EU textile & clothing sector turnover rises in 2011

30 Jun '12

3 min read

The textile and apparel sector turnover of EU 27 countries increased last year, according to the figures released by the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX).

The year saw the overall turnover of the EU 27 nations in the textile relevant sectors increasing by 4 percent to €178.9 billion, with textiles contributing €87.5 billion of the same, a 5 percent more than 2010. The clothing sector’s contribution grew by 2.7 percent to €81.5 billion, and that of man-made fibres, excluding polyolefin, grew by 6.4 percent to €10.1 billion.

The European textile and apparel factories, including mills in Western Europe, CEEC and Turkey, consumed 4.702 million tons of fibre, while households in EU 27 countries consumed textiles and clothing worth €470.5 billion during 2011.

The number of registered firms in the EU textiles and apparel sector fell by 2.2 percent year-on-year to 145,978 during 2011. The number of clothing, textile and man-made fibre firms declined by 1.9 percent year-on-year, 2.9 percent y-o-y and 1.2 percent y-o-y, respectively to 102,311, 43,583 and 83.

Investment in the three sectors jumped by 6.5 percent year-on-year to €5.3 billion, of which €3 billion went into textiles, €2 billion into clothing and 0.3 billion in man-made fibres, which is a rise of 5.9 percent, 7.5 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively.

Indicative of a year-on-year rise of 13.3 percent, total Extra EU 27 exports were worth €38.7 billion. Textile exports to Extra EU 27 countries grew by 8.3 percent y-o-y to €20.3 billion, while apparel exports rose by 19.4 percent y-o-y to €18.4 billion.

In 2011, textile and apparel imports from Extra EU 27 countries increased by 9.8 percent y-o-y to €93.1 billion. Textile imports rose by 13.9 percent to €25.4 billion and garment imports increased by 8.3 percent to €67.7 billion.

This resulted in a negative trade balance of €-54.4 billion, which is 7.4 percent more than last year. Clothing trade balance stood at €-49.3 billion, 4.7 percent y-o-y more, and textiles trade balance was at €-5.1 billion, 43.7 percent more.

With a rise of 6.4 percent, employee’s per capita turnover touched €97,528, while investment in percent of turnover stood at 2.9 percent, exports at 21.7 percent and the number of employees per company averaged to 13.

Last year, employment in the textile and garment sector in the EU 27 countries declined by 2.3 percent y-o-y to 1.834 million. The number of employees in clothing, textile and man-made fibre sector fell by 1.9 percent, 2.9 percent and 1 percent to 1.115 million, 696,000 and 23,000, respectively.

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