Alliance identifies issues for sustainable European flax industry

22 Mar '23

2 min read

Pic: Shutterstock/ Klyuchinskiy Oleg

With a focus on the challenges facing the flax fibre and textile linen industry, the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp (the Alliance) in its recent study has proposed building a European flax ecosystem that involves all stakeholders and includes brands in the growth and reindustrialisation process. To make this scenario successful, the Alliance has identified issues that need to be addressed in a sustainable transformation of the fashion and decoration markets.

In the Flax Fibre & Textile Linen study, the Alliance has outlined five priority issues, with two related to agriculture and fibres, one related to fibres and spinning, one related to French and European spinning, and one related to industry and brands, according to a press release.

The five issues include improving production methods in the face of climate challenges, anticipating demand on the fibre market, developing a common reference for describing fibre quality, creating a competitive advantage for local industry through R&D investments, and creating a dedicated framework for brands to enhance exchanges with each link of the flax value chain. These actions aim to maintain French and European leadership and sovereignty in flax fibre production and ensure the competitiveness of a leading European textile industry.

The study aimed to map and describe the flax industry and ecosystem and define development scenarios for European flax to strengthen the global market and support reindustrialisation. Four key points were identified including the strengths and weaknesses of the industry, high expectations from brands, growth perspectives, and priority tools for supporting flax fibre production and reindustrialisation of linen to boost competitiveness in France and Europe.

The study also described conditions for success in addressing priority issues in the short, medium, and long term, with collective and individual recommendations. The former CELC has been transformed into the Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, which aims to mobilise the entire flax and hemp ecosystem to benefit European industry players on global markets. The industry seeks to support the transformation of brands and fashion markets by offering more sustainable and ethical options for consumers, with linen and hemp positioning themselves as responses to this trend.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)

More Textiles News - Europe...