The recent increasing consciousness for environment sustainability and health hazards is the motive for looking for alternative environment-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. Therefore, environmental compatibility and safety to the health manufacturing process are a worldwide concern. The use of excessive and toxic synthetic dyes in textile and apparel manufacturing processes lineages environment pollution and health hazards to the surroundings where they are sited. Consequently, penetrating for alternative eco-friendly dyes has been initiated in recent times by researchers and development motivators in order to reduce the excessive use of synthetic dyes. In this regard, natural indigo dye from the indigo plant is getting attention, and thus, it is preferred as good as synthetic indigo dye, owing to its inherited dyeing property. With natural indigo dye, it can be achieved eco-friendly dyeing without the application of mordant attaining commercially acceptable fastness properties. Owing to the popularity of blue jeans around the world, especially those that are naturally dyed indigo blue, indigo dye consumption is now rising. Furthermore, currently, natural indigo dye is demanding for functional textile finishing, cosmetics and food colouration, UV protection and deodorizing agents, and other applications. In general, because of its increasing demand and wide applications, natural indigo has become an important cash crop and is traded in the international market with a price range of 35 to 40 USD per kilogram as per its purity level. Indigo dye has therefore been revived with more applications than it had before the advent of man-made colourants. The revival of indigo presents a chance for underdeveloped nations with incorporated economic and social benefits. Ethiopia as a developing country and situated in tropical Africa will benefit from indigo revival because of its potentials with having a suitable climate, a young workforce, enough land resource, and its booming textile and apparel industries.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been attracting a great deal of attention in recent years in many application fields, for example, in the aerospace, construction, industry, art, education, protection, security, and medical fields. Printing methods, materials, and parameters influence the performance quality and determine the application sector of 3D prints. In this study, the print parameters are used as independent variables to investigate the compression strength of 3D printed cubes/cubes. The prints were produced by considering infill type, infill percentages, vertical wall, horizontal contours, and dimensions of items as the product parameters. The different printed samples were subjected to atmospheric conditions for 24 hours at (20 ± 1)°C temperature and (65 ± 2)% relative humidity. The samples were then subjected to a cyclic compression test with an indentation depth of 5 mm. The compression force to the planned displacement was measured. As seen from the results, the print parameters investigated in this research significantly influence the compression force and determine the performance of 3D prints according to the application sector. Although all parameters significantly influence the compression force of 3D prints, the magnitude and level of performance are different. Vertical walls relatively withstand high compression force while filling type gives soft and weak products with a relatively low mass. However, the choice of different pressure parameters can influence the compressive strength. With this knowledge, it will be possible in the future to print human soft tissues with a specific compressive strength using the FDM printing process.

This review systematically maps the literature on the transformation of the Ethiopian garment industry over 30 years (from 1995 to 2025). The main objective is to plot and evaluate how academic research has described the transition of the sector, previously a craft‐based heritage cottage industry where, for instance, traditional attire such as the Habesha kemis was known, to a modern‐manufacturing policy logic. Using a bibliometric approach informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, the review examines publications retrieved from the Scopus index in order to uncover patterns of research, leading author engagement, and theme direction. The results suggest a remarkable rise in academic papers after 2019, but they focus on industrial policy, foreign direct investment (FDI), and labor issues. The review provides analyses of the key issues that influence the sector and success in industrialization, focusing on government intervention to attract FDI with an offer package and eco‐industrial parks, which have led to job creation and exports. However, they are also mitigated by several challenges, including insufficient backward integration of the local supply chain and heavy dependence on import refits under preferential treatment agreements, African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) suspension had an extreme impact, as well as significant socioeconomic problems such as very low wages and high staff turnover. The report finds that while substantial progress has been made, the sector’s full potential is yet to be achieved due to lingering salient structural weaknesses, a situation that necessitates policies that foster deeper local integration, improved labor standards, and greater resilience to external shocks.

Ultrasonic bonding offers a promising alternative to traditional sewing and other plastic bonding techniques, with several potential advantages. This paper comprehensively analyzes ultrasonic bond characteristics in PVC-coated hybrid textiles, prevalent in awnings and camping tents. Untreated samples were used as controls to compare the effects of ultrasonic bonding on various characteristics. Developed experimental designs were applied using a 12 mm welding width in a lapped seam, with carefully selected parametric levels to achieve higher bond strength based on preliminary test results. Mechanical properties (tensile, cyclic, and tear strength, including thickness reduction) were thoroughly examined to assess ultrasonic bond seam efficiency. The analysis covered thermal, chemical, morphological, and weight loss aspects before and after ultrasonic welding. Results showed that the weld seam tensile efficiency ranged from 68.27% to 96.13%, indicating enhanced durability. Cyclic efficiency exceeded 95%, tear efficiency surpassed 70%, and both treated and untreated samples showed strengths above standard thresholds. Thermal findings indicated a 3% increase in crystallinity after ultrasonic treatment, enhancing thermal stability with lower weight loss and causing shifts in glass transition and melting temperatures. FTIR spectra revealed that ultrasonic bonding had no significant impact on the material’s chemical properties. Morphological analysis identified pre-existing microvoids, with no significant increase in their number and/or size following ultrasonic treatment. Overall, the study demonstrates the efficacy of ultrasonic welding in improving the mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties of PVC-coated hybrid textiles, providing valuable insights for applications like awnings, camping tents, and roofing materials for short- and long-term use.