Fashion
Trump tariffs cut into China sales of US firms: AmCham Shanghai survey
However, China’s efforts to demonstrate its continued openness to global business have yielded significant improvements in metrics related to the regulatory environment, it noted.
Seventy-one per cent of respondents were profitable in 2024, an improvement from 2023’s record low of 66 per cent. Profitability varied widely by sector; 80 per cent of manufacturers and 69 per cent of retailers were profitable.
Volatility in US-China trade ties has dragged optimism in the business environment, headquarter prioritisation of the China market and future revenue expectations to record lows, a survey by AmCham Shanghai found.
Just 45 per cent of respondents expect revenue to rise in 2025.
Forty-one per cent of them are optimistic about the five-year business outlook, with the rate lowest for manufacturers.
Fifty-seven per cent of respondents saw higher revenue in 2024 than in 2023, up from 50 per cent in the previous survey.
Sixty-four per cent of companies expect new US-China tariffs to drag on their 2025 revenue performance. As a result, just 45 per cent anticipate revenue to increase this year. This would be a record low if realised.
For the fourth consecutive year, the rate of respondents optimistic about the five-year business outlook in China hit another historic low. Now, 41 per cent of respondents express any optimism, with the rate lowest for manufacturers (36 per cent) and highest for retailers (51 per cent).
Twelve per cent of respondents ranked China as their headquarters’ top investment destination, also the lowest in the survey’s history.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents said that the regulatory environment was transparent, a 13-percentage point (pp) jump from last year. When asked about obstacles from regulatory challenges, members reported less hindrance across all options.
Over a third of respondents say that Chinese government policies and regulations toward foreign companies have improved in the past few years, 4 pp higher than 2024. Accordingly, 41 per cent say they are confident in China opening up further, a jump from 22 per cent last year.
Members continued to rank the US-China relationship or geopolitical tensions more broadly as the biggest challenge to their China operations and to China’s economic growth. Trade turbulence is weighing on willingness to invest in China and leading firms to double down on risk mitigation strategies, a release from the chamber said.
Forty-eight per cent of respondents urged the US government to completely remove all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on Chinese goods. Another 33 per cent want the removal of April’s reciprocal tariffs and other additional tariffs like the 20-per cent fentanyl tariff.
Members also oppose retaliatory duties, with 42 per cent calling on the Chinese government to remove all tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US imports and an additional 34 per cent hoping for a return to the most favoured nation rate.
If the US revokes China’s Permanent Normal Trade Relations status, 69 per cent of members anticipate negative effects. Companies in the manufacturing sector would bear the brunt, with 78 per cent expecting adverse effects compared to 59 per cent for retail.
Twenty-three per cent increased investments while a record-high 26 per cent cut investments in China. This year, 22 per cent are expecting to raise their China investments and 25 per cent will reduce that.
More companies are limiting their investment exposure to China in response to the changing geopolitical and economic situation; only 39 per cent will not have any China investment limits, down from 45 per cent last year and 50 per cent in 2023.
Companies are shock-proofing supply chains and bifurcating US and non-US strategies in response to global trade tensions. Of those with supply chains, nearly half are making significant adjustments in response to recent tariffs by shifting the sources of US-bound products or building in redundancy.
In the past year, 47 per cent of companies have redirected planned investments away from China, the highest level since this question was first asked in 2017. Southeast Asia remains the top destination for rerouted investment as well as for operations that are moved out of China.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Private companies are reshaping space travel.
Prada’s mastery of advanced fabrics and precision sewing inform tomorrow’s spacesuit.
It reflects a shift towards cross-industry collaboration, proving innovation in space is still stitched from textiles.
Kevlar and Nomex became icons of astronaut safety in the 1960s, protecting crews from micrometeorites, fire and atmospheric extremes.
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The journey towards a net-zero textile industry advances as the H&M Foundation has opened nominations for the Global Change Award (GCA) 2026 on September 1. The annual innovation challenge supports bold changemakers working to reshape fashion.
The H&M Foundation has opened nominations for the Global Change Award (GCA) 2026, seeking early-stage innovations in responsible production, mindful consumption, sustainable materials, and wildcards.
In partnership with The Mills Fabrica, the award aims to accelerate transformative solutions like bio-based fibres, AI-driven design, and recycling.
Each year, new ideas emerge to transform how fashion is made, used, and valued. “Each new year when the nominations open, so much has happened in the world since the last round; we see new challenges, needs, technological break throughs and opportunities. I’m always curious to see the potential that’s out there, and the new disruptive ideas that passionate changemakers are sitting on right now,” said Annie Lindmark, programme director for Innovation at the H&M Foundation.
For the year 2026, GCA is seeking early-stage innovations in four categories: responsible production – rethinking how fashion is made; mindful consumption – redefining how we use and value fashion; sustainable materials and processes – reinventing fibres and methods; and wildcards – unexpected, transformative ideas with disruptive potential.
Applicants can also apply through The Mills Fabrica, an official nominator and long-standing GCA partner with hubs in Hong Kong and London. Positioned at the intersection of sustainability, technology, and textiles, The Mills Fabrica helps surface bold ideas often overlooked by traditional industry channels, H&M Foundation said in a release.
“We are truly excited to see creative, resilient, and purpose-driven innovators stepping forward – especially those with a deep-rooted commitment to driving impact at scale and a willingness to challenge the status quo,” Cintia Nunes, general manager and head of Asia at The Mills Fabrica, explains.
The nomination model has already diversified winner profiles and expanded the award’s global reach. Looking ahead, Lindmark expressed excitement for more ‘Wildcard’ submissions, while GCA’s Cintia highlighted opportunities in bio-based fibres, circular materials, AI-driven design, post-consumer recycling, and robotics for localised, demand-responsive manufacturing.
The 2026 edition aims to accelerate innovations that can drive systemic change in fashion’s sustainability journey, spotlighting changemakers with the courage to reimagine the industry.
“Supporting early-stage innovation is essential because it’s where the seeds of radical transformation begin,” Cintia said.
“In 10 years, I hope the changemakers we select today will have helped build a textile industry that thrives within planetary boundaries and supports human wellbeing,” Annie concluded.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
The updated CBAM introduces a new de minimis mass threshold, exempting imports of up to 50 tonnes per importer per year from CBAM requirements. This replaces the earlier rule exempting only goods of negligible value. According to the EU, this change will relieve 90 per cent of importers—primarily SMEs and individuals—of reporting and compliance obligations while still covering 99 per cent of total CO2 emissions from CBAM goods such as iron, steel, aluminium, cement, and fertilisers, the Parliament said in a press statement.
European Parliament has approved CBAM reforms under the ‘Omnibus I’ package, easing compliance for SMEs by exempting imports up to 50 tonnes per importer annually.
The changes simplify authorisation, emissions calculation, and verification rules while retaining 99 per cent emissions coverage for some products.
The text now awaits Council endorsement.
For goods still covered by CBAM, the law simplifies key processes including authorisation of CBAM declarants, calculation and verification of embedded emissions, and financial liability requirements. The legislation also introduces safeguards and anti-abuse provisions to ensure that emissions coverage remains intact and that the threshold cannot be misused to avoid compliance.
The legislation must now be formally endorsed by the Council of the EU. It will enter into force three days after its publication in the EU Official Journal.
CBAM is the EU’s flagship tool to ensure a level playing field between EU-made products—which are subject to the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS)—and imports from non-EU countries. It is designed to encourage foreign producers to adopt more climate-friendly production methods. In early 2026, the European Commission is set to review whether the CBAM’s scope should be expanded to cover additional ETS sectors and consider measures to assist EU exporters of CBAM-covered goods facing carbon leakage risks.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KD)
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