Collaborating for a Better Textile World

Tuesday 07th of April 2009 05:01:49 PM

Collaborating for a Better Textile World

The “European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing” (Textile ETP) is an organization which seeks to streamline garment manufacturing in order to restore Europe to its global leadership role in textile production. The organization has been involved in a number of important projects with one of the largest called LEAPFROG.

LEAPFROG was started almost four years ago in 2005 and is a collaborative project involving 36 different companies and research agencies involved in textiles and clothing production. The project has created a highly efficient textile design and manufacturing process which will eliminate waste while producing high quality products ranging from plain t-shirts to household textiles.

Textile ETP is now seeking funding for the actual building of the prototype manufacturing plant in the amount of €220 million.

“Of the €211 billion annual value of textiles in Europe, 36% is still apparel, and of that, a third is sold at normal prices, a third at discount and a third is waste – that’s €21 billion wasted,” said Dick Hendriks. Mr. Hendriks is the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Textile ETP. He continued to say, “These new developments give us enormously powerful new tools which, given the necessary level of industrial commitment, will change the rules of the game as we know it today, especially in the more conventional clothing and interior textile markets. A quantum leap in automation, highly efficient and flexible functionalisation and customisation in the development and production of textiles and apparel, combined with intelligent logistic and service concepts can make Europe regain its global leadership. It can reverse the current commoditisation trends which clog our supply chains and distribution systems with cheap and often ultimately unwanted products with a doubtful environmental and social profile.”

LEAPFROG is just one research project among 30 various ongoing research projects.