Reasons to look at Portugal for sourcing the textile and fashion industry:
A powerful textile industry with great capacity, ambitions and opportunities for production - emphasised during the Covid-19 pandemic where the industry has been able to mass-produce millions of masks within weeks to supply Portugal and international markets;
Portugal is the world leader for high-quality technical textiles, especially performance fabrics and fabrics made from recycled materials, and is also one of the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of shoes and leather goods;
Many Danish fashion and shoe companies are already sourcing/producing in Portugal;
The textile industry is one of the most prioritized and important sectors for the Portuguese economy and employs more than 138.000 people in 5.000 companies working in all sub-sectors of the textile and fashion industry. The employment rate has been growing steadily for many years. Furthermore, the sector represents 10% of the country’s total exports;
The industry is recognized for its flexibility, quick response, know-how and innovation. It is mainly made up of small and medium-sized companies, few are vertical units;
Well developed labour law;
Ambitious national climate goals ensure brand sustainability and social value environmental compliance. 84% of the national companies have invested in the reduction of energy consumption, water and carbon dioxide emissions; the national recycling rate is 71 %;
A large number of companies have developed sustainable fibres and fabrics and have certified products e.g. GOTs and sustainability;
The Portuguese textile industry has increasingly prioritised CSR compliance as a critical element for continued growth and success. For example, has CITEVE, which supports the Portuguese industry with technical support and services, joined the interregional EU program RESET to improve CSR compliance;
The industry has several collected benefits due to 85 % of the companies of the sector varying from design to distribution. The cluster is located in the North of the country and covers the entire value chain, thus creating positive synergic relationships between the companies.
