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About the Textiles and Clothing Industry

The global textiles and clothing industry is a diverse and heterogenous industry covering a range of activities, including the conversion of fibres to yarns and fabrics, to the production of a wide variety of products, including synthetic yarns, wool, geotextiles and various types of clothing. The global apparel industry is a trillion dollar industry and provides employment to millions of employees across the least developed countries in the world.

According to analysts, developing countries represent approximately 75% of global exports of clothing and apparel. Historically, the global apparel industry was driven by trade policy, although the Agreement of Textiles and Clothing removed the quotes that dominated the industry. Low cost countries dominate apparel production, notably Bangladesh, China and India. Other countries, such as Sri Lanka and Turkey are moving into branding and design, whilst maintaining their competitiveness through low cost production.

In Europe, the textiles and clothing industry comprises around 220,000 companies employing a total of 2.5 million people. The industry is estimated to generate EUR190 billion and accounts for around 3% of the total manufacturing industry value added in Europe. The majority of companies involved in the clothing and textiles industry are SMEs, accounting for 90% of the workforce. In Europe, the major countries for textiles and clothing are Italy, France, UK, Spain and Germany, accounting for some three quarters of European textiles and clothing production.