Iran war is tearing the polyester fabric of fast fashion – and shoes could be next

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 per cent 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 said.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.