#Associations

2020-09-16

Commission President State of the Union - From promise to practice: how will the European Commission deliver on its ambitious promises ?

EURATEX, on behalf of its 160,000 textile and clothing companies, has followed President von der Leyen’s state of the union, presented today in the European Parliament. The Commission President has touched upon a vast range of topics and shown great ambition for a forward-looking Europe. The question remains how to ensure effective implementation of those plans; EURATEX calls for a strong public-private partnership to build a competitive and sustainable future.

EURATEX welcomes an ambitious Commission, in particular when it calls to strengthen the Internal Market, to invest in digitalisation, to ensure free but fair trade, to enhance our industrial strategy and build up resilience, to insist on the level playing field in relations with UK, China or the US.

Such ambitions will help to sustain a competitive European textiles and clothing industry, including 160,000 companies and offering 1,5 mln quality jobs. But the question remains how such intentions will be implemented effectively.

Director General Dirk Vantyghem commented: “In today’s health and economic crisis, we need a strong European Union, which supports our SMEs to survive, to innovate, to become more sustainable, to grow international. That requires effective measures implemented today, not tomorrow. We have put our ideas on the table, and look forward to discuss how to make them happen.”

EURATEX presented its “Recovery Strategy” in June; it includes both short term and long term measures, and concrete “flagship proposals” (e.g. building recycling hubs for waste textiles). Effective implementation will depend on a close dialogue between the EU, its member states and the private sector, and quick decision making.

https://euratex.eu/wp-content/uploads/Post-Corona-Strategy-Final.pdf

Mario Jorge Machado re-elected President of EURATEX

The EURATEX General Assembly has re-elected Mario Jorge Machado as President of EURATEX, renewing its confidence in his leadership at a crucial moment for the European textile and clothing industry. The sector is facing rising costs, global competitive pressure and an increasingly challenging transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

Europe is losing its textile industry

EURATEX has released its latest Economic Update on the performance of the European textile and apparel industry in 2025. For the third consecutive year, the sector recorded negative results across all key indicators — production, turnover and employment — confirming a continued erosion of competitiveness across Europe.

Keeping products moving with Swedish automation at FILTECH 2026

At FILTECH 2026, taking place in Cologne from June 30th to July 2nd, members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will highlight how the country’s engineering expertise is enabling filtration manufacturers to increase productivity, improve traceability and reduce dependence on labour-intensive manual processes.

Results of the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey

The global textile industry appears to be turning a corner, but this is more likely a fragile and possibly temporary improvement than the start of a durable recovery. According to the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey, conducted worldwide during the second half of May 2026, business sentiment, order intake, order backlogs and capacity utilization all improved versus March — yet every indicator remains weak by historical standards, and rising costs cast doubt on how long the upturn can last.

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

ITM 2026 makes happy participants with its international and qualified visitor profile

ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition, one of the most prestigious meeting points of the textile machinery sector, attracted attention in its first three days, particularly with its diverse international visitor numbers. Industry professionals from all over the world had the opportunity to closely examine the latest technology machines and solutions displayed in operation. Thousands of visitors from approximately 100 countries, primarily Egypt, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, met at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center for new investment and cooperation opportunities.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.