This latest version of P.U.R.E. technology incorporates a holistic approach that perfectly matches materials, engineered recipes, equipment, and energy production that work together, enabling a significant drop in carbon dioxide. The proprietary manufacturing technique saves up to 70 percent of carbon emissions compared to traditional production methods still widely used throughout the industry.

“Since the original launch of our PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. manufacturing technology, the need to reduce our carbon footprint further as a company has become even more crucial, as we continue our Relentlessly Responsible™ mission. We prioritize optimizing our manufacturing processes by rethinking the way we make our products. P.U.R.E. offers more than just a product solution, it’s also a process solution.” said Mike Joyce, president and CEO of PrimaLoft.

Three new products are being launched in 2022 using the latest version of PrimaLoft P.U.R.E. manufacturing technology and will be available for brand partners to use in their collections from Spring/Summer 2022 season. The new insulation products, all made using 100-percent post-consumer recycled material, are: PrimaLoft Gold Insulation P.U.R.E.; PrimaLoft Silver Insulation P.U.R.E.; and PrimaLoft Black Insulation P.U.R.E.

Joyce continued: “This significant shift in our manufacturing technique is not the only factor in reducing our carbon emissions. Since 1997, we’ve used post-consumer recycled material in place of virgin polyester to make PrimaLoft products, wherever possible, without compromising our world-class performance. Independent of PrimaLoft P.U.R.E., this contributes significantly to reducing our emissions. We have determined that we have saved around 16,000 tons of CO2 in this way since 2015.  We expect our overall impact to be drastically reduced further as we continue to incorporate more recycled material and expand our P.U.R.E. technology across our footprint and product line.”

With PrimaLoft P.U.R.E., brands can use a recycled insulation material with lower carbon dioxide footprint compared to traditional insulation materials. Products with the original version of PrimaLoft PURE (48 percent percent carbon dioxide reduction) will be available in stores already in the upcoming autumn-winter season 2021/22. Including models from brands such as Patagonia, Alpkit, Bergans of Norway, Kodiak, PYUA and Viking.

Posted October 5, 2021

Source: PrimaLoft Inc.

NRF Statement On Biden Administration’s China Trade Policy

WASHINGTON — October 4, 2021 — The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French in response to United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s announcement on the Biden administration’s China trade policy.

“American businesses across the country continue to be severely impacted by the tariffs put into place by the previous administration. Today’s long-awaited announcement proved the Biden administration’s trade strategy on China to be lackluster at most, and will further inflict unnecessary damage to the American economy and retail supply chains.

“The continuation of these harmful tariffs worsens the challenges thousands of retailers must navigate, especially at a time when many are only beginning to emerge from the serious economic damage they have suffered as a result of the global pandemic. Because these tariffs touch products in nearly every sector of the U.S. economy, they also ultimately force consumers to pay higher prices.

“It is critical the administration initiate immediate discussions with China so we can level the international playing field and bring an end to the global supply chain disruption.”

Posted October 5, 2021

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

Hexion Joins The United Nations Global Compact

COLUMBUS, Ohio — October 4, 2021 — Hexion Inc. — a producer of adhesives, coatings and composite resins — today announced that it has joined the United Nations (UN) Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary corporate sustainability initiative.

The UN Global Compact challenges companies to conduct business responsibly by aligning their operations and strategies with the UN’s Ten Principles which pertain to human rights, labor, environmental practices and anti-corruption. It also commits companies to take actions to advance broader social benefits, in accordance with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With more than 14,000 companies in over 160 countries participating, the UN Global Compact holds members to the highest sustainability standards.

“We are proud to join forces with the United Nations Global Compact in an effort to further accelerate our sustainability efforts,” said Craig Rogerson, chairman, president and CEO. “Many of Hexion’s sustainability goals have been developed to strategically align with the UN SDGs. With this membership, we plan to continue implementing practices that align with these objectives for the betterment of our communities and the environment.”

Participation in the UN Global Compact requires signatories to report yearly on their commitment to the universal sustainability principles and development goals. Hexion’s annual Sustainability Report will outline the company’s ongoing efforts and progress. To learn more about the UN Global Compact, visit https://www.unglobalcompact.org.

Posted October 4, 2021

Source: Hexion Inc.

Orion Engineered Carbons To Implement A Carbon Dioxide Surcharge For All Carbon Black Products Manufactured In Europe

HOUSTON — October 4, 2021 — Orion Engineered Carbons, a global supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, announced today that effective January 1, 2022, the company is implementing a carbon dioxide (CO2) surcharge on all carbon blacks produced in Europe, to the extent contracts allow.

The official EU Emission Trading System (ETS) aims to support the EU climate neutrality target by 2050 and the intermediate target of at least 55 percent net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990. The EU ETS has entered its fourth trading phase (2021-2030) resulting in additional costs based on direct CO2 emissions for the carbon black industry.

In consequence, the company will introduce a respective surcharge to its customers in order to continue being a reliable, long-term global supplier of high-quality products and services while manufacturing its carbon black products safely and sustainably.

Posted October 4, 2021

Source: Orion Engineered Carbons

The Lee® Brand Announces New Fall Campaign: LeeOriginals

GREENSBORO, N.C. — October 4, 2021 — Lee®, the iconic American denim and apparel brand, today announced a new advertising campaign — LeeOriginals (#leeoriginals). Produced in collaboration with preeminent photographer and creative director, Mark Seliger, this campaign celebrates the brand’s long-standing, trailblazing spirit.

Lee has been part of iconic cultural moments and played a role in this country’s style narrative for generations. Inspired by the brand’s ongoing support of those who create their own path, the campaign was built in collaboration with game changers and originals. From the creative direction by Seliger to looks curated by costume designer and stylist Arianne Phillips to the title track of ‘Strut’ by Lenny Kravitz, #leeoriginals celebrates and encourages those who push boundaries through creativity, ingenuity and hard work.

“This campaign embraces optimism, authenticity and tenacity – characteristics that are inherent to the Lee brand and shared with our consumers,” said Brigid Stevens, senior director of marketing, Lee North America. “Originality has always driven innovation and fueled creativity, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Mark and Arianne. Their abilities to capture and celebrate the unique character and personality of each cast member reflects what has always made Lee original…the stories behind those who wear them.”

A cast of originals is featured including:

  • Quannah Chasinghorse;
  • Levi Dylan;
  • Annahstasia Enuke;
  • Kenya Kinski-Jones;
  • Haden McKenna;
  • And more….

“Working together with Lee was a perfect combination of modern and legacy,” said Mark Seliger, photographer and creative director. “We picked our cast because of who they are and their reflection of personality and style. The idea was to find a common thread in composition and let these amazing people take it from there.”

The digital-first campaign was placed by Lee’s media agency, Tinuiti, and will launch on streaming, YouTube and digital channels on October 4 as well as across Lee’s social media channels and e-commerce website. A curated out-of-home (OOH) experience in collaboration with creative agency Noble People will target specific creative neighborhoods — SoHo, Williamsburg and Bushwick — across New York City.

Posted October 4, 2021
Source: Lee®, a Kontoor Brands brand

COTTON USA Announces United Nations Designates October 7 “World Cotton Day” On Its Permanent Calendar

NEW YORK CITY — October 4, 2021 — The United Nations has announced that it will approve designating October 7 of each year as World Cotton Day on its permanent calendar. First launched in 2019 at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) headquarters in Geneva, World Cotton Day continues to grow each year.

On World Cotton Day, stakeholders from the global cotton community come together to speak on the many benefits of cotton including the facts that:

  • Cotton is grown in over 70 countries and provides an income to hundreds of millions of people every year.
  • A single ton of cotton provides year-round employment for an estimated 5 or 6 people (often in some of the most impoverished places on earth.)
  • Cotton is the only agricultural crop to provide both food and fiber.
  • Cotton has a negative carbon footprint and degrades 95 percent more than polyester in wastewater helping to keep our land and water clean.

The event theme for 2021 is ‘Cotton for Good’ to celebrate the fiber’s enduring positive impact. A virtual celebration will feature notable speakers such as Bert Jacobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Life is Good, and Maxine Bédat, Director of New Standard Institute. Other global industry experts include Cotton Council International, Viterra India, International Cotton Advisory Committee, Better Cotton Initiative, and African Cotton Foundation. Keynote topics include responsible fashion, sustainability, and the importance of cotton in countries around the world.

With the cotton industry’s focus on sustainability, attendees will learn about the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol®, which aligns with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals to bring quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production.

To learn more about the activities planned for World Cotton Day, please visit www.worldcottonday.com. Follow #WorldCottonDay on social media and join the global conversation.

Posted October 4, 2021

Source: COTTON USA

X-Rite, Pantone Announce Online Color Theory And Quality Control Trainings

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — October 4, 2021 — X-Rite Inc., a global supplier of color science and technology, and its subsidiary Pantone LLC, announce that its popular Fundamentals Seminar Series focusing on color science and quality control is now available in an online learning format. The remote format consists of two courses and features self-paced modules, downloadable course guides, educational videos, product demonstrations, and interactive activities. Attendees will learn about color theory and how to measure, control, and communicate color to improve production workflows, reduce waste, and meet sustainability goals. In addition to the virtual format, the seminar will also be held in-person this fall throughout the United States.

“Last year we announced our first virtual Fundamentals Seminar Series course, the Fundamentals of Color and Appearance. We are excited to announce that the second course, Fundamentals of Instrumentation and Quality Control (FIQC), is now online, too,” said Raj Shah, vice president of marketing, X-Rite and Pantone. “Together these courses provide a mix of color theory and practical information to help attendees implement color measurement and quality standards across their workflows and supply chains.”

The Online Fundamentals Seminar is a two-course series with more than 10 hours of video instruction taught by X-Rite Color Experts. To enhance the remote training experience, attendees have access to a discussion board and a live Q&A with an X-Rite Color Expert. The seminar is ideal for anyone who works with or specifies color, including quality control professionals, lab technicians, part suppliers, product developers, designers, and manufacturers.

The Fundamentals Seminar Series courses include:

  • Fundamentals of Color and Appearance (FOCA), which focuses on color and appearance science. From the physics of color to lighting, spectrophotometers and color data, this course will teach how to measure, view and understand color communication and data.
  • Fundamentals of Instrumentation and Quality Control (FIQC), a hands-on, color quality control workshop using X-Rite instruments and software. Topics include creating color standards, developing appropriate color tolerances, and measuring samples against target colors while analyzing the results.

To register for one or both online seminars, visit https://www.xrite.com/fundamentals-of-instrumentation-and-quality-control-online and https://www.xrite.com/fundamentals-of-color-and-appearance-online

In-Person Seminar

“In addition to our online offering, we have brought back our in-person trainings and will conduct the two-day Fundamentals Seminar in a number of locations across the United States. By delivering color education for every learning style, we are able to help attendees improve their color knowledge and ensure their color workflow is the best it can be,” continued Shah.

The seminar series will be held in Valley Forge, Pa.; Columbus, Ohio; Rosemont, Ill.; Green Bay, Wis.; and San Jose, Calif.

To see dates and register for the two-day in-person seminar visit: https://www.xrite.com/categories/training/the-fundamentals-training-series–foca–fiqc-combined

Posted October 4, 2021

Source: X-Rite Inc.

NCTO Issues Statement In Support Of Biden Administration’s New China Trade Policy Framework

WASHINGTON — October 4, 2021 — The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued a statement today following U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai’s speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, outlining the Biden administration’s China trade policy.

National Council of Textile Organizations President and CEO Kim Glas issued the following statement:

“We support the Biden administration’s plan outlined today by U.S. Trade Representative, Ambassador Katherine Tai, to enforce the Phase One deal with China and maintain tariffs on finished textile and apparel products. We believe it’s important to hold China accountable for pervasive intellectual property theft and persistent predatory trade practices that have undermined U.S. manufacturers and its workforce.

China’s rampant abuse of intellectual property rights and other illegal trade activity has gone on for far too long at the direct expense of U.S. manufacturers and the loss of millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs. The U.S. textile industry supports the president’s authority to use Section 301 to address China’s unfettered practice of intellectual property theft, which has had a damaging impact on the entire U.S. textile and apparel production chain and other manufacturing industries for decades.

NCTO has strongly supported applying tariffs on finished products in our sector as a key negotiating leverage with the Chinese. NCTO also supports a targeted and limited exclusion process for a small list of inputs such as dyes, chemicals and textile machinery that are not available domestically and that enable U.S. manufacturers to compete in the global marketplace.

We also appreciate the administration’s support for strengthening Buy American policies and investing in the U.S. manufacturing base. We urge the administration to impose duties on finished medical protective equipment (PPE) to support domestic textile companies that have produced over a billion PPE items since the COVID pandemic began. While tariffs aren’t the only mechanism in the toolbox, it’s necessary to ensure a holistic approach to onshoring and nearshoring these critical supply chains, a key priority for the Biden administration and our domestic manufacturers who ramped up production overnight to help in the current crisis.

Finally, we strongly support the administration’s intention to address broader, systemic issues in our trading relationship with China — specifically, the need to remedy unfair advantages that stem from rampant state ownership of manufacturing and the pervasive use of production and export subsidies that displace U.S. textile manufacturers in markets both at home and abroad.

We appreciate the Ambassador’s thoughtful approach on addressing these complicated matters in a way that ensures that workers and manufacturing sectors are the center of the trade approach with China.

We appreciate Ambassador Tai and the Biden administration recognizing the critical need for a strong resilient manufacturing sector and look forward to working closely with the administration to implement a strategic vision that helps strengthen our middle class.

Posted October 4, 2021

Source: The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)

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