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JAAF Sustainability Newsletter
June Edition
Ramesh De Silva
June 30, 2025
Dear Reader,
Thank you for being a part of JAAF’s sustainability newsletter. This newsletter is a part of JAAF’s efforts to respond to and serve Sri Lanka Apparel’s evolving needs especially through bridging the knowledge gap that exists in the Environment, Social and Governance Space.
So Welcome! to the June JAAF Sustainability Newsletter, featuring a selection of the latest developments in the sustainability space as it relates to the apparel industry in Sri Lanka. Through this information bridge JAAF aims to curate and communicate the latest developments in sustainability from across the apparel and textile sectors.
We look forward to your ongoing support and encourage you to engage with us by sharing this newsletter with your colleagues and peers in Sri Lanka and afar. You can also subscribe to this newsletter directly by clicking the link below.
Don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] if you would like to partner or better yet share the developments in sustainability with our community.
Events
 | Exporting to the EU? Here's What You Need to Know. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is set to impact businesses of all sizes — including SMBs in Sri Lanka. ✅ What does it mean for you? ✅ What are your responsibilities as a supplier or exporter? ✅ How can you stay compliant without added complexity? Join SLAEA’s CSDDD Awareness Program and get the right guidance to stay competitive, responsible, and ready for the future of international trade. Let’s break it down — clearly, simply, and specifically for your business. |
 | CSO of a Global fashion brand speaks Date : 2nd July Time : 3-3.45pm |
JAAF Insights
The Accelerating Industries’ Climate Response in Sri Lanka’ project – funded by the European Union, led by the Government and implemented by UNIDO – invites representatives from the business community, government, the finance sector and civil society to share their experiences and insights on these opportunities and challenges.
Following the successful launch of the Improving Transparency for Sustainable Business (ITSB) initiative on 29 April 2025 in Sri Lanka, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), in collaboration with the Sustainable Development Council (SDC), Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), Export Development Board (EDB) and with support from Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), is organizing the first exclusive capacity building session in Colombo on 16 July 2025.
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Sri Lanka’s apparel industry has long been recognized as a responsible manufacturing hub. #WorldEnvironmentDay holds special significance for the sector, as it continues to make meaningful strides in reducing its environmental impact through a range of sustainability initiatives.
In this video, JAAF Secretary General Yohan Lawrence talks about the industry’s ongoing efforts to minimize environmental impact, embrace innovation, and meet the evolving sustainability standards expected by global markets.
Sustainability In Sri Lanka
The year 2024 was an important one, as we were on our final stretch in terms of ensuring all necessary initiatives were lined up to achieve our 2025 commitments, whilst also looking ahead to the next phase of our Plan for Change strategy. It was important to ensure that we remain both pragmatic and ambitious in our vision and commitments, taking us to 2030, equipped and to influence and lead the change that our industry needs.
It was also a year where there was an unprecedented slowdown in the markets that we serve, putting pressure on the businesses and managing competing priorities. Through this period, MAS has been able to stay on course with our purpose to “be changemakers, enabling dreams and enriching the fabric of life on our planet”, whilst driving the Plan for Change forward.
Brandix is proud to share the launch of “Threads for Tomorrow”, 9th Sustainability Report reflecting the progress we’ve made and the responsibility we continue to uphold, across Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) priorities.
Meet the team behind the pages, whose dedication continues to shape our journey toward greater transparency, impact, and accountability.
From climate action to community well-being, each milestone reflects a shared commitment to building a more sustainable future, one step, one report, and one action at a time.
This year, we bring our Future First strategy to life through the creative expression of a rising local artist, reflecting our deep commitment to empowering our communities and celebrating their talents. The illustration serves as a powerful symbol of our collective progress: growing together, side by side, toward a future that is more sustainable, more equitable and more resilient.
Guided by our purpose, Continuous Progression, Together and anchored by our Future First pillars, Conserve Our Environment, Empower Our People, Support Our Communities, and Trust in Good Choices, we are turning our ambitions into measurable action.
Teejay is proud to share key sustainability highlights from Teejay’s Integrated Annual Report 2024/25:
Circularity and climate action aligned with SBTi
Digital transformation, traceability & supply chain transparency
ZDHC-aligned chemical management & advanced water stewardship
Supporting a thriving planet through biodiversity and sustainability initiatives
Integrated reporting with IFRS S1 & S2, GRI, SASB, SRROs, and TCFD frameworks
Driving ethical growth, innovation, and resilience in the textile industry.
Control Union is proud to award the 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭-𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 BCI CoC Certificate in Sri Lanka!
The certificate was presented to Mr. Janaka Nanayakkara, Senior General Manager – Group HR at Teejay Group, and Ms. Sinidu Wijayarathne, Manager – Marketing, by Mr. Roshan Ranawake, Managing Director of Control Union Sri Lanka, together with his team.
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐉𝐀𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐀 𝐏𝐋𝐂 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭!
Global Fashion Regulations
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) today unveiled the Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) Sector Guidance: Fashion and Textile v2.0, an updated and expanded guide designed to help fashion and textile companies measure, manage, and accelerate their transition to a circular economy.
Launched at the Global Fashion Summit 2025, the premier international forum for sustainability in fashion, the updated guidance is the result of a multi-stakeholder collaboration under the CTI Fashion Initiative, supported by the VF Foundation and co-led by WBCSD, VF Corporation, and Deloitte. The guidance draws on input from over 80 experts and organizations spanning the fashion and textile value chain.
Businesses, policymakers, and consumers alike are striving to make more informed decisions, driving progress toward a sustainable and circular economy. In order to achieve this, solutions are needed to record products’ lifecycles, including their origin, materials, environmental impact, and compliance with sustainability standards. This is key to ensure that information on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) footprints are genuine and thus to combat greenwashing.
We changed the conversation around chemical safety in fashion. Now we are changing the industry itself.
The ZDHC Foundation was established in 2015 on a revolutionary idea: rather than testing for hazardous chemicals after production, why not prevent them from entering production altogether? This upstream approach through our Manufacturing Restricted Substances List(MRSL) and Roadmap To Zero Programme has transformed how the global fashion industry can manage chemicals, protect workers and safeguard our shared environment.
More than 90 countries called for a renewed focus on a global plastics treaty during a recent United Nations Ocean Conference, as the clock runs down toward the next round of treaty negotiations.
The “The Nice Wake-Up Call for an Ambitious Plastics Treaty” statement was released June 10, signed by 95 countries and led by the French government, as the United Nations Ocean Conference is being held from June 9-13 in Nice, France. It aimed to increase pressure on INC members to make progress on the treaty at the International Negotiating Committee 5.2, which will be held Aug. 5-14 in Geneva.
EPR is a fundamental part of waste management in the EU and a key tool for the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy. It is therefore crucial to ensure the efficiency of such systems. Diverging legal frameworks and approaches to EPR across Member States, but also within Member States, across regions and product categories, have led to layers of complexity that are today heavily impacting companies operating in the EU. The fragmentation and complexity of EPR represent significant administrative costs, diverting resources away from companies’ sustainability objectives.
The European Commission will scrap its proposed law to fight corporate greenwashing following a request from conservative lawmakers to kill the file.
“In the current context, indeed the Commission intends to withdraw the Green claims proposal,” Maciej Berestecki, a spokesperson for the Commission, told the press on Friday.
Neighborhood Watch
Vietnam’s textile and apparel sector will begin transitioning to electric thermal technology later this year with the installation of the country’s first steam-generating heat pump at a garment factory near Hanoi.
The project is a collaboration between the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), WWF, H&M Group, and textile manufacturer Bangjie, whose Hung Yen facility supplies products to the Swedish fashion giant.
India’s core value proposition continues to be cost competitiveness, but it is no longer achieved at the expense of quality or compliance. Labour arbitrage remains attractive, especially in labour-intensive sectors such as home furnishings, apparel, and leather goods. However, the real differentiator now is regulatory sophistication and adherence to global standards.
Indian exporters are increasingly certified under ISO, SEDEX, GOTS, SA8000, and REACH frameworks. Suppliers understand and align with due diligence requirements under regulations like the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the German Supply Chain Act. For sourcing heads, this represents risk-mitigated procurement, where reputational and compliance risks are significantly lower than in many competing markets.
The government plans to set up a unified platform for addressing critical issues concerning the textile sector by involving all relevant stakeholders to work collaboratively towards creating a road map for achieving the $100 billion target for textile exports by 2030–31, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said.
Addressing the first meeting of the Task Force on Textiles Exports, he highlighted the need to formulate strategies for enhancing India’s share in global markets.
The National Mission Committee (NMC) will serve as the strategic body for the IFBEC initiative, driving national and international collaboration to align India's fashion industry with global sustainability goals. With representation from policy makers, trade leaders, green innovators and grassroots champions, the NMC will guide critical initiatives on:
* Circular fashion and green textile innovation
* International trade alignment for sustainable growth
* SME and artisan empowerment for global market access
* Institutional finance and regulatory frameworks for responsible production
India’s textile and clothing industry is massive when it comes to job creation, employing around 45 million people. It contributes 2.3 per cent to the country’s GDP and accounts for 12 per cent of all exports. However, there is a growing issue that receives far less attention: the industry generates approximately 7,800 kilotonnes of waste every year—equivalent to the combined weight of more than 120 million people—and most of it ends up in landfills, mixed with everyday waste.
Global testing and certification service provider TÜV SÜD is strengthening its commitment to greater sustainability and traceability in the textile industry: Following accreditation from its accreditation body, IOAS Inc., TÜV SÜD has officially been listed as a recognised certification body in Bangladesh, India and Vietnam on the Textile Exchange website since 1 June 2025. This expands the company's global certification reach according to the Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and the Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) – two of the world's leading standards for textiles containing recycled materials. At the same time, TÜV SÜD is increasingly focusing on combined testing strategies that use both audits along the supply chain and chemical analyses to determine the actual recycled content in textiles.
The Government of Mongolia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched a new initiative to accelerate carbon market readiness in Mongolia. Supported by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Advancing Carbon Market Readiness in Mongolia project seeks to strengthen institutional, technical, and regulatory foundations for an inclusive, transparent and functional carbon market aligned with the Paris Agreement. This enables the country to access new climate finance and scale up emission reductions, which are essential to achieving its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 22.7% by 2030.
General
A new study finds that machine learning can help reduce textile manufacturing waste by more accurately mapping how colors will change during the dyeing process.
Fabrics are typically dyed while wet, and their colors change as they dry. This can make it difficult to know what a piece of fabric will end up looking like in its finished state, said Warren Jasper, professor in the Wilson College of Textiles and author of a paper on the study.
Deloitte Global teamed up with Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) to develop the Fashion Impact Toolkit, a broad resource that helps businesses identify and manage sustainability impacts across the textile value chain, enabling industry transformation.
Last year, Samsara Eco and activewear giant Lululemon brought to market the world’s first enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 product sample, as well as introduced lululemon’s first enzymatically recycled polyester product to market with a limited-edition Packable Anorak. Now, the two companies have announced a 10-year offtake agreement that will see Lululemon source a significant portion (about 20%) of its future nylon 6,6 and polyester needs from Samsara Eco.
Cellulose-based textile materials can make the clothing sector more sustainable. Currently, cellulose-based textiles are mainly made from wood, but a study headed by researchers from Chalmers University of Technology points to the possibility of using agricultural waste from wheat and oat. The method is easier and requires fewer chemicals than manufacturing forest-based cellulose, and can enhance the value of waste products from agriculture.
A new AICPA and CIMA resource answers questions and provides perspective for management accountants related to cornerstone sustainability standards in Europe.
The resource, Sustainability Framework and Standards — the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), breaks down the CSRD and ESRS requirements for finance professionals
In order to help track recycled material during its life, Recover and TextileGenesis are collaborating on a traceability project.
Recover creates mixes of recovered cotton fibre that are used by retailers and brands who want to create a more circular value chain. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) product TextileGenesis, which is owned by the technology company Lectra, improves traceability for manufacturers of clothing and fashion. Together, the businesses aim to verify the potential of Recover’s circularity capabilities.
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