Iran war hits Asia's polyester suppliers to global fast fashion

A surge in fossil fuel prices since the Iran war is squeezing polyester suppliers and garment makers across India and Bangladesh, threatening to raise costs for fast-fashion retailers like Zara and H&M.

Filatex, one of India’s biggest polyester yarn producers, ​is paying nearly 30% more for the petroleum-derived feedstocks – purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and monoethylene glycol (MEG) – that it needs to make yarn, as Chinese suppliers raise prices and Middle East supply is disrupted, ‌managing director Madhu Sudhan Bhageria told Reuters.

The pain is being felt across the clothing supply chain, which is dominated by Asia. Avichal Arya, CEO of Bindal Silk Mills, which supplies dyed and printed polyester fabrics to retailers including H&M, Zara-owner Inditex, Target, Walmart and IKEA, said the energy crisis had “drastically” pushed up the cost of chemicals and dyes.

Adding to his woes, Arya said a shortage of cooking gas due to the war has driven many migrant workers to leave Surat, a textile hub in India’s western state of Gujarat. “We are not able to ​actually meet the demands of the global orders very fruitfully these days,” he said.

Made from oil derivatives, polyester dominates the textile industry, accounting for 59% of global fibre production and used in everything from running shorts ​to dresses. It is directly exposed to the squeeze on refined petroleum products caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

FAST FASHION COSTS COULD RISE

The pressure could ⁠eventually move downstream to retailers that rely on Asia’s polyester-heavy supply chains, though retailers are shielded from immediate pain by forward buying.

British retailer Primark said its spring/summer stock and a big part of autumn/winter stock would not be affected. “If ​we were buying energy-related raw materials today we would be seeing significant inflation, it’s just that we’re not,” George Weston, CEO of parent company Associated British Foods, told Reuters.

“It may be that when we do have to go back into ​the market the prices have reduced, but we don’t know.”

An industry source said H&M expects price increases from Bangladeshi suppliers in the coming weeks but plans to absorb them.

In a statement, H&M said it does not see major disruptions to production in Bangladesh and has not observed “any noticeable number of requests from suppliers to adjust orders in connection with energy costs.”

Zara-owner Inditex declined to comment on its polyester supply. Target, Walmart, and IKEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Retailers like Zara and H&M have shifted to using ​mostly recycled polyester – made from plastic bottle waste – which could cushion some of the oil-driven cost pressure for them. But globally, recycled polyester still accounts for just 12% of polyester production.

POLYESTER SHOCK

In Surat, half of the 200 industrial looms at ​Radheshyam Textile that weave polyester have sat silent since the conflict started in late February.

“Our daily production was 10,000 metres per day before the war started, but it has fallen to 3,500 to 4,000 metres per day,” owner Kaushik Dudhat told Reuters. He ‌has stopped buying ⁠new polyester yarn, saying the steep price increases would force him to raise his own prices by around 15% — a hike his customers, mainly clothing traders, would not accept.

Rising costs have caused textile dyeing and printing factories in Surat to shut for two days a week, up from one previously, said Kailash Hakim, president of the Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association. “If the situation persists, raw material shortages will start taking place and factories will need to shut down,” he warned.

Data from Wood Mackenzie shows the price of polyester staple fibre in India jumped from 100 rupees per kilogramme at end-February to 126.5 rupees a month later. It eased slightly after the Indian government slashed import tariffs on petrochemical raw materials, ​but remained at 120 rupees as of April 9.

Prices ​in China, the world’s biggest polyester producer, have also ⁠jumped.

DEMAND DESTRUCTION

In Bangladesh, even though factories mostly make cotton-based clothing, they face higher prices for the polyester sewing thread that feeds their sewing machines, and higher logistics costs from raised retail fuel prices.

In an April 5 letter reviewed by Reuters, thread producer Coats Bangladesh — a unit of UK-listed Coats — announced a 15.5% price increase effective April 15, citing the “rapid escalation in ​oil-derived feedstock costs” and higher transportation expenses.

“Buyers are becoming more cautious and carefully calculating risks before placing orders, which could affect order volumes,” said Mohammad Hatem, president ​of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and ⁠Exporters Association.

“If this goes on for one more month, forget it — we will have lower clothing production and what we call demand destruction, because retailers will have to raise their prices and consumers will cut their purchases,” said Bruna Angel, principal analyst for fibres at Wood Mackenzie.

SNEAKERS NEXT

Petrochemical-derived materials such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) are also widely used in sneakers, and U.S. retailers have raised the alarm.

“There’s broad-based impact across the board no matter where you source your shoes from,” said Matt Priest, president of ⁠Footwear Distributors and ​Retailers of America, which identified 25 petrochemical-based components used in shoes — from synthetic rubber outsoles to polyurethane foam and adhesives — in a recent ​report.

Higher costs could push retail prices up and make it harder for brands to forecast demand.

“Materials related to oil do have an impact on product costs,” a Nike spokesperson said.