Sustainability tops the agenda for Aegean textile exporters

Ege Tekstil ve Hammaddeleri İhracatçıları Birliği (ETHİB), among the first and most important institutions taking action on sustainability in Türkiye, has set sustainability as its main agenda and is shaping its projects within this framework. The textile sector, which ranks high on the list of sectors to which the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will apply a carbon tax, is devoting much of its energy to adapting to CBAM. Speaking at the 2023 Ordinary General Assembly meeting held at the Ege Exporters Associations (EİB) Conference Hall, EİB Coordinator Chairman and ETHİB Board Chairman Jak Eskinazi noted that the Association continues to plan its activities to emphasize sustainability, digitalization, and quality and value-added production in a period when competition has become difficult due to currency losses, weak demand, rising inflation and increasing costs.

Exports up 41 percent

Assessing the sector's 2023 export performance, Eskinazi said: "Following the devastating earthquake on 6 February 2023, which deeply affected 11 provinces, and which covered provinces with significant potential in textile raw material production and trade, important supply chain disruptions were experienced in the initial phase. The continued narrowing of demand in our main markets further increased the negative impact, and the effects were felt in Türkiye's overall textile and apparel exports. Eskinazi stated: "ETHİB's 2023 exports diverged from the national trend and experienced significant export growth. Our Association's 2023 exports, particularly due to increases in raw material exports, rose 41 percent compared to the previous year, reaching approximately USD 509 million. The country's total textile exports in 2023 fell 7.6 percent to USD 9.5 billion."

Sustainability a key factor in competition

Providing information about the activities of the Sustainability URGE Project conducted with the support of the Ministry of Commerce, Eskinazi said: "Through this project, which aims to increase the competitiveness of our companies in foreign markets, we have provided participating companies with consulting services on energy efficiency, ISO 14064 Corporate Carbon Footprint Management, ISO 14001 Environmental Management and Product Life Cycle Assessment. In September, we will conduct a fact-finding visit to the Netherlands to see best practice examples in the sector." "Using our resources efficiently and engaging in nature-friendly production is our primary responsibility to this world and to future generations. In addition, meeting these conditions is now one of the key factors in competition. The end customer now cares about and questions the conditions under which the product they purchase is produced and what environmental footprint it leaves. For this reason, our customers are also paying attention to how sustainably we produce. Besides price and quality, sustainability is now one of the main factors in competition," Eskinazi said. He added that the Strategy and Sustainability Executive Committee, which was formed with the participation of representatives from 12 Exporters Associations within EİB, is also working accordingly both to determine sectoral strategies and to conduct EİB activities within a comprehensive strategic framework. Eskinazi reported that within the scope of the Joint Sustainability Committee work, which all textile and apparel associations in the country have begun implementing, the Organic-Sustainability Certifications and Cotton sub-working group, for which ETHİB is responsible, continues its activities. He noted that regarding sustainability measures, they will organize a webinar on 9 May 2024 Thursday together with the Ege Apparel and Confectionery Exporters Association to discuss the implications of the "German Supply Chain Law" adopted by the German Federal Parliament and its effects on our country.

Work begun on clustering carpet exporters

Eskinazi stated that, with a view to allowing important sector components to see Uşak, where many union members are active and which is a successful clustering example in circular economy and recycling, they organized 2 separate delegations in the past autumn with the participation of relevant Ministries and representatives of the Joint Sustainability Committee of Türkiye Textile and Apparel Associations. He announced that work has been started on the Carpet URGE project together with Demirci Chamber of Commerce and Industry to increase the sector's exports.

Joint effort for US market

Finally, providing information about overseas promotion activities, Eskinazi said: "To secure more state support for promotion activities toward the United States (US) and to prevent resource wastage, we have joined forces as all Textile and Raw Material Exporters Associations in Türkiye and signed a joint Turquality Promotion Project targeting the US. Over the next four years, we will work with all our might to increase our market share in this market." Eskinazi also provided information that ETHİB will participate with a delegation in the "Techtextil/Texprocess Frankfurt" fairs, the most prestigious in the world in the field of technical textiles, to be held in Frankfurt, Germany between 23-26 April 2024. At the financial general assembly meeting of Ege Tekstil ve Hammaddeleri İhracatçıları Birliği, the 2024 budget was set at TRY 27.8 million, and the 2024 work program was approved. Following the meeting, ETHİB Advisor and Dokuz Eylül University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Yaşar Uysal delivered a presentation containing his assessments of developments in our country's and the world economy and regarding the period ahead.