The Time for Green Deal is Narrowing; Textile and Apparel Sector Gathered for Road Map
At the 17th Istanbul Apparel Conference organised by TGSD this year, the issues on the agenda of the textile and apparel sector were discussed. In the sessions with 32 local and foreign speakers; the impact of changing consumer demands on production and fashion, digital technologies, transparency and traceability in the supply chain, new legal regulations, EU’s circular textile agenda and sustainable financing issues were scrutinised.
The textile industry faces significant environmental challenges such as greenhouse gas emissions, heavy water pollution, the spread of micro-plastics and intensive waste generation. At the social level, the sector also struggles with issues such as low wages, substandard working conditions and blatant human rights violations. These issues are no longer just environmental and social concerns; they are critical business issues that require urgent action plans. Because the European Green Deal, developed to make the European Union (EU) economy more sustainable and reduce its environmental impact, aims to make the EU climate neutral by 2050. In this direction; sectors that have a great impact on environmental degradation, such as textiles, need to fulfil some obligations.
The deadlines for the set targets have started to run out. For example, in many European countries, it is planned to impose certain obligations on producers for the recycling of textile waste within the scope of EU waste laws as of 1 January 2025. As of January 2027, textile products will be required to have a digital product passport (a record containing sustainability and circularity information throughout the life cycle of a product from design to end of life). It will become almost impossible for textile manufacturers who do not fulfil the specified obligations to export to the EU. Considering that 60% of Türkiye’s textile exports are to the EU, manufacturers should take the necessary harmonisation measures according to the regulatory proposals brought by the European Commission as soon as possible.
The Turkish Clothing Manufacturers’ Association (TGSD), which has urgent issues such as the EU Green Deal on its agenda, discussed the future of the textile and apparel sector at the Istanbul Apparel Conference, which was organised for the 17th time this year. Organised with the theme of Redefine, Realign, Refashion, the opening speeches of the two-day conference were made by TGSD President Ramazan Kaya and Mustafa Gültepe, President of Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM) and Istanbul Ready-to-Wear and Apparel Exporters’ Association (IHKIB).
TGSD President Calls for Cooperation to the Apparel Sector
TSGD President Ramazan Kaya
Stating that the sector has been in a contraction process for the last two years in the world as well as in Türkiye due to geopolitical and economic crises, Kaya said: “Especially as producers, we are gradually losing our profitability. Our capital and energy are also extremely limited. For this reason, we are in a period when we need to use our resources more accurately and positively. However, we believe that in order for our sector to rise again, we need to focus on the opportunities within the crises. For this, we should no longer say ‘my success’, but ‘our success’, and develop strategic collaborations. These collaborations will increase the resilience of our supply chain and strengthen us in the fields of innovation and sustainability. By working together, we can both optimise costs and make our production processes more efficient.”
“We Have to Adopt a Responsible Production Approach”
Explaning that global collaborations are also of great importance for the sector to reach its sustainability targets, Kaya continued as follows; “We have to adopt a responsible production approach for the future of both our world and our industry. We should use our resources more efficiently with a circular economy approach, minimise our waste, and create collections that minimise environmental impacts by adopting sustainable design principles. We should be the pioneer of this transformation by investing in recycling and reuse processes. By taking steps together in the field of digitalisation, we can create a stronger presence on digital platforms and make our supply chain more transparent and traceable. Sustainable fashion should be a culture that should be adopted at every stage, not only on the labels of the products.”
“The Theme of the Conference Emphasises the Three Key Steps Necessary for the Success of the Industry”
Giving information about this year’s theme of the conference, TGSD President Kaya said; “Although our industry has been struggling hard especially in the last two years, the rules of the game have actually started to be rewritten with the Sustainable Development Goals announced in 2015. While consumption habits are changing and economic conditions make competitiveness difficult, we have no choice but to accept this new process and add alignment to agility and flexibility. In the final stage, we will reshape our collections and products, and we will draw our path with creative, innovative and valuable designs. In other words, with this year’s theme Redefine, Realign, Refashion, we have emphasised the three basic steps that we believe are necessary for the success of our sector, which is in a continuous transformation with rapidly changing trends, technological innovations and sustainability demands.”
“We have the potential to become much stronger in this big market”
Stating that he has been in the sector for 32 years, Mustafa Gültepe said that they have come to this day by going through various trials and tribulations with a bumpy journey. Gültepe said, “Today, perhaps the most difficult stage of our journey, we are facing the biggest test. At the new stage, our route is the EU’s 2050 target, the name of the exam; Green Deal. I can say that if we survive this stage and pass the exam with a clean face, we will gain a significant advantage.”
Noting that the EU is the biggest market for Türkiye both in apparel and textiles and in general exports, Gültepe said that 42 per cent of total exports, 60 per cent of apparel exports and 37 per cent of textile exports are carried out to EU countries.
Gültepe pointed out that Türkiye is the EU’s third supplier of apparel and second supplier of textiles and said: “We have the potential to become much stronger in this big market. We look at the event with this awareness, and we are laying the stones of the road that will carry us to sustainable production and circular economy. We have been struggling for two years due to the contraction in global apparel demand and the domestic conjuncture, we have been going through a period in which our competitiveness has weakened, we have experienced market losses. But despite everything, we have to continue our transformation journey in line with long-term goals.”
“We will meet the Digital Product Passport from 2027”
Stating that they have been working on digital and green transformation for years and projects have been developed, Gültepe said that the Green Deal is a dynamic process and the legislation is constantly changing.
Gültepe said, “As of 2027, we will meet the digital product passport. Then we will face the carbon mechanism at the border. Every regulation, every directive means new homework for us.”
Explaining that the need for fast information flow and strong partnerships in the value chain will increase, Gültepe continued his words as follows: “Therefore, beyond the supply chain, we need to talk and discuss partnership chain management from now on. We are one of the two countries that have all the components of the value chain from cotton to the final product. This feature offers us and our business partners a significant advantage in terms of traceability. Türkiye’s chances of price-orientated competition in apparel are gradually decreasing. On the other hand, as I have insistently expressed at every opportunity, Türkiye has gone beyond being expensive and has become much, much more expensive. As a country, we have to get out of this spiral as soon as possible. Therefore, we need to rapidly move to high value-added production.”
Radical Changes and Innovations in the Sector were Discussed
A total of 32 speakers from Türkiye and abroad came together in 17 sessions and discussed the issues on the agenda of the sector. In the sessions that continued throughout the day; the impact of changing consumer demands on production and fashion, digital technologies, especially artificial intelligence, transparency and traceability in the supply chain, new legal regulations, new management styles of enterprises, transformation journeys and sustainability visions, the EU’s circular textile agenda, sustainable financing, the future of ready-to-wear, the current situation in American cotton, developing the value chain and opportunities in the US market.
Domestic Apparel Manufacturers Laid the Foundations of Global Collaborations
On the second and last day of the conference, ‘B2B Speed Network Meetings’ were organised, bringing together representatives of global buying groups and e-commerce websites operating in Türkiye with local manufacturers. The foundations of global collaborations were laid in 1500 meetings attended by more than 50 purchasing groups, e-commerce sites and manufacturers.
