The European Parliament has published a briefing requested by the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and coordinated by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA).

“EU trade in textiles: import and export flows” is authored by Toni Sharma, Associate Professor, National Institute of Fashion Technology-Patna, India.

Coordination was managed by TEPSA Project Manager Mathilde Chignesse and Project Assistant Ana Leladze.

Abstract

This briefing examines European Union (EU) trade in textiles and clothing from 2014 to 2023, covering both imports of new and exports of used goods. It shows that the EU remains highly dependent on imports in labour-intensive clothing segments, while remaining stronger in higher-value and technical textile products. The geographical focus reflects actual EU trade patterns: Asia is the primary source of new textile imports, while Africa and Asia are the main destinations for used textile exports. Assessed here are the trade-policy implications of these flows, including: sustainability and labour-related challenges in supplier countries; growing scrutiny of the quality and transparency of used textile exports; the policy coherence challenge arising from more developed oversight of new textile imports compared with used textile exports and the indirect effects on smaller firms of changes in the scope of EU due-diligence legislation. Also discussed are policy options relevant to the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, inter alia greater transparency in used textile trade, trade-policy scrutiny of sustainability and labour standards across textile value chains as well as the use of trade instruments and partnerships to support more sustainable and equitable production conditions.