#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2021-05-06

VF Corporation advances global partnership with Better Work

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories, today announced that it is advancing its engagement with Better Work by strengthening its partnership status to Global Partner. This action is part of VF’s ongoing commitment to human rights and improving worker well-being throughout its global supply chain.

On International Workers’ Day, VF is progressing its goal to improve the lives of one million people by 2025 through enhanced worker well-being programs

As a Global Partner, VF will increase collaboration with Better Work through enhanced training and assessments on critical supply chain issues such as child labor, discrimination, forced labor, freedom of association, and occupational health and safety.

Better Work is a collaboration between the UN’s International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, that brings together all levels of the garment industry to improve working conditions, respect labor rights for workers, and improve the competitiveness of the industry. VF is one of 40 Global Partners of the Better Work program.

"Our partnership with Better Work is another demonstration of our deep commitment to managing an ethical, responsible, and sustainable supply chain that puts people at the center," said Peter Higgins, VF’s Vice President Global Responsible Sourcing. "I'm confident this strengthened partnership will do even more to support the advancement of key human rights priorities, including those focused on freedom of association, gender-based violence and workplace harassment."

As a Better Work Global Partner, VF-authorized contract facilities will go through in-depth training and assessments on material issues that can impact apparel supply chains. The program will run in supplier factories located in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Egypt, Haiti, Indonesia, Jordan, Nicaragua, and Vietnam, where working conditions and improvements will be assessed at each location. If issues arise, VF, Better Work and the factory, including workers, will collaborate on effective remediation solutions that directly impact and improve factory workers' lives. The program will also implement Better Work’s two-fold strategy to promote compliance with national law and international core labor standards.

VF's strengthened partnership with Better Work builds on the prior success of VF's 2018 Industrial Relations Leadership pilot program with Better Factories Cambodia. This pilot successfully enhanced collaboration and communication at VF's strategic factories while building capacity for worker representatives and management, as well as delivering a positive impact on workplace issues, especially industrial relations. The pilot was expanded to include two more factories in Cambodia and Vietnam.

“Better Work looks forward to its deeper engagement with VF as a global partner,” said Tara Rangarajan, Head of Better Work’s Brand Engagement Team. “This is a significant milestone in our ability to work together to continue improving working conditions in the apparel industry.”

To learn more about Better Work, please visit: https://betterwork.org/

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

Messe Frankfurt commits further to East Africa: three textiles trade fairs during Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week from 2027

Messe Frankfurt and its Texpertise Network continue their steady, successful trajectory in the region. As Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) opened today, Member of the Executive Board Detlef Braun announced that Messe Frankfurt is licencing its three leading international trade fair brands Texworld, Apparel Sourcing and Texprocess to Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in 2027. From now on, they will take place annually as part of the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) Nairobi.

ATCO Hygienics, Uzbekistan, orders baby diaper production line from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from ATCO Hygienics to supply a new baby diaper production line for its plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The order is included in ANDRITZ’s order intake for the first quarter of 2026. Commissioning of the production line is scheduled for the end of 2026.

Nico Pedretti appointed as Managing Director Graf Group

As of June 1, 2026, Nico Pedretti has assumed the role of Managing Director Graf Group. With more than 20 years of international industrial experience and extensive expertise in Operations, Supply Chain Management, Finance and Controlling, he brings a broad range of leadership and business experience to support Graf’s continued success.