In an unusual turnaround, Indian textile manufacturers who built industries around domestic cotton are importing U.S. cotton. “Indian prices are not reliable,” says Ashish Shah, managing director of Aarvee Denims, an Indian clothing manufacturer. Cotton buyers in China, Turkey and Egypt also are turning to cheaper imported cotton, depleting India’s cotton exports from 8.5 million [...]

With the 2010 Census less than a year away, preparations for the nationwide effort to count all U.S. residents are already underway across the country. Census data affects critical decisions from congressional representation to the allocation of more than $300 billion annually in federal funds. The American Rental Association (ARA), representing the $35.3 billion equipment [...]

A number of business organizations, including many textile and apparel manufacturers, are working to defeat legislation that would overhaul the way union elections are held. The Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) would direct the National Labor Relations Board to certify a union as a bargaining agent on the basis of a majority of signed cards [...]

The Fiber Society’s Fall 2009 Annual Meeting and Technical Conference will take place October 28–30 at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, U.S.A. To submit technical papers, visit www.thefibersociety.org and follow the link; submission deadline is August 31, 2009. Major themes for the conference include: polymer science and nanotechnology; processing technology; dyeing, finishing and biotechnology; [...]

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) is soliciting papers and posters for its 2010 International Conference, which will be co-located with ATME-I Megatex at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Ga., U.S.A., May 18–20, 2010. The conference will feature educational tracks targeting AATCC’s Concept 2 Consumer®, Materials, and Chemical Applications Interest [...]

Cotton Incorporated, the research and marketing company for U.S. cotton, now offers two sustainability-oriented websites: Cotton Today (cottontoday.cottoninc.com), which chronicles the continuing environmental advances and research in the cotton industry; and Cotton. From blue to green® (www.CottonFromBlueToGreen.org), an online vehicle for the company’s celebrated denim recycling program. The Cotton Today site is segmented into icon-driven [...]

On May 11, Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) presented the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) Appreciation Award for Trade to the National Council of Textile Organization’s (NCTO) North Carolina office for its continuing efforts to support trade—specifically, export trade—within the U.S. textile industry. RadiciSpandex Corp., a Gastonia, N.C.-based spandex fiber manufacturer and NCTO member, was selected [...]