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The EU’s 2024 Industrial Report reveals green and digital pathways for textiles transformation

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07 July 2025

The EU’s 2024 Industrial Report reveals green and digital pathways for textiles transformation

Ecosystem's readiness to support EU strategic autonomy and defence efforts

Infrastructure

Investments and funding

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The EU’s 2024 industrial report highlights steady progress in making the textiles sector greener and more digital. While energy saving measures and recycling startups are on the rise, climate neutrality and advanced digital adoption remain limited. Greater investment and skills development are key to accelerating this transition. 

Authors

Editorial team

Topics
Geographical descriptors

Albania

Armenia

Austria

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bulgaria

Croatia

Cyprus

Czechia

Denmark

Estonia

EU-27

Finland

France

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Iceland

Ireland

Italy

Kosovo

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Moldova

Montenegro

Netherlands

North Macedonia

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Serbia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Türkiye

Ukraine

Other

Organisation Type

Academic / Research and VET Institutions

Business Support Organisation

Company with 250 or more employees

Cluster Organisations

Consumer Organisations

Cultural and Heritage Organisations

Destination Management & Marketing Organisations

EU Institutions

Financial Institutions and Investors

Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce

International Organisations

Local Authorities

Media / Journalist Organisations

National authorities

Networks and Federations / Confederations

NGOs / Non-profits

Notified Bodies

Regional Authorities

SMEs (a company with less than 250 employees)

Social Economy Entity

Trade Unions

Other

  • Transition Pathway's building blocks

    • Ecosystem's readiness to support EU strategic autonomy and defence efforts

    • Infrastructure

    • Investments and funding

    • R&I, techniques and technological solutions

    • Skills

    • Social dimension

    • Sustainable competitiveness

    • Regulation and public governance

  • Industrial ecosystems

    • Textile

  • Textiles ecosystem areas

    • Fibres, yarns and fabrics

    • Apparel and clothing accessories

    • Household/interior textiles

    • Technical textiles

    • Leather and fur

    • Footwear

    • Research and Innovation

    • Technology and Machinery

    • Waste management, reuse and repair

    • Business support and Communication

    • Not area specific (interested in more than one of the above)

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The European Commission’s latest analytical report on the textiles industrial ecosystem highlights the progress and challenges of the sector’s green and digital transitions. The 2024 edition, prepared under the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems (EMI) project, assesses efforts by businesses, public institutions and startups to drive sustainability and innovation across the textiles value chain.

The report identifies clear yet uneven advancements in environmental practices. While energy saving technologies and waste reduction measures are widely adopted, broader climate neutral strategies and circular economy models remain limited. Digital innovation is expanding, particularly through smart textiles and cloud computing, but advanced technology uptake still lags global competitors.

 

Key takeaways

Green Transition

  • 65% of textile companies implemented waste reduction; 58% improved energy savings in 2024.
  • Recycling startups have grown, but only 18% of businesses adopted climate-neutral strategies.
  • Horizon Europe has significantly boosted funding for green projects: 73% of textiles related EU R&I funds support the green transition.
  • Skills gaps remain stark: only 2.9% of LinkedIn-registered professionals in textiles held green skills in 2024.

Digital Transition

  • Innovations in robotics, AI, and smart textiles are increasing, yet the adoption of digital transformation strategies remains limited.
  • 26% of companies reported having a digital strategy in 2024; 25% adopted AI solutions.
  • Only 4% of professionals in textiles held advanced digital skills; most companies still invest less than 1% of their revenue in AI.

Environmental Impact

  • The sector’s material use for production is falling, but overall consumption based material use continues to rise.
  • Land use and water consumption have stabilised, showing modest progress on sustainability targets.

 

The report underscores the importance of targeted investments, regulatory support, and skills development to ensure that the textiles industry meets its sustainability and competitiveness goals.

Read the full 2024 textiles ecosystem report by the European Commission here

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