Garments and textiles

Despite an onset of risks—the uncertainty of upcoming elections, a looming E.U.-Vietnam free-trade deal and a rising U.S. dollar—the immediate outlook for Cambodia’s economy remains bright, a World Bank report released on October 5 says. But the country will have to address looming challenges now in order ...

Myanmar’s leading garment industry body has been buoyed by the lifting of sanctions it hopes will see a return to the glory days for the sector, when in the early 2000s a majority of country’s garments were shipped to the US. Speaking at a manufacturing trade ...

Four premium suppliers for Swedish clothing giant H&M have been called out by a local labour rights group for their continued use of short-term contracts, hampering employees’ ability to unionise and, in one case, allegedly paying workers less than the $140 monthly minimum wage. In a ...

A roadshow to Hong Kong this week to pitch Cambodia’s newly received duty-free access on travel goods to the US market was successful, but manufacturers have yet to sign concrete deals to establish new production lines here, a delegate of the returning business mission said. US ...

Thai garment exports are expected to continue to decline with more Thai manufacturers expanding to neighbouring countries to tap cheaper costs and better tariff benefits. Vallop Vitanakorn, an adviser to the Thai Garment Manufacturers Association, said after expanding investments to Cambodia and Vietnam over the past ...

For 30 years, the word “sweatshop” has conjured up a very specific image: low-wage Asian workers making branded clothes in crowded, unsafe factories for consumers overseas. The power of that image has launched human rights campaigns, altered how major companies source their products and informed ...

Government officials and union groups on August 23 cast doubts on the findings issued by the industry body for the nation’s garment and footwear manufacturers, challenging its claim that mounting investor concerns had forced dozens of local factories out of business and resulted in a sharp ...

In a bid to diversify its revenue stream, Phnom Penh SEZ will restructure its business model by injecting capital into building its own factories that can be leased to tenants of its flagship industrial park, a company representative said on August 23.“Right now, 90 per ...

Investors in Cambodia’s garment industry are increasingly purchasing modern equipment as they look to produce higher value-added products to compete in the international market and counter rising labour costs, an industry insider said on August 22. Akai Lin, project manager of Yorkers Trade & Marketing Service, ...

Myanmar-based Olympus Asia Group and Korea’s Panko Corporation signed a memorandum of understanding on August 20 and are looking for land in Yangon, Bago or Ayeywarwady regions. Under the CMP model, a foreign buyer with financial backing and technical expertise will contract a garment factory, usually ...