EURATEX and industriAll Europe will promote Social Partnerships in the European Textiles and Clothing Industry

Supported by the European Commission, EURATEX and industriAll Europe have launched Stitch Together: a new Europe-wide two-year project to promote social partnerships in the European textiles and clothing Industry.

Stitch Together recognises the industry's need to adapt to global competition, eco-friendly practices, and technological advancements, while ensuring decent working conditions and quality social dialogue. The project will foster constructive dialogue between employer and trade unions in seven countries with proud textile histories: Belgium, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Türkiye. Through seminars and capacity-building workshops, the project aims to enhance the capacity of social partners and empower them to engage in national and European-level social dialogues. Furthermore, the project seeks to increase social partner involvement in EU policy-making contributing to the development of sustainable and circular practices in the industry.

Dirk Vantyghem, Director General of EURATEX, welcomed this new initiative: “Having a constructive and mature social dialogue is an important component of this new EU Industrial Deal, which should be part of the next European Commission’s agenda. This project is therefore very timely.”  

Judith Kirton-Darling, Secretary General of industriAll Europe, added “quality social dialogue is essential to make the green and digital transition of the textiles a success in Europe and ensure a Just Transition for workers. We are delighted to kick off this project and hope to see real results on the ground."

About EURATEX
As the voice of the European textile and clothing industry, EURATEX works to achieve a favourable environment within the European Union for design, development, manufacture and marketing of textile and clothing products. 

The EU textile and clothing industry, with around 154,000 companies employing 1.47 million workers, is an essential pillar of the local economy across many EU regions. With over €53 billion of exports, the industry is a global player successfully commercializing high added value products on growing markets around the world. 

Working together with EU institutions and other European and international stakeholders, EURATEX focuses on clear priorities: an ambitious industrial policy, effective research, innovation and skills development, free and fair trade, and sustainable supply chains.