Bulgaria, an important textile manufacturing hub in Europe
Within the EU textile and clothing sector, Bulgaria is not one of the largest markets, but it plays a strategically relevant role as a competitive nearshoring and flexible manufacturing hub, primarily supporting apparel production for Western European brands. The sector counts approximately 4,000 companies active in textile and clothing production, including private-label manufacturers.¹ Total Bulgarian textile and apparel production ranks the country among the top 10 in terms of turnover, just behind Poland and Romania in Eastern Europe.

E.Miroglio, a long history of investment in Bulgaria
In the mid-1990s, the Italian textile group Miroglio made its first investment in Bulgaria, attracted by competitive manufacturing costs, proximity to European markets, and access to skilled labour and technical expertise. The investment began with the acquisition of the Sliven wool mill, a historic site of the Bulgarian wool industry formerly known as Slitex. This allowed the company to develop production of worsted and woollen fabrics for men’s and women’s apparel, as well as yarns for knitwear. In 2006, the company was fully acquired by Edoardo Miroglio and became E. Miroglio EAD. Headquartered in Sliven, the company has vertically integrated operations, with manufacturing facilities in Sliven and Yambol, and a retail presence through the DiKa clothing brand in Sliven, Burgas, Varna, Sofia, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo,²  the company employed 2,269 workers and generated EUR 130 million in turnover in 2024, growing by 20% in the last five years (source: Orbis database, Bureau van Dijk / Moody’s Analytics). Its activities include carded and worsted spinning of wool and cotton, weaving, dyeing and finishing, knitting, and the design and manufacture of clothing models.

Embedding Sustainability in Industrial Textile Manufacturing
The company works with major global fashion brands and has invested in modern textile technologies, for both woven and knitted textiles, and sustainable manufacturing processes to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impacts. As set out in its ESG report, the company is committed to sustainable development and environmental protection, integrating environmental management, certified materials, traceability, and resource-efficiency measures throughout its production chain.  It operates under a range of internationally recognised frameworks and certifications, including SA8000, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 9001, FSC, OEKO-TEX® STeP, Standard 100, Higg Index, ZDHC, GOTS, GRS, OCS, RWS and has also invested in lifecycle assessment (LCA), wastewater monitoring, and eco-certified yarns. As part of its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, the company has established an annual data collection and reporting process aimed at tracking resource use over time and driving improvements in production efficiency and environmental performance.

Conclusion
E. Miroglio’s efforts to reduce environmental impacts while operating at an industrial scale make it a useful example of good practice in the transition towards a more circular and transparent textile industry. Given its scale and prominence in Bulgaria, the company is of particular significance at the national level, while its role as a supplier to the European textile value chain makes it significant also for the broader regional ecosystem.

^{1 Eurostat. Enterprise statistics by size class and NACE Rev. 2 activity (from 2021 onwards). Structural Business Statistics, dataset (NACE 13: 725 companies, NACE 14: 3,204 companies)}

^{2 The company also has workshops in Italy.}