Coats is a world leader in thread manufacturing and structural components for apparel and footwear, as well as an innovative pioneer in performance materials. These critical solutions create a wide range of products, including ones that provide safety and protection for people, data, and the environment.
With over 250 years of heritage, Coats has operations across some 50 countries with a workforce of over 17,000. Coats provides products including apparel, accessory and footwear threads, structural components for footwear and accessories, fabrics, yarns, and software applications. Customer partners include companies from the apparel, footwear, automotive, telecoms, personal protection, and outdoor goods industries.
Adrian Elliott has been the Chief Executive Officer – Apparel Division of Coats Group plc since December 2022. He started his journey with Coats in 1989 and has worked in different capacities. Team Textile Focus had an exclusive conversation with Adrian during his recent visit to Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he shared his insight into innovation, sustainability and the latest garment trends.
Textile Focus: Coats Group plc has committed to achieving zero waste to landfill by the end of 2026. What steps are you taking to achieve this?
Adrian Elliott: Out of our 74 locations, 43 have already achieved zero landfill – and we have teams working together, setting up actions and monitoring our progress to achieve the goals for the whole group. Specifically, we have made tremendous progress with our treatment of sludge – effluent treatment waste – and how we recycle it. In our packaging, we have worked collaboratively with many raw materials suppliers and developed circular solutions enabling close loop recycling of many packaging materials.
Textile Focus: Coats’ Apparel Division operates in a highly dynamic market with changing consumer preferences and trends. How does the company stay agile and responsive to these changes?
Adrian Elliott: The important thing is to stay very close to our customers, both brands and manufacturers. Every day, we talk to them and other stakeholders across the globe to pick up trends.
Take COVID. People were working from home and wearing comfortable clothes. So, sales of denim went down, and stretch fabrics went up. Now, people have started dressing a little bit more formally – for example; I recently met with a customer who has sold a massive amount of blazers post-COVID.
Another trend is for hiking, hill walking and general outdoor activities. So, companies manufacturing equipment, clothes and footwear in this sector are doing very well.
Lastly, people are doing more sports and mindfulness activities like yoga. So the athleisure wear trade is doing well. In fact, more sportswear factories are opening in Bangladesh, which is a great sign.
Textile Focus: Coats has a longstanding commitment to ethical sourcing. Can you tell us more about the company’s approach to this and how it is implemented across the Apparel Division?
Adrian Elliott: We are committed to raising standards – across Coats and the whole industry. It takes many years to build a reputation and about five seconds to break it – so we are very careful to act clearly, responsibly and ethically. We have supplier codes, audits, and a whole system in place, along with clear guidelines about how we act. What we do, how we work, and what we expect from our suppliers are very transparent.
Textile Focus: Your latest annual report highlights the importance of digital transformation in the apparel industry. How are you leveraging technology to improve your operations and customer experience?
Adrian Elliott: Many countries, industries and companies are doing digital right – it’s how the world is moving, and I think the industry needs to roll with it. That’s how Coats is doing business. In terms of customer connectivity, how we plan our factories, design our service to customers, and measure our performance, is all done digitally.
We also have a software business, “Coats Digital”. Our business-critical garment software solutions are embedded with deep industry expertise and have been proven to digitally transform how fashion companies design, develop, cost plan, and manufacture. Our fashion supply chain software harnesses industry best practices and the latest technology to improve speed to market, agility, efficiency, and sustainability. It is trusted by brands and fashion manufacturers worldwide.
Textile Focus: Coats’ latest sustainability report mentions the circular economy as a critical focus area. Tell us more about the company’s approach to this and how you are applying it in the Apparel Division.
Adrian Elliott: Sustainability is a big issue for the textile industry. Clothing production consumes vast quantities of non-renewable natural resources, including water and energy. In addition, the industry is a significant emitter of global greenhouse gas emissions.
As the world’s largest thread supplier, we play a big part in that industry. Coats’ threads are essential to many of the world’s finest clothes. We are the world’s largest industrial thread manufacturer and have a reputation as pioneers, setting the standard for quality and performance. Our global footprint is unrivalled, and we are connected to every link in the supply chain, from raw materials suppliers to brands.
Coats has over 250 years of experience in designing and producing threads that hold garments together. Now, we need to become experts in helping the industry disassemble garments effectively and efficiently for recycling and reuse. To recycle a garment, you need to take it apart and separate the different materials. Currently, that has to be done mainly by hand, as the seams need to be unpicked. We have a range of new products that offer solutions to overcoming the challenges associated with disassembling, speeding and scaling up the entire recycling process.
Some are already part of our offering, like EcoVerde, which is made of 100% recycled polyester and sits naturally within the circular process. Meanwhile, EcoRegen is a 100% lyocell thread that more closely matches garment material, allowing them to be recycled without needing to remove the stitching.
Textile Focus: Coats has a strong history and culture of innovation, dating back to its founding in 1755. How do you continue to foster this?
Adrian Elliott: We partner with customers around the globe to look further, dream bigger and explore bold new ideas for the clothes we wear, the composite materials making our cars more efficient, and the communication equipment that keeps us connected.
In our three Innovation Hubs (US, Turkey, China), we invite our customers to take advantage of our dedicated teams and facilities and tackle the most crucial problems they face together. Innovation is something that we embrace in every area of our business.
