#Associations

2022-09-23

Social Partners from the European textiles industry call for stronger action to manage the energy crisis: companies and jobs are at stake

On 14 September 2022, EC President von der Leyen announced initiatives aimed at tackling the dramatic energy crisis which Europe is facing. The Social Partners from the European textile industry welcome some proposals, such as decoupling the TTF gas price from the electricity market and the proposed amendment to the state-aid framework. However, we believe that the Commission proposal is not ambitious enough and will come at the cost of losing European industrial capacity and jobs.

Already today, several textile companies have decided to stop or relocate their production outside the EU, and chances are that they will never come back. This goes against the EU’s ambition to build a resilient textile industry, reduce our external dependency and offer quality jobs.

Dirk Vantyghem, EURATEX Director General commented: “Our companies are preparing for a green and digital transition, which requires significant efforts and investments. The current energy crisis jeopardises that entire process. We risk losing a unique opportunity to move our sector towards a sustainable and competitive future.”

Luc Triangle, General Secretary of IndustriAll Europe commented: “Workers across Europe are facing a social, industrial and climate emergency: a perfect storm threatening our industrial fabric today. The scale and urgency of the current crisis do not seem to have been grasped yet by those leading the European Commission. We cannot wait any longer for a unified European industrial response. We must support our industries and workers in Europe’s textiles industry to weather this storm, to maintain the compass on a just, green and digital transition and avoid long term economic damage through lost industrial capacity.”

The Social Partners demand measures that allow companies to safeguard their global competitiveness and European jobs, avoiding competition between member states: a single EU level approach is required.

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.

FITA, ABIT and EURATEX underline strategic importance of Mercosur – EU Partnership Agreement for the textile and apparel industry

The Argentine Textile Industry Federation (FITA), the Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (ABIT), and the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) continue to monitor the process of internalizing the Mercosur-European Union Partnership Agreement. This agreement is essential for the competitiveness of our industries, on both sides of the Atlantic.

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.

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.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.