Textile Factories Are Going Fully Digital

Textile Factories Undergo Complete Digitalization Turkey is planning the complete digitalization of its textile factories by 2050.Turkey is creating green factories for a cleaner world. Cem Altan, President of the International Apparel Federation, noted that Turkey is preparing for a 'green revolution' with an initial target of 2030, stating: 'Turkey will be ready for the green revolution by digitizing its factories and recovering waste clothing. The target is to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and to zero by 2050.' The Istanbul Ready-Made Garment Conference, organized for the 15th time by the Turkey Apparel Manufacturers Association (TGSD), brought together global fashion leaders and representatives of world-leading brands in Istanbul. The panel featured a total of 17 sessions with 35 speakers.

Cem Altan, stating that Turkey plans to digitalize its factories through the green revolution project and transform them into green factories, continued his remarks as follows:

"The ready-made garment and textile sector is the second most damaging sector to the world. To prevent this, we plan to transform all of our factories in Turkey into completely green factories by 2050. To accomplish this, we need to digitalize all of our factories. This way, we can prevent carbon emissions and environmental pollution while recovering waste clothing in the garment sector and contributing to the country's economy."

We are transforming all factories into green factories

Cem Altan, President of the International Apparel Federation, noted that the ready-made garment and textile sector ranks second among the sectors that cause the most damage to the world, stating: "Following the European Green Deal decision, efforts began worldwide to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050 within this framework. Turkey signed this agreement with the Paris Agreement. We are also working to keep pace with these efforts in our country. Turkey is preparing for the green revolution. We are working to transform all factories in Turkey into green factories. To accomplish this, complete digitalization is necessary. Thanks to this, we can rapidly achieve our sustainability journey. With climate change and increasing environmental pollution, our world is aging. The second most damaging sector to the world is the ready-made garment and textile sector. We are aware of this and are primarily working to reduce carbon emissions from the textile and ready-made garment industry. To do these things, we must pay attention to the circular economy," he explained.

Zero carbon emissions by 2050

Cem Altan, noting that there is a large amount of clothing waste in Turkey, stated: "It is important that these wastes be collected and returned to the economy. Additionally, we need to turn to renewable energy sources for energy. Water usage in ready-made garments and textiles is very high. We need to minimize this situation. Furthermore, about 60 percent of the fibers used are synthetic. We are trying to reduce this synthetic fiber usage and use more cotton and cellulosic products. For all of this to happen, the number and pace of green factories must increase. Furthermore, we need to increase recycling factories in our country. Preparing Turkey completely for the green revolution in ready-made garments is both costly and a long process. We believe that with state support, we will accelerate this work. As a country and sector, our initial target is to reduce carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030. Our next target is to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050," he said.

Ramazan Kaya, President of the Turkey Apparel Manufacturers Association, noting that significant progress has been made toward the green revolution in the ready-made garment sector, continued as follows:

"This year we held the 15th edition of the fashion Ready-Made Garment Conference. This year's theme is the Green Revolution. We presented the green revolution in ready-made garments through the principle of sustainability, circular economy, and with 17 sessions and 35 guests, considering renewable energy systems and the circular economy along with environmental concerns. Particularly after the pandemic, we are witnessing the fast fashion trend transforming into the slow fashion trend in the ready-made garment sector. For this reason, we explained the change and transformation of this trend. The green revolution is actually, when you look at it from the principle of sustainability, a movement we are making with complete environmental concern. Along with the environment, we are also considering households here. Together with the circular economy, we are implementing this transformation not only in ready-made garment manufacturing but also together with the textile sector. Digitalization is the primary element of this transformation. Second-degree priorities are sustainability and energy resources. Third-degree priorities are the circular economy and smart management. We have named all of these the green revolution. We have made significant progress toward the green revolution in the ready-made garment sector. We still have some way to go in the textile sector."