European textiles ‘encouraging’ but Brexit decimates UK totals
Europe’s textiles and clothing association, Euratex, has described exports for 2021 as “encouraging”.
Compared with the coronavirus-impacted 2020, EU exports of textile and clothing articles increased by 10.6%, while imports dipped by 7.5%.
The boost in exports was mainly due to strong performance on the Swiss, Chinese and US markets.
However, EU sales of textile and clothing to the UK fell by 23%, due to Brexit requirements, customs delays and a shortage of truck drivers.
Imports from the top supplier, China, plunged by 28%, corresponding to €13 billion. Similarly, textile and clothing imports from the UK fell 48%, equal to €3 billion.
Director general Dirk Vantyghem said: “The 2021 export figures confirm that Euratex members have gained momentum. Even if energy prices are causing some serious short-term disruptions, our long-term ambition remains to be a world leader on sustainable textiles.”
The international trade dimension is critical for the competitiveness of the European textile ecosystem, and needs to be fully embedded in the EU’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, he added. The Commission insists that “all textile products placed on the EU market, are durable, free of hazardous substances, produced respecting social standards”. With €100 billion of imports, and over 20 billion of “foreign” textile items put on the Single Market, this requires a dramatic upscaling of market surveillance, without disrupting fluid supply chains.
Looking at the impact of war in Ukraine, Euratex has strongly condemned the Russian aggression, and offered support to the Ukrainian textile industry. Ukraine offers valuable sourcing opportunities for European textile and apparel brands, it added.
