#Associations

2022-06-02

Tracing production costs in the primary textile industry

The new edition of the International Production Cost Comparison (IPCC) from ITMF has been published. The report measures the manufacturing costs of different textile products in the primary textile industry broken down into various cost elements at each stage of the textile value chain.

The 2021 edition adds Central America and Mexico to the historical cost analysis in Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea Rep., Pakistan, Turkey, USA, and Vietnam. Cost factors, manufacturing costs and total production costs are available for different textile products in the segments of spinning, draw texturing, weaving, knitting, and finishing.

For example, the publication reveals that producing one meter of woven fabric from cotton 1-1/8" in a continuous open width process (COW) cost 1.36 USD/m on average in 2021 (see Figure 1, range between 1.11 UDS/m in India and 1.91 USD/m in Italy).

Spinning the yarn needed to produce this meter of a finished woven fabric costs 19% of the fabrics’ total production cost on average worldwide (range between 15% in Korea, Rep. and 22% in Central America). Weaving this yarn adds an extra 19 percentage points (pp) on average to the total production cost of the fabric (range between 14 pp in Egypt and 26 pp in Italy). Finally, finishing this meter of woven fabric increases the final production cost by 31 pp (range between 26pp in Egypt and 33pp in the U.S.A., Turkey, and India).

The study further reveals that the average cost of raw materials needed to produce this meter of woven fabric was 31% of the fabric’s production cost. It was relatively cheaper in Italy (22%) and most expensive in Egypt (40%).

The publication also shows that Mexico and Central America are comparatively more dependent on energy cost for spinning NE/30 yarn then the other countries in the panel (see Figure 2). The cost of power represents 28% and 25% of manufacturing costs in both countries, respectively. In contrast, the U.S.A, and Egypt benefit from relatively low energy costs (10% and 11% of manufacturing costs, respectively). Dependency on labor costs is very high in Italy and the U.S.A with shares of 40% and 38% of manufacturing costs. This cost element represents only 2% to 3% of total manufacturing costs in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Egypt. Spinners of NE/30 yarn in Egypt, Central America and Pakistan further face high capital cost (over 40% of their manufacturing costs). The cost of capital is much lower in Italy and Korea, Rep., where it reached 21% in 2021.

Find more about this extensive study on http://www.itmf.org/publications.

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.

SIMTA joins ITMF as Corporate Member

In the past two decades SIMTA has established itself as producer of specialized machinery for the textile industry. In short period of time, SIMTA became an important supplier of precise rollers for top OEMs. Afterwards SIMTA started manufacturing overhead cleaners, bobbin transport systems, and other textile ancillaries. In the meantime, SIMTA is a leader in this space in collaboration with the German automation technology partner Jacobi.

Mongolia: Workshop on Italian textile technologies kicks off in Ulaanbaatar

The workshop dedicated to Italian textile technologies will kick off in Ulaanbaatar from 21 to 23 June 2026. Focused on the most advanced innovative solutions for the textile industry, the initiative will bring together 13 Italian textile machinery manufacturers, confirming the growing interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries and highlighting Mongolia’s strategic importance for Italian textile machinery producers.

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.

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.

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.