Dear Colleague,
I am very pleased and honoured to introduce you to this first RegioGreenTex newsletter. The aim of this monthly tool is to share some of the things that are happening within the 43 partners of RegioGreenTex – SMEs, clusters, technical textile centres, NGOs, and regional authorities. I know we are all overloaded with information, but at the same time, we face an enormous communication deficit on what is happening in Brussels and what is happening “on the ground”. This newsletter should contribute to closing that gap.
As many of you know, RegioGreenTex is part of a wider European effort to help the textile industry in making the green and digital transition. Our ambition is indeed to become a world leader in sustainable and high-quality textiles, but that requires investments in new technologies and the development of new business models. Our project will directly support 25 SMEs and involve 11 “textile-regions” around Europe to make that effort. We are grateful to the European Commission for making available nearly €9 million of grant aid.
Of course, more needs to be done, and EURATEX is actively promoting the development of a larger EU initiative. But RegioGreenTex is an important first step, which should trigger further investment efforts.
That perspective is also shared in the draft “Textile Transition Pathway”, presented in early April: “The EU has strong leadership in high-value-added segments where drivers of competitiveness are difficult to replicate. To maintain the global innovation lead of the (textiles) ecosystem, increased efforts are needed in research, technology development, innovation, sustainability, creativity, and skills development”. We wish that RegioGreenTex can be an example of this positive momentum; let’s work on that in the coming 3 years of the project.
All the best,
Dirk Vantyghem, EURATEX Director General
