EURATEX Convention and ATP Textile Industry Forum 

EURATEX and ATP (Portuguese Textile Association) will organise the 10th Convention of the European Textile Industry the 13-14 October in Porto, Portugal; for ATP, the convention will mark the 24th Textile Industry Forum.

This year’s theme of the convention will address the current challenges the European textile and apparel industry is facing in balancing sustainability and competitiveness: indeed, the title of the convention is “Sustainability meets competitiveness, how to square the circle?”. In the current economic, social and political environment, Europe is facing many challenges: increased energy prices, unforeseen inflation and climate change, which add to the day-to-day challenges of running a business. Embracing the European Union’s commitment for a greener more sustainable future, the textile industry needs to also move towards a new circular economy where recycling is at the core of the design process supported by digitalisation, innovation and skills, and creativity.

This year’s theme of the convention will address the current challenges the European textile and apparel industry is facing in balancing sustainability and competitiveness: indeed, the title of the convention is “Sustainability meets competitiveness, how to square the circle?”. In the current economic, social and political environment, Europe is facing many challenges: increased energy prices, unforeseen inflation and climate change, which add to the day-to-day challenges of running a business. Embracing the European Union’s commitment for a greener more sustainable future, the textile industry needs to also move towards a new circular economy where recycling is at the core of the design process supported by digitalisation, innovation and skills, and creativity.

But how to do so? The conference will address this question and explore solutions through experience and knowledge in order to understand how to turn quality and sustainability into a source of competitiveness.

The convention is the most important event at European level for the textile and apparel sector, where representatives of national and European institutions, leading experts from the industry and like-minded entrepreneurs come together to discuss ideas, share experiences and find solutions to face common challenges together. The first day of the convention will see the participation of the Portuguese Minister of Economics as well as authorities from the European Commission followed by the intervention of a keynote speaker and two CEOs panels. The afternoon will see two workshops with industry experts for a hands-on experience. The second day of the convention will offer the participants the opportunity to visit local textiles companies to further understand the European textile context in practice.