The story of Art Atlas Peru is proof that shrewd business and a commitment to social welfare can go hand in hand. Art Atlas Peru is an ecological and socially driven enterprise that produces sweaters and cardigans from the highest quality natural fibres,.....

In August 1998, a young, would-be businessman returned home to Ruritania from a year of language studies in Europe. "They've got everything they think they could ever want there," he told his doting parents. "But what they don't have is anything like our Ruritanian widgets. A huge market is ready and waiting. All we need to do is convert that little factory down the road to mass production for export and our fortune will be made!" His enthusiasm was infectious. They set up to expand the family firm, ordered state-of-the-art Ruritanian widget-making equipment and hired hundreds of workers. Within a year, more widgets came off the production line in a week than the old factory had turned out for the Ruritanian market in a year and the warehouse was full...

When big buyers and their suppliers use information technology in the clothing business, it is more than just adding computers to conventional commerce. It usually means suppliers take on new responsibilities...

The end of quotas in the textiles and clothing industry benefits large Asian producers. Yet other countries also have a stake in the business. The sector plays a major economic role in many least developed countries, especially in Africa, and in other small, vulnerable countries. To avoid losing important business, their firms need to exploit duty-free advantages to the full, diversify products and expand their supply chains...

Our world is unsustainable right now in the way it operates. Our incipient macroeconomic recovery is very fragile and will be unsustainable unless we have what we promised we would have but do not yet have - a green recovery. We will not even be able to manage a short-term macroeconomic recovery unless we integrate strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation into our macroeconomic policies...

When quotas restricted Chinese clothing exports, manufacturers had to find new ways to compete. They diversified into producing every kind of garment, not just low-value products. The levels of skill and service they acquired in the process set new standards in the industry, which they could fully exploit once quotas ended...

At ITC's Joint Advisory Group Meeting (April 2000), the International Silk Association (ISA) took the floor to express its appreciation for its partnership with ITC:"Ladies and gentlemen, ISA is a worldwide organization devoted exclusively to silk. Founded 50 years ago, it serves as a forum for every country in the silk business, either production, processing or trade. The Association has members in 40 countries, and includes the major silk producers...

Over the past few months ITC organized four events in Asian cities on the implementation of the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Textiles and Clothing and related eco-labelling issues...

Reverse Internet auctions put clothing manufacturers in competition with one another to offer buyers low prices. By teaming up with textile mills and trim suppliers, manufacturers can bid prices that won't wipe out their profit margins...

The global economic crisis has radically changed market opportunities and the global business environment. As the global economy rebalances, the new drivers of economic growth are expected to come from increasing consumption in and demand from emerging markets.In this edition, we explore the impact of shifting market trends on trade, investment and opportunity with commentary from leading businessmen and -women, economists and researchers. We also take an in-depth look at some of the challenges and opportunities these shifts are presenting for sectors including foreign investment, biotechnology, services outsourcing, tourism, textiles and clothing...

Formerly a luxury trade, the silk industry is at a crossroads. New sandwashed silk brought a wider range of affordable silk products within the reach of millions of consumers during the 1990s. Competition from high-tech synthetics has eaten away market share. Raw silk prices have plummeted by half, to the point that they threaten the sustainability of this industry.Traditional producers are cutting back on labour-intensive silk production, as urban industries lure farmers from a business in which incomes dropped radically in recent years. Meanwhile, millions of livelihoods are at stake, especially in rural areas, for this traditional and environmentally sustainable product...

Some observers predict that by 2005-06, major textile and clothing buyers will reduce by half the number of countries they source from. The challenge for countries and companies is to remain an important source for these buyers. This article explores the coming changes in the market and highlights steps governments and exporters can take now to avoid adverse impacts...

US importers and retailers of textile and apparel are now focused on the shift in market dynamics post-2004. Speculation is mounting as it looks ever more likely that quotas will end for WTO members...