Whenever a year ends, it is time to reflect on everything that has happened in recent months and, of course, on what can be the path we will follow in the new year that begins. In the case of the textile sector, although 2022 has not been the year of recovery that we expected, I would like to highlight the positive trend of recent months. According to the ACOTEX barometer, the accumulated annual sales stands at an increase of 13.5% compared to last year. A figure that, although it may fall short of what was expected at the beginning of the year, helps us face the coming months with some optimism.
Reflecting on what the future of the industry should be in the new year that we are beginning, without a doubt, the path is that of sustainability. Although this is not something new, the institutions seem to have become “serious” and have begun to legislate in this regard. In Spain, we already have a Waste Law that obliges the sector to reuse textile waste. Along the same lines, within the framework of the European Green Deal, the European Commission adopted in March 2022 the EU Strategy for circularity and sustainability of textile products. One of the objectives is that fast fashion ceases to be “in fashion” and consumers choose to buy higher quality garments and apply the principles of the circular economy to the production of products, consumption and subsequent waste management.
With all this, it is time for the Spanish textile sector to take a step forward and recover the role that the fashion industry played years ago in our country. From doors to outside, our products are recognized for their quality and creativity. According to data from ICEX Spain Exports and Investments, in the first seven months of 2022, the fashion exports in Spain reached 17,841 million euros. It is demonstrated, without a doubt, that we are a benchmark in terms of quality for the rest of the world.
And yet, why don’t we promote Spanish fashion within our own country? Currently, there is a wide variety of brands that produce their garments thousands of kilometers away, with production costs with which Spanish factories cannot compete. Betting on Spanish manufacturing and production, It not only benefits a multitude of companies, but also contributes to greatly reducing the carbon footprint derived from the production and transport of garments and promoting the circular economy. In addition to the sustainable factor, we cannot forget that local manufacturing also contributes to generating employment and regenerating the textile business fabric in our country.
We must bet on sustainability and we must bet on what is ours, on our production. We have the talent, we have the quality to establish ourselves as a benchmark, both internationally and in our country. It is time for professionals in the sector to take a step forward and work to place ourselves in the role that corresponds to us. But we can not do it alone.
We must have the support of public institutions, so that they give us that support and impulse that we need to promote innovation and development of more sustainable and competitive production models, with aid that promotes digitization and encourages the training of workers specialized in the new needs of the sector.
Montserrat Gallego, president of the Fashion Triangle
