Textile ETP wants Europe to rebuild fibre and biomanufacturing capacity as fossil dependence and Asian production concentration create both sustainability and supply-chain risks.
Europe should source at least half of its textile fibre consumption from biobased and circular materials by 2050, with much of the associated value chain located inside Europe, according to a new strategy from the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing (Textile ETP).
Launched on September 22 at the ECOSYSTEX Conference in Antwerp, the roadmap targets an industry comprising about 194,000 companies, 1.2 million workers and €166 billion in annual turnover. Textile ETP estimates roughly two-thirds of fibres currently consumed in Europe are fossil-derived.
Fossil dependence becomes an industrial risk
Global fibre consumption has risen from 8.3 kg per person in 1975 to 16.2 kg in 2024, with much of the additional demand supplied by synthetic fibres. At the same time, Textile ETP says more than 90% of global polyester production capacity is located in Asia, increasing Europe’s dependence on external suppliers.
The strategy therefore treats bio-based textiles not simply as a sustainability initiative but as an industrial-policy opportunity.
That direction aligns with the European Commission’s 2025 Bioeconomy Strategy, which identifies biobased fibres and fabrics as one of five priority material markets. The Commission is also building a Bio-based Europe Alliance intended to generate €10 billion in corporate offtake commitments by 2030.
Five technology platforms
Textile ETP identifies five building blocks: biobased feedstocks and biorefineries; man-made cellulosic fibres; biosynthetic and novel biopolymer fibres; sustainably sourced natural fibres; and biobased chemistry and processing.
Its proposed industrial architecture links agriculture and forestry with biotechnology, chemicals, fibre manufacturing, finishing and recycling through regional biomanufacturing hubs.
Scale requires guaranteed demand
The roadmap includes 10 policy recommendations and five cross-industry actions covering R&D funding, biorefinery capacity, standards, traceability, skills, green procurement and long-term offtake agreements. Textile ETP estimates the transition could mobilise tens of billions of euros annually and create tens of thousands of direct jobs.
The decisive issue will be scale. Europe already possesses significant textile, chemical and biotechnology expertise; the next test is whether policy, financing and buyer commitments can make European biobased fibres commercially competitive with established fossil-based supply chains.
