EUROPEAN APPAREL AND TEXTILE CONFEDERATION AISBL

Their core work

EURATEX is the main European trade association representing the textile and clothing industry at EU level. It acts as the policy voice and coordination body for national textile federations, advocating on regulation, trade, sustainability, and innovation matters affecting the sector. In H2020 projects, EURATEX contributes industry-wide perspective, dissemination reach across the European textile value chain, and sectoral expertise on circular economy, materials innovation, and smart textiles. Their role is connecting research outcomes with the needs and realities of thousands of textile companies across Europe.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EURATEX's early H2020 involvement (2015-2019) concentrated on circular economy and resource efficiency — specifically textile waste valorization (RESYNTEX) and industrial wastewater reuse (ECWRTI), alongside cross-sector materials collaboration (MATCH). Their later participation shifted toward smart textiles and innovation support for SMEs via the smartX project (2019-2022). This reflects a broader industry pivot from waste and sustainability challenges toward digitalization and entrepreneurial acceleration in textiles.

EURATEX is moving from environmental sustainability topics toward digital transformation and smart textile innovation, making them a relevant partner for projects bridging traditional textiles with new technologies.

How they like to work

EURATEX never coordinates projects but participates as a partner or third party, consistent with their role as an industry confederation rather than a research performer. With 63 unique partners across just 4 projects, they operate in large consortia and bring broad network access rather than deep technical execution. Working with EURATEX means gaining a dissemination and policy channel to the entire European textile industry — they are a gateway, not a lab.

Despite only 4 projects, EURATEX has worked with 63 unique partners across 16 countries, reflecting their role as a pan-European industry body that naturally connects to large, diverse consortia spanning the textile value chain.

What sets them apart

As the top-level European textile industry confederation based in Brussels, EURATEX offers something no university or SME can: direct representation of the sector's interests and unmatched dissemination reach to national textile federations across Europe. For consortium builders, adding EURATEX signals industry relevance and ensures research results reach the companies that need them. They are particularly valuable for projects that need to demonstrate industry uptake or policy impact in textiles.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RESYNTEX
  Largest funding share (EUR 239,250) and the most ambitious scope — creating a full circular economy concept from textile waste to chemical and textile industry feedstock.
• smartX
  Most recent involvement (2019-2022) and signals EURATEX's strategic shift toward smart textiles and cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship acceleration.