Fashion
Drewry WCI continues to fall; rates slide on key trade routes
After two weeks of moving in opposite directions, the major trade routes, Transpacific and Asia–Europe, are now aligned on a downward trajectory, though each is moving at a different pace.
Drewry World Container Index fell 6.4 per cent to $1,913 per FEU on September 18, marking its 14th straight weekly drop.
Transpacific and Asia–Europe spot rates declined as momentum from GRIs and blank sailings faded.
With carriers struggling to absorb new capacity and soft demand, Drewry expects further rate declines ahead of China’s Golden Week and warns of additional volatility in early 2025.
Transpacific spot rates have resumed their decline, slipping back to levels last seen at the beginning of September. Rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles fell 4 per cent to $2,561 per 40ft container, while rates from Shanghai to New York dropped 5 per cent to $3,571 per 40ft container. Despite a brief uptick, the momentum from General Rate Increases (GRIs) and blank sailings has faded, leading to the latest decline.
Asia–Europe spot rates also continued to fall this week, with Shanghai–Rotterdam rates down 11 per cent to $1,910 per FEU and Shanghai–Genoa rates down 9 per cent to $2,131 per FEU. This drop reflects carriers’ struggle to balance rising capacity—driven by new vessels entering service—with softening demand. With more blank sailings planned ahead of China’s Golden Week holidays, beginning on October 1, Drewry expects rates to continue falling in the coming weeks.
Drewry’s Container Forecaster projects that the supply-demand balance will weaken again in the second week of 2025, likely causing further spot rate contraction. The extent and timing of rate volatility will depend on President Donald Trump’s future tariff decisions and on capacity changes linked to potential US penalties on Chinese ships, both of which remain uncertain.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
A total of 25 pilot investments led by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have progressed from the lab to near-market stage under RegioGreenTex, a three-year European Union (EU)-funded project that recently concluded. Most of these are expected to be commercialised within one to three years.
Twenty five pilot investments led by SMEs moved from lab to near‑market under RegioGreenTex, an EU-funded project that ended recently.
Most of these are expected to commercialise in one to three years.
Five regional hubs mapped SME needs and developed services and value chains as well as tools to help SMEs.
These are now open for collaboration and the pilot portfolio is primed for investors and adopters.
At least 70 per cent of the EU grant was allocated to SMEs. A total of 43 partners from 11 regions across eight countries participated in the project, leveraging their expertise towards a common goal of advancing industry and research.
RegioGreenTex was one of the first projects funded under the Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) Instrument programme that focused on process, service and business model innovation, developing advanced textile recycling technologies, regional recycling hubs, and a digital ecosystem for matchmaking and capacity building.
Five regional hubs mapped SME needs and developed services and value chains as well as tools that keep helping SMEs, an official release said.
The RegioGreenTex Digital Tool keeps matchmaking, sharing trainings and hosting the participants’ knowledge base.
The Waste Wizard shows how artificial intelligence-enhanced matchmaking can link leftover textiles with the right reuse or recycling routes.
From recycled-content yarn processes (Tintex) to Recycrom low-impact dyeing (Officina39), ultrasonic quilting for full recyclability (Rovitex) and hybrid recycled-fibre yarns (Hilaturas Mar), the pilots showed concrete, repeatable ways to cut impact without losing performance.
The hubs are now open for collaboration, the digital tools are live and the pilot portfolio is primed for investors and adopters.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
While trends in high frequency indicators for January-February 2026 appear favourable, the heightened uncertainty around the duration of the Middle East conflict casts a shadow on the near-term macroeconomic outlook for India amid high import dependency for items like crude oil, natural gas and fertilisers, it noted.
India’s FY27 GDP growth is likely to slow to 6.5 per cent from the projected 7.5 per cent in FY26 owing to the impact of higher energy prices and concerns around energy availability, ICRA Ratings said.
The heightened uncertainty around the duration of the Iran war casts a shadow on the near-term macroeconomic outlook for India.
If the conflict lasts longer, the adverse effects could widen across sectors.
If the conflict lasts for an extended period, the adverse implications of the same could widen across sectors, amid an uptick in input costs and the consequent impact on profitability of the India corporate sector.
Amid the projected uptrend in the consumer price index-based inflation in FY27 with risks tilted to the upside, ICRA Ratings expects an extended pause on the policy rates by the central bank’s monetary policy committee in the fiscal despite the anticipated softening in the GDP growth. However, it expects the Reserve Bank of India to continue to intervene on the liquidity front during FY27.
The available data for January–February FY2026 indicate a positive trend across most non-agricultural indicators, with the year-on-year performance of 12 out of 18 indicators improving compared to the third quarter of FY26, while the remaining six deteriorated.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Indonesia’s apparel exports rose modestly to $8.705 billion in 2025 from $8.316 billion in 2024, reflecting gradual recovery.
The US remained dominant, accounting for over 56 per cent of shipments, highlighting growing market dependence.
While Japan, South Korea and Europe offered stability, exports stayed concentrated in key products and segments.
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