#Associations

2019-06-17

EURATEX General Assembly

Over 120 participants attended the annual EURATEX General Assembly in Brussels on 13 June. The event was a unique opportunity to hear testimonials from different countries and contexts, with speakers offering insights in dealing with the problem of attracting talent and encouraging skills development.

At the EURATEX General Assembly, international experts present the challenges and possible solutions to tackle the issue of attracting young and skilled workforce in the textile and clothing sector.

Although the industry is witnessing a period of positive evolution – since 2012 turnover has grown by 10% to € 178 billion, extra-EU exports are up by 23% and have reached 50 billion Euros for the first time, and labour productivity has grown an impressive 22% - it still faces significant challenges, the biggest one being the difficulty of recruiting and retaining skilled workforce.

In the opening session of the event, newly-elected EURATEX President Alberto Paccanelli stressed that “companies hiring today not only look for young people with the same skill sets as the retiring workforce, but also new talent with creative, highly technical and digital skills for high added value jobs in design, product development, technical textile production, digitalization, sustainability and circular economy.”

The Director for Skills of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Manuela Geleng, gave an overview of the policies and programmes being developed by the EU to support upskilling and training of workforce. She reminded the audience that EU countries on average spend 4.6% of GDP on initial education, but only 0.1% on continuous life-long learning, which is very ill adapted to today’s fast changing work environments and skill needs.

International speakers from the industry, national and regional initiatives and vocational education and training institutions presented their success stories, offering a look at the situation in different countries.

Common issues emerged, as well as clear solutions: a need for a new approach and changes in company culture are necessary to attract the new generation. Close collaboration between industry and training institutions is the key to the development of skilled professionals and the growth of the sector.

EURATEX appealed to policy makers at EU, national and regional level to accompany and support the sectoral stakeholders in their efforts to provide world-class textile and clothing education and training across Europe.

EURATEX calls for urgent action on industrial competitiveness

EURATEX, the European Apparel and Textile Confederation, welcomes today’s State of the Union Address by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and in particular her recognition of Europe’s need to rebalance unfair trade, cut red tape, and strengthen its industrial and strategic autonomy.

European textile industry calls for €10 handling fee on ultra-fast-fashion imports

The introduction of the €3 customs duty on low-value imports marks an important milestone in Europe’s efforts to address the challenges created by the rapid growth of ultra-fast-fashion imports. Together with the abolition of the €150 customs duty exemption, it demonstrates that policymakers are willing to act when market distortions become impossible to ignore. However, the European textile and clothing industry considers this a first step rather than the final destination.

Towards pragmatic and harmonised labelling in the EU

EDANA, alongside 14 European associations, urges the European Commission and Member States to adopt a pragmatic approach for the future harmonised packaging labels, in line with the EU’s agenda for the EU Single Market, simplification and competitiveness. The system should rely on text-free pictograms, available in achromatic or monochromatic versions matching the packaging palette, with the possibility of using digital labelling as a core element. Our associations represent manufacturers of consumer goods across Europe.

Textile PRO Forum calls for greater harmonisation of textile EPR systems across Europe

The Textile PRO Forum has published a new analysis highlighting the need for greater harmonisation of textile Extended Producer Responsibility systems across Europe. The document, Toward harmonised Textile EPR Systems in Europe: analysis and recommendations, presents the results of work carried out by Workstream 1 of the Textile PRO Forum, led by Dr. Eng. Viola Corbellini, Strategic Development and Innovation Expert at Erion Textiles, and Eng. Luca Campadello, General Director at Erion Textiles. The workstream focused on reducing administrative burden for textile producers by identifying areas where procedures could be better aligned across countries.

ITMF names three winners of the Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026

Three projects from the UK, Korea and China have been selected as winners of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026. The projects address textile-to-textile recycling, chemical recycling for automotive textiles and a regenerative approach combining silk production with ecological restoration.

Italian textile machinery at TITAS 2026: strategic partnership and tailor-made solutions for the Taiwanese market

The excellence and innovative capabilities of Italian textile machinery technology are coming to Taipei for TITAS 2026 (Taiwan International Textile & Garment Machinery Show), the leading event for the island’s textile industry and the wider Asian region, scheduled to take place from 6 to 8 October 2026.

KARL MAYER invites the Global Textile Industry to celebrate its 90th anniversary at its German Headquarters in 2027

KARL MAYER is turning its anniversary year 2027 into a milestone for the textile sector. To mark its 90th anniversary, the industry leader is inviting customers, partners, and experts from around the world to a unique event series in September aimed at pushing boundaries, unlocking new opportunities, and jointly setting the course for a new era in textiles – just as KARL MAYER has done throughout its history. The company’s headquarters in Obertshausen, near Frankfurt, is the place to be.

Durak Maxibalance thread supports users’ movement and balance comfort

Durak Tekstil, a leading brand in its industry, has developed Durak Maxibalance, a new product engineered with bio-ceramic and FAR IR technology. Ushering in a new era for sportswear, activewear, and medical textiles, this technology offers features designed to support balance and movement comfort by reflecting the energy absorbed from the body back into it.