On February 9, 2026, the European Commission formally adopted two implementing acts in Brussels, pursuant to the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), completely banning the destruction of unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear. This landmark legislation marks the EU's transition from "encouraging sustainability" to "mandating sustainability," and the practice of incinerating excess inventory in the textile industry will become history in the EU market. The introduction of th

Driven by strong export sales data and a weaker U.S. dollar, the ICE cotton market over the past week displayed an overall trend of rising first and then falling, with the main contract price hitting a three-week high at one point. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) weekly export sales report, released on Friday, showed that net U.S. cotton export sales for the current marketing year totaled 466,300 running bales for the week ending February 12. This marked a sharp increase of 102% from

In 2025, China's printing and dyeing industry demonstrated strong resilience, underpinned by its deep industrial foundation, while navigating a complex and volatile external market environment and mounting internal transformation pressures. Core business operations remained largely stable, yet the industry's overall profitability and operational quality faced unprecedented challenges. A comprehensive review of the year's economic data reveals distinct characteristics: "stable but slight growth i

On February 24, 2026, India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) formally signed a joint statement in New Delhi, announcing the launch of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, marking a new phase in bilateral economic cooperation. The document was jointly signed by India's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, and GCC Secretary-General Jassem Mohamed Albudaiwi. The initiation of these negotiations builds upon the "Terms of Reference" (ToR) signed on February 5, which defined th

In 2025, Vietnam's textile and garment industry continued to expand its influence in the EU market, achieving strong export performance throughout the year, supported by stable supply chains and a rebound in European demand. Industry analysis shows that Vietnam's garment exports to the EU maintained robust growth momentum in 2025, with first-half exports reaching $2.36 billion, a year-on-year increase of 14.8%. This growth was primarily driven by tariff advantages under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade

According to the latest data from Cambodia's Ministry of Commerce, the country's exports of garments, footwear, and travel goods approached $1.4 billion in January 2026, a year-on-year increase of 7.2%. The garment sector led with $1.014 billion, footwear exports grew by 16.8% to $196 million, and travel goods reached $188 million. As Cambodia's largest source of foreign exchange, this sector accounts for 46.5% of the nation's total exports and provides over 900,000 jobs across more than 1,500 f

On February 19, 2026, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump formally signed theMutual Trade Agreementin Washington, D.C., marking a new phase in bilateral economic cooperation. Under the agreement, Indonesian textile and apparel products can enjoy 0% import tariffs within specific quotas, a mechanism expected to positively impact approximately 4 million textile workers in Indonesia. In a press conference on February 20, Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economi

In early 2026, Italian authorities seized around 905 tons of textile waste that had been falsely declared as secondhand clothing for export. The operation was carried out by the Guardia di Finanza under the framework of the World Customs Organization Operation Demeter XI. For the first time, textile waste was treated as a priority category under this global customs initiative. The seizures took place at major logistics gateways, including Genoa, Livorno, and Venice, as well as textile trading ce

AMSTERDAM — February 18, 2026 — Mimaki Europe, a manufacturer of industrial inkjet printers and cutting systems, has supported renowned Italian sportswear brand, Erreà in upgrading its digital textile printing operations with the installation of seven high-performance Mimaki systems. The new installation includes three Tiger600-1800TS industrial dye-sublimation printers and four TS330-1600 solutions, replacing a previous fleet of 28 digital printers. This major upgrade marks a

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) announced on February 23 that the President has signed a critical decision formally allowing the U.S. textile industry to access Department of Defense investment funds through Title III of theDefense Production Act(DPA). This move marks a key step in the U.S. strategy to strengthen the domestic military textile supply chain and reduce reliance on foreign and competitor nations. Kim Glas, President and CEO of NCTO, stated in a release: "We sin