The SRIA was presented in a public webinar on 11 July to a large textile stakeholder audience, which can be watched again here, and slides can be downloaded here.
Strategic Objectives Aligned with Green and Digital Transition
The SRIA, developed by Textile ETP with input from its members, addresses the major challenges of the ongoing green and digital transition in the textile sector. It focuses on upcoming regulatory requirements and global market trends while leveraging key enabling technologies.
The central vision of the Partnership is to develop and demonstrate new technologies and innovative business models for the competitive manufacturing of safe and sustainable textile products. These products will be made from low-impact functional materials using clean and digitally connected processes within regional, circular, and fully traceable supply chains. This will promote quality jobs, industrial competitiveness, and responsible consumption in Europe.
Priority Areas and Strategic Topics
In a collaborative effort involving hundreds of experts from across the European textile ecosystem, the SRIA identifies three main priority areas and 13 strategic topics:
- Priority area I: Sustainable Materials & Clean Processes
- Strategic Topic 1: Sustainable bio-based feedstock
- Strategic Topic 2: Sustainable fibres
- Strategic Topic 3: Sustainable textile chemistry
- Strategic Topic 4: Resource efficient processes
- Strategic Topic 5: Efficient end-of-life sorting, separation & recycling
- Priority area II: Digital Supply Chains & New Business Models
- Strategic Topic 6: Digitalisation of the textile value chain
- Strategic Topic 7: Sustainability & Circular Data Management
- Strategic Topic 8: Design for sustainability & circularity
- Strategic Topic 9: Circular business models & value-added customer and end-user services
- Priority area III: Advanced Manufacturing & High-performance Textiles
- Strategic Topic 10: Automated and AI-supported smart manufacturing
- Strategic Topic 11: On demand digital and networked manufacturing
- Strategic Topic 12: Safe & sustainable materials for technical applications
- Strategic Topic 13: (Multi)functional materials for technical applications
Future Implementation and Funding
Following the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission and Textile ETP, dedicated calls for proposals will be launched under Cluster 4 of the Horizon Europe programme between 2025 and 2027. These calls will reflect the priorities set out in the SRIA and will be approved by the Partnership Board, consisting of representatives from the European Commission and private stakeholders.
The collaborative projects funded through these calls will involve industry players, with a focus on SMEs, alongside research and technology organizations, universities, and other stakeholders. The aim is to focus on higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) to ensure the rapid deployment of developed solutions at an industrial scale within the European textile sector.
In the initial phase (2025-27), at least €60 million will be allocated by public and private stakeholders to core research and innovation actions. This funding will be supplemented by additional public and private investments from various EU, national, and regional programs, and investors. These funds will support accelerated exploitation actions, including demonstration, pilot testing, new manufacturing facility setups, early market replication, and start-up creation.
Community Building and Dissemination Activities
Textile ETP will coordinate community building, project and technology brokerage, and communication and dissemination activities. These efforts will ensure that project results, new technologies, knowledge, and best practices are quickly disseminated within the EU textile ecosystem and beyond.
The ultimate objective is to enable the European textile sector to comply with forthcoming sustainability and circularity regulations while successfully competing on the global stage and seizing growth opportunities in both existing and new markets.
