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The textile and fashion industry is facing new challenges on an international scale. Automation, digitalisation, and sustainability are both opportunities and challenges.
Euratex, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation, acknowledges that these are ‘turbulent times’. The organization, led at the time by former President Alberto Paccanelli, notes that ‘geographic turmoil, the energy crisis, and the decline in consumer confidence are creating a challenging economic climate for textile entrepreneurs to thrive.’ However, it is important to highlight that ‘the European Union is moving forward with the implementation of its dedicated textile strategy’. In total, 16 pieces of legislation are on the table, which will reshape the regulatory framework of the textile and fashion industry. The future of the textile industry will undeniably hinge on the Made in Europe principle.
The European textile industry is a very broad and diverse ecosystem. ‘Most of our industry is small, family-owned, often with decades of tradition and craftsmanship’, states Euratex. In fact, 99.7% of the companies (about 200,000) are SMEs. Employment, roughly 1.3 million people, is dominated by Italy, which accounts for 24% of the jobs, followed by Portugal and Poland, both with 10% of total employment. Next are Germany and Romania, responsible for 9% and 8% of the workers, respectively.
‘More and more, we are seeing the emergence of new companies developing innovative, sustainable products and introducing new technologies. Some of them will be the new face of the textile industry’, notes Euratex. ‘We will ensure a competitive European textile industry’, they said.
The advocacy for free, fair, and balanced trade has long been a demand of European companies. The adoption of a digital product passport, which ensures that consumers have all the necessary information about the item they intend to purchase, is one of the measures included in the new regulatory package under discussion in the European Union concerning sustainable production and consumption.
The aim is to provide access to a set of data that helps consumers make more transparent and informed decisions by making relevant information available about product characteristics, performance and durability, traceability, environmental impact, ease of repair and recycling. This data should also facilitate product comparability through an online platform. ‘Change is coming’, says Alberto Paccanelli, President of Euratex.
The new regulatory framework clearly focuses on circularity principles and includes rules to discourage short-term durability and premature product obsolescence. It shifts towards providing manufacturers with guarantees for supplying system updates, consumables, spare parts, and accessories, ensuring easy repair, as well as providing installation and repair manuals.
Also on the table is the prohibition of destroying unsold products, particularly textiles and footwear, by creating incentives for more sustainable and environmentally friendly production.
‘The digital product passport is clearly an opportunity for the Portuguese industry’, states José Alexandre Oliveira. The President of Riopele recalls that ‘more than 10,000 companies, responsible for 150,000 jobs, located in Northern Portugal within a 50 km radius of Porto, make the Portuguese fashion cluster a major reference in Europe’.
Every year, Portugal exports over 7 billion euros worth of textiles, apparel, footwear and jewellery worldwide. ‘Portugal has the largest textile cluster in Europe’, says José Alexandre Oliveira, who has served as president of both ATP (Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association) and Euratex. ‘The Portuguese textile industry has accumulated knowledge across generations, invested in cutting-edge technology, and is a major reference in sustainable product development’, emphasised José Alexandre Oliveira. ‘With a fairer and more balanced legislative framework, the future of the industry will undoubtedly pass through Europe, and Portugal will be a key player’, he concluded.
