It is no longer an option: the global pressure on the industry, but also the consumers’ growing appetite for sustainability, have propelled recycling past the point of no return. The Portuguese industry, internationally acknowledged for the sustainability it carries in its DNA, has left the theoretical debate behind a long time ago: for our textiles and fashion, producing is the same as recycling
The multiple awards that companies and the Portuguese researchers have been stacking up leads to business, and leverages the reputation of the whole rank. However, the message from the entrepreneurs is clear: it’s necessary for communication to be effective, so that the final customer, namely the foreigner one, has the perception that the Portuguese textile and clothing industry is, at a larger scale, the avant-garde of what best is made in the world.
The consumer’s attitude is key, when the foundations of the fashion business are down on the line. Never has this attitude changed so much in such a short length of time as today: immediacy, customization, ecologic responsibility, and everything running online and in every possible platform are the new trends, to which brands have to submit. Acknowledging the phenomenon is vital for companies, in order to respond efficiently to these new approaches.
At the end of a sustained period of expansion – which adds up to ten consecutive years – the textile and clothing industry moves confidently towards the immediate future’s challenges, and the majority of the decision makers believes the industry has what it takes to overcome the problems on the horizon.