European Commission partners to drive textile innovation

The European Commission has unveiled nine new European partnerships, including “Textiles of the Future,” alongside the EU Research and Innovation Days. These collaborations will play a central role in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027, focusing on green and digital transitions for a more resilient, competitive, inclusive, and democratic Europe.

EURATEX has been advocating for such a partnership in recent years, recognizing the importance of innovation in implementing the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. The Commission’s decision to establish these partnerships is timely and welcomed, providing support for over 200,000 EU textile companies to maintain their competitiveness.

Director General Dirk Vantyghem emphasized the crucial role of innovation in bridging sustainability and competitiveness. He sees the Horizon Europe Partnership as a vital tool to help EU companies become leaders in sustainable textile products on a global scale.

The Textiles of the Future Partnership will be jointly managed by the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (ETP). ETP, with its extensive expertise in textiles research and innovation, is poised to turn this partnership into reality and drive the industry’s green and digital transformation.

ETP Secretary General Lutz Walter highlighted the strategic significance of this dedicated partnership, emphasizing its role in advancing Europe’s global leadership in textile research, technology development, and higher education. ETP looks forward to collaborating with all stakeholders in the European textile innovation ecosystem to ensure the success of this partnership.