ISTANBUL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Turkish textile industry hopes to hit the ground running in the post-Covid era by forging lucrative partnerships with globally recognized brands and textile companies. “The imminent recovery of international trade offers enormous opportunities for cooperation between Turkish textiles firms and foreign partners,” Ahmet Öksüz, president of the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters Association, says.
“We are going through times that global brands and especially technical textile companies need more and more cooperation. By establishing win-win relationships, we wish to turn pandemic era into an era of opportunities,” he adds. “Our domestic textile sector boasts a number of top-notch businesses that have already proven themselves in the global marketplace.” According to Öksüz, considering the upward momentum at the field of technical textiles in recent years the sector’s impressive production capacity along with Turkey’s strategic position between Europe and Asia, “offer the chance for potential partnerships that could bring tremendous benefits to all stakeholders and will soon be reflected in our trade figures.”
‘Turkey is the fifth largest textile supplier in the world’
The world’s fifth largest supplier of textiles, Turkey expects to export roughly $12 billion worth of textiles, reaching to $30 billion in 2021 including apparel industry. The sector currently employs more than one million skilled labor.
“It’s a highly dynamic sector, characterized by a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship,” Öksüz says. “Our deeply rooted and integrated textile businesses with an industry renewing itself every passing day supported by our R&D and innovation capacity reveals the cutting-edge infrastructure and dynamism of the industry.”
Contributing to a Greener World
Thanks to a groundbreaking Customs Union agreement between Turkey and the European Union that came into effect in 1996, the Turkish textile industry has been fully compliant with EU standards and norms. “The agreement is a concrete example of the sector’s ability to quickly adapt to change, and we fully comply with all EU standards, including the European Green Deal,” Öksüz says. “With a view to contributing to a greener world, we have reduced carbon emissions at all our facilities, and continue to invest in green infrastructure.”
