Belgian textiles sector cautiously positive
24/04/2025
Breaking down its statistics by category, Fedustria said that demand for man-made fibres and filament yarns was up (+3.3%) and sales of yarns (including preparation where flax fibres are important) was down 1.3%. Spinning and yarn preparation had a better year than the fabrics and finishing sectors, with sales down by 8.1% for woven fabrics, 7.2% for knitted fabrics and 6.5% for finishing and converting. Sales in the technical textiles and carpets sectors were flat last year.
Belgian textiles manufacturers export 75% of their goods, and suffered from low demand within the European Union, its main market, with the exception of sales to Netherlands (up 8.8%), its third market after France and Germany (both down).
There are some bright spots for Belgian companies outside of Europe, specifically in Eastern Europe (notably Ukraine) and in Latin America (Mexico and Brazil).
In its outlook for 2025, Fedustria said that despite the uncertain global context, the confidence index for the industry was up in the first quarter of this year. It expects the implementation of tariffs by the United States to result in an increase in Chinese textiles flooding the European market. But increases in defence spending could benefit the technical textile manufacturers based in Belgium.
Fedustria members nominated a new president, Frank Veranneman, who is co-CEO of the Technical Weaving division of Sioen. Peter Van Hoecke, the organisation’s new vice-president, is CEO of Van Hoecke NV, which makes furniture components.
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