Leaders from the global textile supply chain gathered in Hong Kong from April 1-3 to attend the annual Prime Source Forum, the annual forum for the global fashion industry, as well as the 3rd annual general meeting of the Global Apparel, Textile, Footwear and Textiles Initiative (GAFTI). CCI presented U.S. cotton as the responsible fiber source to the audience of brands and retailers.
Key themes of both meetings included moving toward a genuinely integrated, sustainable supply chain, tackling challenges such as labor and other rising costs, the rapid evolution of consumer and retail purchasing behavior in the mobile and digital age, future consumer markets and the need for collaborative efforts between retailers and brands and their vendors for stronger partnerships across the supply chain. Speed to market without sacrificing quality or increasing costs was a central theme.
GAFTI focused on the effort to standardize industry compliance measures and best practices for manufacturing, spurred by the Bangladesh and other industry tragedies. The two conferences called to action participating organizations and companies to work together to see the global textile industry sustainably into the future.