India's fashion sector unveils sustainable supply chain directory

Nio expands to new markets with strategic partnerships

Yahoo

9 hours ago

Yahoo

Nio expands to new markets with strategic partnerships

Smart electric vehicle (EV) firm Nio has unveiled its expansion plans for the years 2025 and 2026, targeting the markets of Uzbekistan, Singapore, and Costa Rica. The company says the move will broaden Nio's international presence and cater to the growing demand for sustainable and premium EVs among local consumers. In Singapore, Nio is joining forces with the automotive retailer in the Asia-Pacific region, Wearnes Automotive. Wearnes, with a history dating back to 1906, is known for its retailing of luxury automotive brands. Nio says the collaboration is poised to debut Nio's first right-hand drive model, the small and smart high-end EV, firefly, starting in 2026. For its entry into the Americas, Nio has collaborated with Costa Rica's EV distributor Horizontes Cielo Azul Movilidad. This marks a milestone as Nio's inaugural venture into the Western Hemisphere. Meanwhile, in Central Asia, Nio is set to make inroads into the Uzbek market through a partnership with Abu Sahiy Motors, a local group with interests in automotive, real estate, and logistics. Nio's initial offerings in these new markets will include a selection of models from its firefly, Nio, and ONVO ranges, tailored to meet the specific needs of each region. The model lineup includes the EL6, NIO EL8, ET5, ET5 Touring, ONVO L60, and the firefly, with Singapore exclusively receiving the right-hand drive version of the firefly. Nio Global Business Development head Chris Chen said: 'To accelerate our entry into diverse global markets, Nio is partnering with experienced players who have deep local expertise and extensive distributor networks. 'They will help us introduce our high-quality smart electric vehicles to new markets more efficiently.' Nio's approach to international expansion is in line with its vision of becoming a user-centric enterprise. Nio is said to have amassed more than 9,900 patents by the end of June this year, and has developed the Nio Full Stack, encompassing 12 technology domains. The company has research and development centres as well as manufacturing facilities in more than 10 locations. By July 31, 2025, Nio had reached a significant milestone, delivering a total of 806,731 vehicles. The same month, location data and technology platform HERE Technologies partnered with Nio's firefly to supply 'high-quality' map data and location services. "Nio expands to new markets with strategic partnerships" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

CNN

15 hours ago

CNN

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

From chairs built with mushroom mycelium and vegan leather sofas to fabrics originating from seaweed, unexpected materials have been slowly making inroads into our homes. With the industry under pressure to become more sustainable, designers and manufacturers have turned to out-of-the-box alternatives to make products that have a circular lifespan (ie. furniture or other household items that can be re-used, composted and ultimately do not become garbage). The market for circular home and living will reach up to €45 billion in 2030 (around $51 billion), driven by sustainably produced furniture and home goods containing sustainable materials, according to McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. Earlier in the year, at Milan Design Week — a global event where new products are unveiled and trends are established — circularity and material innovation emerged as central themes. Design firm Particle, which has studios in New York and Los Angeles, debuted 'Parts of a Whole,' a collection of sculptural, Bauhaus-inspired dining room furniture made from repurposed textiles and denim, as well as a tablescape featuring 3D-printed candle holders and rubber accessories crafted from repurposed sneaker soles. Founded in 2020 by architects Krissy Harbert and Amanda Rawlings, the idea for Particle emerged while both were working on internal design projects at Nike, where they frequently experimented with industrial waste. 'We were using leftover materials — Nike has this Nike Grind rubber they use — and we started thinking about where and how else it could be applied,' Rawlings told CNN. Their work with upcycled furniture – particularly using sneaker waste – gained wider attention in 2023 with their 'I Got Your Back' chair and stools, made entirely from recycled footwear. 'Rubbers, plastics, footwear waste and recycled textiles hold vastly untapped potential. They are extremely versatile materials, which leaves space for a lot of different creative possibilities,' Rawlings said. 'Krissy and I are exploring how to extend their lifecycle — and doing it through homeware people genuinely want to live with.' Davide Balda, a multidisciplinary designer based in Milan shares a similar sentiment. During the festival, he presented 'Telare la Materia,' a project in collaboration with the Benetton Group that transformed unsold garments from the United Colors of Benetton's Green B line (designed to minimize chemical use in its fabrics) into new raw materials for architecture and design. One proposal in the project turns clay and textile waste into natural tiles and plaster. In another, traditional felt-making techniques are used to create a durable, flexible textile made from synthetic, animal, and plant-based fibers, for home furnishings. 'We're constantly asking ourselves: What does it mean to make something truly lasting in a throwaway world? And how can we design objects that don't become waste themselves?' Foteini Setaki, co-founder of the Dutch design firm, The New Raw 'Telare la Materia is an exploration into more sustainable ways to reduce the textile industry's environmental footprint and handle production waste locally,' Balda told CNN. 'Instead of exporting textile surplus to countries in Africa or South America — as is often the case — we can repurpose it into something meaningful and lasting.' For Balda, who identifies as an 'archeodesigner' — someone whose work centers on finding and creating new sustainable materials, and giving discarded ones new purpose — this approach isn't just a creative choice, but a moral imperative. 'I'm not interested in designing just another pretty lamp,' he said. 'Designers today need to challenge systems, rethink materials, and offer scalable, real-world solutions to issues like waste.' Meanwhile, The New Raw, a Rotterdam-based practice, unveiled a striking collection of outdoor furniture made entirely from recycled plastic sourced from local Dutch waste streams. The pieces are 3D-printed on demand. 'We're constantly asking ourselves: What does it mean to make something truly lasting in a throwaway world? And how can we design objects that don't become waste themselves?' one of the firm's co-founders Foteini Setaki said. 'Materials like the ones we use — but also biomaterials and other emerging alternatives — give us the tools to start answering those questions. They're not just about making things differently, but about reshaping the entire lifecycle of design.' This new approach must look good, too. 'Sustainable storytelling has to go hand-in-hand with beauty,' she said. 'It's important that people are (also) drawn to our products visually, not just because they're comfortable or align with their values.' Some design companies have explored the potential of plant-based materials. Chosen for their renewable nature, durability and biodegradability, they can be attractive alternatives to traditional materials such as wood or plastic. Polish studio Husarska unveiled their own dining set made from a new natural material, created in collaboration with 'The True Green,' which combines hemp and plant-based adhesives. Touted as a sustainable alternative to wood, hemp can sequester 15 to 25 tons of CO₂ per hectare annually — significantly more than temperate forests do in a year (they average 2 to 5 tons). Rockwell Group, a cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice founded by David Rockwell, made the humble cork the star of its exhibition 'Casa Cork' — a space crafted almost entirely out of the material, from the interiors to the furniture and lighting fixtures. The installation featured works by a wide-ranging group of designers, students, and hospitality professionals, each exploring a different creative use for cork. At its core was the mission of Cork Collective, a nonprofit initiative co-founded by the Rockwell Group that collects, recycles, and repurposes cork stoppers from restaurants and hotels across New York City. 'It's not a flashy material that turns heads… but cork is ripe for reinvention,' Rockwell explained over email. 'With Casa Cork, we wanted to create surprise and delight — turning something taken for granted into beautiful, functional objects.' Cork absorbs CO₂ and regenerates every nine years, making it inherently low-impact. And with an estimated 13 billion cork stoppers discarded each year, the material offers a vast — and largely untapped — opportunity for circular transformation. Other modest materials are also getting a second look. 'Enhance' — an exhibition curated by Italian design platform DesignWanted — challenged conventional ideas about what constitutes 'worthy' design matter by spotlighting material innovations aligned with seven key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified by the World Design Organization. The show featured a striking array of objects made from overlooked or discarded resources — think seashells, storm-felled wood, and un-recycled glass — each reimagined by designers into pieces that were as visually compelling as they were environmentally conscious. 'New materials are opening up different ways of what it means to design today,' said the curator Juan Torres. 'They reflect a mindset that sees design as a tool for responsibility — especially for the next generation.' None of this signals a total industry overhaul, Torres noted, at least not yet. Many of these solutions remain local, small-scale, and in the early stages of adoption. 'Big brands are paying attention, but they're still slow to act,' he said. 'The real change is coming from the ground up.' But while it might take a few more years to see them go fully mainstream, 'the shift is underway,' Torres said. 'And it's gaining speed.'

CNN

16 hours ago

CNN

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

From chairs built with mushroom mycelium and vegan leather sofas to fabrics originating from seaweed, unexpected materials have been slowly making inroads into our homes. With the industry under pressure to become more sustainable, designers and manufacturers have turned to out-of-the-box alternatives to make products that have a circular lifespan (ie. furniture or other household items that can be re-used, composted and ultimately do not become garbage). The market for circular home and living will reach up to €45 billion in 2030 (around $51 billion), driven by sustainably produced furniture and home goods containing sustainable materials, according to McKinsey & Company, a management consulting firm. Earlier in the year, at Milan Design Week — a global event where new products are unveiled and trends are established — circularity and material innovation emerged as central themes. Design firm Particle, which has studios in New York and Los Angeles, debuted 'Parts of a Whole,' a collection of sculptural, Bauhaus-inspired dining room furniture made from repurposed textiles and denim, as well as a tablescape featuring 3D-printed candle holders and rubber accessories crafted from repurposed sneaker soles. Founded in 2020 by architects Krissy Harbert and Amanda Rawlings, the idea for Particle emerged while both were working on internal design projects at Nike, where they frequently experimented with industrial waste. 'We were using leftover materials — Nike has this Nike Grind rubber they use — and we started thinking about where and how else it could be applied,' Rawlings told CNN. Their work with upcycled furniture – particularly using sneaker waste – gained wider attention in 2023 with their 'I Got Your Back' chair and stools, made entirely from recycled footwear. 'Rubbers, plastics, footwear waste and recycled textiles hold vastly untapped potential. They are extremely versatile materials, which leaves space for a lot of different creative possibilities,' Rawlings said. 'Krissy and I are exploring how to extend their lifecycle — and doing it through homeware people genuinely want to live with.' Davide Balda, a multidisciplinary designer based in Milan shares a similar sentiment. During the festival, he presented 'Telare la Materia,' a project in collaboration with the Benetton Group that transformed unsold garments from the United Colors of Benetton's Green B line (designed to minimize chemical use in its fabrics) into new raw materials for architecture and design. One proposal in the project turns clay and textile waste into natural tiles and plaster. In another, traditional felt-making techniques are used to create a durable, flexible textile made from synthetic, animal, and plant-based fibers, for home furnishings. 'We're constantly asking ourselves: What does it mean to make something truly lasting in a throwaway world? And how can we design objects that don't become waste themselves?' Foteini Setaki, co-founder of the Dutch design firm, The New Raw 'Telare la Materia is an exploration into more sustainable ways to reduce the textile industry's environmental footprint and handle production waste locally,' Balda told CNN. 'Instead of exporting textile surplus to countries in Africa or South America — as is often the case — we can repurpose it into something meaningful and lasting.' For Balda, who identifies as an 'archeodesigner' — someone whose work centers on finding and creating new sustainable materials, and giving discarded ones new purpose — this approach isn't just a creative choice, but a moral imperative. 'I'm not interested in designing just another pretty lamp,' he said. 'Designers today need to challenge systems, rethink materials, and offer scalable, real-world solutions to issues like waste.' Meanwhile, The New Raw, a Rotterdam-based practice, unveiled a striking collection of outdoor furniture made entirely from recycled plastic sourced from local Dutch waste streams. The pieces are 3D-printed on demand. 'We're constantly asking ourselves: What does it mean to make something truly lasting in a throwaway world? And how can we design objects that don't become waste themselves?' one of the firm's co-founders Foteini Setaki said. 'Materials like the ones we use — but also biomaterials and other emerging alternatives — give us the tools to start answering those questions. They're not just about making things differently, but about reshaping the entire lifecycle of design.' This new approach must look good, too. 'Sustainable storytelling has to go hand-in-hand with beauty,' she said. 'It's important that people are (also) drawn to our products visually, not just because they're comfortable or align with their values.' Some design companies have explored the potential of plant-based materials. Chosen for their renewable nature, durability and biodegradability, they can be attractive alternatives to traditional materials such as wood or plastic. Polish studio Husarska unveiled their own dining set made from a new natural material, created in collaboration with 'The True Green,' which combines hemp and plant-based adhesives. Touted as a sustainable alternative to wood, hemp can sequester 15 to 25 tons of CO₂ per hectare annually — significantly more than temperate forests do in a year (they average 2 to 5 tons). Rockwell Group, a cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice founded by David Rockwell, made the humble cork the star of its exhibition 'Casa Cork' — a space crafted almost entirely out of the material, from the interiors to the furniture and lighting fixtures. The installation featured works by a wide-ranging group of designers, students, and hospitality professionals, each exploring a different creative use for cork. At its core was the mission of Cork Collective, a nonprofit initiative co-founded by the Rockwell Group that collects, recycles, and repurposes cork stoppers from restaurants and hotels across New York City. 'It's not a flashy material that turns heads… but cork is ripe for reinvention,' Rockwell explained over email. 'With Casa Cork, we wanted to create surprise and delight — turning something taken for granted into beautiful, functional objects.' Cork absorbs CO₂ and regenerates every nine years, making it inherently low-impact. And with an estimated 13 billion cork stoppers discarded each year, the material offers a vast — and largely untapped — opportunity for circular transformation. Other modest materials are also getting a second look. 'Enhance' — an exhibition curated by Italian design platform DesignWanted — challenged conventional ideas about what constitutes 'worthy' design matter by spotlighting material innovations aligned with seven key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified by the World Design Organization. The show featured a striking array of objects made from overlooked or discarded resources — think seashells, storm-felled wood, and un-recycled glass — each reimagined by designers into pieces that were as visually compelling as they were environmentally conscious. 'New materials are opening up different ways of what it means to design today,' said the curator Juan Torres. 'They reflect a mindset that sees design as a tool for responsibility — especially for the next generation.' None of this signals a total industry overhaul, Torres noted, at least not yet. Many of these solutions remain local, small-scale, and in the early stages of adoption. 'Big brands are paying attention, but they're still slow to act,' he said. 'The real change is coming from the ground up.' But while it might take a few more years to see them go fully mainstream, 'the shift is underway,' Torres said. 'And it's gaining speed.'

India's fashion sector unveils sustainable supply chain directory

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Comments

Related Articles

Nio expands to new markets with strategic partnerships

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

India's fashion sector unveils sustainable supply chain directory

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Comments

Related Articles

Nio expands to new markets with strategic partnerships

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

These surprising materials are the future of furniture design

Get Started Now: Download the App