Sustainable Production in the Turkish Fashion Industry

Sustainable Production in Turkish Fashion Industry Aegean Ready-Made Garment and Apparel Exporters Association, with the support of the Ministry of Commerce, is organizing an inspection delegation to Sweden from 2-6 April within the scope of the UR-GE project for Developing Sustainable Competition. Sweden is one of the world's leading countries in circular economy.  

Turkey is Sweden's 6th largest supplier

Burak Sertbaş, Chair of the Aegean Ready-Made Garment and Apparel Exporters Association: "Sweden's total ready-made garment imports in 2022 amounted to USD 6.7 billion, with Turkey holding a 4.5% share as the 6th largest supplier. The Swedish and Turkish ready-made garment sectors have been working together for a very long time. Swedish business people know that Turkish textile and ready-made garment industry is very strong. The more sustainable Turkish fashion industry becomes, the more business cooperation will occur between Swedish and Turkish companies. Through the UR-GE project on Developing Sustainable Competition in the Ready-Made Garment Sector, which is being carried out by our association, we continue our efforts to ensure that our companies become more technically proficient in the field of sustainability and are prepared for conditions that will affect sector dynamics in the coming period, especially the European Green Deal." he said.

Cooperation with research institutes and universities in Sweden on the agenda

  Sertbaş noted, "With 9 companies participating in our Sustainability UR-GE Project, we will conduct an inspection delegation in Sweden so that they can gain knowledge on sustainable and innovative textile solutions, expand their communication networks with Swedish institutions and companies, and explore new cooperation opportunities. Our companies have been engaged in intensive activity focused on sustainability for three years. We have supported their efforts through consulting, training, and capacity-building organizations. At the end of our project, we aim to witness the progress our companies have made in sustainability, and by showcasing the activities of Sustainable brands in Sweden, we want to enable companies to see their own position and to understand firsthand the environmental and social demands they will face in the coming period by contacting Swedish brands. Turkey's exports to Sweden in 2022 reached USD 1.6 billion. Our ready-made garment exports stood at around USD 286 million. We are targeting ready-made garment exports of USD 500 million to the Swedish market in the coming period. We also have the objective of cooperating with research institutes and universities conducting work on sustainability in Sweden." he said. Meetings with world-renowned Swedish companies at the forefront of sustainability Chair Sertbaş stated, "Since our delegation focuses on the ready-made garment sector hub, we will begin from Gothenburg. We will hold meetings with world-renowned brands in Gothenburg and Borås, which was a center for textile and apparel production in the past and where boutique production still takes place. We will also conduct academic and technical tours. We will visit the Textile and Fashion Center in Borås, which is an exemplary model containing an incubation center, R&D center, sustainability center, technical textiles center, and textile faculty. On the delegation's final day, we will conduct meetings and technical tours with world-renowned Swedish companies at the forefront of sustainability in Stockholm." he concluded.  

Companies participating in the Sustainability UR-GE project Sweden inspection delegation:

  DEMOTEKS TEKSTİL SAN.TİC.LTDİ.ŞTİ., DEMİRIŞIK TEKSTİL VE KONFEKSIYON SAN VE TİC A.Ş., ENRA TEKSTİL KONFEKSİYON SAN. VE TİC.LTD.ŞTİ., MERGER TEKSTİL İÇ VE DIŞ TİC.SAN.LTD.ŞTİ. MERGÜ TEKSTİL KONF.SAN.VE TİC.LTD.ŞTİ., ORİMPEX TEKSTİL A.Ş., TAYRA TEKSTİL LTD.ŞTİ., SEYFELİ DIŞ TİC.LTD.ŞTİ., VERSİON TEKSTİL TURİZM SAN.VE DIŞ TİC.A.Ş.